Author's Notes:

Finally, after far too many delays, distractions, and depression-related issues, I have the next chapter up. I actually had to break it in half, considering the length of this single day went past 20k, which is my line for max chapter lengths (barring some unusual circumstances).

Next chapter is the second half of the sparring day. I expect it'll hit like an armored hoof.

Unfortunately, I set myself a deadline to post before the end of September, so my editor wasn't able to go over the whole thing and smack me upside the head for silly mistakes. I'll update the chapter later with any changes and edits that come up. Feel free to call out any hiccups if spotted.

Some editing by Stupidhand14
Proofread by Rubahhitam

Hands on my hips, I frowned in thought while I looked down at a sleeping Twilight as she continued with her soft snores. The light of dawn was well underway, the sun moving into the golds and oranges of a lovely day growing bright, but not yet visible on the horizon.

I told Twilight she had to get up almost an hour ago, myself already stretched, showered, and dressed. She had apparently let herself go back to sleep, weary after yesterday’s physical tests.

There was also the fact I warned her last night about what would happen if she didn’t get up.

It was tempting to start chuckling as I smiled at the plan in my head, but it wouldn’t do to give her any warning now.

Reaching out a hand, I gave a soft poke to one of her wing joints as she laid on her side under the covers. Her wing twitched and she mumbled something before going back to soft snoring. Pulling away her blanket didn’t seem to help, either.

Knowing the risk, I leaned down over her and whispered next to her ear. "Time to wake up, Purple Angel.”

One of the more adorable things I’d learned about Twilight since falling out of the sky above Ponyville was that she tended to be a gratuitous sleep hugger. Particularly if she felt my breath on her ears.

As she mumbled again, I felt her forelegs snake around my neck and pull me in. I had little choice but to fall onto the bed as she pulled me off balance and proceeded to give my cheek a sleepy nuzzle before going still.

She also tended to drool when she’s having a comfortable sleep, which left me holding her with a damp cheek and struggling not to laugh. I could have tried harder to wake her a different way, but I had a plan to enact after my token attempts failed.

With a bit of shuffling down in her embrace as I nudged her onto her back, all four of her legs wrapped around me in a cute sort of possessiveness. Once I’d moved down far enough, I got ready to wake her up with swift effect.

Nosing into her neck, I took a moment to savor her presence as I took a deep inhale of her scent. It was tempting to forget even waking her, the idea of letting myself doze where I was held its own calm comfort.

Maybe if I wasn’t so eager to get to our first sparring day with the squad, I would have.

My mind decided, I smiled against her neck. One hand moved up to take hold of her horn and channel a tiny bit of magic to keep her from forming a spell reflexively.

Personally, after learning about it in my foundational studies, I thought of the effect as consciousness bringing emitters into alignment, and it was very easy to disrupt another’s magic if they were asleep first, there being so little resistance to indirect effects. I couldn’t very well go and let her just teleport out of my clutches, after all. It was a curious side effect of multiple magic fields mixing, and required clear focus to cast around. Twilight could do it to me on a whim, in turn.

When a sudden thought drifted across my mind, I froze as a wave of shame ran through me, wondering to myself what I was thinking.

Twilight had given me total surrender, even cut off her own magic with a disabling ring on her horn that she made herself. One of her biggest private fears faced for my sake.

My hand moved away from her horn as I held still in her sleepy embrace, chastising myself. Reminders of what I used to be like and how it could sneak up on me had a certain sting no matter how long it had been after deciding to change.

She deserved better than what I once was. If I had my way, she’d never have to know that side of me beyond stories of the past.

If she did teleport away, I’d just deal with it.

With another deep inhale to savor the cuddle one more time, personal failings put away once more, I pressed my mouth to her neck, and blew a massive raspberry on a ticklish spot.

Twilight woke up with a shriek and flailed against my sides, trying to escape as she squealed with ever louder laughter with each successive raspberry. “EEEK! Vojin! Ah! Heehee! Stop, stop! Mercy!”

When I felt she was sufficiently teased and awake, I relented. Her heart was racing in her chest as I held her down on the bed, panting as she hugged me with little giggles.

“Didn’t I warn you of your fate if you didn’t get up in time, my dear?” I said with my face still pressed against her neck.

Twilight pulled my head up with her hooves so she could look in my eyes as I grinned, a faux scowl on her face she couldn’t hold very well, and was further ruined by some bedhead. “Grr… I was enjoying that dream. It was just about to get to the fun part. You going to make it up to me this morning?”

“I think you should look at the time, Purple Angel,” I replied.

Turning her head to the clock and back to me, she pouted. “I guess we don’t really have that much time. ” Looking back at the clock, she hummed and I felt her emotions turn lusty. “Mmm, better idea. You need a second shower this morning so you can wash my back as I finish waking up. One way or another~!” Her voice turned singsong and gave me a teasing smile.

I really only had one response: “Yes, ma’am.”

As she levitated me into the air and marched us towards the bathroom, I just chuckled, neglecting to tell her I set her alarm clock an hour ahead while she slept. After the shower, I’d tell her. Giving her these little surprises made her day.

***

The morning was pleasant as Celestia & Luna looked out from their castle balcony at the view of distant Ponyville far below Canterhorn mountain. The clear air made the view quite spectacular, and belied the concerns on their minds.

“The coming month has to be enough, Luna.” Celestia’s voice couldn’t hide the concern she felt when alone with her sister. “When the day comes for us to tell Vojin all we have done, I hope he will not hate us for it.”

They had put so much effort into buying so short a span to prepare the Bearers. Even sent what were perhaps three of the most trusted individuals in the nation not in command positions.

Their plans regarding Vojin had to proceed. It had taken too much effort to bring him to their world. The mistake of using a Rose Window spell on him was dangerous. If circumstances went the wrong way, it could cost his willingness to trust them when the time came.

Standing beside Celestia for their private discussion, Luna frowned. “With our promise to be open and honest with him from now on, we can only hope he never directly asks if we have plans for him before then. A mere month’s preparation is far less than I would like, but time to prepare oneself properly for battle is a rare luxury.”

Luna thought about how the ponies of their intelligence branch had far improved from a millennium ago, yet the fact they had found no more than unfounded rumors of the vast armies foreseen confounded her.

A deadly dance of shadows would soon begin, and they knew almost nothing.

The Bearers would be targeted several times, until the hidden foe made the first open military strike upon their borders. Luna was confident that the skills of the special team that had been assigned were the best they could send.

They had to be enough.

Celestia turned her eyes to some pegasi tending to a few errant clouds in the distance near Canterlot, mulling over the difficulties of the situation.

