"I give up! I give up!" shouts the stallion beneath you. You smirk slightly as you let the stallion go from your death grip before standing up yourself.
It was an interesting experience to spar with living ponies rather than practicing on straw and wooden dummies, but just as equally rewarding. Dad saw the potential in your hands and helped you develop your fighting skills even further. That, combined with your seemingly natural instincts in the ways of combat, made you the best fighter among the newly recruited guards, who were pitted against you to help both you and them train.
To say that your father was surprised when you almost won against your first, living opponent would be an understatement. And you have only improved since then.
Dad still does not let you train with weapons, but you are okay with this. Fighting like this did not only help you physically, but also mentally. Finally, there was a way to vent out all the frustration. Being around Tia and your friends is always fun, but they can sometimes be so annoying. Not to mention Lulu was not being helpful by constantly crying and demanding your parents' attention. That is the life of a teenager; you start to realize things about yourself and your body. A few fights break between your parents and you, but nothing too serious.
You move to the edge of the sparring arena and reach for a towel lying on the fence. You wipe your bare chest from sweat and dirt before moving to wipe your drenched head. The beaten guard does the same, moving to the opposite side of the arena and refreshes himself. He waves to you and bows before trotting back to camp, where a dozen or so guards are exchanging bits.
"My, my. My little colt is growing so fast."
"Mom," you groan. Removing the now filthy towel from your face and stare at your mother, who has just arrived at the scene.
"What? Can't a mom be proud of her children?" she asks with mock hurt, placing a hoof across her chest. "You- you hurt me, son."
You roll your eyes at the pathetic, yet entertaining display. Your mouth suddenly forms a wicked smile when a devious plan is formed in your head. "You're right, mom."
Your mom stops acting like she is physically hurt and instead opts to look at you with suspicion. That is usually not the kind of sentence parents hear their children say, and you are not an exception of that rule.
But there are always special occasions.
"You know, mom. I think you truly deserve to be proud in your children. In fact-" you vault over the fence with ease before turning fully towards Mom. Your head is literally dripping with sweat. "-I think you deserve a big, tight, warm, loving hug."
You laugh internally when you see just how quickly Mom's expression turned from mild curiosity to extreme horror. "N-now, now, sweetie. Let's not do anything rash now."
You crouch down to the ground, hips and knees bent, opposite leg and arm forward.
Mom knows that position. Dad taught you this a few months back. Mom stands still for a moment, exchanging glances between your legs and your face. A single trail of sweat runs from your forehead to your nose. As it reaches there it starts dangling from the very tip.
'Three…'
The drop of sweat starts to build.
'Two…'
The drop leaves your nose.
'One…'
The drop hits the ground.
"Now!"
With a primitive roar, you launch yourself at Mom. She responds by quickly turning around and starts galloping at top speed. In her enthusiasm to get away from you, she does the mistake and enters the eastern rock gardens. You smirk to yourself as you shoot across rocks and dodge through boulders. Mom might be faster than you, but you are far more agile.
Slowly, you close the gap between you two. You use the smaller rocks on the ground as launching pads, increasing your speed. Your muscles flex beneath your skin, your sweat dripping from your hair, and your eyes focused on the target.
You quickly zig-zag between rocks, doing your best to keep up with Mom. Your feet, thankfully protected by specially tailored sandals, pound across the ground. Your heart beats faster as faster at the thrill of the hunt. Your feel another rush of adrenalin course through you, spurring you even further.
You feel a slight pang of worry when you two are about to exit the rock garden. In the narrow environment the rock garden offers, Mom cannot use her wings to escape. You see her unfurls her wings, preparing to take to the air as soon as she is able to do it. In a bout of desperation, you quickly change course, instead aiming for a downed log. The log rests of a boulder just to the edge of the garden. Pure instincts take over you as you ran across the log and jump from the other side.
Time seems to slow as you spread your arms apart. The feeling of the wind rushing across your body is both refreshing and exciting. You can just barely see Mom dashing beneath you, foolishly unaware of your antics. But by the time she notices a peculiar shadow looming over her, it is already over.
Two strong arms wrap around Mom's barrel and hold them there. Your weight on her back puts her off balance and, with a yelp, the two of you fall to the ground.
You laugh in victory and you snuggle into Mom's back, covering her in a smelly layer of sweat.
Mom groans as the pungent smell infiltrates her nose. "Oh come on! I just came from the shower room." Mom, however, cannot hide the small smile on her muzzle. "Well, since I'm already dirty… come here!"
