The following morning was a rather somber affair. Twilight and Bon-Bon were content to let things lie, at least for now, but poor Lyra was still shaken up about what had happened back in Canterlot. Spike was a Godsend when it came to keeping the lot of us from falling into complete depression, throwing out small jokes over breakfast while Rosie picked at her own meal. The hen was almost as wrapped up in the tension and bad mood as the rest of us, even though she might not have known all of the details concerning my actions.

Yet, I had been tasked by Celestia to continue our training as best as I could in preparation for the coming battles, so after we finished eating what little we could stomach, Twilight led all of us down to a lower level of the castle. The space was rather large given it had been carved out of the ground mere hours before, but given the circumstances I wasn’t complaining about Twilight’s sometimes obscene power levels.

The cavern was roughly one hundred feet square, allowing for movements in every direction with plenty of room to spare, as well as a high, vaulted ceiling so Rosie could utilize her flight without feeling cramped. The walls were reinforced dirt that had been compressed into nearly steel-level strength, while the roof revealed the crystal of the castle above for all to see. Other than that, there wasn’t much else save for a bench or two on one side and a weapon’s rack for storage purposes.

“So, what exactly are we going to be doing?” Lyra asked as Twilight walked over to the bench and sat down, materializing a notebook and quill from thin air as she returned her attention to the rest of us.

“Well,” I mused, “I was thinking of starting off with some basic training for you two while Rosie warms up for her own stuff. After all, you said you wanted to learn how to fight.” I walked over to the weapon’s rack and picked up two wooden swords before returning to my herdmates, “Let’s get started and we’ll see what I have to work with.”

Lyra took her blade in her magic, her eyes slightly nervous as she hefted the weapon close to her body. Bon-Bon took hers in her mouth but surprised me when she then shifted it to one hoof, holding the blade across her chest with her hoof grip instead of her mouth. It took me a minute to pull my mind back into gear, because I was so used to seeing Swift holding her blade in her mouth. Never the less, at least Bon-Bon looked like she at least knew which end of the blade to hit with. Lyra was reminding me of some of the new recruits back home that had never handled a butter knife, let alone a real weapon.

“Alright. First lesson of the day,” I felt at least a measure of comfort falling back into training. This was something I could do without getting distracted, “you are going to get hit. It will hurt, most likely a lot, but if you can’t work past the pain then you are as good as dead. So, with that in mind,” I pulled out my own practice blade, a metal short sword that didn’t have an edge, “I’m going to give you some practical experience with both combat as well as pain tolerance. I won’t hurt you too much but expect to get hit more than once.”

“What!?” Lyra’s voice had gone up a few octaves as she dropped her blade in shock, “You never said anything about practical training right off the bat!”

“Pick up our weapon and get yourself under control, cadet.” My voice had dropped into a near growl as Lyra shrunk under my gaze, “The enemy won’t care if you are armed or not. Either you learn how to defend yourself or you’re going to end up dead when a real fight breaks out. Now pick. Up. Your. Sword.”

Lyra’s horn ignited and her blade slowly rose into position, her eyes narrowed in fear as I slowly approached her. Bon-Bon moved to intervene, but I stopped her with a raised hand, “She needs to learn how to defend herself on her own before she can rely on others. I know what I’m doing. Just let me do my thing.”

Reluctantly, Bon-Bon backed off, much to the shock of Lyra as the unicorn shot our herdmate a look of betrayal. Yet she wasn’t able to say anything before I swung my blade at her side, the flat turned to avoid causing too much pain should it connect. Lyra yelped and dropped her weapon again, ducking her front half and shielding her head with both forehooves. I sighed as my strike whiffed through the air above her body, but simply used my momentum to redirect the strike into a blow to her raised rump as I stepped past her.

Lyra cried out and jerked into the air as a resounding smack echoed through the room, her eyes filling with tears as she turned to face me, her tail tucked between her hind legs as the side of her rump began turning red.

“Like I said,” I made sure to keep my voice calm as I lowered my blade and walked up to her, “you need to be able to defend yourself, or else you’ll get far worse than a stinging rump.” I sighed as the tears began flowing, and I knelt down in front of the distraught unicorn as I wiped them away with my thumb, “You are stronger than you think you are. You just need to find something worth fighting for, if at the very least to protect your own life.”

“But I’ve never hurt anypony before.” Lyra forced out as she got herself under control, “How can I fight somepony else if I can’t stop myself from panicking when a weapon comes at me?”

