//------------------------------// // Book 1 Chapter 2: Training pains, go beyond your Limit! // Story: Life of a Sullen Warrior // by King Of The Below //------------------------------// Book 1 Chapter 2: Training pains, go beyond your Limit! Book 1 Theme Chapter Recap Theme Previously, on "Sullen Warrior," a bond of friendship and a shared desire for strength formed between our unlikely heroes. Witnessing Scootaloo embark on her journey to discover her inner strength, we find that only six days have passed since then. Yet, the intensity of her training has steadily increased. Initially, she faced the challenge of hauling logs repeatedly. Upon mastering this task, her next trial involved carrying the logs while swiftly navigating the rocky terrain, pushing her to enhance both her speed and agility, refining her movements with each step. Her teacher didn't let up the training, having realized some of this filly's dormant strength she thought it best to push her along a bit with each training session, she'd have her do various stretches and light help to better prep her body and mind before hand. Although the filly herself didn't know why she'd been ramping up the training in these past few days, what was most difficult was trying to make excuses for her own absences with her friends or with her current living situation. The filly knew better than to bother the rest of the town or her friends with this, promise and all but it never the less felt weird to keep lying about why she'd been seen near the everfree forest by the two fillies. Although it wasn't enough for her to unbeknownst to her teacher, reveal her own little tricks. The fillies were a bit confused when Scootaloo had brought them to their usual clubhouse, Applebloom was the first to speak up "I know you've been a bit tardy lately, not sure my'self why that would happen but I'm sure you have a good reason right scoots?" The filly next to her nodded, this was sweetie belle, sister of a popular fashion genius at least in her sister's eyes, her outfits had been quite the show-stopper when Twilight had met those six ponies, had it really been months since then? Queen Luna restored and now a thriving land to boot. Sweetie belle was a bit older at least mentally than her friends though that wasn't much the bright white and magenta maned filly looked to Scoots a bit confused, she had been the first to notice and when Applebloom had been made aware she was just as concerned "Yea, I really hope you do. I don't wanna sound like a downer but you've even been skipping or being late to our clubhouse meetings a lot, Rainbowdash has even said she hasn't seen as you much in these past few days." The orange filly grappled with a sense of shame, acknowledging her lack of foresight in such matters. Yet, abandoning her teacher seemed unreasonable. Despite her reservations, she couldn't simply leave her mentor behind, especially knowing she had made a commitment. Though it wasn't a formal Pinkie promise, the weight of her word pressed upon her conscience. The thought of leaving her mentor stranded, alone, left an unsettling feeling in her gut, stirring a conflict within her that she couldn't easily shake. "Well.....I gave a promise to not say anything but I've been doing some extra work with someone new, let me say that they aren't weird or some sort of boy! Just some nice person, I got lost in the everfree when they came into town one time, I ended up shortly after getting lost and they helped me out, they show me something really cool and I mean almost as cool as Rainbowdash or getting our cutie marks! I did a bit of pleading and they have been teaching me for a while but before we continue, I want you girls to promise me, no Pinkie swear not to tell anyone! Please?" The orange filly looked a bit saddened at this, she knew it better than to go back on a promise but right now this was her best option. Applebloom looked to Sweetie who in turn looked at their friend, the red-maned filly then smiled nodding before the two hugged their friend who in return did the same, with a little giggle from the three it continued "Of course Scoots! You think we wouldn't honor that? you're our friend and a cutie mark crusader at heart, of course we'd be ok with this promise, I just hope your teacher or whatever she is, is treating you well alright?" To which the filly nodded, from Sweetie belle she only smiled "Of course! I have no problem with it really, like Ap's said here I hope she's not being a jerk to you just let us know and we'll cover for you at school alright?" With that the three fillies recited those famous words, Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. With that their promise was sealed even as a certain pink mare had sneezed upon hearing such words. The three fillies then began to discuss what they should do to earn their cutie marks, although a bit apprehensive at it, Scootalo might have had an idea. "Girls, I've been learning for only a few days now but I've made some ort of breakthrough here I'mma show you just don't freak out ok?" The two