Joust about it

Chapters

The Spark
Crazy is My Middle Name

The Spark

Joust about it

Chapter one: The Spark

The usual peace and quiet that graced Ponyville’s residents was shattered by a blue bolt rocketing through the streets as fast as its short legs would take it. While the occasional disturbance wasn’t uncommon around town, after all, Ponyville had endured its fair share of mishaps and dramas that having just one more pony tearing down the main drag was nothing out of the ordinary.

What was a little unusual though, was the fact that this particular pony was chanting.

Loudly.

“We’re going to the games, we’re going to the games, we’re going to the games!” Rainbow Blitz chanted ad nauseam, his squeaky voice finally being cut by Rainbow Dash shoving a hoof over his mouth. His chant continued, although slightly muffled, for a moment longer before he got the message.

“Thank you.” She said giving her son a quick smile. The small colt looked at her innocently and resumed his quick pace, although thankfully with considerably less noise. He reminded her of herself when she was younger, appearance aside, he’d developed a fierce competitive edge and a complete lack of understanding for the word subtlety. She flashed a slightly embarrassed smile to the dozens of ponies which lined the street and continued on her way, ready to gag her son again if he started up his chant again. She could hardly blame his enthusiasm, the Equestrian Games only came around every few years and he’d never been before, in fact, Blitz hadn’t even been born when the last games had been on.

None of this had even been considered by Blitz though, he was simply excited to be going to the Equestrian games in the first place. Like a small rocket he darted into the train patiently waiting at the station, easily dodging the surprised conductor and finding a prime spot to watch the trip from. His mother came in at a more measured pace, paying the still confused conductor for their tickets before joining the already impatient pegasus.

“Why don’t you just fly to Canterlot?” Blitz asked, impatiently waiting for the train to leave the station.

“Because carrying you would be a royal pain.” Rainbow dash explained patiently for what felt the seventeenth time that morning. “Besides I thought you liked trains?”

“I do, I just wish we didn’t have to wait for everypony else.” He complained, watching an elderly couple slowly clamber up the stairs into the carriage ahead of them with something approaching annoyance.

“Blitzy…” Rainbow growled dangerously.

“Whaaat?” He complained innocently.

“Be nice.” She ordered gruffly.

He shrugged innocently. “Just saying, if dad was here we could just fly up there.”

“He’s working.” Rainbow Dash said flatly, answering the question she knew he was about to ask. “He’s very busy this time of year.”

“Well that sucks.” Blitz grumped crossly, looking back out the window for the old couple. Much to his delight they seemed to have vanished. A moment later the conductor’s whistle blew and the train pulled out the station, heading towards Canterlot as fast as its wheels would take it. The young colt glared at the platform, half expecting to his father waving them off but naturally he was nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, he’d barely seen his father for the last few months, the odd snippets of conversation he caught while secretly reading at the dead of night the only real indication he came home at all. It didn’t seem to bother his mum as much as it did him, she had plenty of free time to raise her son and according to almost everypony he bumped into, he was a splitting image of his mother; this was a statement he was inclined to agree with, although he personally thought his mane seemed a little richer and his eyes a little darker than his mother’s.

He sighed quietly and rested the base of his jaw on the window frame as Ponyville slipped out of view and was replaced by the lush, rolling fields that surround the town.

“Cheer up kiddo.” Rainbow Dash said warmly. “Thunderlane and Rumble will be there.”

Blitz smiled weakly. “Still isn’t dad.”

Rainbow’s smile faded. “Look, Blitz, I know your father’s habits can be a little… hard to live with, but he loves you more than anything else in the world.”

The colt looked at his mother blankly. “Then why is he always gone?”

Rainbow’s mouth twitched slightly and she fell silent, unable to answer his question properly. "I'll talk to him." she said finally.

"Yeah whatever." Blitz grumbled, looking out the window again. If he'd had a bit for every time he'd heard that he'd never need to work a single day in his life. He glared silently at the landscape that rushed past the window as if it was somehow its fault, as if it was somehow conspiring to keep him at odds with his dad. He felt his recent cheer ebb away like it was being drawn from his body with a pump.

So much for it being a good day.

***

While some of the trip to Canterlot was spent in a slightly uneasy silence, Blitz quickly regained his chirpiness as the regal city drew closer. When the train finally pulled into the grand station at the end of the line he was out of the train and bouncing around like an idiot before the rolling steam had even cleared from around the platform. His mother followed with similarly restrained enthusiasm and before long they’d reached the lower city where the games where being hosted, the large collection of stadiums and arenas along with the clamouring crowds of ponies marking out the area like a sore spot. It didn’t take lost for the two pegasi to get a little lost, many of the avenues looked similar and the air was so full of guards, banners and other fliers that Rainbow Dash was a little hesitant about taking to the sky with her son on her back. Despite this, they made reasonably good progress through, most of the crowds drifting between the venues with a purpose that pushed the duo along like they were caught in a strong current. From high on Rainbow Dash’s back, Blitz had a good view over much of the crowd and the stalls which lined the thoroughfare. He glanced up as a titanic crack of wood splintering against metal ran out followed by a loud roar of excitement.

