Joust about it
Chapter one: The Spark
The usual peace and quiet that graced Ponyville’s residents was shattered by a blue bolt rocketing through the streets as fast as its short legs would take it. While the occasional disturbance wasn’t uncommon around town, after all, Ponyville had endured its fair share of mishaps and dramas that having just one more pony tearing down the main drag was nothing out of the ordinary.
What was a little unusual though, was the fact that this particular pony was chanting.
Loudly.
“We’re going to the games, we’re going to the games, we’re going to the games!” Rainbow Blitz chanted ad nauseam, his squeaky voice finally being cut by Rainbow Dash shoving a hoof over his mouth. His chant continued, although slightly muffled, for a moment longer before he got the message.
“Thank you.” She said giving her son a quick smile. The small colt looked at her innocently and resumed his quick pace, although thankfully with considerably less noise. He reminded her of herself when she was younger, appearance aside, he’d developed a fierce competitive edge and a complete lack of understanding for the word subtlety. She flashed a slightly embarrassed smile to the dozens of ponies which lined the street and continued on her way, ready to gag her son again if he started up his chant again. She could hardly blame his enthusiasm, the Equestrian Games only came around every few years and he’d never been before, in fact, Blitz hadn’t even been born when the last games had been on.
None of this had even been considered by Blitz though, he was simply excited to be going to the Equestrian games in the first place. Like a small rocket he darted into the train patiently waiting at the station, easily dodging the surprised conductor and finding a prime spot to watch the trip from. His mother came in at a more measured pace, paying the still confused conductor for their tickets before joining the already impatient pegasus.
“Why don’t you just fly to Canterlot?” Blitz asked, impatiently waiting for the train to leave the station.
“Because carrying you would be a royal pain.” Rainbow dash explained patiently for what felt the seventeenth time that morning. “Besides I thought you liked trains?”
“I do, I just wish we didn’t have to wait for everypony else.” He complained, watching an elderly couple slowly clamber up the stairs into the carriage ahead of them with something approaching annoyance.
“Blitzy…” Rainbow growled dangerously.
“Whaaat?” He complained innocently.
“Be nice.” She ordered gruffly.
He shrugged innocently. “Just saying, if dad was here we could just fly up there.”
“He’s working.” Rainbow Dash said flatly, answering the question she knew he was about to ask. “He’s very busy this time of year.”
“Well that sucks.” Blitz grumped crossly, looking back out the window for the old couple. Much to his delight they seemed to have vanished. A moment later the conductor’s whistle blew and the train pulled out the station, heading towards Canterlot as fast as its wheels would take it. The young colt glared at the platform, half expecting to his father waving them off but naturally he was nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, he’d barely seen his father for the last few months, the odd snippets of conversation he caught while secretly reading at the dead of night the only real indication he came home at all. It didn’t seem to bother his mum as much as it did him, she had plenty of free time to raise her son and according to almost everypony he bumped into, he was a splitting image of his mother; this was a statement he was inclined to agree with, although he personally thought his mane seemed a little richer and his eyes a little darker than his mother’s.
He sighed quietly and rested the base of his jaw on the window frame as Ponyville slipped out of view and was replaced by the lush, rolling fields that surround the town.
“Cheer up kiddo.” Rainbow Dash said warmly. “Thunderlane and Rumble will be there.”
Blitz smiled weakly. “Still isn’t dad.”
Rainbow’s smile faded. “Look, Blitz, I know your father’s habits can be a little… hard to live with, but he loves you more than anything else in the world.”
The colt looked at his mother blankly. “Then why is he always gone?”
Rainbow’s mouth twitched slightly and she fell silent, unable to answer his question properly. "I'll talk to him." she said finally.
"Yeah whatever." Blitz grumbled, looking out the window again. If he'd had a bit for every time he'd heard that he'd never need to work a single day in his life. He glared silently at the landscape that rushed past the window as if it was somehow its fault, as if it was somehow conspiring to keep him at odds with his dad. He felt his recent cheer ebb away like it was being drawn from his body with a pump.
So much for it being a good day.
***
While some of the trip to Canterlot was spent in a slightly uneasy silence, Blitz quickly regained his chirpiness as the regal city drew closer. When the train finally pulled into the grand station at the end of the line he was out of the train and bouncing around like an idiot before the rolling steam had even cleared from around the platform. His mother followed with similarly restrained enthusiasm and before long they’d reached the lower city where the games where being hosted, the large collection of stadiums and arenas along with the clamouring crowds of ponies marking out the area like a sore spot. It didn’t take lost for the two pegasi to get a little lost, many of the avenues looked similar and the air was so full of guards, banners and other fliers that Rainbow Dash was a little hesitant about taking to the sky with her son on her back. Despite this, they made reasonably good progress through, most of the crowds drifting between the venues with a purpose that pushed the duo along like they were caught in a strong current. From high on Rainbow Dash’s back, Blitz had a good view over much of the crowd and the stalls which lined the thoroughfare. He glanced up as a titanic crack of wood splintering against metal ran out followed by a loud roar of excitement.
