//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: The Preparations // Story: Redemption // by Mystic_Knightwolf //------------------------------// Redemption Chapter 10: The Preparations After the family talk in the library about Trixie's plight, Celestia decided she'd give her and Luna some alone time together, so she gave them a wide berth and made her way out of the library with Blueblood and Twilight. The next place she went was the royal dining hall to tell the castle staff to get some rest and pick up tomorrow before the lunar guard took over. Decorations were coming along nicely, and they should finish well before tomorrow night. Once everypony turned in and went to bed, it was well into the night, and Celestia decided to retreat to her study and maybe read a good book before dozing off herself. She was on the third chapter of her novel when she heard a gentle knock on her door. "Come in." she called as Trixie and Twilight walked in. "Hello Trixie, Twilight. How was time with Luna?" she asked, closing her book, pulling up a couple of cushions for the both of them. "Dear Luna has told us a story and left us with more questions than answers." Trixie said as she and Twilight took their seats across from Celestia. "What are your questions?" Celestia asked, folding her hooves under her. "Well, we wanted to know who Molaris is." Twilight admitted, somewhat nervously. "And if you are able, your parents." Trixie added in. Hearing this, Celestia rubbed her chin, pondering. It had been a long, long, long time since she's seen about her brother or even her parents. "I have not seen my brother or my parents for at least several thousand years. Not since we were tasked with taking care of Equis. But I am more than happy to share what I can recall about our origins." at that, Twilight and Trixie decided to get comfortable. "In the beginning, there were our parents; our father Gaius and our mother Soleanna. Our mother created the heavens, our father created the world, and together, they filled them both with life." "Both?" Twilight asked, confused. Celestia nodded. "The constellations were the first living things they ever created. Before life on Equis and even us." that came as a shock to both mares. "They were essentially experiments for when our parents were ready to move on. In creating them, Gaius and Soleanna were ready to create life on Equis. Science classes may have told you how life began on Equis, but they never covered how me, Luna, or Molaris came to be." Twilight and Trixie instinctively leaned in. "The first of my generation to be born was Molaris, and me not long after. From fillyhood, I was taught how to control the heavens, both night and day. Molaris was taught how to control the world and make new life. After Luna was born, our parents left Molaris and I to our duties. He soon left to continue with the rest of the world, and so I stayed with Luna and taught her how to control the sky and govern the night. As the centuries went by, ponykind came to be on account of Molaris, and I've been reminded of him from the lands he's formed and the races he's made way for. But between the heavens and the world, I believe that the most beautiful thing that came to be was life itself." the warmth of Celestia's smile could thaw even the coldest of hearts. "It's so remarkable. The world is filled with so many possibilities. Each living thing has an entirely unique experience. The sights they see, the sounds they hear, the lives they live... are so... complicated, yet so simple. It was all made possible by Molaris. Our father may have created life, but it was his son, our brother, that saw the potential in it." by the end of her story, Trixie and Twilight were at least a little misty-eyed. "That was..." Trixie began, but couldn't find the word. "Beautiful." Twilight finished. "Thinking back to it brings fond memories. But that is my story." Celestia concluded, standing up, wiping her own eyes. "What about Cadence and Blueblood? How do they fit into all of this?" Twilight, asked as she and Trixie got up as well. "Cadence came to me as a filly with Blueblood as a foal. He did not even open his eyes yet. But ever since, I've taken care of them. You already know the story from then on, Twilight." Celestia explained with a smile. "They're not much older than you. In fact, I'd say you and Blueblood are near the same age." Twilight sighed in content, happy and satisfied "Thank you for sharing this with us, Aunt Celestia." "Yes. It has been... enlightening. Thank you." Trixie spoke up. The alabaster mare giggled. "Ever a pleasure, you two. Now, be sure to give Trixie some good pointers, Twilight. Nopony knows what Blueblood is capable of but him. Good night, my little ponies." Trixie raised a brow at that as Celestia retreated into her room, leaving the two young princesses on their own. XXXXX By the time Blueblood was