“What’s that?” Blitz asked, his curiosity aroused by the crowd’s loud cheers and the occasional loud crashes which rang out like a bell tolling from behind the stands. He subconsciously drifted towards the arena, intent on finding what was causing the noise.

His mother let out a heartfelt sigh. “Nothing you’d be interested in, it’s an Earth pony sport Blitzy.”

“I don’t like it when you call me that.” He complained, resisting against his mother’s pull and trying to make his way back towards the stadium.

“Come on Blitz, we’re supposed to be meeting Thunderlane over at the horseshoe Pavilion.” Rainbow Dash insisted.

“But mum!” Blitz complained, “Can I just have a look? Pleeease?” He adopted his best set of puppy-dog eyes, a technique a certain pink pony had taught him, a technique which almost never failed.

Today was no exception.

Rainbow Dash sighed quietly. “Fine, we can have a look. Quickly though.” She said, feigning a cross look at her son. She grasped him in her hooves and took to the sky, quickly finding a spot on top of one of the stands which had previously blocked their view of the arena. Blitz wondered why more Pegasus ponies weren’t perched up here, certainly they’d get a better view than if they were down in the stands. He asked his mother this and she laughed softly.

“As I said, it’s an Earth pony sport. It’s hardly of any interest to us.”

“But what is it?” Blitz insisted, scurrying over the edge and peering down with wide eyes. A pair of earth ponies stood at the end of a long flat path with a central divider. Each wore a gleaming set of armour with a long, pointed stick strapped to one side. The two ponies seemed to be showing off to the crowd, attracting a varying number of cheers and jeers as they paraded around their end of the course.

“It’s called jousting.” Rainbow Dash explained, lying down next to her son with a bemused look. “It’s an ancient sport invented by some bright spark on the fields of Prance. It became rather popular in Equestria though it’s much, much more popular over there.” She explained, a hint of excitement entering her voice despite her previous assertions that it was nothing to be enthusiastic about. She pointed to one of the ponies, a stallion garbed in a set of luminous grey armour. “When the flag drops, they gallop at each other and try to knock each other down with their sticks. Points are scored depending where you hit your opponent.”

“Cool!” Blitz exclaimed, watching as the two armoured stallions cantered into position at the end of the centre rail. A large coloured flag was waved from the central stand and the two ponies took off, the ground thundering with each hoof fall. Rainbow Blitz’s breath caught in his throat as they charged at each other, the sunlight gleaming off their armour and making them look like the heroes he read about in his books. There was a loud crash and the stallions collided, their lances shattering as they scored solid hits on each other. The crowd erupted into cheers again, evidently pleased with the result.

“That’s so awesome!” He exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder. He could imagine the thrill as you charged down the lane, the rush of adrenaline as your stick made contact… a spark erupted in Rainbow blitz’s chest, a spark of determination and excitement. He wanted to joust more than anything else in the world. More than he wanted a new toy for his birthday, more than he wanted his birthday to be every day of the year and possibly even more than he wanted every meal to be ice-cream with pear and cinnamon pie.

“Yeah, I guess it’s alright.” Rainbow Dash admitted, ruffling her son’s mane affectionately.

He pushed it back into place with a low growl, he hated it when his parents messed with his mane. “I want to be the best jouster in the world!” He exclaimed wistfully, watching the two earth pony’s line up for another run.

“Nice dream, but that’s not going to happen.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Why not?” Blitz cried, outraged that she didn’t believe in him.

“It’s an Earth pony sport. You wouldn’t be allowed to compete.” Rainbow Dash said, clearly wishing he’d more interested in something like extreme flying or weather management.

“Well how come you know so much about it then?” Blitz demanded.

“I read about it in a book one time.” She said quickly, hoisting her son back onto her shoulder. “Now come on, we’ll be late. And I hate being late. Especially when Thunderlane is involved. I’ll never hear the end of it” She grumped.

Blitz was in no position to argue as she bundled him up on her back and swooped away, the cheers of the crowd slowly drifting after him.

***

A few minutes later they were outside the horseshoe pavilion, Rainbow Dash either towing her son through the crowds or taking flight when the air above them cleared slightly. It didn’t take long to find Thunderlane, the stallion’s distinctive Mohawk standing out against the crowd like a beacon at night.

“Late as usual.” Thunderlane jeered as he caught sight of them.

“Shut your trap, Thunderlane.” Rainbow said, clearly regretting their detour via the jousting ring.

“Uncle Thunderlane!” Blitz cried, wrapping his ‘uncle’ in a rough hug, even though he barely reached up to the older stallion’s chest. Although not related by blood, Rainbow Blitz had spent much of his yearly years being looked after by the dark stallion, mostly on account of his parent’s busy schedules. He was almost certain he’d spent more time with Thunderlane than he had his real father. He recalled once asking his mother if Thunderlane was his father when he was younger, a question which was met with torrents of laughter.

“He almost is, isn’t he?” She’d said through a hiccup, a statement which only confused him further. Whatever it was though, Thunderlane was very close to his family… no, he was like family.

