“Case two-seven-three-four-one, brought before the Royal Court at Captain Highmountain’s order.” Thundered the dark-furred night-guard. Behind him, his colleagues ignored the strange looks they garnered from the few nobles gathered in the surrounding benches. Their hooves thudded heavily onto the plush purple carpet that rolled away up to the throne upon which their lunar princess sat.
Luna, much to her credit, only blinked at them bemusedly, “I was not made aware of any legal cases this evening, and it is most unorthodox to bring one to Night Parliament; I advise you explain yourself, sergeant.” She was, if anything, pleased by this break in the mundanity that was this evening. It wasn’t often, she mused to herself, that she held any kind of parliamentary court, and it was rarer still that any of the nobles that caused the kinds of ruckus that permeated her sister’s sessions showed up, meaning that they tended to be droll, slow, and yet highly productive.
To her pleasure, tonight the only controversy so far was her nephew, Prince Blueblood, having made an attendance.
Still approaching, the guard saluted, “Emergency case, your Highness, two individuals. The first,” he twitched his left wing and a unicorn stallion was shoved into view, heavily chained and horn bound with an inhibitor ring, “magic researcher and alchemist Glittering Flask, accused of illegal use of dark magic, necromancy, and the murder of a child.”
The named stallion ducked his head fearfully, pinning his powder blue ears back, almost hiding them into the long, unkempt yellow mane that hung about his face and partially shielded his shame-filled blue eyes from her gaze.
She considered him critically for a moment, her eyes glancing over the beaker surrounded by sparkles on his flank before returning to her guard, “And the other, sergeant?”
His other wing waved around and the guard to his right stepped forth, reaching around to his back and lifting a cage with his teeth which he roughly dumped onto the carpet, jostling awake the small Diamond Dog pup within with a yelp.
Luna eyed the pup curiously as the gathered nobles gasped at his rough treatment. He was a small thing, either very young or a ‘runt’ as she knew they often had in their litters alongside some other genetic abnormalities. Unlike those reported to be near Ponyville, and summarily chased away from said town by her umbramancers, this dog appeared more evenly balanced, with neither his forelimbs nor his hind legs to be grossly overgrown, though his forepaws took some precedence in proportions on his chocolate furred body.
He shivered in his cage as he woke from his slumber, tugging his ragged jacket tighter around his torso, not noticing that his actions tore it as it aged before her eyes, and the little locket on his collar rattled faintly from his involuntary shivering. In puzzlement Luna tilted her head, was he cold? How was he cold? It was a perfectly warm evening, somewhere in the mid-sixties if she were any judge.
Her guard’s voice interrupted her curious pondering.
“The second, supposedly named ‘Ajax’,” he announced, gesturing to the caged pup, “guilty of necromancy and of being a Lich.”
The pup looked up at her, fear in his sole remaining purple left eye and a sickly glowing green in the other where his right eye should have been, now an empty socket surrounded by damaged flesh and bare bone. “Wh-where’s daddy... I’m cold...” He whimpered, his youthful voice echoing in haunting ways that shook Luna to her core.
“Glittering Flask… what have you done?”
To his credit, Glittering Flask only wilted a little under Luna’s furious glare, “I made the only choice I had left,” he replied weakly.
“Explain,” she demanded, “the crimes that you have committed go against the harmony of the world, the very flow of nature; explain why you did this to one so young.” Her eyes narrowed at him, and she noticed a slithery movement in her peripheral vision which she could not track.
“I…” He sighed, “I should start from the beginning, I suppose. I adopted Ajax eight years ago from an orphanage in Ponyville, when he was only a few weeks old. My wife and I couldn’t conceive, so we made the choice to adopt.” He smiled wistfully, “He was so small, back then, I couldn’t imagine that something so small…” he shook his head with a sigh, “his birth mother had abandoned him to the wilds, supposedly common practice for the females of the Diamond Dog nobles who birth runts.”
“Runt abandonment is something that we have been in negotiations with the Dogs over for many years; that it is still practiced is abhorrent.” Luna commented sadly, “So he is indeed a runt?”
The powder blue stallion nodded, “The orphanage matron told us as such when we adopted him.” He confirmed, “For a time, life with him was perfect, though the initial headaches of caring for any infant were par for the course, I suppose. My healing and medicinal tinctures sold well to some hospitals and clinics, and Misty Breeze, my wife, made steady work as a weather mare.” He sighed and lowered his gaze, “She died, a couple of years ago, when that creature… Tirek attacked, stealing her magic from her while she worked on the weather. Death was instant, the mortician said, she’d hit the ground and, without her pegasus magic to shield her body from the full brunt of the impact, she’d shattered both her skull and spine.
“I all but threw myself into my work after the funeral, taking time out only to eat, sleep, bathe, and care for Ajax. He became my world, my reason for living, as I’m sure his mother would have wanted. I did everything I could to keep him happy. I bought him toys, took him to movies and diners, hosted sleep-overs for some of his friends; I taught him everything I could, he’s had to be homeschooled because Ponyville Schoolhouse wouldn’t take him onto their roster. Oh, sure, the schoolteacher Cheerilee would more than happily bring me curriculum activities and tutor him for a couple of exams, but the EEA refused him entry to the school on the grounds that, I quote: ‘Equestria’s Schools are not suitable for, nor are they capable to fulfil, the education requirements of a Diamond Dog.’”
He sighed, “Then, just yesterday, we were attacked on one of our nature hikes, a sesson I used to teach him about flora and get him some exercise. I’m not even sure what, exactly, a manticore was doing so far out of the Everfree Forest; I wonder even now if it smelled the meat I had my saddlebags for Ajax’s lunch.” At the mention of meat, susurrations of discomfit rolled through the gathered nobles. “I was able to fend it off with a burning branch and a lot of loud noise, but during its initial charge at us it stung Ajax’s left shoulder, and gouged his eye out with one of its paws.
“I was t-terrified,” he choked, “I don’t have any antivenin for venoms of any kind, so I grabbed Ajax and, after putting him to sleep with a spell and stanching the bleeding from his eye socket, I raced him to the hospital.” He shivered and lifted his gaze, staring hauntingly into Luna’s eyes and making her flinch, “Anypony who knows the pain of losing a loved one would understand my terror when I was told that there isn’t an antivenom for manticore stingers.”
Luna sighed, “So what did you do, Glittering Flask? The materials required to do what you’ve done…”
“I’d read about the ritual in one of my books, and desperation forced my hoof. Getting him out of the hospital without being noticed was the hardest part, Nurse Redheart has the eyes of a pegasus... As for gathering the required reagents…” he shrugged, “Mundane, found anywhere, Princess;” he said, “grave soil was easy, a pet cat had been buried in our yard some years ago. Aurora nectar, well, while the plant is heavily controlled, I’ve been a royally approved alchemist for the creation of the painkiller it is used for for years now. Mallorn root, the rarest of all of the ingredients, I had to grow myself for use, and I used the last of what I had. We had plenty of meat in the house for Ajax’s meals, ‘a poison vile in nature’ was solved with the venom in his blood, and Poison Joke pollen can be gathered even by simpletons!”
