//------------------------------// // Chapter 12- Defense Training // Story: Restart // by Alden MacManx //------------------------------// Next morning, after breakfast, Twilight made an announcement. “Tristan, today, you are going to be training with the Royal Guard, for lessons in self-defense, both physical and magical. Today will be an introductory lesson, and a senior instructor will meet with you in Ponyville daily for training until you can pass his requirements.” I was a bit surprised. “Twilight, what brought this about?” I asked. “Rumor has made it to somepony that Blueblood and his friends are not happy with you and aim to make you lose your wager. What tactics they will stoop to, I don’t want to think about. I want you to be prepared in case none of us are near enough to help,” she told me. “I see your point,” I replied. “While I will never shun the pleasure of your or anypony’s company, you all do have lives to lead, and I treasure my independence. So, I shall willingly undergo this training to my instructor’s satisfaction,” I paused then to look at Twilight, “as well as your satisfaction, Princess. Let me begin my training. Sooner started, sooner finished, sooner our lives will return to what we call normal.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash led me to the parade grounds, where we were met by a dark green unicorn with a light tan mane and tail, gray hooves, a white horn and an expression on his face that reminded me of my company commander back in boot camp. I had nightmares about him for years. There was also enough gold on his… call it a uniform, but it could also be armor, like I said I’m not a recreationist, just a gamer, to make me think this fellow is an officer. “Tristan, this is Lieutenant Accurate Strike, senior instructor in the Solar Guard,” Twilight said, performing introductions. “He will be your instructor in personal defense.” Accurate Strike looked me over as if I was a three-day-old fish. I looked back at him (and a little up as well, he’s a big unicorn, but not as big as Bulk Biceps back in Ponyville) with a level gaze, not giving in to his intimidation. “I am sure Lieutenant Strike will instruct me to the standards desired by you and Princess Celestia,” I said in a plain voice, no tricks or accents in use. “But, will he train me to MY standards? That is the question, and I hope it will be so. I regret the necessity, but I can see the value.” “Your basic honesty shines through. Applejack will be proud. Now, I will leave you three to start instruction, and I will see you at lunch,” Twilight said. “Three of us?” I asked with a touch of surprise. “Heck, yeah! There are more than a few moves I can teach you, Tristan!” Rainbow Dash said from where she hovered. “If you can teach, Dash, then I will learn,” I said, looking up at Dash. The whole time, Accurate Strike was appraising me, trying for intimidation, like any D.I. would do. However, I am not an impressionable teenager, I am a middle-aged adult with nearly thirty years of government service, both in the military and out. I let him look while I returned the compliment. Once Twilight took her leave and was out of sight, Strike said his first words. “You have been in the military before, yes?” His voice is deep yet penetrating. I could imagine what he would be like in battle, or worse yet, training. “Yes, I have, Lieutenant. Four years enlistment, then twenty-four years in government service, attaining a high rank there. Intimidation is not going to work on me, I have little to gain from being intimidated. I am going into this reluctantly, but I do realize the necessity, and whatever you are willing to teach, I am willing to learn. Shall we begin?” I said to the lieutenant. Rainbow Dash was paying attention, in her own way. “Yes, we shall begin. First part of the day, we will concentrate on the physical training. After lunch, the magical. I have heard you are a quick study. Prove it.” Strike declared. What followed was one of the worst four-hour segments of time I have ever experienced, topping the football game in the pouring rain where I went home muddy, soaked, and with more bruises than I could count. Strike demonstrated many moves on me, both grappling and more important, how to break grapples. Dash was there to teach me how to break grapples from a pegasus, which is completely different from a unicorn or an earth pony. I must have acquitted myself well, because Strike never complained about my performance. To be honest, he didn’t compliment me, either. Dash, however, did have some complaints, because of what I did to her on some of her flying attacks. One time I did a