It was a long night for Aaron. He laid on the couch deep in thought of what was to come in the days to come. Not only that, but his mind would drift to his more personal relationships with his herd. Twilight was furious with him, so much so that she kicked him out of their bedroom. A sense of worry would overtake him as the thought of his marefriend breaking off from the herd and Applejack following suit. Though they haven’t been together for that long, the thought of him losing her kept him from finding a good night’s rest. He’d curl up into a blanket Jubilee had given him, pondering what the future may hold for him and his friends. Doubts of his abilities began to piggy-back off of these fears, thoughts and visions of his failure and death crept into the corners of his mind. He tried his best to shake them off, but it was no use. They proved to be too persistent.

Just as Aaron was starting to drift off to sleep at long last, he felt something nudge his side. “Pssst.” A voice called out. He waved off the hand and turned around, digging his face into the couch cushions. It wasn’t long before he felt another nudge on his back. “Pssst!” The voice had grown louder, and noticeably aggravated. Aaron made attempts to ignore it and fall to sleep. “Come on, time to get up.” Aaron was too tired to make out who that was and just hoped it would go away. “Time to train now get your ass up.” Slowly turning over, Aaron found a blurry blue figure standing over him. The blotch was coming into focus to show Rainbow Dash wearing a strange outfit.

“Dash?” Aaron squinted through tired eyes to make out the blue blur leaning over the couch. “What are you doing?”

“Getting you ready for training, cupcake.” Rainbow pulled off the covers but soon regretted it. “GAH! Why are you naked!?” Sitting up, Aaron would stretch his limbs.

“Shhh… you trying to wake everyone up?” Taking his blanket back to cover himself, he would proceed to explain himself. “I like to sleep in the nude, alright. I like the feel of the fabric against my skin.”

“That’s weird.”

“It’s comfortable.” Rainbow sighed to herself, no time to argue with him.

“Whatever. Just get dressed already. You’re not gonna want to do this naked.”

“You sure? Maybe I could pick up the nudist lifestyle; go all natural. Just let it all haaaang out.” Rainbow was starting to grow a little angry, but couldn’t stop herself from drawing her attention to his groin. The shape was strange to her, never having seen something like its shape in her life.

“Just get dressed before I make you do this blindfolded.” Rainbow stormed out with a huff, thinking of ways to make this day a lot more horrible for Aaron. There were already a few in mind; she just wanted to see how far she could take this. As for Aaron, he wrapped his blanket around him and went upstairs. He kept his footsteps silent and soft to keep the other ponies from waking up.

As much as he didn’t want to disturb her, he had very little choice. “pst.” He knocked on the door as quietly as possible. “Twilight. I need some clothes.” There was no response. Looking down each hall, Aaron took a deep breath and did something brash; enter the sleeping chamber of an angry lover.

Slowly opening the door, he looked inside and saw her there. Twilight was curled up in a ball, her blanket forming a cloth barrier to keep her warm. Just by looking at her, he could see that she too was having a restless night. Taking a few steps in, Aaron snuck his way ever closer to the drawer that had their clothes. All he could hear were the faint creeks of his feet against the wood. “Ugh… what I wouldn’t give for socks.” He whispered to himself.

Twilight’s soft snoring was all that he could hear, and up until then, that was the first he had ever heard her snore. Yet that wasn’t what he was here for, he needed to get dressed. The suit had been dirtied and wouldn’t be ready until later that afternoon. Even then, training in a full suit was not something he would find ideal.

Kneeling down before the dresser, he found his clothes mixed in with Twilights. Pants, shirts, underwear; it was all there. Firstly, he had to get some underwear. As much as he felt like a perv for rummaging through a lady’s underwear drawer, he needed some sort of barrier. Still, he did find it cute that Twilight folded her clothes in neat squares. Even going as far as to do the same for his clothes, laying them beside hers in a neat and organized fashion.

Once he got his briefs on, he was relatively quick when it came to putting on the other articles of clothing. Once fully dressed and having two shirts tied to his feet, Aaron immediately made for the door. “Mmmph… don’t go.” Aaron froze, hearing Twilight’s voice. Slowly, he turned to see her still sleeping but tossed and turned in her covers, her breathing becoming erratic. “Please… don’t leave me.” Her voice was mumbled, yet he could hear her clear as day. Taking a seat beside her on the bed, he slowly and softly began to stroke her mane. Sure he was likely to be caught and she’d most certainly chastise him verbally since she was still quite cross with his recent actions. Still, he couldn’t just leave her to her night terrors.

Her quick breathing slowly subsided from his touch, calming her upon feeling the inviting hands of another. “Don’t worry Twi. You’re just having a bad dream.” She softly purred in her sleep, unaware of what was happening. He tried to sound as soothing as possible, comforting his marefriend as well as he could. She started to calm down, feeling a soft hand on her mane and a familiar voice seemed to ease the night-terrors somewhat. “I love you.” He whispered into her ear before planting a kiss on her forehead, bringing a big smile to her face as she calmed back down into her sleep.

“Mmm… Love you too.” Twilight’s soft purr of delight was a sign to Aaron that she was drifting off to sleep in a more peaceful state than when he had snuck in to retrieve some clothes. Though, hearing her verbal sign of affection did bring a small fluster to his cheeks. Making sure that Twilight was comfortable, Aaron took his leave just as quietly as when he had gone in. Slowly closing the door, Aaron let out a sigh of relief, glad that he had not disturbed Twilight.

“What are you doin’?” Startled by the voice, Aaron turned to face a stern looking Applejack, giving him quite the stink eye when she saw the man snooping around.

“Oh… AJ. I was just getting some clothes.”

“Ya know Twi’s still angry with ya.”

“Yeah… Yeah I know that.”