You squeal as you feel yourself being turned around. Mom now stands over you, smiling evilly. You shudder in fear when her muzzle drops to your stomach and delivers the mother of all raspberries.
Almost immediately, your whole body tenses as you laugh hysterically. You try to crawl away from Mom, but she is far stronger than you. Tears start to pool from your eyes as you start you hiccup.
Finally, Mom's fierce attack stops. You let your head drop to the ground while swallowing huge gasps of air. A few chuckles escape your mouth still, a lazy smile on your face. You are not even trying to move as you feel yourself being magically lifted. Mom gently places you on her back and turns towards the castle.
"Come dear, we both need a long shower," says Mom.
You say nothing. Instead you simply nod.
You exit the royal washroom, feeling quite refreshed. Taking a shower has always been your favorite past time. Not a lot of kids can say that, but then again, not a lot of children have their washroom built around natural hot springs.
One towel is wrapped across your waist while you use another to dry your hair. The cold air soon hits your body as you shiver slightly. A cozy blanket of feathers soon drapes across you, bringing you closer to the warm body of your mother, who was exiting the washroom as well.
"Be careful, you don't have a coat like we do." She looks down at your feet. "Or hooves, for that matter."
"It's fine mom, I'll hurry back to my chambers and find something to wear." You give Mom a kiss on the cheek before navigating through the castle back to your chambers. She says something to you but you cannot hear it anymore.
It takes you little over a minute to get back to your chambers, where you change to your favorite toga.
A knock on the door causes you to tear your gaze from your mirror, where you tried to get your hair combed, though with little success. The door opens and in comes the gang.
Chrissy and Aurora immediately tackle you to a hug, while Daring, Starswirl and Tia laugh at your expense.
"For all the training daddy is putting you through I expected you could at least handle two mares half your size, bro," Tia says, earning a glare from you.
The frown, however, quickly turns into a smile as you hug Chrissy and Honey back, earning a squeak from the both of them. You place the two fillies down before giving Starswirl and Daring a brohoof.
"It's been way too long guys, sorry for not seeing you more often. Father is adamant about my training," you apologize.
Tia quirks an eyebrow. "Father? Since when you call Daddy, Father?"
You shrug your shoulders. "I don't know. I didn't even notice until your said it just now."
"You certainly have changed big fella," Aurora says as she circles around you. "You're… bigger."
"Gee, thanks Aurora."
"I didn't mean it like this. I mean-" Honey's cheeks turn rosy red. "You're bulkier..."
"Hmm… you can say that again," you think you hear Chrissy say.
"What was that, Chrissy?"
"Nothing!" she replies way too quickly.
You shrug your shoulders before addressing all of your friends. "So, I don't want to sound like a jerk, but why did you all come in here? Not that I'm complaining."
"We came here for you, dude," Daring answers, flaring his wings and flying next to your head. "Being stuck in that big ol' castle every day
must suck. We were planning on going out this evening to the carnival and you're going with us." Daring landed in front of you, his face determined. "And we're not taking 'no' for an answer."
You look down at your friends. They look ready to pounce you should you dare even think of the word 'no'. You smile broadly and move to your dresser, where you fish a small bag of coins.
"In that case-" you strap the bag to your belt and turn towards your friends. "-then what are we waiting for."
You all laugh as you step from your last ride. You must admit, getting out from the castle sure was a refreshing change of pace, though convincing mom and dad to let you go was the hard part. They insisted that you must have at least three guards watching you at all times, but you convinced them that it was redundant, and that father trained you especially for such an occasion.
But enough of that. You are here now, and that is what important.
"Hey, I'm hungry, let's eat!" Tia exclaims.
"I just bought you a piece of cake, Tia. How in Tartarus are you STILL hungry?!" you say. At this point you honestly believe that Tia's stomach is capable of storing three times her weight.
Tia puffs out her cheeks and squints her eyes. "So what, I'm still hungry."
You shake your head but smile nonetheless as you turn to your friends. "What do you say guys. Wanna eat? I'll pay."
A round of nods emanates from your friends and you move towards the food area. On your way there, you can't help but stare at all the different species. The carnival draws more than just ponies, and you can see some gryphons, minotaurs and even the occasional dragon.
