//------------------------------//
// Episode 07: The Kindness of Others [4/9] 
// Story: Lost Legacies 
// by AkibaWhite 
//------------------------------//

In the tall grass between Fluttershy's cottage and the border of the Everfree Forest, Spike walked alone.  He sniffed at the sweet-smelling breeze and his eyes scanned the woods for motion.  He looked to be the very image of a knight on patrol, but Spike had no illusions about his purpose here, or lack thereof.  Twilight had sent Derpy to this cottage for two reasons:  the kindness of Fluttershy and the protection of Iron Will.  Spike had been forced to ask for guard duty.  After five months of training, he thought, I still have to ask.

His eyes spied movement in the grass.  He reached back, flicked the safety strap off the hilt of his sword, and pulled it from its scabbard.  When Spike blinked and looked again, it was nothing—perhaps a trick of the light.  He kept the sword drawn, however.  Just holding it at the ready eased his irritation, and he very much wanted to find something out here to use it on.

A thistle shifted in the breeze.  Spike whirled about and nicked the tip away, smiling in satisfaction.  He held the blade level with his imaginary foe and gave what he felt was a cocksure grin.  "Screw Loose.  Thought you could sneak up on me, eh?"  He turned and lashed out at an overgrown dandelion, scattering its seeds in the wind.  "No such luck, you flower—ahem!  I mean, foul creature.  You'll never get past Spike, Captain of the Guard!"  He struck out at something at the edge of his vision, only to find the blade arrested by a skillful pair of hands.  Spike's mouth fell open.  "Iron?!"

Iron Will held the blade between his palms and smiled.  "Looks like even the Captain of the Guard is no match for Iron Will."

Spike loosed his grip on the blade and backed up.  "Gosh, I'm sorry!  I had no idea it was you."

Iron Will chuckled.  He flipped the blade over and offered it back to its owner.  "Be more careful from now on, Spike.  What if I'd been Derpy Hooves comin' to pay you a visit?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Spike affirmed as he sheathed the sword.  "So what are you doing out here?  I thought you'd be helping Fluttershy."

"Flutterhoney don't need no help doin' what she does best," Iron Will replied.  "So Iron Will decided to check up on his purple homeboy."

Spike shrugged and gestured toward the open field.  "Nothing much going on out here."

"Is that so?" Iron Will replied.  He flexed his brawny arms and made a playful jab.  "Well, if you've got nothin' else to do, why not get in some practice?  Work off a little steeaam?"

Part of Spike questioned whether that was a good idea when they were supposed to be protecting the cottage, but he quickly realized that between the two of them they had a total view of the approach from the forest side.  He drew the sword from his back, this time with the scabbard on so as not to inflict injury.  "Not a bad idea.  So, offense or defense?"

Iron Will responded by assuming a boxer's orthodox stance and throwing a powerful left cross.

Spike reacted instinctively, blocking just in the nick of time.  "Whoa!" he exclaimed as the force of the blow rattled his sword and caused him to backpedal.  "Okay, defense it is."  Iron Will's punches came hard and fast, but in familiar patterns.  Spike was used to this by now.  He focused on dodging—blocking all the attacks from an opponent of Iron Will's strength and mass would only wear him down.

"Doin' good," grunted Iron Will as he pressed the assault.  "Been a while since Iron Will's seen you this serious.  Ya!  When was the last time, about five months ago?"

"So what?" Spike barked defensively.  "I've got a -ugh- good reason to be."

"Do you now?  Ha!"  Iron Will smirked and masked the movement of his rear hand.  "Did Miss Rarity reconsider?"

"Wha?" 

Iron Will saw an opening and took it, delivering a fierce overhand to Spike's forehead.

"OW!" Spike exclaimed.  He stumbled backward and brought a hand to his head.

Iron Will opened both palms.  "Whoa!  Sorry, Spike.  You usually block that one."  He smirked.  "Got somethin' on your mind?  Wanna take five?"

Spike shook his head and resumed his defensive posture.  "Nah, I'm good.  Better watch yourself though—I might just bite next time."

"Touchy subject, huh?" jeered Iron Will.  He closed his fists and advanced once more.

Spike scowled.  "I'm over it."

"Are you now?"  Iron Will emphasized his question with a right hook.  "Iron Will hasn't seen that look on your face since—ya!—since you first asked him for help with learnin' how to fight."  He threw a one-two combo, happy to see it hit thin air as Spike bobbed and weaved.  "Back then, any fool could've seen why.  Ha!"  He delivered an uppercut that met with Spike's scabbard.  "Your lady Rarity got hurt, and that didn't sit well with you."  He mixed up his hoofwork to get his opponent guessing.  "But Rares ain't your main squeeze anymore, and here you are truckin' along full speed like nothin's changed!"