“And the final ingredient for the ritual, Flask?” She asked with a terse tone and gritted teeth. “The blood of a newborn?”
“No, that’s wrong,” he stated, “overblowing the required ingredient to make the ritual more abhorrent than it already is, it only needs the blood of an innocent which was ‘not of the spellweaver’, which would obviously be difficult to obtain but, well, he was bleeding everywhere.”
Luna huffed, “So you conducted the Ritual of Becoming,”
He snorted irritably, earning a tug of his chains from a guard, “I performed the ritual for my dying son, my actions saved him from an early death!”
Luna’s mouth moved to shout back, only for her to stop and stare, “... ‘early death’?” She muttered, before looking down at the pup in his cage, shivering from a chill only he could feel, the locket on his collar resting against the bare metal base of his confinement and rattling as he shivered; “By the stars, do you know what you’ve done?”
“I saved my son!”
She shook her head, “You foal, you don’t understand the very nature of the ritual you cast! It was to be cast upon oneself, hence the requirement that the blood not belong to the one who cast it. The ritual, when performed correctly, will kill the caster and bind their soul to a phylactery. In your blind panic and hurried steps, you missed some of the most basic principles of the spell, and likely didn’t even have the reagents in the right places!
“While you’ve stopped him from dying of the manticore’s venom, or from bleeding out, you instead ripped out his soul! The ritual destroyed the venom and sealed his wound by rapidly aging it to the state it is now in, but his body still lives! Look at him, Flask, he is cold, a full-fledged lich would not feel the cold, he would know no discomfort at all! You’ve bungled the ritual to such a degree that I’m amazed it didn’t kill you both!
“As it stands,” she huffed, calming her features and smoothing her ruffled feathers, “By your own admittance you have performed the darkest of dark arts and perverted the very course of nature itself. You have violated laws in place to protect the sanctity of life and order. Do you have any words before you are sentenced?” He ear flicked in the near silence of the room, interrupted only by the worried and frightened sounds of the still caged canine.
Glittering Flask shrugged the weight of his chains to a more comfortable position before speaking with a defiant tone, “Even now, Princess, I do not regret my actions. I would do it again, or a hundred times, to save my son. His continued life is my only wish, as his father.”
Luna regarded him calmly before signing, “Very well; Glittering Flask, it is by Equestrian Law that I must sentence you to spend the rest of your days in the Royal Stockades. By the severity and nature of your crimes, as well as your admittance that you would re-commit them, you are sentenced to Block ‘R’.” She motioned to the guard holding his chains, “Corporal, send him down.”
With a hard shove and tug on his chains, Glittering Flask turned to walk out of the hall, the eyes of every noble in the room upon him.
“D-daddy? What’s going on, where are you taking my daddy?”
Luna tore her eyes away from the stallion, turning her attention to the pup who was now ignoring how cold he felt, gripping the bars of his cage tightly and staring at the retreating form of his sole remaining parent. “W-wait, daddy! Where are you going? Stop!”
The corporal who had roughly dumped the puppy’s cage to the ground rapped against it with his spear harshly, snapping “Be silent, dog!”
Undeterred, Ajax continued shouting, now with his ears pinned to his scalp to hold out the ringing from the sharp, loud sound, “No! Daddy, don’t leave! Stop, please, he didn’t do anything!” He threw an arm out of the cage, as if to reach for his father and pull him back, “Daddy!”
Rocked by his sharp movement, the cage containing him tipped over, and Ajax’s outstretched paw slapped the ground.
Bedlam was let loose.
The tiles under Ajax’s paw shattered, a straight line between him and his father carved itself into the ground, and the tiles around Glittering Flask erupted, morphing and warping into a solid wall between him and the doors. Ponies startled, jumping from their seats and rushing towards the walls farthest from the pup and his father, their hooves and voices causing a raucous cacophony that echoed within the hall, all but deafening those within.
The lone unicorn guard amongst the patrol shouted over the din, “Protect the Princess!” And fired magic at the cage.
Luna could only watch as the world slowed down to a halt around her.
A male voice spoke up from next to her throne, and she jolted in momentary fright as she turned to the source, “This, Luna, is not your fault.”
She sighed, eyeing the dragon that slid into view, “Argus, I take it from the glow of your veins that this halting of time is your doing?”
He nodded his purple-scaled head in response, “This fiasco has awoken your sister.” He huffed, “I am here to settle things down before your little ponies can make an even bigger mess.”
Luna grumbled, “He used magic, and they already knew him to be a sort of lich. He’s potentially dangerous. My guard has acted on his training.” She gave Argus the stink-eye, “And you know how my sister and I feel about time magic.”
“Your guard is not in the wrong either, Luna, though that his first reaction is to blast the supposed threat with what I can only call highly dangerous magic is worrisome; I advise he be interviewed on how he knows such magic. Blueblood,” Argus growled, “stop playing chicken and get over here. You cannot fool me into thinking you are frozen, I already know who I have exempted from this spell.”
The prince jumped as he was addressed before sheepishly scurrying over, “Right, sorry;”
Argus nodded, “Thank you. Now, Princess, while your rule is, like your sister’s, absolute when it comes to such cases, I would like to consider alternatives to what the laws are all but absolute on in regards to this case.”
Luna huffed, “I suppose I will follow your counsel,” she stated stoically, “We are discussing life and death right now, I will not go into this blind.”
Argus nodded, “Right, as we are discussing such delicate matters, and as I cannot keep this spell up forever, I will be brief; I want to argue against the laws currently surrounding this case. Luna, Blueblood, all the pup has done is unwittingly used his natural Diamond Dog geomancy,” Argus said, waving his right paw at the cage, “So far he hasn’t done anything illegal, except perhaps for accidentally destroying government property.”
“Be that as it may, Argus, regardless of whatever magic he has used, the pup is still a lich by law and practically by definition; that makes his very existence illegal.” Blueblood argued, “Regardless of how he was created, he is an undead creature, and law dictates that he must be destroyed. Our hooves are tied, I’m afraid. Were this brought to court, he wouldn’t even get to a jury trial; his eyes are evidence enough.”
“And this is where everything becomes stupidly complicated, Blueblood; by law he’s a lich, but by nature he is not.”
The blonde stallion blinked, glancing up to his aunt who only stared back stone faced. “Whatever do you mean, Argus?”
The purple dragon sighed, closing his eyes, “I can see magic, everything has it. Magic does not… it’s not just something that can be manipulated by those who are sensitive to it. We need it to live, it’s a part of who we are. Everything alive has magic within them, it’s an integral part of, well, everything. All magic has its own type of… signal. They’re so different, but so alike, that it would take centuries to differentiate, say, the magic of a unicorn from that of an apple. Eight centuries of having nothing to do but focus on that sense has made me an expert.” He waved at the cage with his paw again, “Ajax, the pup, is still alive, very much so. Even though his father has pulled his soul from him, his body lives. I can see it even now, the slight increment of life magic within him that shows his aging, the accumulation of love magic that he gains from his father, the steady pulse of his geomancy, it’s all there.
