I stood in the streets of Canterlot, waiting. I knew that if I were to fail, it would mean the destruction of Equestria.
They arrived without warning. Thousands of them, swarming the streets, taking anypony they could catch. Soon they were upon me, and I felt something I haven't felt in a long time. Fear.
I fought for my life, striking down one after another, but for every one I killed, ten more took its place. It wasn't long before I was overwhelmed.
They tore into me, my blood streaming down my body from numerous wounds as I cried out in agony. As I took my last breath, one thought repeated itself in my mind.
I failed...
I woke with a start, a cold sweat pouring down my face. What...? A dream? It... it felt so real...
I rubbed my eyes, got out of the bed I was given, and checked the clock. 6:00AM. Ugh, I overslept.
I walked down the hall towards the dining area, the dream playing over in my mind. I couldn't get it off of my mind, it all felt to real to be a dream... Why is this bothering me so much? I've never been this concerned about a nightmare before-
"Altaïr." I nearly jumped as I was torn from my thoughts. I turned to face Princess Luna staring intently at me. I hastily bowed.
"You may rise." I rose to my full height again.
"Princess, do you mind me asking why you stopped me?" She stared intently, trying to find any weakness in my features.
"I know what happened this night. You had a most horrible nightmare." I was surprised, to say the least, but I kept it hidden.
"Yes, but, how do you know this?" I inquired. She giggled softly.
"I am the Princess of the Night. It is my duty to seek out and destroy nightmares across the Dreamscape." I nodded, intrigued. "However, I found myself restricted from your dream. I could sense it, but by the time I arrived, you were awake." She hung her head a little.
"Princess, there is nothing to be sorry about. I've been around violence for over half of my life. I'm not that easily shaken." She accepted this, and she nodded, still looking a bit depressed. I tried to take her mind off of it. "We should probably get to the dining hall. Breakfast is starting." She shot upright, and a huge smile suddenly came across her face.
"Oh! I almost forgot!"She dashed forward at a blinding speed, grabbing me and dragging me along. It's a miracle my robe stayed intact. I heard her say something about 'waffles', whatever those are.
That Evening, Canterlot Gardens, 6:27PM
As it turns out, waffles are delicious. That was probably one of the best breakfasts I've ever had, and that's saying a lot, living in a castle. The team I've been assigned to train has progressed significantly since that first night, performing precise strikes with relative ease. I'm seriously considering when they will be ready to join Spear and Rainbow at their level of training, but that was for another day.
I watched as Rainbow and Spear fought, always evenly matched. It was always a back-and-forth struggle between them, each looking for an advantage but never finding one. They were progressing far faster than any other of my students back at Masyaf, so today they would learn how to properly use their hidden blades.
"That's enough." They both turned to look at me, and they were surprised to see me holding their blades. "Put these on. It's about time you learned how to use them." They nodded excitedly, and put them on quickly. I flicked my hoof, and the blade sprang out.
"These were originally designed for stealth, but they make excellent weapons on open combat, if you have no alternatives." They nodded, listening closely to what I had to say. "Along with this, I'm going to show you how to use a sword as well. Spear, I know you have some experience with that already, but for Rainbow's sake, I'm going to let her start from where you did." Spear nodded. "For now though, let's begin with the hidden blades."
We spent the next few hours practicing how to properly block and strike with the blade (not on each other, of course).
"Good." Rainbow flopped down, exhausted. "I think that's enough for the night. Head home and get some rest. I'll see you both back here tomorrow." They said their goodbyes and left, and I went back to my room as well. I immediately went to bed, though it was not a pleasant sleep.