The morning couldn’t have been more glorious. Radiant beams of light spilled over the mountaintops as the sun hid behind them. The clouds dripped with liquid gold and the sky blushed purple and crimson. As the sun peeked over the horizon, the light gently fell across Equestria in a soft blanket that nudged its inhabitants awake. The darker shades of night gave way to the brilliant blues and whites of day. A new day had dawned, and the Royal Guard rose to greet it.
They had marched from Canterlot within hours of the order to mobilize and made good progress before stopping for the night. With the rise of the sun, the army was underway once more. Resplendent in their full golden plate armor and silver weapons, they had left the city in grand fashion. But now that they were in open country, they had stripped off the heavy equipment in favor of lighter traveling uniforms. They were loose enough for free movement but not so much that they were unprofessional. It reflected the Guard’s colors of gold and blue and left the rest to functionality: Thin and flexible to prevent overheating and made to handle the wear and tear of the road.
The weapons and armor were loaded into carts and hauled in the middle of the column. The Earth Ponies packed an array of swords, spears, lances and shields. The swords could be held in the mouth while the other weapons could be locked onto the side of the armor or held in the hooves. The shields would then be fixed to their armor on the opposite side. Unicorns had a similar array of equipment minus shields and armor mounts for weapons.
They would hold their weapons with magic or forgo weapons all together and support the troops with spells. Their armor was lighter than that of the Earth Ponies. Instead of full plate mail, they had plate helmets and plated guards for their chests and legs but only chain mail to cover their backs and flanks.
The Pegasi had the lightest armor with only the basic plates on the chest and forelegs and a plate helmet. Their weapons consisted of a sling of javelins and retractable blades fitted to the cuffs of their leg guards. Their rear hooves also had heavy shoes made for landing on opponents and delivering devastating kicks.
All but a handful of the Guard were marching toward the border to intercept the Troll army. The remainder had been dispatched across Equestria to rally additional forces. For everypony’s sake, Celestia still held onto hope that she could find a way to stop these invaders without endangering more lives. She walked at the head of the column as it wound its way through the countryside, following the roads whenever possible. Shining Armor walked beside her, a grim frown frozen on his face. He hadn’t said anything since they had departed from Canterlot.
Since he’d said goodbye to his parents.
They had met him by the gates as the Guard was leaving and waylaid him with tears. He'd hung back and talked to them until the last of the troops had passed out of the city. He’d been in the city less than two days on a weeklong visit. It had been almost a month since he’d last been able to escape from his duties in the Crystal Empire and now he was leaving again, this time for battle. When he caught up again, he said nothing of what had passed between them and it stayed that way. Celestia was worried that the encounter was bothering him somehow.
But she had far too many other worries on her mind and she couldn’t afford to stop to address it. The column of ponies marched on.
~*~*~
Ponyville came alive with activity as soon as it was light enough to see and the work that had been put on hold yesterday resumed. Shortly after dawn, a messenger arrived with an order form detailing supplies that the army was requesting Ponyville to provide. Weapons, armor, food, and other materials and equipment were all spelled out.
The blacksmith set to work to fill the equipment orders and the region’s farming families pooled surplus food to be shipped out to the troops. Other ponies around town donated items from their own homes for the soldiers to use and anypony who found scrap metal turned it over to the city to be melted down and smelted into a blade or a shield.
Cor and Applejack took to the orchards to bring in the apples in the southern orchards while Big Mac headed into the western orchards by himself. Granny Smith went into town to coordinate the food packing and Zacon was even convinced to haul the carts of apples away as they were harvested.
Jason was later to rise after a fitful night. The nightmare had been a mix of old and new fears and taken forms somewhere in between. He was aware of Princess Luna’s attempts to help him overcome them but it was still a draining experience. He rolled out of bed and dragged his hooves down to the kitchen. The house was empty and he found a few items were left out from breakfast so he prepared himself a small meal. He fixed the wall across from him with a stern gaze as he ate and went over the implications of recent events.
