"Nephew, you have no idea how happy it makes me that you decided to take my offer for me giving you tutelage in the art of studying body language and your connection with my starry night," Luna mentioned as she and the prince walked through the hallways of the castle, carrying with them a pair of wooden practice swords, dressed in gambesons for comfort and movement and the princess, in particular, skipped along on occasion and sported a big grin on her face as they approached their destination.
"I can tell," Blueblood replied with a smirk before looking at their weapons. "So why are we bringing these wooden swords with us?"
"For our session, of course," Luna quickly replied with a smile. "Did commander Hurricane ever tell you about reading your opponent's movements?"
"Ah, auntie, I think that is a different kind of body language."
"You would be surprised, Tia might be a more technical teacher, but I prefer a more direct approach. I believe that the fastest way of learning any subject is by practice. I understand your confusion about why we are starting like this instead of reading a book about paying attention to facial expressions or that sort but to be perfectly honest. I always considered that method boring. Slow and sometimes inefficient."
Her smile then was replaced with a frown of disappointment for a moment. "I would have taken the chance to teach you about controlling the positioning and angle of a real sword to fool your opponents too, but…" She sighed in frustration and looked at the ceiling "…you cause ONE small fire in the castle, and then no pony ever lets it go! So we will have to start with the basics until dear sister, considers I'm "responsible enough to work with fire."" She mumbled, her irritation as obvious as the air quotes she made as they finally exited the hallway and into the royal garden.
"Ah…how exactly do you cause a fire using a sword?" Blueblood questioned, perplexed at the statement.
"Completely irrelevant!" She quickly dismissed, and her mood soon improved once they reach their destination. "Oh, look, we are here!"
The two reached a clearing with a distinct ring at its center where two stallions, one a tall and bulky earth pony and the other a slender bat pony with silver straight mane and tail, were waiting stoically in the center of the ring. Both fully covered their traditional armor that covered any major characteristics, so the prince couldn't distinguish anything out of the ordinary of the two besides their most prominent features " Ok, nephew, before we begin the first lesson, I'm going to give you a demonstration of what I've been talking about. Before analyzing your adversary's facial expressions, I will break down how to study your opponent's body language. You are going to love it! Now go sit over there and let auntie give you a show." Luna instructed as she entered the arena and levitated her sword while adopting an aggressive stance. The guards hefted their respective weapons and did the same. A pair of what the prince could only assume was boxing gloves but for hooves for the earth pony and a set of wooden daggers attached to the base of the bat pony's wings.
"Wait! Two against one? Isn't that a bit unfair?" The prince complained once he saw what was about to happen, making Luna look at him in confusion and then think about the prospect
"You might be right, nephew, but it's too late to request a unicorn guard now, even if this is just for demonstration. Oh! I know what if I don't use magic?" She offered, canceling her spell and grabbing the sword with the frog of her left hoof "There, that should even the odds."
"That is not what I…"
Before he could finish, they lunged at each other, and after the princess blocked their first strike, she gracefully disengaged by taking one step back. The guards pressed their supposed advantage and did their best to land the first blow, with Luna wove through each attempt effortlessly. "…meant?" The prince kept watching at how both guards keep trying to strike her and move to spread out and circle the princess—attacking from broader and greater angles, trying to see if any of their weapons would connect.
Eventually, the princess was forced to start to parry attacks instead of just dodging, but throughout the flurry of hooves and blades, the princess remained calm, and her eyes kept scanning her opponents.
"Pay attention, nephew! observe my movements carefully, notice how every step I make is calculated and precise." As if to demonstrate, she seemingly drifts backward just in time to avoid a swipe from the bat ponies blades only to deflect a strike from his companion, catching his gloved hoof with her guard before twisting the blade around to rest along the stallion's neck. Applying pressure to the sword and turning, Luna twisted the earth pony stallion off balance, and then she pushed him backward, causing him to stumble and nearly crash into his smaller partner.
The bat pony avoided this, though, by taking to the air with his wings arching up before diving down on the princess like a bird of prey. Lowering her head, Luna avoided the strike. Before her opponent could rise and face her again, she placed her sword in front of the base of his wing and used both blade and limb as a leaver. Once more, unbalancing her smaller opponent. Spinning like a top with the guard in tow, she used her flank to knock the stallion's hind hooves out from under him. Luna released him quickly after that, letting the momentum of the spin spill the guardstallion rump-over-head, making one complete rotation in the air before he managed to catch himself by flaring his wings. Regaining his balance before touching down on the ground once more.
"Each time you draw breath, your entire body moves, and each action transitions into the next one, nostrils, chest, ears, neck, don't focus so much on the obvious targets. Think logically, watch the flow of muscles."
The prince could see how she deliberately inhaled loudly and paid attention to her moments as she continued to fight. He wasn't sure if she somehow was deliberately controlling her muscles or if his perception was getting faster. Still, he was starting to see small glimpses of what she was saying like dots lighting up, even if only in the apparent targets at first. Little spasm in her left leg before she sidestepped, her ears folding flat before she lowered her head, her chest rising as she inhaled before engaging in a block. It was hard to follow, but slowly he was starting to see a certain rhythm to Luna's actions. However, he was still incapable of seeing anything from the guards.
