The Sparkle In His Soul

An hour had passed since Allen began his training with Tempered Blade. Twilight continued to watch from the side with Commander Regalas as the human did his best to learn.

Drawing back his wooden sword, Allen prepared to charge Blade. The stallion held his wooden sword up and gave a subtle nod. Allen took a deep breath and steeled himself. Then, he took off running toward his trainer. The human kept his hands firmly gripped on his weapon as he neared his opponent.

Allen lashed his sword forward, and with a sly smirk, Blade flexed his hoof. His sword struck Allen’s with impressive force. The wooden blade flew from Allen’s hand and smacked into the ground behind him. He began stumbling as the force of Blade’s blow mixed with his forward momentum left him staggering, until he fell flat on the grass.

“Allen!” Twilight called out.

He moved onto his knees and propped himself up on his hands, a strong bead of sweat rolled from his hair and ran down his face, dripping off his chin. Twilight ran up to Allen, but he held up a hand. “I’m okay, I’m okay.” He huffed for breath as he muttered, “This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.”

Twilight looked his way. Oh, Allen, why are you being so stubborn? She wondered as she fought the urge to help him up.

Allen worked his way back onto his feet, while letting out short sigh. “There, and I’m up again.” He snickered half-heartedly. It was clear this wasn’t going to be easy, in fact it would probably be the toughest challenge of his life.

Twilight’s horn lit up as she ensnared his practice sword in the raspberry glow of her magic. She smiled as she held it aloft for him. “Here, Allen.”

He took the sword from her and smiled graciously. “Thank you, Twilight.”

“You’re welcome.”

Allen gripped his wooden sword as he stood facing Blade. “All right, this time I’m going to…”

Tempered Blade held up a hoof. “Take a short break, Allen. I need to speak to the commander. Besides, you look like you could use a breather.” Blade smiled as he walked past the human. “But, not too shabby. You’ve got a ways to go, but yeah.” The stallion let out a soft chuckle as he walked up to the commander and motioned to him. The two stepped away from Twilight and Allen.

Meanwhile, Anvil Clang walked out from the forge and smiled at Allen and Twilight. “That was a very good start,” he spoke in his distinguished raspy voice.

Allen wasn’t so sure he shared Clang or Blade’s combined sentiments. “If you say so. But, I’ve got a long way to go at this rate.” He huffed, taking another deep breath.

“Here,” Clang said, offering Allen a mug of cold water. “You may not realize it, but you’ve been going at it for a little over an hour now. I think some water will help.”

Allen took the cup from Clang. “Thank you.” Gratitude was heavy in Allen’s voice as he downed the chilled water. He savored its cold temperature as it flowed down his throat and into his stomach. “Ahh, I needed that.”

Clang chuckled as he turned to Twilight and offered her some water. “And what about you, Twilight?”

She took the mug in the grip of her magic and nodded. “Thank you, Clang.” She joined Allen in downing the cool water.

After finishing their water, the three of them heard a voice call down to them. “Hey!” Casting their eyes skyward, they caught the sight of Rainbow Dash as she dropped in for a stylish landing. “Ah, Twilight. I thought I saw a flash of lavender from the air.” The Pegasus snickered.

“You did. So what are you up to, Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Eh, nothing special, just keeping a eye on the clouds, but so far nothing but peaceful skies.” Rainbow turned to Twilight and Allen and couldn’t help but notice Clang. “So, what are you and Allen doing here at the forge?” She raised a curious brow.

Twilight smiled at Rainbow. “We’re here so Allen can learn how to use a sword. He wanted to be ready for our trip into the mountains.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Rainbow looked over and noticed Allen clutching on a wooden sword. “Are you any good?”

Allen scoffed at Rainbow Dash, then shook his head. “Good…” He puffed out a sigh. “More like a disaster.”

Twilight grimaced at Allen as she gave her empty mug to Clang. “Come on, Allen. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m not an expert, like Blade or Commander Regalas, but I think you’ve got a chance.”