He’d left a war in his world and entered a world where war felt foreign. He’d made friends in a surprisingly short period of time and he felt as comfortable around them as some of his oldest comrades. Now he was preparing to march into battle to defend them. It had been a week. Just one week and so much had happened.
He finished off his breakfast and turned into the living room to finish the equipment he’d been working on the night before. It was dull work. Once he was done, he had a sling for Cor’s bow and one for Zacon’s axe. He put them with the stack of quivers and turned to find his sword. It wasn’t there.
He looked around the room to make sure he hadn’t missed it somehow but it didn’t present itself. He knew Cor wouldn’t take it anywhere without telling him and Zacon respected a warrior’s weapon more than he respected most things, so he wouldn’t have touched it. Now Jason was worried.
He walked outside, intent on finding someone who might know where it was, but he hadn’t gone far before a bout of laughter attracted his attention. Apple Bloom and her friends were running around the barn together shouting and giggling. As he got closer, he saw what they were doing with a pang of disgust.
“You will lose!” Scootaloo growled in an exaggeratedly deep voice.
“Never!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“No mean ol’ troll can defeat…” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle came together in one voice. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
They charged forward and tackled Scootaloo into the grass. They rolled around for a moment before Scootaloo pushed them off and tackled them back. Apple Bloom ran off while the other two wrestled.
“I have you now!” Scootaloo snarled at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie squealed and batted her hooves in the air to ward off Scootaloo’s pokes and tickles.
“Help me!” Sweetie yelled.
Having run all the way around the barn, Apple Bloom reappeared behind Scootaloo, this time with a toy suit of armor on. “Have no fear. The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Defenders of Equestria never leave a pony behind!” She ran forward and undid the clasp on the sword. As the black blade slid free, Jason’s eyes widened.
“STOP!” he screamed and charged forward.
His telekinesis ripped the sword out of her grasp and the accusation in his voice caused all of them to back away from him submissively.
“We were only playin’ Jason,” Apple Bloom said in a tiny voice.
“Not with this you weren’t.” He held up the blade. “This is my sword. A real sword!”
The filly’s eyes expanded with the realization. Scootaloo gulped and Sweetie Belle glanced between them nervously.
“Why did you think you could just take it?”
“There wasn’t a sword with the toy armor,” Apple Bloom explained. “We saw it sittin’ there and we didn’t think it was real.”
“You couldn’t tell by the weight?!” Jason balked at them.
“Now you mention it…” She shuffled her hooves sadly.
Jason closed his eyes to try to collect himself.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be yelling at you.” He looked between the three of them solemnly. “Anyone can make a mistake.”
“We’re sorry too.” All three of them hung their heads.
Jason sighed. “And I guess I did just leave it sitting out there, didn’t I?”
They all stood around looking guilty. Applejack and Cor came racing around the corner a second later.
“We heard yelling,” Cor said breathlessly. “What happened?”
“There was a bit of a misunderstanding, but we cleared it up.” Jason snapped his sword back into its sheath.
Cor eyed the sword apprehensively. Applejack followed the same train of thought.
“What exactly was the trouble?” she asked suspiciously.
Jason shrugged. “I left my sword out overnight and they thought it was a toy. They know better now.”
“Do they?” She gave them a hard look. “That’s a mighty serious mistake, you three.”
They looked up at her with round, teary eyes that were hard to stay angry at.
“Oh, come here.” Applejack hugged them all together. “Nopony got hurt and that’s what’s important. Ya’ll be more careful now, you hear?”
“We promise!” they said in unison before scampering off.
Jason watched them go while Cor and Applejack turned back toward the orchards.
“I wish they wouldn’t pretend at war. It’s bad enough that so many ponies are going off with their heads filled with images of glory. Younger minds shouldn’t be dwelling on it at all.”
“And what do you reckon you’d do to stop ‘em?” Applejack looked at him quizzically. “Are you gonna tell them they’re not allowed to play? Let fillies be fillies.”