“What’s that?” Blitz asked, his curiosity aroused by the crowd’s loud cheers and the occasional loud crashes which rang out like a bell tolling from behind the stands. He subconsciously drifted towards the arena, intent on finding what was causing the noise.
His mother let out a heartfelt sigh. “Nothing you’d be interested in, it’s an Earth pony sport Blitzy.”
“I don’t like it when you call me that.” He complained, resisting against his mother’s pull and trying to make his way back towards the stadium.
“Come on Blitz, we’re supposed to be meeting Thunderlane over at the horseshoe Pavilion.” Rainbow Dash insisted.
“But mum!” Blitz complained, “Can I just have a look? Pleeease?” He adopted his best set of puppy-dog eyes, a technique a certain pink pony had taught him, a technique which almost never failed.
Today was no exception.
Rainbow Dash sighed quietly. “Fine, we can have a look. Quickly though.” She said, feigning a cross look at her son. She grasped him in her hooves and took to the sky, quickly finding a spot on top of one of the stands which had previously blocked their view of the arena. Blitz wondered why more Pegasus ponies weren’t perched up here, certainly they’d get a better view than if they were down in the stands. He asked his mother this and she laughed softly.
“As I said, it’s an Earth pony sport. It’s hardly of any interest to us.”
“But what is it?” Blitz insisted, scurrying over the edge and peering down with wide eyes. A pair of earth ponies stood at the end of a long flat path with a central divider. Each wore a gleaming set of armour with a long, pointed stick strapped to one side. The two ponies seemed to be showing off to the crowd, attracting a varying number of cheers and jeers as they paraded around their end of the course.
“It’s called jousting.” Rainbow Dash explained, lying down next to her son with a bemused look. “It’s an ancient sport invented by some bright spark on the fields of Prance. It became rather popular in Equestria though it’s much, much more popular over there.” She explained, a hint of excitement entering her voice despite her previous assertions that it was nothing to be enthusiastic about. She pointed to one of the ponies, a stallion garbed in a set of luminous grey armour. “When the flag drops, they gallop at each other and try to knock each other down with their sticks. Points are scored depending where you hit your opponent.”
“Cool!” Blitz exclaimed, watching as the two armoured stallions cantered into position at the end of the centre rail. A large coloured flag was waved from the central stand and the two ponies took off, the ground thundering with each hoof fall. Rainbow Blitz’s breath caught in his throat as they charged at each other, the sunlight gleaming off their armour and making them look like the heroes he read about in his books. There was a loud crash and the stallions collided, their lances shattering as they scored solid hits on each other. The crowd erupted into cheers again, evidently pleased with the result.
“That’s so awesome!” He exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder. He could imagine the thrill as you charged down the lane, the rush of adrenaline as your stick made contact… a spark erupted in Rainbow blitz’s chest, a spark of determination and excitement. He wanted to joust more than anything else in the world. More than he wanted a new toy for his birthday, more than he wanted his birthday to be every day of the year and possibly even more than he wanted every meal to be ice-cream with pear and cinnamon pie.
“Yeah, I guess it’s alright.” Rainbow Dash admitted, ruffling her son’s mane affectionately.
He pushed it back into place with a low growl, he hated it when his parents messed with his mane. “I want to be the best jouster in the world!” He exclaimed wistfully, watching the two earth pony’s line up for another run.
“Nice dream, but that’s not going to happen.” Rainbow Dash said.
“Why not?” Blitz cried, outraged that she didn’t believe in him.
“It’s an Earth pony sport. You wouldn’t be allowed to compete.” Rainbow Dash said, clearly wishing he’d more interested in something like extreme flying or weather management.
“Well how come you know so much about it then?” Blitz demanded.
“I read about it in a book one time.” She said quickly, hoisting her son back onto her shoulder. “Now come on, we’ll be late. And I hate being late. Especially when Thunderlane is involved. I’ll never hear the end of it” She grumped.
Blitz was in no position to argue as she bundled him up on her back and swooped away, the cheers of the crowd slowly drifting after him.
***
A few minutes later they were outside the horseshoe pavilion, Rainbow Dash either towing her son through the crowds or taking flight when the air above them cleared slightly. It didn’t take long to find Thunderlane, the stallion’s distinctive Mohawk standing out against the crowd like a beacon at night.
“Late as usual.” Thunderlane jeered as he caught sight of them.
“Shut your trap, Thunderlane.” Rainbow said, clearly regretting their detour via the jousting ring.
“Uncle Thunderlane!” Blitz cried, wrapping his ‘uncle’ in a rough hug, even though he barely reached up to the older stallion’s chest. Although not related by blood, Rainbow Blitz had spent much of his yearly years being looked after by the dark stallion, mostly on account of his parent’s busy schedules. He was almost certain he’d spent more time with Thunderlane than he had his real father. He recalled once asking his mother if Thunderlane was his father when he was younger, a question which was met with torrents of laughter.
