//------------------------------//
// Crazy is My Middle Name 
// Story: Joust about it 
// by Killbles 
//------------------------------//

Joust About It
Chapter 2: Crazy is My Middle Name

The silence which followed Rainbow Blitz’s proud proclamation was deafening.
Rumble and Scootaloo stood agape, their eyes silently flicking from Rainbow Blitz to each other and then back again. What felt several minutes passed before Rumble finally regained the wits to speak.
“Wait, are you serious?” He asked, incredulity almost oozing from his mouth.
Rainbow Blitz nodded determinedly, the tickets waving around like a flag in his mouth.
“Pffft…” Rumble lost his composure first, breaking down in a fit of laughter. He lost his footing, crashing to the floor with a loud smack of wood and rolling around on his back, his wings splayed out widely. Scootaloo was a little more considerate, a quiet snicker escaping her lips before she returned to the most neutral expression she could manage. 
“What? I’m serious!” Blitz exclaimed hotly, his cheeks turning a faint red and his voice cracking with embarrassment. He swore internally, giving his prone friend a solid kick in an attempt to shut him up. Thunderlane and Fluttershy would undoubtedly hear him and it would only take so long before they would come and ask what the fuss was all about…
“Rumble!” He pleaded furiously, finally shutting the stallion up with another kick to the ribs.
Scootaloo helped her boyfriend up, giving him a stern look. “Rumble, I don’t think Blitz was joking.” 
Rumble let out a long breath, trying to wipe the stupid smile he had in his face away. It was fruitless though, the amused smirk standing out like a red stain on a white carpet. “Is your head on straight buddy?” He joked. “Hey, Scoots, check if he’s got anything in there or if it's just hollow.”
Rainbow Blitz gave him another kick to the shins, eliciting a sharp yelp of pain from his friend. “Lay off.” He growled.
Rumble rubbed his leg. “Alright, well assuming you’re being stone-cold serious, how in the wide world of Equestria do you intend to get in, let alone compete? You think they’ll just let anyone with a set of armour waltz right in?”
“Wait, you have a set of armour?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes growing in amazement. 
“Yeah, found it in the attic. Finders keepers.” Blitz muttered, skirting around the issue Rumble had brought up. Even if he wore the cuirass to check-in, they would check under it anyway. Not to mention that wearing it all the time would be impractical, it was hot,heavy and barely comfortable. It was something he would have to think about; the tournament was still some time off, giving him plenty of time to practice and figure out a solution to the rather glaring problem. 
“Nice.” Scootaloo said appreciatively. “The real deal, you’re not messing with me?” 
“Genuine armour, forged in the Crystal Empire if I were to guess.” Blitz shrugged.
Scootaloo let out an appreciate ‘ohh’..
“You still haven’t answered my question.” Rumble interrupted, butting in before either of the pegasi could get carried away.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m thinking about it.” Blitz growled, pulling an annoyed face before flopping down disappointedly. “Maybe you’re right, it is a pretty stupid idea.” He mumbled into the carpet.
“Yeah, it is-.” Rumble started before cut off by Scootaloo jabbing her hindleg into his rump.
“I don’t think it’s the best idea you’ve ever had Blitz, but if it’s what you really want to do…” She said, trailing off uncertainly before giving him an encouraging smile. “...just do it. Nopony ever did the first of anything by not breaking the rules or doing what everypony else said was stupid or impossible. You’re a clever pony, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Yeah I’m sure he will.” Rumble added, a slight amount of sarcasm in his tone. 
Blitz looked between the two pegasi, a nervous feeling churning around his gut. He bit his lips before turning his eyes downwards, no it was too rash of an idea. A nice fantasy, but simply unrealistic. He had already seen the reaction of his two best friends, what about his parents? His mum probably wouldn’t handle it that well, there was no doubt in his mind that it wasn’t what she had planned for him; the ‘gentle’ proddings and the loose paperwork left ‘accidently’ around the house for the Wonderbolt reserves over the last few months had been more than enough for Blitz to gather what she wanted him to be. 
But it wasn’t what he wanted to do. While he respected the Wonderbolts on a personal level, he saw the demonstration team as little more than a glorified flying circus. It was nothing compared to the sheer visceral thrill of charging down the lane, the thunder of armoured juggernauts crashing together...
Still, the sudden urge to compete in the Trottingham tourney certainly wasn’t the brightest idea he’d ever had. 
Blitz let out a quiet sigh, his eyes dropping to the thick carpet beneath his hooves. “Thanks Scootaloo, but Rumble’s probably right. It’s not really something I can just… do.”
Rumble seemed pleased with his comment but Scootaloo shrugged impassively. “If you say so.” She remarked with an air of indifference. “Still, we’ve got your back if you decide to go for it, right Rumble?” 
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Rumble remarked half-arsedly. 
Blitz withheld the urge to fire something back at Rumble, but the words swiftly died in his mouth as Thunderlane suddenly stomped into the room with all the subtlety of a herd of buffalo. 
“Oh, hey Scootaloo. I thought I heard your voice.” Thunderlane beamed brightly at the mare. “What are you three up to? Nothing good I’d imagine.” Thunderlane mused, turning away from the trio and grabbing a few large trays above one of the cupboard. A few of the birds which had their houses tacked onto the cupboard hissed and squawked irritably as the pegasus disturbed them, but Thunderlane paid them no heed.
“Nothing much.” Blitz cut in before either of his friends could say anything. It wasn’t likely that they’d drop anything stupid on Thunderlane, but sometimes it was better to be safe than sorry. 
“Well, then perhaps ‘nothing much’ could be more useful. This party isn’t going to set itself up you know.” Thunderlane rumbled. “There’s a few hundred chairs and tables outside which are just begging to be set up. How about you oblige them?” 
“Great. Roped in to do Thunderlane’s work, as per damn usual.” Rumble hissed under his breath, shooting Blitz a dirty look as if it were somehow his fault. 
Thunderlane gave his little brother a facetious smile. “I knew you’d be excited.” He said, giving Rumble a gentle nudge towards the door before trotting back into the kitchen, followed by three irritated looks. 



***


Even between the three of them, setting up the furniture for the party took the better part of the afternoon and by the time Blitz and Rumble had dropped the last of the heavy tables into place, the first of the guests had started to arrive in force, flooding Blitz with well-wishings, food, gifts and generally leaving little time for him to have a brief moment to collect his thoughts.