Cor put a hoof on Jason’s shoulder and nodded. Jason glanced after the young ponies one last time and let it drop.
“Now,” Cor said, businesslike. “Applejack says she and her brother can handle the rest of the harvesting as long as Zacon will pull a few more wagons worth. That leaves us open to do something else useful. So what’s our plan?”
“Help down at the blacksmith, run carts around town, find some other odd job? Take your pick,” Jason shrugged.
“I meant when are we going to head out and find a battle?”
“I was thinking of leaving with the next group of recruits. I heard some ponies in town talking about joining up now that they’ve had time to think it over.”
“Good. Good.” Cor nodded and looked out at the road in search of Zacon.
“You sound eager.” Jason added an accusation to his tone.
“I’m just anxious to get this started. Now that we’ve decided to go to war, I feel edgy about getting into it.”
Jason frowned at him but didn’t have a chance to express his disappointment.
“There’s our packhorse,” Cor said, pointing at Zacon’s distant but approaching form.
His armor glinted in the sun. He’d taken to wearing it at all times since the news of war had arrived. The wagon full of empty barrels trundled along behind him. He pulled it through the gate, spotted them and walked over to meet them.
“Is there another load?” he asked gruffly.
Applejack nodded. She started back toward the orchard and they followed her. Once there, they began loading the cart.
“We think the plan is to leave town with the next group of recruits,” Cor said to fill Zacon in.
“Soon then.” Zacon smiled with a wicked anticipation.
“Am I the only one around here who isn’t looking forward to this war?!” Jason huffed.
“Yes,” Zacon said simply.
Jason glared at him. When they had finished loading the wagon again, Jason and Cor followed Zacon back toward town, intent on picking up an order from the blacksmith and fetching a few extra supplies. Applejack waved as they left and returned to the orchards. She walked among the trees and wrestled with a difficult question that had been bothering her since this trouble began. She’d had to keep the farm safe from all manner of dangers in the past, but this one was much bigger and she wasn’t sure she could handle it.
It was relaxing to walk beneath the branches, down worn and familiar paths and around the gentle hills that she’d grown up in. To any other eye, the trees in one part of the orchard looked much the same as in any other part. But to her, every acre was its own world, full of dear memories. She reflected on them as she passed.
Only just behind that stand of trees, she’d first learned how to catch the falling apples just right so that they wouldn’t roll all around or get bruised. On the other side of the hill was where she liked to lie in the evenings to watch the sunset. Up the path a ways, she remembered the day she found out her parents wouldn’t be coming home. She brushed a tear out of her eye, just as she did every time she walked up this way.
Memories of her filly years mingled with more recent ones. She hid among the trunks while Big Mac pretended not to be able to find her, her giggles echoing through the years to bring a smile to her face now. Friends both new and old had met beneath these leaves to share work and fun. Apple Bloom learned at her side what it took to bring in a harvest and the meaning of honest hard work.
As all of the moments this orchard had given her to hold in her heart paraded by, she made up her mind.
Just ahead, Big Mac was loading the last barrels of the western harvest into the cart. He had collected easily as many barrels on his own as she and Cor had together, but that wasn’t unusual. Applejack strolled up and cleared her throat. Big Mac glanced over as he worked.
“I’ve been thinkin’,” she began. “What with this talk of able bodied ponies joinin’ the army and all…”
She trailed off to steel herself against her own words. Big Mac remained expressionless and continued to stack barrels.
“I’ve decided to be one of ‘em.”
Without missing a beat, Big Mac replied. “Nope.”
Applejack started in surprise. “Pardon?”
Big Mac set another barrel down with a dull thud. “Nope,” he repeated sternly. “Ya’ll ain’t gonna go off and fight.”
Applejack recovered from her shock rapidly. “And I suppose you figure you're the one that gets to decide that for me?”
“I reckon maybe that’s just how it is,” he replied curtly.
“Ya’ll may be my big brother, but that don’t mean you can stop me from doin’ what I think is right!”