If they warned Twilight and her friends about the first attack, implications were more grim in the probable results. The two of them needed more time than they could get in order to weigh the many possible paths of the future. They had been forced to rush their study of events too much, unable to reach their usual degree of certainty.

In as little as a month, the first attack would come.

And they could no longer see new futures.

“A matter of mere days left,” Celestia said in a soft voice. “The veil over all divination magics has nearly finished it’s course. After centuries upon centuries of being able to peer ahead and know the best courses of action, it feels like I am going blind or deaf. How much I wish it were as simple as a mage attempting to bind our foresight, as Sombra had done. That you somehow grasped something in spellwork deeper than I did once more and still had some of your own foresight. With foreknowledge as a guide, I’ve grown so used to the dance of politics as a form of battle. Complex as it is, I have still always had a clear foe, or the means to discern one, for me to challenge. Now we know we are approaching war, but have no idea who our enemy is.”

Luna closed her eyes a moment, feeling as uneasy as her sister. “We told Vojin of divination being shut down, but not the rate at which it was accelerating. That they would remove an entire branch of magic at all troubles me more than the act of it. There is no reason I can find for why. It feels as disorienting as making rain cease to be wet. Not even Discord could make changes so fundamental.” She turned her gaze to Celestia. “I have still found no signs of our parents’ involvement, even though they are the only power capable of altering reality so grandly.”

Turning her eyes back to distant Ponyville, Celestia replied. "If it is not them, we will have already lost before we began, Luna. There is only one alternative, but there have been no ripples through the world or any of the other planes to even suggest it. The dark dragoness remains sealed, so the bound one is as well. Since we have not received word from old Styx telling us otherwise, vigilant as his kindred are, that is at least one concern I can put out of my mind.”

Flexing her wings and banishing heavy thoughts for the moment, Celestia changed the subject. “I hope you have fun in Las Pegasus for Nightmare Night. Two days, and you’ll find out the truth of the rumors about how wild the parties can get there. I’ll be looking forward to your surprise.”

Glad for the distraction of a happier topic, Luna snorted with a sly smile. “I have been to many celebrations and festivities across Equestria since my return. How much more lively could they be that they have such a reputation for wildness and debauchery? This modern age pales at such compared to times past, so I shall believe it when I see it. It is a pity I cannot merely spend the holiday in Ponyville each year. It remains far more genuine a place than any of our larger cities.”

Celestia’s smile turned sly, and deciding to take advantage of their being in private, she nudged her sister. “Well, either way, I hope you enjoy it. Maybe even think about an illusion and getting yourself a stallion for the night. You still haven’t gotten laid enough since you came home. Get the stick out from under your tail while you can. I’d rather not see you start getting moody like you were over the past summer.”

Luna turned to her sister with an incredulous look, eyes growing wide before they narrowed, her speech reverting in her surprise. “Tia, thy tongue slips.”

Celestia’s eyes danced as she started turning towards her sister, feeling the need to make mischief while they still had the freedom to relax. “That reminds me. You’ll find stallions are far more willing to use their tongues today, too. Remember the way you used to complain to me about how even the mares needed proper training in bed? Poor you, bemoaning a ready supply of eager consorts you had to train to your liking.”

Slowly backing up into the private meeting room as Celestia began to stalk towards her, Luna soon grasped what was happening. Her sister was more stressed than she would admit with words and was hoping for some raucous banter, or even an outright wrestling match like they often used to engage in.

Memories of days long past, when they would personally lead their armies into battle, flitted across her mind.

After moment of consideration, Luna realized they hadn’t done any such things since her return. Celestia had been far too cautious of her feelings. Sometimes even almost smothering in how hard Celestia tried to make up for lost time and neglecting her back then.

When Luna found herself missing the kind of closeness they were still working on getting back, she crouched down like Celestia was, held her ground and narrowed her eyes with her own eager smile. “It seems thy tongue dost refuse to quiet. Mayhap We must offer a thrashing?”

Celestia’s smile grew as her eyes sparkled, pressing her nose against Luna’s in challenge, even as she cast a few spells around the room to make certain the doors were locked and their guards wouldn’t hear anything.

And ensure none of the furniture got broken.

“I do believe the sun shall rest upon the moon before this day is over.”

“In thy modern terms, We say ‘bring it!’” Luna had to resist the urge to giggle. “...chubby.”

Gaping in offended shock for a moment, Celestia hadn’t anticipated such a jab from Luna out of the blue.

After she got over it, Celestia barked a laugh, her large white wings fluttering as they spread in ready, looking forward to regaining something precious with her sister.

Then Celestia let herself drop all decorum and tackled Luna with a jovial battlecry.

***

“As I said yesterday,” Major Thunder Breaker began as he addressed the Bearers and myself, himself decked out in the same cobalt steel light plate armor as he usually wore and a number of wooden crates being arranged by some of the Guard supply corps behind him. “The first part of today will be introducing you to how to put on and move in armor. We’re giving you a bit of a crash course. Expect to be sweaty and tired by the time you get out of your armor this afternoon. I know some of you ladies will need time to develop the physicality necessary to take full advantage of it, so don’t worry if it feels ungainly at first. There is also some room in the fit for a couple of you to account for anticipated gains in muscle mass, so expect to grow into it.

“Due to the unusual circumstances you are training under, I’m afraid we’re trying to write some of the rules as we go. As a result, a lot of what you might have heard about Guard training will be out the window. We’re starting you with full battlefield plate so you get to feel the maximum effect of armor up front. In addition to just moving around, there’s plenty to learn just in proper armor maintenance and good habits along the way. Don’t worry about trying to learn it all at once. That knowledge will come with time and experience as we lead you through it.” He turned his head to the minotaur beside him. “The field is yours, Lieutenant.”

With a respectful nod to her superior, Lieutenant Bergthora Bronzehorn carried on, her golden armor catching the mid-morning sun. “Each crate has your name on it. The supply corps attendants will assist each of you with the basics of how to put it all on, the proper order to prevent pinching, and eventually, how to get back out of it. Princess Twilight, please follow Major Thunder Breaker. Yours will require some special considerations due to your unique status and body. Guardian Drayce, if you will please come with me, I will work with you as the only other biped present.”

Twilight and the girls all went to their crates and started getting into their armor as I walked with Lieutenant Bronzehorn to a crate with my name on the lid in simple block letters.

She set the lid aside and pulled out a gold-colored plate gauntlet, giving it a critical eye. “Always amazes me how fast the Equestrian supply corps works. Most of yours is a standard issue set, with a couple substitutions where needed, since you’re similar enough in shape to us minotaurs. I don’t suppose you want to tell me why your armor had the unusual requirement of a helm and modified greaves imbued with some transformation enchantments? I’ve never seen that needed before. And you wouldn’t happen to have worn armor like this before, would you? I understand you were never in the military, but I also know you had a very different technological level on the world you come from and thought I’d ask. Just in case.”

