//------------------------------// // CH 59 (knowing is half the battle) // Story: Accepting Change // by drFraud //------------------------------// Celestia   “A duel…” The look of exasperation spoke volumes of Patch’s opinion on the matter, “Of course, he wants a duel.” He sighed, and his shoulders sagged even further. While I have used vobbys before when talking to Shield, I am still surprised by how detailed the little screens are, “I have to get back into proper shape then.” Both Twilight and Strike raised their heads and looked at the screen held in front of me in my magic. The three of us are relaxing in my bedroom while Twilight is letting us use her device. I am lying on a red carpet in front of the fireplace, forelegs crossed in front of me, no regalia, and the only other thing held in my magic is a large cup of Abyssinian black tea. Velvet and Shield are barely a wingtip distance away, lying on their sides and going through the unicorn’s school project. Young Velvet initially worked on it on her own, but my wife decided to offer some help with research. Once we got the pleasantries out of the way, after connecting with Patch, I told him of the current state of the situation with the creatures that would be coming with me for a visit in two days. “In shape? You don’t look out of shape,” Velvet rolled around a bit until she faced the little device directly. I moved the vobby to the side so that Patch could see all three of us, “You look handsome… and hot…” Shaking her head, a brief flash of embarrassment passed her features and I giggled softly, while my wife snorted, trying her best not to laugh at the lingering aftereffects of the heat. “Not in the way you are thinking about, love…” he smiled lovingly at her, “I’ve recently been in a sparring match, and it took me a couple of seconds until I got into the swing of things.” “I hope ya didn’t lose, colt,” I turned my head to see my wife gingerly stand up and stretch, letting me marvel at her stunning physique, even after her torturous tests. “Nah, still kicked their plots. All four of them, no shapeshifting,” He stated proudly. I just managed to see Velvet roll her eyes at him. “Good…” My wife approved, approaching me in a quick step and kissing me, “That means ya only need to refresh your mentality and tha’s it. But you’re a natural, colt. If ya keep a sparing regimen once a week, you’ll do fine.” She sat close to me, and I extended my left wing embracing her with it. “Thanks, ma’am,” he stood a bit straighter after the praise. It also didn’t escape my notice that the way he said ‘ma’am’ was just a mumble away from ‘mom’ and by the glimmer in Shield’s eye, she noticed it too. “Anything else I need to know? Anyone else that wants a piece of us?” His slouch wasn’t as noticeable this time. “No, my dear. The twins are keeping their opinions to themselves (but it's obvious that they do not have the hate of their elders), and Lady Talonpoint made her intentions clear.” “I’m still surprised that it's only the four of you… Saddle Arabians, Hippogriffs, Fish-folk, Deer…” Patch raised his arm, extending a claw for every race that didn’t come, “I at least expected Hippos to send someone.” “Nah, makes sense if ya dealt with ‘em before…” Shield shrugged, “Hippogriffs and Deer folk keep ta’ themselves, and I doubt they are bothered about Changelings; Fish-folk don’t care, and Saddle Arabians, though their ties to Equestria are deep, they tend to deal with Abyssinians more than us since they live so close to each other.” “And I'm guessing they trust both Equestria and the Abyssia to do the right thing regarding the situation,” the conclusion made I saw one of Patch’s ears perk up, followed by the other. He developed a thoughtful look on his face for a moment, looking up somewhere above the vobby before speaking, “Any advice about a duel with a Minotaur you can give me, so I can ready myself for it?” “Heavy armor, heavy weapons, not very nimble but tough and strong,” Strike spoke up before I did. Patch glanced in her direction but otherwise kept focused on a spot beyond the screen and Shield continued, “They aren’t as strong as an earth pony at their best, but they are still freakishly strong, and if ya’ aren’t careful their attacks can come from odd angles ‘cos of their height and being able to use their arms freely.” “And- “ “Also be careful of their horns. A ‘taur won't try to gore ya, but their horns should not be forgotten ‘bout,” She interrupted him, but he did not mind. Rather, he flashed her a quick smile, nodded, and in the brief quiet I could hear the scratching of a quill. “Got it…” he refocused back on us, “last thing… shapeshifting, ye’ or nah?” “Go for it, colt, wow him.” “Really?” Both he and Velvet asked nearly at the same time. “Indeed,” I nodded, “unlike griffons who like to keep their duels on an equal playing field, minotaurs, on the other hoof, care not for what advantages or disadvantages one possesses. As long as the victory is achieved within the predetermined rules of the duel itself, they do not care about the hows. “A fair warning though, my son,” a brief smile split his muzzle, but he quickly got it under control at the tone of my voice, “King Truehorn, your challenger… do not hold back against him under any circumstance.” I saw him open his mouth, likely to speak against it, but I continued, “I do mean it, Patchwork. Spirit Truehorn may not be an ascendant like you, me, and Chrysalis, but he is as close to it as a mortal can be. He is undeniably powerful; he challenges himself regularly through combat and if you hold back against him, he will hurt you,” A brief glance to my left showed a very worried Twilight, but thus far she kept to herself. “Can you beat him in a duel?” He asked after a moment of silence. “It is not a question whether I can best him or not, the question is: can you? You are strong, my dear, of that there is no doubt, but you still have a decent way to go before you can call yourself a force in terms of sheer power.”   