“The undead do not get those signatures, I have tested this a couple of times with cadavers in the labs. Their magic is entirely dark and foreign; they can’t feel love, and the only magic they have is unnatural. Any magic they have within them fades, as the natural order of the world tries to right what is wrong. Lich, as destructive as they can be, must accumulate magic through artificial means, as their body cannot generate it anymore. While he does possess that spark, a blemish of dark magic upon him, it has not hampered his other conduits, it just exists.” He gestured up to Luna, “And as Luna pointed out before, were he a true lich he wouldn’t feel cold.”
“He is but an innocent, dragged into this by his father.” Luna stated.
“While innocent seems to be spot on, saying ‘dragged in’ is a little unfair on his father, Luna;” Argus said, “the poor pup was dying, his father was desperate… I can’t really think of a parent who wouldn’t say ‘buck the police’ and do whatever it took to stop that from happening. His father, while arguably deserving of his sentence for what he has done, did only what I would imagine any parent would do if left no other options. I just… I cannot, I will not, support anypony who will condemn Ajax to die for something beyond his control. If you do this, you already know that I will tell your sister.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “And I don’t think that Equestria will ever forgive you.”
Luna sighed, “I find myself in agreement, Argus.”
“But aunt Luna, the pup is-”
“He’s just that, Blueblood, a pup.” Argus said, his tone solemn, “He has already had to endure something that somepony his age should never have to suffer, something that adults should not suffer.”
“I will not condemn a child to death, nephew, nor will my sister;” Luna said, “regardless of what he has become, he is still a child. Are you willing to stand here, face these ponies, the public, even the media tomorrow, and say you will, or have, sentenced a child to death? In Equestria?” She sighed and shook her head, “I am willing to give him a chance to prove he can be more than what he is, for I do not wish to become known as the Princess who ruled for the death of a eight-year-old. Imagine the political ramifications; we would be denounced by our neighbours and allies within the week, it could lead to attempted coups, or just open revolt!”
Blueblood sighed, “I understand, aunt Luna.” He conceded, “I don’t like it, but I can understand. ‘Heavy is the head’, as they say; I suppose there is yet much I have to learn before I myself am ready to sit upon those steps and govern.” He sighed again as he turned his head to inspect the silent screaming crowds around the room. “He will need guidance, tutelage; somepony will need to be assigned as his instructor, and he will need a new foster family.”
“I’ll take up that mantle if none other are willing, and thank you,” Argus breathed, strolling down the dais and stopping between Ajax and the bolt of magic that hung in the air like a threatening draft. “We all deserve a chance to make our own mistakes, not be defined by those of others.”
“Before you restart time, Argus;” Luna snapped, “Do you know where his phylactery is?”
“Of course I do, Luna,” he replied, “the pocket watch on his collar; it contains, I imagine, photos of his parents, and now his own soul.” He smiled sadly, “With him forever.”
Time restarted without warning, and the bolt of power burst into sparks all around Argus, shattering against his magical scales and showering him in glitters of magic. He stomped a paw and roared out, drowning out the din around him, “SHUT UP!”
The room, cowed by his furious roar, fell quiet.
“You idiots, so busy making your noise and running about like you’ve just been bitten on the hind, show some damn decorum; already you have awoken residents of the castle who have to work come the morning, have some courtesy! Get back into your seats and be quiet. You call yourselves the cream of society and Equestria’s grand nobles, start acting like it! Guards, stay where you are and don’t move until I say you can move, or so help me I’ll weld your boots to the floor again.”
“I knew it was you!” One guard shouted, only to flinch when Argus turned his furious gaze upon him. “Right, shutting up.”
With a growl Argus drew his head up, eyes narrowed on the nobles who shakily retook their seats. “Thank you,” he snarled, “now, as much as I know that this seems open and shut, I want to weigh in on everything that has happened within this mess which has already caused more fuss than necessary.
“Princess, all this noise could have been avoided if you had allowed time in your ruling to explain to Ajax what is happening. You are not at fault for not having done so, I imagine it was a simple mistake of overlooking him, or waiting to deal with his case after. However, on the topic of one so young…” His gaze scoured the audience, “Who here believes he should be put to death, as ordained by Equestrian law?”
A few tentative hooves rose.
With his tail, Argus righted the cage next to him and helped the pup back to his paws, carefully wiping a tear from his young face. “Now, before you do anything rash, I want you to think on that, just think on it. You are willing to allow for Ajax here, who is only eight, to die simply because of something his father has done in desperation to keep his son from just that fate. It would be the first time in recorded Equestrian history that a minor of any kind has been put to corporal punishment, and you would have to live with that. Forever; you will have to get up in the morning and look yourself in the mirror and think ‘this is the face of somepony who advocated for the death of a child’.”
Luna sighed into the silence that followed his speech, “Argus, what magic does he have? Is he a Diamond Dog, with all the geomancy that comes with it, or is he undead?”
Argus turned, eyeing the pup, looking for something he knew wasn’t there, staring into his wide, terrified eye with a cold calculation that made the pup shiver harder. Slowly, Argus reached forth and, with strength that defied his slim frame, he wrenched the cage door off its hinges, tossed it across the hall, and pulled the crying dog into a hug.
“I see only a child in need of help, Luna;” he uttered, giving her a patient but saddened look, “even tainted with dark magic as he is, what kind of being would I be to ignore his cries?”
Luna nodded with a sigh, eyeing the audience irritably, though somewhat pleased to see them shame-faced as Argus stood and carried Ajax to his father. Hamfisted as he was with it, it seemed that Argus had gotten his point across.
“Your father has committed a horrible crime, Ajax,” Argus explained, “what he did to keep you from dying from your injuries caused by the manticore that attacked you was highly illegal and extremely dangerous. Do you understand?”
Ajax nodded, “I think so… is daddy going away?”
Argus sadly nodded, “Yes, Ajax, your father is going to prison for the rest of his life. Ah,” he put a paw to Ajax’s lips to silence the words he knew were coming, “I know it seems unfair, Ajax, but that is the price he has to pay for what he has done.” Argus looked up at Glittering Flask expectantly, “And I’m sure he knew this, and is more than willing to serve his sentence.” He put Ajax at his father’s hooves, stepping back a little as they met in a tearful hug.
“Say goodbye, Ajax;” Argus instructed solemnly, “You’ll likely not see your father for… quite some time.”
“Won’t I be able to visit him?”
Prince Blueblood cleared his throat, “That, dear boy, depends on his behaviour while in prison. The better he behaves, the more he will be allowed. Visitor rights, a cell of his own, personal belongings, all are things that must be earned by good behaviour.”
Glittering Flask coughed a laugh, still hugging his son, “Remember what I told you, when your mother died?” He asked, pushing his son from his embrace to poke his chest with a hoof, “We’ll always be here if you need us.”
Ajax sniffled, staring up at his father, “I don’t want you to go. Why can’t-”
“Ajax,” Flask interrupted softly, “I have done a terrible thing to you, and it’s something that, looking back, I cannot forgive myself for. There were… other things I could have done to keep you alive, other things I should have done.” He sighed and smiled sadly down at his son, “I did the crime, I will take my punishment. You are more than worth it.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of Ajax’s head, “Goodbye, son; be good for me and your mother, okay?”