“I think I’ll save my answer to your first question for when we’re done with this armoring process. I’ll give the transformative aspect a test and show everyone present at the same time,” I replied, hefting the simple but polished cuirass and looking over the attachment methods, pleased to see they gave me armor with it’s own liner, making the accompanying gambeson lighter than it might have been otherwise. I could just wear it all over my simple shirt and pants. “As for your second question…”

Satisfied the differences weren’t as big as they could have been, I set the first piece in place and got to work with the straps as I shot her a small grin. “Once or twice.”

As Lieutenant Bronzehorn watched me steadily go through the many buckles and straps as I put my armor on, she snorted with amusement. “Once or twice my left hoof. I wouldn’t even believe it if you said maybe you were just born to your duties. Practiced familiarity is hard to fake. It’ll make helping you a lot easier, at least. How long since you wore your first set?”

Rotating my left arm and proceeding to adjust the pauldron at my shoulder, I gave her another smile. "Hey now, that’d be spoilers for our sparring match later.”

She just shook her head with a smile and helped me speed up the process since I only had two hands, myself rather impressed by the way it was all constructed. In the simplest terms that came to mind, Equestrian plate armor was visibly far more advanced than even 15th century gothic plate on Earth. The gauntlets even protected the side of each articulated finger, and it was all lighter than I expected.

Once things were in place, I pulled off the cord keeping my long brown hair in a horsetail, holding it in my teeth while I wove my hair into a basic braid, well familiar with how to keep it out of the way and secured under the plates at the back of my neck.

Satisfied, I slipped on the armored gauntlets, then the blue-plumed helm that was similar to a barbute crossed with a centurion helmet. There were some odd formations I couldn’t immediately identify but could figure out easily enough. They were located where my pony mode ears and horn would be when I shifted over.

The vaguely T-shaped opening on the front of my helm appeared a little bigger around my face than typical, but a human face seemed different from anything else that I was aware of on Equus.

My face was flatter than even the bipedal felinoid race I’d learned inhabited one of the southern jungle regions. The short part about the Mrow’sha I’d read even mentioned part of their population were born with wings, and could manipulate clouds like pegasi and griffons. It was a strange moment when I found it oddly novel that they preferred to wear some degree of clothing in their society.

I went through a few motions to check my freedom of movement. To my pleasant surprise, the interlocking segments at every flex point caused very minimal restriction. I wouldn’t be as quick and nimble with it on because of the extra weight and limits, but with a bit of practice and adjustment, some milder acrobatic moves might still be viable.

The only thing that seemed off was that the set did seem to be missing sabatons. Instead, there were some hinged flaps attached to the greaves and what appeared to be leather boots, which was odd by itself. “Huh. This armor looks pretty well made. Curious why I have a helm like this when the rest full plate. It seems off with the advanced joints and the like all over the rest of it.”

“I was just wondering if you were going to ask,” Lieutenant Bronzehorn replied as she observed my movements. “Explanation in the paperwork from supply says it was a problem with the special enchantments needed. They work well with organic materials, but not so much with metal. They can get away with heavy boots and metal flaps for your feet, but the helm’s function requires it to be almost all metal. They made some improvised modifications, but your helm still wouldn’t change enough with a full face cover. It’s either deal with less protection, or what sounded like getting your nose crushed when you do whatever it is you do. It would take a week or two of planning it out before they could even start to forge a completely custom helm for you, let alone making any adjustments afterward. There was a priority on getting all of you set up with your armor ASAP.”

Pondering that, I gave a glance over at the girls to see how they were coming along. It was clear we’d have to wait a short while for them to finish up. I decided not to question why a half-armored Pinkie was spinning a helm on her nose as one of her attendants facehooved.

Rainbow looked like she would be the first done, her two attendants wearing what I figured were Wonderbolts service uniforms.

Taking in Twilight’s status however, I couldn’t help but smile.

The way she looked over there...

Turning back to Lieutenant Bronzehorn, I could only shrug. "I’ll have to take their word for it. I think I’m still around two or three months away from when I’ll even begin to study enchantments, so I have no idea what’s really involved. Twilight might be able to help me improve things, so maybe I’ll be able to work around it later.”

Lieutenant Bronzehorn nodded. “Everything feeling right to you? Aside from the special parts, the rest is standard issue gear for the most part, and supply brought alternates for the initial fitting. It will take time to replace any of it if you don’t call out any problems today.”

“Seems fine so far. It’ll be a matter of actively testing it out for me to say much more.” I told her, flexing a hand and studying how the finger segments in my gauntlet moved when a question came to mind. "The way you were talking about my armor suggested there was more than just special order enchantments. What kind of stuff comes standard with this gear, anyway?”

Lieutenant Bronzehorn thought for a moment. "Well, the typical complement of enhancers covers heat, cold, lightning discharges, stuff like that. Standard elemental resistance spread. Most spells that have to grab onto the target also have a harder time latching on when worn by a living being. There’s a modest kinetic force disperser mixed in, too.”

Despite the casual way she said it, I had to take a second to absorb the information as I was still dealing with an Earth perspective. Part of me wondered if I would ever get used to spells that merrily distorted my understanding of physics. “Uh, ok then. General limits so I don’t do anything stupid by mistake?”

“Pretty straightforward, really. Physical impacts have an upper limit, so don’t act like a statue. The majority of races won’t have too many weapons that can crack Equestrian plate armor by muscle alone,” Lieutenant Bronzehorn began. "I believe you already know that most standard combat spells stick to simpler physical effects for speed and more efficient power use. You’ll still feel things like lightning hitting you, but with the insulating properties, it won’t immediately knock you out of a fight without a strong direct hit or two. Fire and heat resistance hold up the best, so you could probably walk through a burning house unscathed if you held your breath. As long as you don’t go trying to swim in lava, or start pissing off dragons, you should be fine. You’ll be able to read the specifics in your books as you go through all the stuff that an officer has to know.”

“Tch, humans would kill for stuff like this back on Earth. Almost feels like cheating,” I mused, tapping the knuckles of my gauntlet against the opposing vambrace, the sharp sound of metal on metal coming to my ears.

“From what I’ve gathered about Earth, what with lacking magic and some of the other things you’ve mentioned, you also don’t have to deal with some of the crazy shit we have here on Equus,” she added. “Didn’t sound like you have to face down things even half as big as a hydra.”

I shook my head. “Not even close. Biggest critter that I know humans had to deal with were elephants, which are half the size of a house, at best. Largest animals on Earth are whales, but they’re hardly a concern on land.”

