Chapter 10:
Serious And Intense Training
Luna gazed across the sleeping quarters, her posture ramrod straight and her eyes hard. Despite her firm demeanor, she resisted smiling as the morning gong rang across the palace. Before the sound could even fade, the Furious Five stepped out and stood at attention.
"Good morning, Master," The Five said in unison.
But one was missing. When Luna glared at the sleeping quarters of Twilight Sparkle, she found the door firmly shut. There was no sign of movement from inside.
"Unicorn!" Luna called in irritation.
No response.
"Pony! Wake up!" Luna shouted, storming over to the doors and throwing them open.
However, what greeted her was an empty cot, devoid of any sign of the purple unicorn. Luna let a small, satisfied chuckle escape her lips.
"She's quit," She declared.
The five obediently followed Luna out, though Fluttershy and Pinkie glanced sadly back at the empty cot. They had liked the unicorn and wanted to help her The other three, however, were more preoccupied with three younger students walking alongside them.
A brilliant gamboge Pegasus filly with purple hair strode proudly beside Rainbow Dash, a white unicorn filly with grayish mulberry hair with pale light grayish rose streaks walked close to Rarity, and a pale light grayish olive earth pony filly with brilliant amaranth hair shared a worried look with Applejack.
All of them kept a careful watch on Luna, who was walking with a skip in her step. She looked happier than she had been in years. It definitely wasn't something any of the students were use to. Carefully, Pinkie walked closer to the alicorn master. She decided to ask a question which she knew everypony else wanted an answer to, but were too afraid to ask.
"So… what do we do now, Master? If Twilight quit… who's going to be the Celestial Warrior?" Pinkie asked.
"All we can do is resume our training. And hope that one day…The true Celestial Warrior will be revealed." Luna declared, in a voice that was far from worried as she shared an expectant look with Rainbow Dash – a look Rainbow Dash gratefully returned with a nod.
Almost pirouetting, Luna opened the door… and the grin shot from her face faster than Derpy when she was scared.
It appears that Twilight Sparkle had not quit. For she was using the training room's equipment to attempt a full split. A small squeak of pain was escaping her, but she remained firmly in position, trying to read a scroll that she must have scrounged up from the palace library. A magic inhibitor ring was wrapped around her horn.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Luna demanded, half in disbelief, and half in anger.
Twilight nearly shot off the split equipment – and her fur – in fear, but her feet remained perfectly split apart.
"Um… G-Good morning, Master. I-I just thought I'd… warm up and… uh…" Twilight said, attempting to bow to her master as best she could while stuck in her position. She wriggled in her position, but her feet remained firmly stuck apart.
"You're stuck?" Luna muttered.
"What? Me? Stuck? No, I… I'm…" Twilight insisted as she struggled and writhed. Her horn even started to glow, more on instinct than anything else, but with the inhibitor on, the magic glow faded.
Twilight finally slumped and confessed, "Yes, I'm stuck. I'd use my magic… but you told me not to." She said, glancing up.
Despite Luna still feeling cheated that the purple unicorn had tricked her, she couldn't help but gaze at the inhibitor with a bit of respect.
'At least she has respect for the rule' Luna thought grudgingly.
"Someone help her," Luna ordered her students.
Rainbow moved forward instantly. With one hard yank, she pulled Twilight off the training tool before dropping her on the ground. Twilight gingerly got to her feet, nursing her stretched calves.
"Thank you," Twilight thanked, half-bowing to Rainbow Dash.
"Don't mention it." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Still, I really…" Twilight tried to say, but Rainbow Dash just glared her down.
"EVER," Rainbow growled, walking back to Luna's side.
"You actually thought you could do a full split in one night? It takes years to develop one's flexibility!" Luna demanded, seizing six plates of stones and throwing them high into the air.
Twilight flinched, watching the plates soar into the air, before noticing the three young fillies watching them as well, a grin appearing on their faces as their body tensed, awaiting Luna's command.
"And years longer to apply it to combat!" Luna continued, and with a snap of her fingers, the three fillies launched into the air and struck the plates with a split kick.
Twilight gaped in awe as she watched the fillies land and walked back to their master's side and to their sisters.
"How'd I do, Rainbow?" the brilliant gamboge Pegasus filly with purple hair asked.