“But I don’t want to be alone!”
Flask chuckled, “You will never be alone, Ajax; isn’t that right, dragon?”
“Argus,” he corrected calmly, “and you are right. If he cannot be placed into a caregiver’s charge, I will take him under my metaphorical wing.”
“Thank you,” Flask uttered to the still slightly glowing purple dragon, “for giving him this chance.”
Argus shook his head, waving a paw as the wall of stone between them and the door melted back into the marble tiles that had been there before, “I am doing what’s right because it’s right and there should be no other reason.”
The stallion nodded thankfully, giving Ajax one last tight hug prior to turning to the guard holding his chains; “I’m ready now,” he mumbled, before walking out in sullen silence.
Argus sighed after the doors closed, holding Ajax to his chest as he cried unreservedly. He waited a few minutes, letting him cry himself into exhaustion while he glared around at the nobles, most of whom had the decency to look away or shame-faced. None would meet his eyes and the disappointment within.
“Argus,” Blueblood spoke up and gaining the dragon’s attention, “there is still some work to be done here tonight, so we will reserve planning his future for tomorrow. Take him to get some rest.”
Argus nodded, levitating a limp and apathetic Ajax to his back and strolling to the doors, “Yes, I believe it is well past his bedtime; thankfully I know just the place for him to rest well.”
*
Pushing open the door to the suite, Argus strolled in with a dozy Ajax on his back. He moved with an unusual grace, barely rocking the dog on his back as he strolled through the suite and up to the grand four-poster bed that occupied most of a room all its own.
“Ah, Argus,” the soft motherly voice of the bed’s sole occupant rang out, “I trust you were the one to settle the disturbance in the throne room? Whatever happened?”
Argus chuckled, “A break of usual procedure, bending the laws; you know, Celestia, the usual.”
She shifted in the bed to raise her head and look over at him, “I sensed the time magic you used, you know my feelings on such things.” She said sternly.
“Life and death, Celestia, I would not toy with such power for anything else.”
She huffed, “Is it still so hard to call me by a motherly title in private like your brother does, Argus?” She asked, finally noticing the half-asleep bundle on his back, “And who is this?”
With a sigh Argus levitated Ajax from his back onto the bed, where the pup, upon looking up at the bed’s only other occupant, became wide awake and tried to crawl away from her. “I spent eight hundred years in your custody, barely speaking to anypony; meanwhile Spike has had a relationship with you that makes him your son in all but biology. I do not share that bond yet, nor do I think I may ever.” He huffed, “And this, Celestia, is Ajax; his family is… unavailable, so I have brought him here to get some sleep. I will spend much of the night digging through the foal adoption laws and regulations, and he will be unlikely to find sleep in my company.”
“Argus, there is much you are not telling me about this pup.” She said disappointedly.
He chuckled, “I suppose there is.”
“The eye is a giveaway.”
“I suppose it is,” he said, shrugging, “Ajax was attacked by a manticore, his father made a mistake trying to save him from almost certain death.” He sighed a little, clambering onto the bed and tugging Ajax over to him, “The Ritual of Becoming rarely leaves witnesses.”
Celestia blinked at him as she processed his words, “Argus!”
“Celestia;” he returned, a playful smile on his lips.
“To my bedroom, Argus?” She asked admonishingly, her face stern.
He chuckled, “Ah, yes, ‘down with the Solar Tyrant’ and all that.” He said, shaking a paw halfheartedly.
Celestia’s only response was for her glare to become sterner.
“You’re in trouble.” Ajax said sleepily from Argus’s paws.
“Most likely, Ajax,” he replied, weathering the storm that was Celestia’s glare.
“Argus…” Celestia started, her tone scolding and yet not deterring him.
“All I have done, Celestia, is made the nobles down in night court stop making noise over something trivial.” He stated, “I’m going to be taking him to the Equestria Education Association in the morning to see about schooling, and sending a missive to Twilight Sparkle to both summon her and get an educational schedule set up for him as a backup.” He smiled up at her charmingly, “Trust me, please?”
She eyed him before sighing and nodding, “Very well, Argus.” She sighed, laying back down and motioning for Ajax to move closer, “And hello there, Ajax right?” She asked softly, earning a nod, “It’s nice to meet you, Ajax, I hope you don’t wet the bed.”
He shook his sleepy head, “Not since I was five,” he mumbled, “stopped at a toilet on the way here.”
“He needs a place to sleep for the night, Celestia.”
She smiled warmly, “And you brought him to me?”
Argus shrugged and nudged Ajax forward a little, “He’s been through something horrible, Celestia, he’s afflicted with dark magic, and he… he needs someone there to help keep the nightmares at bay. Luna is unfortunately busy at the moment, and I lack the experience or the knowledge for the touch this requires. He just needs a guardian, someone to mother him for the night.”
Ajax nestled up in the crook of Celestia’s neck, his head barely on her pillow as he curled up for what he could and simply closed his eyes. She looked down at him for what she could for a moment before sighing and giving Argus a sad look.
“I’ll let you get some sleep.” Argus muttered as he began to walk out, “Goodnight, I’ll see you both in the morning.”
*
Ajax yawned wide sitting at the impressively sized table, barely awake as Argus strolled into the dining room with Princess Luna at his side. The dragon shot him a smile, sidling up to him and sitting next to him.
“You look beat, Ajax;” he observed, noting the heavy bags under the pup’s eyes, “did Celestia keep you awake all night with her snoring?” He shot a toothy grin at the princess, currently hidden behind a newspaper she read with a large mug of coffee hovering nearby proudly proclaiming ‘#1 cake destroyer’.
Celestia sighed, “I am not falling for that bait, Argus.” She grumbled, “The poor dear was awoken by nightmares several times, and cried most of the night, even in his sleep.”
Argus nodded sadly, “I see, yes that would about do it.” He said morosely before his attention was caught by a table maid, “Ah, I’ll just have the chef’s special.”
Blueblood spoke up from his seat at the table, “Argus, I have booked us an appointment with the EEC in a couple of hours; I have some paperwork to have filed for Aunt Celestia’s school, and there are some new regulations which we are imposing due to the fallout of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s school. As such, I will be accompanying you to the EEC and with you for your meeting with them.”
Argus smiled, “Thanks, Blueblood.”
The stallion huffed, “Don’t thank me yet, Argus; the reports of the EEC’s behaviour at the School of Friendship are not good. This could be an uphill battle. I’ll advise you how you will need to behave on the way, hostility will only fuel their fire, I fear.”
Argus chuckled, “I am not afraid of bureaucracy, Blueblood,” he said pridefully, “only the rampant deforestation that its paperwork causes.”
Celestia smiled a sly, knowing smile behind her paper as she took another sip of her coffee.
“After that, however,” Argus voiced, turning on the diarch, “I want to help him learn his magic.”
She sipped her coffee again and turned to him, “Unfortunately, Argus, though I am well versed in geomancy myself, I am unable to teach him the basics. How he draws upon his magic is unknown to myself, as I’ve never had the opportunity to study it.”