“He almost is, isn’t he?” She’d said through a hiccup, a statement which only confused him further. Whatever it was though, Thunderlane was very close to his family… no, he was like family.
There was also the extra boon in the form of his little brother. Rumble. The colt was only a few years older than Blitz and the two had become fast friends, inseparable like bread and butter. Sometimes Rumble bossed him around a little but he was much nicer than any of the other kids at school, most of which ostracised him for his lineage or his ‘different’ mane.
“Hey Blitzy, enjoying the games?” Thunderlane asked warmly.
“You betcha, I heard the Equestrian hoofball team kick some butt and mum showed me this awesome thing called jousting!”
“Jousting eh? Don’t suppose your mum told you about that tim-.” He said, before being quickly cut off by a fierce glare from Rainbow Dash. He grinned sheepishly. “Where’s your husband?”
“Working, as always.” Rainbow answered with a roll of her eyes. Clearly she was less than impressed with her partner’s working habits.
“Where’s Rumble?” Blitz asked looking around for small colt. His question was swiftly answered as Rumble leapt on his back with a triumphant yell.
“Rumble!” Rainbow Blitz complained, struggling to get the older colt off him. Being older though, Rumble was a fair bit stronger and bigger than Blitz was and pinned him to the ground remorselessly.
“Like stealing candy from a baby. Not that I’d ever do that.” He added quickly for the benefit of the two adults present. He clambered off Blitz and helped the embarrassed colt to his hooves.
Rainbow Dash made an amused sound deep in her throat. “Anyway, we’d better head over to the Aerodrome, the flight events should be starting soon.”
Blitz wrinkled his nose up, he wanted to go see the ponies joust, not watch some pinhead spin about in the air like a top. Despite his mother’s best efforts to encourage him, his enthusiasm regarding aerial sports was minimal at best. She set off at a brisk pace, chatting happily with Thunderlane, occasionally looking back to make sure Rumble and her son were still there.
“There’s something I got to show you later.” Blitz whispered to Rumble as they fell in step behind the two older ponies.
Rumble passed him a few pieces of candy, redeeming himself slightly for tackling Blitz to the ground earlier. “What’s that?” He asked through a mouthful of the sweets.
“Just trust me, it’s awesome.”
***
It didn’t take long for Blitz to get his chance. Once they’d filed into the cavernous grandstand that ran around the aerodrome and found some seats, it only took a few minutes before the idle chatter from the crowd and the occasional crack of a starter’s gun to be enough for Blitz and Rumble to sneak away without being seen. Satisfied that both his mother and Thunderlane were both occupied with the ongoing competition, Rainbow Blitz leaned over and tapped Rumble on the shoulder.
“You’ve gotta come see this.” Blitz whispered, tugging Rumble away from his oblivious mother and Thunderlane.
“But the aerobatics starts soon. I wanna see Dizzy Twister compete.” He complained, watching a group of pegasi warming up for what looked like an exceedingly complicated obstacle course.
“This is so much cooler than a few flips and spins.” Blitz insisted, giving his friend’s leg another pull.
Rumble shot a hesitant look at his older brother before deciding it was safe to sneak off without him noticing. “If you say so.”
“Great, follow me.” Blitz said, sneaking out of his seat and indicating for Rumble to follow him carefully. They made their way back up the stands and back out onto the concourse. It didn’t take Blitz long to find the jousting arena from here, the high flags which flew from the grandstands were quite distinctive. Since he was too young to fly very well, they made their way through the crowds on foot darting through the narrow alleys and streets the games venue had taken over. Several ponies giving the two young colts curious looks but ultimately disregarded them in lieu of their own concerns. Hampered by the packed crowds it took them several minutes to reach the stadium, Rumble finally intervening and carrying them with some difficulty after they encountered an almost impassable sea of ponies in one of the many courtyards along the route.
“So what am I looking at that’s so great?” Rumble grumbled as they snuck up to the lip of the grandstand’s roof. They peered over the edge into the arena, the two lanes which the ponies had changed down before annoyingly empty.
“Just wait and see.” Blitz whispered, hoping the event hadn’t finished for the day. His hopes were realised a moment later when an Earth pony stepped out into the centre of the arena.
“Introducing your next champions: From the fields of Prance, we have the current world champion; Iron Aegis!” He boomed, drawing cheers and whoops from the assembled crowd. The sheer volume was titanic, clearly this pony was a favourite of the crowd. A moment later the pony in question stepped out from one of the entrances at the end of the field, bedecked in a suit of shiny steel armour. Unlike the previous two ponies he’d seen jousting, his armour was relatively unadorned, free of the little spirals and embellishments the other two competitors had borne. Iron Aegis waved to the crowd, prompting another tidal wave of cheers. A chant had started somewhere, quickly spreading until the entire stadium seemed to be roaring the words.
“Aegis! Aegis! Aegis!”