Patchwork I… did not know what to say to that. Celestia calling herself a ‘force’ I got that, but the way she used the words now to me seemed like she included Truehorn into it… Oh boy. “Right… I’ll put myself through some paces.” “Atta colt,” Shield smiled, showing off her pearly whites. “Princess… the charge…” I heard my Velvet speak up. I really miss her and I’m going to spend as long as it takes to make all this up to her once I return to Canterlot. “Ah yes… Anything else you wish to speak about before we leave, my dear?” All three of them looked sad and even with the distance, and through the phone, I could feel that same sadness. “No… nothing for now…” Sighing I let my head drop, “We almost got everything ready for the visit so… I guess I’ll see the two of you in two days, yeah?” “Yes, I believe that we are all looking forward to it,” a smile, a wave, and a kiss were sent to me from Celestia, Shield, and Velvet respectively, and the call ended leaving me alone in my room. Just as a precaution, I looked at my own battery charge, and, confirming that there was still plenty of juice in it, I tossed it with my magic over to the other side of my room and onto the bed. ‘I should go and get some workout in then, one way or another.’ … “A…” A tilt of the head to the left, “Spar?” A tilt of the head to the right. Took me about twenty minutes into the exercises outside of the castle to get an idea to ask Chrysalis if she could help me. However, with the way she is looking at me right now, like if I asked if water is wet, I doubt that she would. Her room is just as spartan as it was when I came in the first time around, with only a bed, a chest, and a mirror, with the only difference being a small door added on the far side of the room which will lead to the bathroom once a few things are figured out (changeling feeding habits makes plumbing all but unnecessary for most of the stuff… which is vile if one were to ask me, all will be implemented as soon as possible). “Yeah… I want to get into a good mental state for a, very possible, duel once the visitors arrive.” Her face went through several emotions before she rolled her eyes looking utterly unimpressed, “Why would anyone want to fight you in the first place?” “Not a fight, a duel…” This time I rolled my eyes. Scoffing, she stood up, walked over to her chest, opened it, and picked up a mane brush from it. “Call it whatever you wish, my son,” Walking over and sitting down behind me, small shivers ran down my spine when she removed my band and started gently brushing my mane, “but the only thing that matters is that you will get hurt at the end of the day. And I will not have it.” The last three words were accompanied by three stomps for emphasis. “And if a duel helps us with minotaurs?” Another shiver as she pulled the brush from the roots to the tips. “So, the minotaurs…” a low growl escaped her, but it hardly affected the brush. “Who is it… a prince… No, no… Wait, wait… Did the king have a daughter? Or are they sending a representative?” Turning my head to look behind me I had just enough time to see a contemplative look on her face, her right claws idly scratching under her chin before her magic turned my head back forward slowly but certainly. “It’s the king… Spirit Truehorn if I got it right,” Deciding to relax I let my shoulders slouch down and I enjoyed the brushing. “The king? I don’t think she ever sent someone over the sea for a while…” She muttered, “Regardless, maybe I should be the one to duel him instead of you.” “Look,” Shaking my head vigorously I forced her to stop the brushing. Turning my head around I looked her in the eyes, “Me or you, no matter who he challenges we both need some practice so that we don’t embarrass ourselves, at the very least.” “And you think you can accomplish such a level of proficiency in a meager two days?” She waved her claw, gesturing me to turn around and I reluctantly turned, but not before sending another scowl at her. “Well,” I started, “I managed to challenge Husk with only a couple of months of training with Celestia.” “And I’m fairly certain that both Celestia AND her wife made sure that you got as much time as you needed to achieve this level of ability,” she tutted taping me lightly on my shoulder with the brush. “Are you saying that I cannot beat a minotaur?” I put as much incredulity in my voice as I could. “Well… I may be a mare out of time, my son, but from what I know, you do not become a king of all minotaurs without being a powerful warrior yourself… But” She interrupted the moment I inhaled to speak, “since this obviously matters a lot to you…” A deep sigh, “Very well.” “Yes!” I pumped my right arm in victory. The red band was placed back into my mane tying it into a tight ponytail and the brush went floating past me, carried in green magic, and put into the still open