//------------------------------//
// Chapter II: The Art of Swordplay (Edited by author) 
// Story: The Great Powers Within 
// by PanzerAsp RD 
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     Chrysalis led me out of the room with the orb, I felt horrible for the Changelings. They didn’t do anything to harm the ponies, but they still were driven into the Everfree Forest, like vermin. I passed several doors and rooms while walking through the castle with Queen Chrysalis. 

We eventually came to a large completely empty room. Chrysalis motioned for me to enter, so I did. She followed me in, and closed the door. She then turned to me.

“Before we can even dream of retaking The Hive, you need to master your abilities. You can do things no one else could ever do.” She explained. 

“But, why me? Why am I so special?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Novy. I just know that I can sense great things residing within you. Things no one has seen in the history of The Hive.” answered Chrysalis. 

“Well, how should I start my training?” I asked feeling ready to give this a try.

“I want to see how good your reflexes are…” She said, as a cube fell down next to her. I looked up trying to pinpoint where it had come from. Then, I felt a pain surge through my chest as I was thrown back into the wall, the cube falling onto my lap as I sat against the wall, trying to catch my breath. Chrysalis lifted the cube off me and put it next to my leg with her magic. 

I stood up, holding my side. The pain still pounding away at my chest. 

“Okay, so advanced reflexes are a not…” said Chrysalis with a sort of grin on her face. 

“N-No...try it again…” I stepped back from Chrysalis and got ready to dodge. She lifted the cube again and launched it towards me, I jumped to the side, but as I did my leg was hit by the cube. I fell to the floor holding my knee. Chrysalis moved the cube again. 

“Perhaps we should come back to it tomorrow?” suggested the Changeling Queen. I didn’t want to fail...I stood again, the pain in my leg still furious. 

“Again.” I said as I prepared myself once more.  She lifted the cube and threw it with her magic, this time I rolled to the side, careful to keep my legs out of range. I stood up, feeling out of breath. 

“Bravo, Novy.” She said smiling. 

“Got anything else to try?” I asked, feeling more confident. A sword fell from above us, and the Queen caught it with her magic, she levitated it over to me and I took the blade. I studied it, it had a black blade and the handle was a light green. There was a thin red line spiraling down the blade. 

“Attack me.” Chrysalis said with a grin. I gave a confused look. “Relax, you won’t hurt me.”  I held the blade in a combative stance. I ran toward the Queen and started to bring the blade down on her head, but I was thrown back by an unseen force. I hit the wall once more and slid to the floor. I rubbed my head and stood up.

“You have good form, but you weren’t accounting for all my strengths, you should’ve expected me to use magic, you’ve seen it firsthand.” She explained. I thought about her words, what could she do that I know about? She can use magic, possibly use her horn to  actually attack, and fly...I stood up again, and resumed my battle stance. I dove to her side, evading a magical blast and hopped onto her back, Chrysalis tried to get me off but I put my sword around her neck and against her throat. She stopped and stood still, I moved the sword away and climbed off her back, and she looked at me with something like...a twisted pride, she had a grin, but it made mee feeel nervous rather than happy. 

“Now that, that was skill. You are a good swordsman, and a smart fighter.” she praised, a drone flew in and slammed into me, knocking me over. I hit the drone in the head with the hilt of my sword, and threw it against the wall. 

“I am fine, now leave.” Chrysalis ordered the drone, it struggled to stand and left the room. I looked at Chrysalis.

“It seems we’ve found one of the skills you exceed in.” Chrysalis said as she grinned. A piece of dark-colored wood fell from above us, and landed in front of me. Chrysalis held it in the air with her magic. "This is Evertree wood, extremely tough, but still cuttable." 

“Attack the wood. I doubt it will break while you practice, so givve it eeveerything you've got.” She told me. I ran to the piece of wood and summed up all my strength as I brought the sword down on the piece of wood, sliced it in half, right down the middle. I looked up and saw the astonished look on the Queens face. 

“You may be more capable than I’d thought…keep this sword, it suits you, meanwhile I will let you explore the castle, my Changeling subjects will follow your orders just as they would mine.” She said. I nodded and left the room, after all that, I just wanted to go to sleep. I walked down the corridor we came from, and tried to remember which room was mine. I walked down the corridor I had came from, and after some time, I approached a door with a drone standing next to the door. 

“Is this room mine?” I asked. The drone just opened the door, not saying anything. I walked inside, it was in fact my room. I walked over to the bed and sat down, putting my sword on the stand beside it. I lifted my shirt and looked down at my chest, I had a large bruise along my side, when I touched it, it felt like I was getting hit by the cube again. I lifted my leg up onto  the bed and pulled the pants leg up, my leg was blue with the bruise from the cube. I had put my leg back on the floor, when a drone walked into the room, he put a sheathe for my sword on the stand and left. I stood up and put the sheathe on the sword, Chrysalis was right, this sword did suit me.