"Focus only on me, nephew! It is, as of yet, too soon for you to test this skill in the field! To correctly predict each strike and pattern your opponent makes, as well as adapting to their style and the flow of it, even if they decided to change mid-battle. It is impossible for the untrained eye." Luna instructed, raising her wings to block his vision and return him to reality as he shook his head and refocused his attention back to her.
"But for those that refine it…" She pushed the guards back and swept her blade low, catching the earth pony leading leg. Tripping him and causing him to block the bat ponies field of vision for a brief moment, giving Luna the window of opportunity to strike forward and force him back to the ground before lightly placing the point of the sword on his neck while firmly pressing a hind hoof into the back of the earth pony keeping him from rising to continue the fight. "…is as easy as blinking" She stepped back helped the two stallions stand up again. "Thank you for your service, gentlestallions. You are dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am!" Both guards saluted, stowing their weapons in a nearby rack before leaving but not before looking at Blueblood and giving him a short, respectful bow to the shock prince. "Your highness."
"Sweetie, you will catch a bug if you keep that face." Luna giggled at his expression and helped him close his mouth, allowing him to come back to reality. "So, how was it? Did I impress you?" She raised an eyebrow with a smirk.
"Impress? Impress? I…that was incredible!" Blueblood yelled in excitement, "How you move, how you counter, how you dominated the entire fight. Commander Hurricane taught me a bit about reading your opponent but what you did was on a whole different level to what she taught me! It was like you were playing. I thought you were dancing at some points! Wait, were you dancing?"
The barrage of praise inflated luna's pride and ego as she helped Blueblood slow down. "Some can consider it a waltz, yes. I call it the "Silver Waltz" in honor of the metal we use in our weapons and how they are displayed in all of their beauty…yet another thing that will have to wait to be seen because of a certain SISTER!" She yelled out in anger, looking at the palace before relaxing her features as she regarded him. "I'm happy you noticed. If you apply this correctly, you indeed could control the fight to the point where your opponent becomes your puppet. You can even blind them occasionally by using the reflection of a blade, which is a magnificent spectacle of lights. Would you like to learn it?"
"Would I?" The prince jumped to his hooves and into the ring with gusto, quickly falling into a similar guard to what he observed earlier with the wooden waster sword he brought along. "I'm more than fired up now! Please teach me how to do the silver waltz."
The princess had to pause for a moment to hide a choked sob and to clear a tear from her eye when she heard that. "You have no idea how long have I been waiting for you to say those words, nephew. I knew that there is the soul of a warrior within you." She then entered the ring herself settled into a more aggressive guard her tone, turning a touch more severe but keeping her smile. "And now I will finally be able to pass on my teachings into the next generation. Defend yourself!"
Both launch at one another as they sparred for what seemed like an eternity as Luna tested and guided the fight turning it into a lesson and correcting each move he made until eventually Bluebloods body gave up and collapsed in exhaustion. Covered in sweat, the prince panted as he lay on the ground completely spent, while Luna didn't seem fazed by their work out at all as she put her sword away.
"I think this is enough for tonight," She informed, keeping her grin. "Aunt Hurricane taught you well nephew, your mastery of the basics is admirable, but they can still use some refinement before we try the more advanced techniques."
"No!…not yet…I…I still can…just one more time!" He gasped out in between pants, managing to lift his upper body with shaking legs as he used the sword as a crutch to keep his balance while looking at her, to which Luna only shook her head and easily took the weapon out of his hooves, making him stumble and land in her wings "Oh no, you won't young colt, not this time. That is not going to work with me, I'm not my sister, and I intend to work on that propensity of yours of working yourself into a coma. It's well past time that you learned when enough is enough, and for tonight, this is as far as you are getting. Do I make myself clear?" She ordered with a stern look
"But, auntie, it still too early, and I…"
"AH! Didn't you promise your cousin that you will take things slow and steady for a while?" She cut the price off with a raised eyebrow
"…yes" He nodded, lowering his head in defeat.
"Then we are finished for the night. Now relax, and go to bed, nephew. Here I will teleport us to your room."
"It's ok, Auntie. I can…"
"We are already here," Luna says with finality, and before he could finish, she already moved them to his room, much to his surprise as he could only blink. "Now to bed," She ordered, pointing at the object in question.
"Can I at least wash off my sweat and change clothes first?"
She thought it over and relaxed a little with a hmmm before nodding. "A nice warm shower could help you relax your muscles. You may proceed. We will carry on tomorrow night at the same hour." She said before heading to the door. "Until then, good night, nephew, I better see you in the dream realm soon, or I’ll hunt you down~" She half-jokingly promised, keeping the same warm smile on her face.
Sighing in defeat, the prince accepted his fate and headed to the bathroom before something came to his mind. "Auntie," He called out for her, making her stop. "Before you go, I have to ask what is harder to learn? Body language or facial expressions?"
"Why do you wish to know?"
"Because I want to be ready, for when I face the other rulers." He mentioned before looking at his desk.