quick double-buck combination that not only got her off my back, it sent her flying across the parade grounds. Strike’s only response was an ear flick and a quirked eyebrow. By lunch, I was battered, sore, and grimy from being thrown to the ground more times than I could accurately count. “Be back here in two hours, and we will begin the magic part of the training,” Strike told me bluntly. I did the best salute I could muster. “Aye aye, sir.” I said before I stumbled inside the palace, my body one big bruise. Rainbow Dash flew alongside me. “Tristan, you were awesome out there! You sure you have not trained in fighting?” she asked as I stumbled inside, heading for the lift to the suite level. “That is correct, Dash. I have not. However, when at sea, I had plenty of time to think, and I came to a conclusion. If someone decides to fight or harm me, fight back. Fight back hard. They get one chance to win. If they fail, bring the fight to an end fast. If it means killing someone, do so and regret the necessity later. Stupidity is its own reward,” I said, fighting back groans. I did not want to appear weak before my friend. I sagged against the lift wall, after telling the operator which floor. “Tristan, I cannot fault what you say,” she said, landing on the floor and putting a wing around my barrel. “It can’t be easy for you to even think that.” “It’s not, Dash. It’s very hard, but, during a fight, there is no time for self-doubt. You go for the win, because losing may mean your life.” I tapped my head. “Inside here is a fight I hope to win, but I don’t know how. I do know going home WILL reawaken it, so I have to do the best I can here. Now that I have a target on my back, I will do whatever I can to stay here. You are my friend and I thank you for letting me ramble,” I said as the lift stopped and the door opened. Rainbow Dash helped me down the hall to the suite, into the bathroom, and started drawing a hot bath. “You get in and soak. I’ll go get your lunch and bring it here. Don’t you dare fall asleep, okay?” she cautioned. “I won’t, Dash. I hurt too much. Bet you can’t have lunch here before the tub is ready,” I managed to say with a weak smile. “You’re on!” she said eagerly before vanishing. While I waited for Dash to return, I took a brush and got the worst of the grass and leaves out of my mane, tail and coat. As I brushed, Fluttershy came in, with a medical kit. “Tristan, let me check you over some,” the shy yellow pegasus asked. “Please do so, Fluttershy. Any treatment is welcome.” She proceeded to check me over, looking critically for any cuts or lumps. Finding none, she took a bottle of what I took to be mineral salts and poured them into the tub as it filled. “This will help with the bruising. It works well on my animal friends.” “Fluttershy, you have my thanks. I regret the need of the training, but I can see the need as well. Thank you for your support,” I said as the bath neared its fill line, steam coming off the water’s surface. She turned away from me, blushing a little at my compliment. “You need it, Tristan. I’m happy I can help,” she said just as Rainbow Dash flew back in with lunch on a tray, shutting off the water to the tub just below the marks. “Pay up, Tristan!” she said as she set the tray down. The tray had legs on it, so it could hang on to the tub and I can eat while soaking. “Thanks for coming up, Fluttershy.” “Glad to help.” Fluttershy whispered as I slowly got in to the tub. It was hot, all right, but bearable, if only just. I made myself comfortable on a bench and looked at the tray. “There’s a lot more on the tray than I want, Dash,” I said. “Hey, I brought mine, too. Now, how you gonna pay up?” she asked, grabbing a sandwich. “What would you like? A night out for dinner here in Canterlot?” I asked as I chose a sandwich myself. Despite being bruised and battered, I was hungry. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Naah. Every place here in Canterlot is so fancified, there’s no fun in it. All the good places are coffee shops and Donut Joe’s, and they are not good for dinner.” “Well, then, how about sitting with me at dinner at my right hoof? I know I would like that.” The pegasus gave me a long look, considering my words. “Okay! We’ll do that. But, when we get back to Ponyville, I’ll take dinner at the hayburger stand!” “Dash, you got a deal!” I said, raising a hoof up for a hoofbump, which was returned with a big grin. That hoofbump sent waves of pain down my foreleg, but I did my best to hide it. We sat there and chatted as I soaked, the pain gradually leaving my muscles, talking about the training session. She liked my double buck