The announcer settled the crowd down with great difficulty and pointed to the other end of the field. “And his opponent, hailing from the rocky crags of Birland where he holds the rank of champion, we have The Black Cardinal!” He rumbled dramatically as the crowd devolved into another upsurge of cheers.
“That can’t be his actual name can it?” Rumble asked as a pony bedecked in almost jet black armour trotted out from the opposite end of the field from Iron Aegis. From their vantage point Blitz could make out some sort of insignia on his armour, a blood red rose pattern embossed on his shoulder guard.
“Wouldn’t have a clue.” Blitz whispered back, watching excitedly as the two ponies trotted to end of each lane and saluted each other. The announcer was still prattling on about something but Blitz filtered him out, intently watching the two competitors.
Both of the armoured juggernauts were now talking lowly with another pony Blitz took to be a lackey or an assistant of some kind, the conversations were short and sharp and although he couldn’t hear them, he was sure they were discussing strategies. After a moment each was fitted with a long lance and snapped their helmet’s visors down with sharp metallic clicks. The crowd fell silent, the calm before the storm.
“This is it.” Blitz said excitedly, his heart already hammering in his chest. Any moment now and they’d start thundering towards each other, amour gleaming and hooves pounding…
A flag mounted on a podium in the centre fell and the two ponies took off the mark like lightning bolts. Even burdened under their armour, they were incredibly fast, so fast that even somepony like Applejack would’ve had trouble keeping up with them.
“Whoa, look at them go!” Rumble exclaimed as the two ponies barrelled towards each other like freight trains. There was a loud crack and Iron Aegis’ lance cracked against the right side of The Black Cardinal’s neck guard. The Cardinal’s own lance was a little high and sailed over Aegis’ shoulder by a hairsbreadth.
“Wow!” The two colts yelled together as the two ponies ended their charges and wheeled around, Iron Aegis parading a little for the crowd’s benefit. The two lackeys darted to the other end of the field and fitted their masters with new lances, the Black Cardinal dismissing his one with an annoyed wave as soon as the long lance was locked in place. The flag fell again and within moments they were off again. This time, both lances connected, making both ponies stagger from the impact. Splinters of wood flew everywhere, some even reaching as high as the spot where Rumble and Rainbow Blitz were hidden. It was hard to tell but it looked like the Cardinal’s lance had struck Aegis’ chest while the champion’s lance had shattered against the crest of his opponent’s helmet.
“See, isn’t this awesome?” Blitz asked, not daring to take his eyes off the action for even a moment. He had no idea how the match was going and wasn’t really sure who to root for, but he was enjoying it immensely all the same. He looked around, courting three white flags stuck in a rack on Iron Aegis’ side of the field and one on the Black Cardinal’s, maybe those were points scored?
‘Barrel rolls are for sissies! This is a real sport!’ He thought as the two ponies reset themselves for another bout. The flag fell again and the earth-shaking charge started anew. Time seemed to slow as the two ponies met in the centre. Blitz watched in slow motion as Aegis’ lance clipped the Cardinal across the chest, shattering the wooden pole completely. Half a second later The Cardinal’s blow caught Aegis below the visor, right where the join in the neck guard and the helmet would be. With a sickening crack of wood, the pony pitched backwards; flipping over completely from the force of the blow and landing flat on his back with a loud crash of metal and a cloud of dust.
The crowd erupted in cheers again, no concern paid for the limp pony which lay on the ground. The Black Cardinal was doing rounds, trotting in circles triumphantly and waving to the crowd to celebrate his apparent victory.
“I think he won.” Rumble said sourly, watching the armoured form of Iron Aegis closely. The Earth pony was stirring now, struggling back to his hooves with the aid of his assistant. He seemed alright, only limping slightly as he exited the field dejectedly.
“That was amazing!” Rainbow Blitz exclaimed, resisting the urge to do a small backflip. “Much better than watching a few flips.”
“Gotta admit, that was pretty cool.” Rumble said grudgingly, shuffling back from the edge. Blitz nodded eagerly in agreement, the joust they’d just watched was even better than the one he’d seen before. Rumble gave him a gentle tug. “Now come on, we better get back before somepony notices we’re missing...” He said urgently, cutting himself off as he turned around. Blitz didn’t notice, eagerly watching the Black Cardinal rear up and pose for the crowd. ‘That’s what I want to be…’ He thought.
Rumble tapped him nervously on the shoulder. “Uh, Blitz?”
Blitz spun around quickly, his gut dropping at the sight. Standing right behind them was Rainbow Dash, a look of anger and concern in her eyes. He opened his mouth to explain himself but words seemed to fail him.
Rainbow Dash nodded her head slowly. “Yep, you’re in trouble.”
***
“What were you doing, we were so worried about you!” Rainbow Dash yelled, pacing backwards and forwards across the end of Blitz’s bed. However angry she may have been at her son, she at least had the decency to not get cranky at him in public. She’d taken him home straight away, leaving he games behind them as they boarded the first train to Ponyville. She hadn’t talked to him the whole way, letting thoughts of his possible punishment stew in his mind. It had been an awkward trip, Blitz wanting to say something but unsure of what to say.