“You need to think of it like this. It’s either you or them. There isn’t any other option.” I picked up her weapon and held it out to her, my gaze soft and reassuring as her eyes locked onto the wooden sword, “Either you learn to defend yourself, or at some point you will end up in a situation where you have no choice but to fight, and you won’t be able to do it because you’re too scared.”

“Like it’s so hard for you.” She hissed out, “You killed all the time back on your world. It must be like drinking water by now.”

I felt a spark of pain in my chest at her venomous words, but I understood at the same time that she was speaking out of fear, “I’m scared every time I go into a fight. I’m terrified of losing my life every time a bullet flies through the air or a blade flashes in my vision. You have not seen the things I have, and I pray you never do, but it will never be easy to take a life, no matter how many times you do it. I see the faces of every person I’ve killed in my nightmares, and their voices haunt my mind every waking moment. Don’t think for a second that it is easy to kill, because I can tell you it never is and never will be.”

I sighed again as her eyes slowly lowered to the weapon between us, her face slowly shifting into one of resolve as her horn ignited, “Will I be able to protect the ones I love if I learn how to do this?”

“Maybe,” I replied, “but then again, nothing is ever a certainty in a fight. You could get hit by a lucky arrow or you could mop the floor with an entire platoon by yourself. I can increase your chances of surviving should you get into a battle like that, but I can’t promise anything more.”

Lyra nodded, her blade lifting into the air as she backed up several paces, “Then show me what to do. I’m ready.”

I nodded in return, hefting my own blade across my chest in a cross guard as we squared off, “As you wish. Just remember my warning. This is going to hurt, but no matter what, you must keep fighting as long as you can if you want to stand any chance of getting better.”

Her eyes narrowed as her blade swung through the air a few times in front of her, “I know. Let’s do this.”

“Then defend yourself!” I cried as I charged, swinging an overhand blow for her head as her own blade rushed up to meet mine. The metal dug into the wood of her blade but didn’t break through, her eyes locked with mine as she struggled to keep my strike from getting any closer.

Bon-Bon had moved to the side to watch with Twilight as the princess took notes, leaving Rosie to practice alone on the other side of the cavern with her own sword. I could sense the energy coming off of the gryphon as she warmed up her energy abilities but was unable to focus on it any further as Lyra began her counter attack.

She might have been able to control her sword at further range than me, but it came at a cost when she had to block my blows. Her magic was versatile, but not really strong enough to take my power head on, so most of the time Lyra ended up dodging and trying to counter while I was committed to a strike. Sometimes it worked, and I had a few large bruises on my upper arm and ribs from lucky hits, but that was nothing compared to the plethora of welts and marks that covered the majority of Lyra’s body. I had neglected to go for her head, because I knew that wouldn’t go over well if she got hit in the eye or some such, but I did manage to get her across the side of the neck with a hit during one match, sending her to the ground and shorting out her telekinesis as she cried out in pain.

Bon-Bon and Twilight winced as I stood over Lyra’s body, her eyes screwed shut as tears ran down her cheeks. I held the edge of the blade to her throat, signaling that the fight was over, “You’ve got some skill, and your control of your blade is better than I had expected, but had that been a real sword, you’d be short your head right now. Go ahead and take a break once you can stand. You’ve earned it after going for so long.”

I turned and walked back to the bench, grabbing a water flask and taking a long drink as I heard Lyra’s stumbling hoofsteps come up behind me. She barely looked at me as she got her own water, although I did catch the slightly angry look I got from Bon-Bon once the earth pony got a better look at the marks I had left on Lyra’s body.

Bon-Bon was more skilled with the blade once she and I got into it, although just like Lyra, her body wasn’t used to taking blows from a stronger opponent, and her hoof grip was simply too weak to stop my strikes unless she used both forehooves, in which case I simply swept her hind legs and sent her to the ground. Skilled monster hunter she might be, but against an intelligent opponent, she was unable to get around my fighting skill and defensive maneuvers as I sidestepped or blocked everything she sent my way.

Finally, after several hours of back and forth between me and the two mares, I called it quits and sent them back up to castle to get some lunch. Twilight collected her notes as Lyra and Bon-Bon limped up the steps, her eyes filled with concern as she watched our herdmates leave.

“How can you hurt them like that?” She asked as I walked up and sat down next to her, “Don’t you care about them to not leave those kinds of marks?”

“Those marks are going to help them learn how to defend themselves.” I countered, “I care about them enough that I’m willing to hurt them so they can defend themselves when the time comes. Those bruises are nothing compared to the pain of a real wound, and I won’t sit idly by and let those necromancers hurt the ones I love when I can do something about it.”