There was also the extra boon in the form of his little brother. Rumble. The colt was only a few years older than Blitz and the two had become fast friends, inseparable like bread and butter. Sometimes Rumble bossed him around a little but he was much nicer than any of the other kids at school, most of which ostracised him for his lineage or his ‘different’ mane.

“Hey Blitzy, enjoying the games?” Thunderlane asked warmly.

“You betcha, I heard the Equestrian hoofball team kick some butt and mum showed me this awesome thing called jousting!”

“Jousting eh? Don’t suppose your mum told you about that tim-.” He said, before being quickly cut off by a fierce glare from Rainbow Dash. He grinned sheepishly. “Where’s your husband?”

“Working, as always.” Rainbow answered with a roll of her eyes. Clearly she was less than impressed with her partner’s working habits.

“Where’s Rumble?” Blitz asked looking around for small colt. His question was swiftly answered as Rumble leapt on his back with a triumphant yell.

“Rumble!” Rainbow Blitz complained, struggling to get the older colt off him. Being older though, Rumble was a fair bit stronger and bigger than Blitz was and pinned him to the ground remorselessly.

“Like stealing candy from a baby. Not that I’d ever do that.” He added quickly for the benefit of the two adults present. He clambered off Blitz and helped the embarrassed colt to his hooves.

Rainbow Dash made an amused sound deep in her throat. “Anyway, we’d better head over to the Aerodrome, the flight events should be starting soon.”

Blitz wrinkled his nose up, he wanted to go see the ponies joust, not watch some pinhead spin about in the air like a top. Despite his mother’s best efforts to encourage him, his enthusiasm regarding aerial sports was minimal at best. She set off at a brisk pace, chatting happily with Thunderlane, occasionally looking back to make sure Rumble and her son were still there.

“There’s something I got to show you later.” Blitz whispered to Rumble as they fell in step behind the two older ponies.

Rumble passed him a few pieces of candy, redeeming himself slightly for tackling Blitz to the ground earlier. “What’s that?” He asked through a mouthful of the sweets.

“Just trust me, it’s awesome.”

***

It didn’t take long for Blitz to get his chance. Once they’d filed into the cavernous grandstand that ran around the aerodrome and found some seats, it only took a few minutes before the idle chatter from the crowd and the occasional crack of a starter’s gun to be enough for Blitz and Rumble to sneak away without being seen. Satisfied that both his mother and Thunderlane were both occupied with the ongoing competition, Rainbow Blitz leaned over and tapped Rumble on the shoulder.

“You’ve gotta come see this.” Blitz whispered, tugging Rumble away from his oblivious mother and Thunderlane.

“But the aerobatics starts soon. I wanna see Dizzy Twister compete.” He complained, watching a group of pegasi warming up for what looked like an exceedingly complicated obstacle course.

“This is so much cooler than a few flips and spins.” Blitz insisted, giving his friend’s leg another pull.

Rumble shot a hesitant look at his older brother before deciding it was safe to sneak off without him noticing. “If you say so.”

“Great, follow me.” Blitz said, sneaking out of his seat and indicating for Rumble to follow him carefully. They made their way back up the stands and back out onto the concourse. It didn’t take Blitz long to find the jousting arena from here, the high flags which flew from the grandstands were quite distinctive. Since he was too young to fly very well, they made their way through the crowds on foot darting through the narrow alleys and streets the games venue had taken over. Several ponies giving the two young colts curious looks but ultimately disregarded them in lieu of their own concerns. Hampered by the packed crowds it took them several minutes to reach the stadium, Rumble finally intervening and carrying them with some difficulty after they encountered an almost impassable sea of ponies in one of the many courtyards along the route.

“So what am I looking at that’s so great?” Rumble grumbled as they snuck up to the lip of the grandstand’s roof. They peered over the edge into the arena, the two lanes which the ponies had changed down before annoyingly empty.

“Just wait and see.” Blitz whispered, hoping the event hadn’t finished for the day. His hopes were realised a moment later when an Earth pony stepped out into the centre of the arena.

“Introducing your next champions: From the fields of Prance, we have the current world champion; Iron Aegis!” He boomed, drawing cheers and whoops from the assembled crowd. The sheer volume was titanic, clearly this pony was a favourite of the crowd. A moment later the pony in question stepped out from one of the entrances at the end of the field, bedecked in a suit of shiny steel armour. Unlike the previous two ponies he’d seen jousting, his armour was relatively unadorned, free of the little spirals and embellishments the other two competitors had borne. Iron Aegis waved to the crowd, prompting another tidal wave of cheers. A chant had started somewhere, quickly spreading until the entire stadium seemed to be roaring the words.

“Aegis! Aegis! Aegis!”

The announcer settled the crowd down with great difficulty and pointed to the other end of the field. “And his opponent, hailing from the rocky crags of Birland where he holds the rank of champion, we have The Black Cardinal!” He rumbled dramatically as the crowd devolved into another upsurge of cheers.

