Redux: Lineage

"Perfect!" my mother exclaimed happily, looking at me up head to toe as I fastened the belt on the outfit she'd managed to cobble together for me. "Looking like a true gentleman!"

I looked up at myself in the mirror, not displeased with how I looked. My mother had essentially lacquered my usually unruly hair in a slicked-back style, and the clothing she'd had made fit well and looked nice. She'd managed to have a leather vest seemingly tanned, dried, and dyed blue in under eight hours, as well as having a new pair of black dress trousers stitched up, and topped it all off with fine leather boots. I prodded at my hair, the mixture she'd drowned it in making it feel as solid as wood, only then to receive a gentle slap on the hand from her.

"Don't poke at it," she said. "You'll loosen the hold."

"Right," I nodded, still feeling slightly awkward about the hair. "Why am I not allowed to have it down again?"

"Because unkempt and messy hair is unfitting of a man of stature," Cadance said, seemingly reciting from some book or scripture. "One should always look presentable, with their hair out of their face, their face clean shaven, and their clothing pressed."

"Fair enough," I sighed, turning around and crossing my arms, thankful that the shirt, even though it was a decently tight fit, still gave me enough room to move freely. "Are you going to get ready for the party now?"

"It's not due to start for another four hours," Cadance said.

"Oh, then that means you should have your hair finished by then," I said, bouncing my eyebrows in a comical manner.

"Eh, funny," she said, rolling her eyes at me.

There was a moment of silence between the two of us as she continued to look at me, the clock in my room ticking loudly, before my mother's smile faltered slightly and a sigh of remorse fell from her mouth.

"Mom?" I asked. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah... you're not my baby boy anymore," she said in a saddened manner, her eyes falling down to the side as she spoke. "I know you haven't been for a while now, but... it's only just really hit me tonight. You're all grown up, soon to be part of the royal work force, making decisions, giving orders... barely getting any time to spend with your mother."

"Oh, give it up," I said with a chuckle, embracing the taller woman and letting her cling tightly to me. "I'm not just going to disappear and never speak to you again after tonight, you know?"

"I know," she nodded, resting her chin on my head. "But still..."

"If you'd prefer it; I can stay lounging on my ass for the rest of my life and have you pick up after me?" I suggested, smirking to myself. "If that's the way you prefer it."

"Let's not go crazy here, kiddo," Cadance said, laughing quietly.

The conversation died once more, the silence only kept at bay by the ticking clock, and I found myself lost in her embrace again, enjoying the smell of her perfume, the warmth of her body, and the feeling of her breasts squeezing against me, her ample rack providing a warm and soft place to press against, just able to feel her heart beating faintly through her chest. This was yet another moment of perversion for both of us it seemed, as my mother shifted slightly, her lower body pressing against mine and allowing me to feel the radiating warmth from between her legs against my body, a brief twitch of arousal hitting my loins as the sensation warmed through.

We were interrupted by a knock at the door, neither of us jumping or retreating as, to the outsider, we weren't doing anything uncouth. The door swung open and Luna walked in, the dark-skinned Alicorn still not changed out of her usual rougher getup. She cocked an eyebrow at the scene before her, looking back and forth between my mother and me.

"Am I interrupting a moment?" she asked.

"No, not really," Cadance sighed, releasing me and stepping back slightly, robbing me of the warmth of her body. "Just saying goodbye to the last days of my son's childhood."

"Perfect, then this is the best time to bring up the boy's Rite of Kingship," Luna said, sitting down on the wooden dresser to her left and crossing her arms.

"Oh, shit," Cadance said, surprising me with the rare action of her cursing in front of me. "I completely forgot that was supposed to be assigned tonight."

"Indeed," Luna nodded. "Have you brought a suggestion for us to decide on?"

"I was thinking something small, like a Griffin or a Minotaur," Cadance said, grinning awkwardly. "Make it more of a leg exercise for him than a, well, certain death experience."

"Cadance, we both know we can't give him a task any old hunter could do," Luna said, looking at her niece in the eyes. "The Rite states that he needs to perform a fit befitting of a king. Like, oh, I don't know... slaying a dragon, perhaps?"

There was another moment of silence between the three of us, the clock singing its song of noise once again, as the two female Alicorn stared at each other, each eyeing the other with scrutiny to see who would crack first.

"Are... are you serious?" Cadance asked in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious," Luna nodded. "Dragonslaying is as ingrained into kingly duties as breeding hounds and hosting banquets. It's a task that separates those who sit on the throne due to their lineage and those who sit on the throne due to their prowess. And for Richter to achieve such a goal at his age would make him rather legendary, even among other dragonslayers."

"Except there's one small problem," Cadance said with a raised finger. "I don't want him to be eaten alive."