combination, saying it was something she had not thought of. Somewhen in that time, Fluttershy had went on her way, and I didn’t notice until later. I asked Dash about it, and she told me that it’s Fluttershy’s way to do that. I stopped worrying about it then but vowed silently to thank Fluttershy MY way. After getting out of the tub, I got dry and made my way back to the parade ground, thanking Rainbow Dash for her time. Not seeing Accurate Strike there meant I must have been early, so, I sat down and began thinking. What CAN I do with what I knew now to defend myself? I don’t know how long it was before Accurate Strike broke my reverie. “Early, I see.” “I hate to be late, Lieutenant. What do you have for me this afternoon?” I asked. Until sundown, Accurate Strike taught me some offensive and defensive spells. I soon found out why we were training out on the parade ground instead of indoors, because horn blasts are potent, as are shields. We did a bit of landscape rearranging that afternoon, all intentional, of course. When he called a halt to our training, he looked at me with something approaching pride, but not quite. “You are an apt student with battle magic. Now, the next step is to learn how to cast them fast, because any opponent worthy of the name is not going to allow you any time to gather mana,” he told me. “I take it that speed casting will be tomorrow’s lesson?” I asked. “Tonight, you will find a book on your bed. I suggest you read it before morning drills. You are mine for a full day tomorrow, then in Ponyville, two hours in the afternoon four days a week until I’m satisfied you won’t get yourself killed in the first seconds of combat,” he said to me. “Fair enough,” I said as I gathered mana. “Maybe then, I can consider you a friend?” For the first time, Accurate Strike broke his stern drill master persona and smiled. “You can now but wait until we get to Ponyville before we actually show it. If I’m spotted like that here in Canterlot, there goes my reputation.” “Point made, Lieutenant. Let’s make it so.” At dinner that night, which was shared with the Princesses, I made sure to sit between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, showing them honor in my own way. I was asked about my day, and I replied honestly about how rough the training is. I did ask Twilight about an idea I had, a way to teleport my phone to me, and more importantly, send it back to a secure place when I was done with it, to prevent theft. Twilight, Luna and Celestia all pondered the question, but it was Pinkie Pie who spoke up first. “I have a way you can do that! I can show you, but you’ll have to Pinkie Promise to never tell ANYPONY!” I nodded in agreement. “Okay, Pinkie. I Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony what you teach me.” She gave me a frowny face. “You gotta DO it, too!” “Do what?” I asked. All six from Ponyville then demonstrated what a Pinkie Promise entailed. “Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my EYE!” I said, doing the gestures before the final one, which I wound up doing just a bit too enthusiastically. I woke up to Pinkie Pie standing over me. “Silly Tristan! You didn’t have to promise THAT hard!” she laughed. “Yeah, Sugarcube. When you make a promise, you REALLY promise!” Applejack added. “Well, I say what I mean and mean what I say,” I said, getting back up before rubbing my forehead. Twilight rolled her eyes and went to get up, but I waved her down. “No, Twilight, I’ll keep this one for a while. It will teach me to be more careful.” “Hey! I noticed that all during combat practice, you didn’t slip, stumble or fall the whole time!” Rainbow Dash said suddenly. “Only when things are not threatening do you knock yourself out!” “Praise whatever for small favors, if my life here goes that way,” I said as I sat back up. “I can live with it, if it doesn’t kill me first.” “That, my little pony, is what we are trying to prevent.” Princess Celestia said from her place at the table. After dinner, I retired to my room and did my assigned reading and drills for a couple of hours before Pinkie showed up and demonstrated how to hide and retrieve my phone from a hiding place. It took practice, the clock chiming ten before Pinkie declared herself satisfied. “Fortunately, your phone is small. I’m not going to show you what I do with my party cannon, so don’t ask!” she told me when we were done. “I won’t, Pinkie. Thank you for what you have showed me this evening. I promised I won’t tell, and so I won’t,” I told her in tones which satisfied her. (What, you think I’m going to describe her methods here? Nope- I Pinkie Promised, so there!)