“That can’t be his actual name can it?” Rumble asked as a pony bedecked in almost jet black armour trotted out from the opposite end of the field from Iron Aegis. From their vantage point Blitz could make out some sort of insignia on his armour, a blood red rose pattern embossed on his shoulder guard.

“Wouldn’t have a clue.” Blitz whispered back, watching excitedly as the two ponies trotted to end of each lane and saluted each other. The announcer was still prattling on about something but Blitz filtered him out, intently watching the two competitors.

Both of the armoured juggernauts were now talking lowly with another pony Blitz took to be a lackey or an assistant of some kind, the conversations were short and sharp and although he couldn’t hear them, he was sure they were discussing strategies. After a moment each was fitted with a long lance and snapped their helmet’s visors down with sharp metallic clicks. The crowd fell silent, the calm before the storm.

“This is it.” Blitz said excitedly, his heart already hammering in his chest. Any moment now and they’d start thundering towards each other, amour gleaming and hooves pounding…

A flag mounted on a podium in the centre fell and the two ponies took off the mark like lightning bolts. Even burdened under their armour, they were incredibly fast, so fast that even somepony like Applejack would’ve had trouble keeping up with them.

“Whoa, look at them go!” Rumble exclaimed as the two ponies barrelled towards each other like freight trains. There was a loud crack and Iron Aegis’ lance cracked against the right side of The Black Cardinal’s neck guard. The Cardinal’s own lance was a little high and sailed over Aegis’ shoulder by a hairsbreadth.

“Wow!” The two colts yelled together as the two ponies ended their charges and wheeled around, Iron Aegis parading a little for the crowd’s benefit. The two lackeys darted to the other end of the field and fitted their masters with new lances, the Black Cardinal dismissing his one with an annoyed wave as soon as the long lance was locked in place. The flag fell again and within moments they were off again. This time, both lances connected, making both ponies stagger from the impact. Splinters of wood flew everywhere, some even reaching as high as the spot where Rumble and Rainbow Blitz were hidden. It was hard to tell but it looked like the Cardinal’s lance had struck Aegis’ chest while the champion’s lance had shattered against the crest of his opponent’s helmet.

“See, isn’t this awesome?” Blitz asked, not daring to take his eyes off the action for even a moment. He had no idea how the match was going and wasn’t really sure who to root for, but he was enjoying it immensely all the same. He looked around, courting three white flags stuck in a rack on Iron Aegis’ side of the field and one on the Black Cardinal’s, maybe those were points scored?

‘Barrel rolls are for sissies! This is a real sport!’ He thought as the two ponies reset themselves for another bout. The flag fell again and the earth-shaking charge started anew. Time seemed to slow as the two ponies met in the centre. Blitz watched in slow motion as Aegis’ lance clipped the Cardinal across the chest, shattering the wooden pole completely. Half a second later The Cardinal’s blow caught Aegis below the visor, right where the join in the neck guard and the helmet would be. With a sickening crack of wood, the pony pitched backwards; flipping over completely from the force of the blow and landing flat on his back with a loud crash of metal and a cloud of dust.

The crowd erupted in cheers again, no concern paid for the limp pony which lay on the ground. The Black Cardinal was doing rounds, trotting in circles triumphantly and waving to the crowd to celebrate his apparent victory.

“I think he won.” Rumble said sourly, watching the armoured form of Iron Aegis closely. The Earth pony was stirring now, struggling back to his hooves with the aid of his assistant. He seemed alright, only limping slightly as he exited the field dejectedly.

“That was amazing!” Rainbow Blitz exclaimed, resisting the urge to do a small backflip. “Much better than watching a few flips.”

“Gotta admit, that was pretty cool.” Rumble said grudgingly, shuffling back from the edge. Blitz nodded eagerly in agreement, the joust they’d just watched was even better than the one he’d seen before. Rumble gave him a gentle tug. “Now come on, we better get back before somepony notices we’re missing...” He said urgently, cutting himself off as he turned around. Blitz didn’t notice, eagerly watching the Black Cardinal rear up and pose for the crowd. ‘That’s what I want to be…’ He thought.

Rumble tapped him nervously on the shoulder. “Uh, Blitz?”

Blitz spun around quickly, his gut dropping at the sight. Standing right behind them was Rainbow Dash, a look of anger and concern in her eyes. He opened his mouth to explain himself but words seemed to fail him.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head slowly. “Yep, you’re in trouble.”

***

“What were you doing, we were so worried about you!” Rainbow Dash yelled, pacing backwards and forwards across the end of Blitz’s bed. However angry she may have been at her son, she at least had the decency to not get cranky at him in public. She’d taken him home straight away, leaving he games behind them as they boarded the first train to Ponyville. She hadn’t talked to him the whole way, letting thoughts of his possible punishment stew in his mind. It had been an awkward trip, Blitz wanting to say something but unsure of what to say.

“We were just looking at the jousting!” Blitz cried. “What’s wrong with that?”

Rainbow shook her head. “It’s dangerous, you could’ve been trampled or gotten lost. You should’ve at least told us where you were going.” She snapped before looking a guilty and dialling back her tone a little. “At least you had the sense to take Rumble with you.”

