Shining Armor took another deep breath. Behind this door was not Queen Chrysalis, but his daughter. It was something that he had to remind himself every waking minute of the past few weeks. She wasn’t the scourge of the Broken Leylands, wouldn’t put a spell on his mind and demand unspeakable things from him. For years, those thoughts had haunted him, the weeks during which he had been used, abused, and raped leaving him a wreck long after the events. If he had not been immortal, he would not have been here today. His body had healed quickly, but his mind still suffered from the wounds. Cadance was the one who had picked him back up when he was on the ground, just a shadow of his former self.

They had talked a lot about Amaryllis during the last days. Cadance had kept repeating her little mantra, trying to drill it into his head. “She is only scared and searching for her place in the world,” he quietly repeated her words. Only long after yesterday’s breakfast and the following excitement did he realize what exactly he had done. He would be spending many hours alone with his daughter in this room for the next few days. His daughter who so painfully reminded him of the past. It was all because of that human, that thief and murderer. Even here, directly in front of him, he was acting up and spreading chaos. You couldn’t expect anything else from humans, the words of his mother reminded him. If it was up to him, the human would have been left to rot in a dungeon. But no, for some reason, he was running around freely. Even worse, not only had he fallen in love with his daughter, but for some strange reason, Cadance was also protecting him.

The white alicorn remembered when Cadance had come out of the room after their first conversation with him. She had tears in her eyes, but even after all these years, he couldn’t say if because of happiness or sadness. And usually he could read her like an open book. ‘What eleven years of marriage can do to a stallion,’ he thought to himself.

But it was of no use. Behind the door was one of the many training rooms of the Crystal Guard, and in it was his daughter. A deep breath later woke his magic, and the door slowly opened. Amaryllis sat with her back to the door in the middle of the room. Shining couldn’t see it, but the slight movements of her head implied that she was looking at the many posters on the wall. Magical runes, illustrations of combat stances, and more were shown on them.

“Morning, dad,” she said without turning her head away. For a moment, the stallion was surprised, but then he remembered that she could feel nearby emotions. Did she know what was going on?

“Morning, Amaryllis. As I see, you’re well rested.” That was good to know, as it meant that the human had disappeared back into the sewer he called his apartment for the night. “Then we can begin at once. What do you know about fighting? Or wait. Can you defend yourself?”

His daughter stood up and turned around with a light smile to him. “Well, I can shoot magic.” Shining nodded. It was better than nothing. He opened one of the many cabins at the wall to his left, which were in all training rooms, and pulled out a practice dummy. This one was a simple crystal that was enchanted in a way that it flew in jerky movements through the room. With a bit of magic, he activated it, whereupon it flew under the ceiling.

“I want you to take this thing down, no matter how.” And with that, he sat down and waited to see what would happen. He wasn’t expecting her to fail, but this wasn’t a beginner’s training. Usually only the best archers and unicorns practiced with these crystals. “And don’t worry; the room is protected, so you can’t destroy anything.” Amaryllis nodded and her eyes locked on the target. Immediately, a couple of green magic missiles shot out of her horn and flew through the air before they shattered against the ceiling. The crystal was too fast for her. Shining had to grin a bit. Any trained unicorn would have just put the enemy in stasis and then fired. Archers needed a bit longer, as they would have to study the movement pattern and would fire where their target would be. The show in front of his eyes was a complete beginner’s mistake, something he hadn’t seen in years. Maybe it shouldn’t make him so happy, but it was nice to know that his daughter was not a trained killer.

The minutes passed while the attacks continued to miss their target. What impressed Shining was the fact that she kept on going. A normal unicorn wouldn’t even be able to stand after fifteen minutes of continuous firing. But there she stood, always with her eyes following the target, firing one missile after another with barely any signs of exhaustion. If she was able to hit, she surely would have a good chance to pass the preliminary rounds. “Amaryllis, try to think. Your opponent is faster than you.” He would have liked to tell her more, but she would have to figure it out herself.

For the first time in over forty minutes, she ceased her shots and just stared grimly at the flying crystal. The white alicorn couldn’t get around noticing how similar that look was to that of his sister when she sat in front of a magical problem she couldn’t solve. That look meant commitment and no chance for the recipient. He smiled, at least for a second, as then a giant magic missile began to form at the top of Amaryllis’ horn. At first it was as large as her body, then twice that much, until it eventually filled almost the entire room. At the last second, he casted a shield over himself before his daughter sent the attack with a slight movement of her head on the way. The missile hit the magically reinforced ceiling. The room shook, splintered crystals hailing down, and dust filled the air. For a moment afterwards, it was silent until something hit the ground with a thud. As the dust slowly set, Shining Armor at first saw the large hole in the ceiling, then the bathtub which had fallen down from the washing room of the Crystal Guard, including the occupant. Rupie just blinked in confusion, obviously having no idea what had just happened.