"You were awesome, Scootaloo. Definitely made you 20% cooler." Rainbow Dash assured her as she ruffled the Pegasus' hair, and though there was no sign of them being related, Twilight could not deny the sisterly love between the two.
"Did I do good, Rarity?" The White Unicorn Filly with grayish mulberry hair with pale light grayish rose streaks asked.
"You did wonderful, Sweetie Belle. A little less graceful than I would like, but you at least kept your hair almost perfect." Rarity said, checking over her little sister for dust marks and crumbs.
"Almost…? Oh…" Sweetie Belle started to demand, only to see a single strand of hair waving in front of her eyes.
As for Applejack, she stood with her arms crossed and her Stetson on as her little sister approached her. Yet even her eyes shined with the proud light of an elder sibling.
"Well sis, How'd ah do?" the pale light grayish olive earth pony filly with brilliant amaranth hair asked.
"Ah think…Ah think ya did great, Applebloom. Nice job, lil sis." Applejack said, smiling before Applebloom could flinch down in nervousness.
As Twilight watched the signs of love between the three pairs of sisters – honorary or otherwise – the shattered stone plates rained down around the smiling purple unicorn. A larger chunk bounced off her head; a chunk Twilight tried to sneakily pick up.
"Put! That! DOWN! The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones!" Luna snapped.
Dropping the chunk of stone, Twilight bowed before Luna with her fist in her palm, "Yes, Master Luna,".
Luna's frown faded by a margin.
"Let's get started," She declared with a snap of her fingers, and her students moved into position…
"Pinkie Pie," Luna ordered.
"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie agreed, bouncing in front of Twilight before assuming an almost panther-like stance.
"Are you ready?" Pinkie asked with a grin.
Refusing to get caught off guard, Twilight assumed her stance.
"Born ready," Twilight declared, only to find herself staring down the barrel of Pinkie's party cannon.
Before she could shriek, "Not for that!" Pinkie said as she pulled the trigger with a gleeful laugh and…
BOOM!
Within a split second, Pinkie Pie had managed to launch Twilight into the air before blasting herself into the air. With a hard chop, Pinkie returned Twilight to the ground with a hard THUD!
Twilight groaned as she lay on the ground, Pinkie landing next to her.
"You okay? I'm so sorry, I thought you said you were ready." Pinkie Pie apologized, hoping she didn't hurt Twilight too much.
Twilight groaned, but then she saw Luna's glare. Privately, Luna was daring her to give up. To walk out like she should have done that morning. But Twilight would not. She would not disappoint her. Unaware of what disappointing the alicorn master really meant, the purple unicorn struggled to her feet, and planted her fist into her palm with a bow.
"That... was... awesome! Let's go again!" Twilight insisted, despite her mind saying otherwise, bowing to Master Luna.
Agitated, Luna snapped her fingers.
Rarity struts forward, grabbing two bo staffs from a rack nearby. Rarity stepped before Twilight and bowed, before tossing one of the wooden weapons at her.
"Stand ready," Luna said, as Rarity properly held her staff towards her opponent, Twilight copying her stance.
Luna smiled as Rarity spun her staff, striking Twilight in her side and earning a yelp of pain. However, as Rarity went for a second strike, she was blocked by the purple unicorn.
Emboldened, Twilight spun and struck Rarity in the stomach with the bottom of her staff. However, Rarity recovered faster than Twilight could adapt, and used her weapon to trip Twilight to the ground before pointing her staff at Twilight's face.
"Admirable form, Rarity. Now, pony…" Luna declared with a smile, turning to Twilight but her smile faded as she found Twilight already struggling to her feet.
Despite wincing, Twilight got to her feet. And with her palm in her fist, she bowed, ready for the next round. Luna sneered but kept herself from screaming. And privately had to admit she was a little impressed with the unicorn's determination.
"Very well pony," Luna declared, snapping her fingers again.
With a whimper, Fluttershy stepped forward. Her wings extended, and she and Twilight circled each other. And circled each other. And circled each other some more.
"Um… are you… going to attack?" Twilight asked.
Fluttershy squeaked with worry.
Luna resisted sighing in irritation at the yellow Pegasus' kindness. Her eyes darted up; the sun was already starting to set. These two were wasting time.
"Enough!" Luna barked, snapping her fingers again.
Applejack shot in with a kick that sent the unprepared Twilight off her feet.