nodded although confused, much like a certain martial artist attempt the orange filly sat criss cross and slowly let her breath's calm, her heart slowing as her body and mind slowed to a crawl. Though just as impressive what was next shocked them, the light little blue hues of energy faintly outlining her body although for only a few moments as the sweat dripped from her brow as she released and panted slightly. The two fillies eyes went wide with shock although Sweetie belle squealed at this "How did you learn THAT? in just a few days to!? What even is that much less how did you figure out magic? I know all ponies have some magic but I've never seen you manifest magic before!" The orange filly smiled widely, felt good to have their support. "Well, I can't really tell you that alright? Let's just say I've been working hard lately and with this stuff its called Ki, apparently its an inner energy we all have all ponies maybe even the queens themselves! I'm not sure how my teacher learned it when I've never heard of something like it but ultimately I just find it fun and besides...." In her head she knew, it could help her soar just like rainbow dash. Applebloom nodded at it "Sounds like something Applejack could have learned, I know ma and pa have been out of town for the week to better get the farm's affairs in order but I would think maybe Rarity could know about it sweetie belle?" The white fillie shook her head although just as confused as the other "No I don't think so, I would think Rarity would be be more knowlegable but what strikes me as odd, this doesn't really sound like magic. I'm not the best at it myself but this just sounds weird, but cool!" Scootalo hadn't really thought of that, maybe if she asked it could be possible but she wasn't sure it'd be mighty suspicious as is that she's been going into the forest alone with Fluttershy out she was almost caught but all three of them vanishing till dark? that'd just be weird. "Really? I'm just a bit surprised you guys think its cool, my teacher's a very nice person but I wasn't really supposed to say this at all....well better out that in I gues." The three from then on kept this sacred vow in their heart, maybe it was a small promise but to keep it as secret as they could would be useful for their future. Growth doesn't stop even with your friends. *** Everfree Forest theme In the depths of the forest lie a woman who patiently awaited that strike, her eyes closed and her mind focused. The zing of the blast soared as she moved to the right, it struck to the left hitting her back and singing her outfit, sloppy. The second strike came from above as she narrowly moved out of the way. In these past few days she had been trying to better understand her own Ki and trying to improve but she wasn't getting much stronger or better if at all. Even with her home she saw little improvement but here? it was like night and day. She wasn't really improving no matter how much she pushed herself physically or mentally even battling that bastard in her mind did little to improve her power. Even as her aura singed with a black Ki as her hair spiked and the little control she had over this wrathful state swayed back and forth, her mind focused on the task she forced her arm to work for her, not the beast, as a pure wave of ki shot into the depths of the land tearing a tree apart as her strained body tried to move. The intense pressure on her mind faded as the sweat fell from her head, terrible. This wasn't nearly enough! What could she do... Sazuka's theme/training theme Her energy soared as her body was collected in a bright white aura dancing with sparks of electricity as the energy shot up she condensed her aura into a hand, then into a ball of Ki as she lowered the ball down then fired it, this time the energy was capable of bouncing on the tree's around her, standing still she focused on trying to evade the blast, pouring more energy into maintaning this Wrathful state. The energy sparked to life in her body as her hair stood up, it was hard enough keeping this manifested but controlling it was like trying to oppose the ocean. Her energy rose higher and higher at a peak of 10x her original state. Her body filled with this pure malice and rage as the ball flew faster and faster with each evasion, the wiz of the hot ki fading just as quickly as it arrived. Not good enough! She needed a battle, her mind shouted, she needed something to truly push herself or she'd never get better at this. For a while she focused this time trying to let the anger out through her movements, channel the rage into a powerful response while keeping her wits. She knew it best to find an opponent but that was hard enough, many things simply wished to kill her, she needed a real opponent. Someone willing to take a blow or two and willing to keep pushing her as a rival. Her mind fell apart, the energy slack, whisked away in a burst of pure determination as the energy faded into its normal white color. The energy flowing around her body as she sighed in relief. For some time she thought