Fendral stood tall and straight, holding his gaze upon his opponent firmly and holding the grip of his weapon firmer, the mare opposite him in a similar position. Winter gave a few shakes of her arms as she hyped herself up for the early morning sparring session Fendral had decided they hold.

Giving her sword a single spin, she lunged, quickly closing the small distance between them. aiming her sword at the Mandalorians chest.

Fendral anticipated this and swiftly stepped to the side, slapping the flat of his sword against her side, a painful smack echoing through the otherwise silent training ring. She grunted as she came to an abrupt stop, quickly turning back to her sparring partner.

"Come on," He said in an almost mocking tone. "Come on."

"Old man," She replied, hoping to get him even a little riled up.

Exhaling through his mouth, he went in for the first strike. The two exchanged a quick flurry of precise attacks, each one blocking the other's strike or redirecting it in hopes of landing the killing blow, even slapping different parts of their opponent's arm to distract them for the same reason. Not one movement was wasted, and not one ounce of energy was put into an unwanted action.

With their blades locked, Winter pushed slightly against her opponent and went for his right leg. Moving it forward, her forearm slammed against his thigh while at the same time, he slammed his against her neck. Slapping it away with her opposite hand just enough to move, she went for a backhanded strike. Moving the small distance, Fendral easily blocked the blow and pushed it away, leaving her entire right side exposed. Punching her open side, he roughly grabbed her wrist and twisted it, bringing his arm around and over, effectively locking it in place over his shoulder while he moved his blade and placed it against her neck.

"Dead," He said plainly before pushing the mare away.

She groaned as she shook her now unlocked arm, lightly rubbing her potentially bruised side. If there was one thing her observation upon their first meeting in a while had been one hundred per cent right on, it was that he had undoubtedly gotten stronger with age.

Cheering began being heard coming from the stands not too far from where the duo stood. Looking over, their eyes landed on an enthusiastic group of Ponies, Dragon and Reindeer. Even Fluttershy and Rarity offered their own appraisals, despite their usual negativity towards violence.

"Fuck yea, that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as her wings lightly flapped behind her.

"Though I do not agree with the use of language," Rarity said. "I do agree that that was quite an impressive display."

"Yall think that's impressive? Yah ain't seen nothin', trust me," Applejack added.

"It would have been," Fendral started, almost disappointedly. "Had this one not been holding back."

"Sorry," Winter replied, idly making her way towards the weapons table. "Guess I'm just not in the mood today."

"Mood?" Fendral questioned, his tone now carrying a certain level of audacity towards the mare's words. "What does mood have to do with it?"

The group instantly stopped their light cheers and clapping, now invested in the moment unfurling in front of them. Very rarely had they heard their friend and Uncle hold the tone of disappointment, almost frustration as he did now. Very rarely did they ever witness his calm demeanour drop like it did now.

"You fight when the necessity arises, no matter the mood," He continued, his tone quickly turning into apparent anger as he pointed his blade towards the mare. "Now fight!"

Lunging at a surprising speed that made Rainbow Dash jealous, Winter sidestepped the attack, barely dodging it as a startled look overtook her features. Going for his back, his surprising speed didn't let up even a little bit as he effortlessly blocked the attack, stopping any momentum she may have had.

Taking advantage of the brief pause, he twisted his body and locked her arm under his, slamming his back hard into her chest. Grabbing the blade portion of his sword with his free hand, he pushed hers out of her hand, sending it flying across and out the sparring ring before he spun, aiming for the mare's head. Ducking, she turned and jumped over the weapons table, quickly a pair of daggers after she landed.

"Come on!"

The two once again delivered a flurry of blows, Winter just barely able to keep up with the man's impressive speed. While before it had been fairly easy to keep up despite him being vastly more experienced but now she was pushing herself to her limits, the ferocity and power behind his attacks left the mare wondering if he was actually aiming to kill. He had a cheek to talk about holding back, as even now she felt as though he could have ended the current match far sooner.

