Edited by:
Blazinblade7
PieisGood4U
fireshadow11
For what must have been the fifth time this morning, I was knocked onto my ass, the sound of an evil chuckle reaching my dazed head.
“C’mon! Now you’re not even trying,” Summer called from the sidelines.
So far, Iron’s attempts to teach me how to fight had not been going so well. The ex-monster slayer had more than a few tricks up his sleeves when it came to fighting and his attempts to pass them on to me had mostly resulted in bruises on my behalf. Despite all my efforts I hadn’t even got close to touching Iron Will. The worst thing was I don’t think he was even putting that much effort into it.
We had been travelling for two days now, with Iron insisting on trying to improve my abilities with a sparring match every morning before we set out and every night before we lay down on our bedrolls. So far we hadn’t even got into using weapons yet. Iron had stated, in a rather zen-like way, that once a fighter knew how to use their fists then any weapons would just be like extensions of those fists. Which is how I ended up trying to fistfight a giant minotaur every day.
It’s not an experience that I would recommend to anyone really.
Whilst my advances in the field of pugilism may not be noteworthy, the other tortures that my companions had decided to subject me to had been going quite well. Speaking of which...
“My turn!” Summer shouted, bouncing forward like an excited schoolfilly. A lesser man might think that she enjoyed this next part, but I am above such assumptions.
I didn’t need to assume. I bloody knew.
Iron stepped away and took a seat on the grass, not even winded from beating seven kinds of hell outta me. Summer came forward to replace him and took a secure stance, lighting her horn up at the same time. Around her several small balls of pure electricity, about the size of a marble, were conjured by her magic. They began to slowly orbit her head as she stared me down, waiting for me to get ready. The shock orbs weren’t enough to kill anyone, Summer had said that they wouldn’t even do any permanent harm to small animals. They did, however, really hurt.
I let out a sigh and picked up my knife from where I had left it, the faux leather sheath that Iron had made to go with it abandoned alongside my belt and coat. No tricks for training, Summer and Iron had both said. It was a shame really. I had grown quite accustomed to the weight of the knife, hidden in its sheath under my coat and behind my back. I had found that the most comfortable and practical placement for the knife was strapped so that it was diagonal on the back of my belt, it could be drawn pretty swiftly with a single movement of my coat and it didn’t bounce around on my hip and annoy me. The length of the coat easily concealed the weapon from anyone who might be perverted enough to be looking at my backside.
I guess I wouldn’t be able to blame them really. I’m sexy and I know it.
It’s a good thing that Summer can’t read my mind, if she heard me say that she would probably triple the amount of orbs used for today's training. For now though, the eight spheres levitating around her were more than enough. I hesitantly raised my knife before me, in the stance that Iron had drilled into my head. A standard boxers stance, knees slightly bent and with the knife held in a reverse grip in my right hand. I gently began to move the knife in front of me, carving a figure of eight into the air.
Summer gave a small smile, and with a quick spark of her horn, began my training. The first three orbs shot at me, travelling so fast they were nothing but a blur. The first was heading straight for my arm, a simple movement allowing me to sway out of its way. The second aimed for my right leg but was foiled when I simply stepped over it, allowing it to impact harmlessly with the ground and disperse. The third was heading directly for my torso, specifically my heart. If this were an arrow then it would undoubtedly be a lethal shot. By turning my body to one side and simultaneously bringing my knife carrying arm round, I managed to deflect the shot off the side of the blade. The magical projectile let out a high pitched whine, almost as if it were complaining as its course was forcefully changed for it.
Having passed the first challenge, I turned back and smirked at Summer. Then I made my first mistake. I raised my free hand and held it open before beckoning with it twice in the famous ‘bring it on’ sign. A sign that apparently transcended cultural barriers and was even known to species that lacked hands as Summer simply raised one eyebrow, then summoned five more orbs.
She then sent all ten of her zap spheres flying directly at me.