“Yes, but if you push them too hard, they might end up hating you for putting them through all of this.” Twilight’s eyes were filled with worry as she turned to look at me, “I don’t want this herd to fall apart because we couldn’t see where the line was when it came to pushing each other.”

“I know what I’m doing, Twilight, but I understand you point.” I took a swig of my water before continuing, “I don’t want them to hate me, but I want them to understand that this is not a game. They will get hurt in a fight and I won’t let them fall over and take it when I can show them how to defend themselves. I love all of you too much to let you simply roll over and die, not when I have something to say about it.”

Her lips curled into a smile as she let out a sigh, “Well it’s nice to hear that you care so much. But, maybe ease up on them just a little bit? It is they’re first day after all.”

I nodded slightly, “I’ll think about it. I’m not used to going easy during training, but I’ll try my best not to go overboard.”

“That’s all I can ask.” She replied.

We watched Rosie as the gryphon performed more of her individual training, Twilight writing down notes while I was focusing on the energy side of Rosie’s combat moves. She was using a lot of energy to power up her strikes and speed, but I had yet to see her use any form of ranged attack. I knew that yellow could produce lightning, and red could heat up the air to the point it created a directed flame, and yet Rosie wasn’t doing either of those things. I made a mental note to go over that with her once we started our own training, my head turning to the stairs as Lyra and Bon-Bon returned from getting food. I wasn’t hungry yet, so I planned on doing some more with them before we got ready for dinner.

Yet something seemed amiss as the duo approached, and I felt a sinking feeling in my gut as I saw the expressions on the mares’ faces. They weren’t happy, and Lyra actually looked close to tears as Bon-Bon placed a hoof over her shoulders. Twilight and I shared a look of our own before turning back to our senior herdmates.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, “I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”

They shook their heads, “No, It’s not that.” Lyra managed to say, her voice shaking slightly as she averted her gaze from Twilight and me, “Bon-Bon and I were talking over lunch, and we’ve come to a decision. We know that you want to teach us how to fight and defend ourselves, but it feels more like you’re beating us into a pulp when you don’t have to. We know pain is part of training. Bon-Bon explained it to me, just like you did, but I can barely feel anything on my entire body besides the pain.” Lyra sniffed as tears began running down her face, burying her muzzle in Bon-Bon’s chest as the other mare held her close.

“What Lyra and I are saying,” Bon-Bon added, “is that we feel that we aren’t going to be able to keep up with this kind of training. Even I don’t seem to have it in me to go through this kind of abuse when the possibility of us getting into a real fight are slim to none.” She must have recognized the shock and confusion on my face as she shook her own head, “We know this is coming out of nowhere, but if you insist on beating us into the dirt then we aren’t going to be able to stick with this training. We asked you to teach us to fight, not to turn us into walking pain factories. I can barely walk because of your hits and Lyra can’t use her magic because she can’t focus enough due to the pain. I’m sorry, but until this whole thing is over, we’ve decided that it might be better to take a break from the herd.”

“What are you saying?!” Twilight asked as she flew over to stand in front of the other mares, “You’re leaving, even after you said that you’d come and live with us in the castle?! I know this seems a bit harsh, but I agree with Sarah that this kind of training might be necessary if you are going to be able to defend yourselves. The necromancers are a very real threat and could attack anywhere they wanted if we don’t stop them first. I can’t bear the thought of losing either of you, any of you,” she added as she turned to look at me, “to those monsters if there is something we can do to stop it.”

“That’s why we’re not breaking up the herd.” Lyra managed to say as she pulled herself away from Bon-Bon, “we still love you both, more than you could ever know, but until all of the fighting is over, we feel it might be better if we simply weren’t here to distract you from what you need to do. My parents want to see me after Princess Celestia and Luna revealed the necromancers to the nation, and I think it might be a good thing if Bon-Bon and I took some time to visit with them in Manehattan.”

Twilight’s eyes filled with tears of her own as she reached out and hugged the other mares, “I don’t really understand why you’re leaving, but it makes me feel a bit better that you still love us enough to stay in the herd. We’ll write to you and keep you updated on everything so you can come back as soon as this is all over.”

I walked over and added myself into the hug, being careful to avoid the bruises I had made as we held to each other, “I’m sorry for causing you this pain, but I truly thought it would be what you needed in order to protect yourselves. For that, I’m sorry, I truly am. I just wish you didn’t have to leave.”