You quickly reach the food area, where your friends debate over what to get. While they banter between themselves, you are drawn to a peculiar smell. You break from the group and move towards a small stand amidst all the other, flashier, food stands. It was rather small, metallic cart with a striped red and white umbrella coming out of it. The gryphon on the other side of the stand was handing another gryphon a bun with steam rising from it. By this point, you are intrigued beyond belief as you quickly fall in line. When it is your turn, the gryphon's cheery smile turns into confusion.
"Umm… can I help you?" he asks, not sure how to address a creature so bizarre such as you.
"Yeah," you answer. "I was wondering what it is that you're selling here."
"You mean hotdogs?" the gryphon inquires before quickly fishing from the cart a most peculiar thing. It is an orange cylinder and it has the most amazing smell you have ever smelled in your life.
"Are these real dogs?" you ask, though the way you look at the hotdog shows how little you care.
"No, it's usually made out of chicken, pig, or cow. Or in this case, all three. Don't worry though; they are imported from the Gryphon Empire, so there's not a shred of intelligence in them. Say, is this your first time seeing a hotdog? It's quite the hit back in the Empire."
"Yeah," you answer. "I've never seen something like THAT before."
"Well then," the gryphon chuckles. "Can't have you NOT knowing what a hotdog is. Here you go." The gryphon quickly and professionally slides the hotdog into a bun and squirts ketchup and mustard on it. He takes a napkin and gives the now steaming meal to you.
"Thanks," you say. "How much?"
"For your first time… on the house. Consider it your first taste of heaven."
"Wha- really?! You mean it?!"
"Yep, don't forget to tell your friends about Don's Hotdogs!"
"I will, thank you sir!"
You quickly move back to the group, where your friends were still arguing over what to eat. Tia was the first to notice the hotdog in your hand.
"Hey big bro, what're you having there?"
"It's called a hotdog," you answer. "The nice gryphon over there sells them. He said it was made out of imported chicken, pig, and cow."
As soon as you tell your friends about this, they all make fake retching sounds.
"All you can enjoy-" Tia shudders. "-meat."
"Hey, it's not my fault I can't digest grass. And besides-" you take a bite from the bun. Your eyes go wide. "-this is the best damn thing I've eaten in my life!"
You quickly and savagely eat your hotdog, making your friends look at you mortified. They knew of your eating habits for a time now, but to actually see you eat something that was once alive was a completely different story."
"So," you start, chewing on your last bite before swallowing. "did you decide already what do you want to eat?"
You look down at your friends and notice the slight green tinge across their cheeks.
"I think I'm good for now," Tia says.
The rest of the gang murmurs something similar while avoiding your stare. You don't mind though, it was one heck of a hotdog.
You gave your friends enough time to recover before urging them to try some of the attractions you have yet to visit. Some were okay, others were great, though it was only thanks to your friends.
After a few more hours of pure fun, the sun began to set and the moon started to rise. It was then that you decided to invite your friends to a sleepover at your room. They all accepted and you were on your way back to the castle.
"Today sure was great," you say, idly scratching behind Chrissy's ears once she got closer to you.
"I second that," Tia agrees, leaning slightly against Starswirl, who was as red as a tomato.
Daring yawns and looks expectedly at the castle. If he could, he would have carried all of you all the way to the castle, just so he could crash on the soft sofa you have in your room.
Aurora also looks expectedly, only her look was directed at your hand that you currently use to scratch behind Chrissy's ears. Speaking of which, the changeling was slightly purring as your hand trances across her head and behind her ears, hitting all the good spot. Ponies and changelings have rough hooves, and they cannot deliver the same amount of precision your fingers can.
You are about to say something witty about how Chrissy acts like a cat when suddenly a shadow emerges from an ally before you. You stop in your tracks and notice two more shadows appear behind you. Your friends huddle closer to you as the shadows reveal themselves to be three gruff looking ponies.
"Looks like we hit a gold mine, boys," says the pony in front of you. "We just found the royal pet monkey going on a walk with his bratty owner... and it appears she also brought her little servants, how cute."
"Beg your pardon," you say through gritted teeth. If there is one thing that gets under your skin, are ponies that refer to you as an animal. You clench your fists almost to a point of drawing blood. "I'm gonna let it slide that you just referred to me as an animal. But if you insult my sister one more time and I will send you to a deep, dark place, and I will have FUN doing it!"
The stallion before you growls and pulls a knife seemingly out of nowhere. He grips it tightly in his mouth and moves closer to you. The other two stallions behind you do the same as they carry crowbars in their mouths.