 Before he knew it, half of Ponyville had seemed to arrive, flooding the field around Fluttershy’s cottage with laughter, drink and chatter. Considering how well known his family was in town it would’ve hardly surprised Blitz if most of the small town had actually shown up for the party. The sun had started to set by now, hundreds of small, magic lights in all of the colours of the rainbow to start drifting around the fields like motes of dust, a small spell Twilight Sparkle and her young daughter had come up with a few weeks ago. Many of the party’s younger attendees chased the lights noisily, laughing and jostling with other to try and catch the magical lights. 
Blitz found himself slightly overwhelmed, the almost constant jostling for attention driving him away from the bulk of the partygoers. He hung around with some of Rumble and Scootaloo’s friends, all older stallions and mares that Blitz had grown up with before excusing himself again, craving a moment of silence. Despite the overwhelming noise and clamour he felt overwhelmingly alone, the only other two members of his very small family hadn’t shown up yet and the nagging sense that something was amiss gnawed in his chest.
He slipped out of the party unnoticed, silently trotting down along the narrow stone path which wound down from Fluttershy’s cottage to the unpaved dirt road into Ponyville. He watched the skies, a hint of trepidation growing in his gut as he reached the road. Blitz flopped onto his back, rolling in the soft grass for a moment before lying still, his rose eyes watching the heavens carefully for the signs of an approaching pegasus. He chewed his lip absently, wondering if there’d he’d find two, or just one, pegasus winging towards him. 
A quiet rustle in the bushes by the roadside caught his attention, his eyes narrowing cautiously. While it was probably just a harmless rabbit, the weird and wonderful creatures of the Everfree forest were quite often found prowling out beyond its borders.
The bush stopped rustling, an eerie silence filling Blitz’s ears, his entire attention fixed on the large clump of foliage. The world seemed to freeze for a moment before a blue figure sprung out the bush like a jack-in-box, a fierce roar coming from its mouth.
Blitz squealed as the shape tore into him, wrapping its legs around him in an oddly loving embrace. It took Blitz a moment to realise he wasn’t being attacked by some foul beast, but instead being hugged by his mother. 
“Geeroff me!” Blitz complained as the pegasus draped herself across his back with a laugh . “Muuum!” 
“Hey champ.” Rainbow Dash said cheerfully, ignoring her son’s command and giving him a hug. 
Blitz tried not to smile, he couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten the drop on him like that. He’d been too preoccupied, usually he was too fast for her to catch unaware. 
“Mum…” Blitz groaned.
“Fine, fine, have it your way.” Rainbow tuttered, leaping up so Blitz could get back on his hooves. .
“That used to scare me when I was 6, maybe.” Blitz muttered exasperatedly, brushing some grass off his coat and trying to salvage what little dignity he could. 
“As if! You should’ve seen your face!” Rainbow sniggered. “AYGGHHH!” She yelped, imitating Blitz’s high pitched squeal and pulling a over-exaggerated look of terror. “You’re not nearly as tough as you think you are, kiddo.” 
Blitz grumbled mutinously under his breath, looking around with a disgusted expression plastered on his face. It seemed that she was by herself.
Rainbow Dash didn’t pick up on his silent look of ire. “Sorry I’m late, had a bit of a last minute hassle with some work arrangements. Nothing to worry about though, got it all under control.” She boasted proudly. 
“Great.” Blitz answered sharply, pulling away from her and stomping back towards the cottage.
Rainbow Dash seemed somewhat taken aback by his cold reply. She took a measured step forward, her foreleg raised slightly. “Hey, Blitz, you okay?” 
Blitz stopped dead, staring intently at the ground as he wondered what stupid excuse his father had worked up this time. “I’m guessing dad isn’t coming.” Blitz stated coldly, looking up and locking eyes with her. 
She bit her lip and shook her head apologetically. “No, some crisis popped up this afternoon or something. He wasn’t specific, but I think this one is something abroad.” 
“Which of course doesn’t concern us.” Blitz guessed. He’d heard the routine before. 
Rainbow Dash didn’t bother hiding the exasperated look which crossed her face. “Yeah, pretty much.” She said in a tone which made Blitz wonder how much she really knew. “He said he’ll probably be gone a couple of months, just until this thing blows over.” 
Blitz bit the tip of his tongue, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. “Unbelievable.”  He muttered.
His mother scowled slightly. “Blitz, you know he’s really busy.”
“Yeah, yeah. ‘Busy’. Crisis this, appointment that.” Blitz snapped crossly. “As. Usual.” 
The elder of the two pegasi scowled furiously. “Blitz you can’t seriously be getting be snippy because he’s not here for your birthday.”
“No, not just this one.” Blitz growled. He could feel his temper rising slowly but did nothing to stop it.. “But maybe it’s the last fourteen. Maybe it’s your last ten anniversaries that he’s been gone. Maybe it’s my graduation, maybe it’s anything dad has never been at! Which is practically everything!” He yelled, his wings flaring crossly. “Your damn ex-boyfriend is more of a father to me than he is!”
Rainbow Dash stood in mute shock as Blitz mouthed off, her face starting to twitch slightly. 
“Maybe it’s that I haven’t heard had a… a real conversation with him for five years, maybe it’s that I can’t remember ever hearing a ‘ I love you’ or ‘I’m proud’ or even a ‘Good work’ or maybe it’s just the fact that he obviously really just doesn’t give a shit about his family.” 
“Blitz-.”
Blitz cut her off. “How can you even stand up for him? He’s abandoned you too, going away for months on end doing these ‘things’ that we don’t know anything about and the only thing he sends is stupid letters saying he’s not dead and that he ‘loves us’. I think I stopped believing that when I was about ten. How could you love somepony like that? Shit, I don’t think he loves you anymore,” Blitz sneered, taking a sort of savage joy at his mother’s mortified expression. Blitz didn’t like to claim that he liked pushing other pnoy’s buttons but he couldn’t deny he was good at it. He paused for a moment, he had probably crossed a line but what did it matter, what was she going to do? Ground him? Put him in the naughty corner? He wasn’t a little foal anymore. Blitz’s face curled into a cold, contemptuous leer.“Heck, he’s probably out there right now having some cheap mare-.”
Blitz’s words was abruptly cut off as Rainbow Dash hit him across the face, a single sharp smack which made him stagger and made the side of his face smart like he’d rubbed it in a batch of nettles for a few hours. 
Rainbow Blitz stared at the ground silently, too shocked to say anything. She had never hit him like that before, that was new. He felt a trickle of blood run down his face, the cut stinging painfully. He looked up, cowed slightly by his mother’s downright furious expression.
“Don’t you dare. Ever-.” She growled quietly, the sharp edge in her voice sending ice running through his veins. The ambient temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, a cold rush running down Blitz’s spine. 