done with unpacking, his room was filled to the brims with his treasures. Not a shelf, cabinet, drawer, nor table was free of space, and he doubted he made a dent in what he left in The Sanctuary. Emerging from his room, Blueblood thought he'd say goodnight to Aunty Celestia before dozing off. He was on his way to her tower when he came across Twilight and Trixie, who had just came down from her tower. "Good evening, Twilight, Trixie. I trust you've gotten an interesting story out of Aunty?" the pale prince asked as the three stopped in the hallway. "Yeah, it was an amazing story. Is that what you were on your way to do?" Twilight asked. Blueblood merely shook his head. "I'll find out who my father is in time. I simply came to tell Aunty goodnight. Goodnight yourselves, Twilight and Trixie. I look forward to our duel tomorrow." "Just so you know, Prince Blueblood, Trixie does not hold back in battle." Trixie gave her warning with a confident smirk. "I would not expect one as strong as yourself to do anything of the sort. I would also like to see what kind of training Aunt Luna has put you through." and with that, Blueblood made his way past them and up Celestia's tower. Alone again, Trixie and Twilight continued walking. "So Trixie, I take it you're looking forward to facing Blueblood?" "A rhetorical question, Twilight. Of course. Blueblood comes off as a more than worthy adversary. And one Trixie feels she can best; a worthy goal that may be within reach." the blue mare explained "It was difficult beyond measure to make peace with the fact that Trixie will never best you in magic. For a long time, that was the driving force in Trixie's life; defeating you, and that has gotten Trixie far, but changing it is best for all of us, and change of that caliber is never easy." "I still don't know if I should feel flattered or otherwise." Twilight chuckled. "Be happy that you've been able to inspire a pony to truly become something in her life, despite how difficult the journey may have been." Trixie said, a grin pulling at the corner of her lips. "I love you too, Trixie." Twilight declared with a sisterly smile, pulling her close with a wing. The blue mare grinned "Trixie knows. And she loves you too." XXXXX It was morning again, and the castle was busy that morning. The castle staff were finishing decorations and preparations for Blueblood's welcoming party, Luna was finishing up the night court, Twilight was training with Trixie, and Blueblood was spending more time with his aunty. Blueblood stood in the open grass, blind-folded in the center of the clearing, just listening, sensing. His ears were high, his eyes were closed behind his blindfold, and his horn was aglow with a brilliant blue light. He heard the ambiance of the wind blowing in his ears, a smooth and gentle constant in his senses. He also heard the gentle breaths of his aunty as she rested under a tree, which also played a calming tune of blowing leaves in the wind. But what stopped him from enjoying the ambiance were the sounds of humming. Seven of them, to be exact. He could feel their presence just as much as he could hear them... The magical orbs floated about, drifting far and near, goading him, testing him, but the pale prince refused to move, though his muscles were tense and his breath was held. Suddenly, the drone of humming stopped, and one intensified; one of the orbs fired a bolt of blue magic, but before the projectile could get to Blueblood, its attack was consumed by one considerably larger before it too had caught the blast, the source being Blueblood's magically lit horn. One down, six left... As if a hornet's nest was stirred, the six remaining orbs began flying erratically about the clearing. Blueblood's ears were assaulted with loud humming, and so he began to truly focus. He dropped into a stance, hardening his expression as he took a deep breath and readied himself. A hum elevated in pitch, and he could hear it heading for him. Acting swiftly, he lowered his haunches to avoid the shot, letting it soar over his back harmlessly. He heard another. Without a moment's hesitation, his hind legs shot forth from under him, springing him to an inverted position on his forehooves, nicely dodging the second shot which flew where his flank was a mere moment ago. He heard two more shots coming. Coiling and tensing the muscles in his forehooves, he sprung his body up, using the momentum to affect a glorious hoofspring. Before he even landed, he discharged his horn, letting out a burst of four shots. The humming lessened considerably. Another four. Only two left... The two remaining orbs, as if in a panic, began to pick up speed dramatically, now appearing as spiraling, coiling streaks of light, even in the broad light of the morning sun. Shots rung out, several per second, all aiming for the pale, perceptive prince. But said prince was