“We were just looking at the jousting!” Blitz cried. “What’s wrong with that?”
Rainbow shook her head. “It’s dangerous, you could’ve been trampled or gotten lost. You should’ve at least told us where you were going.” She snapped before looking a guilty and dialling back her tone a little. “At least you had the sense to take Rumble with you.”
“Would you have let us go if we told you?” Blitz asked.
“No, I wouldn’t.” She said immediately.
“But I want to learn how to joust.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly and sighed, she seemed more disappointed than she did upset. “You can’t.”
Blitz’s face turned into one of outrage “Why not!?”
“Because it’s not right! You’re not an Earth pony, it’d be like trying to learn magic.” She barked. “You’re a Pegasus, that’s a dream you can’t have okay?”
“But I want to, I’ll do my best I promise! I want this more than anything.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head again. “You don’t know what you want, give it a week and you’ll have forgotten it.” She said assuredly.
“No I won’t!” He protested.
His mother sighed sadly. “Look, I admire your enthusiasm but let’s get one thing very clear.” He prodded his sternum softly. “You. Can’t. Joust. You can’t and you never will.”
“Well… try and stop me!” Blitz yelled angrily. Why couldn’t she understand this is what he wanted? How couldn’t she see that?
Rainbow Dash let out a sad sigh. “Let’s hope I don’t have to.
***
A series of rapid-fire knocks on his bedhead woke Rainbow Blitz. He’d been dreaming, dreaming about the fight he’d had nearly fifteen years ago… it didn’t seem like so long now. His mind drifted to the large stack of jousting magazines he had hidden under his mattress and smiled, she hadn’t stopped him, and she never could. It was his passion, a passion he’d kept secret from all but a few ponies. Another knock roused his half-conscious mind and the pleasant feeling of sleep washed away, being replaced by a sense of irritation. He half-opened his eyes, annoyed to see Rumble standing over him, an amused grin plastered over his stupid face.
“Whaddya want?” He slurred crossly, swatting his friend away. “How’d you get in here?”
“You. Up. Come on.” Rumble sang, pulling Blitz up so he couldn’t hide his face under a pillow. He leapt nimbly off Blitz’s large double bed and waited patiently for his friend to clear his sleepy head. Blitz groaned, wondering how Rumble had even gotten in. He’d had his room’s single window barricaded after he’d flown in through the window and dropped a bucket full of baby alligators on him and he would’ve heard him come through the front door. His eyes drifted to a large, Pegasus shaped hole in the wall and his foggy mind finally make the connection between the patches of white fluff sticking to Rumble’s mane and the breach.
“Oh... right.” He said dryly, rubbing his eyes and wondering how he’d explain that when his mum found out. “I’m up, what do you want?” He asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.
“Well first, happy birthday.” Rumble said cheerfully. “Eighteen this year, big day for you eh?”
“Thanks.” Blitz muttered, “Don’t suppose you were thoughtful enough to get me a gift?”
“Sure I did, it’s called helping me move my junk from Thunderlane’s place to my new house.”
Blitz looked him dubiously. “What a great gift, thank you.” He drawled sarcastically.
“I knew you’d like it.” Rumble said, the shit-eating grin returning. “Now come on, stuff won’t move itself.” He said, flying out the hole he’d made in the wall.
Rainbow Blitz stared at hole again, wondering how he’d roped into this. He should be getting pancakes, whipped cream and probably far too many hugs and kisses from some distantly related relatives he was somehow supposed to know, not being press-ganged into moving. His rose eyes prowled around the room for a moment, lingering on a small family photo of him and his mother, the place where his father should’ve been was conspicuously absent, much like he seemed to be most of the time. He shook his head and considered going back to sleep before instantly dismissing the idea; Rumble would return if he didn’t emerge… and he’d probably bring a bucket of icy water with him as ‘encouragement’. Maybe if he was feeling particularly sadistic they’d be something alive in there as well… He shrugged with weary resignation and trotted to the hole, spreading and stretching his large wings as he did so. Long gone were the days he had to ride on somepony’s back to get around.
Like his wings, the rest of Rainbow Blitz had aged well, constant exercise had trimmed away his puppy fat, revealing sleek lines and bands of toned muscle. His rainbow-coloured mane had hardly changed, the rough spikes more colourful and vibrant if anything than when he was small. His voice had dropped considerably, a low but pleasant baritone (which still occasionally cracked. much to his embarrassment) replacing the high, almost whingey tone which had plagued his childhood.
“You coming you dope?” Rumble yelled, his voice drifting in through the gaping hole.
“Yeah, yeah I’m on my way.” He complained, flapping outside and hovering next to Rumble. He squinted against the bright sunlight, evidently the weather team was already hard at work clearing the sky. He glanced around but couldn’t find any trace of the pegasi, perhaps they were working in another sector of the town.
“I figured you could give me a hand getting my stuff together and then we could just hang around until the party.”
“Party?” Blitz asked groggily.