Blitz had to resist the overwhelming urge to yell at her again, instead settling for a disgusted look, so as to not look like he had been scared. They glared at each other silently for a few moments before Blitz let out an irritated yell and took off in a flash of feathers.
“Unbelievable.” He fumed, circling up above the cottage a few times before levelling out. He felt a twinge of guilt in his gut, he shouldn’t have brought mum into it. It had been a low move, through and through. He found a cloud large enough to hide inside of and settled in. It wasn’t likely that she’d come looking for him, she was just as angry as he was, if not more, and they’d both learnt from experience that intruding on the other’s space when one was in foul mood was usually a bad idea.
Blitz let out a long sigh, poking his muzzle out of the cloud and looking back towards Fluttershy’s cottage. The party was still in full swing, the attendees blissfully unaware that Blitz had vanished. For presumably the thousandth time Blitz couldn’t help but wonder; where was his dad?
Blitz had never intentionally set out to hate his father, he just found it remarkably easy to after watching him be spirited away time and time again whenever something important cropped up. He had never really played a role in Blitz’s life, at least not one he could remember. There were long enough periods that he was gone that Blitz had nearly forgotten what his voice sounded like. 
“Bastard…” Blitz muttered, covering his eyes with his hooves.  He felt a tear slip out of his eye and roll down his leg. He couldn’t recall ever getting angry at his mum like that before, not over anything. It was incredible that somepony who was so distant was having such an impact on his other relationships. He touched a hoof to his bleeding cheek, wincing with pain. She hadn’t gone easy on him. 
‘Why do I even care anymore? It’s just something I should expect by now.’ He thought to himself cynically.
He regained his composure, letting out a long, calming breath. His misery washed away, only to be replaced by surging frustration. A slowly simmering anger bubbling beneath the surface directed at his parents  He felt like he had reached the end of his patience with them, he was through with the sorry excuse of the pony that was his father and bitter at his mum for supporting the useless lump. He wanted to get back at them somehow, an act of defiance that would show that he was no longer be at their beck and call. 
But how?
Maybe he could leave Ponyville, but where would he go? He didn’t have friends anywhere else and he certainly didn’t have enough money to move anywhere for any period of time. He could find work easily enough, but there was little in Equestria which really held his interest.
Blitz thought back to his almost preposterous idea he'd had that afternoon; competing in the Trottingham Tourney. It certainly seemed a little more appealing to him now, even getting caught there seemed like an upside; it would most likely embarrass his parents to no end. His mind started to wander slightly, even if he managed to only place, the prize money would probably be enough to book passage to somewhere abroad… maybe even Prance.
That idea caught his attention. if he got through the tournament in Trottingham, what stopped him from competing across the seas? Sure, it relied on him actually doing well and not being stomped flat, but Blitz found the idea incredibly appealing; it’s what he’d wanted to do for most of his life after all.
‘If you win…’ A sour voice in his head chimed in. 
Not to worry, he had plenty of time to practise. Sure he’d never been in a real joust before but how hard could it be to learn? He stood from his lofty hiding place, a surge of determination rising inside him. 
First thought, he had to get Rumble onside. Blitz reasoned it shouldn’t be all that hard to get his friend willing to support him. He dropped from the cloud like a thunderbolt, winging back towards the party and ignoring the stinging pain which lanced across his cheek. 
Infiltrating the party was easy enough and once he was in, Rumble was child's play to track down, the stallion stood out in almost any crowd like a crow in a flock of parrots. Blitz practically tackled his friend aside, pulling him out of a conversation he was having with Applejack’s sister and Scootaloo mid-sentence. 
“Whoa, ease up there.” Rumble complained as Blitz dragged him of the party to a quiet spot. Rumble’s irritated look swept off his face as soon as he looked at Blitz. “Hey, you alright? What happened to your fa-.”
“Rumble, I’m doing it.” Blitz said, cutting his friend off with a hoof. “I’m competing.” 
Rumble froze, immediately catching his meaning. His mouth hung open but no words came out, he could see the fire in Blitz’s eyes, an almost tangible feeling of determination which emanated from the pegasus. It took him a moment longer to finally find words. 
“Well then…” 



***



Despite Blitz’s best attempts, the bitter aftertaste of the party lingered in his mind like a rotten lemon for several days after the event in question. It took another few days before he even talked to his mother again, neither of the proud pegasi had actually properly apologised to each other but nethertheless their routine slowly returned back to normal, the only difference a certain coldness in his mother’s voice when they exchanged words and Blitz’s constant attempts to avoid more than passing conversation. He pushed that issue aside as best he could though, instead trying to focus his mind on other things to distract him. Between working at the post office with Ditzy four days a week and the start of a training regime to get himself in shape for the Trottingham Tournament, Rainbow Blitz found himself pleasantly occupied. After some coaxing, he’d convinced Rumble to help him smuggle the suit of armour out of Fluttershy’s attic and into his friend’s new house, a small but pleasant cottage near the outskirts of town. 
There Blitz practised as much as he could, going out into a small clearing a few hundred metres behind the house with Rumble as often as their work schedules allowed. When Rumble wasn’t around, Blitz either practised by himself or sulked about town on his mail route, trying to figure out how to get past the seemingly impossible question that faced him. How would he get into the tournament as a pegasus? 
Even after several weeks of thinking and brainstorming, no answer seemed readily apparent; he was starting to slowly lose hope. It just simply seemed impossible, regardless of how much enthusiasm he could try and muster to throw at the problem. He started to loose focus and his performance at his training sessions started slowly slipping until he found even hitting a large stationary target hard. One day, after a few hours of trying fruitlessly to hit the target with an impromptu lance, a broomstick Rumble had raided from a local store, he finally lost his cool.
“Damn it!” He roared, galloping past the target, the long broomstick lashed to the armour’s cradle swinging past without hitting home. He skidded to a stop, fuming under his breath. He ripped the stick free from the mount with his mouth, storming back to the target and slamming it against the small wooden board so hard the handle snapped in half.
“Maybe you should take up the sword event instead, you’re not half bad at swinging a stick.” Rumble suggested snarkily from somewhere behind him. 
Blitz ignored him, tossing the now useless piece of wood aside with a frustrated yell halfway between a roar and a curse. His anger spent, he sank to his knees, the suit of armour he wore clattering like a tray full of cutlery as he flopped to the ground like a dead fish. 
“What’s the point?” He muttered into the churned dirt quietly.
Rumble trotted over slowly, retrieving the broken broom handle and dropping it on a pile of the other shattered sticks Blitz had already broken, he hauled Blitz’s face out of the dirt, brushing a few clumps of mud out of his friend’s mane.