on her methods, was it truly ok to be training a kid? She felt weird even thinking that, in her mind this kid didn't deserve the hardships that came with manifesting ki, what if she had shown it to her friends? her family? what kinds of questions would they ask to a kid who could glow with a power never before seen. What more was the thoughts of home, would she ever get back much less escape? She knew it better than to dash the dream of a child if she ever did leave but did she truly wish to go home? Sure she loved her family farm and the land around her but she never really had friends, those that were friends were neighbors and the local market. The brimming guilt, not even having found a way much less attempted to do so made her feel nothing but shame. Grandfather would call her a child for not thinking clearly. With the brimming tears quickly fading as she shook her head, she shot into the air and then back down with her breath calm as she vanished in a blur into the forest, gathering what she could from what she could feel usually grabbing the little plants that she could cook up into something mildly edible such as little berries that with enough testing she had found to be somewhat edible. The warrior blitzed past even the smallest of animals brushing past them as the land felt the pressure, landing back at her camp she set down her collection of various berries setting them into a leaf-covered primitive bowl. The prickling of the cold breeze sending a light shiver down her spine. Something caught her eye, that little push of the leave and brush was enough for her to call out "Who's there?" With no response she tried to feel out any presence even something simple like an animal but no such luck. The energy she could feel was very weird, like a constantly shifting presence like multiple beings but she couldn't get it down fully. From the shadows stumbled simply a bunny, it gave her an odd glare though and bounced its way up to her, the thing tried to get her attention by kicking quite hard for something so delicate that she simply took a bit confused but shrugged it off. For the past few days, something had been gnawing at her, leaving her feeling unsettled by the presence of the filly and the other ponies around her. It was more than just a feeling of unease; there was a strange energy emanating from them that she couldn't quite put her hoof on. Despite seeing them as harmless, there was an air of mystery surrounding them that she couldn't ignore. What was the source of this odd energy? If magic was the answer, why couldn't she sense their life signature? But what really struck a chord with her was something Scootaloo had mentioned the day before. Why hadn't she ventured into town to meet other ponies? What was holding her back from forming connections and making friends? Sure, Scootaloo was great company, but would a group of outsiders, essentially aliens to her, accept her as one of their own without hesitation? These questions weighed heavily on her mind, stirring up a sense of longing and curiosity that she couldn't shake. As she pondered these thoughts, a sense of fear rose in her heart. They could possibly accept her, but there was no guarantee of such a fate. She felt it better to stick to the path she has put herself on, if she were to meddle with this new world's people she could damage things or make them worse even more so than she could possibly imagine. She wasn't a science enthusiast back in school, but tampering with things you had no business in was never a good idea, regardless of the place or time. As rain trickled down she puffed her cheeks, well better time than any to get back into training, its all she really could do considering her lack of growth. As rain trickled down her face the pressure of this grew more and more, she had fashioned her own weighted gi and all not that long ago but this would be trickier, she'd need a heavier material but she had no means of acquiring as such. Best to try out that technique then, while not the most practical it may be her best physical method. Her aura gently glowed around her body as from her own shadow arose a shadow, a clone of herself. The clone although nigh-perfect had no eyes or mouth, it was a hard technique just to go get down much less accomplish but it seems part of the training she's been working on must've made some effort. Relaxing her racing heart, filled with exhilaration, she grinned as she adopted a stance reminiscent of her grandfather's martial arts style. With one arm lightly clenched at her chest, fist bundled, and legs evenly spread, she positioned her other arm slightly ahead at a slight angle. Just as thunder roared, they sprang into motion, the force of their clash shattering the neighboring tree into pieces. Her first strike, aimed at the gut, met resistance as her opponent deftly blocked it, retaliating with a solid blow to her chest that sent her reeling several feet back, her resolve anchored by a surge of pure aura. Seizing the advantage, she surged forward, propelling herself off the ground as her