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// Two Years Gone: Part 1 
// Story: My Teacher Wild Horse 
// by SoralTheSol 
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	Two Years Gone: Part 1

Diary,

It has been two years since I have written in you.  Two agonizing years.  Why oh why did I have to open my mouth when my teachers were arguing.  Sadly, I did open it, and even delivered an ultimatum to my two teachers.  I remember it like it was yesterday, because it was the start of my hell.  

“If you don’t work together I won’t train with either of you.”

That one sentence has been the very bane of my existence.  However you probably don’t know about this.  So I have two years of events to catch up on.

I had a week to spend with my family before training started again.  Celestia would go over magic theory and application in the morning, which wasn’t so bad because I was a quick study for anything in a book.  Problems only started up when we went to practicals.  I still didn’t have the best control over my magic at the time.  Celestia would push me through the practice methods over and over again.  It was like when I was just starting to learn from Teacher.

If I failed to get a spell correct I would have to repeat it until I could do it right.  Depending on the type of spell I would either have to maintain it or recast it.  I would have to do this until the princess was satisfied with my progress before moving onto the next activity.  This left me with a giant headache at lunch time, the first time was so bad that didn’t eat any lunch.

This was made even worse when Teacher came to get me.  It was back to all of our exercises only this time it was on an empty stomach.  Running, jumping, climbing, sparring until I was ready to fall over and throw up bile.  I made sure after that to force myself to eat no matter what.  It was a good thing too because neither of them were going to slow down.

Every time I seem to start getting used to the routine they would raise the difficulty on me.  I started getting more of the spells correct on the first try, Celestia brought out double weaves forcing me to concentrate more.  When I started being able to do my kata’s fluidly, Teacher brought out a new style for me to learn.

When the time for the first training trip rolled around I was grateful.  Though I knew it wouldn’t be a vacation it meant that I would only have to focus on one thing.  I was also able to use the time I gained during the night to practice my meditation more.

During the trip I managed to keep up with teacher as we ran.  I knew he was holding back but the fact that I was now able to run so long without being short of breath meant I was making progress.  I enjoyed the trip more than I thought I would.  It was just me and Teacher again, and it felt nice.  Even if I was exhausted at the end of the day, I was still sitting next to the fire, and Teacher was nearby telling me some story or legend of his home.

Things increased again once we returned.  Tia the Terrible had me run through every single spell she had taught me.  It took all of our time the first morning.  She then told me that I should perform my warmups before meeting her the next morning.  I was confused about that but it mattered little in the face of Lunch and the incoming training I would receive from Teacher.

I forgot to mention but I had another teacher through all of this.  It was my sitter Cadence.  She would take care of the bits not covered by Celestia.  So she would go over history, and geography.  Things that I am supposed to know as an adult.  I was really happy to be able to spend time with her again.  I think I did something wrong though.  I will explain that later.

The next morning I went to Celestia, after doing my warm-ups like I was told.  The Princess was waiting in a circle drawn on the ground in chalk.  There was nothing special about it, just a plain circle.  The Princess was holding two pieces of wood.  Once I entered the circle she tossed one of them too me.  I caught it easily but then I noticed what it was.  A wooden sword.

The Princess had decided it was time I started learning her sword style.  Most of that morning was spent with her telling me how to hold the sword properly, how to swing it properly, and how to move with it properly.  I was drilled through those steps over and over.  If it wasn’t for my training with Teacher I would likely have been dead tired by lunch.

Teacher noticed I was already sweating and asked about it.  He seemed to frown when I told him about the sword training.  I was worried that he was mad I was learning to use it, but he waved off those concerns.  He explained his frown is from having to deal with what he called “Sword wielding idiots who didn’t understand that no means no”.  I didn’t really understand it, but we went onto training soon after.  I was a little more tired when I got to Cadence that day.

It wasn’t long before Celestia had me sparring against her to improve my sword skill.  I wound up leaving that session covered in welts and bruises from where my guard was open.  Tia the Terrible called then reminders.  I have a few things I would rather call them and her.

What was worse was that Teacher was also getting into it.  He was holding back less in our spars and I no longer received those little taps to tell me I had an opening.  No, now I took actual strikes and was told to return the same.  I suppose it was a mark of how far I had come but I only knew that it hurt.  I knew what they were teaching me was meant to hurt.  Meant to cause pain, meant to break bone, and in some cases, meant to kill.  I guess I just thought, I thought I would have more time before the lessons grew to that point.

Cadence was surprised and worried when I started coming to our lessons covered in bruises.  Each time I came to the lessons she would always fuss over me.  Then, one day near the end of summer she asked why I put myself through the training.  This is where I think I did something wrong.  I could only think back to when I challenged to both my teachers.

“Because I asked for it.”  I had said.  I was rather tired that day.  I also learned I had a concussion the next day so that may be why that answer was chosen.  Cadence looked at me for a moment.  Her mouth was hanging open, and she looked like she was going to cry.  Then she got mad.  I could tell because she looked like this once before when she found me being bullied in the park.  This time seemed worse though.  She wrapped her arms around me, I think she was going to hug me but everything went dark after that.

The next day I woke up wrapped in bandages, Teacher was sitting next to my bed in her girl form.  She was looking down at me with a strange expression.  When I asked her what was going on, she told me that my training was cancelled for now.  I, I kinda panicked at that.  I kept asking why it was cancelled, if I wasn’t good enough, if I had done something wrong.  Teachers face became… tight.  I think that is the best way to describe it.

Teacher put her hands on my shoulders, and told me I didn’t do anything wrong.  I was to spend time with my family and recover.  I didn’t know what else to do at that point so I did as I was told.  My mom was in tears when I arrived home, she had wrapped me in a hug and was layering kisses across my forehead.  She told me everything would be okay.