“Seriously?” Allen looked at her, recalling his performance over the last hour, he really didn’t agree with her. “You actually think there’s hope for me?”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Of course I do. We all have to start somewhere.” She giggled. “You should have seen how hard it was the first time I used magic just to turn the page of a book.”

Allen relaxed his shoulders and gave her a solemn nod. “You’re right,” he replied. “I guess I should give myself a chance.”

“Of course.” Twilight patted his shoulder supportively, then took the empty mug from him. “Never give up. Just like you did over the past hour.”

Clang took the other cup from Twilight, then turned his lavender eyes on Allen. “She’s right, my boy. And I’d like to refer you to encouraging words my father used to say.”

“Yeah?” Allen glanced Clang’s way.

“He used to say that nothing worthwhile is ever easy. But if you want it enough…fight for it.” Clang gave Allen a firm and determined nod.

“Yeah.” Allen gripped the wooden sword. For a moment, he started thinking about his grandfather. The words or Clang’s father reminded him of the many helpful tips and the endless advice he always had for him. Allen nodded. If they all believe I have a chance, then I have nothing to lose from trying and everything to gain. Yeah. The determined look he had at the start of his training returned as he looked at Clang and the others.

As the four of them talked amongst themselves, Regalas looked over at Allen, then back to Blade. “So, what do you think?”

Blade ran a hoof under his chin. “Hmm…there’s definitely potential. I think he has a chance.”

Commander Regalas tapped his hoof over his mouth. “I have to agree with you, but, many of my rookie guards had the promise of potential. And while basic training was tough on them, not all of them made it once they were out. In fact, more than a few perished in battle. Still…” The stallion removed his helmet and set it on a nearby table. “With a positive attitude and if he holds on to that determination I’ve seen in his eyes, more than once…there’s hope for Allen.”

Blade nodded as he patted the commander’s shoulder. “Exactly. I doubt we’ll make a pro out of him within a week, but I think we’ll be able to help him get the basics down before too long.”

Regalas smiled for the first time since arriving at the forge. “There’s definitely a chance.” The commander chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

Shaking his head, Regalas replied, “I’ve been in the guard for 27 years, and it’s still hard to believe that someone as skilled with a sword like you isn't a member of the Royal Guard.”

Blade laughed for a bit, then smirked at Regalas. “And this coming from a Royal Guard that should have been captain some time ago. I don’t get it.”

Regalas turned his head to the sky, then looked back at Blade. “It’s not like I wasn’t tempted. But, the captain of the guard is a station that needs reliable individuals to help back them up. I learned this when I served under Captain Lance, the first captain I supported. And things aren’t any different with Shining Armor as captain. Besides, I can’t imagine a stallion more deserving of the position. Shining worked so hard for it.”

“Fair enough,” Blade replied with a nod. “And the real reason I never joined the guard.” Blade looked over at his grandfather, then back to the commander.

“I’m listening.”

“I love working on gramp’s forge, and I enjoy helping those that want to learn the ways of the sword. But, I have no desire to go to war. And the guard is part of Equestria’s army. I just use swords for protection, not for senseless violence and killing.”

Regalas laughed a little. “Why do I have a feeling you’ve said this to me before?”

Blade snickered with a partial grin. “Only because, I have. It’s just I think this is the first time you’ve really been listening.”

“True enough. Come on, Blade. Let’s see if Allen is ready to continue.” Regalas patted Blade on the back as he reclaimed his helmet, while they walked back toward the others.

Twilight looked up at Allen. “Well, I should probably get back to the library and get started on that adapter.”

Allen nodded, letting the blade of his wooden sword rest on the ground. “All right. And I want to thank you for staying to cheer me on. Even though I was being so hard on myself.”

The unicorn smiled. “It’s all right. I’ve done the same to myself over the years.” She giggled. “Oh, are there any indications on your charger? I want to make sure the adapter doesn’t damage your phone. There’s always a chance our electric isn’t compatible with your phone’s battery.”