opponent's blow narrowly missed her side. Swiftly, she delivered a powerful kick deep into their gut, following up with an overhead strike aimed at their skull, intending to slam them into the ground and secure victory. As their auras clashed, crackling with bursts of pure energy, the recovering clone's hands met hers in a gripping struggle. Suddenly, the clone drove its head into hers, blood trickling from her nose, before thrusting her back with a compressed ki-ball against her side. To cap it off, it launched a blade-like strike aimed at her gut. Struggling to contain her churning stomach after the fierce blow, she wiped away the blood trickling onto her hand with a smirk, her aura pulsating with wisps of light white orbs. Despite her inner turmoil, she exuded a sense of calm as she prepared to face her unyielding opponent once more. With both combatants assuming their stances, the clash of fists resumed, becoming a relentless exchange. Despite the exhilaration coursing through her veins, she remained focused, her heart pounding with determination. Her opponent, unyielding and unemotional, matched her move for move. Even as she delivered a fatal strike, snapping its neck with an audible crack, the clone showed no signs of relenting. In response, her own clone attempted a similar maneuver, the sound of bones cracking echoing through the air. Perhaps it was reckless to imbue them with such lethality, but she needed the challenge, the impetus to push herself further and grow stronger. For several hours energy crackled and shocked the ground, blood spilled and her own tired and exhausted body working overtime even as the clone finally faded so did her remaining strength, although not badly damaged she knew it better than to worry about that right now. Maybe this wasn't so bad, if she could just refine it, make it deadlier, harsher, whatever it needed for her to gain that strength. *** In the farthest corners of a certain purple unicorn's library, whispers of a peculiar centaur had begun to circulate, albeit without any solid foundation, at least in the realm of logic. Intrigued by the description she had been given, she noted that others she had queried had similarly reported sightings of this enigmatic creature. But what could possibly account for such a phenomenon? The day had been draped in a cloak of rain, prompting her to speculate that something unusual might have been afoot. Yet, as days passed with no resolution in sight, the puzzle only grew more confounding. What exactly was going on? If indeed it were a centaur, what motivations could drive it to conceal itself so thoroughly, even going to the lengths of avoiding contact? The situation took an even stranger turn when she learned of the theft of a significant quantity of apples from the local Apple farm. While theft was not uncommon, the specificity of targeting just apples was perplexing. However, the true peculiarity lay in the alleged appearance of the perpetrator. According to the youngest member of the Apple family, Applebloom, the culprit was described as a large, bipedal creature adorned with leafy-green coverings—a description that matched reports from others, including Pinkie. Yet, this alone failed to satisfy her curiosity. If this were indeed a centaur, why would it resort to theft? Hunger seemed the most plausible explanation, but even then, why carry out such acts in broad daylight without attempting to conceal its presence thereafter? The situation appeared far too haphazard, too disjointed, to simply attribute to ordinary criminal behavior. Nevertheless, it was the only lead she had at present, and thus, she resolved to delve deeper into the mystery. Her cousin watched with a light chuckle startling the young Unicorn "You know twilight for someone who prides themselves on being stuck in books I haven't seen you this dedicated in a while, not since Celestia's school for gifted ponies, why the interest in something like some random thief? I'm sure the local police will have no issue. The pegacorn smiled at her cousin, levitating some lunch just some soup with some light tea. The unicorn sighed and using her magic consumed some of said, cringing at her cousins horrible cooking but eating it none the less. "I know but what's most odd is that this filly has been seen near the everfree forest, only one occasion so far but since then I haven't been able to get a chance to talk to her, makes me wonder myself if that-" "What that a filly's helping some bigger thief steal apples? Twilight, if anything I'm sure the kid just got scared and doesn't want to talk about the monsters in the forest, I know I wouldn't." The unicorn rolled her eyes "No Cadence, what weirds me out is that ponies all around town saw this thing but we haven't, nor spike or even this filly likely. Why steal apples? its only been a few days and I can't help but shake the suspicion something's just out of reach, but you're not wrong on one thing, this filly likely has nothing to do with this. Just is an odd puzzle, personally I'd like to study whatever this thing