“I think you should take some time off.” He suggested levelly, glancing at the large pile of smashed and broken wood. 
“Time off?!” Blitz asked incredulously. “The tournament is only a month away and I can’t even hit a stationary target! I can’t take time off, I need to train or I won’t even last past the first round!” 
“You can hit one. I know you can, you just to not be so… all this.” Rumble gestured at him vaguely.
“This.” Blitz echoed, glaring at Rumble murderously.
“Yes, this.” Rumble agreed. “So… angsty, so frustrated. I know you can do it because I’ve seen you do it, you just need to calm down and relax a bit. You’re getting too worked up to focus properly.”
Blitz scowled at him silently.
“Besides, you’ve smashed all the broomsticks again and I think if I waltz in and buy another hundred somepony is going to get curious.” Rumble said, grabbing one of the broken sticks and booping Blitz’s nose in a condescending manner. “So I think you’ve done enough for today, and tomorrow and the day after and the rest of the week. Rather than trying to work on this,” He said, tapping the stick against Blitz’s helmet. “Work on actually getting in. Have you made an progress on that front at all?”
Blitz shuffled his hooves awkwardly, pawing at the earth and looking away from Rumble. “No.” He hissed quietly through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, thought so.”
“It’s not like I haven’t been trying!” Blitz exclaimed hotly. “What do you think I’m doing everyday?” 
“Frustrating yourself, that’s what.” Rumbled remarked with a smug air about himself.
Rainbow Blitz crossed his forehooves indignantly. 
“Point proven.” The older stallion smirked. “Look, stop worrying about it so much. When I’ve got a problem I just sit on it for a couple of hours, just letting it softly bump up against my mind. I’ll usually find the answer was sitting right in front of me.”
“Whatever.” Blitz rumbled, pulling his helmet off and shaking his mane out into a messy heap of colour. “Don’t suppose you’ve had any grand ideas of how to get me in have you?”
“Ah, not really.” Rumble admitted, helping him take off the armour’s heavy chestplate.
Rainbow Blitz let out an amused snort. “Yeah, thought so.” He scoffed, trying to claw back a little dignity. He shook his head again, trying to sort out the mat of helmet-mane he’d gotten. It took Blitz a moment to realise Rumble was staring at his mane thoughtfully.
“What?” Blitz snapped gruffly. “Got a treat stuck up there, do I?”
“No, I was just thinking. You really can’t compete.” Rumble muttered. 
“Let’s not start this again...” Blitz grumbled. 
“That’s not what I meant, I mean you can’t compete. Rainbow Blitz.” Rumble explained, tapping a hoof against Blitz’s chest. “You’d have to go to some backwater to find a pony who didn’t recognise you. You waltz in with that and the tournament officials will have you out on your arse faster than you can say ‘Hello.’”
“Wow...” Blitz exclaimed thoughtfully, surprised at Rumble’s insightfulness. 
“Yeah, you’ll probably want to come up with a new name and dye your mane. You could also do your coat but that’s probably up to you.” Rumble suggested, collecting up the pile of broken and splintered broomsticks into a bundle on his back. 
“Great. I always loved makeovers…” Blitz rumbled, removing the rest of his armour as quickly as he could. He wanted to continue practicing  but even though he hated to admit it,  Rumble had actually made a fairly reasonable point, he was just getting pissed off and it was just throwing his game off. He hauled the suit back inside, giving the metal a loving clean and oil before storing it away in Rumble’s attic. By the time he’d come back downstairs, Rumble had made a few pastries and a heated a mug of cider for each of them.
“I should charge you rent for the amount of time you spend up there cleaning that tincan suit.” Rumble jeered, passing Blitz his mug. 
Blitz glared at him over the top of the mug silently. He’d already explained how much work went into maintaining a full suit of armour to Rumble several times, he didn’t feel like repeating the lecture again. 
“Oh lighten up, grumpy guts.” Rumble chuckled half-heartedly, the smile slowly draining off his face when Blitz’s expression remained unchanged. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute before Blitz spoke.
“I don’t know what I’m doing with myself, Rumble.” 
Rumble frowned. “Can’t say I do either.”
Blitz made an annoyed grunt, brushing aside Rumble’s snide remark. “I throw one hissy fit and now I’m running away and illegally compete in a tournament on the other side of the country. I’m sure most ponies my age would kill to be somepony like me”
“You’ve always done what you wanted.” Rumble offered. “Damn what anypony else thinks.”
“Suppose.” Blitz rumbled. “I just wish… I just wish it I would be leaving on better, uh, terms.” 
Rumble looked down into his mug. As Blitz’s best friend he was privy to the argument between him and his mother and his strained relationship with his dad. “I grew up without my parents, I get it isn’t easy.”
“They died.” Blitz pointed out bluntly. “For the amount that my parents have cared about me for the last few years they might as well have.”
Rumble’s eye twitched slightly. 
“Sorry.” Blitz apologised quickly, “That was in very-.”
“Poor taste.” Rumble finished.
 Blit stared into his half empty mug, feeling slightly ashamed. “...Yeah.”
Rumble shifted slightly. “But what’s it all matter anyway? I mean, you go, you compete, you win, you come home. You’re gone for a week or two, big deal. Life goes back to normal, right?”
Blitz’s wings fluttered apprehensively. He hadn’t told Rumble the full extent of his plans, there was no way his friend would let him go. He’d probably hogtie him and throw him in a cupboard to keep him from going anywhere if he knew. “Yeah, guess so.” Blitz lied, biting the tip of his tongue nervously.
Rumble didn't miss the gaffe, eyeing Blitz suspiciously. He thankfully didn’t press the thought though, keeping whatever doubts he had to himself.
Blitz took this as a good time to excuse himself, before Rumble could reconsider interrogating him. He drained the last of his cider and stood to leave, Rumble’s eyes still tracking him cautiously. 
“Where are you going?” He asked. 
Blitz shrugged. “Home, I have a whole new identity to come up with now, don’t I?”
“Oh that sounds like good fun.” Rumble muttered. “Don’t suppose you’ve thought of a new name?”
Blitz pondered for a moment. “Thunderblitz would work, I could still be called Blitz which makes thing easier.”
Rumble gave him a round of fake applause. “Wow, that’s pretty clever. For you, at least.” 
“Very funny, Featherduster.” Blitz grumbled irritably, picking up a nearby pillow and throwing it at Rumble. He stomped out of the room, a retaliatory pillow and a laugh from Rumble striking him on the back of the head as he stormed away.. 