The human felt a slight start. How could he have gleaned over such an important detail? Taking a moment, he recalled the label on his charger. “Yeah, on the charger plug itself, there are some specs listed. Uh, you’ll probably need a magnifying glass to read the tiny print.”

“Okay,” Twilight replied. “Well, I’ll see you back at the library. Uh, any idea when you’ll be back?”

Allen thought for a moment. “Probably later this afternoon, closer to…I don’t know, four or five maybe.”

“That’ll work. It gives me a ballpark figure.” Twilight smiled, then waved a hoof as she trotted off.

Rainbow Dash turned her eyes to Allen. “So, are you gonna get back to it?”

“Hmm.” Allen nodded. “Oh yeah. I may be terrible now, but I’ll give it everything I have.”

“That’s the spirit!” Blade replied as he and Regalas rejoined them. “You ready?”

“You bet,” Allen remarked holding his practice sword firmly.

* * * * * *

Twilight set Allen’s cell phone charger on one of her large experiment tables. She then began gathering a few random things that she felt would aid her in fashioning an adapter for it. The last thing she grabbed was a magnifying glass.

Returning to the table, Twilight inspected the charger, until she found the indications Allen had mentioned. “Ahh, here we go.” She held it up and gave them a thorough read under the magnifying glass. “Hmm. This may be a little more involved then I thought.”

As Twilight contemplated her next move, the door to the basement opened. “Twilight, are you down here?” Spike called to her.

Twilight looked up from her table. “Over here, Spike.”

Spike closed the door and scampered down the basement stairs. He huffed a little after reaching the bottom. “Whew, I sometimes forget just how many steps lead down to your lab.”

The unicorn chuckled as she smiled at her assistant. “So, what’s up, Spike?”

He held up a scroll that was clutched in his right claw. “This letter from the princess came in while you were out. I was cleaning up in the kitchen when you came back and almost forgot I had this.”

Twilight gripped the letter in her magic and levitated it over and unrolled it. “Hmm, Dear Twilight…” She read the message and then looked at Spike half in shock. “Oh, my goodness. Princess Celestia is sending Princess Luna to visit this evening. They want to meet Allen and make sure he really is a human.”

Spike blinked as he looked over the letter. “Wow, having a human here must be a bigger deal than we thought. Especially, if Princess Luna is coming to meet him.”

Twilight shook her head and swallowed hard. “I’ll say. But at least I have time to get ready. And Allen said he’ll be back around supper time, so he should be here before the princess arrives.”

“That’s good. Um, is there anything you need me to do to get ready for Luna’s visit?”

The momentary feeling of panic fled as Twilight looked at Spike, her number one assistant. “Yes, if you could make sure the place is tidied up and to prepared some refreshments for this evening, I’d be eternally grateful.”

Spike saluted dutifully and smiled. “You’ve got it, Twilight. You can count on me.”

With that said, Spike took off and made his way out of the basement. Turning back to her worktable, Twilight held up the magnifying glass and resumed staring at the charger. “Hmm, now let me see. What kind of current do you run on?”

* * * * * *

Allen swung his wooden sword carefully. As it connected with Blade’s, the stallion called out, “One, two, three, four…” With each number he called, Allen made sure to swing his sword in a specific manner. He did his best to ensure his motions were properly formed and that he struck Blade’s sword each time. “Good. Very good, Allen. You’re starting to get the fundamentals down. Once you master these, then you can master the basics.”

The two went through the motions a few more times. Allen tried not to show any signs that he was tiring, while he made sure to meet each of Blade’s movements. “Ha, there. I got it.” The human huffed for breath.

Blade nodded as they stood there with the blades of their practice swords still connected. “All right, Allen. That’s enough for today. You’ve been here for over six hours now. Take some time and let everything sink in. We’ll start back up tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, sounds good. I guess we don’t want to over do it the first day, huh?” Allen remarked as the two lowered their practice swords.

“That’s right. But make sure you get some rest. Each day will get a little more intense…” Blade started to walk away, before he glanced back at Allen. “Count on it.”

