The weekend came and went, and I'd made good progress on my training with Umbra. Last night, she said we would start practicing levitation and incorporating armed combat into tonight's lesson. On Sunday, I even finished my helmet and armor set. Monday came after that, and I was swamped by equipment inspection orders. With the Tournament happening in three days, the Royal and Lunar guard made preparations. Stands for the populace were getting built on our training grounds, and flyers were posted all around the city. So far, I'd spent the last three hours looking over weapons and armor. Since Equestria was at relative peace, I rarely had to fix anything for the time being. Those few cases where I have to touch up on a guard's kit are usually the cause of negligence.

I've seen guards do some very dumb shit with their standard-issue equipment. I was at my desk examining the spear of 2nd Lieutenant Banshee of the Lunar Guard. In my peripheral vision, I could see her glaring at me. Now I was used to the Lunar guards giving me looks that echoed their intent to send me to a hospital...or a morgue, but this mare was something else. She had become a legend among the guard during Queen Chrysalis' invasion of Canterlot. According to what I've heard, two members of her squad died, and the rest were injured. Which left only her. Banshee stood her ground long enough for the Equestrian royalty to bounce back and repel the attack. When reinforcements got to her, she had reportedly killed 70 and wounded 20. Banshee's actions earned her the Equestrian Star of Valiance, akin to the Medal of Honor given to the United States Armed Forces. I wish I had been there for it all; when I got here, the only big event was my arrival on the planet and the subsequent panic that followed. It might not have been an event that required me to take up my arms and go on duty for once, but it was still...interesting, to say the least,

"Well, I see nothing wrong with the current state of your weapon. The spearhead is still sharp, and the socket is firmly attached to the wood. I don't see any signs of rot on the wood either. You've maintained your weapon well." I leaned over the desk, holding the spear in front of the mare. Banshee's fur was a smokey gray, while the webbings of her wings were a few shades darker. Her braided mane and tail were glossy indigo, while one of her eyes shared the same color as her mane; the other was milky white due to Banshee losing her eye during the invasion. The mare only nodded thanks before grabbing the spear and striding out of the Forge. Two stallions and a mare turned their heads and watched her walk away, thinking god knows what as they took an eyeful of the rough-looking mare's assets. The display made me want to shake my head.

Unfortunately for the horny bastards, the mare's intuition kicked in a few steps past the doorway, and she turned her head slightly and caught them gawking, and for the first time in my life, I heard Banshee speak.
Her voice was husky, "What are you scumbags looking at?!" Closing the distance at an alarming speed, she stood next to the line. Even though there was no order, everyone, including me, stood at attention. She pointed at the three ponies checking her out, "STEP OUT OF LINE NOW!" Like children, they shuffled out of their spots in line and found themselves standing right in front of Banshee. Who looked like she was ready to tear every one of them to pieces in an instant, "I'm only going to ask one more time. WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU WORMS LOOKING AT?!" Her voice echoed off walls. I bet someone could have heard it upstairs with how loud she got. One of the stallions answered,

"You, Ma'am."

This was still not a satisfactory answer as Banshee walked over to the stallion and got in his face. His reddened cheeks failed to hide his guilt, "If you don't fucking tell me what I want to hear, I will make sure you spend the rest of your miserable days bedridden and shitting in a bag. Do you hear me?" The stallion nodded, trembling so much that his knees were nearly knocking,

"I-I-I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR FLANK, MA'AM!"

"Oh." Her expression softened, "Well, if you wanted to look so bad." She wheeled around and bucked the poor bastard in his chest. The audible force of the impact made a few in-line flinch and grimace. Then, Banshee stomped over and yelled in his face, "I AM YOUR SUPERIOR, YOU VILE PICE OF SHIT! HOW DID YOU MAKE IT THIS FAR IN LIFE WITHOUT HAVING A SINGLE INKLING OF DISCIPLINE?!" The stallion only gasped in reply, struggling to catch his breath. Finally, she looked at the two other ponies and approached them slowly, "Got yourselves an eyeful, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I hope it was worth it because you clowns have won yourselves extra shifts for the next three months as punishment. Now grab this sack of shit and get him out of my sight!" The ponies carried their partner in crime off to what I could only assume was the infirmary. Banshee followed behind them, stopping in the doorway and telling us, "At ease."