“I can stop you from doin’ this.”
Applejack set her jaw for an extended argument but he turned his back on her and dropped the last barrel into the cart.
“You're not goin’ and that’s the end of it.”
The way he said it made it clear that he was done with the discussion. Applejack sputtered her indignation while he hitched himself to the cart.
“You think I can’t handle it?!” she exclaimed suddenly. She turned and marched away. Calling back over her shoulder, she declared, “You couldn’t be more wrong!”
Big Mac just shook his head sadly and trudged off toward town.
~*~*~
Applejack fumed for almost an hour before deciding that she didn’t care what Big Mac told her. She was going to join the army to protect her home. And if he objected because he thought she wasn’t cut out for it, she’d just have to be ready to prove him wrong. She walked into town with her eyes fixed on her destination. The sound of hammers on metal and the hiss of steam acted like a beacon as she wound her way through the ponies hurrying from place to place on their own business. Jason and Cor stood just outside the doors of the blacksmith, loading saddlebags with freshly forged equipment. Cor spotted her and was about to ask what she was doing there when he saw the look on her face. It was the kind of serious determination that told him to get out of the way and stay there.
“Jason, I want you to train me to fight,” she announced with no preamble whatsoever.
“You want me to do what?” he asked, his eyes widening.
“I want you to teach me how to fight so I can join the army. Big Mac doesn’t think I can handle it, so I need to…”
“Out of the question.” Jason went back to tightening a strap on his bag.
“Oh no! You ain’t gonna shut me down like he did!” She positioned herself directly in front of him. “Jason, I want to fight. I gotta protect my home! And I gotta know how to fight to do that. You said ya’ll were fighters an’ such, right?” She glanced at Cor, who nodded slowly. “Well, who better to teach me? Rainbow’s off becomin’ a soldier right now and I’m sittin’ around here, buckin’ apples out of trees. I can’t just let everypony else go off and then do nothin’ myself. It’s my home that’s in danger too. And I’m fit and strong enough to fight. Hardly anypony in town is a better candidate for soldierin’. You have to train me so I can do my part in protecting Equestria.”
Jason contemplated her crossly for a moment before answering. When he did, it was with a bite of incredulous ire.
“Let me get this straight. You want me to train you in the art of the most vicious action a living being can take against another so that you can charge off into the most destructive event in civilization’s repertoire? And the reason I should do this is because Rainbow Dash is already on her way to the same thing, even when I made it clear how I felt about it?” Jason paused long enough to allow his words to sink in. His frown deepened as he went on. “The only reason Rainbow left for war is because I didn’t have a say in the matter. But you want me to help you out the door for the same thing? I couldn’t watch you put yourself in danger like that and I certainly won’t help you do it. I will not train you. I’m sorry. Not much, but I am sorry.”
“But you have to,” Applejack pressed. “I need to fight. And I’ll need to know how to do it. You wouldn’t have me goin’ out there without teachin’ me the basics at least, would you?”
“That’s the point. I don’t want you to go at all, so it won’t make a difference if you know how to fight or not.”
“But Jason,” she began with a hint of desperation. She bit her lip. “I thought if anypony would help me with this, it’d be you. Don’t you want me to be safe out there?” Tears welled up in her eyes at this sense of betrayal.
“I want you to be safe, Applejack.” Jason’s voice softened as he wiped her tears away with a hoof. “But I don’t want to teach you to fight if it will only let you put yourself in danger. I can barely stand seeing Rainbow out there. Please, don’t make me worry about you as well.”
Applejack turned her face away from his hoof. “Maybe you don’t want to train me.” She looked at Cor. “But what about you Cor? Could you train me instead?”
Cor took one look at Jason and shook his head. “I’m not stupid enough to go against what Jason just got done saying,” he grinned nervously.
Applejack let out an exasperated huff. “For cryin’ out loud. You're a prince! Don’t you outrank him or somethin’?”