“Would you have let us go if we told you?” Blitz asked.

“No, I wouldn’t.” She said immediately.

“But I want to learn how to joust.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head slowly and sighed, she seemed more disappointed than she did upset. “You can’t.”

Blitz’s face turned into one of outrage “Why not!?”

“Because it’s not right! You’re not an Earth pony, it’d be like trying to learn magic.” She barked. “You’re a Pegasus, that’s a dream you can’t have okay?”

“But I want to, I’ll do my best I promise! I want this more than anything.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head again. “You don’t know what you want, give it a week and you’ll have forgotten it.” She said assuredly.

“No I won’t!” He protested.

His mother sighed sadly. “Look, I admire your enthusiasm but let’s get one thing very clear.” He prodded his sternum softly. “You. Can’t. Joust. You can’t and you never will.”

“Well… try and stop me!” Blitz yelled angrily. Why couldn’t she understand this is what he wanted? How couldn’t she see that?

Rainbow Dash let out a sad sigh. “Let’s hope I don’t have to.

***

A series of rapid-fire knocks on his bedhead woke Rainbow Blitz. He’d been dreaming, dreaming about the fight he’d had nearly fifteen years ago… it didn’t seem like so long now. His mind drifted to the large stack of jousting magazines he had hidden under his mattress and smiled, she hadn’t stopped him, and she never could. It was his passion, a passion he’d kept secret from all but a few ponies. Another knock roused his half-conscious mind and the pleasant feeling of sleep washed away, being replaced by a sense of irritation. He half-opened his eyes, annoyed to see Rumble standing over him, an amused grin plastered over his stupid face.

“Whaddya want?” He slurred crossly, swatting his friend away. “How’d you get in here?”

“You. Up. Come on.” Rumble sang, pulling Blitz up so he couldn’t hide his face under a pillow. He leapt nimbly off Blitz’s large double bed and waited patiently for his friend to clear his sleepy head. Blitz groaned, wondering how Rumble had even gotten in. He’d had his room’s single window barricaded after he’d flown in through the window and dropped a bucket full of baby alligators on him and he would’ve heard him come through the front door. His eyes drifted to a large, Pegasus shaped hole in the wall and his foggy mind finally make the connection between the patches of white fluff sticking to Rumble’s mane and the breach.

“Oh... right.” He said dryly, rubbing his eyes and wondering how he’d explain that when his mum found out. “I’m up, what do you want?” He asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.

“Well first, happy birthday.” Rumble said cheerfully. “Eighteen this year, big day for you eh?”

“Thanks.” Blitz muttered, “Don’t suppose you were thoughtful enough to get me a gift?”

“Sure I did, it’s called helping me move my junk from Thunderlane’s place to my new house.”

Blitz looked him dubiously. “What a great gift, thank you.” He drawled sarcastically.

“I knew you’d like it.” Rumble said, the shit-eating grin returning. “Now come on, stuff won’t move itself.” He said, flying out the hole he’d made in the wall.

Rainbow Blitz stared at hole again, wondering how he’d roped into this. He should be getting pancakes, whipped cream and probably far too many hugs and kisses from some distantly related relatives he was somehow supposed to know, not being press-ganged into moving. His rose eyes prowled around the room for a moment, lingering on a small family photo of him and his mother, the place where his father should’ve been was conspicuously absent, much like he seemed to be most of the time. He shook his head and considered going back to sleep before instantly dismissing the idea; Rumble would return if he didn’t emerge… and he’d probably bring a bucket of icy water with him as ‘encouragement’. Maybe if he was feeling particularly sadistic they’d be something alive in there as well… He shrugged with weary resignation and trotted to the hole, spreading and stretching his large wings as he did so. Long gone were the days he had to ride on somepony’s back to get around.

Like his wings, the rest of Rainbow Blitz had aged well, constant exercise had trimmed away his puppy fat, revealing sleek lines and bands of toned muscle. His rainbow-coloured mane had hardly changed, the rough spikes more colourful and vibrant if anything than when he was small. His voice had dropped considerably, a low but pleasant baritone (which still occasionally cracked. much to his embarrassment) replacing the high, almost whingey tone which had plagued his childhood.

“You coming you dope?” Rumble yelled, his voice drifting in through the gaping hole.

“Yeah, yeah I’m on my way.” He complained, flapping outside and hovering next to Rumble. He squinted against the bright sunlight, evidently the weather team was already hard at work clearing the sky. He glanced around but couldn’t find any trace of the pegasi, perhaps they were working in another sector of the town.

“I figured you could give me a hand getting my stuff together and then we could just hang around until the party.”

“Party?” Blitz asked groggily.

Rumble nodded. “Thunderlane and Fluttershy are hosting your party, did you forget already?”

“My cognitive functions aren’t sharp in the morning.” Blitz said back defensively.

“You’re awake enough to say ‘cognitive’, no excuses.” Rumble chuckled, doing a lazy barrel roll that would’ve put some ‘professional’ stunt fliers to shame.