is." The pegacorn chuckled but nodded "That we can both agree on, but we both know it won't do you any good to stay up all evening worrying about some grand mystery of the apple thief. Besides, why don't you talk to those ponies you took the gala I set you up with? They are nice ponies and they all seemed to be friendly around you, you know possibly they could be friends?" The Unicorn shook her head again, feeling slightly annoyed "Yes Cadence I'm sure the talks of fashion and apples will benefit someone but I really don't see why I need to befriend them? Sure they went to the gala with me but we didn't really talk and even when we did I just felt it weird. Too loud if you ask me, especially that rainbow dash character." The pegacorn sighed herself mentally, oh how her cousin could be sometimes. In time she was sure she'd learn of friends but she was a bit interested in this creature herself, seemed friendly enough, but couldn't worry too much about that it was only apples after all. *** As the evening transitioned seamlessly into night, Scootaloo found herself gazing at the stars, her spirits somewhat subdued. She couldn't shake the feeling of concern for her teacher, despite their relatively short acquaintance. It struck her as odd that her teacher rarely frequented the town. Although she had gratefully accepted Scootaloo's assistance with food just two days prior, the infrequency of her visits left an unsettling impression. She was undeniably kind, whether in her equine or human form. Confusion swirled within Scootaloo as she grappled with the weight of this secret. Despite her youthful exuberance, she was acutely aware of her limitations; she could never match the swiftness of most pegasi, particularly not Rainbow Dash. The introduction of Ki teachings had caught her off guard. How was she supposed to comprehend such esoteric knowledge? Yet, the inability to witness her teacher's happiness firsthand left a bitter taste in her mouth. All she desired was to see her mentor content and fulfilled. Perhaps it was unrealistic for a child to shoulder the burden of another's emotions, but in her youthful idealism, Scootaloo clung to hope. Rising from her contemplation, she mounted her scooter and made her way towards the orphanage, a small beacon of familiarity in the midst of uncertainty. *** As night descended, Sazuka felt the weight of exhaustion settle upon her, ushering in the embrace of slumber. She could sense its approach, the gentle tendrils of sleep reaching out to envelop her consciousness. Yet, even in the tranquility of rest, the beast within her stirred, its presence a constant reminder of the rigorous training days and the current burdens weighing heavily upon her. As darkness descended upon her mind, the beast roared, a primal echo of her inner turmoil. But amidst the chaos of her thoughts, a glimmer of hope emerged—a shimmering figure materializing in the darkness, her student. For her sake, for the sake of the child who had become her first friend, Sazuka refused to succumb to despair or fear. She couldn't afford to, not when her student deserved guidance and support. As swiftly as she had drifted into slumber, Sazuka was jolted awake, the rush of air against her face as she burst into flight. Soaring high above the forest, she observed the town below, a mosaic of twinkling lights and fading candle flames—a breathtaking spectacle. The land below sparkled with a beauty that stirred something within her, reminiscent of the splendor of her own farm, though incomparable in its own right. Yet, amidst the enchanting vista, Canterlot shone like a beacon in the distance, its brilliance undimmed by the cloak of night. Despite her reservations, Sazuka couldn't resist the pull of curiosity, her energy crackling behind her as she descended slowly, cautiously, just beneath the billowing clouds. The brimming energy behind her masking her own senses of the cyan pegasus on her own night flight, Rainbow was never one for being too relaxed and tonight was no different although the presence of something in the air confused her, it was bipedal and had some weird clothes much like that Rarity would make for them. Wandering over with a flap of her wings the boastful pegaus called out "Hey there! Lovely night, can I ask what you are?" The creature clearly heard her, she couldn't see its face to well but this was odd, the moment it heard her the thing flew, really fast. Though a bit confused the mare wouldn't pass up the opportunity to meet something like this. The mare's own wings glowed a vibrant magic as her own flaps increased with a light streak behind her as the two beings raced in the sky, from below the canterlot ponies got at least a decent lightshow full of color bursting in the air. The pegasus narrowed her eyes pushing her make-shift goggle down onto her eyes as her own speed blitzed nearly catching the creature...almost....there! From Sazuka's eyes the hearing of someone catching her wasn't good, it was bad enough she risked teaching that kid now this? All of this was getting to be too much, if she