“Maybe," Cor nodded slowly. "But think about this. If you outranked Fluttershy, would you go around contradicting her and doing what she said she doesn’t want you to do just because you can? He’s my friend before he’s my subordinate. Always has been, always will be.”
Jason nodded impassively. Applejack looked between them, trying to think of an argument that would sway them. And then, she realized the answer. Without another word, she turned about and headed back to the farm.
~*~*~
Just as she thought, she found Zacon on his way to return the cart to the farm after the last batch of apples. She caught up quickly and fell in step beside him. He gave her a cursory glance but said nothing. Applejack didn’t speak right away either. She took her time to marshal her thoughts before making this last attempt. And she realized this would be her last chance to ask for training from anypony. If Zacon wouldn’t do it, there wasn’t anypony who would. Without prior training, she could kiss goodbye any chance of Big Mac letting her go quietly. She grimaced inwardly at the prospect of that confrontation. No, she would have to convince him that she would be ready to fight and her best bet was Zacon.
“Zacon, I was wonderin’ if you’d do me a favor.” She approached the subject tenderly in light of the other reactions she’d received.
Zacon gave her a queer look. “What kind of favor?” he asked slowly.
“I need you to train me to fight so that I can join the army.”
Genuine interest mixed with deepening suspicion as he responded. “Why?”
“I’ve got to defend my home, that’s why!”
He shook his head. “No, not that. Why should I train you?”
“Oh. Well, I was talking to my brother earlier and I told him I was goin’ to join the army. He refused to let me, so I’m lookin’ to get some trainin’ in first to show him I’m ready.”
Zacon stopped the cart and turned his full attention on her.
“You think you can handle war? You really think you’re ready?”
“That’s just what I’m tryin’ to prove. If I get some trainin’ from a warrior like you, he won’t be able to doubt that I can handle it.”
“Handle battle? Handle death and carnage? Handle everything that is war?”
“Come what may, I’m prepared for the worst.”
“Prepared for the worst? Really?”
“Yes,” she hissed. Applejack was growing tired of everypony doubting her abilities and her resolve. She made an effort to keep her temper in check. “I’m ready to fight this war. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“HA! Says the one who has never seen battle!” Zacon’s laugh was mirthless and cold. His eyes glittered malevolently. “Are you prepared to feel their blades cut into your flesh? To feel the agony of your bones breaking under the force of their blows?”
Applejack swallowed against the images that flashed through her mind. She stood up straighter to convince Zacon of her confidence as much as to convince herself. “Yes. I’d defend Equestria no matter the cost. I’d die to keep my home safe.”
“You say you are prepared to die for your friends, but are you prepared to watch your friends die?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Fighting isn’t hard. Any creature can fight when they are scared and threatened.” He paused to smile darkly. “And no soldier honest with themselves is completely unafraid. No, battle is a simple thing. Brutal, bloody and merciless, but simple. You fight your opponent, and you either win or lose."
"It is the aftermath of the battle that the inexperienced soldiers are not prepared for. After the dust settles and the rage fades, they see the bloody corpses of their slain enemies. Enemies who suddenly look very much like themselves. And then they see their fallen comrades.” Zacon paused again for emphasis. “Many were considered friends, some were family. All were brothers-in-arms, now mangled beyond recognition.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a deadly whisper. “That is what I’m asking you. Are you prepared for that?”
Applejack closed her eyes and fought down the fear that had crept into her as the big stallion spoke. She let out a shallow breath when she had herself under control again and opened her eyes. “If they’re gonna die out there, I’d better be willin’ to do no less. I’d rather have a chance to help ‘em instead of hear ‘bout horrible things happenin’ while I do nothin’.”
Zacon considered her silently for a long time. She stood rigid under his scrutiny, afraid that one wrong move would mean failure of whatever inspection he was making. At long last, he nodded.
“If your resolve holds and your confidence is not made up of ignorance and bravado, you might just be able to do what you say you will. I will train you.”
Her excitement over her success was muted by the tone of their conversation so she simply nodded in thanks. They started off again.