Argus considered the tabletop in thought as the food was brought out and placed before the gathered diners.
“I’ll speak to the guards around the castle,” he began, “perhaps one of them knows of somepony who can help teach him his magic.” He pursed his lips in thought, “I don’t know about the odds though, it’s unlikely we’ll have met anypony who can teach Diamond Dog magic…”
A light prodding at his side caught his attention, and he turned to the table maid who stood nearby, hoof outstretched. “Yes, miss?”
She squirmed in place a little, “We have a scullery maid who might be able to help, sir.” She said, fidgeting again afterwards. “She’s our only Diamond Dog member of staff.”
He smiled at her, “And, if I might ask, who would I need to speak with to be able to procure some of her time?”
“I can speak with the chefs and the kitchen maids for you, sir, I’m sure they’ll be willing to let her skip duties today to assist you.” She replied unsurely.
Argus nodded, “That sounds perfect, thank you. If it’s all okay, have her meet with me at the doors to the castle’s gardens at around, oh… midday?”
She bowed her head, “Certainly, sir.”
As the maid scurried away, Celestia cleared her throat, “Argus, I’ll let you repay the scullery maid for her time, to sweeten the deal for her. The Diamond Dogs have a bad run at things when it comes to work in Equestria, and it will likely take the extra coaxing to get her to agree to it; yet another thing that we have been in talks with the Dogs over, I’m afraid.”
Argus nodded, “Of course, Celestia.” He said, before swirling his fork through his scrambled eggs, “First things first, however, breakfast; then, we’ll head out to the EEC.”
*
Argus’ glare at the tiles between his feet grew only stronger as the unicorn who sat high above him lectured on about how no credible school in Equestria was made or continues to run with the capability to teach any creature not of Equine origin. Ajax, who had come along, cowered upon his back with his ears to his scalp.
That the stallion ranting used the word ‘creature’ in the same manner as one would use the words ‘pond scum’ and with likely the same connotation only further exacerbated his growing foul mood and the deepening scowl he developed.
Still, it was not all bad, Blueblood stood beside him, and had whispered him the advice he needed to come out of this particular encounter.
A break in the tirade of words afforded him time to respond, “Well, then;” he began, marshalling his tone to a cheerful neutrality despite how belittled he felt he had just been, “as lovely as this denigrating has been, I believe I came here for an educated opinion.” He smiled up at the scandalized gape plastered on the chancellor’s face, “And as much fun as this has been, I would like for the real Chancellor to arrive so that this... “ he waved a leg as if searching for a word, “janitor can go back to his rounds.” He smiled disarmingly at the appalled gasp and turned to Blueblood, “Prince Blueblood, you wouldn’t happen to know where Chancellor Neighsay is, would you? I daresay his seat warmer is quite rude.”
“That is Chancellor Neighsay;” Blueblood returned calmly, “sitting in the middle at the top.”
Argus covered his mouth in mock surprise, “Really? Dear me, are you telling me that the pony who just spent ten minutes trying to find ways of insulting me that he thought I wasn’t intelligent enough to understand is the very same pony who is responsible for the school system in Equestria? My word, I would have thought that one as educated as he would have better manners when addressing others, or would at least show a good example when in the presence of a child. I do hope his behaviour as a scholar isn’t indicative of Equestria’s schools.”
“One would imagine not.” Blueblood agreed, eyeing the chancellor.
The dragon sighed, “I am not here to fight some grand battle against a bigot who should know better, that is better suited for Princes, Princesses, and the legal system. I have more important things to do with my time;” he said, eyeing Chancellor Neighsay warily, “all I wanted, really, was advice on what school I should put Ajax into so that he can learn the basics for, unlike his father was, I am not particularly versed in education in any sense, though I’m sure I can pick it up.”
“Why on Equestria did you not just ask at the front counter, then?” Neighsay asked down his nose at him. “We’re a busy council and we don’t have time to waste with creatures trying to freeload on our education system.”
“Because I was granted an audience with you thanks to my goodfriend Prince Blueblood.” Argus replied calmly, “And I figured, why waste an opportunity to ask the stallions and mares who run Equestria’s schools? They, if anypony, would be best suited to assist with this unique situation. And as for freeloading, heavens forbid; I intended to pay for his education like any parent. No, for what I imagine is the first time ever, one of the creatures you so dislike is agreeing with you, chancellor; there is no place in the EEA’s schools for Ajax. In fact, if the school teachers behave like you there’s no place in them for ponies!” He huffed and rolled his eyes, “So much for the high standards that I had expected of scholars; I suppose I shall have to continue his father’s work and homeschool him.”
“How dare you-”
“You’re the chairpony of the EEA,” Argus interrupted, “you’re supposed to be high scholars, some of the most learned mares and stallions of the entire nation, the ones writing rules, regulations, and curriculum to teach all of Equestria’s youth, not just those of ponies. I admit that you’re right, perhaps I should have spoken with the front counter staff;” a smug smile grew on Neighsay’s face, “they at least would have the wisdom to have suggested other methods of education, or other places I could try, or at least been humble enough to apologize for the fact that the education system of the world’s most powerful nation isn’t capable of accommodating us. It’s a good thing that I have already written to Princess Twilight Sparkle for assistance and advice, since she is now in charge of a school all her own.” At this Neighsay’s smug smile slipped back off again. “Now, if you don’t mind, Ajax and I are going to speak with Princess Celestia both about your behaviour, and his future. Perhaps she will assist in finding us a tutor, or even assigning one of the teachers from her school to help him. Just remember, ladies and gentlestallions, that I tried to do this the right way before simply going around you. Good day.”
He turned and, after scraping a hindpaw in the chancellor’s direction, strode out with his head high.
The double doors to the chamber slammed closed, and Blueblood cleared his throat, “Now that your discussion with a caregiver about the future of his young charge is over, we can get into the thick of our meeting,” He calmly aired, “and how Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, believes that perhaps the EEC is losing focus on its purpose and direction. After that particular exchange, I would have to agree, and I already believe I know where corrections can be made; corrections that don’t have the potential to lead to international incidents.”
*
“What did you want with me again, Argus?” The tall, silver-furred Diamond Dog asked through a thick accent as she followed him out into the courtyards, her long maid dress and apron rustling as she walked. “I should be peeling potatoes for guard’s dinner, I don’t have time for-”
“It’s alright, Roxelle,” Argus said, placing a paw on the scullery maid’s leg, “I have already spoken with the chefs and kitchen maids, you have been given leave for this and won’t be docked pay.” He smiled up at her reassuringly, “I’ve even been given permission from the Princess to reimburse you handsomely for your time.”
She considered his words before asking, “How handsome?”
“Triple pay.” Argus replied.
Roxelle looked down at him skeptically, “I am... not sure. This sounds too good, what is the catch?”
Argus chuckled, “You’ll be teaching a new ward of the crown how to use geomancy; the gardeners say you are quite helpful when it comes to harvesting potatoes.”
She gave a barking laugh, “Silly pony wastes time with shovel, take too long to get to knife for peeling.” She said, “One thump from my paw and potatoes jump out from dirt like popcorn in pan!”