"Then you seem to have a lack of knowledge when it comes to Richter's battle prowess," Luna said, looking over my mother's shoulder at me. "While the boy isn't going to be winning any regional fencing competitions, he moves fast and hits hard enough to stay alive against most opponents. Not to mention he'll have his retainers with him. And we both know that Zane's worth three men on his own, thanks to Twilight's little genetic power up she gave to the knights-in-training."

"Grael as well?" Cadance asked, her reluctance still obvious but beginning to sway at this point.

"Of course," Luna nodded. "And we know he would willingly swim in lava if it meant sparing Richter even the slightest discomfort."

Cadance went quiet, visibly mulling the idea over in her head, weighing up risks and rewards as both a mother and a ruler, shaking her head quickly after a few seconds and looking back up at Luna.

"What species of dragon is it going to be?" she asked.

"A Narrowscale," Luna answered.

"Right, no, Luna," Cadance said, an irritated expression appearing on her face. "They're dangerous, way too dangerous."

"Everything's dangerous, Cadance," Luna said with a shrug. "What helps combat the danger is preparation and skill, and Richter has more than enough of both to handle himself with practically any monster or beast out there, thanks to his training. Richter, mind explaining to your mother what you know of a Narrowscale?"

"They're one of the largest species of dragons in the world, making them slow and cumbersome, and putting them at a great disadvantage in enclosed areas. They fight with a mix of elemental breath attacks, possessing more than any other species of dragon, and their hides are extremely well-armoured with tough scales that are packed in close to each other, thus the name Narrowscale," I explained. "An adult Narroscale will average anywhere between fifty and seventy feet tall, with the females being the larger of the genders, while the males tend to be stockier and broader than the much sleeker, smoother females. Their common weak points are their softer underbelly scales, insides, and joints."

"See?" Luna said, gesturing towards me as she looked at my mother. "Textbook explanation. Richter may not have taken to his numeracy and literacy teachings as a child, but if there was one thing he put his heart and soul into, it was studying monsters, demons, cryptids, and all other kinds of inhuman creatures and it paid off in droves. You ask that boy about any monster under the sun and I'll bet money on the fact he can name every part of their anatomy, tell you what their eating and breeding habits are, and even what parts of them are safe to eat."

"That doesn't change my mind on this," Cadance said, now standing steadfast against this choice, her acceptance of the idea now completely gone. "I don't care if he can tell me the scientific name for the teeth in a Leviathan's mouth, I'm not letting him go within three hundred miles of a damn Narrowscale, and that's final."

"Cadance, we both know it isn't final," Luna said, her eyes and tone becoming softer as she spoke to my mother, the pink Alicorn clearly becoming flustered and worried. "I came here to talk to you about this directly so it wouldn't come as a shock when it came time for us to make the vote on it... and I've already spoken to both Celestia and Twilight, who've agreed with me that the Narrowscale is the perfect choice for his Rite. If you fight this decision, you'll be outvoted three-to-one, and nobody wants this decision to tear any of us apart. I know this worries you, and I know you don't want to see Richter be hurt, or worse. But I need you to believe me when I tell you that he can do this, and to step in and forbid him is just going to hold him back."

"I..." Cadance muttered, looking back and forth between myself and her Aunt. "But..."

"Mom," I said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, her near tear-filled eyes looking back at me with sorrow. "I can do this. You have to let me."

"Have... have you talked to Shining about it?" Cadance said, turning around to Luna and looking up at her. "He knows all about this kind of thing. Maybe he can suggest a better-"

"Cadance," Luna said in a solid tone, cutting Cadance off and making her fall completely silent, the pink Alicorn staring at the carpeted floor beneath her.

"O-Okay..." Cadance sighed, looking back up at Luna. "He... he can go and fight the dragon. But if he gets hurt, or worse, I will never forgive you, or any of you for this."

"I know," Luna said, wrapping her arms around Cadance and hugging her close. "I know this is hard, but believe me, you're doing the right thing."

The two of them remained in an embrace for a long moment, Luna comforting Cadance with gentle strokes down the back and gently toying with a lock of her hair, moments passing by until I began to feel a little awkward about the whole thing, like I was intruding on a couple's vow to stay together forever.

"So..." I said, trying to get the awkward air to circulate again. "Where am I going to be going for this Narrowscale?"

"Winter's Maw," Luna answered, still clinging tightly to Cadance, with the pink Alicorn now having become completely silent and began to gently nuzzle Luna's neck in a manner that didn't seem fitting of an aunt and niece embrace. "You'll be heading out in the next few days. You'll also be the one in charge of Zane, Grael, and Annerose, just to give you a taste of authority. Try not to get them killed."

"Winter's Maw is nearly in the Northern Ice-Plains," I said in a devastated manner. "That's nearly a week's ride from here."

"So we'll make sure you're sufficiently stocked and wrapped up," Luna said with a small smirk. "Now, you go and tell the others. Cadance and I need to discuss the matter of your return and official coronation after you complete your task."

