A few days have passed since Twilight's Shadow Guard training began, and she was slowly improving on what the initial tests had been. But right now, she was being led by Shade-who wore the same outfit she wore as the one she wore when first meeting Twilight- to the weapons training room. "So, uh, what exactly are we going to do?" the lavender alicorn- wearing a pair of jean shorts coupled with a black workout shirt she borrowed from Shade- asked.

"'We' aren't going to be doing anything," the vampony replied. "You're going to take a training weapon and try it out. You don't like it, you move on until you do find something you like. Once that's done, I take you to the blacksmith, and you tell 'em what type of weapon you want, along with any additional features that are ornamental."

"What do you use?" Twilight asked, to which she got a chuckle.

"You won't find that out until you start dueling with me and the others," Shade said. "But as a hint, I hope you enjoy the sight of your own muscles," she said in sing-song.

"Celestia, you're sick," Twilight muttered.

"That I am, and everypony knows it," Shade said. "They have an issue, they say it to my face, and pray my mare isn't there with me. And if you're gonna insult me, say it in your head when we're next to each other. I do have increased hearing, after all."

"I know i should apologize," Twilight said, "but I think my time with you guys has made me not care around you."

"And that is good," Shade said. "So, anyways, when you were a filly, have any dreams of being a knight?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"What type of weapon did you pretend to have?"

"A sword, obviously," the lavender alicorn replied, making Shade laugh. "What;s so funny?"

"Just that that's the usual answer," she said after she finished laughing. "Just about everypony says they dreamed of using a sword. They then choose it, and are lucky it's a training weapon that has the weight of a sword, or they'd lose a bucking limb."

"Well, then, what do you prefer?"

"What did I say earlier," Shade replied in a deadpan.

"Oh, yeah," Twilight said, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Eh, nothing harmed," Shade said with a shrug as the two came across a door. "Well, here's your last chance to back out, Twilight," she said. "Once you step through the doors and pick up a weapon, only way you won't have a part of the Guard later in life is if you die. Or get your mind wiped by a crazy cult. Maybe get discharged by Lone or Celestia. That has happened before, after-"

"Can you please stop, Shade," Twilight said, nervousness in her voice. "That's not exactly helping."

"Sorry, my thoughts tend to get away from me sometimes," the vampony mare said. "Seriously, though, there's no easy way for you to leave the guard if you do decide to take a weapon. At this point, it's relatively easy to implant false memories, but the more that needs to be erased, the harder it is."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Twilight said before she put her right hand on her chin. This is the only chance I'll get, so may as well if it'll help, she had thought on the day she was asked by Celestia, and that was the same thought she had now. "Yeah, I'm ready," she said, nodding

"Right," Shade said before she opened the doors, which revealed a medium sized room with training mats in the center-two currently containing two ponies each- a weapon rack on the far side of the room, bleachers on the right side of the room, and a forge on the left.

"Steel tends to live down here, so her forge is here too," Shade said as the two entered the room.

"Who?" Twilight asked.

"The blacksmith for the guard," Shade said. "What I hear, she's a friend of Lone's and the first one he brought into the guard. Well, as much a friend of his as he allows."

"What do you mean?"

"Well. . .," Shade said as the two made their way to where the training weapons were located, "Lone's always been an introvert, and usually hates being around others. Steel's one of the few he was able to at least tolerate and wouldn't despise, mainly because, like him, she's always serious. Other than that's stuff I'm not allowed to say due to it being their private lives. Though before you get any ideas, they aren't seeing one another. Tartarus, everyone thinks Lone's asexual!"

"Really?" Twilight asked before muttering, "Then again, with how he acts, I doubt anyone would be interested in him."

"Enhanced hearing," Shade reminded her. "And true, he does act like a plothole, no one pretends otherwise nor does he deny it. But, well, Steel and I, the next two to join the guard after it was founded. . .we do still respect him."

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"I pray you don't find out," Shade said. "A year after the guard's creation. . .well, it's something only the highest tier members of the guard-Mist, Steel, myself, Lone, and the occasional Acolyte- know. Mainly because if others knew, it'd cause chaos even Discord would find bad. What I can say is that those earthquakes? They were a result of it, along with the intense lightning storms."