ready. Acrobatically, Blueblood began dodging, putting even a pony worthy of a gymnastic cutie mark to considerable shame. He leaned back, forward, to the side, lunged forth, bucked back, rolled to the side, hopped up in a flip... he almost got wound up in the moment. As soon as he landed, he activated a spell he's been charging, indicative of his constantly lit horn. From what he could hear, every sound dropped several octaves, slowing to a crawl. The humming became more distinct in his ears, and became much easier to pinpoint. Two shots later, and he was the victor. When the humming stopped, the ambiance of the wind, the trees, and his aunty's breathing returned to his senses at normal speed, and the prince softened his gaze and smiled. His smile grew into a grin at the sound of the excited applaud of his audience. Removing the blindfold with his magic, he looked to see the grinning, blushing face of Aunty Celestia as she applauded his performance, more than impressed. "Your private performance was divine, Noble Blueblood." Celestia complimented in a posh tone. The pale unicorn's response was to bring his forehoof across his waist in a polite, respectful bow. "Ever a pleasure to entertain thee, Princess of the Sun." The princess bought a hoof to her mouth, giggling, her blush only intensifying. "For your service, it is only fair that I, as a princess, treat you to a feast. One so fit in in mind and body, not to mention one so eager to please, deserves only the best royalty can offer..." she said, standing up from her comfortable position under the shade of the tree as she approached him. "... brunch?" "Brunch." came Blueblood's abrupt reply, nodding. XXXXX Meanwhile, inside the castle, Trixie herself was training. Manifested in front of her was a sizable kite shield made from her magenta magic, held defensively by her as her focused, violet eyes scanned the dim-lighted gymnasium for whatever may want to do her harm. And it very much came in handy for deflecting the three raspberry red bolts that came at her from the same direction. Trixie did not even flinch. Looking up, Trixie focused in on the determined eyes of Twilight as she descended to the ground. Never one to take an adversary for granted, Trixie lowered herself to a stance with a glare of focus and intent. Twilight Sparkle stood across from her, lowering into a similar stance, narrowing her eyes with a mischievous grin, pawing the ground, as if ready to charge. It was if the alicorn mare was mocking her, but Trixie knew better than that. Not intending to give Twilight time to make a move, Trixie charged and fired a bolt at her. It was soundly blocked by a magic shield of Twilight's own magic, but as the shot impacted, it burst into many other, all turning in the direction of Twilight. However, before the seeking projectiles could hit, Twilight took flight, allowing for all of them to follow her, only to impact uselessly against her bubble shield. Trixie, however, saw this coming. Twilight's maneuvers gave her enough time to launch a special bolt that effectively disrupted Twilight's shield, but by the time her shield disruptor managed to hit, Trixie had already teleported just below Twilight, firing a few bolts of magic flak, seemingly engulfing the purple mare in sparkling, magenta smoke. But by the time the stardust cleared, Twilight had already teleported away. It was well-known to all that Twilight was no combatant, but far, far from an amateur when it comes to using magic in situations like this, which makes her incredibly tricky to land a hit against. Trixie saw Twilight reappear out of her peripherals, and she faced her adversary again, Twilight still wearing that smirk. It made Trixie smirk as well. One of the flaws Trixie had to work on and correct was her tenacity in a duel. Firing ten different kinds of blasts ten different ways in rapid succession was a more than impressive feat, but unless an alicorn, it was incredibly taxing for the shooter. It led to Trixie almost losing against night guards half her magical prowess. Now, so much more advanced, Trixie could do many more spells for much longer, but she knew she was still no true match for an alicorn, and there was no knowing what Blueblood was capable of. But getting back to the task at hoof, Trixie began her move by starting off with a volley of bolts. Immediately, Twilight reacted by taking flight, but then Trixie was on the move. She teleported in the air directly in front of Twilight, firing a bolt a mere foot away from the other mare. Twilight teleported again, feet away, firing another one, Trixie replying with the same maneuver. For the next few seconds, their duel looked like a flurry of raspberry and magenta clouds and bolts disappearing and reappearing from place to place, one trying to hit the other and vice versa, but the cycle ended when Trixie Teleport to evade Twilight's bolt again, reappearing