//------------------------------// // Chapter III: Training // Story: The Twilight Assassin // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter III Training After his meeting with the Princesses, Saber soon found himself in a small twenty by twenty foot room. A simple twin bed was in the far corner and a desk was near a barred window. It may have looked simple to any other person, but to him it might have well have been paradise. There was also a large bath. In the mines if you needed to relieve yourself you’d need to find a corner and you could forget about privacy. Every time you turned your back you were at risk of someone taking something from you; your food, water, anything you may have smuggled and more importantly, your pride. Some poor saps mistook him for fresh meat and tried to jump him when he had his back turned. Biggest mistake of their lives, apart from whatever they did to land themselves in that pit in the first place. After he dispatched the fools no one dared make the same mistake. The only ones who made his life hell were the guards and the warden who was under strict orders to keep him alive for as long as possible so he could suffer. As for cleanliness and bathing, once in a while the guards would use water spells or hoses that blasted out water fast enough to rip at your skin. A quick jerk on the shackles on his wrists brought him back to reality. “Hurry up and strip.” Ebony hissed as she pulled him into the restroom. “At least buy me a pint and a meal first.” She responded by pulling her blade a few inches out of her sheath. He rolled his eyes and presented his wrists to her. “Unless you plan to wash me, I’ll need my hands.” She slid the blade back in it’s sheath and grabbed the key from her pocket. She pointed the key at him and narrowed her eyes. “If you even think about running,“ He held up his shackled hands as a gesture to stop her from talking. “Oh for god’s sake, you people must read from the same book.” He said in an irritated tone. “I’m fairly certain even a child could handle me while I’m in this state.” She huffed and put the key in the slot and unlocked the restraints. She let the shackles fall to the ground and clatter against the stone floor. Ebony made her way out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Saber looked at the bathroom and there was only a barred glass window to let steam out. He set the bath to run and looked out the window. He could see almost all of Canterlot from the tiny window. He looked down and saw what had to be over a five-hundred foot drop to the ground. No getting out that way and the bars have to be reinforced steel. He peeled the remains of his clothes off his body and slowly slid himself into the tub. He felt as if he was getting a full body massage that were treating all the pain he’d suffered in that hell hole. Soon, the clear water turned dark from the filth that had clung to him like a second skin. There was a hard knock on the door. “Hurry up.” Ebony barked. “Woman, I’ve been trapped in a death camp with no warm water for years. So would you kindly shut up and leave me in peace for ten minutes?” Saber heard the woman grumble and he returned to washing himself. His whole body ached as the warm water released all the kinks that had formed in his joints. He stood up out of the bath and looked in the mirror. He looked like a ghoul you’d hear about in children’s ghost stories. He drained the now grey colored water out of the tub and changed into the clothes they’d given to him. It was a simple brown tunic and similar matching pants. It felt good to have something a little more than scraps hanging on his form. He started to inspect himself in the mirror after dressing and was somewhat pleased with what he saw. He needed to trim his hair at some point as it was getting in the way of his face and would be a pain to contend with along with the patchy beard on his face. Another series of harsh knocks fell on the door. “I’ll be out in a minute. Impatience isn’t very becoming of you.” “Hurry up or your food will get cold.” That made Saber pause. Food? Actual food? He shook his hair dry like a dog would and threw the door open. Sure enough sitting on his desk was a platter with a covering and some utensils on the side. He quickly made his way over and removed the lid to see a prime flank steak cooked to perfection, a dollop of mashed potatoes and green beans cooked with almonds. The smell alone made him even hungrier than before, if that were possible. Saber quickly sat himself down and shoveled the food into his mouth. He didn’t even bother to use the fork and knife for the steak and picked it up with his hands. With every bit the juices absorbed by the meat oozed out and filled his mouth with flavor. It had to be the best steak he’d ever eaten. “I would slow down and not each so much if I were you.” Saber looked to his right and saw Amber, still in her armor, sitting in a chair with one of her legs crossed over the other. A smirk spread across her face. “I always thought you were a mad dog and seeing you like this just proves it.” Saber