“I mean, if I were in Twi’s shoes and I caught ya; you’d know better than to intrude on mah personal space again. Still, I gotta hand it to ya; you got quite a pair to just waltz right on in like you did.”

“Waltz is a bit of a generous term.”

“Whatever ya call it, I still don’t approve.”

“I needed my clothes. I don’t wanna be taught sword fighting in the nude. Especially with how hot it gets out here.” Applejack sighed to herself.

“Look, sugarcube. If you ever need anything, all ya gotta do is ask. I’d be happy to help ya with whatever you need.”

“Don’t suppose you know how to help me get Twilight to forgive me?” Applejack chuckled as she brought his arm towards her. Opening his hand, she proceeded to give the man a few gold coins.

“Get her a gift. That’s the surefire way to get a mare to forgive ya. It won’t fix the problem, jus’ to help ease things over.” That was all that Applejack would do for him, from there on Aaron was on his own. Passing by him, Applejack would head on back to her room to rest up for the rest of the night. Pocketing the coins, Aaron heads out to meet up with Rainbow. Recalling how trying Applejack’s training could be; he was expecting Rainbow to be just as difficult.

Heading out the front door, Aaron found Rainbow waiting with an impatient expression on her face. With a furrowed brow, she turned her attention to Aaron. “Hey, what took ya?”

“Sorry. I got a bit held up.”

“I’m sure ya did.” She said in an unconvinced tone. “We don’t have much time as is and you can’t waste it picking your wardrobe.” Taking a deep breath, Rainbow moved the issues aside for the time being. “Just be sure you get them ready before you head off to bed alright.” With that out of the way, Rainbow handed Aaron a broomstick.

“What’s this for?”

“Your training sword. I’m not gonna have you use a real blade and get yourself hurt. Can’t afford an injury before you even go to fight. Hopefully, under my guidance, I can make use these two days to turn you into a fighting machine… or to keep yourself alive, probably the latter but I’m never one to aim for mediocre results.”

“How?” Rainbow smirked, a look of pride in her eye from her ingenious training regimen.

“Don’t you worry. For now, let’s get the basic sword maneuvers out of the way before moving onto the meat of things.”

“Alright, sounds good.” Taking up a broomstick of her own, Rainbow would do her best to teach Aaron what he needed to know in what little time they had. With only two days coming up fast, every second counted. Yet with this clock hanging over head, Aaron pushed the thought from his mind and kept a cool head. His focus was placed on his sword training and nothing else… well, almost nothing else.

~~~~~

The sun slowly rose over Dodge, waking the slumbering ponies to the oncoming day. With the events that had taken place from the previous day, there was much to talk about with their neighbors. Some were optimistic, praying for a better life and outcome to being terrorized by the Bulls. Some didn’t hold this hope; packing up their loved ones and home together in hopes of avoiding the wrath of the bandits. Whatever the reason, the town was buzzing more so than it had in a very long time.

Aaron was kept on his toes, careful as he watched Rainbow hold her broom with a fiery determination. To her it was training, but to Aaron it was about avoiding a concussion and bruising. Now with light, he could see her movements clearly and not have to guess where she was going to hit in utter darkness. Holding his weapon with both hands, Aaron was almost quick enough to see her moves. Just like the day prior, Rainbow was fast with her strikes. Mercilessly swiping and thrusting her weapon at Aaron, who was desperately trying to keep up. She wasn’t pulling any punches; he had a few bruises in the works as testament to that fact.

His movements were sloppy, uncoordinated, and all around amateur; but Rainbow had seen much worse. The training he had received from Applejack carried over, but there was much ground to cover in a short time period. “You’re slow. Try moving faster.” Easier said than done. Letting out a yelp as he tried to block a low sweep, Aaron was thrown off guard when he found Rainbow’s fist driving into his nose and sent him back into the building behind him. He held his nose in pain, trying to stop the blood flow. “Gah! Fuck, I think you broke my nose.”

“Oh, don’t be such a foal. It was just a love tap.” Aaron looked to Rainbow in shock. “Now, get back up. You’re wasting daylight.” Rainbow held her weapon tight, ready to continue. Slowly, Aaron got back up to his feet, holding his broom in his hand. He had no idea Rainbow was so brutal when it came to training. Part of him was wondering if he should go back to Applejack. “Head’s up!” Distracted from his thoughts, Aaron saw a brown stick coming for his head. Reacting, Aaron fell back and let the swing fly over him. “Not bad. Though, I won’t be giving you a warning next time.”

“Rainbow, do you think we can take five?”

“Sure.” Sighing in relief, Aaron got back up and began to relax. Sadly, Rainbow had other ideas. The moment he was standing back up, Rainbow delivered a finishing blow with her broomstick; swinging it low and in between his legs. Aaron was left in a state of paralysis, a blinding white overtaking his mind and vision as he felt the stick slam him right where the sun doesn’t shine. Slowly but surely, he fell forward and landed on the ground, letting out a high pitched wail of agony. “See, told ya I wasn’t going to be giving you a warning.” She chirped.

Aaron would slowly turn to Rainbow, with a look of betrayal in his eye. “R-Rainbow… why?”

“Because there are no time outs in a fight. Ya think Bull is going to let you catch your breath in the middle of the duel? Hell no.” She leaned down to get close to Aaron. “This isn’t a schoolyard. Ya can’t call ‘time out’ the moment you feel like it. The only way that it’ll stop is if you finish him.” He let out a low grumble, soothing his sensitive parts. “Now get back up.”

“I’m sorry, but were you not here for the brutal testicle obliteration? Because I’m pretty sure I was.”

“Walk it off.” With a sigh, Aaron used his broom to lift himself off the ground and act as a cane to keep him balanced.

“Alright. But no more hitting below the belt.”

“Sure. No more hitting you in the dick.”

“Wow, how elegant.” Taking a deep breath, Aaron was ready once more. Taking the initiative, Aaron attacked Rainbow with a new sense of determination… and was immediately struck in the groin once more. He let out a loud yelp as he struggled to stand.

“W-What the fuck!?” Aaron was furious, seeing Rainbow with a proud smirk on her face only made the fires grow. “I-… I said no more nut shots.”

“And you believed me. Honestly, you have no one to blame but yourself.” He tried to keep his cool, but he found that to be an almost impossible task more and more.

“Why… are you doing this.”

“To teach you a lesson.”

“I just want to learn how to fight with a sword.”

“And you are. You’ve exceeded my expectations, of what little there was, but there’s something holding you back.”

“… Alright… I’ll bite; what is it?”

“It’s you.” Aaron looked to his teacher with a confused look. With a sigh, Rainbow put her weapon down. “I think we should move on to the next lesson. Come with me.” As she told him to, Aaron followed close behind Rainbow. A feeling could be felt in the back of his mind, telling him things were going to be getting a little more difficult.