The injured stallion groaned loudly before the door at the end of the hall slammed shut. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I relaxed my posture. A few moments passed before another guard relinquished his kit to me, bringing my attention back to the task at hand,

"Hmm," I mused as I looked at his Blade, "Edge has no nicks," Pulling out a piece of paper, I gently forced the sword through the form. It cut about a quarter before stopping, "Blades a bit dull. Let me go ahead and sharpen this for ya." I took out a whetstone and dipped it in the water bucket adjacent to my feet before setting it down on the table. Starting with the coarse grain, I held the Blade at the proper angle before sliding it across the stone. After a few passes, I flipped the whetstone over the fine-grain side and did the same. Pulling out another piece of paper, the sword sliced through it like hot butter. Then, I put the sword in its sheath and turned my gaze toward his armor. I tilted the golden helmet to get a better view of its surface. Apart from a few circular scratches (Most likely due to using the wrong kind of rag), it was fine. Handing his kit back to him, the stallion turned and left the chamber. Unfortunately, one of my most frequent visitors was up next in line. Gallant Blade smiled smugly at me as he tossed me his sword. Catching it, my expression became even more void. I went right to scoping his things out, hoping that by removing additional eye contact, his walnut-sized brain wouldn't feel the need to fuck around with me.

"Hey, freak," And here we go. Trying to keep my cool, I just looked at Gallant, "I just happened to hear that you signed up to compete in the Guard's Tournament." A collective wave of surprise and confusion washed over the line. As murmurs rippled throughout the crowd, I found eyes trained heavily on me,

"Yes, I did." Multiple of them burst out laughing. Some looked at me in question and disbelief,

"You're kidding, right?" A mare further back in the line said as she looked at me. I shook my head slowly,

"Quite brave of you, but it's idiotic. You're going up against the ones standing post and remaining active in our duties when you only have basic training to stand on. For Tarturus' sake, I'd bet a fresh recruit could embarrass you on Wednesday." Gallant's sentence awards him a few more laughs, "I'd assumed that you'd have some capacity for critical thinking, but it seems that I've set the bar very high for a woefully dull creature, haven't I? Listen, why don't you just leave the guard? I bet you can still work here instead."

"Well, I haven't thought about that last part," I said blankly, trying in vain to defuse the situation,

"Oh, you didn't think about it," Gallant sneered, "Something about you not thinking somehow doesn't shock me." I wrestled down my desire to fire back at him, but I didn't respond to his statement, grabbing the whetstone and dipping it in the water. My grip was so tight that it shook. I heard a small pop as I pulled the whetstone from the water. One side of it slowly sagged a bit. I furrowed my brows and set the stone back in the bucket. When I pulled my hand away, the stone's halves drifted apart. My eyes widened, "Did you hear me?" Gallant's snobbish voice brought me out of my confusion. Acting quickly, I grabbed my spare whetstone and dropped it on the table,
"HELLO?!"

My eyes snapped up to meet his, "What?" Gallant's eye twitched, and everyone in line looked at me like I was on another planet...well, nevermind. I had sharpened Gallant's sword and handed it back to him in no time. He opened his mouth to speak but only found the strength to look at me with disgust. Then, taking the sword in his magic, he stormed out of the Forge. Apprehensively, another guard stepped forward and relinquished their things.

As I continued the rest of the day, I'd take cursory glances at the inside of the bucket.

After attending to the last guard, the Forge was empty once again. I promptly closed the large iron door, "Umbra," I called out in my mind. A brief moment of silence came and went,

"Yes, I know. I saw what happened earlier."

"How was I able to do that?"

"One of the many advantages to dark magic is not only the raw and violent magical power it holds but also the effect it has on the body. While you may not feel like it, the dose of dark magic you have within has made you stronger and faster than ever before. While you aren't as mighty as I, the force needed to break a whetstone is still incredible."

I blinked, "Woah," was the only thing I managed to say,

"Woah, indeed. It's part of the reason I could stand hoof to hoof with Celestia and Luna on many separate occasions."

"That's a pretty good upside."

"Truly, as long as you can control yourself." She said matter-of-factly. Umbra made an effort to frequently remind me of how much of a double-edged sword dark magic was over the weekend during my training, "Are you ready for tonight's lesson?"

"Oh yeah," I nodded. "Just let me handle something quick before I hit the sack. Inside my hidden arsenal, I examined my completed suit of armor. A small part of me wanted to add some engravings to it, but there'd be no time for me to do so before the Tournament. Reaching out, I pulled my helmet off the rack. The great helm design was a good idea on my part compared to the guard's standard outfit. My head was protected all around, and my eyesight wasn't affected very much by the narrow visor.

"I admire your helmet's design."

My eyebrows rose, "Really?"