ignored her and allowed his senses to be further entranced by the meat. Two hours later, Saber was in agony as he held a trash can and emptied his dinner into it. His stomach felt as if it were about to burst. He should’ve known that his stomach had shrunk since his imprisonment. “I told you not to eat so much.” Ebony said with an amused smile on her face. “Isn’t there someone else you can annoy?” He hissed. The clock tower in Canterlot Square chimed ten times. Ebony stood up and made her way towards the door. “Get your rest. You’re gonna need it for tomorrow.” She said with a wicked grin on her face. “Thanks for the encouragement.” He said dryly as she walked out into the hallway. “Just in case you get bored and try to go snooping,” Saber looked towards the door and saw two guards in full armor on either side of the doorway look inside. “these two gentlemen will be more than happy to keep you company.” With those words, she left Saber and head back to her quarters. Saber spent the next hour or so vomiting up the food he’d eaten before he eventually crawled into bed and stared up at the ceiling trying to get to sleep. The next day, Ebony walked in to see Saber asleep on the floor with the covers pulled off the mattress and messily pulled over his body. “Wake up!” Her loud voice stirred the man who looked at Ebony and sighed heavily. “Five more minutes,” He said turning back over in his makeshift bed. Ebony walked up and kicked his leg. “Fine.” He said getting up and walked into the bathroom to wash his face. “Why were you on the floor?” She asked looking at the strewn covers and pillow. “I’m not used to sleeping on a bed so I couldn’t get comfortable.” He said as he dried his face and walked out. “So where to?” “First some breakfast then training grounds, now hurry up and try not to empty your stomach this time.” Saber followed her out the door and two guards each holding a spear followed them. He technically was still a prisoner after all. Saber settled for an apple before going down to the training area. The training grounds was more like a large courtyard with a plethora of different weapon racks and obstacle courses. There was a drill instructor with short cut blonde hair and golden wings. His grey T-shirt seemed to stretch against his muscles. “Finally, let’s get down to business.” He barked. They decided to warm up with a few laps around the practice course. On the second lap, Saber started to lag behind and his lungs felt like they were on fire. He had to stop halfway through the third lap to catch his breath. “Hurry up, there are at least a dozen other things to do today.” The trainer barked. Saber grunted at the trainer’s words and could see Ebony smiling slightly at his discomfort. He finished the laps and walked over to a rack that had several bars welded to it. “Get to it.” Saber jumped up and grabbed the bar and started brining his chest level with the bar. Ebony was surprised by how many he could do despite his current frail form. Saber steadied himself on his knees and panted as Ebony walked up to him. “I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t think you’d be able to do more than two.” She crossed her arms under her chest. “We had to use pick axes and sledge hammers in the mines.” He said as he went over to a water spice and held his head under it as the cold refreshing water washed over him. “They let you use tools like that?” “What’d you expect us to use to mine rock with, our finger nails?” He said with a hint of sarcasm. “Granted we were under constant supervision and if you ever tried using them as weapons you get three lashes across the back.” He winced slightly as he remembered the sting of the whip on his flesh. “It’s a disciplinary method.” Saber turned the water off and pushed his hair out of his face. “No, sometimes the guards did it if they were just bored and wanted to watch us squirm or beg for mercy. Something they never heard from me.” Ebony frowned at the assassin. “Everyone in there deserved what they got.” He tone was steady and colder than any winter. “For some, however there were a few people that never did anything wrong.” He said as he dried his face off. “I remember talking with some kid there, couldn’t be older than fifteen. Want to know what he did?” She shook her head as she pondered why one so young would be sent to a death camp. “Nothing, he was some nobleman’s bastard he had with a prostitute and he didn’t want anyone to find out. So, the kid was kidnapped, his mother’s throat was slit and was shipped off to die in a hole.” Ebony glared at him at how calmly the words came from his lips. “The kid was one of the few nice ones there.” The guard had a look of disbelief on her face. “Are you really that surprised? Stuff like that happens all the time. Of course I wouldn’t expect a refined individual such as yourself to know anything about the poor and needy.” Ebony ground her teeth and glared daggers into the man as he left to continue his training. By mid day, Saber had gone through several rounds of crunches, pull ups and laps around the whole course. The next