~~~~~

The town limits were watched diligently, now more than ever. After yesterday’s events, the watch had become a lot more intense than ever, just waiting for the slightest sign of attack. Yet, the ever-present boredom still hung over them like a rock dangling by a thread. The added presence of their guests didn’t change much but for a few new conversation pieces. Strolling up to them with Aaron in tow, Rainbow made her presence known as to not spook the guards with a wave and holler. “Hey, you guys having fun yet.” She called out in a sarcastic manner.

Draco and his team lit up, smiling at their leader coming to grace them with her presence. “Oh yeah, we’re having oodles of fun. Just look at all the fun we’re having. I think I might blow a fun-fuse.” Draco was more than happy to return Rainbow’s sarcasm with his own. “Hey Right-hook; day going well?”

“Kinda hungry to be honest, also I think I may never get an erection ever again.”

“Well, if you wanna eat, you’re going to have to earn it. Which is why we’re here?” Rainbow turned to her rebellion soldiers and cleared her throats. “Alright, here’s what’s going on. I’m prepping Aaron for his bout with Bull, and I need you guys to help teach a little lesson.”

“I’m listening.” Draco sat up in his seat, giving Rainbow his full attention.

“He’s got the basics down, but if he’s going to win, he’s going to have to learn a little truth of the battlefield.” Draco understood what she was talking about and nodded. “So, I want you guys to spar for a bit, and give him the ‘Special treatment’.” The way Rainbow said that last line gave Aaron a sharp chill up his spine and made his genitals retreat in protest. Something was definitely up and he did not like it one bit.

“Sure thing boss, do you think you could get us some snacks. Bulk is feeling a little empty.”

“Sure. I’m bringing everypony snacks… as long as I like what I see when I get back.”

“Oh, trust me, we’re gonna give the new guy a real workout.” With an approving smile, Rainbow turned away and left her student to the mercy of Draco O’Malley and his crew. The moment she was out of earshot, Draco and the others turned to Aaron. Gilda, Draco, Bulk, Spitfire, and Strongheart; all turning to their target with a devious grin on their faces. More and more warning signals went off in Aaron’s head, alerting him that something very bad was up. He could only cling to his broomstick as it was his only defense. That’s when it started. “GET HIM!!!” Gilda shouted.

Without the inclusion of the local law enforcement, the five soldiers rushed the human at once. With a quick yelp and a dive out of the way, Aaron soon found himself surrounded with five seasoned warriors with gleeful smiles and in the process of cracking knuckles. “Now guys… y-you wouldn’t hurt little ol’ me right? Remember? Right hook? I got us out of the prison?... Shoryuken, remember that?”

“We do?” Gilda chirped.

“And we’re grateful.” Draco added. “But this is entirely not a personal thing; this is an order from a commanding officer. We’re going to give you a fun lesson.”

“What is the lesson? Maybe I’ll understand it if we all sat down and talked things over.”

“Now where’s the fun in that.” Aaron’s frantic vision kept him looking back and forth at most of the warriors before him, but a small glimpse of a slowly approaching shadow alerted him of a sneak attack. The heavy Bulk Biceps tried to take hold of Aaron without his knowing, only to duck and roll out of the way and get punched in the back of the head by a griffon that was having way too much fun with this.

“Ow! What the-?” Aaron was met with another punch, this time square in the face. His one free hand gripped his nose, trying to sooth the pain. Luckily nothing was broken so far, but he could feel the bones crack under the pressure. “Sweet salty Christ! What is up with you guys!?”

“It’s not our fault you’re blocking them.” Spitfire retorted, sweeping under Aaron’s legs. He leapt over the orange pegasus’s leg, trying to stay focused on all five enemies at once. Taking hold of his broomstick, he held it firm in a threatening manner.

“Look, I dunno what’s gotten into you guys, but if you come closer, I’ll use-“ Bulk Biceps grabbed hold of Aaron’s weapon and broke it over his knee. Aaron went silent as he felt like an error was made at some point.

“Oh come on, that’s not fair.” It was at that moment, everypony burst into a fit of laughter.

“Fair? Who says this has to be fair?” With a subtle signal, Draco sent his team in for the kill. Gilda pounced on Aaron, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground. Bulk went for his legs and Spitfire took his left arm and Strongheart for his right. The weight of them all was more than enough to keep him down. “This isn’t about being fair, none of this is.” Draco came to Aaron’s head and smiled down at him. “When in battle, your opponent isn’t going to care what’s fair and what isn’t. He will use whatever he can to win and that is all that matters to him. It should also be what matters to you as well. You want to live another day; then you must be prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that you and those you care for are safe.” Aaron stopped his struggling and started to listen to what Draco had to say.

“Are you saying I need to give up my sense of morality in order to win?”