I managed to smack the first two away with a couple of quick slaps from my knife. The next one was moving too fast for me to block, forcing me to spin around it like a rugby player avoiding a tackle. I noted as I spun that the next shot was heading to take my hooves out from under me, so as I turned I leapt up into the air, causing the shot to fly underneath me. Now that I was airborne my options for dodging were limited. I couldn’t exactly dodge and weave whilst in the air, but there was one thing I could do. With I grunt I threw my right arm forward, at the same time swinging my left arm back. The momentum of this movement allowed me to spin in the air, increasing my speed and causing me to reach the ground before Summer expected me to, meaning that two more shots were wasted trying to hit where she thought I was going to be.
I landed in a crouch, immediately looking up to assess my situation. Another orb was zooming in, forcing me to throw myself to the side and tuck into a roll to avoid it. The moment I regained my hooves I had to bring my knife up to deflect another attack, but this one wasn’t as simple as those first two. Rather than trying to travel in straight line directly at me it curved, trying to wind around my block like a snake. To counter this I simply took a step back, increasing the distance between myself and the orb. With sufficient room to move now gained, I swiftly swung my arm, slapping the sphere to the ground.
Ha! I win! I may not be great at fistfighting but when it comes to cowardly dodging I have no equal!
Wait a second...that was only nine shots. Where’s number ten?
I quickly leapt back into my stance, my eyes darting around as I hunted for the attack that Summer had held in reserve. Looking over at her I noticed a triumphant smirk adorning her blue muzzle, the same one she wore when she beat General Velvet. That’s never a good sign.
All I saw of the attack was a flash of blue light, before feeling an intense pain shoot through my right arm, numbing it and causing my knife to drop to the ground. Despite the shock running through my system I still mentally applauded Summer’s artful finesse. Whilst I had been distracted blocking all her fast moving shots she had slowly and carefully sent one of her orbs to hover above me, waiting for the perfect moment. This mare might well have as many fighting tricks as Iron does. What the hell do they teach Guard ponies nowadays? The ones in the show seemed to only have taken classes in attaining the perfect poker face.
Still, at least I could claim I was getting better at all this. She had only hit me once today and Iron hadn’t even knocked me unconscious.
“Nice work kid, you almost got it that time. Though you might want to get rid of all that fancy acrobatic nonsense. It’s a fight, not a stage show. Focus on small, practical movements rather than big flashy ones.” Iron said from his comfy position of being the guy not getting shot at by lightning.
“I think that’ll be enough for today. We don’t want you dropping dead the moment we reach the city gates.” Summer commented. She too didn’t look the slightest bit tired after using her magic to pummel me. Then again I don’t really know how much energy using magic takes out of a pony. That exercise might have been the magical equivalent of throwing stones for all I know.
One interesting thing I had noted throughout the training sessions was that Lady Luck had apparently decided to withdraw her blessing from me for the duration of each session. This made a certain amount of sense, I was forced to admit. It meant that during the sessions I was actually improving, rather than relying on my luck to save my hide. The more skilled I am, the less luck I need, which means the less power my Goddess has to expend helping me out.
Still, those lightning orbs hurt like a bitch. She couldn’t throw the occasional lucky save my way could she?
I reached down and grabbed my knife off the floor, shoving it back into its sheath and slipping both it and my coat back on. The others insisted that we pack up all our stuff before we do my training, they said something about me being too tired to pack up afterwards. We simply slipped our respective bags on and set off, continuing along the same road we had been following for two days towards Maneapolis.
So far, our travels had been fairly simple. A standard routine of spending the day walking, stopping for a bite to eat every so often, before stopping at night and setting up camp. We had managed to build up quite a repertoire as we travelled, sharing the occasional secret or fear. Iron had told us about his clan as well as the first minotaur girl he had ever loved. I had a hard time imagining what a minotaur woman would look like, would it just be Iron Will with breasts?
That’s a rather terrifying mental picture.
'Iron Will is capable of producing MASSIVE quantities of lactose fluid! If you don’t believe me then IRON WILL WILL SHOW YOU!'