The human walked over to Clang and Rainbow Dash. The two had remained there, offering their moral support, and in Rainbow’s case, her critique of his performance. Clang walked over to Allen. “Not bad for your first day. Just remember what my grandson said about the fundamentals.”

Allen nodded. “Right, they’re the key to the basics and then the more advanced techniques.”

“Exactly.” Clang smiled as he reached out a hoof. “Here, I’ll take that practice sword for you. It’ll be here waiting for you tomorrow.”

Rainbow Dash blinked as Clang started to walk away. “Well, I guess that’s it?”

“For now.” Allen chuckled softly. “Well, I hope I wasn’t too boring.”

“Boring?!” Rainbow Dash blinked again. Then, she zipped over in front of him. “What do you mean? That was really exciting.”

“For real?” Allen gave her an odd look, then just shook his head. “I guess watching me eat dirt and grass was entertaining.”

The Pegasus held up a hoof. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! This has nothing to do with how many times you were knocked off your feet…” Rainbow tried to keep a straight face, recalling how humorous some of his falls to the ground were. “Or how many times I laughed. Eh-ehm.” She cleared her throat. “This was about how in spite of all that…you kept getting back up and kept trying. You showed real heart today. And in my book…that is awesome!”

Allen smiled; he had been so caught up with how poor his performance was in the beginning that he didn’t realize Rainbow was right. No matter how many times he messed up, he got right back up, or picked up his sword and faced Blade. “Thank you, Rainbow. Now that you mention it, I did give it my all.”

The Pegasus nodded. “You sure did.”

“Oh, there you are, Allen.” The familiar voice of Rarity called.

Both he and Rainbow Dash looked at the white unicorn with puzzled eyes. “Rarity, what are you doing here?” Rainbow questioned.

Rarity smiled as she trotted over to them. “Why looking for him of course, darling.” She turned to Allen. “Twilight said I could find you here when I saw her earlier, it was while I stepped out for a breath of fresh air.”

“Well, you found me. But, what do you need with me?” Allen asked.

“It’s simple, darling. I’ve got some of your new wardrobe ready for you to try on.” She held her head up and smiled proudly.

Allen stared at her in a combination of excitement and disbelief. “Really, you’ve already made some clothing?”

Rarity nodded. “Of course. Come on, we’ll stop by my boutique.”

“All right.” Allen smiled. “Sweet. I guess I’ll see you later, Rainbow.”

“Okay. Have fun trying on clothes. Ugh, that’s my idea of bor-ing!” The Pegasus scoffed, before spreading her winds and taking off in a streak of rainbow color.

Rarity waved a hoof. “Oh, pay her no mind. This is hardly going to be boring. Now come along.”

Allen nodded. “Sure. I guess when I’m done at you’re place, I’ll go check in with Twilight and see how she’s doing with that adapter.”

“Adapter?” Rarity asked as they departed the forge.

“Yeah, for my phone…oh, right. You weren’t there when I checked on it last night.”

“No, and it sounds more like something Twilight would be good at. At any rate, follow me. Ooh, what happened to you? Twilight said you were learning swordplay, but you’re all dirty.”

Allen laughed. “It’s a long story.”

Rarity smiled. “Well, you can shower at my place. You don’t want to get those new clothes all dirty now, do you?”

“No, well, not right away.” He grinned as they continued walking.

* * * * * *

Allen stood there in Rarity’s tub, while the shower splashed lukewarm water over his body. Now that he was clean, he was just enjoying the soothing sensation of the water drenching his tired muscles. After a few minutes passed, Allen finally turned off the shower and drew back the curtain.

He stepped onto a carefully placed towel and took a long look around Rarity’s neatly kept bathroom. Allen nodded as he admired how everything seemed to be placed in a practical manner. Even the clean and neatly folded towels she had resting for him on the side of the counter seemed to fit right in with the washroom.

He dried off and then, per Rarity’s request, he took the clean robe from the other side of the counter and put it on. Despite the fact that it had been made for a stallion and not a human, Allen was still amazed that it fit him so well. True, it was a little off in the shoulders, but all in all it was comfortable to wear, at least for a short while anyway.