Later I learned that Cadence had confronted Teacher and Celestia on my behalf.  That answer I had given her had made her angry, yes, but not at me.  She had torn both of the fighters down for how they were training me.  She even said that if they continued they would break me, like a toy in a tug of war between two children.  I was numb when I heard this because I didn’t understand how to respond.  As the season changed to Autumn I started to think Cadence may have been right.

However, it was wrong.  Each morning I still rose at dawn.  Each day I still trained.  Each evening I went over all my spells.  Each night I meditated and searched for why I felt wrong.  I wondered why until one day I couldn’t take the feeling anymore.  I took my practice sword and I left for the castle.

I had no issue getting into the castle, the guards knew me well by this time and they had no orders to keep me out.  I made my way through the halls until I found the ones I was looking for.  Teacher and Celestia were in the throne room.  The Princess was on her throne casting a heated glare at Teacher, who was ignoring her.  Both their eyes were on me when I entered.

“Twilight Sparkle, why are you here?”  Tia was the one who asked.  Teacher was just looking at me curiously.

“I am here to train.”  I answered.

“Your training is done Twilight.  Go home.”  Celestia ordered firmly, more of a princess at this moment than I had remembered her.

It was an order I would ignore.  “Why?”

“It has come to our attention that, we are not suited for teaching you.”  Celestia explained.  Teacher was remaining silent, standing off to the side watching me.

“So that’s it?”  I was looking at the floor now.  My grip on the wooden training sword was so tight my knuckles were white.

“Yes Sparkle, now go home.”  The Princess ordered once more.

I lost it at that point.  My feet were in motion, carrying me across the room at the princess, at Celestia, at one of my teachers who is supposed to be training me.  While in route I was also casting.  The first spell was to make a sharp edge from magic, the second spell was a double weave made to reinforce an object.  Both were applied to the wooden sword I held.

Celestia had already moved out of the way of my strike, which cut through the cushions that decorated her throne.  “Then what was it for?”  I remember screaming.

“Twilight Sparkle, stop this at once!”  Celestia continued to spout the order but now she had her sword in hand.  It remained sheathed though.  I charged her again, my sword batting against her own as I tried to score a strike against her.

“Why are we stopping now!  Why is my training done!  What was the point of all the bruises and cuts and sprains if we are going to stop now!”  I was venting, but those were my feelings at the time.  I managed to knock Celestia’s sword wide, opening her guard briefly.  Then I felt something slam into my chest.  I was sent tumbling across the room from the blow before I managed to right myself.  I saw Teacher, Ranma, standing next to Celestia, arm extended and palm open.  Ranma took a relaxed stance.  He looked at me as I was panting to recover my breath.

“Cut me.”

The statement left me confused for a moment.  Ranma saw this and clarified.

“Cut me.  Land a blow on me with what you have learned so far, and I will begin teaching you again.”  Ranma had said.

I started raising, the haze of anger from earlier left me and I began to notice other details in the room.  Like the guards who were surrounding us.  I had attacked the Princess, student or not that was not looked on to kindly.  Oh well, by that point it was too late, and I was not about to let this chance slip by.

“But,”  I focused on Ranma once more, “this means the kid gloves are off.  Every spar from here on will be a battle, every lesson will test your limits and push you past them.”

I realized he was giving me a final warning.  I stood up straight and took the time to steady my breathing.  The glimmer of hope he dangled in front of me.  When I opened my eyes again ready to continue I charged.  I was under no illusions that this would be easy.  I could even tell that he was still holding back his strength, but he didn’t need all of it.  He just needed enough, I realized when I blocked one of his kicks and was sent across the room again.

I was rising to my feet again when I felt fear, leaping to my left as hard as I could I barely dodge as silvery steel bites into the stone floor.  Looking back to where the strike came from I was startled to see that Celestia had freed her sword from it’s scabbard.

“If you are so determined, then prove yourself Twilight.”  The White Princess stated as she took up her own stance.

The realization of what I was now facing would have been enough to make me regret my decision that day, had I enough time to even do that.  All my focus was taken up with dodging my teachers strikes.  Celestia would thrust and I would parry.  Ranma would kick and I would dodge.  This dance continued on and I was worn down while they had not even shed a bead of sweat.

My sword was battered and brittle, it wouldn’t last through another strike.  If I wanted to win this challenge then I needed to do something.  I charged the pair again, an idea in my head.  I had to maintain the spells that let my practice sword function as a real blade for the entire fight.  But that wouldn’t matter soon as the sword would break.  So I moved the magic edge.  When I got between them I swung as hard as I could at Celestia.  My sword shattered but it knocked hers up.  She was in motion to close the hole and Ranma’s blow was coming in.

I am still not sure how I did it, but I managed to jump onto Ranma’s kick.  I used it’s moment to get me inside Celestia’s guard.  I grabbed her sword arm briefly but was flung away from them once move.  The room was silent except for the sound of blood pumping in my ears.  Okay it might not have been silent but I couldn’t really tall at the moment.  Then I heard a new sound, one that sounded like chimes.  It was Celestia, and she was laughing.

“Clever girl.”  The White Princess stated as she examined her sword arm.  Five trails of blood had blossomed into existence.  “Expert use of the spell you were using.”

“Sneaky little brat alright.”  Ranma said as he ripped the bottom of his pant leg off from where it was sliced through.  A single line of blood crossing the width of his leg.  “Your sword was gonna break so you put that cutting spell onto yourself.”

I have no idea if they said anything else, because after I realized I had won I passed out.

Wow I filled out a lot of you tonight.  I guess I will have to continue writing in you tomorrow.

Until then,
Twilight Sparkle.