Spike, who sensed a curve ball coming his way, grasped the sword at both ends.  "What are you getting at?"

Iron Will relaxed his stance just a tad.  "Not what—who?  Who're you fightin' for, Spike?"

Spike relaxed his stance as well.  "Huh?"

CLANG!

The head fake worked.  Iron Will delivered a quick jab directly to the sword which, due to Spike's momentarily weakened grip, popped out of his hands and smacked him in the face.

"Aw, come on!" declared Spike as he checked for a nosebleed.

Iron Will raised an eyebrow.  "Wanna quit?"

"To heck with this," said Spike.  He changed his stance and raised the sword high.  "Time for offense!"  The young dragon closed the distance in a flash, swinging left, right, and center in a furious assault.

Iron Will blocked and deflected every blow, whistling as he did.  "Good energy, Spike, but where's it comin' from?"

"Who cares?!" Spike exclaimed.  He redoubled his efforts.

Iron Will's arms moved in a flurry of defensive motion.  "You should, idjit!  Say it was Rainbow Dash instead of Derpy in trouble now."

"What about it?  Ya!"

"Wouldya get this worked up over her?"

"You're full of it, Iron!"

"Okay then!  Go ahead and say it!"

Spike brought down a furious overhead cut that bounced off of Iron Will's forearm.  "Say what?!"

Iron Will slid his arm back and grabbed hold of the scabbard.  "Say you don't care if Derpy ever holds you in her arms again!"

Spike grinned.  Iron Will had underestimated him.  He pulled on the sword handle and shouted, "I don't—"  The memory of Derpy's embrace hit home.  His voice locked up and his grip faltered.  "I don't . . ."  

WHACK!

Instead of retrieving his sword, Spike received a hard punch to the gut.  Coughing and sputtering, he let go of the weapon, doubled over, and fell to the ground.

Iron Will whistled.  "Boy, Iron Will hasn't whooped you that good in months."  He knelt down and offered an open hand.  "Are you startin' to get the feelin' that you're not on your A-game, Spike?"

"To say the least," Spike gasped.  He took the helping hand and got back on his feet.  "How did you know?"

"You don't need a mention if you're payin' attention," quipped Iron Will.  "Looked to me like you had more than protectin' your friends on the brain.  Guess Iron Will was right on the money."

Spike rubbed at his bruised gut and made for his fallen weapon.  "It's crazy, right?  One hug and I can't get her out of my head."  He picked up the sword and stared at his warped reflection in the brass hilt.  "Am I that pathetic?  Do I need Rarity so much that I'll latch onto anypony just to keep going?"

Iron Will sighed.  "Look at you, already treatin' this like a bad thing."

Spike raised an eyebrow as he slung the sword across his back.  "Now I know you're joking.  We were both there when Twilight warned us about what could happen."

Iron Will folded his arms.  "In case you missed the point of this little lesson here, Iron Will's gonna give it to you straight n' clear."

Spike looked up at the minotaur.  "Okay, shoot."

"First," said Iron Will as he raised one finger.  "Quit lookin' for ways to not think about what you're feelin'.  You're gonna have to think when you fight, and if you got a lotta thinkin' that hasn't been done, its gonna trip you up."

Spike realized the truth in his friend's words, but didn't feel like congratulating Iron Will for hitting the nail on the head.  Thus, he frowned fiercely when he said, "Okay, got it.  What else?"

Iron Will pulled his own mouth down at both corners.  "Take this off your face, at least when you're around the ladies."

Spike touched a claw to his lips.  "My mouth?  Really?"

Iron Will let his hands fall to his hips and grinned.  "What's a gentleman always got for a lady?"

It dawned on Spike that he'd made an actual error.  "A smile?"

Iron Will walked over and clapped Spike on the back.  "See?  You know a profit from a profit margin.  If you're gonna fight, then do it right.  And if life treats you vile . . "

Spike nodded and forced a grin.  It was genuine, even if a bit lopsided.  "Give it a smile."  He did so for a moment longer, but soon replaced it with a slack-jawed stare.

"Come on, Spike, you gotta try harder than that.  Show me those teeth."

Spike pointed behind Iron Will.  "Um, are those beavers chewing on a piece of armor?"


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