***


Blitz spent the next two days away from his makeshift tilting field, instead dedicating his time between his mail run and racking his mind for ideas. A long period of rain had been planned for Ponyville which conveniently kept Rainbow Dash out of the house and away from any of his usual hangouts, giving Blitz plenty of time to himself without having to worry about her dropping in on him unexpectedly. He’d started to notice that since their fight that they were avoiding each other more, they’d reached a sort of dangerous status quo where neither were irked enough to bring their quarrel up again but also where neither had forgotten what the other had done. A letter from his father arrived though Blitz steadfastly ignored it, instead ripping it up and feeding it to Tank while Rainbow Dash was out. 
Aside from his family issues, Blitz actually managed to start to enjoy the day, spending the morning trotting about in the pouring rain and delivering mail to the residents of Ponyville. He’d started just after sunrise, sneaking out of the house early before his mum was up and collecting the first round of mail from the post office before returning mid-morning.
“Hey muffin.” Ditzy exclaimed cheerfully as Blitz stomped into the office,shaking a sheet of water off his fur and dropping the now empty mail sack by the door. Blitz flashed her a small smile, she almost always called everypony ‘muffin’ when she was in a good mood, even ponies like Granny Smith and Filthy Rich weren’t immune to the mail master's affectionate title. 
“Morning Ditzy.” Blitz rumbled, shaking his mane loose of the sopping wet blue cap. “Anything else to go out?” 
“Nope.” The mare sighed, leaning back and making a satisfied popping sound.with her mouth. “A few letters came in but they can go out in the afternoon run so unless you want to hang around here for a while you can head off for the day.” 
“Thanks.” Blitz said appreciatively, putting the mail hat on its peg to dry and collected his few things in his saddlebag as Ditzy slowly counted out his wage; Blitz noticed that she was giving him a full day's wage rather than half-day like she always did when he rarely finished early. He had argued with her when he’d first noticed but now he simply accepted it; it was just one of those ‘things’ she did.
“Good work today.” She beamed, offering him a muffin from a tray she habitually kept stocked on her desk. Blitz took one again without complaint, if he didn’t she was liable to just drop one or two in his bag anyway.
“Thanks Ditz.” He muttered, almost feeling a little embarrassed by the mare’s generosity. He turned to leave the post office when Ditzy called him back.
“Hey Blitzy, you wouldn’t know who a Thunderblitz is, would you?” She asked, a knowing spark in her eye. 
Blitz froze with shock. How did she know? How could she possibly know? He’d written that letter alone and kept it under his bed until he’d dropped it in the postbox that morning.
“No, never heard of them.” He lied, keeping his voice level.
Ditzy made a quiet noise of amusement in her throat.. “Hmm, odd, cause what I guess passes for their ‘writing’ looks exactly like yours.” She said, looking at the front of an unopened letter Blitz was all too familiar with. “It’s addressed to the Royal Tilting Authority in Trottingham. Aren’t you right into that stuff, Blitz?”
Blitz nodded cautiously. Ditzy was one of the few ponies who knew about his passion for the sport, all of his magazines and tournament results invariably came through her so it was fairly pointless trying to keep her in the dark. At least the mailmare had the decency to keep his secret to herself.
She gave him a knowing look. “I haven’t heard of a Thunderblitz around these part before, you sure you don’t know them?”  
“Must be a new pony.” Blitz shrugged, hoping his fib was convincing enough.
Ditzy stared at him levelly, one of her golden eyes slowly drifting over to the wall before she blinked and it corrected itself. “Suppose.” She yawned eventually, tossing the letter back on the pile with a dismissive flick. 
Blitz smiled at her harmlessly, trotting back out into the pounding rain before she could question him further. How was she so damn perceptive? Sure, maybe the mailmare’s eyesight wasn’t the best but she had a habit of being almost supernaturally aware of everything going on around her. 
The streets were thankfully mostly devoid of life, only a few particularly brave or foolish ponies galloping through the rain. It didn’t bother Blitz that much, he enjoyed the patter of rain on his fur and the cool breeze sweeping through his drenched mane. Give him a good set of flight goggles and a few hundred metres of airspace and he’d be completely at home. 
At the moment though he had neither, he was consciously forcing himself to fly as little as he could, trying to get himself accustomed to not flap around everywhere. Even his mail run that morning had been all on hoof. He trudged around town aimlessly, letting the falling water  soak into him. Rumble would be somewhere up above him managing the rain and the fields were too muddy and sodden to be galloping around in heavy armour. Blitz let out a quiet huff as he passed the town library, consigning himself to another wasted day
At least the rain was nice.
He suddenly stopped as if he’d been shocked. He looked back at the massive tree which the town’s library had been in for as long as he could remember and backtracked a few steps, staring at the tree like it had been covered in pink streamers. Rainbow Blitz blinked slowly, his mind slowly ticking over as he considered the possibility. It seemed too obvious, too simple… maybe that’s why he hadn't thought of it before. 
He stood still for several minutes, seemingly obvious to the downpour around him  before trotting up to the library and pushing the door open. The interior hadn’t changed much over the last decade, a few new bookshelves and some new, completely tasteless curtains but otherwise the same as he always remembered. Several of the shelves were empty, the large round-table and most of the floor buried under several neat stacks of books. The place had a certain smell to it, the sort of smell he associated with intelligence and learning, of schools and universities. It was strange to think that those things had a ‘smell’, but the certain blend of paper, ink and wood the library possessed reminded Blitz of it. 
“Hey, I just cleaned the floor.” A voice protested. 
Blitz jumped with fright, nearly smacking his head on the ceiling. He let out a yelp of surprise, a sound somewhere between a cat choking on its own fur and a scream. He quickly regained his composure, trying to fight off the surge of embarrassment which burnt his cheeks. 
“Comet, you little-.” He growled, searching around for the filly he knew was hiding somewhere nearby.
“Language.” Comet Tail tuttered, appearing from behind a pile of books with an obnoxious grin on her face. Nearly a full ten years younger than Rainbow Blitz, Comet Tail was still quite small, small enough at least to hide in the places ponies would least expect it. It didn’t help that the small unicorn was naturally quiet and soft-spoken when she wasn’t making a fool of anypony else at least; most ponies wouldn't know she was around until she, usually literally, jumped out at them.
Blitz pulled a face at her. “Your mum around, Shortstop?” He asked, trying to drag back a little dignity. He slammed the door shut, the loud smack of rain against stone being muffled by the libraries thick wooden walls. 
“Yeah, somewhere.” Comet sneered, jumping up onto the table so she could read the spines of a few books that were stacked there. She pulled an amused face at Blitz, now eye level with him. “She probably would’ve heard your scream from Canterlot.”