"Big bro, I'm scared," squeaks Tia. She shuffles close to you and hides behind your legs. You put your hand reassuringly on her head, flashing a quick smile in her direction before glaring at the stallion in front of you.
"Picking fights with a bunch of foals. Is this what our society has fallen to?" a new voice emerges from the street and another stallion appears. He, unlike the other stallion, wears a hooded cape that covers everything except his muzzle. On his barrel is strapped a belt with a hoofful of knives. His eyes occasionally flash in yellow whenever he moves directly against the moonlight. He flaps his leathery wings once, leaping into the air and landing between your group and the two stallions behind you.
"Who… are you?" you ask, quickly looking at the new stallion before locking eyes with the one in front of you.
"My name is Moon Beacon. I was tasked by the king and queen to silently follow you, and defend you should such a need arise."
You growl to yourself, silently brooding over the fact that your parents did something like that behind your back. But considering your current predicament, you are truly thankful. The safety of your friends will always come first over your pride.
"Your highnesses, I must implore of you that you and your friends must stay behind me. I cannot defend you if you are not near me," Moon Beacons says as he pulls a knife out of his belt and grabs it with his mouth.
"Hmph, like Tartarus I'm letting you fight those clowns alone," you say as you pull a metallic looking pole from your belt, barely ten inches in length.
Moon Beacon growls and glances towards you before setting his sights back on the two stallions. "That is not a request your highness. Forgive me but I was given strict order by the king and queen. Not even you can override their orders."
"It doesn't look like you have much of a choice, now do you?" you shoot back.
"Enough!" the stallion in front of you shouts around the knife in his mouth. "You have the gall you bicker in front of us?! We'll show you what happens when ponies ignore us!"
In one swoop movement, the three stallion attack.
You quickly assume the boxing position your dad taught you so long ago, only this time your hands are spread slightly more apart and you hold the metallic pole in your right hand and let it rest on your shoulder. The stallion comes with a horizontal strike from your right. You quickly step and slide backwards, just barely avoiding the attack. The stallion, surprised by your quick reaction, loses his balance. You smirk as you step forwards and bring down the metallic pole in a downward swipe. The momentum causes the pole to stretch, revealing that it is actually twice the original length.
The pole hits the stallion's head with all your strength behind the attack. The stallion howls in pain, dropping the knife to the ground and holding his head with both of his forelegs. You take advantage of the stunned stallion and deliver another swipe directly to the lower jaw. The strike topples the stallion over and he falls to the ground. You quickly used your foot to roll the stallion on his back and lay on his abdomen. You bring the pole behind your head and deliver two powerful strikes directly to the stallion's ribs.
Once you are sure he is done for, you turn around to assess the situation. Moon Beacon just barely manages to hold the two stallions at bay, but you know he needs help if he is going to make it through. You waste no time as you sprint towards the stallions. You swing your pole behind your head again and use the momentum from the sprint to bash one of the stallions' head. He immediately falls unconscious, leaving only one stallion against both you and Moon Beacon.
Realizing his chances are below zero, the remaining stallion drops his weapon and run away. Moon Beacon growls and take to the air, overtaking the retreating stallion and landing in front of him. Moon Beacon gives him no time to react as he spins in place and buck the stallion straight in the chest, knocking him out.
And just as fast as it started, the fight ended.
You twirl the pole once in your hand before returning it to its collapsed form, putting it back on your belt. You turn back to your friends, who are huddled together and shiver. You kneel down next to Tia and smile.
"See, little sis. Everything turned out for the better."
Poor Tia is still shivering, but now she's looking down at your left hand. She gasps.
You follow her gaze down to your arm and see that there is a thin cut going all the way across your left palm. Blood is dripping freely from the wound.
Heh, guess you did not completely dodged the attack.
Moon Beacon quickly arrives at your side, looking down at your bleeding wound.
"Damn it!" he silently swears before fishing something from his cloak. A few moments later, he stares at you with a first aid kit in his mouth. He places it on the ground and carefully pull with his hooves a cotton wool. He gently uses it to clean your wound before applying some unknown liquid on it. It burns like Tartarus but you manage to grit your teeth and take it like a man.
While Moon Beacon bandages your hand, your friends decide to snap out of their awe-filled expressions.
"Wow, you were brutal dude. Total annihilation," Daring remarks. "That. Was. AWESOME!"
"I must admit-" Starswirl says. "-it was rather… cool."