The dust continued to settle, and a heavily breathing Amaryllis came into his sight. Her eyes scanned through the room, not sure if she had missed her target again. “Haha! I hit it!” she declared proudly. Shining Armor didn’t have the heart to tell her that the small crystal was floating directly behind her.

“Catch!” Thiemo only reached out and grabbed the wooden staff from Flash. He adjusted his grip a couple of times and practiced a few swings to get a feeling for the training weapon. It was lighter than his staff, had less grip, and was a bit shorter. It was designed for ponies.

Flash Sentry took another staff from the weapon rack at the wall of the training room. The ground here strongly reminded Thiemo of a sports hall, just like the cushioned walls. There were no windows. The only light came from some crystals underneath the ceiling.

The pony stuck the weapon underneath his left wings so that he could speak. “Very well then, I want to know what you can do. Just attack me.” And with that, he took the staff in his mouth again. Thiemo didn’t need to be told twice and got ready. As Flash nodded, he charged forwards, the staff ready to strike, and went ahead with his full momentum. Flash ducked so that the staff soared over his head. The human wasn’t going to let him get off so easily. Continuing to use the momentum, he turned around on the spot with the staff and prepared for another strike, now aiming for his opponents legs. The pegasus in front of him dodged again, this time by jumping into the air and resting there for a few moments. Thiemo made a third spin but was hit by something in the back and lost his balance. In the last second, he found it again and managed to stay on his legs before turning around to Flash. He landed and stuck his weapon under his wing again. “What was that supposed to be?”

“An attack, what do you think?” For a few seconds, they looked at each other in silence.

“Are you serious?” the pegasus then asked. “By Celestia, you are serious.”

“What? I’ve survived for four years.”

“And have you ever met a trained fighter?” Thiemo thought for a moment. There had been the griffons in the savannah. He ran. Then there was the pirate who wanted his arm, again a griffon, who he had tricked. The Royal Guards on the cruiser. He had hidden himself. The guards around Boardor. He had landed in the dungeon. Sheriff Silver Star in Round Rock. Alright, he probably didn’t belong on this list. Actually, he didn’t belong on any list. And Night Hawk he hadn’t even seen coming. So Thiemo did the only thing he could: he shook his head, causing Flash to sigh deeply. “Then we’re going to switch things up. I’m going to attack you, so you try to block.” The staff moved into his mouth again, and Thiemo got himself read. This time it was him who gave the signal with a nod.

Flash dashed forward and slightly jabbed at him with the left side of his staff. Thiemo managed to block the blow just in time, but before he could realize it, the pegasus released his staff, allowing it to slide down Thiemo’s until it was below the human’s chin, then bit it again and struck. All Thiemo felt was the strike, then how his head hit the wooden ground. “A staff is a weapon and grip combined. You have two hands and don’t even use them to your advantage. I’m not an expert in staff fighting, but this is completely beginner’s level.” Thiemo rubbed his chin and fought against the headaches before he stood up again. He was slightly angry, but Flash was right. His former weapon had more or less decided the fights for him, not his skill. “Maybe we should try the sword.” His trainer thought and then nodded. “It should better suit your fighting style.”

Thiemo said nothing and just watched as Flash took his staff in his mouth as well and placed both back in the weapon rack. It wasn’t like he had anything to say anyway. Again a wooden weapon was thrown towards him. “Is this a toothpick?” What he held in his hands could be at best described as a long dagger.

“Maybe a longsword,” mumbled Flash and pulled out another wooden blade. They quickly swapped weapons and Thiemo just grinned. The new sword was more his size, but not too long either. When he reached his arm in a forty five degree angle towards the ground, the tip was just barely above the ground. An ideal length. “This is more like it. Wait, give me a normal one as well.” Flash looked at him quizzically but then shrugged and pulled another one with his wing from the rack and passed it to Thiemo. He took in his left hand so that the blade was pointing behind him.

“Then let me explain the weapon to you a bit better,” Flash began and presented the weapon that laid on his unfolded wing. “Down here is the pommel. It’s well suited to strike an unwary opponent with if you have the chance, so don’t just see it as a counterweight, but as a potential second weapon. Then there is the hilt. You grab it as close to the cross guard as possible. This ensures the best grip. The name itself should tell you what it’s used for.” Thiemo nodded and adjusted his grip on both weapons. “The short, blunt part of the blade is called the ricasso. The indentation is fuller and makes the weapon lighter and better balanced.” Thiemo just nodded again. “The lower part of the blade is called the forte. It is the slowest part of the weapon but well suited to block. The upper part, up to the point, is the foible. It is the most fragile but also the fastest part, used for quick, precise cuts and maximum damage. Finally, there is the point. Remember, you can also stab with a sword, not only cut.” And with that, Flash finished his short introduction and bit on the hilt just as he had explained it. “Come,” he said, his voice muffled.

Thiemo checked if both weapons were lying correctly in his hands. The last time he had held swords in his hands, he couldn’t really do anything with them. But what could be done against skeletons? Here he had better chances. The short sword he would use to block and maybe for quick blows if he had the chance. The long sword, by pony standards, would be his main attack weapon.