within a bubble shield. Twilight had ill time to shake away her anticipation before she fired a bolt directly into Trixie's bubble at point blank, the raspberry projectile ricocheting back at her, striking her in the horn, the sudden sting in such a sensitive place making her shriek and jerk back, rubbing her horn. It was guilty-pleasured music to Trixie's ears, but Trixie gave herself no time to celebrate as she fired another bolt while Twilight was still reeling. It caught the alicorn square in the chest, which dealt Twilight another stinging sensation. Confident that she had won their brief match, Trixie gracefully landed, grinning as Twilight glided down to the ground herself, ribbing her chest. "I hate it when you do that..." Twilight muttered, still rubbing her horn as she approached her adversary. "A system that delivers you results is one you should not deviate from, Twilight." Trixie advised with a grin. The purple mare grew a smirk at that. "We'll see what Blueblood has to say about that." "Trixie looks forward to it. I have no doubts that he is as strong in mind and magic as he is in body. But we will see tonight. Now, let us away to lunch. It is almost noon." the blue mare said as they both made their way towards the exit, picking up their regalia as they left. XXXXX Lunch for the royalty was served out in the Canterlot Gardens. The prince and princesses gathered in the courtyard near the bush maze, enjoying their food as well as each other's company. Well after lunch, the five of them stuck around well into the late afternoon, simply talking the day away. Spending time with the family as a whole felt rather different for Blueblood. He was undeniably fond of spending time with each of them, but having -almost- everypony together felt just as good. He could imagine how much more drawn together everypony would feel when they gather around for his big story following his welcoming party. It was almost evening when they were visited by a unicorn guard. His hoofsteps through the grass alerted them to his presence. Blueblood recognized him as one of his personal guards that accompanies him when leaving the castle. "Stronghold? What is it, old friend?" Blueblood asked, getting up from the table, approaching his sentry. The stallion bowed his head before he spoke. "My apologies for interrupting your family moment, all. But I assumed that you would want to be informed of any new upcomings, what with your very recent return. You've mail from Sir Fancy Pants sent from this morning. This is the letter." Stronghold said as he pulled the scroll from his saddle bag and presented it to the prince. Taking it within his own magic, Blueblood opened it and read it to himself: 'Dear Prince Blueblood of Canterlot, I was overjoyed to hear of your return to Equestria. I have not seen you since my business trip to Saddle Arabia sometime along your journey some three years ago. I feel a strong sense of admiration at how far you've gotten and how much you've changed, and I should tell you that Fleur is far more eager than even I am to see you. Should the delivery of this message find you at a bad time, I do very much apologize, but I simply had to get the opportunity to speak to you again. Needless to say, Fleur and I will be attending your welcoming party, and we will be present early with the personal invitations we've received from Princess Luna. And please do tell the princess that I thank her for the invitation and that I look forward to meeting her at the party. There's so much to talk about, but I should save it for the party. Until then, old chap. Your friend, Fancy Pants of Canterlot' Blueblood grinned, chuckling as he read the last of the note before rolling it back up, taking it someplace else with his magic. "Thank you for the message, Stronghold. Carry on." Blueblood said before returning to the princesses, allowing the guard to depart to return to his post. "So who was it?" Twilight asked, curious. "Our old friend Fancy Pants. He was just glad to hear I'm back." Blueblood explained. The end of the letter, where he mentioned Luna, did aught to confirm the speculation he formed when Aunty told him about earlier candidates for prince, and judging by Luna aimlessly looking off into the distance, he'd say she has something for him and the noblestallion knows it. "Oh, and Aunt Luna, he did want to thank you for giving him and Fleur that invitation." that got her attention as the night blue princess looked back towards him in delight with a gleeful smile. "He also said he looks forward to seeing you at the party." by how Blueblood delivered the information, he was intentionally messing with her, and the other princesses all had their own expressions of mirth, from Trixie's knowing grin to Celestia's hoof to her mouth in vain effort to hide her giggling. Blushing like mad, Luna shot her nephew a glare. "Must you have