“Yes and no. I’m not saying you gotta become like them, I’m just saying you need to know that they are going to do whatever it takes to see you dead. Just like Bull will. If you don’t have that sense of ambition, the urge to win, then you’re just as good as dead.” Hesitant, Aaron slowly mustered up the courage for his next question.

“What… What if I don’t want to kill?” Draco looked to the human with raised brow of curiosity.

“Then don’t. It’ll just make things harder on you, but that is your choice to make.” There was a short pause. “Tell me, why did you make that deal? You should have known something was wrong with the whole mess, so why’d you go through with it? Were you promised something? Some great reward or…” Aaron bit his lip, a small blush forming on his face.

“Bull… he bad mouthed Applejack and Twilight. He wanted me to sell them so I said no. I realize that is a bit of a petty reason to throw my life awa-.“ Aaron was met with a slap across the face. “Ow!”

“Never think that!” Draco shouted. “The fact you stood up for your herd makes you ten times better than Bull ever will be! A stallion must protect those closest to him. If he cannot, then what good is he?” Aaron was a little confused now, but he felt he was getting the message of things.

“Oh please.” A voice called out. Returning to the outskirts with food in hand, Rainbow saw Draco and his team pinning down Aaron in the sand. “Draco, spare him the chivalrous crap.” With food in sight, the three let their prey go for chips, sweets, and whatever else Rainbow had brought for them to eat. Draco’s word was null and void, wanting to give in to their hunger. However, Draco himself smirked as he met Rainbow.

“Oh don’t be like that Dash. My father taught me that when I was a kid, and his father before him. It’s the O’malley code.”

“It’s also pretty lame.”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s lame, it’s what I and my family have believed for generations and I intend to teach it to my foals.” Draco smiled as he took a bag of sun-dried chips and went to visit with his crew. While they feasted, Rainbow turned to Aaron getting up from the sand. She could see a bit of blood leaving his nostrils and a few bruises around his head.

“So, how’d it go?” Rainbow asked with a smug smirk.

“I got my ass handed to me in a totally one sided fight that was over before it even started.”

“I know. Did ya learn anything?” Looking back, Aaron nodded. “Do you think that you’re ready to move on to a real fight?” Aaron nodded again. “Awesome. Was afraid you wouldn’t come to that conclusion until it was too late. However, we still got a lot to teach you.”

“Like?”

“Now that you got the message, how about we move on to the next lesson?” As he was ready to move on, a thought came to mind. Turning to the direction of the sun, Aaron could see that it was passed noon. It wouldn’t be long before night fell and they’d have to call it a day. But it wasn’t his training he was worried about. Feeling his pocket full of coin, he recalled what Applejack told him.

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to do first.”

“You sure?”

“It’ll be quick. I promise.”

“What, you mean like how you get dressed quick or like ‘me’ quick?”

“I dunno, how fast do you get dressed?” Aaron’s joke earned him a quick punch to the arm.

“Shaddup cupcake. Fine, go do your thing and meet me back at base. Don’t take too long, we’re burning daylight here.” Rainbow took her leave once more. Taking a much needed sigh of relief, Aaron turned his attention to town. As he left, he heard Draco call out to him.