Like I said, a terrifying mental picture.
Summer had told us about her first day in the Guard, and how she had been pranked by all the other troops. Apparently it was a Guard tradition to prank the newbie. Kind of surprising revelation really, observed from the outside the guard just appear to be faceless, emotionless model soldiers. It was quite easy to forget that they were as fun loving as the next pony.
I had even told some tales about my previous exploits, the time I performed in Piccadilly Circus and another time that I had tangled with a mime who had encroached on my spot.
Seriously, fuck mimes.
I had to be careful I didn’t let anything slip about humans though. As far as my friends knew I was just an unusual foreigner from some far away port, I couldn’t be sure how they would react if they knew I was actually an alien. Best to play it safe, I’m going to keep that particular titbit close to my chest.
Having an interesting conversation going caused the journey to fly by, our hooves eating up the miles as easily as I had eaten my apple that morning. It was a really nice apple as well, I wonder if it came from a member of the extended Apple family?
Considering the amount of those apple loving ponies, chances point to ‘yes’.
With the conversation helping our journey along its way, we made good time, and the gates of Maneapolis came into view on the horizon just as the sun was high above us. Getting into the city was a swift and simple process, Summer was able to talk to the guards and get us past fairly easily. If anyone was curious about my race or our weapons, they kept it to themselves. Other than a stern warning that any use of said weapons would result in swift punishment we were left almost entirely to our own devices.
As we passed under the large gate, I got my first view of Maneapolis. It was a city of contrasts, its large stone wall an anachronism compared to some of the interior architecture. The houses closest to the wall were made of simple wood and thatch, the sort you'd expect to see in most medieval towns. From where I was standing I could see larger, more elaborate houses rising off into the distance. These buildings appeared to gleam in the bright sunlight, their shining marble walls giving the impression that they shone with a light of their own.
Even from this first glance I could see that walking towards the city centre would be like receiving a lesson in the gap between high and low class.
On the other side of the city, past the noble quarter yet hugging as close to it as possible, was a smattering of quite tall towers. Whilst they dwarfed the buildings around them in sheer size, they were infinitely outmatched in splendour by the mansions that they crowded round. They appeared to try and compensate for this by having as many sparkling windows dotted around their frame, the bright glass standing out starkly against the dull stone of each tower. Rather than increasing the magnificence of each tower, the windows actually just seemed to highlight their flaws. Especially when compared to the pristine marble of the nearby mansions.
“Right, we need information on the East Equestrian Trading Company. I have some sources from the old days that I can contact." Iron said, his tone authoritative. “Summer, you check in with the guard. Find out what they know and, if you can, who’s paying them to look the other way.” Summer gave a terse nod to this. “Ace you…do whatever it is you do…we’ll meet at an inn on the western edge of town called the ‘All Bar One’. Alright?”
“Aye Sir!” Summer and I both shouted, getting caught up in Iron’s commanding voice.
They both set off, going to check their respective sources, leaving me to ponder what exactly I could do to get some helpful information.
I heard something about a place of business where one may acquire alcoholic beverages…
I happily set off in search of the ‘All Bar One’.
Hey look, a proper line break rather than those terrible ten dashes I've been using so far. I feel like such a professional now.
Anyways, here is the beginning of a new arc which, for the moment at least, shall be known as 'In the Company of Thieves'.
Pretty swanky title if I do say so myself.
A quick note on the length of various chapters. You may have noticed that at the start of a new arc the chapters tend to be around the 2K area, whilst later on they progress to around 4-5K. I would just like to say that, whilst I hope I am able to keep up this trend and deliver longer chapters, I am now back at college and might not be able to do so. Now that I am in my second year at college I have a lot more coursework to keep up with if I want to leave with decent results...and I would rather I didn't get bad results and get sent back to...WRITER'S KINDERGARTEN! DUN DUN DUUUUN!
As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my third story arc,
Barrel-of-fun.