Ducking under an overhead swing, Fendral slugged her hard in the stomach, leaving her reeling back and onto her knee. Flipping her daggers, she quickly looked up. Raising his sword slightly overhead, she redirected it away with her left and took a swipe to his side, missing by a few good inches, before bringing back for a stab where he brought up his leg, letting her hit his armoured shin.

Standing, she swiped and stabbed at the same time, Fendral easily leaning back to avoid. Taking another swipe, she used her momentum and spun, her right arm poised for a stab. Catching it with his free hand, she used her own, locking it behind his calf and sweeping him off his feet before getting on top of him, placing the tip of both blades to his neck.

"Dead," She remarked, a subtle smirk gracing her lips.

"Aye, but you would have joined me," Fendral replied, nodding his head down.

Perring to where he indicated, she spotted the tip of his own blade pressed against her side.

"I see you found the mood," He commented, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

Getting off from on top of him, Winter offered her hand, which he wordlessly took, the mare grunting in effort as she lifted the far larger and far heavier man to his feet. Once up, he looked down at her before walking off towards the weapons table, placing his sword on top of the piece of cloth atop its surface alongside the other blades. Craning his neck, a series of satisfying pops sounded out.

Fendral took note of the sound of shuffling to his left and shifted his gaze toward the source of the sound and spotted the group who had been spectating their sparring match quickly making their way to the duo. Their faces were a mixture of confusion and fear with only a few holding a look of understanding to the situation, excluding Winter herself.

"Dude, where'd that come from?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Yea, I thought this was a friendly spar," Rainbow Dash added.

"You don't understand do you?" He asked rhetorically. "Your opponent doesn't care about what mood you're in, they only care about ending your life. It's attitudes like that that get you killed."

"That may be so, but you looked as though you were actually intending to kill her," Twilight said.

"Real-life combat scenarios are some of the best ways to learn that there will be no mercy in battle."

"Well yes, but putting another in harm's way just to prove a point? I'm sorry darling but I simply do not see the benefit," Rarity added.

"No. How could you? You don't know my ways," Fendral said softly, in an almost comforting tone. "When you're staring someone in the eye who has the intention of killing you, you don't get to choose what mood you're in. You either fight or die."

"Like the Griffons?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes," Fendral answered after a moment. "Yes, like the Griffons."

It was only the morning after the attack on the Gala and protocols had already been put into effect. Measures had quickly been put into place to ensure the cities inhabitant's safety, not a single area of the city was left unprotected, Guards constantly stayed ever vigilant in this time of uncertainty, as did the Princesses themselves,

Even in the short amount of time since the attack, while the Guards roamed the streets and skies, the Twin Monarchs tirelessly combed through every bit of intel they had at their disposal. It was still early and info was still steadily rolling in, though not as fast as either of them would have preferred. So far, their efforts bore no fruit, but it was early, so they remained hopeful for something to pop up.

"Could not have said it better myself."

Peering behind him, he spotted the twin princesses steadily making their way towards the gathered group. Coming upon them, the group all bowed, bar Fendral himself who simply offered an extended nod. As they stopped, Fendral gave the pair a slight head tilt, an unspoken question they seemed to understand as Celestia subtly shook her head.

"That was certainly quite an impressive display my dear friend," Luna praised, a wide smile across her muzzle showing off her sharp canines.

"Indeed," Celestia agreed, a soft smile of her own gracing her lips. "And while harsh, Fendral's words are those that many within his profession live by."

"It is not a pretty philosophy to be sure, but it is one that has saved his life many times over," Luna said, standing next to the taller man. "We understand the trepidation you hold for this way of thinking, but after you've seen and experienced the things he has, you tend to rely heavily upon it."

"And besides, he's right," Winter piped up, all eyes shifting to her. "I'm a soldier, I'm trained for situations like that. Though we are expected to handle certain scenarios non-lethally, we are also fully expected to take lives if necessary. Though you may not agree, he's right."