Rumble nodded. “Thunderlane and Fluttershy are hosting your party, did you forget already?”
“My cognitive functions aren’t sharp in the morning.” Blitz said back defensively.
“You’re awake enough to say ‘cognitive’, no excuses.” Rumble chuckled, doing a lazy barrel roll that would’ve put some ‘professional’ stunt fliers to shame.
Blitz scoffed quietly, wondering where he could find a bucket so he could slam it down on Rumble’s head. He allowed his thoughts to wander slightly, remembering back to his uncle’s wedding. He could only remember some parts of the ceremony, now some five years ago. He remembered fireworks, ridiculously sweet fruit punch and a cute filly who’d awkwardly kissed him and then never seen again. What he did remember though was how smitten Thunderlane had been when he’d started spending time around Fluttershy, the normally reserved stallion turning into a bubbly, goofy wreck around the timid Pegasus. Blitz remembered an eleven year old version of himself demanding Thunderlane to ask her to a dance at one of the town’s festivals… after that they’d started dating and, well, the rest was history.
‘Where did time go?’ He thought silently, angling his wings to follow Rumble’s flight path. They sailed over a small copse of trees, angling for the edge of the Everfree Forest where Fluttershy’s small cottage sat. The small stone building had hardly changed over the years, a larger henhouse and a few new fence posts the only differences Rainbow Blitz had ever noticed. They trotted down the narrow garden path, ignoring the few birds which looked down at them suspiciously before flapping off nosily to guard their nests. Rumble pushed the red front door open slightly, careful to avoid the multitude of temporary animal shelters which littered the walls as he stepped inside.
“Looks like noponys home.” Rumble said, peering around the cottage quietly. He shrugged and gestured to a small manhole in the ceiling. After a moment of consideration he leapt up, pulled it open with his mouth and revealed a small ladder which clattered down to the floor noisily.
“So what are we doing up here anyway?” Blitz asked as Rumble’s head vanished into Fluttershy’s attic with all the assurance of somepony who had absolutely no idea of what they were doing.
“Apparently Thunderlane moved some of my stuff up here when he moved in, thought with getting my own place and all I’d come and liberate it.”
“And you needed some extra muscle, huh?’ Blitz said with a smirk.
“No, I just needed the constant dribble that flows out of your mouth to keep me entertained. Now get up here or I might just throw Thunderlane’s bowling ball collection down.” Rumble shot back, his voice slightly muffled by the thick roof. Blitz looked at the rickety ladder dubiously before following Rumble up. The stallion had already lit a lantern, bathing the attic in a soft yellow light which did little to illuminate the surprising spacious loft. He pointed Blitz to one of the corners and started overturning a heap of boxes, leaping away in fright as he disturbed a family of skittish mice Fluttershy had been keeping.
“Those things were as big as rats!” He exclaimed awkwardly, seeing Blitz holding back a chuckle with great difficulty.
“Sure they were.” Blitz snickered, lifting a heavy box out of the way and finding a pair of Boas, each as long as he was, curled up underneath. He baulked and replaced the box with indecent haste, the two snakes glaring at him fiercely.
“It’s gotta be up here somewhere…” Rumble muttered, rooting through several more large boxes thankfully devoid of fauna to no avail. Rainbow Blitz rolled his eyes and resumed his searching at a much slower pace. He had the day to waste and he was in no hurry to find Rumble’s things, it was probably some old magazine collection at best, and maybe one of his failed projects at worst. He was about to give up when he noticed a box marked in neat writing ‘Crystal Empire – Old gear.’
“Hey, Rumble, come check this out! I never knew your brother went to the Crystal Empire.” He called, beckoning the light grey pegasus over to look at his discovery. I gave the box a kick, surprised by how heavy it was.
Rumble frowned and ripped the box open. “He hasn’t… well he did for the Equestrian Games but he didn’t really do anything else there. Fluttershy has been at some point though, I think. In fact, I’m fairly sure your mum went with her as well.”
“Gee, she never told me that.” Blitz said, fishing through the sea of foam-green packing pellets that flooded the box. He paused as his hoof struck something metal. Curious, he dug his hoof in again and removed an old, slightly dusty helmet. Despite its age he could make out detailed engravings in the metal and he recognised the design immediately.
“Wow, a jousting helmet!” He exclaimed with awe. “Why does Fluttershy have one of these lying around?”
“I think it’s a bit more than a helmet.” Rumble responded quietly, hauling a heavy metal cuirass out of the box with a grunt. It was detailed in the same style of metalwork as the helmet and by the sharp curves of the body, Rainbow Blitz could tell it was designed for use in a tilt. Unlike the flanks, the front was mirror smooth, minimising the amount of surfaces a lance’s point could get caught on. He shared a quick look with Rumble and then glanced back at the box suspiciously.
“No way…” Blitz breathed, tipping the box over and spreading a flood of packing pellets across the floor. A few metal pieces of armour clanked together and skittered out on to the floor, glinting under the faint candlelight.