Blitz scoffed quietly, wondering where he could find a bucket so he could slam it down on Rumble’s head. He allowed his thoughts to wander slightly, remembering back to his uncle’s wedding. He could only remember some parts of the ceremony, now some five years ago. He remembered fireworks, ridiculously sweet fruit punch and a cute filly who’d awkwardly kissed him and then never seen again. What he did remember though was how smitten Thunderlane had been when he’d started spending time around Fluttershy, the normally reserved stallion turning into a bubbly, goofy wreck around the timid Pegasus. Blitz remembered an eleven year old version of himself demanding Thunderlane to ask her to a dance at one of the town’s festivals… after that they’d started dating and, well, the rest was history.

‘Where did time go?’ He thought silently, angling his wings to follow Rumble’s flight path. They sailed over a small copse of trees, angling for the edge of the Everfree Forest where Fluttershy’s small cottage sat. The small stone building had hardly changed over the years, a larger henhouse and a few new fence posts the only differences Rainbow Blitz had ever noticed. They trotted down the narrow garden path, ignoring the few birds which looked down at them suspiciously before flapping off nosily to guard their nests. Rumble pushed the red front door open slightly, careful to avoid the multitude of temporary animal shelters which littered the walls as he stepped inside.

“Looks like noponys home.” Rumble said, peering around the cottage quietly. He shrugged and gestured to a small manhole in the ceiling. After a moment of consideration he leapt up, pulled it open with his mouth and revealed a small ladder which clattered down to the floor noisily.

“So what are we doing up here anyway?” Blitz asked as Rumble’s head vanished into Fluttershy’s attic with all the assurance of somepony who had absolutely no idea of what they were doing.

“Apparently Thunderlane moved some of my stuff up here when he moved in, thought with getting my own place and all I’d come and liberate it.”

“And you needed some extra muscle, huh?’ Blitz said with a smirk.

“No, I just needed the constant dribble that flows out of your mouth to keep me entertained. Now get up here or I might just throw Thunderlane’s bowling ball collection down.” Rumble shot back, his voice slightly muffled by the thick roof. Blitz looked at the rickety ladder dubiously before following Rumble up. The stallion had already lit a lantern, bathing the attic in a soft yellow light which did little to illuminate the surprising spacious loft. He pointed Blitz to one of the corners and started overturning a heap of boxes, leaping away in fright as he disturbed a family of skittish mice Fluttershy had been keeping.

“Those things were as big as rats!” He exclaimed awkwardly, seeing Blitz holding back a chuckle with great difficulty.

“Sure they were.” Blitz snickered, lifting a heavy box out of the way and finding a pair of Boas, each as long as he was, curled up underneath. He baulked and replaced the box with indecent haste, the two snakes glaring at him fiercely.

“It’s gotta be up here somewhere…” Rumble muttered, rooting through several more large boxes thankfully devoid of fauna to no avail. Rainbow Blitz rolled his eyes and resumed his searching at a much slower pace. He had the day to waste and he was in no hurry to find Rumble’s things, it was probably some old magazine collection at best, and maybe one of his failed projects at worst. He was about to give up when he noticed a box marked in neat writing ‘Crystal Empire – Old gear.’

“Hey, Rumble, come check this out! I never knew your brother went to the Crystal Empire.” He called, beckoning the light grey pegasus over to look at his discovery. I gave the box a kick, surprised by how heavy it was.

Rumble frowned and ripped the box open. “He hasn’t… well he did for the Equestrian Games but he didn’t really do anything else there. Fluttershy has been at some point though, I think. In fact, I’m fairly sure your mum went with her as well.”

“Gee, she never told me that.” Blitz said, fishing through the sea of foam-green packing pellets that flooded the box. He paused as his hoof struck something metal. Curious, he dug his hoof in again and removed an old, slightly dusty helmet. Despite its age he could make out detailed engravings in the metal and he recognised the design immediately.

“Wow, a jousting helmet!” He exclaimed with awe. “Why does Fluttershy have one of these lying around?”

“I think it’s a bit more than a helmet.” Rumble responded quietly, hauling a heavy metal cuirass out of the box with a grunt. It was detailed in the same style of metalwork as the helmet and by the sharp curves of the body, Rainbow Blitz could tell it was designed for use in a tilt. Unlike the flanks, the front was mirror smooth, minimising the amount of surfaces a lance’s point could get caught on. He shared a quick look with Rumble and then glanced back at the box suspiciously.

“No way…” Blitz breathed, tipping the box over and spreading a flood of packing pellets across the floor. A few metal pieces of armour clanked together and skittered out on to the floor, glinting under the faint candlelight.

“Greaves, boots, helmet, visor, neck guard, cradle, cuirass… what in the wide world of Equestria is this all doing here?” He muttered with awe.

“I don’t suppose Fluttershy ever told you a story about her jousting in the Crystal Empire, did she?” Rumble asked with a smirk.

Rainbow Blitz laughed, wondering if Rumble was messing with him. “Don’t be ridiculous, only Earth ponies are allowed to joust.”

Rumble’s smirk didn’t fade and Blitz’s look of incredulity turned to one of outrage, why hadn’t Rumble told him before?