"Alright," I nodded, still a little bit suspicious of their intentions, but not willing to bring it up further in case I was completely off-base in my assumptions.

I left the two of them alone, getting in contact with Grael over our telepathic link and asking him to round the other two up in the training yard for me to explain what was going to happen. Once gathered there, the first question came from Zane, and it was an extremely valid one.

"So we're just supposed to drop everything we're doing and rush off on a two-week-or-longer dragon hunt?" he asked, sitting down on the same anvil I had earlier before. "Don't get me wrong, I'd come along with you anywhere and help you with anything, but a little bit more than a few days notice would've been nice."

"He's got a point," Annerose nodded. "I know you and Grael have fuck all going on besides eating and sleeping, but Zane and I have got jobs and training to do. I might end up getting fired from my apprenticeship if I have to go away for two weeks."

"I know, I know..." I said, scratching the back of my head as I tried to think of a solution to the problem. "What if I talk to Celestia, maybe even Luna, and try to get this be your Retainer Trial?"

The two of them looked at each other, Grael keeping quiet and gnawing on a lamb bone he'd been given a while ago, before Annerose looked back at me in a skeptical manner.

"Would she let us?" she asked. "I don't know the way it works here, but where I come from, they don't tend to send the rookies on a Retainer Trial with the person they're trying to protect in case the fuck the whole thing up and get their charge killed."

"But most times those picking them haven't seen the full extent of what the rookies can do," Zane said, looking at Annerose and then at me. "I've shown my entire hand to your family more than enough times for them to trust me with your life, and Annerose has done the exact same thing... just not as well as I have-"

"Twat," she growled.

"-and I think that they'd be willing to make an exception for us based on our history together," Zane said, grinning throughout the rest of his statement, thanks to Annerose's reaction.

"This wouldn't be the first time an Alicorn house has bent the rules of their trials," Grael said, finally speaking up after devouring the meat from his bone. "House Vrinthel allowed the younger brother of Prince Agaster to accompany him on his trial, and allowed it to count as a trial for both of them, despite the younger brother being three years too young to embark on his."

"That's a different situation though," Annerose pointed out.

"But the point still stands: these rules can and have been adjusted, or in some cases, outright broken to fit the needs of a specific family," Grael countered. "And if the other Alicorn were able to accept Prince Agaster and his brother as legitimate rulers of their country after essentially cheating with their trial, I'm sure the ghosts of Alicorn past won't have a problem if the Retainers cheat a smidgen."

"That's such a good word," I chuckled. "Smidgen."

"Indeed," Grael smiled, going back to his bone.

"Now that he's brought that up, where are all the other Alicorn?" Annerose asked. "Surely you and yours aren't the last of them, right?"

"Apparently we are," I nodded. "All the others died off one by one until it was just us."

"How?" she questioned. "I thought you were all immortal?"

"Immortal and invulnerable are two different things, Anne," Zane said, crossing his ankle over his knee and leaning on it. "Richter's kind may stop ageing, but they can still die like any normal man can."

"But they’re supposed to be demi-gods, right?" she asked in confusion. "Beings of immeasurable power? Unable to be challenged by mere mortal strength? How does something like that get killed?"

"Close your eyes for a sec, Anne," Zane said, the smaller girl doing as instructed as Zane placed a finger just below her jugular. "Now open them."

She did as instructed, and Zane then gently poked her in the throat with his fingers, making Annerose give him an odd look.

"There, you were just killed in your sleep," he said, patting her on the back and smiling before prodding her in the spine suddenly. "There, you were just stabbed in the back by someone you thought was a friend."

"Right, okay, that makes sense," Annerose said, nodding as she turned back to me. "Say, you're a purebred Alicorn, right?"

"From what Celestia told me, yeah," I nodded.

"How?" she asked.

"What d'you mean 'how'?" I asked.

"Well... your Dad's not an Alicorn, right?" she proposed. "So even if Alicorn can breed with humans, it would make a half-breed or a mixed race baby, right? Like how black and white people can have kids, but their share a mix of both, usually. How are you not a half-Alicorn, half-human?"

"I actually asked that once," I said, thinking back a long time. "I... I think they did something with my Dad... they altered his DNA or something, or Twilight did, for him to somehow pass on the genes of another Alicorn through his sperm when he got my Mom pregnant."

"Wait, they can just do that?" Zane asked, cocking an eyebrow. "So why the hell aren't there more of you guys if you can just make Alicorn DNA?"

"From what Twilight told me, it would be too dangerous to do that," I said. "She explained that while everyone does have an X and Y chromosome that has male and female DNA coding in it, that male coding, in our family, would all come from the same father. So if they used the male coding from say, Celestia's gene structure, the male Alicorn DNA she would need to use to make her mate fertile to her would be-"

"Her father's," Zane finished off. "So the child would essentially be an inbred child because of that."