“Later Cupcake.” The group, as well as the other guards shared a laugh at Aaron’s new nickname. Knowing he wasn’t going to be free of that name anytime soon, he ignored them and went out to look for a bookstore… if there was one at all.

~~~~~

Twilight patrolled around the lower section of Cherry Jubilee’s home. While most of the debris was removed, there was still quite a lot of damage to take care of. It was thanks to Twilight’s organized mind and Applejack’s constructive know-how that helped see the ponies rebuild their home. Though they weren’t going to rebuild the house today or tomorrow, the two could at the very least help them clean up the mess until professionals could do the hard part for them.

Taking several trash bags out to a growing pile, Twilight saw Rainbow coming her way in the corner of her vision. “Hi Rainbow.” Twilight grunted her greeted as she hoisted the bag of splinters and saw dust to the pile. “How’s your day?”

“Awesome. Feels good to be training again; brings back a lot of memories.”

“Good ones I hope.”

“Mostly. Though, I don’t let the bad stuff get to me. Too distracting.” The two mares shared a short giggle. Twilights’ smile soon faded as she quickly debated about asking a question.

“How is… Aaron doing?”

“Making excellent progress. I mean, he isn’t going to be the next master swordsman, but he does have potential. Never really seen somepony pick a blade up like he has before.” Twilight smiled softly.

“Yeah… do you think he can win?”

“Dunno, but if he keeps it up, he may have a shot. We just got done with the basics, at least an abridged version. Parry, thrusts, quick on his… whatever those things at the end of his legs are; ya know, basic stuff.” Twilight felt a bit relieved, but she knew full well that two days of sword practice were not going to be anywhere near what they needed and Twilight was well aware of that. “Something on your mind Twi? You’re zoning out on me?”

“Huh? O-Oh, uh… sorry Rainbow. Just got a little distracted is all.” The cyan mare rolled her eyes, coming up to Twilight for some company.

“Maybe I should be the one training you. That sharp mind of yours is getting dull.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. We can’t have one of our smartest egg-heads cracking under pressure. You need to relax some. All work and no play, am I right?” Twilight nodded in agreement. She was right, Twilight had been on edge for some time. It felt like she was worrying about an exam back in the days of when she was still a student under her mentor. The slightly nostalgic feeling she had was somewhat overwhelmed with the ever-present thought and fear of what would be coming soon. “Oh, speaking of relaxing?” Twilight looked up to see Aaron walking up to the house, and with something behind his back. “Hey, what took ya?”

“Sorry. Was out looking for something.” Rainbow and Twilight shared a look only to be drawn back to Aaron as he presented Twilight with a gift. “Twilight, I wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve angered you and that I signed the contract. It was reckless, and I fully admit that. I may not know much about this world or its rules, but I do know that you mean a lot to me and vice versa. So… here.” Presenting the gift to his mare, Twilight could see that he was shaking. This was the first time that Aaron had ever given a gift to anyone before. All he could hope for was that the gift could repair the damage done, if only a little bit.

With the gift before her, Twilight took it slowly and looked it over. It was a book; she had received plenty in her life to recognize them, even if they were wrapped up in fabric. Hiding her smile, Twilight dug in and started to see the cover of the book. However, she wasn’t expecting to find a children’s book. On the cover, she could see a corroded form of a Daring Do book. Not only that, but it was one of the lesser loved novels. Still, she couldn’t help but see the thought put into the gift. His sincerity was clear to her and Twilight could feel herself cooling down. Taking the book fully out of the wrappings, something caught her eye. There was something poking out of the back.

Running her finger along the back, she could find a small, metal chain dangling on her finger. Pulling further, Twilight would find that the chain gave way to a small necklace. Her eyes twinkled with delight at the small hearth shaped pendant. It wasn’t anything fancy, but a small metal heart. It was all she could focus on. For once, the book was a second thought to her in favor of the small trinket dangling from her fingers. “It’s… It’s… Lovely.” Taking the necklace, she wrapped it around her arm to act as a bracelet. It wasn’t the intended function, but she wouldn’t dare part with it. Plus if there was something around her neck, it would just be a liability to herself when out in the field. “Aaron,” Her voice caught the man’s attention. “I’m not exactly sure when I can forgive you… but you have surely made it easier to do so. Thank you Aaron.”

“Does this mean I’m off the hook?”

“No.” She looked at the metal heart. “But I know how you can make it up to me.”

“Anything.”

“I want to be a part of your training regiment tomorrow.”

“I-… what?”

“Yeah, I agree.” Rainbow chimed in. “What do you know about sword fighting?”

“I’ve read through Chivalry Hoof’s Guide to the sword.”

“Alright. So are you gonna get into the ring with him?”

“Oh good heaven’s no. I may know the techniques, but I lack the experience to properly give a hands on experience. Luckily, I do know somepony who can.”

“Hm, if Aaron’s cool with it, I can allow it.” Turning to the human, Rainbow gave him the option. He gave a quick nod, showing where he stood on the position. “Alrighty then; Twilight and I will set things up for tomorrow. As for the time being, Cupcake here will be taking a short break.”

“Woo-hoo! I’m free!”

“Don’t celebrate too early. Rainbow and I will be making sure that tomorrow will be far more brutal than today.”

“Hey, I’ll take whatever break I can get. Besides, that’s future Aaron’s problem.” Twilight felt a chill run up her spine. “Now, with this free time to myself… I’m gonna go take a shower. I smell like a dirty laundry basket.” Taking advantage of his freedom from his brutal master, Aaron darted upstairs, desperate to wash himself clean and relax with a hot shower or a relaxing bath. In his daydreams, he’d come across Applejack. Or rather running into her. Her sturdy figure made it feel like he was running into a wall rather than knocking into somepony.

“Woah, where’s the fire?” The orange mare chirped, pulling him back.

“Sorry, just trying to get to the shower.” AJ cocked a brow, looking him over. Aaron was utterly filthy. He had dirt smeared all over, dried blood over his nose, and he smelled like he had bathed in his own sweat. And yet… she couldn’t help but feel a bit turned on by the sight. Applejack liked the idea of Aaron being a strong working man. The thought of a strong and hard working stallion was something she couldn’t help but be attracted to. With a small purr she leaned in.

“Mind if ah join ya? Ah’ve been achin’ to bathe for a bit, wouldn’t mind poppin in with ya.” Aaron looked at the mare with a raised brow. “What? Jus’ wanna save hot-water is all; got a lot of dirty ponies here.” Applejack joined Aaron on his way to the shower, enjoying a bit of conversation.

“I know, you’re quite dirty yourself, AJ.” Aaron saw through her game and gave her a challenging smile.

“Don’ make me show you what I can do with a wet-towel, stud. Ah’ll make you think twice before smart-talkin’ me.” Aaron opened the door to the closest bathroom, offering her entrance first like a gentleman would. She made her way inside, swaying her generous hips in a teasing manner. There was no hope for Aaron’s attention, already gripped by the mare’s firm buttocks. With a devious smile slowly forming on his face, Aaron closed the door to the bathroom.

“Don’t tempt me, gorgeous.”

~~~~~

Aaron was gifted with a great sleep, as well as something extra from his marefriend. Their night was met with a hot embrace that drained their energy like always. With no energy to remain awake, they both fell asleep in each other’s arms. Aaron didn’t care that Twilight and Rainbow were coming for him soon, all he cared about was feeling somepony he cared about close to him. Though, the smell afterward was something he wished he could do without. Applejack was quite a potent mare after sex.

While he spooned her, Aaron was met with the cold poke of reality against his back. “Pssst.”

‘Not this again.’ Aaron’s thoughts would grumble. Rather than going through this again, Aaron turned over to see not just Rainbow waiting for him, but Twilight as well. They were both wearing track suits much like the ones Rainbow had worn the day before. “Hey cupcake. You sleep well.” Rainbow teased.

Letting go of AJ’s ample breasts, Aaron let out a long yawn to greet them. “Morning ladies.”

“Good morning Aaron.” Twilight seemed to be in a much better mood. To see her smiling once more was a sight he feared he’d never see again. “I trust your night was… eventful?”

“That it was. Applejack was just helping me improve my stamina.”

“I bet she did.” Aaron couldn’t help but notice Dash’s cheeky smile, teasing the man until he sat up and her expression immediately shifted to embarrassment while trying to avoid eye contact. The nude human stretched even further, only to be presented with a pair of clothes.