“Hasn’t stopped you.” Rumble pointed out with a knowing look. Blitz shrugged, remembering the days when they’d sneak out with buckets over their heads and broomsticks strapped to their sides and pretend to tilt. “Check this out.” He held out an aging photo for Blitz to look at.

“Wha- Mum and Fluttershy? Jousting?!” He stammered in disbelief. “When did this happen?”

“I’d guess by the age of the photo it was sometime before you were born.” Rumble answered, rooting through the box but finding nothing else of interest other than a small snow globe which he discarded with a loud smash.

“This thing must be worth a fortune.” Rainbow Blitz breathed, polishing the suit of armour reverently. If it was as old as Rumble said it was it was in amazing condition, it was probably enchanted or something.

“Try it on.” Rumble suggested.

Blitz feigned ignorance for a moment. “What?”

“Try it on, I know you’re thinking it. It looks about the right size for you.”

Not needing any further encouragement, Rainbow Blitz plopped the helmet over his head, his mane bunching up and filling the hole made for the helmet’s crest. He tilted his head from side to side, making the helmet bang against the side of his head heavily; he’d need to find an arming cap to keep it in place.

“Alright, fine. Give me a hand putting it on though.” He said, poorly hiding his excitement and grabbing one of the greaves and placing it over his right foreleg. He wound the strap around and tightened it, surprised with how well the old armour fitted him. He repeated the process for his other foreleg and then clipped the two front boots on. With Rumble’s help he placed the cuirass over his back and lashed it in place. Lastly, Rumble put the neck guard on and tightened it around his throat. Blitz fished around for the visor and clipped it onto the helmet before finally flipping it down over his face, reducing his vision down to a thin slit.

“How do I look?” He asked, his voice slightly muffled by the heavy mask.

“Amazing…” Rumble breathed, dragging over an old mirror so Blitz could see for himself.

“Looking good.” He said boastfully, strutting back in forth in front of the mirror. His wings were tucked in a little uncomfortably against the cuirass but other than that, the suit seemed like it had been made for him. Even without the hind-leg armour attached, it was incredibly impressive.

“I need a lance.” He said, finally figuring out was missing from the display.

“I don’t have a lance but I’ve got a broomstick.” Rumble offered.

“That’ll do, just slot it into the cradle.” Blitz ordered, feeling a soft clunk in the armour as the metal cradle was lashed to his armour. A moment later Rumble appeared in front of the visor, holding the small choke that was used to adjust the cradle’s alignment.

Much better.” Blitz said, smiling under the metal visor as a long wooden broomstick was locked into the cradle. It certainly didn’t look like a real lance but it’d have to do. He admired himself in the mirror for a minute or so before the sound of a door opening downstairs made them freeze.

“Quick, put it away. Wouldn’t want anypony to see you wearing that.” Rumble stammered.

Rainbow Blitz took off the helmet and stashed it back in the box before an idea washed over him, a crazy idea. He pondered it for a moment before grabbing Rumble.

“Hey, Rumble, look at me!” He hissed. “What sort of pony am I?”

The older stallion rolled his eyes. “I’m not daft, you’re a Pegasus.”

“Well, duh, you know me! But pretend you’re a stranger, what sort of pony am I?

Rumble looked at him boredly. “I don’t know, an Earth pony or a Pegasus I guess?” He shook his head, not understanding where Blitz was going with his line of thought.

“Rumble! Don’t you get it? I’ve wanted to go in a real joust my whole life, now I can!” Blitz hissed excitedly.

Rumble’s eyes widened. “Oh no, no you don’t. You can’t, you’re not allowed to.”

A wave of anger rose up in Rainbow Blitz. He could still vividly recall the argument he’d had nearly fifteen years ago with his Mum, why was Rumble backing her up now as well? “Screw the rules, they’re outdated crap! Why can’t I compete?” He snarled.

“Because the rules say so, now get that armour off before I rip it off you. Besides, are you just going to hide your wings under your cuirass for the entire tournament? What if you have to take it off, hmm?”

“I could.” Rainbow Blitz grumbled, shucking off the heavy cuirass and stowing it away. He stared at it longingly as Rumble removed his leg armour and threw it back in the box haphazardly.

Rumble shook his head disbelievingly. “Blitz, you’ve come up with a lot of stupid ideas, this one has got to be the stupidest I’ve heard of.” He grunted, closing the box back up and leading them down out of the attic. They were halfway down the narrow ladder when Thunderlane suddenly appeared in the hallway next to them.

“What were you guys doing up there?” He asked curiously.

“Just looking around for some of my old stuff.” Rumble answered quickly, averting his eyes.

Thunderlane nodded and turned to Blitz, a large smile breaking out on his face. “Hey buddy, how’s your day going?”

“Pretty good.” Rainbow Blitz answered truthfully, thinking back up to the set of armour he and Rumble had found. No way would he’d tell Thunderlane about that though… at least not yet.

“Good, good. Come on down, I’ve got something for you.” The burly stallion said with a sly wink before vanishing into the cottage’s kitchen. Blitz flashed a curious look at Rumble but his light grey friend just shrugged.