“But I must ask,” he added after a moment. “Why did you come to me? I was under the impression that you were more comfortable with Jason or Cor than with me.”
“Um, actually, I already asked ‘em. They kind of refused. Mostly Jason. He didn’t want me in the fightin’.”
Zacon frowned deeply in thought.
“It is not usually wise to cross Jason…” the bass voice rumbled.
Applejack felt her heart sink.
“…But the choice to defend your home is still yours. I see no reason that you shouldn’t be given the best chance to survive that I can provide.”
Applejack was rocking on a sea of mixed emotions and she bubbled back to the top again. “Alright then! When do we start?”
“There is no better time for anything than the here and now. Your training has begun.”
With a turn of his head, he swung his Axe down from the cart where he had left it. It whistled wickedly and she realized it was heading straight toward her. She only barely managed to duck it by rolling through the dirt.
“What the hay?! Ah said train me, not kill me!”
He swung the Axe back up onto his shoulders to free his mouth. “That was lesson number one: An attack can come from anywhere, anytime, and with no warning. You are either ready or you are dead.” He slipped the Axe back into the cart and walked on as if nothing had happened. “Set your mind at ease. It was a test only. The training will be much more grueling.”
Applejack stared after him nervously before following. She wasn’t sure what she’d gotten herself into but she wasn’t about to back down now.
~*~*~
Zacon watched her walk beside him on their way back to the farm. She kept her eyes downcast the entire time. She would be sorting through her thoughts now. It always took a little while for a decision like this to sink in. He expected her to come to terms with it sometime tomorrow morning, when the aching set in. As he watched, he did some quick judging. She’d already proven that her strength was greater than it appeared. Anyone who knew farm work would have been able to guess that. She also showed a level of control over her power; an essential trait. He thought back to his first impression of her. His opinion hadn’t changed much, but now he was beginning to see potential as well.
After Zacon felt he’d let the silence hang long enough, he broke it.
“You’ll need a weapon to train with, of course.”
She started slightly as he interrupted her thoughts. They’d reached the barn and set the cart aside. Zacon walked into the barn and came out with a pair of short swords a moment later.
“How long have those been there?” she asked.
“About a day. I felt it was wise to be prepared for anything so I made a point of having weapons stashed in likely places.”
“Should I know about any more of these ‘likely places’?”
“Maybe if you can prove you can handle them.” He dropped one sword in front of her.
She took it in her mouth and looked at him expectantly.
“Now. Your second lesson is called ‘you are not ready’.”
She blinked at him and cocked her head to one side.
“Hit me,” he said.
She blinked again and moved the sword so she could speak. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t. Now hit me,” he said in a commanding tone.
She hesitated a moment longer before rearing back and bringing the sword down on his armored shoulder. It struck with a dull clink and sat on top of the plate mail. Zacon remained unmoved due to the armor plates absorbing all of the force effortlessly. In fact, he wasn’t even watching her.
“I’d ask if you’d hit me yet if it weren’t for my ears,” he said, looking back at her again.
Applejack shook her head in frustration. “Consarnit! If you only mean to tell me I’m bad at it, I might be better off teachin’ myself!”
“What was the name of the lesson?” Zacon asked calmly.
“‘I am not ready’,” she practically spat.
“Exactly. I’m showing you what you’re getting into. I told you to hit me and I hardly noticed. What do you think your enemy will do if that’s the best you can do to them?”
She mustered herself to retort but let her breath out in submission. “I get it, okay? Now can we do something that doesn’t make me feel like I’m as useful as a corral with no gate?”
“I’m trying to show you that you need to be better than you think you need to be. Now how about I teach you what you did wrong and how to not end up dead by doing it in battle?” He turned to look out at the orchard. “We’ll need something to practice on. Usually a tree works best.”
He left the suggestion hanging.
“Not on my apple trees you don’t. We’ll find a different set of trees out in the hills outside of town.”
“Very well.”