“Greaves, boots, helmet, visor, neck guard, cradle, cuirass… what in the wide world of Equestria is this all doing here?” He muttered with awe.
“I don’t suppose Fluttershy ever told you a story about her jousting in the Crystal Empire, did she?” Rumble asked with a smirk.
Rainbow Blitz laughed, wondering if Rumble was messing with him. “Don’t be ridiculous, only Earth ponies are allowed to joust.”
Rumble’s smirk didn’t fade and Blitz’s look of incredulity turned to one of outrage, why hadn’t Rumble told him before?
“Hasn’t stopped you.” Rumble pointed out with a knowing look. Blitz shrugged, remembering the days when they’d sneak out with buckets over their heads and broomsticks strapped to their sides and pretend to tilt. “Check this out.” He held out an aging photo for Blitz to look at.
“Wha- Mum and Fluttershy? Jousting?!” He stammered in disbelief. “When did this happen?”
“I’d guess by the age of the photo it was sometime before you were born.” Rumble answered, rooting through the box but finding nothing else of interest other than a small snow globe which he discarded with a loud smash.
“This thing must be worth a fortune.” Rainbow Blitz breathed, polishing the suit of armour reverently. If it was as old as Rumble said it was it was in amazing condition, it was probably enchanted or something.
“Try it on.” Rumble suggested.
Blitz feigned ignorance for a moment. “What?”
“Try it on, I know you’re thinking it. It looks about the right size for you.”
Not needing any further encouragement, Rainbow Blitz plopped the helmet over his head, his mane bunching up and filling the hole made for the helmet’s crest. He tilted his head from side to side, making the helmet bang against the side of his head heavily; he’d need to find an arming cap to keep it in place.
“Alright, fine. Give me a hand putting it on though.” He said, poorly hiding his excitement and grabbing one of the greaves and placing it over his right foreleg. He wound the strap around and tightened it, surprised with how well the old armour fitted him. He repeated the process for his other foreleg and then clipped the two front boots on. With Rumble’s help he placed the cuirass over his back and lashed it in place. Lastly, Rumble put the neck guard on and tightened it around his throat. Blitz fished around for the visor and clipped it onto the helmet before finally flipping it down over his face, reducing his vision down to a thin slit.
“How do I look?” He asked, his voice slightly muffled by the heavy mask.
“Amazing…” Rumble breathed, dragging over an old mirror so Blitz could see for himself.
“Looking good.” He said boastfully, strutting back in forth in front of the mirror. His wings were tucked in a little uncomfortably against the cuirass but other than that, the suit seemed like it had been made for him. Even without the hind-leg armour attached, it was incredibly impressive.
“I need a lance.” He said, finally figuring out was missing from the display.
“I don’t have a lance but I’ve got a broomstick.” Rumble offered.
“That’ll do, just slot it into the cradle.” Blitz ordered, feeling a soft clunk in the armour as the metal cradle was lashed to his armour. A moment later Rumble appeared in front of the visor, holding the small choke that was used to adjust the cradle’s alignment.
Much better.” Blitz said, smiling under the metal visor as a long wooden broomstick was locked into the cradle. It certainly didn’t look like a real lance but it’d have to do. He admired himself in the mirror for a minute or so before the sound of a door opening downstairs made them freeze.
“Quick, put it away. Wouldn’t want anypony to see you wearing that.” Rumble stammered.
Rainbow Blitz took off the helmet and stashed it back in the box before an idea washed over him, a crazy idea. He pondered it for a moment before grabbing Rumble.
“Hey, Rumble, look at me!” He hissed. “What sort of pony am I?”
The older stallion rolled his eyes. “I’m not daft, you’re a Pegasus.”
“Well, duh, you know me! But pretend you’re a stranger, what sort of pony am I?
Rumble looked at him boredly. “I don’t know, an Earth pony or a Pegasus I guess?” He shook his head, not understanding where Blitz was going with his line of thought.
“Rumble! Don’t you get it? I’ve wanted to go in a real joust my whole life, now I can!” Blitz hissed excitedly.
Rumble’s eyes widened. “Oh no, no you don’t. You can’t, you’re not allowed to.”
A wave of anger rose up in Rainbow Blitz. He could still vividly recall the argument he’d had nearly fifteen years ago with his Mum, why was Rumble backing her up now as well? “Screw the rules, they’re outdated crap! Why can’t I compete?” He snarled.
“Because the rules say so, now get that armour off before I rip it off you. Besides, are you just going to hide your wings under your cuirass for the entire tournament? What if you have to take it off, hmm?”
“I could.” Rainbow Blitz grumbled, shucking off the heavy cuirass and stowing it away. He stared at it longingly as Rumble removed his leg armour and threw it back in the box haphazardly.
Rumble shook his head disbelievingly. “Blitz, you’ve come up with a lot of stupid ideas, this one has got to be the stupidest I’ve heard of.” He grunted, closing the box back up and leading them down out of the attic. They were halfway down the narrow ladder when Thunderlane suddenly appeared in the hallway next to them.