"Of course, you substituted that ridiculous cavern that often leaves the faces of the guard exposed for an attack. Additionally, a pony wouldn't be able to see through that, but judging from the size of your eyes, this wouldn't be much of a problem."

I set the helmet back on the stand and chuckled, "Thank you, all I did was take a page out of human history. We can be rough around the edges, but we have done great things."

"Hm, well, now I've gotten curious. Tell me of one of these great things."

I scratched my chin in thought as I closed the entrance to my arsenal and moved toward my bed. Then, lying down and getting comfortable, I decided, "Okay, I'd say the invention of flight."

"Flight?" Umbra said incredulously,

"Yeah."

"How? You have no wings."

"We essentially did it by first creating a weird multi-winged vehicle powered by a machine that provided the proper amount of propulsive force to achieve liftoff."

"And here I thought your kind had simply domesticated a sizeable flying animal."

I chuckled, "Yeah, humanity tends to make amazing inventions that change the course of the world. But, sometimes, it can be for the worst" Then, with one last yawn, I shut my eyes and fell asleep.

When I awoke in the eternal forest, Umbra's sat on her haunches. She sure did like to drink in the gloomy environment. She also created this dimension herself, so maybe it's a form of expression,

Umbra's right ear twitched once I got two steps in, and she glanced at me over her shoulder, "Ah, there you are."

Stopping beside her, I smirked, "You ponies sure have some good hearing."

Umbra chuckled a bit before rising and stretching in a way similar to a cat, "That we do. Now, are you ready to begin?"

I clapped my hands and rubbed them together, "Let's get to it."

She raised an eyebrow, "Well, aren't you eager?"

"Of course I am. Being able to pick something up and put it down with my mind was something that many kids, hell, even some adults on Earth dreamed of doing."

"At least you're ready," She picked up a rock in her magic and dropped it in front of me. It was about the size of my fist, maybe a bit smaller, "Invoke." I did as she asked, bringing forth my magic, "Focus on this rock and try to envision your magic covering it completely." Then, opening my hand, I aimed my arm at the rock. My aura flickered intermittently around it initially, but I eventually managed to pull it off,

"How was that?" I said with a slight strain in my voice,

"Adequate, even though it did take you a moment. Next, visualize it leaving the grass while keeping your aura on the rock." When I tried to do it, the rock only came up a couple inches off the ground, wobbling and shaking,

"Man, it's...harder than it looks." I maintained my hold on it for a few more seconds before it plopped down,

Umbra ran a hoof through her mane before speaking, "Try again, but this time, don't try and lift it as high as you can. Instead, fixate on keeping the rock from shaking in the air."

Following her instruction, I did my best to keep the rock stable. Granted, it still moved a ton. After letting the stone hit the floor, I turned to Umbra and asked, "I tried what I could, but I don't think I changed my control over it very much."

"Don't go about it as if you were just picking the rock up with your magic," Umbra levitated the rock, "Tell the rock what to do. Make it heed your instruction." She made the rock fly around my head a few times before dropping it at my feet.

I looked at it and thought over her words. Then, with a breath, I grabbed the rock in my magic again. "Stay still, don't move," I mumbled, concentrating so much that I overlooked Umbra covering her mouth as she stifled a laugh. My eyes widened as the stone gradually stabilized to a moderate degree. It wasn't absolutely still, but it was a good start,

"You are quite the quick learner. Well done. That proves to be a sufficient stopping point. We still need to commence the combat portion of tonight's lesson."

The rock again found itself nestled in the grass, "So, what's on the menu today?"

Horn alight with magic, Umbra called forth her scythe, "I believe that your unarmed combat skills are sufficient. However, I have yet to see you perform with a weapon," A perfect copy of my longsword appeared in front of me. Wasting no time, I grabbed it out of the air. Umbra takes a stance and says, "Show me what you've got, Donovan." There was a brief moment of hesitation. My mind was racing, thinking of ways I could approach her and worrying about how easily she could destroy me. Then, taking a breath, I steeled my resolve and darted forward.

Umbra simply stood there with a slight smirk as she waited for me to close the gap between us. Once I had gotten close enough, I thrust the sword at her chest. She swiftly knocked the blade away with her scythe before countering with a swing. Seeing her attack, I blocked it to the best of my ability. I kept her scythe at bay using my handguard while sidestepping under the snath. I created a small opening in her defense by pushing away. Then, moving as quickly as possible, I swung for her head. She leaned backward and tracked the sword with her eyes in one fluid motion as it narrowly missed her snout. As soon as she was clear, Umbra assumed her stance again. I followed up immediately with an overhead. She avoided it by jumping backward. Seeing that she evaded it, I changed the angle of my swing. Narrowly missing the grass, I brought the blade to my side and closed in. Umbra met me in earnest, going on the offensive. I managed to deflect two of her swings relatively well until the third when she nearly knocked the sword out of my hands. I almost spun to keep my hold.