“Yes, it was quite loud.” Twilight agreed, appearing at the top of the stairs which Blitz knew led down to the library’s basement. The alicorn tossed her daughter a disapproving look. “Comet, get off the table please.” She ordered firmly. 
Comet rolled her eyes dramatically at Rainbow Blitz but obediently leapt off the table, shuffling back towards her pile of books.
“She’s helping me reshelve some of the books today.” Twilight explained for Blitz’s benefit. “Always a fantastic day for everypony involved.”
“Yeah, ‘helping’. Don’t see you doing much around her…” Comet muttered under her breath. 
Twilight either ignored her daughter’s quip or didn’t hear it, her focus remaining squarely on Blitz. “So what brings you here today? Looking for another history book? I must say, it’s good to see you picking up your parent’s reading habits.” She bubbled enthusiastically. 
“Actually, uh, I wanted to ask you something.” Blitz stammered awkwardly. 
“Oh, okay.” Twilight replied, looking slightly taken aback, “What is it?”
Blitz threw Comet an aside glance, Twilight thankfully picking up on his meaning without question.
“Comet, could you just give us a minute please? Dad left some cake in the kitchen for you.”
Comet looked at Blitz curiously but shrugged without complaint, trotting out with a decidedly cheerful look. The two ponies waited patiently, the steady drumming and the tick of a clock above them somewhere the only noises. 
 “Okay Blitz, what is it?” Twilight asked once she was sure her daughter was out of earshot. Her face bore a slightly serious expression, like she was already aware of what he wanted from her. 
Blitz looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out the best way to ask Twilight. It seemed like a bad idea to tell her the entire truth, the rule-happy alicorn would certainly crack down on him before he could get a word in sideways. He eventually decided to go with the simplest, most blunt question he could think of.
“Could you turn me into an Earth pony?” He asked quietly.
Twilight immediately opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, her jaw flapping open and closed for a few seconds before she regained her wits. 
“Excuse me?” She asked, sure she had misheard the pegasus.  
“Could you turn me into an Earth pony?” Blitz asked again slowly, enunciating each word carefully. 
Twilight frowned, considering the question for nearly a minute. She sat down slowly, looking Blitz straight in the eye. The sounds of Comet chewing noisily in the kitchen drifted into the room. “Why?” She asked eventually. 
“Well, it’s hard to say…” Blitz said slowly, rubbing the back of his head. 
“Rainbow Blitz, if you’re set on wanting to be an Earth Pony there has to be a good reason.” Twilight rattled off sternly. “You’re very much your mother’s son, I’m struggling to think of why you would want to lose your wings.” 
Blitz shrugged helplessly. “Could you do it though?”
Twilight’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure honestly, it’s not everyday that somepony comes up to me and asks that sort of question.” She chuckled nervously. “Even if I could, I’d want a very good reason to do it beforehand. Mere whimsy certainly won’t cut it.” She said, dropping back into her stern tone. 
“Oh…” Blitz said disappointedly.
Twilight softened slightly. “Blitz, you have to understand that it would be a major change. You’d be a completely different pony. It’s not something I could bring myself to do unless I absolutely had to.” She pondered for a moment, her hoof tapping her chin thoughtfully. “But…”
“But?” Blitz perked up hopefully. 
“I might be able to make a temporary change.” Twilight said, falling silent for a moment as she considered the prospect. “Yes, that would probably work. A simple spell or potion to simply remove your wings for a short period of time. You’d still be a pegasus for all intents, well, just a wingless one.” She said with a scoff of amusement.
“You’d do that for me?” Blitz asked in astoundment.
“I could.” Twilight admitted. “It might be a great opportunity for some character building, you could better understand what it’s like living without the power of flight at your wingtips.”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” Blitz said, wondering why hadn’t thought of that. 
Twilight thankfully missed his gaffe, already searching for a book which would help her with her magic. She flicked through a few books at an impossible speed, muttering quietly to herself as she raced through the tomes. “Might have to do a little improvisation, but I should be able to whip something up. Leave me to it and I’ll let you know when I’ve finished.” Twilight said, glancing at Blitz over the top of her book. 
“Thanks Twilight, just um…” He hesitated. 
“Hmm?” Twilight enquired in a slightly distracted tone. she was already levitating a few other books and some chemistry equipment down from a storage closet.
“Could you not tell my mum about this? Just keep it between you and me?” 
Twilight looked up again, the two dozen items she was levitating jiggling in the air around her like some crazy sort of mobius.  “Is this about your fight the other night?” She asked. 
“How do you know about that?” Blitz objected, flushing red with embarrassment. 
“You know me and Rainbow Dash are friends, right?” Twilight scoffed. “Your mum told me, she was a little shaken up about it actually...” She paused, now eyeing the pegasus warily. “You’re not doing anything to spite her, are you?” 
“No! No, not at all!” Blitz exclaimed defensively.
Twilight frowned at him as if she were trying to probe his mind. Her gaze softened after a few moments. “Alright, if you say so. But if I hear one word of trouble from anypony you can consider my services no longer available. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” Blitz answered nervously. Annoying Twilight probably wasn’t the best idea, she would probably turn his head into an orange for a few days or something.
“Good. You may leave then, I have work to do.” Twilight huffed, still giving Blitz a somewhat suspicious look. She vanished down the stairs again her chemistry set bobbling along silently behind her. 
Blitz stood in the centre of the library, letting the water drip off him and onto the hard wooden floor. He found himself grinning stupidly, amazed at his sudden change in fortune. He made a mental note to make it up to Twilight, somehow. 
“So why is mum turning you into an Earth Pony?”
Blitz let out a second undignified yelp of surprise, he hadn’t noticed Comet Tail standing in the corner of the room, a fat piece of chocolate cake hovering in front of her mouth.She took a large bite, munching innocently.
“Mind your own business, Shortstop.” He snapped, his face burning red again. She poked her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry. 
“Child.” Blitz muttered. 
“Yeah, I am. Good job, Captain Insightful.” Comet said smugly. “Where would we be without you?” 
Blitz gritted his teeth, turning on the spot and stomping back out into the rain, Comet’s annoying laughter drifting out after him. 


***


With the one major obstacle now potentially out of his way, Blitz resumed his practising in earnest. A week passed, and where the feeling of dread and anger had once filled Blitz, a sense of hope and excitement started to return. He felt good, the best since the still bitter argument with his mother. As he prepared for another day of training he wondered if she would ever try to reach out to him at all. 
His question was quickly answered as bounded down from his room and into the atrium. He had barely made it two steps when Rainbow Dash ambushed him, almost pouncing out at him from behind a book she had only been pretending to read.