Confused, Luna turned around and looked at him before following his gaze and understood what he was looking at. The numerous letters of various rulers addressed to him. One didn't need to be a genius to understand their contents and the intentions behind them. They were meeting requests subtlety covered in generic greetings and desire to get to know him better. His exploits in Manehattan still made his mind a rare and intriguing target to dissect and use. And the fact that he has yet to reply to any of them seemed only to make them more determined to gain his favor. A part of the princesses was surprised that all of them kept their requests more or less civil and sober with just letters and didn't resort to cheap bribes or 'gifts' to sway his interest towards one of them…not yet, at least.
"It grows ever more tiring, viewing their persistence, right?" Luna commented with a knowing smile approaching him, "Count your blessings that there aren't mares swooned by your charms and wanting to court you. Suiters... ugh. Now THOSE are pests that can survive the test of time, I tell you." She joked, trying to lighten the mood, with success as he soon joined in.
"Those are the curse of beauty, no?"
"That plays a factor indeed, but it also helps to be a princess of a prominent kingdom, especially one that has been absent for a very long time. Giving them the false idea that she could be innocent and oblivious to the more recent forms of flirting." She explained with an exasperated sigh.
"Sounds tough" Blueblood looked at her in pity before they both looked at the pile again.
"Indeed, it is, and by your claim, am I to assume that you finally made up your mind and wish to inform them of your answer in person?"
He nods before looking at her. "Yeah, I'm done questioning if I should or shouldn't teach my knowledge of marketing and conducting business, I have come to a decision, and all the nations we had to establish friendly relationships deserve a straight answer, not from a letter but coming from me in person bia caldrum, that would make things fair and easier for everyone."
"But lacking any experience in dealing with kings and ambassadors, you fear you might start an international incident. You might make Equestria look weak or easy to push when it comes to negotiation or be manipulated by the unquestioned masters of the field, am I right?"
The prince only looked down with a nod as the princess could see how he held one of his frontal hooves to stop it from trembling. It had been doing that on occasion, and she attributed it to all their exercise, but now, she saw that there was more to it.
Sighing, she turned around and looked at the door. "Facial expressions are not that different than body language training…but by the gods; even learning by practice will be boring." She confessed in exasperation. "So, you better not go complaining once we start tomorrow."
That made the prince perk up once more, and he looked at her with a tired smile. "Thank you, auntie."
"Save it for when we begin, and you better remember every lesson Flicker taught you, nephew because we are gonna participate in a ton of noble parties!" The last sentence was said with dread on her tone, as she didn't want to be involved in that kind of activity.
By Faust, he better appreciate what I'm doing.
"And nephew, since we were talking about the subject, what decision did you eventually make," Luna asked, intrigued, only for him to smirk. "As you said, auntie, this as far as we go tonight, I will tell you later. Rest well, Aunt Luna." He gave her a quick kiss on the check before heading to the bathroom, leaving her blinking in slight surprise before relaxing.
Using my own words against me, well played nephew. Maybe you will not need that much coaching, after all.
She shook her head with a smile and turned around before leaving the room.
Meanwhile, at the crystal empire.
The royal family looked at how Sharp Shot demonstrated his new arrows' application by shooting at the crystal that Cadence used in her class. The moment it impacted, the simple arrow turned into light and was absorbed into the orb, which shined an intense red. The next arrow turned it a mellow pink and, finally, an ocean blue before he shot a grey arrow that turned it back to normal.
Once finished, he brought the gem to the couple to see that it only had one small scratch on it. "As you can see, I have taken all the precautions necessary before even floating the idea of field testing my invention, including developing a way to cancel it."
"Impressive, although I'm still not completely sure about this. The obvious next test would be to deploy it on volunteers, and I don't like the idea of shooting a living being." Cadence confided, still concerned by the whole ordeal.
"I can assure you that everything will be conducted in a safe, secure environment, your highness, starting with small doses of injections with the cure on hoof so that we can focus our attention on the observation period."
"Well, so far, you have kept your promise, and each of your tests has been successful, not to mention that I keep liking the idea of a less lethal alternative when subduing an attacker." Shining voiced his opinion, "Granted that you keep following the Yarmurgel Convention, Mr. Shot." Shining looked at him with a critical eye.
"You have my word, I even have film and the data of the procedures for you to inspect if you wish to," Sharp explained, pointing at the pile of folders and film cases left on the table.
Weighing her options, Cadence looked at her husband. "What do you say Shining, should we give it a try?"
"I still have my reservations, but this research data seems solid and with ample potential. Even if we reject it, others might finish it. This way, we can still control it and ensure that it will not be used for the wrong reasons."
"I agree, that sounds like the best course of action." Cadence nodded before addressing their guest. "Ok, Sharp Shot, you have our approval to proceed into live testing under the condition that we get daily briefings on your progress and are present when testing the first functional arrow. If it proves to be a success, we will pass on to a field trial."
"I wouldn't want it any other way, your highness. Thank you for granting me this opportunity." Sharp bowed and left, hiding a small smirk as he walked through the corridors.