"So when we do it, we need to find male Alicorn DNA outside of the family, and then use a different sample each time so we don't end up accidentally inbreeding ourselves," I continued. "And the reason we can't just set up an Alicorn breeding camp is because we need a different sample every time... and we don't know where a lot of them are."

"Why not?" Annerose asked. "Surely the Alicorn kept tabs on each other?"

"We apparently have records on everything except their burial places," I answered. "We never publicly or privately recorded the burial places of the other Alicorn."

"How come?" she asked.

"I'm guessing it’s because you don't want the location of one of the world's most powerful creatures stapled to every notice board for eager necromancers or death mages to end up bringing back to life under his control," Zane said.

"Exactly," I nodded. "So far, Celestia has only found four tombs, and only two of them were male."

"Who did you get?" she asked.

"What?" I responded, slightly confused at the question.

"Who did they use to make you?" she repeated in a clearer manner.

"I... you know what, I've actually never asked that before," I said, placing my hands on my hips and nodding. "I guess it never piqued my interest when I was seven."

"Is that also why you don't have any magic?" Zane asked.

"It can't be," Annerose said with a shake of her head. "Cadance can use magic, and she was made the same way... apparently."

"Gonna be honest here," I said, holding up my hands. "Even Celestia doesn't know why I can't use magic. She's tried every method under the sun from meditation, ki power-ups, chakra unblocking, and even herbal mixtures she researched from a faraway magic land, and nothing worked. I can still use anything that has its own magic, but whenever I try to use mine, the only thing I get is sparks, if I'm lucky."

"You seem to do fine without it, though," Zane shrugged. "Who needs magic when you've got a dashingly handsome best friend and the head of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee as your protectors?"

I didn't even have time to laugh at that before Annerose lunged at the larger man, tackling him straight to the dirt and beginning to mercilessly beat him with fists and feet, Zane laughing loudly as Annerose's punches barely affected him.

"Cunt! Cunt! Cunt! Cunt!" she hollered, head-butting him on the nose and only hurting herself, clutching at her skull as she rolled over and groaned in agony. "The fucking head! Again!"

I rolled my eyes, picking Annerose up off the ground while Zane did the same to himself, dusting off his clothing and grinning at Annerose, the raven-haired girl glowering at him furiously. If it wasn't made obvious by that little outburst, Annerose was extremely sensitive about her small bust, sitting at a barren A-cup and hating every second of it, with Zane often teasing her about it with this often being the result.

"That's enough you two," I chuckled, holding Annerose back as she scrabbled to try and attack Zane again. "And if it makes you feel any better, the ass you've got back here looks delicious."

As soon as she heard that, her temper dropped and a boiling red blush seemed to tattoo itself on her face. As well as being quick to anger, Annerose was also an extremely virginal person, becoming easily flustered and embarrassed when sex was brought up, especially if sexual questions or statements were directed towards her. Her beauty often lead people to hit on her or approach her for dates, and she often ended up exactly as she was now.

"I... that's... t-thanks? I guess?" she stammered.

I let go of her and she walked back over to the fence post she'd been leaning against, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"S-So... Narrowscale dragon, eh?" she asked, scratching her cheek as a sneaky way of checking to see how bad her blush was. "Are we sure we can handle it?"

"As long as we fight smart and stick together, we can handle anything," Grael said, breaking his silence again.

"Budge over, pal," I said, sitting down on the floor and leaning against him.

The enormous wolf rolled over slightly, allowing me to rest myself against his warm underside before curling his tail around my waist as a symbol of protection. I then began to fiddle and mess with the thick fur on his tail as I spoke, something that had once annoyed the wolf, but that he had accepted as part of our sitting sessions.

"Grael's right," I nodded, looking at the other two. "We've worked with each other for more than long enough and know what to do in any situation."

"I don't know," Annerose shrugged. "I doubt our tower combo is going to work well against a dragon."

"Sure it is," Zane chuckled. "Grael's just going to need to jump higher."

"I can do that," the wolf grinned. "Though I might not be able to topple them like I usually do."

"Then Zane's just gonna have swing harder for the legs, right, buddy?" I asked the larger man.

"Sure, though, Annerose, can you still go for a stomach shot when the belly's not facing up?" he asked her.

"As well as Richter can bring in his plunge attack," she nodded.

"See?" I asked with a wide grin. "We're ready for anything and everything, so long as we work together."

"Though just make sure you don't trip over next time, Rick?" Annerose asked in a snide manner.

"Hey, I already told you that was because Zane forgot to move his foot out of the way,"

"Yeah, because Grael refused to jump back after toppling them!"

"Hey, I was only like that because Annerose stuck to the right instead of the left like we practiced!"

"Excuse you-"

And that was essentially what the next half an hour consisted of. Squabble, squabble, squabble.