“So, you want me to train you?”
It had been an hour since Link was attacked. They were now sitting inside Orca’s house, which was near the cliffside. The first floor was a dojo, many weapons lying about here and there. Link’s head was bandaged with his horn poking a hole through the wrappings. Those guards really got him with a nasty hit on his head.
“Of course! I couldn’t beat those guards, but you just dealt with them as if they were nothing! You didn’t even get scratched!” Link said in excitement. He watched with stars in his eyes as Orca did a little twirl with his spear.
“I was good, wasn’t I?” he said boastfully. Link nodded his head rapidly in agreement.
“If you would please excuse my interruption, but can somepony at least tell me that I’m not going to get arrested for this?” Lyra asked. She gestured over to the unconscious guards lying next her. Both of them had rather large lumps on their heads with an expression of pure bliss on their faces. One of them started drooling, causing Lyra to inch away from them. Orca chuckled.
“You won’t get arrested, my dear. If anything, they should be the ones behind bars. They illegally assaulted you and Link when they were supposed to be protecting you. In fact, they will be serving an even harsher punishment because they are royal guards. They just broke their honor code of not hurting anypony of innocence.” Orca’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “You are innocent, right?”
“We just came in town.” Lyra said, exasperated. “We didn’t do anything.” Orca nodded his head slowly.
“I believe you. Sorry about my prying. You just can’t trust anypony these days. Bandit activity has increased lately and few have become more daring, sneaking and stealing from this town right under our noses.” Lyra gasped.
“That’s terrible! Have they caught them yet?”
“No, but you can definitely see why. The royal guards are acting up.” Link’s eyes widened at that.
“What do you mean by acting up?” Link asked curiously. Orca turned to look at him.
“I mean by what just happened an hour ago. Well, maybe not exactly because what happened to you was far more aggressive than they usually were.” he explained before he looked up thoughtfully. “They were getting more aggressive. Some went as far as to insult the mares here greatly. It’s strange because of the fact that guards are trained to be silent, but deadly. Nothing can break their concentration and they rarely speak. Then all of a sudden, they start insulting random ponies. After we confronted them, they would act like they lost their memories.” he shook his head. “Its really strange.”
“You haven’t told us why you haven’t caught them yet.” Link pointed out. The eyes were back on him again.
“The royal guards refuse to. They keep claiming that nothing is wrong. Something is up with them and I intend to find out what.” Orca said with determination. Link’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something important back on the cliff.
“I think I may have something to speed up you search.” Link said. Everypony immediately turned to him, making him more self-concious.
“Well, what are you waiting for boy? This is a serious matter so spit it out!” Orca said impatiently.
“Calm down! It’s just that while I was fighting them, I noticed their eyes were deep black. I’m not stupid enough to know that it isn’t a normal eye color. Check them right now.” Link said as he went to the guards. He opened one eyelid slowly to show that one of them had green eyes. He went to the other one where he revealed the other guard had blue eyes.
“Sounds like a possession spell to me, but all of those were lost in time.” Lyra said thoughtfully. She put her hoof to her chin. “The spell’s effects are described exactly as you said Link, but the problem is that all of them are gone. Not even Princess Celestia herself remembers any. Or if she does, she refuses to give any details about them."
“Are you sure that the eyes were black?” Orca asked, getting in Link’s face. “This is very important information, one that is even worth bringing to Celestia herself.”
“I’m sure of it.” Link said firmly as he slowly moved away from Orca. Orca’s face was grim.
“I fear that there is a bigger picture here.” Orca said in a grave tone. “But I don’t know what.”
“Urrgh...what happened.?”
Everyone froze when they heard an unknown voice near them. They all turned around to face the royal guard, who was just starting to wake up now. The royal guard yawned and turned to face them. His eyes widened.
“What the-!” he said in alarm before he reached for his side, only to grasp nothing. He saw Orca pull out the sword, twirling it around in his hoof. “Give that back! You’re all under arrest for assaulting a royal guard!”
“I don’t think so, my friend.” Orca said in an amused tone before he put the sword down. “You will be under arrest for assaulting these two young ponies here.” The guard’s eyes widened.
“B-but I didn’t-” he started to say before he was shushed immediately by one stern gaze from Orca.
“Save it!” Orca suddenly barked, startling Link and Lyra. “I want to know what is happening these past few weeks! First, you deny any claim of anything happening to this village while on patrol, which is obviously not true! Second, you started getting all stabby around the locals around here! Then you assaulted these two innocent ponies! And you know that I would never hurt your head Storm Bringer! You’re like a second grandson to me! Yet, you just fought me with the intent to kill not too long ago on that cliff! What has happened to you all?!”
