//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Winter Starts // Story: My Teacher Wild Horse // by SoralTheSol //------------------------------// My Teacher Wild Horse Chapter 3: Winter Starts Celestia let out a sigh as she considered the latest report about the missing child. The child, Twilight Sparkle, had now been missing for 6 months. She also seemed terrified of her guards due to some misunderstanding. The natural consequence of this is the man she summoned during her exam then fights off the guards and flees with her. She wondered just who the man was, and what people he hailed from. She hadn’t felt the magic of the three tribes in him, though there was some magic. However with the magic there was something more. It was strong, filled with confidence. She knew also from the way he moved he was a fighter. She had seen few of such caliber as him. Not many could challenge her guard without resorting to surprise, he laid out a squad. Celestia walked out to her balcony, eyes going to the sky watching snow fall. The first snow of the year, and more to come. Her eyes slid down, from her position she could see the soft white blanket beginning to cover her kingdom. Past the walls of Canterlot in the hazy distance, the Everfree Forest. Many feelings swirled inside her at the thought of her once home, but those emotions have long since dulled with time. New feelings were there now, the knowledge that this stranger and his charge were somewhere in the forest. She wished them luck, it would be difficult to survive a winter without a ready supply of food. Celestia would not be idle however. She turned and headed into the castle, determination in her eyes. It wasn’t long before she reached her goal. it was true there were few warriors of such skill that she could call upon to challenge this man. That was not to say there wasn’t another option. From a stand at the end of the room Celestia lifted an ornate sword. The familiar grip fitting her hand as it was made to do. There were few she could call upon. So the Princess of the Sun decided it was time to burn away the rust that had formed on her greatest weapon. Slowly, Celestia drew the gleaming sword. Then quicker than a viper, she flowed through several forms, stabbing and slicing at invisible enemies. Pausing with the sword angled upwards into an imaginary neck, she frowned. Yes, there was much rust to remove, and she had all winter to polish her form. Diary, My training has shifted from Punches and kicks to gathering wood and stuff from around the castle. I originally questioned this but all Teacher said was we needed to prepare. My questions were answered soon though when the first snow came. We are going to be holled up for the winter in this castle. While doing this I made a discovery. The castle has a library! I could hardly believe it when I saw all those books. I will admit I got a little distracted. Teacher was laughing when she found me. No, wait, not laughing. He was “chuckling” when she found me. I found a dictionary in the library just so you know. Anyway she said it was time for dinner. I picked up a few books and followed as best as I could, it was hard to see around them. Teacher seemed to find it amusing. That is another new word by the way. That’s all for now, Twilight Sparkle. Diary, It’s so cold. Yes, I know it is winter time but still I didn’t think it would be this bad. Now that I think about it I normally have a coat for winter. Teacher decided that it was worth a trip into town, there is one close by but I don’t know it’s name. Teacher traded the rabbit furs he had been gathering for bits. We then found a tailor. It was nice inside the shop, much warmer than outside. The tailor was a nice old man, he was an Earth-Soul, I think. He also had a helper. She was the same age as me and she was also a Spell-Weaver. Her name is Rarity, and she likes to be dramatic. She said some rude things about my clothes, but they were kinda falling apart at this point. It took a few hours but I got a few new outfits made. They were nice, though the Robe Teacher had made for me seemed a little odd. It is white, with a black belt and loose white pants. It was also made from heavy materials. Teacher called it a “Gi”, and said it was a training outfit. The last thing we got was a fur coat for both of us. I was surprised, and grateful. The coat was much warmer than any of our other clothes. I didn’t know how we could afford all of them with just the few bits we got from the rabbit furs. Though for some reason the tailor kept thanking Teacher for something. After that we walked back to the castle, the return trip was much more comfortable than the trip out. The coat kept me warm for the whole trip. It was nice. Till next time, Twilight Sparkle. Dear Diary, My search through the castle has resulted in more than just books. I have found some old cooking pots, though they were really dirty. They were made out of something that doesn’t rust though, so we can use them. Along with the cooking pots I found old suits of armor, rooms full of weapons, a bunch of dusty cushions, and all kinds of things. I am surprised at how well everything has held up compared to the castle. I think a lot of it has enchantments on it. Oh yeah, I have been practicing my magic. I can keep a book floating in front of me while I practice the art. Teacher seems to approve, but he has also started tossing things at me when I do this. He said I need to train my awareness if I am going to keep my nose in a book as I do everything. Hmm, oh yeah that is a new phrase for you. The “art” is what Teacher calls what he teaches me. It is actually called martial arts, or the art of fighting. Teacher just shortened it to The Art. I have been making a lot of progress there. Teacher has started sparring with me. I do my best to hit him and he keeps poking me where I have left my guard open. Your future fighter, Twilight Sparkle. Ranma watched as Twilight dodged the stones he threw at her. He was happy with the progress his student had made in the time they had been together. She had already picked up the basics of a few styles and made large strides in strengthening her limbs. He was originally afraid he pushed her too far when he set her to punch the logs, but she surprised him with a quick recovery. He suspected magic was acting much like Ki for this. He also knew it would be some time before she was ready to be on her own. If what she told him was true then this Princess was a very dangerous enemy to have. Then again, from what he saw he had no doubts about how strong the woman was. When she had sized him up in that classroom he had done the same to her, the amount of power he felt from here was terrifying. She was much stronger than Saffron. While he could defeat the Lord of the Phoenix People with considerably less effort than what he spent in their first fight, the arrogant peacock was still in his top three for most dangerous opponents. “Twilight. Get ready for a spar.” He told her. His student has made much more progress in the last few weeks than before. Ranma assumed she found her own drive. He wouldn’t pry. That was a matter for each martial artist to figure out on their own. Twilight bounded over to the sparring matts. He had managed to build some using the fallen tapestries and copious amounts of grass in the forest. She took her stance, one based on moving away and dodging. It was good for a beginner. When he gave the signal she charged at him. He allowed Twilight to get in close, blocking all her hits. He was happy with the amount of progress made with her strength training. Each of her blows had a decent amount of power for someone of her size. He was caught off guard though when the dragon resting on top of her head lifted up and spat fire at him. Ranma leapt backwards onto another mat, only to have it suddenly yanked out from beneath him by a violet glow. He stumbled for a moment and Twilight closed the distance to land a kick to his stomach. It didn’t affect him much, but it was a point in her favor. “Anything Goes Teacher!” Twilight sang as she tried to follow up her strike, only to have Ranma grab her foot and toss her into the air. Twilight let out a small shriek as she tried to right herself before meeting the ground. Only for her fall to be stopped short by Ranma grabbing the back of her training outfit and holding her aloft in the air. “Not bad, munchkin. You know I am going to be ready for that from now on though, right?” Ranma asked her, before letting her drop the rest of the way to the ground. “Yes.” Twilight said with a pout, obviously she was expecting to get in more than just one kick. “Well then, point to you. Ready for the next round.” Ranma slid back into his relaxed stance and gave Twilight a moment to do the same. This time he didn’t bother with a signal and charged in. Twilight’s eyes widened before she let out another shrill shriek. “No!” was all she managed to get out before she started laughing as Ranma’s nimble fingers managed to find all her sensitive spots. “No-No Fair!” Twilight yelled between bouts of laughter. “You already said it kid, Anything Goes.” Ranma told her with a smirk. He made her struggle for a few more minutes before calling an end to the match. They went inside and he started preparing dinner for them. Ranma would admit even though the start he had in this world was a little hectic, he wouldn’t trade what he had right now.