“Don’t ask me. I dunno what Thunderlane has got cooked up.”

Blitz shrugged and followed his uncle into the cottage’s small kitchen. A wave of delightful cooking smells washed over him as he crossed the threshold. Fluttershy was by the stove, stirring a pot of soup nearly as large as she was and Thunderlane was in the corner, placing down the shell of a pie large enough that he could’ve curled up in the dish with room to spare. He nodded politely as he passed Fluttershy, despite her closeness with his parents, he’d never had as much to do with her as he had with Thunderlane. Her generally shy nature meant that the extent of their relationship was little more than a few awkward conversations and the occasional scolding when he and Rumble did something stupid… which seemed to actually happen surprisingly often.

Thunderlane finished pressing the bottom of the pie to the tin with his hooves before turning to Rainbow Blitz and rumble. “Alright, I wanted to give this to you before anypony else showed up. I don’t think your parents would really approve of it so I suggest keeping your mouth shut about it, for both of our sakes.” Thunderlane whispered, glancing over their shoulder to make sure his wife was still occupied with the tureen of soup. He fished around the counter top and handed Blitz a sealed envelope. Without waiting, the young pegasus tore it open, surprised to find a pair of brown paper tickets inside. Blitz read them carefully, his eyes widening as he noticed what they were for.

“The Trottin-.” He started to say before Thunderlane silenced him.

“Shh, not so loud.” He warned. “Take them and put them somewhere safe. I got another ticket for Rumble because I know he’d kill me for not letting him go as well.”

“Thanks Thunderlane, you’re the best.” Rainbow Blitz said, giving his uncle a rough hug.

“You’re welcome kid, now get out here before Fluttershy gets curious and comes over for a look.” Thunderlane cautioned, giving them a gentle push out of the kitchen. The two young stallions bounced out, fawning over their tickets.

“I can’t believe it, the Trottingham tournament!” Rainbow Blitz said giddily once he was sure the kitchen was out of earshot. “Only one of the biggest tournaments in all of Equestria!”

“Pity there’s only two tickets, I’d love to take Scootaloo…” Rumble muttered sourly. “I wonder how Thunderlane got a hold of these. You have to be lucky to get them because they usually sell out really quickly.”

“Who cares, we got tickets!” Rainbow Blitz sang, prancing around the living room stupidly.

“Tickets for what?” A feminine voice asked coolly.

Rumble and Rainbow Blitz froze in shock before breathing a sigh of relief when Scootaloo trotted around the corner with a large grin on her face. Like Rumble the once young filly had grown into a stunning mare, her purple mane had shot out a little and her voice had taken on a slightly more feminine tone but she still retained the spunk she’d possessed as a foal. While she had been invited to the party, neither Rumble nor Rainbow Blitz had expected to see her so early.

“When did you get here?” Rumble asked.

“Just now, front door was open so I just let myself in.” Scootaloo said, switching her gaze to the small piece of paper Rainbow Blitz was fondling. “What’s that?”

“Just a ticket for the Trottingham tournament” Rumble boasted. turning his nose up slightly. “Thunderlane got us tickets.” He continued, not entirely missing the slightly envious look Scootaloo gave him.

Scootaloo screwed her muzzle up. “Watching boys running at each other with big sticks all day doesn’t strike me as fun…”

“Rubbish, you love watching us muck around.” Rumble protested, rising to the bait like she knew he would. He wasn’t lying, while Scootaloo had nowhere as much interest in the sport as Rainbow Blitz did, she maintained a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy, depending on your point of view) appreciation for its workings. The tournament was host to more than just jousting though, there were several events, both combative and non that Rumble knew Scootaloo had a firm interest in.

“Well then I don't suppose you got one for me did you?” She asked.

Rumble seemed set to offer his to her but she waved him down with a smile. She hardly expected Blitz to suddenly speak up.

“Have mine.” hez said quietly. The crazy thought had returned… maybe this was just the chance he’d need to achieve his dreams.

The other two pegasi snapped around to look at him, wondering if he’d gone mad. There was nothing they could think of that he’d give a ticket up for… maybe other than two tickets.

“Uh, how are you going to get in then, genius?” Rumble asked.

Blitz’s thoughts turned back to the suit of armour collecting dust in the attic. It was a crazy idea, probably the best he’d ever had. “I’m going to compete.”

Author's Note

I blame this story on playing far too much Medieval II: Total War and slamming Heavy Cavalry into the back of enemy formations followed by a viewing of 'A Knight's Tale' ;a movie that you either hate for being wildly anachronistic and starring Heath Ledger or a movie you love for being wildly anachronistic and starring Heath Ledger.

Somehow that makes this; a story that doesn't feature armoured cavalry slamming into squishy Milanese crossbowman and certainly no Heath Ledger.

Isn't life is weird like that?

Crazy is My Middle Name

Author's Note

BLARGH. ONLY TOOK A YEAR TO WRITE A CHAPTER. BOO ME, BOO.

Crazy is My Middle Name

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.