Argus smiled up at her, “See, and that’s what I’d like you to teach to our newest ward, we don’t have anypony else who can teach what you can.” the pair rounded a corner of the castle’s exterior to find Ajax sat upon a bench, with Princess Twilight Sparkle sat before him, book in hoof, and another pony beside her, “Ah, Princess, meeting Ajax already are we?”
She turned at his voice and, after giving the book to Ajax and nodding to the cerise pony alongside her, moved to intercept him, “Argus, good to see you again!” She stopped short and looked up at Roxelle, “And who might this be?”
“Twilight, this is Roxelle, she’s one of the castle’s scullery maids; she was kind enough to volunteer in helping me with teaching geomancy to Ajax.” He replied, gesturing up at her with a smile.
Twilight gave the taller canine a smile, “Hello, Roxelle; I admit, and I hope this doesn’t offend you, but you look much different to the dogs I’ve met in the past… Their forelegs were huge and their hind legs rather spindly; you, and Ajax, are more… proportionally symmetrical, I suppose are the words.”
Roxelle chuckled, “Sounds like Princess met Moulders.” she said, “You describe common ailment of dogs who eat of dangerous mushroom from young age, poison warps body and poisons mind.” She shrugged, “Outcasts, most likely.”
“Your accent is thick, where’d you learn Equish?”
“Here in Equestria, Princess.” She replied cheerfully, “I learn Doggan in Territories first, then move to Equestria soon after tenth birthday, mother has job in Canterlot, cooks in cafe which caters to more carnivorous races.”
Argus cleared his throat, “Come, I’d like to introduce them, and if possible for you to introduce me to your friend there?”
Twilight nodded, “Argus, this is Cheerilee, she runs the Ponyville Schoolhouse.”
The pink, stripe maned pony nodded in his direction. “Hello, Argus,” she greeted warmly, “Twilight brought me along when she came to me for curriculum assistance for Ajax.” She gave him a sly grin, “I was surprised to find that it happens to be the same Ajax that I had already written up a home-schooling plan for, but seeing his state for myself…” She sighed, “What has happened to my student?”
Argus shook his head, “Attacked by a manticore,” he said tiredly, “and then something called the ‘Ritual of Becoming’.”
Twilight gasped, but Cheerilee only tilted her head confusedly, prompting the studious alicorn to talk. “The Ritual of Becoming turns one into a lich!”
Argus nodded, “His father got some of it wrong.” He said with a shrug, “Ajax is still alive, but his soul was ripped from his body and imbued into his pocket watch. His father is now locked away for the rest of his days.”
“That’s horrid!” Cheerilee gasped, hooves to her mouth, “Oh you poor thing…”
Argus sighed, “It’s not a happy topic, no… I’ve got Blueblood looking into a few things for me.” He said before he gestured up at the dog by his side, “Ajax, this is Roxelle, she’ll be helping me teach you how to control your natural geomancy, or ‘earth magic’.”
Ajax cowered slightly as the larger female looked down at him, her eyes roaming over his frame, “H-hello.”
Roxelle grumbled, “Pup is small, is runt.” She said critically, reaching forward and wiping a stray tear from his young face, “That is no matter, but he is thin, not eating well enough! You say you caring for him now, dragon? Perhaps you will take my advice and put some meat on his bones. Not enough body for much magic, he will likely be little weaker than healthy pup in some way, most likely not have a deep mana pool.” She sighed and motioned for Ajax to stand, “Come, pup, stand, much work to do. How old did you say pup is?”
Following her prompting, Ajax hopped off the bench and stood, hunched slightly as if afraid he were in trouble or would be punished. A light swat to his shoulder from Argus drew his attention, “Now, now, Ajax, stand proud. You’re safe here, you’ve done nothing wrong.” He advised, “And Ajax is eight, Roxelle.”
Nodding, Ajax righted his posture, his ears still pinned to his scalp, however, and Argus sighed.
“It will do, good posture will come with pride, and pride comes soon, you’ll see.” Roxelle said. “Pup is runt, that I can see now. Large ears and eyes for size and age. Not many runts escape from Diamond Dog territory, most runts that do survive born outside, usually in Equestria.” She chuckled heartily and gave Ajax a friendly nudge, winking one of her emerald eyes at him playfully, “Worry not, little one, we not stay runt forever. Good food and strong body grow strong; See, my body is proof.”
Twilight Sparkle blinked up at her unsurely, “Roxelle, are you saying that you’re a born runt?”
She shrugged, “Not something dogs are culturally proud of, runts weaker and harder to care for, do not usually have strength to dig. Most do not live long past birth due to social stigmas. Adult runts almost unheard of in Ironheart, we survive outside territory. Life was not kind to us there, mother moved our family to Equestria to escape.” She knelt down and scratched Ajax behind an ear idly, “Runt are weak, but our magic strong.” She waved her silver-furred forepaw grandly, “Ponies may watch, but our magic cannot be taught to not-dogs. Earth Ponies are closest to our magic, but theirs is about breathing life, grows crops and plants sturdy, strong, healthy. Our magic moves soil and stone, makes us strong when called upon for battle. It comes from here,” her paw hammered her chest over her heart, “where we feel spirit of world. Ready, Ajax? I show you; there no fancy paw waving or glitter for our magic, it all come from your heart.”
She pointed at a paving stone a few yards from them, “See stone, Ajax, the one with blue mark?” She asked.
“Y-yes?”
A grin split her muzzle, “That stone I will move. I want it up, out of ground, use magic to do so.” She announced, before taking a breath, “I need only want it enough. Magic inside, it hears what we want, does what it can for us. With all my heart I want stone to move, so I force my being to want it so. With my goal, I punch ground to give magic path to act.” She knelt and did so, her meaty fist thudding to the soil. With a slight rumble and the grinding sound of soil moving en-masse, the paver she indicated popped up about a foot off the ground, held up by a pillar of dirt.
“See, is easy.” She said, before scratching the back of her neck, “I admit that I am not good teacher, as I can only teach how I was taught, but I learned through much practice. Fear not, Ajax, I will be here to teach should you be willing to learn.” Her fist rapped the ground again, and the paver fell back into its prior spot with a clack that echoed across the garden. “Provided I am not needed to peel potatoes.”
Twilight smiled up at her, “Does all Dog magic require punching?”
“Most, yes. My mutter taught me, like unicorn use horn, our magic cast through paws. We can cast through stamping our hindpaws, or by touching the ground with our claws for smaller actions. Easy to learn with punches, comes more natural to young and is easier to visualize… what is word? Cast, yes; easier to visualize casting magic with fist than claw. Use of punches is good for single cast, each cast does one thing. Dog can cast constant spell with constant contact, such as holding a fist to the ground. Come, come, give it a try,” she urged, “will stone to rise.”
A small nod prompted Ajax to talk, “But what if I can’t get it to move?”
“Ah, dear pup, that is likely; nothing work on first try.” She replied encouragingly, “Even I was rubbish with magic for long time, recall what I said? I learned through practice.” She waved her paw at the paver again, “Practice always start somewhere, even failure is learning something.” Over her shoulder Cheerilee hummed a pleased sound.