“We don’t have to leave,” Lyra replied, “but I agree with Bon-Bon. I think it would be better for everypony if you can focus on your training and beating those necromancers into the dirt. Bon-Bon and I would just distract you if anything were to happen. At best we wouldn’t be part of the fight, but at worst we’d be a burden and neither of us want that to happen. We love you both, and we don’t want you to have to try and split yourselves between two things if us leaving would make things simpler. We’ll only be a letter away, and we’ll come back a soon as all of this is over. Count on that.”

We held one another as Twilight sobbed into the chests of the mares, my arms holding all three of them together as Bon-Bon reached up and kissed me. I returned her affection before switching to Lyra, my tongue invading her mouth for a moment before we split apart. All three of us kissed along Twilight’s neck and face, slowly morphing her tears into giggles as she tried to squirm her way out of the middle of our embrace.

“H-Hey! S-S-Stop it!” She finally ignited her horn and teleported out of the huddle, her lips curled into a smile as she wiped her cheek with a hoof, “That tickles.”

We laughed alongside her as she returned to the group, her wings folding around all three of us as her lips met Lyra’s. Bon-Bon took her turn as Twilight parted lips with the unicorn, the earth pony’s hooves finding their way to Twilight’s cheeks as they held one another. Finally, after showering each other with affection for several minutes, Lyra and Bon-Bon stepped back and let out a double sigh.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.” Lyra managed to say as her eyes filled with tears once again. “We’ll send a letter once we get to Manehattan, so you won’t worry about us.”

“I’m going to miss you girls.” Twilight forced out as her own eyes filled, “but I know we’ll be together again soon. You’ll see. We’ll be closer together than ever once we don’t have to worry about those necromancers anymore.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon nodded, turning their attention to me. “We’re sorry we couldn’t keep up with your training,” Bon-Bon said with a small smile, “we know it wasn’t your intention to hurt us. It’s just that we aren’t cut out to handle that much pain and still keep going. Focus on the tasks ahead and we’ll see you when we get back, and once we do, I think Lyra and I would be more than happy to move into the castle with you and Twilight. We just can’t right now with all of this crazy necromancer stuff going on.”

“I’m with Bon-Bon completely,” Lyra added, “we’ll be the best herd anypony has ever seen, and I’ll certainly be looking forward to some fun together once we get back.” She rolled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

The rest of us laughed as we shared one last group hug, stepping back as the duo began climbing back up the stairs. Twilight and I waved until they were out of sight, a sigh escaping her lips as she turned to face me.

“Well, that just happened.” She stated with a flat tone.

“Yeah, but I can see why they felt that they weren’t cut out for this. You ponies tend to get a bit locked in your beliefs when it comes to your skills in life, mostly centered around your cutie mark.” I picked up the training weapons and put them back on the rack as I added, “Neither Lyra or Bon-Bon have the skills or drive to be a warrior, it’s not who they are, and given ponies are so driven to follow their destiny, they just don’t have the confidence or ability to learn something like combat without very selective training. Training that I am apparently unable to provide.”

Twilight stepped up and rested a hoof against my leg, “It’s not your fault. You did the best you could, and they weren’t able to adjust to something so foreign. After all, most ponies are peaceful to a fault. I’ve rarely seen anypony get into anything more than an argument, save for a couple of my friends. And even then, most fights never get past the first couple blows. I know you wanted to help them, but for the most part, we aren’t able to see past the pain the other pony is feeling, and that is why so little of our population is actually able to be a part of the military. Even then, the guard is more of a police force than anything like a true military, so they mostly break up fights instead of starting them.”

“Then how am I going to lead them into a warzone and expect them to be able to fight when the enemy is completely okay with taking the lives of anyone who stands against them?” I asked as I sat down again, my gaze travelling over to Rosie as she went through another combat dance, “Even Rosie is so new to this. I know gryphons have a more militaristic culture than Equestria, but even she is reluctant to do more than incapacitate her opponent. I don’t know if she’ll be able to cut it when the war actually starts.”

Twilight climbed onto the bench next to me and rested a wing over my back, “Have faith in yourself and those around you. We can do this, even if we don’t look like we will be able to do much. Equestria has faced many dangerous foes in its past. This time will be no different.”

I sighed as I stood up again, turning to look at Twilight as I smiled, “Thanks Twi, I know it’s not going to be easy, but with you and Rosie at my side, I know we can make it through this. And then we’ll make sure Lyra and Bon-Bon know that no matter what, we will always be together.”