was found out she wasn't entirely sure herself who this pony was, she did have the vague feeling of energy although that could be just that magic. The rainbow streak in her head might've been this Rainbowdash that Scoots would mention but she wasn't going to worry about that. She had to get away, and fast. Although that seemed simple this girl was fast, very fast. In all honesty, this pony was probably faster than her even in her wrathful form, without proper control she'd be in a mess and even now it would be best to flee. Her energy wasn't as high as she wished and she was just going for a stroll! She had to think, and fast. The leftover energy she had would be enough to make a smoke screen but she'd be knocked out if she did that....the best she could do was try and evade hopefully lose track of her. With a burst of her aura she picked up speed the moment she could feel the singe of that magic and the slightest of touches from that pegasus, her aura burst and acted like a booster propelling her as fast as her lowering energy could carry her, she may not have the proper reserves for something like this but this was her best option. The two raced neck and neck, barely out of view the pegasus could see what looked like a minotaur although they had a tail? Were they some sort of pony/centaur hybrid? Why were they fleeing, they were clearly both on a night stroll why the hurry? Her own wings burned with exhaustion although she's been through much worse, she's gotta do this! The two zipped around the clouds, their own energy flowing rapidly and shinning above the clouds, not far a duo of Alicorns looked to the light show, Celestia smiling with mirth at this display "Seems the one you sensed not that long ago Luna has come, although I was surprised to learn they are not from our world, much less their own. Although, I shouldn't be surprised since you had an encounter dear sister" The monarch snickered at her sister, the sister in turn rolling her eyes. "Sister, you know as well as I do dreams don't escape me even of something from the stars. Although, I will say I'm a bit shocked to admit since then their dreams have become inaccessible to my touch, as if they are rejecting the moon and its glow, though considering the circumstances I do hope if we ever meet, they do not reject my moon another time." The mare looked a bit annoyed, her nearly perfect beauty shinning as a sneer formed on her face. Here sat the mare of the sun and light, Celestia a rather tall mare around 12ft tall, Clad in a bright golden warriors armor the centerpiece on her chest plate a golden gem formed into the shape of a sun, bright golden armor covered the edges of her wings and filled most of her form. Her eyes a radiant mix of gold and magenta with a cat-like look to her eyes, Celestia's mane was a shimmering radiant color of pure orange almost a gold color. Although from afar the mare looked rather scary with her blackened eyes with sun-like orb for eyes. Next to her was her Sister, The mistress of the moon and all that it surveys, dreams, tides, even gravity bent to her will. The Alicorn although younger than her sister was just as stunning. The mare sat at an imposing height on par with her sister although her horn was shorter. The mare had a pure body, a dark color almost purple color with black highlights all around her tail and even on her flank around her cutie mark, Her eyes like her sister are cat-like with a silver armor covering most of her body eve on her wings. The two sister were a paragon of beauty most mares not dare dream of becoming. Back in the sky above, the two wooshed and rushed as the energy fluttered and began to fade from the aura she burst forth, her energy was falling and fast. She needed to get away and soon, if anything she could call forth more energy in reserves but she needed her strength..... As the two raced on, the sky became increasingly blurry, and eventually the pegasus gave up, although she still wanted to race the being again, as the sky began to become increasingly blurry. Feeling this kind of thrill again would be amazing. While her body was weak, Sabika could feel herself becoming weaker by the second as she gradually lowered herself toward the ground, feeling her energy slowly fading until she finally took the time to see the woman standing before her. In a brief flash of energy, the power of the Oozaru blazed through her as she crashed into the ground harshly but safely. The energy flowed free from her body as she relaxed, her hair fluttered back and forth due to the exhaustion the ape somewhat gaining a small semblance of control over her own Ki. As her eyes fluttered back and forth, her mind falling between consciousness and passing out she could vaguely see a shape maybe orange or yellow? although the thing that came to her mind elicted one word from her...."Mother...father....I'm so sorry....." The being before her looked upon the fallen warrior with concern as the pegasai smiled softly, words that Sazuka couldn't be heard as the world finally went dark. Book 1: Chapter 2, End.