“It’s nice day, what do you say we head down to the markets for a few hours and see what’s happening?” She suggested before Blitz could find an excuse to slip away.
‘The markets?’ He thought with bewilderment. ‘What new level of desperation is this?’
Still, he could hardly refuse such a blunt invitation guiltlessly so he grudgingly grabbed his saddle bag and a bits pouch. Maybe something would catch his eye.
“Are you going to brush your mane at least?” Rainbow asked as he stomped back downstairs. She was already ready, no doubt having planned this beforehand. 
“Since when have you cared how I look?” Blitz shot back. “Come to think of it, since when have you cared how you look?”
She bit back a reply, her eyes rolling up with exasperation. She plodded outside before sweeping her wings open and taking flight, Blitz close behind. She was right, it was a beautiful day. Mild but not too hot, with just enough cloud cover to provide some respite from the sun. A cool breeze blew in from the mountains around Ponyville as they descended towards the markets. Even from up high, Blitz could already tell they were packed full of noisy merchants hawking their wares and customers eager to part with their bits. 
Blitz’s brain immediately shut down as they landed, trying to ignore the press and shouts as he blindly followed his mother through the milling crowds. Occasionally he would steal a glance at one of the stalls but nothing of interest caught his eye. He had barely noticed that Rainbow Dash had stopped until she turned and spoke to him. 
“What do you think, Blitz?” 
“Huh?” Blitz muttered, snapping out of his brain-dead state at the sudden question. 
Rainbow Dash huffed irritably, “I said, what do you think?” She asked, twirling a dark red scarf with thin black stripes around her neck. 
“Uh.. alright?” He guessed with a small shrug of his wings. He looked away, his mind starting to wander again. Stall shopping wasn’t exactly something that excited him a great deal.
She let out another huff. “Come on, throw me a bone here Blitz.”
Blitz shrugged again. “I’m no fashionista, what do you want from me?” 
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I dunno, something at least.” She stated vaguely, throwing the scarf back over the stand where she’d found it and moving along a few steps. “I can’t stand that we don’t talk anymore.”
‘Ah, so that’s why you dragged me out of the house.’ Blitz thought, her words confirming his previous suspicion. He moved aside wordlessly so a gaggle of laughing earth ponies could squeeze past him. One bumped into him with a giggle, his eyes immediately locking onto the back of the perpetrators head.
“Are you listening to me Blitz?” Rainbow huffed. 
Blitz didn’t reply, his gaze absently tracking the pretty mare who’d bumped into him. He remembered from school as she bounced across the market. Scarlet Sunrise, he remembered. Though she was a bit of an airhead, she certainly made up for it in other areas; beautiful round flanks, bright eyes and a laugh to die for. She’d made some not-so-subtle advances on Blitz during their last few weeks of school, which he’d politely declined. Beautiful was nice, but not everything he was looking for.
Blitz somewhat regretted that choice now, they had gotten along quite well as far as he could recall. 
Rainbow Dash interrupted his thoughts, whacking another long scarf across the bridge of his muzzle. 
“I know you’re very busy and have a lot on your mind, Blitz, but sympathise with me for a moment.” She drawled, already following Blitz’s gaze with an impish look. “I’ve got only one kid, who hates me, and husband which I’ve seen less of than the aforementioned child. Where did things go so wrong?” She added rhetorically.
“You knew the risks when you took the job.” Blitz said with a small snort of amusement, quickly looking away from Scarlet as she winked back at him.
“Very funny, smartarse.” Rainbow grumped back, though she bore a faint hint of a smile. “So, who’s the mare?”
“Wha..? Oh nopony.” Blitz stammered, flushing slightly.
“You should go talk to her, Cassanova.” Rainbow suggested, giving him a gentle nudge in the ribs. 
“She’s definitely not my type.” Blitz shot back.
“Bet she’s a moaner.” Rainbow snickered inappropriately.
Blitz snapped his jaw crossly.“Shut up.”
“Alright, crankypants, no need to bite.” Rainbow mused, grabbing another scarf and twirling it around Blitz’s neck before he could react. “Cute.” She remarked. 
Blitz pulled the garment off. “Sure, if you say so.”
“What an overwhelming vote of approval.” Rainbow muttered, taking the scarf back and replacing it with a stripy yellow and blue one. “Better?” 
Blitz shrugged again. “Okay?”
He was saved from any further scorn as a pleasant distraction in the form of Twilight Sparkle emerged from the crowd, a whining Comet Tail dogging her heels.
“Hi Rainbow, I didn’t think I’d see you here.” She said with a broad grin.
“Haven’t seen a double rainbow in a while.” Comet Tail remarked snidely from behind her mother.
Rainbow Dash ignored her. “Must admit the markets ain’t usually my sort of thing, but it’s a nice chance to spend some time with Blitz. Even if he just shrugs and makes typical teenage angsty noises when I talk to him. You have a lot to look forward to Twi.”
Twilight chuckled softly, throwing an aside glance at her own daughter. “I think I’m already there. Speaking of you Blitz, this is for you.” She flipped open one of her bulging saddlebags, scrounged around a moment before levitating out a small pouch and tucking it into the scarf Rainbow Dash had thrown around his neck. 
“Eh?” Rainbow asked quizzically. 
“Just a small favour.” Twilight said with a subtle wink. 
Much to Blitz’s delight, his mother decided to not question it any further, dismissing it with a small shake of her head. He tugged the pouch open with his mouth, discovering three slim vials and a folded square of parchment inside the padded case. 
“Thanks Twilight.” He blurted,  amazed at how quickly the alicorn had worked.
“Happy to help. Just make sure you put it to good use.” Twilight grinned, ignoring Comet Tail tugging her tail impatiently. 
‘You have no idea.’ Blitz thought, carefully tucking the pouch away in his own saddlebag.
“I’ve still got some shopping to do, would you like to meet me at Sugarcube Corner in about half an hour? I’d be nice to catch up.” Twilight invited the pair. 
“Sure thing Twi.” Rainbow Dash agreed, waving after her friend as she and her complaining daughter vanished into the crowd again. 
“Thank Celestia you were never that impatient.” Rainbow sighed to Blitz, looking back at the collection of scarfs. “One of your father’s better traits.” She added, her voice noticeably souring as she spoke.
Blitz looked away, suddenly feeling very ashamed of his bloated sense of pride. He should’ve talked to her sooner. “Mum…” He said, stumbling over his words awkwardly. “I-.”
“I know.” Rainbow said, her face immediately softening. “You don’t need to say it. Me too.” She sighed lightly. “We were both idiots.” 