Turning towards the larger man, Winter stood straight and held her gaze evenly, not looking him in the eyes and spoke in an even, professional tone.

"I am sorry for the momentary lapse in my judgement sir, it won't happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't," Fendral replied, his tone equally even and smooth before his posture relaxed. "At ease."

Seemingly satisfied that the situation was dealt with, he nodded before turning to face the twins that stood next to him.

"So," He continued. "What brings you here."

"We simply wished to see you as we have there is not much else for us to do currently," Luna replied, her smile not once wavering. "We also have a visitor."

Stepping aside, they let the mentioned visitor step forward. A bright orange unicorn mare passed the two monarchs, her thick fiery hair held back in a neat plait. The grey plaid flannel wrapped and tied around her waist hung halfway down her deep blue jean-clad legs, leaving her plain purple top exposed.

"Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed.

Rushing forward, she practically jumped onto the slightly taller mare as she tightly embraced her older adopted sister. The two stood there for a few moments before they broke the hug, Sunset Shimmer cupping Twilight's cheeks as a look of concern washed over her face.

"After I heard what happened I got here as soon as I could. Are you ok? You weren't hurt, were you? Please tell me you didn't get involved."

"Sunny, I'm ok, I promise. No, I wasn't hurt," Twilight replied, somewhat calming her sister ever so slightly. "And even if I wanted to get involved, which I didn't, this one wouldn't have allowed it."

Pointing over her shoulder, Shimmer looked to the Mandalorian with a look of gratitude. Though she wouldn't expect anything less from him, she was still immensely for him protecting her sister and her friends.

"Thank y-"

"No," Fendral interrupted. "No need."

"Well," Shimmer replied. "I would try to give it anyway, but I know what you're like."

Everyone gathered agreed with the statement, even Orion nodded his head in agreement, knowing the man more than most being his lifelong friend.

"My thoughts exactly," Celestia agreed, placing a gentle hand on Shimmer's shoulder. "As stubborn as they come."

"No," He responded. "I simply will not take unnecessary thanks for saving someone close to me."

"Told you," Celestia whispered into Shimmer's ear, earning a soft giggle. "Well, be that as it may, we will still thank you whether or not you take it."

"And you call me stubborn," Fendral said with mirth.

"I didn't say I wasn't," Celestia said, a cheeky grin spreading across her face. "Now with that out of the way, I do believe this was best three out of five?"

"Damn it!" Winter exclaimed as she hit the ground, kicking up the sand and gravel beneath her.

"And I believe that's eight to one," Celestia announced, checking in on the wheezing Winter to make sure she was alright, the group now stand at the threshold of the ring. "I do believe that calls for a break."

"Actually," Fendral said quickly. "I want to go one more round."

"Uh...Fen, in case you haven't noticed, Winter ain't in any shape to keep goin," Rainbow said, the other girls voicing their own concerns.

"Yea, ya thrashed her pretty good," Applejack said.

"I didn't mean with Winter," Fendral replied, slowly turning his head to face Vixen. "I meant with you."

"Oh?" She voiced in an almost amused tone, a smile crossing her lips. "May I ask why?"

"Since the attack, you have barely left my side twice," The man started, leaning against the weapons table. "All things considered, I don't know you, not well. So if you're going to be as close to me as I think you're going to be, I have to see what you're capable of."

"So you want to assess me," Vixen stated, her smile ever present.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Very well, I had a feeling it would happen sooner or later," She said before standing, quickly making her way to the edge of the ring. "Good thing I came prepared."

Reaching down, she removed her plain white shirt and placed it on the weapons table beside her. Her rather ample chest was bound firmly in place by a series of tightly wound gauze. She kept on everything else, which was only a simple pair of loose-fitting joggers, as they didn't minimize her mobility any. As she was about to step into the ring, she paused briefly before stepping back.