Taking a deep sniff of one of the sleeves, Allen sighed from the clean and refreshing scent of the material. “Everything in here is as inviting as a crisp spring morning.”

Allen made his way out of the bathroom and walked over to Rarity’s bedroom. There, he saw her inside, busying herself at her sewing table. She looked up from her project and smiled at him. “Ah, there you are, Allen, darling.” The unicorn got up and walked over to him. She eyed him up and took a few long sniffs. “That’s better. And don’t you just love that comfy feeling that comes from being fresh from the shower?”

Her enthusiasm made Allen smile, but he couldn’t disagree with her. “Oh yes. There is nothing like the revitalizing feeling that comes from taking a shower.” He laughed. “It’s almost like being reborn, in a way.”

Rarity nodded jubilantly and continued to smile. “I know what you mean. Now, here, over on my bed I’ve set out a few of the items I made for you.”

Allen followed her over to the bed and marveled at the spread of garments. “My goodness, Rarity. How did you make all this in just a matter of hours?”

“Oh, it’s no biggie, Darling. There have been times I’ve had to make entire ensembles and multiple copies of the same outfit for a client. And that’s considering they only give me about a day to do everything.” She softly ran her hoof along the folded pair of jeans. “So, I’m no stranger at making things rather quickly. Besides, I was in the zone. Everything just came to me. Oh.” Rarity turned to him. “It also helps that I keep a lot of my patterns handy. And it wasn’t too difficult to make allowances for your shape and the fact that you’re a biped.”

Allen reached out and picked up one of the shirts. “Wow, this is really amazing work, Rarity.”

She closed her eyes and smiled. “You just go ahead and try these on. I’m just going to step out and give you some privacy.” Rarity giggled a little self-consciously. “And, I might as well use the little filly’s room while I’m at it. Now, just take your time, darling.”

“Okay.”

Rarity stepped out and closed the door behind her. Allen rubbed his nose, then proceeded to untie and remove the robe. After placing it on Rarity’s bed, he took the underwear and gave them and the T-shirt a try.

Allen hoisted the underwear up and let the elastic band lightly snap around his plump waist. “Hmm, not bad,” he muttered as he pulled the T-shirt on. It was a simple white shirt, but just like the other undergarment, this one fit nicely as well, in fact it was just a touch loose. This made it all the better as Allen tucked the tail into the waistline of his underwear.

He surveyed the room and searched it for a mirror. His face brightened as he noticed one on the far side of Rarity’s bed, along the wall opposite the foot end. Allen gave a subtle nod. “Yeah, these fit really good…wow.”

Allen made his way back to the bed and tried on the blue jeans and blue long-sleeve shirt. He pulled the pants up and had no trouble buttoning them or zipping the zipper. Then, Allen worked his arms and head through the shirt and noticed it fit nicely over his undershirt and actually had just a little spare material to tuck into the waist of his pants. He checked these in the mirror too and noticed how nicely they also fit. “Awesome. Wow, that Rarity is incredible. I’ll be thanking her for this…ooh and Twilight for suggesting we get her to make this stuff.” Allen nodded, smiling contently as he took another look at his reflection.

There was a soft rap at the door. “Allen, darling, how are you doing in there?”

He turned his head toward the door. “Good, you can come in Rarity. I’m decent.” Allen snickered.

The door opened and Rarity trotted back inside. She saw Allen standing there next to the mirror. “Well, those certainly suit you now. How does it all feel?”

Allen twisted lightly and moved his arms, then lightly swayed in place. “Really good. You did an amazing job…are you sure you haven’t made human clothing before?” He asked with a teasing smile.

Rarity stood next to him, looking at their combined reflections. “Why no, darling. You would be the first. But, like I said, it wasn’t overly difficult. Ooh and I love a challenge…hee, hee.” Rarity giggled. “And it’s nothing a strong note of inspiration doesn’t help. Everything just seemed to flow like water.”

