“Are you ready?” Starswirl the Bearded strolled out into the middle of the courtyard, trailing beside him a large crooked stick— his staff. He stopped roughly half way between the castle entrance and a small sapling planted in the far corner. Standing before him, but a few feet away, was his current pupil. A meek and pale, wide eyed little filly.
She swallowed a lump in her throat, and casting a quick spell to push her pinkish mane out of her eyes, she nodded. “Aye”
“Very well then,” Starswirl’s staff took up a cyan glow and levitated in front of him. It hung there for a moment and planted itself firmly in the dirt. It moved steadily around Starswirl, drawing a circle before returning to its master’s side. “Your task for today is to knock me out of this circle.”
The filly wearily approached the circle and slowly began to skulk around its outside, eyeing Starswirl carefully. As she moved around behind her mentor she did a short spin on her hooves bucked back.
Starswirl wasn’t fazed for a moment. He moved swiftly and fluidly, simply ducking out of the way as a white hoof flung past his head. Then with ease hooked the hoof with the crook of his staff and flung her over his shoulder and into the dirt on the opposite side. “Don’t be rash. Think out your strategy before you attack.”
The filly refused to acknowledge, simply getting back up to her hooves and shaking the dust out of her mane, and resumed her pacing.
This time she opted to use magic. She began circling far out but slowly drew in closer as she gathered magic in her horn. Feeling the energy reach its climax the filly closed her eyes and selected the spell, a dizzying spell, something that would surely knock him out. She was just getting ready to cast the spell, with all the details falling into place when her thoughts were broken by a sharp pang to her forehead and the distinct taste of raspberries.
The filly recoiled and fell back onto her haunches rubbing her horn. She looked up to see Starswirl’s staff levitating back to his side. “Be swift. Don’t over think your strategy lest your foe takes the chance to strike.”
After tending to her aches the filly got back up and resumed her circling. This time she chose to keep her distance and think more carefully. This time she chose a different spell, something she knew she could cast quickly. She formed it in her mind and jumped to action, letting loose with a weak beam of energy and rushing Starswirl from the side immediately after.
The initial attack was easily deflected with a swipe of Starswirl’s staff, and he turned to block the second blow from the filly’s hoof. He lifted his staff to intersect but was mortified to find that the strike had never come. Rather, the hoof, and indeed the whole pony herself passed straight through his staff and vanished in a shower of sparkles. Starswirl had no time to react when the actual attack, a concussion spell, hit him from behind.
Starswirl found himself disorientated and failed to keep his balance; he teetered for moment before toppling over unceremoniously, outside the boundary of the circle.
The filly rushed over to him and offered a hoof to help, “Are you all right?”
Starswirl caught a slight giggle in his throat and sat up on his haunches. “Impressive, Sunny; you’re illusions are improving. I dare say you will someday be as good as your sister.”
Sunny ‘Celestia’ Skies bowed her head, trying to hide her profuse blushing, “Thank you sensei.”
“Now,” Starswirl stood himself up fully with the aid of his staff and stepped back inside the circle, “Again.”
“Again” Princess Celestia stated flatly, her smooth voice echoing though the same courtyard that she had trained in all those years ago.
She got back up to her hooves, discarding the broken teacup, and stepped back into the circle drawn in the dirt. Several guards stood in the background pretending to keep guard but watching on eagerly. Before Celestia stood the ragged form of her previous student, now turned Alicorn; Princess Twilight Sparkle.
She’d taken up a wide stance and was breathing heavily, as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “I still don’t understand this.” Twilight shook her head, “Why do I have to learn to fight? I’m already stronger than most Unicorns and we can just use the Elements of Harmony to...”
Celestia shook her head, “It is our tradition, Twilight.”
“Even in these times of peace, it is important that a princess know how to defend herself without the aid of the elements. Brute force is not always the only option, nor is it the best option.” Celestia waved a hoof, beckoning one of the castle staff over. A cream Unicorn mare approached from the sidelines, carrying a tray in her magical grasp with a pair of teacups and a teapot. Celestia grabbed one of the cups in her aura and levitated the teapot to fill it.
She thanked the tea mare, and they waited patiently as she returned to her position on the castle veranda. Celestia took a quick sip of the tea and let it settle beside her. “Now, Twilight; knock me out of the circle again.”