It didn’t take long for them to pick a spot. Once the trees weren’t full of apples, Applejack had no problem finding a suitable grove of victims. The ash trees stood in resolute silence, defiant of the impending danger. Zacon started by having Applejack sit and watch him. He took his sword and explained how her swing had been stopped by his armor. He showed her how the force was redirected through the plates and away from the wearer. He pointed out that the spot she struck was designed to be one of the strongest points and, in fact, could be used to intentionally block incoming attacks.
Next, he gave some advice on noticing weaker parts of a set of armor. The spaces between plates were the most obvious. And wherever there was a joint on the body, there would be fewer plates. He also explained that most armor was held together by straps and other connecters that could be severed to knock the pieces loose. He mentioned in passing that his own armor was not susceptible to such weakness. He was not too specific in any detail, preferring to give an overview of concepts because it was unlikely the finer points would be applicable to Applejack so early in her combat experience. For her part, she tried to absorb everything he told her. He was generally impressed with her retention when he asked her to review what they’d gone over.
He then moved away from the topic of armor and into weapons.
“Finally, the part that I’ll be needin’ to show Big Mac that’s I’ve got the spunk for this.”
“Hmph.” Zacon frowned. “As long as you keep in mind that this is for more than passing an inspection.”
“Of course.” She smiled apologetically.
“The first thing you need to improve on is your form. You don’t just want to hit your opponent. You want to actually damage them too.” He took the sword in his mouth and swung it into the tree next to him. It sank into the trunk two inches with a dull thud. “This is what you need to be able to do.”
Applejack stepped up and took a swing. Bark flew as the sword bit half an inch into the tree.
“Not bad I suppose,” Zacon nodded. “You’ll need to develop your power on your own with hard practice. For now, we’ll work on the control you’ll need to use it properly.”
They spent the next few hours learning to read an opponent’s weapon stance for an opening. Zacon was rough and often threw Applejack to the ground when she struck at the wrong time. Each time, she would grit her teeth and pick herself up. After he was satisfied that she had the concept clearly in mind, he switched them over to parrying and blocking.
Applejack was exceptionally skilled at this exercise. Zacon swung hard enough that she would have to stop his blow in order to avoid looking for a bandage but she had the strength to meet him. Building off of her observations and lessons about openings, she closed her own and anticipated his attacks better than he thought. An hour later, Zacon gave in and concluded he wouldn’t be able to challenge her without putting her in real danger.
“Let’s begin one of the most important lessons: Striking.”
“We already did that didn’t we?” Applejack asked in confusion. “Lookin' for openings to attack?”
“That was recognizing the time to strike. This will be a lesson in dealing a meaningful blow.” Zacon brought up his sword and took a defensive stance. “You will try to land a blow. I will stop you.”
He stated it as bluntly as ever and Applejack did her best to simply accept it. Her first few swings tested his defense and were tapped away negligently. Her next few attempts were swatted back with grunts of annoyance. As she continued to swing cautiously, Zacon had had enough.
“Are you trying to pester me to death or are you going to actually attack soon?”
“I’m gettin’ to it!” she shot back.
“Well, get to it faster.”
They returned to sparing. Applejack advanced on Zacon with a series of thrusts that he turned aside with hardly an effort. She turned to wide swings and the air rang with their blades’ protest. She could feel her stamina draining after the long day of work but she didn’t let it slow her down. She couldn’t let Zacon think she was weak. A stroke slipped under his blade and made a clinking sound as it bounced off the plates. Applejack had to block several quick swings and only barely kept her footing.
“It isn’t enough to touch the armor. You have to hit hard enough to stagger your opponent,” he said as she collected herself.
“I know.” Applejack stepped up again and drove into Zacon with renewed vigor.
Zacon only parried and blocked with a bored expression. When she thought she had an opening, he closed it down just as she was about to get through. With a growl of frustration, she pushed forward with aggressive thrusts that forced Zacon to take an involuntary step back. At last she saw a gap and went for it. Just before it connected, she saw that he wouldn’t be able to block it in time and she would succeed in hitting him…right under the plate over his heart.