said such a thing out loud, nephew? Why not shout my love interest from the rooftops?" It was often difficult to actually tell whether or not Luna was really insulted in these situations, even for family members, but Blueblood would not have teased her if he couldn't simmer a pot he possibly heated up. "It was a harmless tease, Aunt Luna. I'd have thought that at least our family members would have known over the course of five years." he reasoned, reducing Luna's glare to a 'calmed, but still angry' pout. "But if it matters anything, I've had quite a crush on Fleur de Lis myself." that took most of the audience by surprise, namely everypony except for Celestia, who presumably knew as long as Blueblood himself. "Oh? And does the mare herself know this?" Luna asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Blueblood already knew where this was going. "No, she does not. But you telling her at the party should provide fore some afternoon entertainment..." he figured with a cool expression. Intentionally giving her leverage on him, Luna was no longer angry, and in fact happy to take the leverage she was given, and that was good, but he seemed to have walked himself into a trap, but so long as Luna doesn't make him regret it too hard, he'll take it in stride. Lunch continued on between the princesses and prince, up until early evening, where they left to make final preparations for the duel between Trixie and Blueblood. XXXXX It was early evening when the prince and princesses arrived to witness and participate in the duel. A compliment of guards followed the group of royalty as they left the castle grounds and were on their way towards their destination. The way there was a mountain Path to the summit of Canterlot mountain, where waiting at the top was an old arena, which in a way resembled ruins at the fact that many pieces of the pillars that dotted the outside had bits of marble chipped away, some having been covered in vines and other vegetation. The arena's interior, where the duel would be held, was very much the same, everypony noticed as all save for Blueblood and Trixie proceeded towards the royal stand where the royal sisters took seats in their respective thrones while Twilight took a seat right in front of them, the small group of guards accompanying them standing on either side. Blueblood and Trixie walked out towards the center of the open, but decrepit arena, Blueblood taking one side, Trixie taking the other. The place was large, fit for racing, which would give them both ample space to give it all they had in this duel. As the two duelists faced each other, they fulfilled the formalities of bowing to one another before wishing each other good luck. "Best of luck, Trixie." the prince said with an encouraging smile before he fell into stance. "I wish you the same, Prince Blueblood." Trixie replied in kind with a confident, focused expression, doing the same. Despite her outward expression, Trixie was nervous. She was confident in her own abilities, but she had no way of telling what magic Blueblood knew or his strong his magic was compared to hers. But despite these shortcomings, she was excited. Blueblood could potentially be that challenger she sought. Perhaps by besting Blueblood now or in the future, she could satisfy her life-long ambition to be the strongest unicorn. Few in Equestria came close, and Twilight has risen beyond her, she was well aware of that. Blueblood was the next best thing, and she'll give it all she's got. On the other hoof, Blueblood stared back at his challenger with focus and the look a teacher would have, upon testing their student. Though Blueblood was far from her teacher, his role in this was that of her helper moreso than her adversary. He was here so she could accept him as a worthy opponent in hopes of allowing her to move past Twilight and allow the final remnants of their one-sided rivalry to wither and die. He was confident that Trixie is a strong pony in all regards, and he was happy that he was chosen to help her with this. But looked at this duel as a test of his own ability as well. He's learned much, but now, he'll finally put at least some of it to use. Now, the two waited for one of the princesses to announce the start of their duel. The two's eyes were met, focused on each other, the rest of the world drowned out from their senses. All he saw was her and all she saw was him. After a brief exchange of words with her sister, Luna stood from her throne and stepped forward, speaking in the Royal Canterlot Voice to make her words heard. "Princess Trixie, Prince Blueblood. The stage has been set, and your battle is underway. The match begins upon my word and the match ends upon the first five hits of damage inflicted. Prepare for battle! Ready!" Blueblood and Trixie focused again. "Set!" their eyes narrowed, their bodies lowering, ready to react. "BEGIN!"