“I shudder to think how bad fighting a rampaging star beast would be without any magic at all. I can’t say I know what an elephant is, though. Probably something unique to your world,” Lieutenant Bronzehorn said before she looked like something surprised her. “You know, I just realized we’ve completely neglected some basic protocol. Trying to do all this training out of order just isn’t right. Be much better if we could send you and the Bearers up to Camp Crucible for at least a short basic training. Could you show me how you throw a salute? You might have been granted a high rank equivalence and won’t be giving one too often, but command staff, and of course the Princesses themselves, still outrank you.”

“Alright,” I said as I straightened up with my heels together and feet at a forty-five degree angle, remembering my best friend Barry telling me what a proper US Army salute was years ago.

Hope he doesn’t try to blame himself for my disappearance. He was the last person to see me on Earth when he dropped me off for my four day hike into the wild and I found that orb.

I was quick to banish the thoughts before they turned to my daughter again.

It was getting harder and harder to keep my thoughts straight. Enough that I was starting to worry I was slipping into a depression like I had after that past relationship collapsed so badly. The feeling of being on edge was creeping up on me far too often.

Really hoped some new sparring partners would help. Or at least be enough of a distraction so I could cope with all I’d left behind.

Pulling myself back out of my thoughts before it was noticed, I held a neutral expression.

My gauntlet-covered right hand came up, fingers straight beside my eyebrow. My palm was almost level to the ground at a mild angle, left arm straight at my side.

To my surprise, Lieutenant Bronzehorn gave a small chuckle and shook her head. “Well then, I’m glad I remembered to check. That’s a decent salute, but that’s the correct method in only a few primarily biped nations. Some quadruped races can even find it a little offensive because of the finger emphasis. Equestrian bipeds in the Guard follow a fist standard.

“This is our way,” Lieutenant Bronzehorn said as she straightened up in a similar fashion, her face settling into a stoic expression, only she brought up her right hand as a fist. Her fingers and thumb faced outward, the back of her first knuckle almost touching the corner of her brow.

Following her example, I adjusted, turning the wrist of my right hand and formed a fist. Having seen a couple bipeds in the Guard salute before, I couldn’t fathom how I never even noticed the difference until she called it out.

“Elbow a little higher. Good,” she said, looking me over with a sharp eye. “Try to commit that position to memory and do it at least a couple times per day. It doesn’t reflect well on an officer if their salute looks sloppy.” Lieutenant Bronzehorn looked to the side. “Looks like the rest are about done gearing up.”

The two of us headed to where everyone else was starting to congregate and I took in how the girls all looked. With two exceptions, they now wore golden plate armor.

Poor Fluttershy looked rather stressed in what seemed to be a lighter set of golden armor than the rest, while Rarity wore a bemused expression as she kept trying to polish random spots on hers with a cloth held in her magic. Applejack just seemed indifferent, maybe even a little annoyed or bored.

A smiling Pinkie caused me to do a double-take when I noticed her cutie mark scribbled on the side of her now golden armored flank with what looked like crayon. Giving a glance over to where she’d been getting fitted, I saw a supply stallion sitting on his haunches with a thousand-yard stare.

Ok, not asking. Moving on.

Looking to Rainbow next, I found her wearing the more streamlined blue armor of the Wonderbolts, bearing a large golden lightning bolt emblazoned across her side beneath her wing. Her helm was lighter by comparison, with a large clear pane of something across her eyes, and a faceplate seemed to be hanging open from a hinge. On the part of her wings that weren’t just feathers there appeared to be some kind of interlocking smaller plates, and the whole set looked sleeker than the others. She really wore the look quite well.

When our eyes met, her confident smirk got just a little wider.

I had to clear my throat as I looked elsewhere.

Then my gaze moved to the sight I’d noticed from a distance and it took on new impact.

Focusing on Twilight as she walked towards me, her faceplate was raised out of the way. The only parts of her actually visible aside from the primaries of her wings was her horn and her exposed face within her helm.

The late-morning sun made her a dazzling sight.

There were intricate designs across various parts of her finely crafted silvery armor. Designs, as she drew close enough, I realized were all Equestrian runes relating to spellwork. The metal had occasional highlights based on her mane and coat colors, with the central star of her cutie mark prominently displayed across her chest. The plate there looked much like a peytral.

Following the lines down her forelegs, everything was crafted to flow from one form to the next, balancing unerring coverage at every angle with a stylized appearance that seemed almost organic. The sculpted front of her hooves looked somewhat similar to Celestia’s own royal hoof covers.

My eyes ran up and along her side, seeing similar patterns to Rainbow’s armor, tapering into the flow of her feathers in a way that alluded to being part of her natural form. Her tail was only visible as a mild bulge in her armor. Then my eyes traced back up, seeing her helm bearing no plume and contoured bulges where her ears would be, as she stopped in front of me with a smile.

As I observed the design of her helm, the organic contours of her armor gained some clarity of purpose as I noticed the stern visage that her raised faceplate interrupted. Some sort of animal design, engraved details turning up wherever my eyes landed. It bore what seemed to have a beak-like shape in front, and something resembling feathers or scales, though she would need to lower her faceplate for me to really identify the image.

“See something you like?” Twilight asked as she let her own eyes wander over me and my own armor. The fascination in her gaze said enough about what she thought.

Her question caused an old idea to enter my mind, and it was far too much fun to deny. Running with the idea rather than respond with a mere yes, I decided to be a little dramatic in the moment.

I took a partial step back and began to lift my helm from my head. “My lady,” I began in a formal tone, watching her gain a look of curious surprise. "In all days past, never did I see hint of blessed sign, that I would witness such brilliance, glorious image so divine.”

As my helm came down in my hands, I made a smooth descent to one knee before her, bowing my head after I set the helm beside me and placed my left hand on my chest. “Sighting such radiant beauty clad in stalwart armor’s shine, this humble servant does wish to kiss the hoof of Princess mine.”

My eyes turned up to hers as I held out my right hand, finding her wearing a bashful smile, her cheeks flushing as she placed her hoof in my hand.

Drawing her armored hoof to my lips and placing a kiss on it, I raised my eyes to hers with a warm smile and returned her hoof to her.

Twilight looked at me with an appreciative gaze, her cheeks redder than before. “Oh my gosh, Vojin. The things that come out of your mouth sometimes.”

“Just popped into my head to do that,” I replied, relishing the joy I saw in her eyes. Making her happy had almost become a physical need as the weeks passed. “It’s, uh, a poem I came up with a while back. Minus a couple word substitutions anyway.”

“Oh? Was it inspired by something?” Twilight asked.

