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// Training, Routine, Strategy 
// Story: The Alicorn Prince 
// by Rightben370 
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	The training was grueling and he felt the weakness when Rarity shook him awake. "Good, um... twilight, I.Q, we need to get to the fire-pit for assignments." I.Q. stood up slowly and left quickly with Rarity to the village center. The assignments were given orderly and appropriately with each pony having a job that is somewhat similar to their job in Ponyville. I.Q. however was assigned to perimeter check with his brother, which he wasn't looking forward to.
After everyone got their assignments Twilight pulled I.Q. back. "You know why I assigned you with your brother, right?" she had a concerned yet angry expression.
"Why else, he is my brother after all." he said knowing full well why.
"I.Q, cut the crap," I.Q. was slightly shocked at her words, "yes I said that, I told you never to tell Fluttershy about what happened to Zecora's tribe, not to mention when she flew through my door she could hardly say a word because she was crying so much." I.Q. began to feel a drop of guilt,
"I was doing what I thought was right for my family, at any cost."
"And that was making your own sister, one of my best friends, cry because you can't deal with the fact that she loves Discord?" I.Q. lost guilt and began to feel frustrated.
"Do you forget that he is the reason my parents are gone, he's the reason i had to put up with insane foster parents, he's the reason-"
"That you came to Ponyville," she cut him off with a quiet tone, "that you became my student, that you got involved with Starswirl, that you got your cutie mark," she paused as she looked through I.Q's expression to try and find any trace of understanding or realization. However, the only thing she saw was a cold stone without a single crack or chip at her words. 
"Look Twilight, I understand that you want to help but I need to get to work." he started to trot in the direction of the patrol groups, leaving behind a defeated Twilight.
There was a short instructional lecture given by Black Bolt, seeing as he has the only military experience. The brothers completed their shift in a heavy silence with the weight increasing by the second, the first to break it was Bolt, "We both had the wrong thought last night." his words fell on deaf ears, 
"Bolt, why do you accept the fact that she loves it." he spoke with quiet anger, not moving to face his brother.
"The reason I accept it is because, even though i may not respect this decision, I can see that they truly love each other through my anger. You, however, are a different case, I've seen how close you were with Mom and Dad, you probably felt the closest to them than me and Fluttershy, but we all loved them and we all were devastated when they were killed, but we each handled their deaths differently, it just seems like you haven't yet." his words hang in the air with no response, only a drip on the forest floor. followed by another... and another... and another, until they were mere seconds apart. I.Q. stopped and sat down, he felt an overwhelming lump in his throat, choking him, until he let it out. he sat there, sobbing, with his hoof trying to trace a heart that wasn't there, they sat there for the rest of their shift, having traced the camp's border multiple times, and held each other, not as guardian and child, but as brothers.
The next few days went more smoothly, wake up, work shifts, eat, sleep, train, repeat. It wasn't until I.Q's final lesson that he had troubles. The first night of training he failed miserably and woke up with a pounding headache and a desert throat. He looked over to his brother but only found his sister-in-law sleeping soundly as she can. He began to feel suspicious but his overwhelming thirst took control of his thoughts. He stepped out to the camp's stream and began to hear voices coming from the main hall, after he took a quick drink he investigated and found his brother and many other ponies, few he recognized immediately, talking to each other, with Twilight and Black Bolt at the center of attention going back and forth,
"Bolt, we need I.Q. on this, there's no other way." said Twilight in an angered tone,
"There is no way I'm letting my little brother fight, he barely managed to survive against Starswirl." he said in even greater anger, "He and Fluttershy are the only siblings I have, and I'm not gonna let some beasts take either of them. What about the crystal empire? Surely they could help." 
Before she could respond I.Q. found himself at the center of attention as everypony there turned to face him one by one. Until Bolt, too faced him with a look of worry.
"What's this about 'no other way' and 'little brother'?" I.Q. asked with suspicion. He looked back and forth between the two dumbstruck ponies.
"I.Q. this doesn't have anything to do with you." Bolt lied
"Nothing to do with me? If you're taking a vote on whether or not to use me as a weapon you can at least let me know about it." he said with sarcastic anger, 
Twilight stepped up "I.Q. we would never consider using you as a weapon, it's just that-"
"I'm the only one capable of stopping them, I know," he paused, "But I'm also the only threat to their power, if I died, then they'd win, and everyone here will-" he had a flash of realization, he could be the death of them. 
"I.Q?" asked Bolt concerned "I.Q. I know what you're thinking, don't do anything stupid, just head back to the hut and go to sleep. I'll be right behind you." he quickly turned to give a quick "this isn't over" to Twilight, while I.Q. was going through the phases of the most dangerous plan he could think of. For now however, he needed all the sleep he could get. biding his time until he put his "plan" into action.