“She is correct, Ajax. As the old adage goes, ‘practice makes perfect.’”
Ajax nodded and stared at the single paver. His breathing drew steady, in, out.
“Move the stone.” He muttered, taking a deep breath before pulling his fist back and punching the ground with enough force for his knuckles to pop loudly.
A mighty rumble shook the ground, and the expression on both Roxelle and Argus turned worried. For a few moments, the rumble rolled on before falling silent, and the pair exhaled.
“That was a lot of magic.” Argus said, “Why did nothing-”
Without warning the paver they had selected for magic practice burst from the soil, soaring across the garden at high speed before exploding against a guard’s helmet with a resounding clang, knocking the unfortunate stallion out cold and leaving a dent in the metal.
“Helige schiba!” Roxelle yelped, before getting to her paws and hurrying over to the guard, the others hot on her heels. She pulled his helmet from his head with some difficulty and checked him over. “He sleeps, strike may have hurt his head.” With a grunt of effort she lifted the stallion into her arms and began to hurry towards the castle. “We go to infirmary, they will help him.” With a grin she added down to Ajax, who currently rode on Argus’s back, “See what I said? Runt magic strong. With practice, you will learn control.”
Ajax shook his head, “But I hurt somepony!”
“With good care, he will be right as rain, worry not.” She said, “And my first time, too, was wild. Be thankful you only move light stone, not lift whole tree! We will work on other tricks to wrest control of magic, then everything will be easier. No more hurting.”
“I think I’ll take Cheerilee to the library so we can organize a lesson plan,” Twilight informed, “I’m sure that with her help we’ll be able to put something together for you.”
“Thank you, Twilight, Cheerilee.” replied Argus, “I look forward to seeing what you have later.”
“I will take guard to infirmary.” Roxelle said sternly, “will return to potatoes after. Have a good day, Argus, Ajax. This was fun.”
“Of course, Roxelle; we will likely call on you again for further education, but I’ll make sure you’re recompensed for your time. Have a good day.”
“Bye Roxelle.”
They watched her jog off, rounding a corner and disappearing from sight.
“Well now,” Argus began, turning down another corridor and strolling through the castle with his passenger, “if I recall correctly, she said that you’re to grow big and strong; as such you’ll need some physical education. I know just the place.”
*
“This, Ajax, is one of the guard sparring courtyards.” Argus said, waving a paw around, stopping at a pair of Earth Pony stallions who were squaring off in one corner. “Here the royal guard come to, well, fight. It’s all a part of training, and no real injuries are taken by anypony.” He waved to a guard who stood off to one side, “As a safety precaution, medics are on standby in case the matches get too… rowdy.”
Ajax considered the courtyard and the ponies around him nervously, flinching as the earth pony stallions in the far corner managed to land hits on one another that rang out across the yard.
“Wh… why are we here?”
Argus chuckled, “Well, until I can get a better plan for getting you fit, I figured we’d play a little game.” He said, placing Ajax on the tiled surface. “The rules are simple,” he said, raising a paw, “You need only hit me to win, I will do nothing but dodge your attacks, and this ends if you are too exhausted to continue, in three hours, when you hit me, or if you hurt yourself.” He backed up a few steps before nodding, “well then, come on.”
“But… but I don’t want to fight you, I don’t want to hurt anypony!” Ajax argued, cowering slightly. “Dad said it was wrong to hit others.”
Argus laughed, probably harder than he intended to, before replying, “Ajax, I doubt you could hurt me if you tried,” he gave the pup a cocky smile, “come on, come prove me wrong. Actually,” he turned and shouted at the nearest on-duty medic, “can you help keep an eye on him for this? I don’t want him to overexert himself.”
The armoured mare nodded, wandering a little closer but staying well outside of the sparring arena.
Ajax groaned, but hurried forth a few steps and took some swings with his forepaws, missing the dragon with each swipe. “Come now, Ajax,” Argus goaded between his clumsy attacks, “try a little harder,” he ducked another swing before continuing, “I’m getting bored here…” another lazily dodged swipe between his goading, “Remember what Roxelle said before? Your magic can make you stronger. Call it up!” He sidestepped a swing that slammed into the pavers, “Let loose! Would your father want you to just dismiss education of any kind?”
Something in Ajax changed at that, Argus could see, and the pup’s next swing hit the bricks at his feet and cracked them.
“That’s more like it!” Argus cheered, sidestepping a swing only to have to quickly duck under Ajax’s club-like tail. He danced back a few steps, eyes on his footing for a moment. “Well, I hope you’ve got more where that came from,” he taunted before grimacing as Ajax punched the ground several times in rapid succession. “Aw hell.”
A paving stone uprooted and flung itself at him, clattering and scraping noisily as it slid away behind him after he ducked under it. He blinked back at it confusedly. “Huh, I was expecting more than-”
The sound of stone grinding against stone pulled his attention from the paver he had been staring at, allowing him to narrowly duck and weave three more flung bricks.
Ajax snarled, slamming both of his paws to the ground, the quake from which shook the ponies around them almost to the ground. With his paws still on the bricks he had punched, a wave of soil and the pavers that it had originally supported surged forth, with Ajax riding atop them. When a few feet were all that separated them, Ajax quickly punched the bricks again, causing them to rapid-fire launch themselves at the shocked dragon.
“He learned fast!” Argus shouted, before jumping over the wave, spinning in the air to keep his eye on the tired-yet-angry-looking dog who punched the soil beneath his feet.
With a grunt Argus pushed off of the tile that had been flung his way, leaping back a few more feet and causing the brick to slam into the ground. He landed steadily, but quickly moved his head to avoid a swung paw. Slightly sidestepping, another attempt at hitting him was dodged, but now Argus could tell that Ajax had become slower, and after a third clumsy and half hearted swing Argus caught him as he slumped forward.
“Hit your limit already, have we?” He asked impishly, “That was fast; you shouldn’t have used so much magic, you’ll feel tired for hours.”
Ajax puffed, groaning as he tried to support his own weight, “Can’t… stop now.” He breathed, swinging a paw ineffectively at the male who held him up, “I haven’t... won.”
Argus laughed, levitating the nearly comatose pup onto his back where he slumped heavily. “It’s not about winning, Ajax; it’s about trying.” He smiled back at him as he wandered into the castle, his magic replacing and repairing the courtyard that they had just almost destroyed behind them. “If you had stood there and done nothing, I’d have thought up other ways to get you some exercise. I still might, in fact; you quickly found that your body couldn’t keep up with your demands and tried to use your magic instead. I’ll ask around some of the guard trainers and find out what they do, see if we can’t knock together a regime for you. For now, however, someone is getting a nap.”
A groan rumbled from his back along the lines of “But I don’t wanna sleep.”
“It’ll only be for a little while, Ajax,” Argus said, climbing stairs to the suites portion of the castle, “and I’ll come wake you when it’s time, okay?”
“Don’t wanna sleep…” Ajax groused, “nightmares…”
With a chortle that bounced Ajax grumpily on his back, Argus pushed open a large door emblazoned with a polished obsidian moon, “I know just the place to help you with those, but first we shall go to a restroom.”