It was my turn to feel a bit bashful as I glanced to one side for a second and back to her, embarrassed about the origin of the poem and wearing a sheepish grin. “I kind of wrote it after reading a fantasy story about a soldier. At one point, he met the warrior empress of a foreign nation. Liked the characters so much I got a little carried away thinking about them having a romance together, though they never had a relationship in the story itself.”

Twilight giggled and opened her mouth to say something when a throat being cleared nearby made us remember we weren’t alone.

Turning to look at who sought our attention, Major Thunder had a bemused look on his face. "If you will please excuse my interrupting, Princess, we do have a lot to do today. The sooner we get through today’s list, the sooner you are free for the remainder.” He turned to me as his expression got flatter, though he seemed to hold a faint glimmer of amusement behind it. “Be a dork for your mare later, Guardian. You have to get warmed up for your first sparring match with Lieutenant Bronzehorn so we can start sorting out where your combat skills are at.”

Major Thunder looked up at the sky and spread one wing, made a few motions, then turned and barked loud at Rainbow. "Dash! Soarin’s waiting on you! He’s got the sky course ready! When I signal, you’re wings up and airborne like the ground’s lava! He’ll be timing you from the moment you’re in the air! You want to be a Bolt, show us why you deserve to wear that armor!”

Rainbow stiffened and saluted, eagerness in her eyes. "Yes, sir!”

Stretching out his right wing, Major Thunder paused just long enough to raise the tension, then dropped his wing and Rainbow shot straight up into the sky.

Looking up to track her, I soon saw Soarin dart off a cloud and keep pace long enough to say something to her, then shot ahead. Rainbow raced after him as they flew towards an unusual collection of clouds some distance away.

Returning my eyes to the Major, my knowing we had to get on with it just left one thing for me to do before getting to that sparring match. "Well, before I go with Lieutenant Bronzehorn, I need to test out the special extras on my armor and set myself up for one of the things I need to start evaluating, too.”

“The lieutenant did mention your armor has some atypical enchantments. Considering the nature of them, I presume you can do some kind of body change?” Major Thunder said. “You make it sound like it might affect your combat ability. Not negatively, I hope.”

Grabbing my helm and standing back up, I glanced around once more to find most of the squad was present, other than Soarin and Rainbow having just flown off. The only one otherwise missing was Bright Spark. That overly flirty mare had yet to appear so far this morning.

Turning back to him, I wasn’t quite sure myself. "Mostly, it’s just different, though it might prove valuable as I learn how to make use of it. I can give you more details later when you give me the next officer’s lesson this evening. I’ll show you the results of a medical baseline I had done at the same time.”

Raising my head, I called out for everyone’s attention as we stood on the open grassy field. "If I could kindly have you all give me a moment, I have something to reveal. The Bearers already know about it, but the rest of the town doesn’t. I’d ask that none of you say a word until Nightmare Night, when I’ll be letting it be out in the open. It’s not that big a deal to keep it secret, but I thought it would be funny to reveal it by using it with my costume for the night.”

The girls just smiled as I put my helm back on, while the Guard members, supply corps included, wore curious looks.

Without any further fanfare, my eyes closed and I let myself settle into the shift to pony mode again. There was a slight tingle of magic around my feet as they shifted into hooves, and another at my head that focused largely around my forming muzzle.

For a few moments, there was a moderately uncomfortable squeeze before the helm was able to adjust far enough around my growing muzzle. It suddenly made a lot more sense why they didn’t provide a helm with a full faceplate. My ears and horn also seemed to clear an initial partial restriction.

Once I was done with the change, and whatever it was that my armor’s enchantments did stopped being active, I lifted my helm from my head and looked around with a roguish smile on my muzzle. I got far too much of a kick out of the initial shock my pony mode caused.

A quick look around showed many of the members of the Guard held varying degrees of surprise, though a few seemed to trend towards Steel’s blank response of a slow blink. Namely, it was the members of the special duty squad.

Looking back to the Major, I asked the obvious. "So, what do you think?”

Lieutenant Bronzehorn muttered something in an amused tone that I didn’t catch as Major Thunder arched a brow. "Interesting enough, I guess. Do you anticipate any appreciable effects from your altered form when you engage in combat? I see no immediate reason you might be hindered.”

As my ears splayed out, I couldn’t help staring at him for a second and frowned, eyes flicking to the other members of the squad before returning to him. "Um, I need to do some practical combat tests, but I’m a bit stronger and more durable like this. You know, I thought there’d more of a reaction.”

“This squad is all combat veterans. We’ve seen stranger things from our own ranks, let alone when fighting in various situations,” Major Thunder replied with a shrug. “What were you expecting?”

“Not even any comments on why the heck this weird magic shapeshift thing makes me look like some kind of pony supermodel?” The resulting dearth of shock that such a mild reaction gave threw me off.

It was possible that I had gotten just a little too fixated on the reveal for the shock humor. All the better I wouldn’t be keeping it secret for long.

Some special meditation might be good as well. I would never allow my ego rule me again like it did when I was a teenager. Before my parents vanished and life had forced humility into me. The people I’d hurt before my best friend Barry finally knocked me down and I’d actually listened for once. Faces I never forgot flitted across my mind’s eye.

A moment passed and I had to snap my thoughts out of the sudden rush of guilt. Where did that come from?

Maybe just talking with Twilight or new sparring partners wasn’t going to be enough. I’ve been getting lost in my head at random with growing frequency. I really didn’t like the thought of adding therapy sessions to everything else. There was only so much time in each day.

I didn’t even catch what Major Thunder said in response as a new voice caught me off guard and made me realize I had just gotten lost in my head again before I’d even escaped the previous moment.

“I’d hit it.”

Giving each other a confused look, Major Thunder and I turned and stared at Sergeant Steel for a few seconds, but all he did was give another slow blink. I couldn’t tell if he was pretending he didn’t say anything, or if he was daring us to ask.

Before I could give that any thought or formulate a response, yet another surprise came from nearby as unexpected hoofsteps over grass and ground grew closer.

The sound of someone giving a sultry growl made me to turn my head in their direction, my eyes landing on the perpetually black-robed and sashaying Bright Spark as she made her way up to me. She made no attempt to conceal her eyes roaming all over my body with a teasing, desirous smile.

Once she had stopped in front of me and had her visual fill, she hummed. "Mmm… And here I thought you looked delicious enough already.” Without warning, she reared up and set her hooves on my armored shoulders and brought her face close to mine, my hands automatically finding her sides as I leaned back a little, helm slipping from my hand to thump against the ground by my hooves. Her full three-toned pink mane covered one eye, her smile growing all the more salacious.

Being on the tall side for a mare, she was only a hair shorter than Twilight on her hind legs. It left her at a perfect height to place her almost white nose less than an inch from mine as she stared into my eyes with that smile of hers.