She nodded her agreement, “Then let’s make sure they don’t have any reason to worry. I’m going to be headed out to Fort Reinwright so I can help the girls with their own training. Can you and Rosie handle yourselves here until it’s time to gather the troops?”

I nodded, “I’ll see you at the Fort when Rosie and I are done with our training. It shouldn’t take more than a few days; we’ve gone through most of the masters’ journals.”

Twilight smiled as she pushed up onto her hind legs, planting a kiss on my lips before pulling back, “I’ll see you in a few days then. I’ll be waiting for you and Rosie and I expect you to be on time. The last thing we need right now is a tardy commander.”

I rolled my eyes as she jumped off the bench, my hand finding its way to her rump as I gave her a playful swat. She yelped as her cheeks flushed red, her eyes lidding as she playfully glared at me over her shoulder, “Oh you’re lucky I need to go, or else you’d be regretting that little stunt.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, smirking as I looked down at her, “And what exactly were you thinking of doing to me in retaliation?”

Twilight smirked herself as she hovered up and whispered in my ear. My eyes widened and my cheeks flushed red as I jerked away from her, her smug grin and bedroom eyes driving my heart through my ribs as she landed once more.

“You really want to try that?” She nodded, “Well I think we should wait for the girls to come back before we do anything crazy. They’d never forgive us if we left them out of something like that.”

Twilight giggled as she turned around, flashing me as she swung her tail to one side as she began climbing the steps, “Then think of that as incentive to come back in one piece. I’ll be rather displeased if you get hurt out there and I can’t give you your present after this is over.”

I swallowed thickly, as she disappeared into the castle proper, my body jerking slightly as Rosie spoke up from my side.
“So, what exactly was that all about?” She asked, either not noticing or ignoring my jerk of surprise.

“Jesus Christ, don’t sneak up on me like that!” I managed to get my heart back under control as I turned to face the young hen, “Nothing really important. Just some talk about our plans for when this whole war with the necromancers is over.”

Rosie nodded, “Well, I think I’m warmed up enough. I was careful not to use too much energy like you taught me, but it was getting a little boring practicing by myself.”

“Then we’ll have to pound some of that boredom out of you.” I countered playfully, picking up my sword from the rack once more as I turned to face her, “Prepare yourself, because I won’t be going easy on you like I was with the girls.”

Rosie smiled as she drew her own blade, her energy charging all around her body in a bright red as she fell into a fighting stance, “I would hope not. I’m not some rookie like those two were. I’m ready for you, Lehrer. Come and get me.”

“As you wish.” I raised my blade and charged, her own sword rising to meet mine in a flash of sparks and energy as our bodies locked against each other.

We barely left that room for the next couple days, although Spike was sure to remind us to eat and sleep when we had to, although even he ended up forgetting some of the time because he would get so engrossed in watching our sparring matches. Twilight made sure to keep us updated of the situation at the fort, as well as passing on the letter she got from Lyra and Bon-Bon stating that they had made it to Manehattan without issue. In those last few days, we received word that Celestia and Luna had sent out a call to arms, and that the different chapters of the guard were mustering across the country. They would meet us at Fort Reinwright and from there we would march on the necromancer’s stronghold. The time for action had finally come, and it wouldn’t be long before Moon Song and her coven were facing the full might of Equestria’s army.

On the morning of the fifth day, Rosie and I packed up our gear before the sun had even risen, leaving a note for Spike so he wouldn’t worry, and headed out for the train station just as the engine pulled in. We climbed aboard and in moments we were on our way. Now the only thing left was to meet up with the troops, and march on the necromancer’s stronghold. Platinum’s Keep was a relic from a bygone age, one where war and invasion were a much greater threat. Taking it down would not be easy, especially when we knew that Moon Song and her coven had an army of their own. Yet as the sun began to rise, I felt like maybe, just maybe, things would turn out alright. We marched out of the station and began the long walk to the Fort, our heads held high and our spirits raring for a fight. The time for preparation was over.

Now was the time for war.

Author's Notes:

Well, here we are. The time for peace has come to an end, and the trumpets of war have begun to sound. Hope you all are enjoying this lovely little number, and I look forward to hearing what you think in the towel section below.

Also, say hello to my newest Patron, WuBzY, as well as a returning friend, Earthpatriot117. If anypony else wishes to join the ranks of my supporters, then feel free to use the link on my author's page and become a Patron yourself.

Other than that, not much else to say other than I'm sorry for the delay in updating. School has been kicking my flank left and right and I haven't had time to write until now.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.