“Yeah.” Blitz agreed, feeling a weight lift from his chest. Neither of them were the best with words at times. 
Rainbow gently undid the scarf still hanging around his neck. “We’re a family, maybe not a very good one, but we still are all the same. We’ve got to stick together. No matter what.” She said softly. 
Blitz nodded hesitantly, a knot of guilt starting to grow in his gut.
Rainbow Dash considered the scarf for a moment. “Ergh, shopping. What was I thinking?” She shook her head in disbelief, tossing the garment back where she’d found it. “Come on, let’s go get some breakfast. I’m sure Pinkie has something that’s not entirely made of sugar sitting around.”


***


The weeks leading up to the tournament flashed by in a blaze of training, mud, warm cider and pastry. As the day he was due at the train station drew nearer, Blitz fervently started to wish he had more time to train. He’d carefully explained his planned absence to Rainbow Dash a few days before leaving.
“We’re going camping for about a week. Maybe a bit longer.” Blitz had said, wishing the lie sounded more convincing. 
His mother had barely batted an eye, shrugging and telling him to enjoy himself. If she sensed anything amiss with Blitz’s declaration she made no mention of it. 
After that slightly nerve wracking diversion, the rest of his preperation been trivially easy, and as Blitz waited patiently on the platform with Rumble and Scootaloo, he couldn’t help but start to shake with excitement. He’d barely been able to sleep the night before and had packed, double packed and then triple packed his bags. He was sure even Twilight wasn’t so vigilant. 
“I can’t believe we’re actually going!” He bubbled to Rumble. 
“And I can’t beleive you feel the need to tell me a hundred times.” Rumble groaned, digging through one of his packs for a water bottle. 
Blitz pulled a long face, pacing the platform excitedly until the shrill whistle of an approaching train stopped him dead in his tracks. He quickly gathered all of his things together, dragging them over the edge of the platform as the train slowly chugged into view and stopped in a cloud of hissing steam and squealing metal. 
He presented his ticket to the steely-eyed conductor and bounded aboard to find a compartment, Rumble and Scootaloo dogging his steps. He quickly found a free room and dumped his small pack on a random bunk before turning to help Rumble with the other bags. 
He’d borrowed a large rucksack from Thunderlane for his ‘loaned’ suit of armour, more pieces of cloth and other bits of padding than he’d rather mention stuffed inside keeping it from making a racket every time the bag moved. Packed in there was also a few odds and ends, some outdooring equipment  and about a week’s worth of food which he’d raided from his pantry, Rumble’s pantry (when his friend wasn’t looking) and bought from the local store. In his smaller bag, Blitz had also brought a few personal effects, a few books, a small badge bearing a beautiful rendition of his cutie mark his dad had given him when he was little, a pair of flight goggles, as many bits as he could scrounge and most importantly, the pouch containing the potions Twilight had made for him. 
“Damn, this thing weighs as much as you do. What do you have in here, bricks?” Rumble complained, as they dropped the large pack into the corner of their compartment with a groan. It was too big to fit under the compartment’s beds and the overhead racks looked a little too flimsy for it. 
“Knew I forgot something.” Blitz remarked as Scootaloo flashed past him, triumphantly reserving one of the top bunks for herself. She peered down over the edge at the two stallions devilishly. Free of luggage, Rumble leapt off the floor and squeezed up beside her, draping a wing over her slim body protectively. 
“They’re single bunks Rumble.” Blitz said sternly, like a teacher breaking up a pair of foals in the schoolyard. He fished a book out of his smaller pack, The Complete and Definitive History of Prance, a tome nearly as thick as his leg and secured his own bunk, giving the two pegasi a soft glare over the top of the massive book. 
“Pish posh, two little things like me and Scoots can fit in here no worries. Now, you on the other hppf…” Rumble chuckled before he was smothered by one of Scootaloo’s wings. 
“You know, I like me a big strong stallion.” Scootaloo sighed dreamily, giving Rumble a teasing look. “Gives them some delusions of grandeur before I beat their rump into the dirt.” 
“Yeah? I’m pretty sure I could beat you in a wrestle, Scoots.” Rumble boasted cockily.
Scootaloo grinned wickedly. “Oh yeah? Hoof wrestle then! Here and now!” 
Blitz rolled his eyes silently as the couple started fighting, focusing his attention squarely on his book. It was adorable in a sort of patronising way. If he ever had a girlfriend, that’s what she’d have to be like; fierce and competitive, not some stuck up prissy thing who’d turn their nose up at an impromptu challenge of strength and daring.
He flipped it open, ignoring the tussle of feathers, fur and half-arsed profanity which spilled from the other side of the compartment. 

‘Concerning Prance...’

Blitz smiled to himself for some reason, he’d read through the slightly worn pages more times than he could readily count and had memorised several of its pages. He’d bought the book on his thirteenth birthday, a gift for himself in absence of one from a certain parental figure.  
“Uh, Blitz, help!” Rumble called from the other side of the cabin, now pinned remorselessly under a grinning Scootaloo.
Blitz ignored him, running a hoof over a detailed map which covered the entirety of the second page. He could name the four smaller states which made up the ‘nation’, their major cities and their respective rulers off the top of his head but he still enjoyed poring over every detail of the map anyway, it was one of the more detailed ones he had seen apart from a few slightly outdated and overly cumbersome wall maps he’d found in buried Twilight’s collection. 
He hovered over one of insets detailing one of the four states, the Kingdom of Colstein, exploring the nooks and crannies of its coastline before following Dragon’s Rush up into the mountains where it passed Sable and the Bronze Citadel, the capital of Colstein. Blitz had read that the city rivaled Canterlot’s majesty though he didn’t quite believe it, Canterlot was the result genius design that Blitz still found breathtaking. 
Regardless, he still wanted to see it for himself. If he got the chance to travel abroad, that’s where he wanted to go. 
“Bliiiitz!” Rumble yelped in pain, finally pulling Blitz’s attention away from his book. His friend was now twisted over painfully, his back forced up against the wall of the compartment and his neck being pinned down under one of Scootaloo’s legs. The mare had barely broken a sweat and was now teasing her boyfriend, running her tongue over the tips of his ears in a fashion that Blitz found, of all things, actually quite off-putting. He stared at the two entangled ponies, a grimace forming over his face. 
“Okay, this is weird.” He said, trying to hide behind his book slightly. 
Scootaloo gave him a devious grin. “I haven’t even started yet.”
Blitz slammed his book closed, hitting his face against the hard cover with an exasperated sigh. 
Arriving in Trottingham couldn’t happen soon enough.