Storm’s head went lower and lower during Orca’s rant. He was trembling all over. “I...I did all of that?”
“Yes you did.” Orca said with a huff. He was breathing heavily now that he was done with his speech. Link and Lyra’s eyes were wide with fear as they watched the two ponies interact with each other.
"B-but I... I don't remember any of that." Storm mumbled with his head still down. Orca stamped his hoof down angrily.
"You still have the nerve to use that excuse! Why you no good-"
"Wait!" Link cried out as he suddenly got in front of Storm with his forelegs spread out, blocking Storm from Orca. Orca just snorted.
"Why wait boy? He attacked you!"
"Let's hear his side." Link insisted. "My father always told me to listen to everypony's story first when there is a problem then analyze the details." Orca's eyes widened.
"I almost lashed out-" he said in alarm before suddenly lowering his head down. An ashamed expression settled on his face. "Forgive me. I broke one of my own codes of honor. I almost lost my patience. I spread word of being patient to my students when I'm only impatient. How hypocritical of me."
"Now that we're all cool here," Link said before he looked over at Storm. He had a surprised expression on his face. "Let's hear what you have to say."
Storm fearfully looked up into Orca's eyes. "I stand by my earlier statement. I truly don't know what happened. I was just hanging out with my buddy here when everything started getting hazy. Then I just felt a spike of anger within me when I saw...green? I'm not sure what that was about but then I finally found myself here. I'm telling the truth! Honest!"
Orca looked into Storm's eyes deeply, then sighed. "Okay. I believe you. I'm going to give you the benefit of doubt."
"Really?! Thank you so much! I won't let you down, my teacher!" He said joyfully. Orca nodded.
"I only hope I'm making the right choice." he said. Storm then looked over at where Link and Lyra was.
"I'm sorry for attacking you both. Hope you both can forgive me." He said sincerely. Lyra snorted.
"It's gonna take a lot more than that to make me forgive you." she huffed angrily. "You just attacked us. You could've killed us! Think about that for a moment."
"But Lyra, he could've been under mind control. Even then, he still apologized for his actions!" Link said, surprised by Lyra's words. Lyra looked down on him.
"It may be easy to forgive for you, but it is not easy for me. I normally am nice but when something happens to me, it makes it hard for me to trust again."
"But-"
"Leave it." Storm said, surprising Link. "I understand her actions. You are still young and may trust a bit easier. But who says that I won't attack you again? Lyra is wise to be cautious."
"I wonder why you got angry at green though..." Lyra mumbled to herself. Meanwhile, Link was not amused by Storm's comment.
"I'm not young!" Link said indignantly. Orca just ruffled his mane.
"You are and you know it." Link just huffed angrily and turned around. Orca chuckled. "Now about your training..."
"You're training him!?" Storm said, surprised. "Are you sure? He's still so young!" Link just glared at him angrily. He defended this guy and he pulls this off. Just when he thought they would've probably got along okay.
"Yes I am. Unlike the others I have trained, I have never seen this one's courage. When a foal as young as him would've been scared mindless from a royal guard attacking them, he stood his ground and actually started to fight. He actually held on longer than expected against you due to his size! He also has talent. Have you ever been trained before Link?"
"No." he answered. "I never was trained. It just...came to me."
"Raw talent then, which is even better." Orca said, nodding in approval. "Not even trained and he already can hold himself against a trained royal guard."
Link blushed in embarrassment. He didn't even do good back there. Storm had decimated him. Nevertheless, Orca continued.
"I also can see that there is an almost unconquerable determination residing within him. He had enough courage to go against you and had the determination to hold out on his own. He has a lot of potential." Suddenly, Orca's face hardened. "He does have a lot of flaws though. He is reckless and headstrong to go directly against you. His sword style is unrefined, choosing to go swing-happy instead of reading his opponent's movements and calculating his own moves. All of these can be fixed with training, if he accepts."
"I accept." Link said immediately. The fire within him roared with new heights triumphantly. His eyes held a fierce gleam of determination. He was not going to fail! He was going to rise, with his willpower conquering the world. He will survive, despite many of the odds that may go against him.
"Good!" Orca roared as he walked over to the wooden fish that was on his wall and pounded against it hard. The whole room shook as many things could be heard shattering upstairs. Orca and Storm suddenly paled.
"GODAMMIT!! CAN'T I JUST STUDY IN PEACE YOU STUPID FUCKERS!!!"
An angry little, brown pony trotted down the stairs looking very angry. He shared some resemblance with Orca, despite having a larger than normal head. Link and Lyra immediately went to the corner as Orca and Storm shared looks of defeat and just hung their heads.