“Here you are. Clean clothes and a few extra shirts for your… feet.” Taking the clothes, Aaron got himself dressed so that they could head out and so that Rainbow could make proper eye contact with the man once again. “We have breakfast downstairs. It’s not much, but it’s best that you have the energy to learn instead of fighting for your meal.”

“I think ya mean ‘you’ got breakfast. I think he should fight for his food. Helps motivate them more.” Rainbow didn’t bother turning back to face him until she was sure that he was properly clothed.

“Aw, I’m flattered you’d do that for me, Twi.” Tying the shirts to his feet, Aaron stood up and ready to take on his final day of sword practice. Tapping Rainbow’s shoulder, she turned around and saw that he was now ready to go. “You ready to go, Dash?”

“I’m the one who should be asking that. You take so damn long to get dressed.”

“I just woke up. Hell, I’m still waking up as we speak. Now… what’s this I hear about breakfast?” Twilight and Dash escorted the man downstairs. Much like last time, the house was sound asleep. Yet looking out the window, Aaron could see the first signs of dawn peaking over the horizon. “Did you give me some extra time to sleep?”

“That we did. Dash and I wanted to make sure that you had enough energy for your lesson today.” Reaching the first floor, Aaron saw a small pastry resting on a small table with a napkin underneath. Aaron grabbed it on the way out and began munching immediately.

“Where are the broomsticks?”

“Not using broomsticks this time.” Aaron turned to Twilight, curious to see where she was going with this. “This time, you are going to be using real swords. A stick is good for practice, but it’s not the same thing as holding the hilt of an actual weapon. Way of the Sword, page 37.”

“I’m gonna take your word on that sourcing. I don’t read martial arts books.”

“Regardless, it’s one of the things you’ll be learning today. Getting to know your weapon and learning how to properly use it. Dash taught you universal lessons yesterday, now you’re going to learn how to properly utilize your short-sword. Luckily it’s a simple weapon so hopefully you can learn something that can give you a fighting chance.”

“I’m detecting an iota of doubt in your sentence.” Twilight hesitated for a moment, thrown off by that sentence. She shook her head, throwing off any thoughts of doubt or negativity.

“Aaron, I know you’re going to win, and we’re going to help you.” Passing through the town limits into a familiar square of land that looked identical to every other square inch of the desert. Already, Aaron was hesitant of being back out in this area after what Draco and his cohorts had done yesterday. However, instead of seeing Draco and his group, Aaron could only see one pony standing in wait for their arrival; that pony was Shining Armor.

“Shiny.”

“Twily, nice to you are all up.” Shining turned to Aaron, looking him over for the morning. “Good Morning, Aaron. I trust you’re ready to learn.”

“So long as there isn’t any severe beatings, I’m willing to learn anything with an open mind.” Shining let out a chuckle, knowing full well of Rainbow’s training methods.

“You don’t gotta worry about that with me. I can’t guarantee you won’t be hurt, but I’m not an intense teacher.” Reaching for his hip, Shining starts off by presenting Aaron the sword he was given. “Here, you’re going to need this.” Hesitant to take the sword, Aaron slowly took hold of the blade with both hands. “Is something wrong?”

“Just uh… not all that used to holding weapons.”

“Well, that is why we’re here; to help you adapt to properly utilizing a blade.” Reaching for the other side of his hip, Shining drew his own sword. At the hilt, he could see a gem emblazoned with a mark that resembled a sun. Other than that, the sword had no real standout features. Figuring this was where they were beginning, Aaron tied his sword to the straps on his pants and followed Shining’s lead. Unsheathing his sword, Aaron felt a strange sensation come over him. This was the first time he was utilizing a proper weapon. The first time he had held a sword with intention to use it. Everypony could see the shift in expression, and knew what it was. “It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it? Holding a sword in your hand.” Aaron didn’t respond, two transfixed with the sword in his right hand. “Makes you feel powerful… like you can take on anything.” Aaron slowly responded with a nod.

Without so much as a warning, Shining Armor dashed toward his student. Twilight tensed up as she saw her own brother going in for a killing blow against her herdmate. Even Rainbow felt herself sweat at the sight. What came next was not a shower of gore, but the loud clang of metal striking metal. Aaron had intercepted the attack, keeping Shining’s sword from hitting its mark. “I see Rainbow did teach you something. That’s great, means that we can get to business.” Stepping back and slowly circling Aaron with an analytical eye, Shining was able fully assess where his student needed improvement. “Your stance needs work. Put your right hoof forward and the left one back. Be sure to lock your knees when your opponent is coming in for the attack.” Taking the advice, Aaron got into position with his feet in a sizable distance. “Next, since you’re using a short-sword, hold the blade with your dominant hand but leave the left one free.” Again, Aaron did what he was told. “Excellent. Now…” With his back turned, Shining drew his sword for a quick attack, unsheathing his sword and quickly turning around. He was too close to see coming. In a split second, Aaron intercepted but found his blade being knocked out of his hand, but he remained standing. Rainbow couldn’t help but smile after seeing him fall so many times before, now remaining upright from an attack. “See how easy that was?”

“Yeah, but my sword was still knocked out of my hand.”

“True. I’d recommend working on your grip. Until then, a strap would work wonders for beginners.” Fetching his sword, Aaron kept a wary sense of his surroundings in case Shining came in for a sneak attack. No such thing came, but he wasn’t taking any chances. “If you want, you are free to hold your sword with two hands. It should help with keeping your sword in hand, but it does sacrifice mobility.”

“Hm. I may give it a try; see what I’m more comfortable with.”

“You’re more than welcome to.” The two practiced on until the sun fully revealed themselves. That was when Aaron could see what Shining was wearing his armor, freshly polished and glinting in the powerful desert sunlight. In that time, Twilight and Rainbow stood by in case their aid was called. Twilight had medical supplies in case something went wrong, and Dash was just there to see what Shining could show Aaron.