part was sparring practice. The guard facing him had short blonde hair and was built like a brick wall. His shirt stretched across his chest and Saber could see that his abs could be used to grind meat. Saber cracked his neck and took a stance foreign to the guard. “Begin!” The large guard rushed forwards and tried to nail him with a right hook. Saber quickly dodged the blow and could see the man’s arm muscles contracting. Even he knew that if he took one bad hit from the guard it’d be all over. He quickly got some distance between himself and the brute. “Quit dancing around and fight.” The guard snarled as he charged again. “But dancing is so much more fun.” Saber ducked under another right hook, but this time landed a few blows to the man’s stomach and right thigh with his open palms. Saber felt the wall of muscle that was his stomach. The guard brought his knee up and slammed it into Saber’s gut. The assassin grunted in pain as he was launched onto his back. Saber panted as he stood up to see the man charging at him. As he came within five feet the guard’s right leg gave out and he stumbled. That one flaw was more than enough for assassin to strike. Saber lashed out with incredible speed and got in close to the larger man. He slammed his palm into the guard’s chin and kicked him in the stomach. Without missing a beat, he whirled around with his other hand open and slammed it into the man’s muscle bound stomach. Saber felt the man’s wall of hard muscle against his palm. It was as if he was hitting a wall of solid wood. The blow sent the man on his back and he wailed in pain as he clutched his stomach. As he tried to get up, he coughed up a torrent of blood and the trainer called the sparring match over. “Well, that was disappointing.” Saber said as Ebony walked up to him hand on her sword blade. She looked at the blood soaked guard and then back to Saber. “What did you just do?” “I won.” He said in a proud tone. “I thought that was the point.” “I meant how did you do it? I’ve never seen anyone fight like that before.” She said in a stagnant tone. He simply shrugged with an oblivious look on his face. “When you’re in my profession you tend to learn a few things.” The first day of training was over. Saber was escorted back to the room by Ebony who kept her eyes on the man at all times. As they walked by the cafeteria, they caught the attention of several guards who started to point and whisper at the two. “We’re quite popular.” Saber commented in a flippant tone. “Do any of them know about me?” “On paper you’re officially dead.” She said in a stagnant tone as they walked through the halls. “Died in a prison fight if I remember correctly.” “Dead man walking?” He smirked. “I suppose it’s for the best. After all how would it look if the press and neighboring countries found out that the Princesses of Equestria and Crystal Empire came to an assassin for help?” Ebony huffed at the smug tone as they reached his room. She opened the door and pushed him inside. “I don’t get to enjoy your company today?” He said as Ebony unshackled him. “I have other duties besides babysitting you.” She said before closing the door to his cell with a hard slam. “What am I supposed to do, twiddle my thumbs?” Ebony walked away without uttering a word to him. He slumped against the wall and groaned in boredom. He face towards the ceiling and took in a deep breath as he laid down on his bed. He thought about Purgatory and all those poor souls trapped there. He thought about the back breaking labor they forced on the sick and elderly. Most of them were slaves brought by the Changeling Imperium. A few years ago, Queen Chrysalis rallied several supporters and even had the gall to attack Equestria openly. Her attempt failed miserably and she fled back to her lands with what forces she had. After her return, she seized control of the Changeling throne and declared war on the rightful rulers who went into hiding and the surrounding countries were feeling her wrath. Anyone under the suspicion of aiding them or any of her enemies were met with the sword, or worst, put into Purgatory. He’d met several supporters of the rightful rulers, the ones who didn’t go mad or were put to the sword anyway. Saber was shaken from his thought as he heard a hard knock on the door. Saber walked up and slid the piece of wood aside to see Princess Celestia standing with her arms crossed and Solaris by her side. “What do you want?” “Stand at the far edge of the room and don’t move.” The guard barked. Saber did as he asked and walked to the back of the room and stood against the wall as the door opened and the two stepped inside before closing the door behind them. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of the company of a Princess and her loyal lap dog?” Solaris grit his teeth as Saber crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. A bored and unimpressed look strewn across his face. “We saw that guard who’m you fought.” Celestia stated in a stern tone as her rose colored eyes focused on Saber. “He has internal damage to his liver and one kidney.” She stated. “How did you do this in your state?” Solaris had been a guard nearly all his adult life and had never seen anyone fight the way he did. Saber gave a neutral shrug brushing the question off as though it were a spider crawling on his arm. The visitors frowned at his silence. “I’m here to get back in shape so I can protect this new Princess. I don’t need to explain my methods.” A thought came into the man’s head and a wry smile spread across his face. “However, we might be able to help one another out.” He said in a relaxed tone. “You see I can’t help but feel incredibly bored while I’m cooped up in here. It would be a big help if I could get some entertainment.” Solaris quirked an eyebrow. “Give me access to your library and then we’ll see about talking.” “I think we might be able to arrange something like that, but you’ll only be allowed to look at the books I approve.” Solaris said in a flat tone. “Fine.” He cracked his neck and sighed. “I’ve trained with many different kinds of people, both in and out of Equestria. Throughout my career I’ve developed my own fighting style that bypasses the tradition bruises and breaking of bones into something a little more efficient.” He smiled a brutal smile. “With my skill and vast knowledge of the human body I know exactly where to hit to incapacitate or kill a man without leaving a trace that I did it.” Solaris narrowed his eyes. “That’s all you’re getting for now. Now a deal was a deal.” Ten minutes later Saber was walking through the doors of the castle’s library with Solaris by his side. He couldn’t help but gawk as he saw the tens of thousands of books laid out before him on shelves, stacks and others were being piled on carts and moved to different areas. “I’m probably going to have to take some back to my room.” “Do as you wish, but you need to make a formal request with the librarian.” Solaris pointed to an older gentleman with half moon shaped glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. “Just be careful, because no god will be able to save you from him if you mistreat his books.” ~~~ Hours later, Ebony returned from her duties and went to check on her charge. As she walked through the hallways the male guard either stiffened to attention or got out of her way. No one dared to a glance at her assets else they’d end up in the infirmary. She stopped in front of Saber’s door and the two guards stood at attention. “Anything to report?” It was more of a demand then a question. “Not a thing ma’am,” The guard on the left stated. “Been quiet as a mouse since he got back with Lord Solaris.” She raised an eyebrow at the words. She barged into the cell and stopped in her tracks as she felt her toe hit something. Ebony looked down to see it was a red leather bound book. She looked up and her jaw dropped as she saw that books were scattered all around the room. Several were around the man as he sat at his desk while others were in many piles. Some stacks were piled halfway to the ceiling while some were on and under the man’s desk. “Careful with those,” Saber snapped as he looked up from the book in his hand. “The last thing I need to get another lecture from that crabby librarian.” He huffed turning back to his book. “What in the name of Luna is all this?” Ebony gestured to the utter disarray of the room. Saber looked back at her once and again and pointed to the book in is hand. “Well, Ebony this here is what’s known as a book.” He said as if he were talking to a particularly stupid child. She scowled at him with her golden eyes. “I meant where did they come from?” “The castle library and before you think of reporting this to Celestia, she already knows.” He closed the book in his hand. “Her lapdog also approved the ones here.” A half truth really, he’d managed to slip one or two titles under the guard’s nose. Ebony’s eyes wandered down to the book he was previous reading. Saber followed he gaze and held up the book. “Just a refresher in medical plants, mostly just journals.” He set the book down and stretched his arms. “Well, as much as I’d love to chat I need to sleep.” He said as he flopped on his bed. “Not before you explain what you did this afternoon in the sparring match.” He let out a loud groan. “I don’t have to explain anything to you.” He said in a firm tone. “Now be a good little house cat and leave me to sleep in peace.” He said as he made a shooing motion with his hand. “Don’t give me orders. Remember who is in control.” She said as she stormed out of the room and locked the door behind her. Saber looked at his hand in the dull torch light. Oh trust me, I know all to well who is in control. He thought as he tried to sleep. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t quiet his thoughts plagued by names and the faces behind them were all the more horrifying. The spider, the wolf, the fox, the snake, the bear, the wolverine, the tiger, and the hawk, eight names. Eight targets. Eight individuals who will regret not killing me when they had the chance. He had burned their names and faces into his mind three years ago and for every night for three years he recounted them. His eyes started to grow heavy and he thought dark thoughts before drifting off into sleep. For the rest of the week Saber was subjected to the same brutal workout and then some. No doubt because Ebony was still miffed about her current situation. During his short break he decided to watch the other guards spar with one another. He watched their moves carefully and rolled his eyes at the rigid and regimented way they fought. They wouldn’t have lasted more than a minute against him or any person who had his training. Surprisingly, Ebony entered the ring and the other recruits all shifted uncomfortably while they stood in a circle. She pointed to one of the recruits and he hesitantly stepped forward with his fists raised. The recruit didn’t stand a chance against the dark haired woman. When he went to get a punch on her, she spun and gripped his arm before she threw him over her shoulders. He landed on the ground roughly and yielded. Saber had to give the woman credit, she knew how to handle herself in a fight. The recruit lightly limped his way over to the bench where Saber sat. He grunted as he sat down and rubbed his sore back. “I’m not even sure that’s even a woman.” “You’re correct.” The recruit looked at the white haired man. “I heard that she ate the heart of a panther and gained it’s strength.” He grinned. “The downside is that she gained it’s mannerisms and bloodlust. She takes baths in blood to sate her desires.” The recruit’s face went white as a sheet. “If you’ve got energy to talk then get in the circle.” Ebony called out to the assassin. Saber grinned and thought of something. He motioned the recruit closer and whispered something in his ear. The recruit shook his head violently and fear was strewn across his face. Saber stood up and made his way to the circle. The recruit rejoined the others and started whispering to them. Ebony watched as each one of the soldier’s faces grew pale. She shoved her curiosity out of her mind and focused on the man in front of her. Ebony sized him up. He was still fairly weak and his gangly form looked like it would break like a dry twig. She got into a stance and the two started to circle one another. With blinding swiftness she struck out with her fist at the man’s chest. Saber dodged her and slapped her on the side of her head like a parent would to their naughty child. Ebony grit her teeth and lashed out again only to have it blocked by his arm. She quickly went to sweep his legs out from under him with a kick, but her attack was in vain as he jumped back and balanced himself on the balls of his feet. Saber flashed her a smug grin and a wink. Ebony spat and charged at the man. He was surprised by her sudden vigor as she unleashed a volley of punches. Saber did his best to block and dodge, but he was still weak from his time in Purgatory. A hard fist landed in his gut and another on his lip. Saber staggered back and touched his lip. He tasted blood in his mouth and looked back at Ebony who had a half smile on her face. Saber spat the blood out and charged at the woman. He shot a slim hand out towards her to get a hold on her. Ebony spun out of the way and the two started to exchange blows and kicks. Neither of them could connect with the other. It was like watching two men trying to grab smoke. In all the twirling, Ebony took one wrong step and her balance faltered. In that brief moment Saber got the upper hand and Ebony felt a firm hand slap her. She froze as she realized that he had swatted her on the ass if she were nothing more than a low bodice serving girl. The woman turned and faced the man who stood with his arms folded and a smirk on his face. Several of the men chuckled while the others looked mortified. Ebony’s face was red with anger as Saber held both hands up. “I forfeit.” He said as he made his way out of the ring and sat back down. Ebony called for them to start running laps. Saber leaned against a wall as Ebony marched up to him, here eyes like daggers. “You’ve got a lot of nerve.” She said in a terrifyingly calm tone. “Nerve is a requirement in my profession.” He looked at her and he smiled. Ebony’s upper lip twitched in anger like a dog’s would as it snarled. “Well, look at this; those flashing eyes, those pursing lips and that small snarl. You know something Lieutenant?” He put a hand to his chin as if her were examining a fine piece of art. “You are quite ugly when you’re angry.” A hard fist slammed against the stone next to his head and Saber could hear it crack. Saber didn’t flinch even when a small cut appeared on his cheek. “If the Princesses didn’t need you I’d crush your head with my bare hands.” Her eyes were filled with fury. “But they do need me and that must vex you to no end.” He said as she removed her fist from the stone and backed away from the man. “If you do anything to disrespect me in front of the men again, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born.” She hissed before she stomped away from him. Saber finished his training and returned to his room to read before drifting off to sleep.