“Sweet. I can’t thank you enough for making these for me. And so quickly too.” Allen turned her way, offering her a genuine smile.

“Oh, think nothing of it, darling. And, before I forget.” She walked over to her worktable. I don’t want to forget to give you these.” Her horn lit up with a soft blue glow as she held up a pair of white crew socks. “I made you socks as well. I just looked at the ones you were wearing this morning and then compared them to other socks I’ve made in the past. It wasn’t too hard to make a custom pattern.”

Rarity offered the socks to Allen. He took them and continued to smile. “Thank you Rarity. All need to do is put these and my shoes back on and I’ll be all set.” Allen leaned along the side of her bed as he pulled both socks on. “Oh, where are my shoes?”

The unicorn thought for a moment. “Oh, that’s right.” She lightly fluffed her violet mane. “They’re downstairs. If you’ll recall, I didn’t want you to track any dirt or grass stains into my boutique, so I had you take them off and leave them by the front door.”

Allen nodded. “Oh, right, now I remember. I just know that after you offered the use of your shower…heh, heh. I couldn’t wait to clean up.”

Rarity smiled. “I understand how you feel. If you want we can go down and get your shoes awhile. It’s a good thing you’re shoes are in good shape.” She began as they left her bedroom and headed downstairs.

“Yeah, I guess shoes would be tricky to make,” Allen remarked.

“Yes, I’ve never really done more than add accents to shoes I’ve bought from the shoe shop. Of course if you do need shoes, I’m sure the shoe shop could help you, darling.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind, just in case it takes Twilight a long time to work on a way to charge my phone.”

“Yes. Oh and there.” Rarity pointed by the front door. “There are your shoes.”

“Good.” Allen walked over and recovered them, slipping them on his feet, before tying them. “There we go, now I’m all set.” He nodded firmly.

“Not quite, Allen, darling.” Rarity walked over to one of her tables and used her magic to retrieve a small bundle. “Here.”

He took the bundle, and noticed it had some weight to it. “What’s this?” he asked.

“These are your other clothes. They’re in need of washing, but Twilight can help you with that. I know she has a washer and dryer at her place.”

Allen thought back to his previous conversation with Twilight. “Yeah, I remember her mentioned that she does have those. Good.” Allen’s eyes widened for a moment. “Oh, Rarity, what do I owe you for the…”

She held up a hoof. “Now, now, you don’t need to worry about payment. If anything I owe Twilight a favor of two. Besides, your smile and kinds words made it worth the effort.”

He smiled at her, even if he didn’t feel completely confident that she wasn’t worried about getting paid. “All right then. Thank you again. Well, I should get out of your hair and check in with Twilight.”

It was then that Rarity noticed Allen favor his left arm a little. She placed a hoof to her chin and nodded. “Hmm, Allen. Is your left arm bothering you?”

“Huh?” He looked at it and then at her. “Oh, well maybe just…just a little. Might have been from swinging that wooden sword all morning,” he noted, holding it up.

“I thought so, and when you went up the stairs to use my shower, you were walking a little funny.”

Allen grinned a bit sheepishly. “Yeah, my legs are a little sore. Probably from the training, and I did fall off a mountain yesterday. I guess I’m still not at 100% yet.”

Rarity smiled as she reached up to deftly pat his shoulder. “Not to worry, darling. I know just the thing. I’m a little sore from whipping up those clothes so quickly. Why don’t you join me at the spa, my treat? Aloe and Lotus will make you feel like a new stallion…uh, well in your case, a new human.” She laughed a little nervously.

“It’s okay, Rarity. I’m not gonna squabble over a few misspoken words. That’s for sure.”

She smiled at him. “So, are you coming?”

Allen rubbed his hand over his chin. “You did say, “your treat,” didn’t you?” Rarity nodded twice. “In that case, I’d be delighted.”

“Follow me.” Rarity giggled. “It’s not far.”

The human smiled as he departed her place. Rarity stopped to put up the closed sign and locked up her shop. Then, she led him toward the spa.