Training
by Wish I Was There
Again, the sword struck home.
Blow after flawless blow, the weapon hit its target over and over, the blade's wielder focused entierly on the task at hand: Train.
Yes, the sword was but wood, and its victim a simply constructed dummy, but the woman holding the oaken blade fought as if her life depended on it.
In a way, it did. She was a humble Knight in service of Her Majesty, Queen Celestia, and had been selected to be the personal guard of one of her most favored subjects. Messing up a duty like that tended to get you killed, either in the process, or slain by the ramifications of law if you returned without your charge.
Thus, training was in order.
Satisfying cracks rang through the night air, the empty training pit's acoustics carrying the noise through the night. The fact that nobody seemed bothered by the noise was miraculous, the woman's blows were quite loud.
As wood continued to meet wood, the woman in question's mind was racing, countless lessons with the sword all coming back to her, mixed with her own experience in battle, culminating into a flurry of stabs, jabs, and slashes that any wise man would be wary to cross.
One lesson in particular came to mind- a simple mantra, one oft recited by her old master: A man with a reason to fight is the greatest adversary one can face.
Now this, she could personally confirm.
The Knight had her reason to fight, though not immediantly. After recieving her call to serve and protect one of Her Majesty's chosen five royals, she was estatic. Perhaps she would serve the rough-and tumble Lady who heralded from the southern fields, or the eccentric sweet-loving one who loved to bake.
Alas, much to the young Knight's chagrin, she was sent to serve the timid, introverted Noble who adored animals and detested violence.
Things were quite... rough, at first for the two. Their vastly different personalities made it nearly impossible for the two to bond, and the Noble was always seen as a crybaby, rather than a friend.
This all changed when a gang of bandits nearly killed the both of them whilst traveling back to Castle Canterlot. The Knight's eyes were opened to the Noble's plight of constant fear and anxiety, and the Noble saw the Knight as the protector she had always dreamed of. With the two now on good terms, their relationship would only continue to grow.
Back in the present, the Knight caught a flash of gold as her next blow flew to the mock fighter. Her wedding ring.
Yes, their relationship had grown quite a lot.
After another half hour of nothing but hammering the dummy with everything she had, the Knight finally stopped to take a breather. To her side, about two or three yards, sat a pink-haired Noblewoman atop a blanket cast over the dirt. She was garbed in casual, albiet well-made, clothes, and a matching gold ring was set upon her left hand.
The Noble rose, a flask of water in her hands. "Rainbow, that was amazing!" She softly praised, "How is it possible to get that good with a sword?"
The Knight smiled. "Training, Fluttershy. Lots and lots of training."