Twilight's expression instantly took on a look of horror. That day was the only one in recent official Equestrian history where ponies lost their lives to something other than animal attacks and old age, and-if she remembered right, which she almost always did- was the reason Applejack's parents had died.

"Yeah, we tend to avoid talking about that day," Shade said just as the two reached the weapon racks. "So, what looks interesting?" Shade asked, Twilight missing the vampony's eyes looking her over. Okay, even with her being an alicorn, her magic's the most powerful due to her being born a unicorn, so she'd probably work best with something that uses magic. Maybe the storm daggers? Or Lone could teach her how he makes the swords.

As she thought, Twilight looked over the various weapons, seeing one of just about every type: sais, nunchuks, bo staffs, short and long swords, glaives, broadswords, sword and shield combos, war hammers and axes, even a katana could be seen. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Shade asked.

"Terrifying, more like," Twilight replied.

"And these are just the large, hard to conceal weapons," Shade said in a chuckle. "Even then, not all of the two handed ones are here."

"Why's that?" Twilight asked.

"Because those are usually specially made for ponies, or they use their own personal weapons," Shade replied. "So, again, which one catches your eye?"

"Well," Twilight said as her eyes looked over the many weapon types before her eyes settled on a short, nearly one handed sword, and Shade noticed this.

"Ah, that," she said. "Hand and a half. Rare pick, but a few Acolytes use that type. Allows for powerful two handed strikes while also allowing one to hold a shield if they want to."

"Just needed to know the type," Twilight said as she picked it up, and swung it a few times to test how it felt in her hands.

"Well, how does it feel?" Shade asked.

"Okay, I guess," the lavender alicorn replied. "Feels a little heavy, but it's otherwise comfortable."

"Then I guess it's time for you to learn the basic stances," Shade said before her horn lit up, and a single bolt shot from the tip of it to Twilight's horn.

"Ah!" Twilight exclaimed in surprise and a small bit of pain as the bolt hit her horn, her free hand rushing to her head due to the sudden ache that sprung up. "What was th-" she began before Shade used her magic to grab a glaive from the wall, sending it flying into her hand, and then attack. To Twilight's surprise, her body reacted before her mind did, and the arm holding the sword got in the way of the strike before it hit.

"Memory transference spell," Shade explained. "With a little extra to make the basic stuff instinctual."

"Thanks, then, I guess," Twilight said as Shade stepped back and put the glaive back on the wall.

"So, anything not feel right?"

"Well, the hilt's a little uncomfortable," the lavender alicorn said. "Would probably be best to use magic to reinforce the blade so it can't break, and a scabbard, obviously."

"Then put the thing back on the rack, and we'll head over to where Steel is, and get the order in," Shade said. "Oh, and before I forget, Lone said he wants to see you in the library after this."

"Oh yay," Twilight said, the sarcasm dripping from her mouth.

"Hey, just put a filter on your mouth, and you won't need to worry about him pointing a sword at your throat again," the vampony mare said as the sword was put back on the rack, and the two made their way to the forge, where they saw a single earth pony mare with black skin and steel gray hair and tail wearing a white sleeveless shirt and short shorts leaning on the forge.

"Why isn't she wearing any protective gear?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah that incident?" Shade said. "Let's just say most of those involved were changed somewhat. For Steel, it was dragon resistance to flames."

"Oh," Twilight said as the two reached their destination.

"Hey, Shade," Steel said before eyeing Twilight. "New meat."

"Uhhh," Twilight said, not sure how to respond.

"She also became a bit of a meat eater. Even then, she calls everyone that when they first join."

"Oh."

"So, she got a decision on weapon type?" Steel asked.

"Hand and a half sword with a comfortable but good grip, a blade made of mage crystal, and other than that, no idea," Shade said.

Steel looked Twilight over before a small shine could be seen in her eyes before fading. "Don't need anything else, I got enough," she said. "Ready at the end of the week. Don't pester me if it takes longer, or you'll be it's first victim."

"Yeah, she gets pissed easily," Shade said-prompting the earth pony mare to flick her off as she went to the actual forge itself. "Now, head to the library. Lone should be waiting there for ya."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "On it," she said. "But if he manages to make me mad again, I make no promises of being able to hold back."

Author's Notes:

So, with how the others describe him and what little we've seen of him so far, what do you guys think of Lone so far?