"Shouldn't we wait and let you rest before we do this?"

"No," Fendral replied firmly before anyone could also voice their own concerns.

"Alright," Vixen conceded, knowing that the man wouldn't budge in his decision. "If that's what you want."

Stepping into the ring, she knew there was no backing out now. She continued forward, coming to a stop about a metre away from the Mandalorian. The two stood still, silently sized the other up, shoulders facing at a slight angle, muscles tensed.

For Fendral, we had to know how well she could handle herself. He had heard about her as she works under the Mercenary Guild, which often worked in conjunction with the Bounty Hunters Guild for certain jobs if it served multiple functions. He knew she could hold her own, being that she had been in service for longer than she hadn't, but he needed to see for himself how well she could handle herself.

For Vixen, on the other hand, she knew of his exploits, his skill and tenacity. Damn-near everyone in Equestria knew his name and ferocity. She knew she was being tested and wasn't planning on holding back, but she knew what she was getting into and she was nervous.

Standing as still as ever, the tension in the air was palpable, not a sound could be heard, not even the sound of breathing as the pairs audience watched with bated breath.

Fendral flinched forward, raising his arm slightly before pulling back, Vixen recoiling back. Vixen offered a flinch of her own a moment later, but the man simply stood and stared. After a second, she shot her hand out, the man leaning back and blocking it, throwing out his own punch only for it to be blocked as well, allowing her to shoot out her fist once more resulting in the response from the Mandalorian.

The two stood back and began circling, not once taking their eye off each other.

Raising her leg, Fendral raised his as he began to let his instincts take over before they put them back down. Just as they did, Vixen took the lead and sent out a three-point kick, Fendral raising his leg and arm to effortlessly block the attack, bringing up his other arm to deflect a side blow to his neck. Redirecting the next series of surprisingly quick attacks before ducking under a fist sweep aimed for his neck, throwing his own punches that she too deflected as she lifted her powerful leg and aimed for his head, the man simply leaned back.

There was a series of reactions from everyone currently gathered, each one different from the last.

The Group couldn't help but watch in awe as they watched the man most of them looked up to fight with speed and precision that they had only seen in the likes of movies. They had seen him train, but that was nothing like this and they had been very quickly evacuated during the Griffon attack, so having him be able to not hold back with someone of apparently equal footing, for them, was a sight to see.

Winter too watched with her jaw slack, though for different reasons. The two of them were on par in terms of age, her being slightly younger by five years. Yet despite this, he moved as though he were a well-oiled machine, shifting and faintly moving his body in a way most Guards could only ever hope to achieve. In the way he moved, it was almost as if he knew exactly what Vixen's next moves were going to be. She had seen this before yes, having served alongside him years ago, but it never ceased to amaze her.

As for the Princesses, it reminded them of older times. Seeing the man they had come to know and love almost as a brother fight like he was thirty years younger, brought back memories of a time long gone, of people long since passed. It was almost a bittersweet moment for the pair.

For Fendral however, his thoughts were beginning to be confirmed. She was aggressive, taking to the initiative in hopes of quickly gaining the upper hand but was prepared to be defensive if the need arrived. Even in their quick exchange, it settled most of his questions. But one remained: how much further could he push her?

Vixen, however, was a different story. It was taking most of her training and years of experience to be able to keep up with him. If this was how he fought after having already gone almost ten rounds previously, she dreaded the thought of fighting him fully rested. It was then she realized how thankful she was he was on their side.

Stepping towards him, Vixen shifted from hoof to hoof, raising her fists as she did, stepping back last second in hopes to juke him out. It didn't, only eliciting the same, blank stare. Throwing out her hand, she pulled it back and punched out with her other, Fendral moved his head, leading her to miss, barely scraping his shoulder. Shifting her weight, punched again with her other hand, getting the same move from the Mandalorian as she went for a tight sideswipe, but he quickly ducked under it.