trunk which was then closed with a clack. “And I just fixed your mane…” Her despondent voice did not deter me. “You are making a flame out of an ember, it’ll be fine,” I lowered my upper body into a deep stretch, followed by shaking myself like a dog and a grunt before standing up. Chrysalis stood up and moved back half a step from me with a happy smile on her muzzle until I got up and waved her over while walking to the door. “Wait!? You don’t mean now?” The mix of both surprise and shock on her face almost made me burst out in laughter. “Yeah,” I snickered, “I mean, we have a bit of time, and we also have only two days to get some practice in.” Opening the door to the hallway, I flashed her a quick smile, waved her over again, and made my way outside. I’m slightly nervous, but also very curious about how she fights. … I’ve gone from slightly nervous to nervous. While the walk to the sparring area wasn’t long by our standards (longer legs, longer strides), it still gave me plenty of time to remember that both Shield Strike, Celestia, and Husk kicked my ass in some way or another, but, while Chrysalis has not actually fought in literal centuries, she is still a demigod with several of my lifetimes in physical and magical development. I may have an advantage in recent experience and shapeshifting, and if I capitalize on it, I may be able to edge a victory out of this… ‘I need to remember that this is practice and NOT a competition,’ I shook the more competitive thoughts out of my head and focused on the plan of action. “Son…” I perked and turned my ears to better hear behind me. I also turned my head slightly to my right while paying attention to where I was going, “I need to ask again; do we HAVE to do this?” Making sure that I was walking straight, I turned my head as much as I could to the right, so I could see her. The usual cheerfulness and confidence were, at some point, replaced with withdrawn insecurity. Her head, her shoulders, her ears all of it lowered so that she looks small. “Don’t think of it as a fight, Mom,” I guess a bit more convincing couldn’t hurt, “think of it as exercise.” “Wouldn’t someone else be better suited for this ‘exercise’?” I could hear the quotation marks in that sentence, and it only helped in getting me to roll my eyes. For all her worry, I noticed that she still followed me. “Do you know anyone that could spar with me without getting severely…” I whipped my head around to look at her and though she still looked insecure that smirk was unmistakable. “No… it would not,” I growled through gritted teeth while trying to ignore my twitching eye. “Very well then, off we go,” and back to the cheerful bouncy bug-pony as she pranced ahead of me. And though she looked unbothered now, her twitching tail betrayed the insecurity she felt. Still, this time I followed her as we broke through the shadows of the castle and into the ‘backyard’ making our way to the sparring circles. ‘Should at the very least keep an eye on her… I don’t want to cause a relapse.’ The rest of the trip went by in silence, all two minutes of it, but it gave me plenty of time to sort my mind out on how I wanted to approach this. While against Husk I did my absolute best, without holding myself back, our battle was far away from everyone else. Meaning no one, other than Husk and maybe Chrysalis amongst changelings saw the number of truly alien creatures that I could shapeshift into, which meant fewer questions, which was fine, but it also meant that I was somewhat forcing myself into limitations that I was getting increasingly tired of. Limitations are fine, to a degree, but they also mean that, when push came to shove, I would need to shed those same limitations, both physically and mentally which will not do anymore. I’ll put on a mask for when I finally live with Velvet, but only so that I can keep the pressure off my family in the future… other than that… the minotaur king will be in for a rude awakening in a couple of days. ‘Do I want to put Chrysalis through it though?’ I frowned ‘Gotta start somewhere.’ Sighing I noticed that we finally reached the sparring circles, and while I let my mind wander Chrysalis moved over to one of the farther circles and sat down in the middle of it. “I am still unsure about this,” She rubbed at her left forearm anxiously while I made my way to her. “As am I,” I spoke honestly. I stopped my approach a few meters away from her which gave me plenty of room for a good dash, “but unless you have some other changelings that could help me with this, on MY level or yours… or unless you have some ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’ for me to help with this, then THIS is our only option.” The short, intense look of concentration on her face once the words ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ came out of my mouth sent a wave of chills down my spine in a way nothing so far did. “No… no… nothing for now,” Scratching her chin for about a minute she finally let out a sigh and allowed her head to drop while standing up on all fours, “Guess I will have to do, for now. I hoped that I would never have to do something like this again… this… fighting.” “We aren’t fighting, mom. This is you, teaching me, how to fight like a proper changeling,” I smiled as did she. The twinkle in her eye told me that she got to the main point of this exercise at last… and, that I will be a heap of pain by the end of this.