She pulled back in time, but her blade received a sharp rap from the flat of Zacon’s sword that knocked her grip loose. Without pause, he brought his foreleg around and took hers out from under her. She fell to the grass with a grunt.
“You held back,” he said, standing over her.
“Only because I didn’t want to skewer you!”
“Exactly. You lack intent.”
“Intent? What do you mean?” Applejack tilted her head to one side as she picked herself up.
“The intent to kill.”
“I was supposed to try to kill you?! Are you crazy? Why would I do that?”
“I told you to hit me. I am more than capable of protecting myself. If you are worrying about my safety, you will never be able to seriously strike me.”
“I’d have put that one into yer heart.”
“No. I let you have that opening to see what you would do with it. You need to concentrate. I am your opponent and you must defeat me. If you don’t have the will to do so, you will not survive.”
He returned to a defensive stance and waited. Applejack took her sword in her mouth again and stepped up. She looked past his face and only concentrated on his sword and footing. She didn’t know exactly what he expected her to do. It was almost as if he wanted her to really hurt him. Applejack pushed Zacon’s defenses more boldly and was met with reprisals. She was forced to ward off his blows in turn for each parry and block he made. When she missed a block, she received the flat of his blade on her forelegs and shoulders, and once, even the pommel across her forehead. And even when she managed to strike him, she was reprimanded.
“Harder,” he barked every time her sword clanged off his armor. “Harder!”
After minutes of enduring his punishment, she couldn’t take it anymore. She swung, not at his armor, but at his sword and knocked it sideways. Whirling around, she planted her hooves and kicked before he could raise the weapon again. Zacon’s head snapped back and he staggered. His sword fell from his mouth and blood leaked from his lips. He simply stared at Applejack with wide eyes. She stood her ground breathing hard for a moment but as he remained silent and continued to stare, she felt uneasy.
“Now,” he said at last, stretching out the word slowly. “Now, you may be starting to get it.” He spat a gob of bloody spittle and grinned at her.
“Ya’ll were waitin’ for me to do that?” She cocked her head to one side. She was starting to get a crick in her neck from all of the confusing things he’d said.
“Or something along that line, yes. You see, not once during all of our sparring did I feel threatened by you. And it was because you never meant to harm me. Without the intent, you would never succeed in doing so. But just now? You had the intent. I pushed you until you wished to hurt me, and suddenly, you could.” He brushed more blood from his lips with a hoof and nodded at the stain. “It was a good blow too.”
“I don’t quite get it. I was tryin' to hit you the whole time. I just couldn’t manage to get past you enough to satisfy your standards.”
“That is because you were doing it mechanically. By the letter of the training I’d given you. You need to be able to fight in the heat of battle, not the calm of practice. By teaching you how to find an opening, and having you concentrate on that idea while pushing you to anger, I set you up to deliver a precise and dangerous hit at the right time and with the will necessary to hurt me.”
Applejack shook her head slowly. “Ya’ll really are crazy if that was your plan all along.”
“Yes, maybe I am. But you are the one who came to me for training.” He chuckled. “Doesn’t that make you at least as crazy? And more importantly, aren’t you getting what you wanted?”
Applejack opened her mouth but stopped to consider the prospect. Then she smiled. “I suppose you're right. This is what I asked for.”
“Good. This is the most important lesson I can teach. You must want to hurt your opponent; want to kill them. I am finished here for today. You are not. I want to see these trees carved to splinters before I return tomorrow.” He stuck his sword into one of the ash trees and left it there. “Attack them as if they meant to burn your town to the ground. Kill them as if they meant to kill you. You must do enough damage to each that they would no longer be living if they were a real enemy.”
Zacon turned and left. Applejack glanced at the sword stuck in the tree beside her and then at the dozen trees around her. Despite how tired she already was, she approached one grimly and began to attack. She did not relent until after the moon had risen.