After a brief visit to a toilet, Ajax was carried into a bedroom containing a large moon-shaped bed, and he looked about tiredly at the cool blue walls, carpet, and furniture. Drapes hid the actual sheets and pillows of the bed, but he could vaguely see somepony within the bed sleeping soundly.
With evidently practiced ease, Argus peeled back the sheets and placed Ajax within them before pulling them up to his shoulders and gently nuzzling him. “Princess Luna will guard your dreams; I will be back in a couple of hours for you, so rest well.”
*
“Blueblood, what are you up to?” Argus greeted cheerily as he strode into the residence wing of the castle.
“Getting ready for a date, of course.” The stallion replied, “Met a cute stallion down at the bookstore a year ago and we decided to give it a chance; would you believe that tonight is our anniversary?”
Argus chuckled, “Good for you; where are you taking him?”
Blueblood shrugged and waved a hoof dismissively, “Oh, there’s a play currently in the Platinum Theatre we are going to see, and then we’re headed to the Plantain for dinner.” He shuffled his hooves nervously, “I was planning on proposing to him tonight, actually.” He muttered, before following Argus up the corridor.
“I can’t imagine your mother is terribly happy about that idea; what about grandfoals, an heir to the Blueblood Estate?” Argus asked as they strolled.
“She has been quite understanding about the whole thing, actually; she is worried that the Blueblood line will die with me, but…”
Argus shrugged, “So find a mare.”
With an angry scoff, Blueblood glared at him, “If the talk about my having a stallion special somepony hasn’t clued you in, Argus, I’m while I’m not bent against them, I’m not exactly that interested in mares.”
“So make it a political marriage.” The purple dragon countered, “There’s nothing saying you cannot herd, not unless there’s some new law or redaction introduced in the last week that I’ve not seen. Equestria’s relationship with Zebrica has been waning a little since Princess Twilight’s school opened without one of theirs as a student; perhaps you could aid with that.”
“What, and just marry some random zebra who has no choice in the matter?” Blueblood sniped, “That’s barbaric.”
Argus sighed, “Stop putting such distasteful words in my mouth, foal,” he growled, “and think for once. I’ve heard about what happened with Rarity all those years ago, and I can already imagine what was going through your head at the time, that you were using it as a way of getting rid of who you considered just some random social-climber grasping way above her station.
“You can be charming when you want to be, Blue, and I know that you can still find mares to be attractive, don’t think I’ve not seen you appreciating some maid’s faces.” Argus continued, waving a paw dramatically, “so use those to your advantage. A political marriage would work, and, when it comes down to that time, I know a spell that will help you get a healthy progeny even across species.”
Blueblood grumbled, shaking his head, “But any offspring from such a coupling will be a hybrid, and they are notorious for being sterile; the problem of continuing my bloodline will continue, but merely be passed down to the next generation.”
“And that’s what I meant by ‘healthy’, Blue. I know a spell to guarantee that hybrid offspring will be fertile.”
A lull in the conversation settled between them as Blueblood considered his words, “Do you really think it will be that easy?”
“Easy? Heavens no, Blue, you’ll have to work for it, as with any relationship. I would advise speaking with your aunts for further information, and with your stallion-friend about his feelings on the matter, but it’ll likely be some time down the line. Who knows, you may be able to settle with a surrogate. Not as difficult to manage, but fraught with its own perils. For now, you should simply get ready for tonight; not every day that the Prince of Equestria, Blood Descendant of Princess Platinum proposes to somepony, is it?”
Blueblood chuckled, scratching the back of his head, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I’ll see you later, Argus.”
“Good luck, Blue.”
With a nod, Blueblood hurried off up the hall and into his suite, closing the door with a click. Argus sighed and shook his head. “Never a dull day, I swear.” He muttered, turning to the pony who sidled up to him nervously, “Yes, Twilight?”
She gawked at him for a moment or two before shaking her head to unmuddy her thoughts, “I had no idea that Prince Blueblood is…” she trailed off for a few seconds, “well, I suppose it explains his treatment of Rarity at the Gala.”
“I trust he apologized profusely after being told who, exactly, he had so poorly treated?”
Twilight nodded, “Of course, though he also had to add to her that he didn’t find her attractive and, therefore, wasn’t interested.”
“Sounds about right,” Argus sighed, “One step forward, one hoof in mouth. Still, he’s getting better.” He chuckled amusedly for a few seconds, “In any case, Twilight, is there a reason you’re trying to sneak up on me, other than eavesdropping of course?”
“Oh, right, yes. Cheerilee and I finished creating a lesson plan for Ajax, and I made a few visits into the Ministry for Orphanages and Child Fostering about foster parents or adoptions for him.” She sighed and shook her head, “Sadly they had no way of getting Ajax to a foster family of any kind; that he’d, for a few years, found a family that had adopted him they said was incredibly rare.
“Not many dogs wind up in the foster system, but those that do just never get adopted and grow up in orphanages. Ponies aren’t willing to adopt them because of their bad reputation.” She huffed sadly, “I’m afraid to say that you will likely have to take care of him, unless you intend to put him into an orphanage.”
With a hum, Argus nodded, “I see, well, thank you for taking the time to do that for me, one less thing I will need to worry about. If you’ve got that lesson plan, I’ll take it off your hooves and start preparing for it tonight when he goes to bed for the night.”
“It’s with Cheerilee at the moment, she’s looking through the library with one of the librarians for the books you’ll require. Just head to the library and it should be all ready for you after dinner.”
With a smile, Argus pressed a paw against the door to Luna’s chambers, “Thank you for that, Twilight; I know you’re busy with your own school these days.” He pushed open the door and surveyed the room beyond, a twitch developing in his left eye as his gaze roamed the room. “Alright, where the Tartarus has Princess Luna gone with Ajax?”
Twilight only tilted her head and opened her mouth to offer a possible response before her ears twitched and she, too, became confused. “I… do you hear that?”
Argus turned away from the room, tilting his head this way and that in a manner that made Twilight think of a bird. “I do,” he muttered, tilting his head again, “pretty sure it’s somepony running?”
In a burst of excitement, Princess Luna emerged from around the next corner, with an excited and exuberant Ajax riding upon her back, her wings pinning his legs, and thusly him, to her back as she ran and jostled him playfully. Both were grinning like loons, and Argus could only stare on flabbergasted until-
SLAP!
Ajax, as the duo passed, reached out with his right paw and slapped the dragon across the face hard enough to make his head whip to one side, now staring at Twilight in shock as they scarpered followed by Ajax’s cry of, “I WIN!”
Luna shouted something along the lines of “Huzzah!” as they disappeared around the next bend, alarming a guard into dropping his spear as they narrowly missed bowling him over.
After the sounds of them racing off, knocking things over, and startling the staff faded into the distance, Argus sighed.
“Welcome to parenthood, Argus, have fun." Twilight said sarcastically, smirking all the while.
“I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.” Argus grumbled as the sounds of a vase smashing echoed through the halls, “After I catch them.”