Now with the sun overhead, Shining ceased the physical training for a new lesson entirely. Giving the signal to cease, Aaron retreated and sheathed his sword. “A fair amount of improvement if I do say so myself; we’ll make a warrior out of you yet. Now… I’m going to give you a new weapon.”

“Hm? But, the duel is one weapon only. I can’t just show up with a whole arsenal.”

“It’s not a physical weapon, it’s more so of a technique to turn your opponent against himself, giving you an edge.”

“You had me at ‘technique’.” Aaron’s interest had been peaked, listening tentatively to Shining Armor in wait for this so called weapon.

“Your focus is the best thing you have outside of your sword to defend yourself. Throwing off that focus can give you an edge; insults, ego-bruising, taunting. This can all help to throw off your opponent. The trick is to look for your opponent’s weaknesses, get inside his head and take advantage of insecurities, fears, whatever you can use to give you an edge.”

“I kinda figured. Rainbow taught me that playing fair wasn’t going to be getting me anywhere.”

“That’s true, but how you choose to interpret that is up to you. Now, I want you to sheath your sword for a bit. This is going to be strictly hand-to-hand.” That was something Aaron could do. Putting his weapon away, he loosened his muscles to get himself ready. “Now, throw off my guard.” The second he ended that sentence, Shining came in to attack Aaron. Already half of his focus was thrown off trying to defend against his teacher. He was on a whole different level from Applejack, using moves he had never seen before, adding a whole new layer of ferocious to his strikes.

“Uhhh… Yo momma is so fat-.”

“Actually my mother was quite fit for her age. Try again.” Aaron failed to block a jab to his side, making him stumble but remained standing.

“Yo momma is so stupid-.”

“She’s actually won multiple awards for both literature and writing.” After another failed attempt, Aaron felt Shining’s hook stamp on his feet, letting out a yelp from the sudden pain.

“… Yo momma is so ugly she makes onions cry?” Shining couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle, even Rainbow and Twilight couldn’t help but finding the joke a bit amusing.

“Attacking family is a good strategy, but there’s more harm in truth than just making up things on the fly. Get to know your opponent dude. Also, by insulting my mother, you’re also insulting Twilight’s as well.”

“Oh shit, that’s right.” The realization left Aaron open, giving Shining Armor ample opportunity to deliver a jaw shattering round-house kick to the face. Aaron was dropped immediately, but he was still conscious. Twilight and Rainbow couldn’t help but cringe after watching their friend take such a powerful blow to the face.

“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt.” Rainbow added. Twilight on the other hand went to go see if the man was still breathing. Hearing him groan was a sign of his life still on this earth, but there was a bit of blood leaking out of his mouth.

“Aaron, are you alright?” Turning Aaron over and seeing his eyes still opened granted her some relief.

“Yeah… I’m alright.”

“How are you still awake after that dude?” Rainbow soon followed, leaning over to see that her former student was awake after taking a massive kick.

“Heh, I guess we could attribute it to a thick skull.” Slowly sitting up and readjusting his jaw. He could feel a few of his teeth loose, but one managed to break free and was spat out into the sands. “Oh man, don’t suppose you guys have dentists here?”

“Don’t sweat it, we can get you patched up when we get to base.” Rainbow reassurance was nice, but as Twilight nealed down to offer him some water, she turned to her brother who was patiently waiting for his student to return.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I… have a few ideas.” There was a small pause. “Alright, An idea but… you’re not going to like it.” Twilight gave Aaron a nervous look but sighed in defeat.

“Whatever it is, do it. I don’t want to watch my brother beat you into a pulp.”

“Yeah, that’s my job.” Rainbow added.

“Do whatever you have to do to win. Just… make it quick.” Aaron smiled and brought Twilight in for a loving kiss. Opening his eyes, he saw the look on Shining’s expression shift to one of unease. That only confirmed his suspicions, leaving him with no other choice. Paring from their show of affection, he smiled at his mare before standing up.

“I promise I’ll make this up to you.”

“Just get it over with.” Nodding to her, Aaron reentered the invisible ring and readied his plan.

“You ready for this?”

“As ready as I’m going to be; my relationship is on the line here.” There was a short wait, giving one another time to gather their strength. Shining prepared for another mad-dash for his student, but oddly enough Aaron stood casually with his guard down. All he did was slowly take deep breaths and roll his shoulder. Shining was eager to see what he had planned. After a full minute, Shining made his move. His hooves dug into the sands, pushing him further and further.

The moment that he started, Aaron slowly rose his arm and confidently pointed his finger at Shining and shouted at the top of his lungs “I FUCKED YOUR SISTER!!!” Shining’s eyes grew wide as he lost his footing. With an opening made for him, Aaron tripped the stallion into the sands. Twilight could see what Aaron meant and felt a wave of embarrassment overcome her. Shining got up, shaking the sand out of his mane and turned to Aaron with a disgruntled look on his face. Aaron made sure there was proper distance from them as he had the upper hand on his opponent.

“That… is low, my friend. I must admit, I didn’t think you had it in you.” Shining rushed Aaron, fighting Aaron up close and kept the man on his toes. “You may have gotten me with that… , but I guarantee you won’t be able to get the drop on me again.”

“Ya mean like how I planned on surprising Twilight with anal at some point.” Shining stumbled again, giving Aaron to backhand Shining across the face. “Don’t get me wrong, Twilight is a beautiful mare and I do find her to be quite a delight…” Aaron started to smirk. “But if you knew half the things we did together, I can assure you family gatherings will be awkward.” Already, Twilight was looking more and more mortified with every word. She was just lucky it was only the four of them out there while this went on or else she would have a real problem with this tactic. Rainbow was trying to hold back laughter, trying to keep herself from bursting out into a fit at the amusement she found from this whole endeavor.