"When did you learn to fight like that?!" Chrissy exclaims, getting really closely to your face.
Your cheeks heat up at the close proximity but you manage to stay cool.
"Hey, mind keeping your hand from shaking? I can't bandage it properly," Moon Beacon says.
Well… almost cool.
"I don't know guys." Aurora shuffles closer to you and looks intently as Moon Beacon wraps your injured palm before your eyes lock. She quickly averts her gaze from yours, her cheeks burning. "You were kinda scary…"
Hearing that, you cannot help but feel like a jerk. Is this how you handle when somepony says you are an animal? By proving them right and scaring your friends?
"I'm… sorry Aurora…" Aurora snaps her gaze back to you, her eyes asking what her mind is too afraid to voice. "I… didn't mean to scare you, any of you. It's just… when that stallion called me a pet, I was mad. But when he called Tia a brat, and you servants… I just snapped." You clench your good hand into a fist. "Nopony is allowed to talk to you like that guys!"
"Aaaaand done." Moon Beacon gets up and motions to you, ruining the moment in the process. "Come, I'll escort you the rest of the way to the castle. I'll also tell the royal currier to send letters to your families explaining what just happened."
Everypony looks at you in slight fear, a fear that you feel too. You just hope mom would take the news well...
"HE DID WHAT?!"
Well… it was nice knowing you all…
Mom stands up from her throne and walks at a brisk pace towards you. Her eyes narrow dangerously towards you. Father is sitting on his throne as well, looking worriedly at mom. Once she reaches you she exhales a wave of hot air that hits you in the face.
"Let me see."
"Mom, it's not a big deal, really-"
"Let. Me. See!"
You gulp hard as you show her your bandaged palm. Mom takes no time to unwrap your hand and examining your injury. You winch slightly. Both because mom looks like she is about to burn something and also because the wound does look worse than in feels.
Mom rewraps your palm and looks over at Moon Beacon.
"You! To the barracks! You-" she points at your friends. "-go to Celestia's room for now! And you-" she points at father. "-take your son back to his room and give him a stern talking to!"
"Sweetie, don't you think you are a bit over-"
"Now!"
"Yes ma'am," everyone says, including father, before going to their separate ways.
You wait until father reaches you before going back to your room. Your head hung low. The walk back to your room is silent, with dad walking closely behind you. You cannot help but feel slightly angry. It is not your fault. None of it is. You did what father taught you to do for that exact reason. Is it wrong to defend your friends? Your family?
You sign. There is no reason getting all mad. Its just mom getting a bit worked up because you got hurt.
You enter your room, and turn in place just as father closes the door, leaving the two of you alone.
He inhales deeply and you look away, mentally preparing yourself for a lashing.
"How was it?"
Confused, you look at father. He stands there, a grin plastered across his face as he leans close to you.
"What?"
"How was it? The fight I mean. How did you do?" father clarifies.
"Umm… good… I guess?"
Father smirks. His horn starts to shimmer white for a second and the same aura engulfs the door. He turns his attention back to you.
"It's okay, son. Your mother can't hear us now."
Your façade drops as you too begin to smile.
"It was awesome father! This stallion didn't know what hit him!"
"And the baton? How was it? Did it serve you well?"
"Don't get me started on the baton! It was a beast!"
"Ha! That’s my son! Kicking flanks left and right. You make your old geezer proud!"
Father comes and give you a strong pat on the shoulder.
"Now listen son, your mom would be expecting some kind of a lashing, so don't take it to heart if I glare at you when I'm next to her, got it?"
"Yes father. And thank you…"
"For what?"
"For teaching me to defend those I care about."
Father smiles gently this time.
"It wasn't me son. It was your willingness to put yourself in harm's way that gave you the motivation to fight. I merely helped you hone it. You truly make me proud son. Every day I am reminded of that."
The two of you share a brief hug before father lifts the silencing spell on your door and exits. He turns again to look directly in your eyes.
"And if you think that's the last you heard of me, then you're dead wrong! You hear me mister?!" he shouts, but before he leaves he smirks and winks at you.
A few moments later and you can hear the door to Tia's chambers opening and a second later she and the gang all peak into your room.
"Are you alright, big bro? It sounded like mom and dad are a little mad at you."
You smile and move towards Tia. You kneel down next to her and scratch behind her ears, looking at the direction father has left to.
"Don't worry, Tia," you say, looking down at her. "I'm sure everything will turn out just right…"