Umbra did not hesitate to seize the opportunity and went for another swing. Since I had barely recovered from the previous hit, I knew I could not defend myself against the next attack. Turning my sword, Umbra's scythe struck the flat, and I was knocked over. I looked to see her bringing the scythe down on top of me. Grunting, I rolled away and propped myself up on the sword. Umbra herself was already starting her next swing. In a last-ditch effort, I did the same,

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" I roared, swinging with everything I had. The resulting sound of the collision echoed throughout the landscape, and we were showered in sparks. I used the brief pause to take deep breaths, trying to regain some of my energy,

Umbra simply looked at me, eyebrow raised, "Hmm," she pondered, "You do have considerable skill for somepony with basic combat training."

She withdrew her weapon, and I did the same, resting my hands on the pommel, "So, what do you think?"

She smiled, "Your attacks are somewhat slow and thus easily decipherable. Yet, I'm confident that we can remedy this. The weight behind said attacks are deceptively powerful, coupled with your bipedal structure and weapon of choice. You may not be fast, Donovan, but you have power and reach. A very lethal pair of attributes to a fighter that doesn't take you seriously." Umbra's expression hardened slightly as she spun the scythe in her magic, "Let's address those weaknesses of yours. Are you ready?"

I grasped the handle and spun the sword around, holding the flat close to my face, "More than ready."

P.O.V. Twilight Sparkle

Celestia's sun rose above the clouds and, unfortunately, through the window into my bedroom. Moaning at the intrusion of my sleep, I channeled magic into my horn and shut the blinds. I smiled softly and got a little more comfortable.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Right as I nearly fell back to sleep.

"C'mon, Twilight, wake up!" Spike's loud and muffled voice came through the door.

I groaned and drooped my ears to futilely silence the assault on my rest, "Mmmm." For a moment, silence yet again washed over the Castle. That was until I heard my door open,

"You gotta get up. We both know how you get when you don't eat in the morning." The soft thump of his paws grew louder and louder as he closed the distance, followed by shuffling. I could feel a very concerning weight on my bed approach me. Spike's scaly finger poked my cheek three times, and I finally relented,

"Okay, okay. I'm up." I grumbled, yawning and stretching, "So what'd you make for breakfast?"

"Pancakes with prench toast and hay bacon on the side."

My stomach growled in approval, causing Spike to chuckle, "Sounds good." Coming off the bed, I went to the dining hall with Spike in front. Yawning again, I asked, "Do I have anything on schedule today?"

He shook his head, "No, I checked, and there aren't even any chores that need to be done around the castle." Hmm, it had been a while since I had an empty day. I'll see if any of the girls are free too, we could have a picnic. Once we got to the hall, the smell of breakfast wafted into my nostrils.

Graduating into a light trot, I took my seat at the table. Then, drizzling a good helping of syrup onto my pancakes, I cut out a section and took a bite, "Hey, Spike?"

"Yeah?" He asked with his mouth full of half-chewed gems,

Giggling slightly, "I was wondering if-" I didn't get to finish my question as Spike hiccupped loudly. At first, I thought it was the number of gems he'd stuffed in his maw, but then he let out a loud belch. The small plume of emerald flame dissipated to reveal a scroll. Spike caught it in the air and opened it. While he read it, he nonchalantly popped an amethyst into his mouth. His eyes widened slightly as he rolled up the scroll and motioned for me to grab it,

"Hey Twi, this scroll's from the Princesses."

I excitedly tapped my hooves, "Ooh, I wonder what they wrote!" Then, taking the scroll in my magic, I opened it and read its contents.

Dearest Twilight, we have sent this scroll to invite you and the Elements of Harmony to watch the upcoming Guard's Tournament proceedings. We would have loved to send you this invitation earlier, but my sister and I have been extremely busy with matters around and outside the kingdom. Therefore, we thought that the Tournament would be a fantastic way to get together once again and catch up. We await your answer.

Sincerely, the Equestrian Diarchy.

Author's Note

Here's Chapter 5; I hope I haven't lost my edge. That's for all of you to decide. I hope you enjoy.