"YOU LITTLE SONS OF THE DEVIL!!! ALWAYS POUNDING YOUR STUPID, FUCKING-" Suddenly, all the yelling became muffled as Link felt two things plug his ears. He looked up to see Lyra blocking his ears, giving him a weak smile. Her face looked a little bit greener than normal despite her fur color. Even Orca’s and Storm’s face looked a little green. Not that unknown pony’s face though. His was bright red. Link wondered why Lyra covered his ears.
Lyra’s horn suddenly flared to life, picking up Orca's spear. She used the butt of the spear to smash it against the big-headed pony's...well head. She kept on smashing him against it, much to Link's horror. Lyra then unplugged her hooves from Link's ears.
"HOW DARE YOU USE SUCH LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF ME AND THIS POOR CHILD!!" She screamed, making Link plug his own ears again. "UNACCEPTABLE!"
"What's going on here?" Link asked wearily, looking at Lyra and Orca. Orca then cleared his throat.
"This is my brother, Sturgeon." He said awkwardly as he pointed to the mismatched lump on the floor. Those are sure some nasty bumps and bruises. Link felt sorry for him, despite his earlier behavior. He didn't even know what he truly did wrong to deserve such punishment.
"What did he do?" Link asked as everypony looked at him. Lyra scratched her head awkwardly.
“He used...questionable language in front of you.” Lyra laughed nervously. Link nodded his head, but then frowned again.
“What’s fuck mean?” Everypony winced at that question.
“Nothing!” Lyra said hurriedly. She was sweating now. Link narrowed his eyes but laid off the subject for now.
“Sooo...about my training?” Link asked slowly. Orca’s eyes widened.
“Right! About that...are your parents okay with this?” he asked. Link immediately averted his eyes.
“He doesn’t want to talk about it.” Lyra said quickly. Link shot her a grateful gaze. Orca nodded his head.
“I see…”
“Ohhh, my head…” the pony named Sturgeon grumbled as he slowly got up. Everypony looked towards him. “What...happened?”
“What happened was that you felt the maternal wrath of a mare beating you up due to your dictation of impolite words.” Orca answered dryly. Sturgeon glared at him for his sarcastic response. He then looked around to find Link and Lyra staring at him. Lyra had a hard look on her eyes.
“I’m assuming the one that smashed my outer skull was that mare over there, but who’s the runt?” he asked, making Link grit his teeth.
“My name is Link and I am not a runt!” he said angrily. Sturgeon snorted.
“Then what does that make you then?” he sneered, making Orca intervene.
“He is my new pupil.” he answered, making Sturgeon’s eyes go wide.
“You can’t be serious?” Sturgeon said incredulously, making Orca’s eyes narrow. “This child is too young. You can’t possibly train him at this age.” Link was getting tired and angry from all these comments. Can’t anypony have a little faith in him at least?
“I can and I will.” Orca said defiantly. “He has a lot of raw potential, just waiting to be crafted into one of the most deadliest swordsponies in history. You, of all ponies, now what it is like to be shaping young ones’ potential.”
“But that’s for education.” Sturgeon insisted. “You’re talking about training a child into a swordspony. Education and Sword fighting are two very different things.” Link just about had it with the discussion.
“Excuse me, but this is MY decision, so it is my CHOICE to go into this. Even if it is long or painful, nothing will make me stray from this path.” Link said angrily. Sturgeon was silent for a moment.
“This child is different from the others, brother.” Orca said gently. “I can just see it.” Sturgeon finally answered.
“I will trust your judgement for now.” he said before looking at Link. “Be careful. Orca’s training may seem slow at first, but it will pick up pace until he will break you. That is all have to say.” He then turned back to the stairs and started to go up.
“Could you bring some food back to Link here? I bet he hasn’t eaten dinner yet.” Orca called. Sturgeon paused, before nodding and climbed up the rest of the stairs.
“He’s an odd one.” Lyra finally said, making everyone look over at her. Link had forgotten that she was still there along with Storm. Storm walked over to Link and ruffled his mane.
“Seems like you’re Orca’s new student, huh?” he grinned, making Link laugh nervously. Orca looked over to Lyra.
“Do you need something to eat? I imagine this whole ordeal has been stressful.” Lyra shook her head.
“Nah, I’m fine. Which reminds me of why I’m in Sunset. I’m visiting my grandmother. I imagine myself that she must be worried sick about me.”
“Well then go right now. You are welcome back here anytime. Well, welcomed back by me at least. I think Sturgeon still holds a grudge against you, given that he gave absolutely no attention to you when he found out.” Lyra laughed nervously at that.