Quickly, Thiemo took a step forward but didn’t just charge at Flash. He now knew his opponent and his own skills compared to him. He had felt that more than clearly.

Flash tilted his head slightly so that he could quickly block possible attacks. That was exactly what Thiemo wanted. If he would block, he still had another sword. Whatever weapon the ponies were going to wield, unless it was a unicorn, he would always have an advantage. He could wield two weapons. With a grin, he changed the grip around his short sword so that it was now pointing forwards and brought it with an uppercut in reach of his opponent. As expected, Flash blocked with his own blade and Thiemo let go of the weapon. He could see Flash’s eyes widen as the second sword from the right threatened to hit him. Just like during the last fight, the stallion moved his head to the side to avoid a hit, but in the next second, a sword was being held at his throat.

“I haven’t seen you catch it.” Thiemo distracted him with another weapon, and by letting it go, he made sure that Flash’s momentum carried him farther than the stallion would have liked it. In that opening, he struck. Of course the soldier was good enough to react to that, but two hands were too much against one mouth. “Now we have something we can work with.”

“You think you can still teach me something?” Thiemo responded with a laugh.

“Look at my hooves.” Thiemo’s head wandered down where one of Flash’s hooves was behind Thiemo’s left leg. Just as he realized that, he pulled it back, and Thiemo again hit the ground. Now it was him who had a sword at his throat. “What was the question?” In that moment, the castle around them decided to shake.

Later on the same day, Thiemo sat on a bench in front of the large library. The training had been cancelled due to an incident in one of the other rooms. At least this way he had time for something he had been postponing for a while. “So, what did Twilight say?” asked the green mare next to him.

Lyra was busy trying to find a comfortable position that could mimic Thiemo’s as close as possible, something that should be impossible with her different anatomy. It didn’t stop her from trying it though. “That she wants to find out more as usual.”

“She can’t put us off forever. These are ground-breaking discoveries we have made. All of Albion has a right to know what really happened back then. Or do you no longer want to know how it happened?” Lyra nudged against Thiemo’s shoulder where his cutie mark was.

The human sighed. “Of course. I was going to speak with Cadance tomorrow anyway. We’ve given her more than enough time. But I can also understand Twilight a bit. After all, her mother lied to her all her life. That would sit heavily on my stomach as well.” The anthropologist just nodded as she sat with her flanks on the bench. Her legs were hanging down, similar to that of a human, while her back stood straight against the backrest. “Doesn’t that hurt you? And aren’t you sitting directly on your… Doesn’t that hurt?” Lyra just nodded. “Anyway, I’m giving Twilight one more chance to speak with Cadance herself. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” With that, Thiemo stood up and left the mare to herself.

A short moment later, he stood in front of the door that led to the archives. Behind it, Estoc greeted him as usual before he stepped through the various magical barriers and entered Twilight’s bunker. Thiemo couldn’t call it anything else. However, for the first time since he began coming here a few weeks ago, he was alone. No Twilight to his right. No Twilight to his left. There was only the gigantic crystal computer with the holomatrix, which seemed to only give off enough light to brighten up the otherwise dark room. It was on standby. Curious, Thiemo stepped over to the control board, but all control crystals were missing, which was sad, as he had wanted to try out the machine himself. His eyes wandered further around. On a chair, which was clearly made for ponies, stood a box from which Twilight had always taken her control crystals. Again he checked if he was alone and then opened it.

In it were a total of ten crystals. The first one was labelled ‘Albion’. The next one read ‘EQ-1A’. The others had similar labels, aside from the last one. “Project Echidna?” Carefully, he took the small grey control crystal from its velvet socket. Twilight had told him that the information on these crystals were thousands of years old, older than Amissa Heaven. Had the old changeling queen really been on the planet for so long? And why did the Empire gather data about her? His eyes wandered over to the computer, and just as he wanted to try it out, he heard a door opening. If by habit or curiosity, the crystal found the way into his pocket, and he quickly closed the box again. And not a second too late, as Twilight just came around the terminal, eyes locked on a parchment as she started the computer without looking up, by letting a crystal wander into the control board. Thiemo began his retreat and snuck out of the room. He would find a different computer to use it.

Author's Notes:

I have some personal knowledge of sword fighting. I did a bit of LARP-ing a few years back and trained fighting with one, even if it wasn't real. Handyman let me know through JBL that he has some knowledge too. Now I'm curios. Who notices the mistake Thiemo makes here? Remember, he is a fan of games and television (like 90% of the teenagers today). Think of anime and you're on the right track.

- But oh glorious author, what about the wish he made?
~ Yeah, later xD

But seriously, you guys are great! I love to read in the comments and your theories you have about the future of this story. This is the moment where I demand "MORE!" as you would phrase it. :P

Thanks to Gron for translating this chapter.
Special thanks to JBL for proofreading and editing.

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