“What were you guys doing up there?” He asked curiously.
“Just looking around for some of my old stuff.” Rumble answered quickly, averting his eyes.
Thunderlane nodded and turned to Blitz, a large smile breaking out on his face. “Hey buddy, how’s your day going?”
“Pretty good.” Rainbow Blitz answered truthfully, thinking back up to the set of armour he and Rumble had found. No way would he’d tell Thunderlane about that though… at least not yet.
“Good, good. Come on down, I’ve got something for you.” The burly stallion said with a sly wink before vanishing into the cottage’s kitchen. Blitz flashed a curious look at Rumble but his light grey friend just shrugged.
“Don’t ask me. I dunno what Thunderlane has got cooked up.”
Blitz shrugged and followed his uncle into the cottage’s small kitchen. A wave of delightful cooking smells washed over him as he crossed the threshold. Fluttershy was by the stove, stirring a pot of soup nearly as large as she was and Thunderlane was in the corner, placing down the shell of a pie large enough that he could’ve curled up in the dish with room to spare. He nodded politely as he passed Fluttershy, despite her closeness with his parents, he’d never had as much to do with her as he had with Thunderlane. Her generally shy nature meant that the extent of their relationship was little more than a few awkward conversations and the occasional scolding when he and Rumble did something stupid… which seemed to actually happen surprisingly often.
Thunderlane finished pressing the bottom of the pie to the tin with his hooves before turning to Rainbow Blitz and rumble. “Alright, I wanted to give this to you before anypony else showed up. I don’t think your parents would really approve of it so I suggest keeping your mouth shut about it, for both of our sakes.” Thunderlane whispered, glancing over their shoulder to make sure his wife was still occupied with the tureen of soup. He fished around the counter top and handed Blitz a sealed envelope. Without waiting, the young pegasus tore it open, surprised to find a pair of brown paper tickets inside. Blitz read them carefully, his eyes widening as he noticed what they were for.
“The Trottin-.” He started to say before Thunderlane silenced him.
“Shh, not so loud.” He warned. “Take them and put them somewhere safe. I got another ticket for Rumble because I know he’d kill me for not letting him go as well.”
“Thanks Thunderlane, you’re the best.” Rainbow Blitz said, giving his uncle a rough hug.
“You’re welcome kid, now get out here before Fluttershy gets curious and comes over for a look.” Thunderlane cautioned, giving them a gentle push out of the kitchen. The two young stallions bounced out, fawning over their tickets.
“I can’t believe it, the Trottingham tournament!” Rainbow Blitz said giddily once he was sure the kitchen was out of earshot. “Only one of the biggest tournaments in all of Equestria!”
“Pity there’s only two tickets, I’d love to take Scootaloo…” Rumble muttered sourly. “I wonder how Thunderlane got a hold of these. You have to be lucky to get them because they usually sell out really quickly.”
“Who cares, we got tickets!” Rainbow Blitz sang, prancing around the living room stupidly.
“Tickets for what?” A feminine voice asked coolly.
Rumble and Rainbow Blitz froze in shock before breathing a sigh of relief when Scootaloo trotted around the corner with a large grin on her face. Like Rumble the once young filly had grown into a stunning mare, her purple mane had shot out a little and her voice had taken on a slightly more feminine tone but she still retained the spunk she’d possessed as a foal. While she had been invited to the party, neither Rumble nor Rainbow Blitz had expected to see her so early.
“When did you get here?” Rumble asked.
“Just now, front door was open so I just let myself in.” Scootaloo said, switching her gaze to the small piece of paper Rainbow Blitz was fondling. “What’s that?”
“Just a ticket for the Trottingham tournament” Rumble boasted. turning his nose up slightly. “Thunderlane got us tickets.” He continued, not entirely missing the slightly envious look Scootaloo gave him.
Scootaloo screwed her muzzle up. “Watching boys running at each other with big sticks all day doesn’t strike me as fun…”
“Rubbish, you love watching us muck around.” Rumble protested, rising to the bait like she knew he would. He wasn’t lying, while Scootaloo had nowhere as much interest in the sport as Rainbow Blitz did, she maintained a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy, depending on your point of view) appreciation for its workings. The tournament was host to more than just jousting though, there were several events, both combative and non that Rumble knew Scootaloo had a firm interest in.
“Well then I don't suppose you got one for me did you?” She asked.
Rumble seemed set to offer his to her but she waved him down with a smile. She hardly expected Blitz to suddenly speak up.
“Have mine.” hez said quietly. The crazy thought had returned… maybe this was just the chance he’d need to achieve his dreams.
The other two pegasi snapped around to look at him, wondering if he’d gone mad. There was nothing they could think of that he’d give a ticket up for… maybe other than two tickets.
“Uh, how are you going to get in then, genius?” Rumble asked.
Blitz’s thoughts turned back to the suit of armour collecting dust in the attic. It was a crazy idea, probably the best he’d ever had. “I’m going to compete.”