“O-Okay dude, that’s enough.” Shining reentered the fray, attacking faster than before, but his focus was clearly distracted. On terms of skill, Aaron managed to get the stallion down to a level of which he could compete. His moves became too easy to follow and his footing grew unstable. Gleefully, Aaron tripped the stallion after sliding to the side.

“Hey Shining, remember when you walked in on Twilight and I in bed?” A shiver went up the stallion’s back, recalling what he had saw that day. “What did you think seeing your sister riding me bareback?”

“ENOUGH!!!” Enraged, the unicorn spun around and went for a knockout punch; a punch that wasn’t intended to be held back. Aaron could see this coming, but he could also see the look of rage in his face. Aaron got under the stallions skin and it was showing. Though he could go on and on, toying with him until he finally one in hand to hand combat and lewd descriptions of his sister… Aaron decided to cut the stallion some slack. Instead of dodging out the way, Aaron let the blow land on his chest and knock him back some. He felt the impact land, knocking the wind out of the man as he was send sliding back in the sand. But Aaron was still standing.

“That’s… one hell of a punch.” He slowly stood up and soothed the pain. “I’m sorry I did that, Shining. I crossed a line I shouldn’t have and I apologize.” The stallion let out a few breaths, slowly standing up and sighing.

“No… you utilized my teachings to the letter. In all honesty, I’m quite proud that you actually managed to get me to lose my cool. Most cadets I’ve trained can’t even get me riled up. You’re the first to actually throw me off. Part of me is actually proud that you could pick that up so easily.” Aaron smiled at the stallion. “S-So uh… lets keep training and… try not to make eye contact.”

“Deal.”

“I can tell that you’re going to do fine tomorrow. After this day is done, you just might stand a chance.”

~~~~~

A lone minotaur slowly groaned, feeling the sands dragging along his back. Something had knocked him out, or rather somepony. His vision was blurred for a moment, but the moment he opened his eyes, the blaring sun overhead was sure to be a rude awakening for him. “Ugh… w-where am I?”

“Looks like our little prisoner is awake.” An unfamiliar voice said just outside of the minotaur’s field of vision. Without warning, the minotaur was hoisted overhead and dangled in front of a unicorn mare with a fiery mane and matching suit of armor. “Howdy there cow-polk. Care to give a mare some information.” Looking down, he could see that she was riding along the back of a giant, purple lizard. The two met eyes and the reptile let out a menacing hiss. “Don’t pay attention to him, handsome. Focus on me.” Her hand slowly ran along his cheek.

“I ain’t tellin you nothin’, horn head.” Sunset scowled. Her horn glowed to live and the bull suddenly felt his tongue slowly being pulled out of his mouth and his teeth being pulled apart.

“Ya know, if I didn’t need you alive, I’d make sure you ate that filthy tongue of yours. Or maybe my friend here would like a taste. He hasn’t had beef in quite some time.”

“Please don’t talk about that; I’m hungry enough as is.” Spike added in, keeping his focus on their travels.

“Now, I heard a pretty rumor that there was an alicorn in a town close by. A purple one specifically. Is she still there?” She let go of his tongue to let him speak.

“Y-yeah. One of the look-outs coming in said somethin’ about a purple unicorn and her colt-friend beatin’ up the boss’s kid.”

“Twilight’s got a coltfriend? I admit, did not see that coming.” Sunset returned to her interrogation.

“Is she still there?”

“Probabl-AGH!” His arm twisted itself behind his back, letting off a cracking sound.

“I do not deal with ‘probably’. You want to live; you give me a yes or a no. Now which is it?”

“YES! Yes she’s still there! Th-The boss has a duel coming up tomorrow. We’s gonna burn the town down when he lost. S-Something about a train as well, I-I wasn’t listening that much after ‘burn the place down’. That’s all I know, I swear on my ma.”

“Hm… well then, I guess that makes you dead weight. Spike… dinner.”

“WHAT?!” Sunset cut the rope and dropped the man off into the sands. Sunset got off and let her reptilian friend take his fill. The sound of hissing, gnashing teeth and screaming played out behind her as she never could get used to the sight of the carnage. She was a trained warrior, but never could stomach a carnivore’s diet.

After about several minutes of gnashing and bone-crunching, Spike came over to Sunset in his smaller form with his maw smeared with blood. “You enjoy the meal?”

“I appreciate it, but really wished we washed him. The guy tasted like sweat.”

“As if that ever stopped you.”

“Hey, I’ve been carrying you across a desert. I think I earned some time to complain.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“And you should smile every now and then.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Tell ya what. We know where Twilight is, and we’re not that far off from Dodge Junction. I say, we take a small breather, let me digest for a bit, maybe even sleep for a moment; in exchange, I’ll say you caught her on your own.”

“You’d give up credit for catching Tirek’s number one most wanted for a nap?”

“Hey, it’s what partner’s do.” Spike purred a bit as he smiled towards her. Only to hear his stomach growl and the red in his face switch to green. A look of worry came over Sunset.

“You aren’t looking so good.”

“Ugh… maybe washing that guy wasn’t such a bad idea first.” More gurgling came from Spike’s abdomen. As much as Sunset wanted to continue on with their pursuit, she brought Spike to a close by rock for him to rest by, just in case he ended up rejecting his meal. Sunset could easily carry on by herself, but she felt partially responsible for Spike's condition.

Author's Notes:

Next Time; Chpt. 25: This Town ain't Big Enough

I know it has been a while, and it feels good to be back. Though for those who are wondering what happened... life happened. Moved to a new town, getting a job, generally starting a life on my own. So, I think it's time that we started this adventure once again. Brace yourself Fimfiction, Mr. Critical is back in town.