My body grew tense as my face grew warm. I still had a lot to catch up on with Equestrian sensuality, but I gathered she was all but saying ‘sex now’ with that deliberate exhale across my lips so I might taste her breath.

Bright Spark had my complete attention as her voice dropped into an even more husky tone. "So… What’s a mare like me gotta do to get a stallion like you in my bed? I’d be very happy to share with Twi, if you felt me up for a threesome.”

Bright Spark was a mare I had rather mixed feelings about.

She’d fast proven to be full of naughty humor, yet held an underlying determination that was sharp as a razor. Aside from the constant subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, sexual advances that were a lot like Cloud Kicker, she seemed to have a love of life that was hard not to like. Two days of knowing her and she already had me calling her by her nickname somewhat fondly.

Although fondness was questionable at that particular moment.

I gave her a flat stare in response to such a direct proposition. "You really have zero shame, Sparky.”

Drawing her head back as she blinked in surprise for a second, her smile then grew so wide it seemed like it was trying to split her face in half before she let out a strange, merry laugh that sounded full of genuine delight.

A hoof suddenly snaked behind my head and pulled me in close so our noses pressed together, her eyes dancing as she stared into my own, her voice shifting over to a slow amorous tone that made my mouth go dry. "Oh, ho, ho, ho..! What’s this? You know, I only planned to tease you because your frustration is so adorable and really did have you pegged as a ‘never’ until you said that. I am going to have so much fun in this chase. You won’t believe the things I’m gonna do to you when the game ends.”

Before I could react, she gave me a swift peck on the lips. “Every single pony, or any other race for that matter, that hasn’t give me an immediate no when I tease them like that for the first time, has wound up in my bed eventually. You being such a unique guy is going to make chasing and finally landing you way more fun than my past conquests. Please do try to resist for a while. It’ll feel so much better when I win you and Twi over that way. And yes, I’m hunting both of you now because you’re a set, hot stuff.” In a lewd whisper brushing against my lips, she added a very enticing. "Hope your stamina can keep it up… Not that I’d mind training you…”

I was once again glad my pony mode gave me that special musculature that allowed one to stop physical arousal from starting.

And that I had a metal plate over my crotch if I lost control.

“Uh…,” Barely able to do more than stare at her, I was still trying to catch up to whatever had just happened. The sheer conviction with which she spoke had me half tempted to believe her myself, much to my own consternation. “Just… what makes you so confident you’ve got any chance at succeeding?”

“Hmm,” Bright Spark’s went half-lidded before jumping away, still grinning at me like the cat that ate the canary. The sultry expression she wore oozed with even more confidence. “Let’s just say that after twenty-three times I wasn’t given an immediate no after that same kind of question, I ended up with twenty-three nights of raw passion. Usually more than one night each. And four of those were married couples, on top of it. Statistically speaking, my sample size says I’ll have your D in due time, and play naughty with your princess, too. It’s easy enough to see if I can get one of you, I’ll get both soon after. I just gotta be patient as I rub it out of you two.”

She turned and sauntered over to Twilight, hooked an armored hoof behind Twilight’s armored head with a quiet clank, and pressed her nose against Twilight’s. Twilight developed a tremendous blush as she started to stammer, only to be silenced by a similar sudden peck on the lips before Bright pulled away like she did with me.

“See you both at magic sparring later. I’m gonna go make some plans for all the kinky things I want to do to you both,” Bright said with a still broad grin, then turned and walked away towards the town as she hummed a happy tune, voluminous tail sweeping back and forth with her hips.

I closed my eyes with a groan, chin dropping as I let my head hang for a moment while my mind ran through what had taken place.

It all left me wondering if she was watching the armoring process the whole time and just decided to appear the moment she thought something interesting came up. She had been elusive the day before, too. Always seeming to appear close by me when she did show up, and rarely did I see her leave. She often appeared out of nowhere with a sly smile when I looked away and back, like she knew where to stand. A bloody ninja mare, she was.

Speaking of which, when I lifted my head to look in the direction she left, she had once again vanished before she could have walked out of sight.

Should I be annoyed, or worried, about this new development? First, Rainbow Dash was far more enticing than she should be, and now Bright Spark was clearly getting my interest?

Stop it, penis. Mares aren’t like Lay’s potato chips.

Turning to Twilight after Bright left. "Uh… What just happened?”

“I… I think she just told us she’s now courting us both for sex, if not full romantic involvement. At least, I think that’s what she did,” Twilight replied, her cheeks still red as she looked back at me with equal awkward confusion. “I never imagined it would happen like that.” Then Twilight gave me an amused look, a smile growing on her features. “You know, you never once actually told her no.”

My eyes widened as my gray ears went flat. “What? I… Oh bloody hell.”

A gauntleted hand came up to pinch the bridge of my purple-tinged gray muzzle as I grumbled. "Gah, Cloud Kicker has her limits and rules, but I’m still not sure if Sparky has any at all. I doubt me telling her it isn’t going to happen would even stop her now. And imagining what happening like that?”

As I brought my hand down from my face and looked at Twilight again, she replied with a sheepish smile that gave her an interesting look with her dazzling armor. "Oh, I, um, I thought if I found a good stallion someday, and another mare wanted to court me and him, it would be more traditional. Like taking the two of us out on a date or something to start.”

That made me pause as a swarm of new questions spun around in my head, with one springing to the front of my mind.

Was that why it felt like Twilight was almost happy that Rainbow was acting so interested in me since the train back from the Royal Summit?

So far, I had seen little of herds from what I could tell, but it wasn’t exactly something that bore informational labels to point them out on the street, either. It was a topic I’d have to remember to ask Twilight to explain, once we had time.

Of course, it also happened to be one of those conversations I’d been planning to bring up a couple times now out of curiosity, yet always had an interruption come along before I could even ask the question. Murphy seemed to delight in his timing with that one.

“I am getting the sense that unexpected and occasionally weird things have a tendency to happen around you with some frequency, Guardian Drayce.”

Hearing her comment, I turned to meet Lieutenant Bronzehorn’s bemused expression with one of my own and huffed. “I don’t exactly control it, but I can’t argue with that assessment.”

Thunder cleared his throat and moved us along. “Huh. Well, let’s hope any further weird crap that might come up in training or combat works in our favor.” Turning to the rest of the girls, he added. "Alright ladies, yesterday you learned some initial exercises after the physical evaluations. Today, we’ll see how you carry yourselves in some light sparring. One of the reasons I have you in full armor today is so you can go as hard as you can stand without fear of injury. Nothing we do today will be able to hurt you, so don’t be afraid to dive in.