Fluttershy gasped, almost reaching out to stop her, before Rainbow Dash and Rarity pulled her back.
"It's okay, darling, It's just Luna's way of…" Rarity assured her, but as Twilight slumped to the ground, Rarity winced as Twilight fell to all fours almost looking like she was gonna throw up the contents of breakfast.
Rarity and Pinkie glanced at Luna, shivering at her smile as Twilight weakly pushed herself back to her feet, only for Applejack to rush her again.
"This…seems a little… excessive," Pinkie muttered as they flinched at the sound of wood cracking alongside Twilight's scream of pain.
"Master Luna's put us through worse," Rarity tried to justify, even as the crack of concrete joined the sounds of the beating.
"I don't remember anything this bad. Then again, maybe that's just from a concussion or two," Pinkie mumbled, as Twilight shrieked, getting thrown into the air.
Concussion or not, none of the Furious Five could deny; Applejack showed little to no mercy when facing the unicorn. And Luna's grin only seemed to encourage the violence. It wasn't until the sunset bathed the training area in orange and gold that Applejack finally backed off, huffing from exertion.
Twilight lay on her back, bruised, battered, and broken from five consecutive losses. Yet as Luna tilted her head in apparent triumph, the grin was once again wiped from her face as Twilight lifted her hands and put her fist to her palm.
Luna's face went dark purple. Her teeth grit in fury. Rainbow Dash started to move forward, only to back up, eyes wide at the absolute fury burning in her master's eyes.
"I've been taking it easy on you, pony. But no more. Your next opponent… will be me!" Luna announced as she strode forward, and shed her robe, revealing her signature GI with a crescent moon across the left side of her chest.
Twilight gaped at her with a squeak of fear, before reluctantly forcing herself to her feet.
"O-Of course… Master," Twilight whispered.
Pinkie and Fluttershy glanced at each other in horror, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other with concern, and even Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in shock.
Twilight barely managed to regain her feet before Luna had marched in front of her.
"Step forward!" Luna ordered.
Her heart jumping at Luna's voice, Twilight obeyed before she could think… and was immediately spun into the air before finding herself on the ground, her arm twisting behind her back with an audible crack and pop.
"The truth path to victory! Is to find your opponent's weakness… and make them SUFFER for it!" Luna hissed over Twilight's yelps of pain.
"AAAHAHA-GOT-IT!" Twilight shrieked, only to be yanked by the horn back to her feet.
"To take their strength, and use it AGAINST THEM!" Luna lectured, kicking Twilight into the air.
"Until she finally FALLS! Or quits!" Luna said as she threw Twilight to the ground before catching her and yanking her head back by the horn.
"But a real warrior never quits. Don't worry, Master. I will NEVER QUIT!" Twilight replied, glaring up at Luna with a determined smile.
Luna grit her teeth in fury, before throwing Twilight into the air.
"EVENTHOUGHYOUREMAKINGITVERYTEMPTING!" Twilight got out quickly, before Luna delivered a hard kick. A kick so powerful, it threw Twilight out through the doors of the Celestial Palace and down the flight of stairs, all the way back to Ponyville.
The Furious Five watched in slight awe. Cautiously, they peered out from the Palace, down the stairs. To their utter shock, Twilight had managed to stop her fall, and was clinging to the stairs like it was from the edge of a cliff. She glanced up at them, and Pinkie Pie grinned as Twilight shot them a broken smile.
"If she's smart, she won't come back up those stairs," Rainbow Dash commented as she turned and walked back inside, Scootaloo quickly falling in line behind her.
Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Don't fool yourself, darling. She will," Rarity declared as she turned away with Sweetie Belle falling in line behind her too.
Indeed, as Applejack, Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy watched, Twilight started to pull herself up the stairs.
"She's not going to stop or quit, is she?" Fluttershy whispered, partially in pity, and partially in awe.
"Well, she did quit bouncing," Pinkie commented with a laugh.
A laugh that Applejack cut short with a hand upside the back of Pinkie's head.
"Ow! What?" Pinkie asked, rubbing the back of her head from that.
"Time and a place, Sugarcube. Time and a place," Applejack said, walking inside with Apple Bloom in tow. Applejack had to admit to her self though, Twilight wouldn't give up. Despite everything the unicorn was trying to prove herself, and that gained Applejack's respect.