Throwing a punch of his own, she was quick to catch it with her forearm, wincing as she did, quickly grabbing it and pushing it down as he throw his fist in a powerful haymaker. Ducking the last second, he used his momentum and went for an elbow to her face as she came up. Reacting in a split second, she blocked it with the same forearm, a quick ache pulsing in the area as she batted his elbow away, grabbing his wrist and applying pressure on his shoulder.

Using her powerful legs, she kicked out her knee, the blow being blocked by Fendrals free hand. Using the momentary pause, he twisted his body to again below her. She raised her arm to protect her face, releasing the pressure on his shoulder, allowing him to raise and twist her arm and reverse the position. Going for his own knee, she too blocked, gaining a very slight bit of distance which she used to strike at his exposed hip. The blow connected, the man loosening his grip on her wrist. Pulling it fully out of his grasp, she quickly got behind him, wrapping her strong arms around him, one arm under his and the other over his shoulder, locking her hands together at his neck.

Using the slight space he was able to, he strikes downwards into the nook of her arm which loosened her grip, allowing him to twist slightly and elbow her once more. This time, the blow found purchase, as he grabbed her hand and yanked it down. Though momentarily dazed, she was able to use her momentum and kickflip out of the fall and onto her feet, standing tall, if now a bit winded.

Circling once more, they stared each other down, their blood pumping through their veins as adrenaline and years' worth of instinct were all that was in control at this point. Deciding to take the initiative this time, Fendral throw a powerful kick to her side, the blow effortlessly blocked. Going for an uppercut, her strike was redirected as she throw a sideswipe, it too effortlessly stopped. Spinning around, Fendral used his momentum to power another elbow, this one, though blocked, sent the Raindeer stumbling back. Jumping forward, he put his weight behind his next strike.

Blocking the attack, she took a tight grip on his arm, catching the other one as he throw a sideswipe of his own. Jumping from where she stood, she placed both her knees on the man's chest, using her weight to throw him over her head and onto his back. Acting as quickly as she could, she grabbed his wrist, holding it to her chest as she placed her powerful legs over his neck and legs.

Seconds ticked by as the man struggled, their audience holding their breath in anticipation, waiting. Nothing was seemingly happening until there was a soft, rhythmic tapping as Fendral tapped the soft ground beneath them. Upon hearing and seeing this, Vixen quickly let go.

Taking a moment or two Vixen lay on the ground briefly to catch her breath before standing to her hooves, quickly offering her hand to the man who still lay on the ground beneath her. A second or two passed as he simply looked up at her before he firmly gripped her wrist and she his. Without a moment's pause, she brought him to his feet.

But as she went to let go, the grip he had around her wrist tightened, almost threatening to pull her closer. Looking to him, she wasn't able to glean any sort of emotion from him. All she could see was the blank expression of his helmet, her reflection barely seen on the black visor.

A moment passed.

Then another.

Then another.

And he nodded firmly.

It wasn't much. Not even a single word was uttered. But she knew its meaning. Gaining back her smile, she offered her own nod, tightening her own grip as the two stood for a second, before ultimately letting go. Grabbing her shirt, Vixen left the Training Grounds.

All except the Princesses were left speechless, looking amongst themselves in awe at the session they had just witnessed. The Training Grounds stood in silence as none dared break it until two Monarchs made their way towards the lone man, one standing at each side.

"So my friend," Luna said after a moment. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes," He answered simply. "Yes, I did."

Author's Note

My first outing for any sort of published work and the first chapter since Kioshi put down his pen as it were. Kioshi stopped just before the fight between Fendral and Vixen (which I really hope I did well, I'm not great at writing fight scenes) but he did give me, essentially, the bridge notes of what he had planned both for this and future chapters. of which I will try to be as faithful to

I'm sorry for the wait, I hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope you guys stick around for more

Please point out any mistakes I may have made
Constructive criticism is always appreciated
Until next time, TTFN!