“Each of you has a personal instructor to gauge your skills. Listen to their feedback and put it to use. While we’ll take it easy at first, I have every intention of working the lot of you until you’re struggling to stand after Nightmare Night. That includes you, Miss Applejack. You’re used to farm work, so I expect a higher level out of you up front. Princess Twilight, I’ll attend you personally for your introduction to non-magical ground combat.”

Major Thunder directed the girls over to a group of what I assumed were their trainers, then turned back to Twilight for her to follow him.

Anticipation starting to build up in me again, I gave Twilight a small smile. "Before you go get started, could you let me see what your helm looks like with the faceplate down? I can’t quite make out what the imagery is.”

Twilight returned the smile and her horn glowed for a moment as the faceplate descended into place, letting the image snap into focus.

The beak-like image resolved into something between a sharp-toothed muzzle and a predatory beak. As the beak ended, the blended appearance of scales and feathers flowed back across her steel-clad head. Where the eye holes resided, the image of slitted predatory eyes were present. Even as harsh as they appeared, something about them seemed to suggest something hidden within.

All together, her helm seemed to resemble a feathery dragon, completing the look of her armor well. It seemed to reflect the kind of strength Twilight had inside her.

“Celestia was actually planning to present this armor to me at the next Grand Galloping Gala as a mostly ceremonial gift to a fellow princess. Cadance has her own too, though she’s never had a chance to wear it since receiving it. While it is very ornate, this is real battle armor,” Twilight commented.

“Celestia and Luna have their own sets as well. Each set of armor was designed with two creatures in mind, fused into something unique.” Twilight raised her faceplate again. “The letter that Celestia included said mine was designed with a dragon and owl as the theme. She wrote that the major focus of mine was wisdom and inner strength.”

“It looks pretty impressive. We’ll have to talk about it more later though.” I gave Twilight a knowing smile. “For now, time for sparring. Don’t hold back on the kicking of butts today, Purple Angel. If you do enough to wind up sore, I’ll give you a massage until it’s all better.”

Twilight nodded, her eyes and emotions betraying her rising nerves as she turned away to follow the Major.

Turning to Lieutenant Bronzehorn, I grinned. “Let’s have some fun, eh?”

She chuckled at that as we headed towards the area that was set up, practice weapons on a rack for us. “Since you’re already experienced enough, we can skip a lot of the buildup stuff. Your file makes it pretty obvious you have training in more than one form of combat.”

The training space we walked over to wasn’t anything fancy. Just a weapon rack and the open grassy field, with a curious construct holding a large bag off the ground on a long rope standing nearby. I gave the rack a quick eye, seeing pairs of a few different weapon types. Spears, halberds, staves, a few different types of swords, alongside a couple more weapons. The bag didn’t make any immediate sense.

Lieutenant Bronzehorn and I began running through some warmup exercises as I gave her a little more on myself. “I’ve only studied two distinct styles. The second one I learned is Ying Jow Pai, which is more focused on unarmed fighting. That’s most of what I was using during the Trial of Proving with Shining Armor. I’ve been practicing it for close to five years.”

Once satisfied we were warmed up, she grabbed a couple of longswords from the rack and handed one to me. “Your file also suggests you have some training with a sword, considering you were wearing one on arrival, and used it when fighting the Timber Wolves. How much experience do you have with a blade?”

I made a few test swings with the longsword as I tested the balance. “My experience with a blade, you ask?”

The memory of when it began for me stood out in my memory.

***

The glint of sunlight off polished steel gave visual accompaniment to the sound of blades clashing in rapid succession. Occasional sparks sprang into life and extinguished themselves a moment later as the two combatants squared off.

Green grass underfoot as both combatants attacked and parried, longswords whirling with enough speed their tips at times whistled through the air.

The larger of the pair then made a furious set of motions, the long fiery red braid dancing in concert as their thrusting blade deflected a response at the same time the tip stopped before the opposing throat. The victor between them was rarely different in the end.

Then my parents paused in place for a second, whatever exercise they planned between them having ended, before they relaxed and smiled at each other, withdrawing to stand at ease. My father let his longsword rest over his shoulder, while my mother stood proud with a hand over the pommel of hers, tip against the ground.

My adoptive father was tall, his long black hair drawn back into a fighting braid of his own. His gray eyes held a depth to them. His frame was sturdy, if a little wiry. His plain gray t-shirt and black jeans were a common sight when exercising with mom. Dad spent far more time with a book than he should, according to mom, but she kept him fit even if she had to drag him outside at times. His usual faint smirk appeared again as he looked down at me, always seeming to know something nobody else did.

My adoptive mother was a tower of visible strength in a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans. She was almost a head taller than dad was. My two best friends, Barry and Andy, usually referred to her as the Mom-azon. Her long fire-red braid hung over her shoulder, green eyes dancing as usual whenever she wasn’t in a serious moment. Mom spent much of her relaxation time with a sword in hand. As if for a strange counterpoint, she loved making people laugh, somehow finding a way to cheer up even the worst moments in the lives of others around her. Adults said she was strange until they got used to her.

Both then turned a sudden solemn expression on me, seeming ready to tell me why they called me into the backyard without any warning.

Mom spoke in her deep melodic voice. "Yesterday was your seventh birthday, Vojin. You now have a choice before you that will change the rest of your life, one way or the other.”

Dad continued on with a smoothness that hinted at something planned. "Yesterday was also the last day of your childhood, if you choose to accept what we will offer you. Our family has many secrets. I know you are aware of this to some extent, but we have never spoken about what those secrets are, or what they entail.”

Their intensity made me swallow a sudden lump in my throat.

There was a sense that something important was happening, though the unknowns seemed to frighten me. The day just before was my birthday party at the park, playing and goofing off with my friends.

As my dad turned to set down his longsword, grabbing a broadsword with a wooden scabbard leaning against a nearby patio chair, Mom spoke further. "We would like to offer you a chance to learn those secrets. Make no mistake, choosing to do so will mean a difficult path for the rest of your life. You have asked me if I am a weapon master, to which I now tell you I am a master of battle in various forms. As is your father, though his mastery is more focused upon the mental battles. We adopted you because we saw the potential inside you. We want to pass on our knowledge, but we cannot have children of our own. You are now old enough to begin learning the truth from us.”

Holding the broadsword towards me, Dad continued. "Your mother and I are now offering you a chance to be something far more than you yet know you can be. I know you sometimes like to pretend like you’re one of King Arthur’s knights. Some of what we will teach you is how to live and fight like one. Some of what we will teach you will also make you more like Merlin. If you are ready to accept our offer of teaching, draw this sword. We will not be able to offer it again.”

The hilt of the sword in easy reach seemed to grow monstrous in so many ways, feeling myself start to shake as ideas raced across my mind. Something pressed down on my shoulders, a sense of responsibility that was greater than I’d ever felt in my young life. All I could do was stare at that hilt, unable to move in the moment.