“I’ll see you later Link. If you want, I can tell you more about that harp and even give you lessons.” she said as she rushed out the door. Link waved goodbye to her.
“She gave you that harp?” Orca asked as he pointed to the harp that was on the shelf. Link nodded. “It’s a pretty old thing.”
“That’s what she said also.” Link said as he looked over at Orca. “When does my training start and how long will it take?”
“You’re training will start tomorrow directly and it will take a whole month.”
“A WHOLE MONTH!?”
“You heard me right.”
“And it won’t be easy.” Storm added with a slightly sadistic grin. “Will I be able to help train him also?”
Orca smiled the same grin Storm had. “Of course.” Link was now thoroughly creeped out by the both of them.
“We will both spar tomorrow, as you are already tired and hungry. It will give me an idea of where your abilities lie at and where your specialties are.” Link nodded at that. “Good, now get some rest. I think we have some leftovers for you.” He then looked at the still unconscious guard in the corner. “Get your buddy guard out of here Storm. I will be having some words with him as well.” Storm gulped as he looked at his partner guard.
“I pity your soul.” he murmured to him before looking back at Orca and Link. “I’ll see you two later.” He then hastily made his way out of Orca’s living space, awkwardly carrying the guard over him. Orca then looked over at Link.
“Let’s show you your temporary room shall we?” Link smiled at him.
“Let’s do it.” They both went upstairs.
XxX
Link yawned as he went downstairs to Orca’s training room. He had removed the bandages from last night and put on his usual tunic and hat. Orca had woken him up early for his duel test with him. The both of them had ate their breakfast quickly as they went downstairs. Link’s sword was strapped behind him as Orca held his spear at ready. Storm greeted them when they were down.
"Ready your descent into hell?" Storm asked, grinning widely. Link nodded immediately. He didn't know what hell was though. Storm eyes then widened as he immediately pulled the shield from his back and handed it to Link. "I wanted to give you this in apology for last night's events. I heard from Lyra that you saved her, but in doing so your shield was stolen. I wanted to give you this one. Royal guard edition."
Link looked in awe at the shield. "But-"
"I ain't hearing any of that." he said with a small grin. "I also heard from Lyra that you can be a stubborn one as well." Link just shook his head in defeat as he admired the shield. It was definitely a royal guard edition. A big sun was in the top right corner while a big crescent moon was on the opposite one. Bright colors of pink, green, yellow, and blue blended in the top right half near the sun. The moon’s half had a mix of dark blue, black, and purple. It looked amazing. It must’ve taken an artist to do all of these shields the guards use.
“I don’t know what to say.” Link said in astonishment as he looked up at Storm. Storm nodded with a small smile. “Thank you.”
“You can thank me with an amazing battle today.” he said. Orca nodded as well as he got on one side of the training hall.
This was it. His one moment that would decide what he was going to be trained in. He levitated his sword and strapped his shield to his right hoof. He got into a battle stance on one end of the training hall. Orca held the spear menacingly as he went into his own battle stance.
“Ready for this?” Orca asked as he pawed the ground. Link just smirked confidently at him. His fire roared and danced around wildly as the same fierce glint in his eyes returned. He spoke the two words that would start this duel:
“Bring it.”
Orca let out a battle cry as he jumped forward, surprising Link. He jumped back in time before Orca could hit him. Link raised his shield to his face as Orca once more swung his spear. They collided with a loud clang. Link swiped his sword at Orca, only for him to block it easily. Link slashed over and over again, but to no avail as Orca either dodged or blocked the attack. This led Link to jump back and wait with his sword and shield raised to his face.
“You’ve got good instincts, young one.” Orca said as he rushed forward suddenly. “But instincts alone can’t save you in a fight!” Link’s sword and Orca’s spear clashed together. They both held their ground defiantly, unwilling to give up. Link failed to realize Orca’s hoof suddenly pushing forward, sweeping his other legs off the ground.
“ARGH!” Link grunted as he hit the dirt. The shield slid from his right leg, skidding across the floor. He looked over at his shield, then at Orca. “He got my shield away from me!” And it seems he's guarding it. He'll tear me to shreds if I go near it! he thought.
“Realizing your demise, Link?” Orca taunted before lunging towards him once more, putting Link on the defensive. Orca smashed the butt of his spear on Link’s face, causing him to fly away and skid on the dirt. Link immediately jumped up and tried to ignore the pain in his head. He quickly thought up of an idea to get his shield back. He charged forward and swung wildly. Orca blocked every one of his strikes, but it caused him to move back. He went far back enough to be near the shield.