While I stood frozen, trembling from what I saw in their eyes and words as I looked at them and the sword, Mom grunted and spoke again. "We’re asking you to learn, boy. Not take on the world all at once. We will teach you skills that will serve you for life, whether or not you ever need to use them for their original purpose because this world has changed. I know you have a tendency to get into fights at school if you see somebody that needs help. We’ll teach you to be a better fighter and a better protector. It will be a challenging life, but you will find it rewarding.”

Part of me was afraid for reasons I couldn’t really process. Another part felt a need to grab hold of the sword.

Several silent moments passed before Dad spoke the words that pushed me over the line.

“Do you have the strength to become like your favorite knight, Galahad?”

My eyes closed as I felt that urge to help those in trouble bubble within, pushing back against my fears. My eyes opened. A trembling hand reached out.

The quiet singing of steel being drawn forth seemed to resonate to my core.

***

My mind’s eye turned to the broadsword sitting back at the library, how it seemed to have it’s own unique ring whenever I drew it. Of all my possessions, it was the one that meant the most to me. Sometimes, I felt like it had a life of its own.

The blade remained unchanged despite regular use since the first day I pulled it out and altered the course of my life forever. Even though Earth had changed so far from the one my training prepared me for.

Apart from some youthful foolishness and hard lessons everyone has to learn for themselves to appreciate, my parents had given me strength for a lifetime.

I didn’t feel ready to really consider the obvious implications yet. Not when I had so much else to worry about first.

Brushing aside the idea that my adoptive parents somehow knew I’d end up in Equestria someday, my focus drew back to the moment. That they’d possibly prepared me for the strange turn my life had taken was too unsettling for me to face just then.

My answer to Lieutenant Bronzehorn’s question about my sword skills came with a slightly strained smile after squashing my existential quandaries again.

“I have enough.”

Her eyebrow arched. "And what does that mean?”

“It means you should probably treat me as an equal at first and go from there. I’m better with a blade than without. Want me to focus on sword technique only for now? ” I realized my smile had turned a little cheeky and reminded myself not to be a jackass, even if I was confident in my skills.

Her eyes narrowed a little as she smirked, rolling her shoulders once she moved to a good spot to start. "Confident in yourself, aren’t you? Alright, fine. I’ll start hard and see if you can keep up. Focus on defending yourself more than attacking. Let’s see what you can do with that length of steel before we go full out.”

I placed myself before her and got ready, my longsword settling into a standard stance with the point near the ground.

Without need for dramatics, we paused to stare each other down, then we were in motion by unspoken cues.

The song of steel rang out into the air as we attacked, countered, and deflected. Both of us were cautious, testing each other’s ability to respond. I let most attack openings pass by, studying how she moved as she studied me in turn. In so many ways, sparring with a minotaur was no different than going up against a human.

I picked up the pace in my counters and saw her smile, deflecting one of her thrusts and turning her blade aside as I tried to come back with a cut she blocked before we pulled apart again.

Thrust, parry, cut, counter. She swatted my blade aside, I forced her to cancel an attack to block. Steel on steel continued to sound in syncopated rhythm as we circled each other before seeming to agree on a moment and pulled back to pause.

Both of us stood with our blades ready, breathing a little heavier but far from weary.

Lieutenant Bronzehorn gave me an appraising look, grinning. “I’ll admit, when you said I should treat you like an equal at first, I was expecting you to be like so many recruits, always not quite ready to back it up with real skill. You have a different flow than I’ve seen, but your technique seems solid. We’re both armored for it and you have the experience. Want to step it up close to all out and see what happens?”

My grin matched hers. “With pleasure.”

This time, our initial pause came with more weight. The look in her eyes grew more focused than before, myself knowing my own eyes stared back at her with similar intensity.

There was more intention behind her sword. I could feel the difference in how much force she used. I stopped passing up openings. Her blade glanced off my pauldron, had mine slide briefly across the cuisse over her thigh.

I let Lieutenant Bronzehorn dictate the definition of all out. So I was a little surprised when she managed to land a grapple and throw me over her thigh in a display of impressive combat skill.

Our armor made a racket as I rolled with the throw in a way that forced her to lose her grip, slipping into a directed tumble to get some distance and levering right back up to my feet before she could close the distance and keep me down. Equestrian plate was quickly proving easier to maneuver in.

When our eyes met for a moment, she gave a smug grin. I rushed towards her again with a grin of my own, happy to play that game.

As we clashed again, I brought my longsword around with more energy. Then a moment of opportunity hit that let me deflect her blade with my vambrace and lock her sword out of position as I stepped in tight and got a hoof behind hers, my advance forced her to fall backwards as she lost her balance while her blade slipped from her grasp.

My better positioned hand shifted down to close around the middle of the blade, changing my grip to half-swording, then releasing the hilt entirely to add my other hand to a blade grip, which turned my longsword into a makeshift two-handed mace.

With a heavy swing, the pommel made a dull thump against the ground beside Lieutenant Bronzehorn’s head as I stood over her, looking down at her surprised eyes with a smile on my gray muzzle as both of us heaved for breath.

A moment passed and I stepped back, still holding my longsword by the middle and leaned down with my hand held out. “You asked for it, Lieutenant.”

“Shit. That’s what I get for being cocky like you’re another young guy with little real experience.” She grunted in bemusement, taking my hand and letting me help pull her back to her own hooves. “Been a fair while since I had any your age that took me down like that.”

That made me chuckle. “I’m actually older than I look. At least, my human form generally looks younger than I really am. Not sure how this pony mode appears. Haven’t learned how to gauge something like that yet. Of course, I imagine I’ve been training longer than most, too.”

“So it seems. Your unicorn body appears about twenty, as far as I can tell. It can be really hard to tell how old a pony is unless they’re very young or very old,” She added, taking the time to rotate a shoulder before picking up her fallen longsword and looking it over. “Speaking of your forms, did you notice anything about your current body? You said you needed to check it out a bit.”

Humming as I thought about the sparring we just did, “Much to my surprise, I didn’t really notice anything in particular about having hooves instead of feet. At least, not while lost in the moment. I think I slid a little less, but that could have just been a trick of the mind. Doesn’t seem I have to worry much about it after all, Lieutenant.”

Nodding, she gave her shoulder another rotation and stepped back. “Well, we still have a lot of time to work on general sparring before moving to some calibrated combat ability checks and I’m not getting any younger. Let’s go a few more rounds to see more of where you’re at. And call me Bergthora. Maybe after we have a battle together, you’ll learn how I earned my squad name and you might get to call me Boulder.”

Taking my longsword by the hilt again, I grinned and we got back to work.