“Good!” Link thought triumphantly as he reached his goal. Orca smiled suddenly.
“You have a pretty good plan there Link, but I’m afraid I have to end it.” Orca picked up the shield with his back hoof and tossed it away from him again. He front-flipped over Link, causing him to be between the shield and Link once more. Link fumed angrily.
“How’d you know?” Link asked as he grit his teeth. Orca chuckled.
“I’ve been training my whole life. Not only does my body work against my opponent, but my mind does as well. My mind is constantly at work as well as my body during a fight. While your mind is concentrated on keeping you alive, my mind is working, trying to find any evidence or clues as to what your next plan is. The sudden glint in your eyes in the direction of your shield hinted your intentions. After about a few steps in did my mind realize what you’re doing and devised a plan of my own. Sword fighting isn’t just about fancy tricks and blocking. It’s about the mind also constantly at work. Only the best swordsponies can think accurately and fight flawlessly at the same time.”
Link clenched his teeth. Orca was right, he was thinking about fighting. But that was the problem. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking of fighting. He was supposed to fight second-nature while thinking of multiple approaches depending on the situation he was in. This was tough business.
“I’m afraid I must end this.” Orca said as he suddenly lunged forward. Link tried to block but Orca knocked his sword away. He held his spear point at Link’s throat. “You have fought well, but in the end, the mind always is the best weapon there is. If we never had the mind, then we would never even learn to sword fight.” It was then at this moment that Link realized the Orca just toyed with him. He didn’t even bring some part of his power out. Link was batted away again.
Orca must’ve noticed the sudden look in Link’s eyes. “Don’t be like that child. I have trained in this art for many years. Storm too. You just started out and it is natural that you would lose like this.”
“That sure was one battle.” Storm whistled as he got a wet cloth. He handed it over to Link. “I haven’t seen an untrained youngling fight like that in my life ever! You could maybe classify as an intermediate.”
“Don’t fill the boy’s head with that nonsense.” Orca said sternly as Link wiped the sweat off his face. “I don’t need an egotistical student here.” Storm nodded and looked at Link.
“He still has more potential. I think he’s even better than me when I was his age or even older!” Storm said as he ruffled Link’s mane. Link shook his head in embarrassment. Orca nodded.
“He does have more potential than you. I wonder…” Orca said as he looked behind Link. Link shied away from him.
“What are you looking at?” Link asked as Orca shook his head.
“To see if you have a cutie mark or not.” Orca answered simply. Link looked at him in confusion.
“Why would you look there?” Orca chuckled in amusement.
“You have much curiosity inside you. That is good.” he said as he continued to chuckle.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Link said. Storm’s eyes widened for a bit then returned to their normal size. He shared a look with Orca, confirming his suspicions.
“Let’s get you cleaned up now.” Orca said. “You have a long day of training ahead of you.”
“I still have to train today?!” Link asked. He was already tired and bruised and it was still the morning! Orca nodded.
“Yes, now move along now. Let’s get you patched up.”
“Quit shoving me!”
“Well, if you don’t move then how am I supposed to patch you up?” Link just snorted angrily while Storm laughed and left to do his patrol. Link just sighed. He was not going to enjoy this one, single bit.
(Caretaker’s POV)
Caretaker hummed along the road to the cider cellar. It was a nice and beautiful morning. The birds chirped and the small morning breeze ruffled through her red mane. She looked positively cheerful this morning. She yawned as she continued down her path. She couldn’t wait to meet Link and String. She loved spending time with them, since her home life isn’t exactly hospitable…
Caretaker shook her head of any dark thoughts. She was on her way to meet one of her favorite ponies. Link’s childlike behavior with him acting like an adult was absolutely adorable to her. She already walked over to their house and knocked on the door. Nopony had replied so she assumed they were at their cider cellar.
Caretaker arrived to find the door open, but no noise came out of it. Now she looked on in confusion. There was always some talk between Link and his father, whether it be meaningful or random. Caretaker went inside to find nothing.
“Now this is completely strange.” she thought to herself as she continued to explore the room. Cider barrels were lined up in a completely organized fashion, but there was spider webs sticking on the corners of them. It made the place look older than it actually is. She then noticed a small trap door in the corner. "Wonder what's that all about."
She went to it and started to climb down. The farther she went down, the more grubby it got. Vines seeped out of the cracks as rats occasionally scurried down the hallway. She finally made it down to the bottom passageways. Torches barely lit the floors as she traveled along the hallways. "This doesn't look like part of the cider cellar."
She then went around the corner. What she saw made her eyes go wide. She screamed as loud as she could when she saw String's dead corpse, his dried blood spread out everywhere.