Son of the Moon

Polaris' body flew through a tree, toppling it. He slid across the ground until he slammed headfirst into a large boulder.

"Is that truly all that you have? Or are you holding back?" Zen taunted. Polaris instantly launched himself forward and back towards his master, who reacted quickly by wrapping his arms around his neck and falling backwards, slamming Polaris' head into the ground.

It had been one month since Polaris began his training under Zen, and while the zebra didn't care for him very much at first, the two had steadily grown closer over the course of their training. Zen had learned within a few days that Polaris' talent for martial arts was something special. He learned far better from experience rather than explanation. He learned something new from every battle, trying new tactics and absorbing new techniques much like a sponge absorbs water. He had yet to defeat Zen, but he had managed to catch him off guard and land a hit once or twice.

Polaris struggled for a bit before finally managing to pull his head out from the ground, spitting out some dirt that had gotten into his mouth. He turned to Zen with a glare, but the zebra held up a hand.

"I think that's enough for now," Zen stated firmly. Polaris hung his head but gave a small nod of agreement. Zen smiled, seeing that Polaris had learned a bit of humility after all.

"That hurt a lot, you know..." Polaris rubbed his sore head. He sat down near a campfire Zen had set up for the two of them.

"That was the point, kid." Zen gave him one of two bowls of salad he had made. Polaris had no idea where he got the ingredients from.

"I have a name..." Polaris grumbled, munching on a piece of lettuce. He had learned on the very first day that Zen would not tolerate much backtalk and especially not his usual taunting. But still, he taught him a valuable lesson. His words echoed in his head.

"You're too confident, you act like you're unbeatable. This will be your first lesson: Know there's always someone stronger than you."

Polaris sighed as he thought back to that. Zen had spent that entire day demonstrating the difference in both their skill and physical abilities. Needless to say, Polaris failed to even touch his master no matter what he tried and was humbled pretty quickly. He closed his eyes, remembering Zen's motto that he often repeated.

"Don't aim to be the strongest, simply aim to be stronger than you were." Polaris repeated.

"You memorized it? I'm surprised considering your lackluster mental abilities."

"How could I not? You constantly repeated it every day." Polaris ignored the backhanded compliment. That was the closest Zen ever gave to praise anyway. "I wanted to be the strongest for mom, but I guess that was the wrong way, huh?"

Zen poured himself a cup of tea he had finished brewing over the fire. "Those who aim to be stronger than everyone else are often disappointed upon realizing that there is someone stronger. Those are the ones with fragile wills." He sipped his tea, before immediately spitting it out. "Blech, this is not tea, this is just hot leaf juice. Guess that's what I get for buying on a budget..."

"How do I protect my mom if I'm not the strongest? I mean, she's already crazy strong so she probably doesn't need it, but still..."

"This stuff isn't even good enough to water the flowers." Zen poured the contents of the tea kettle on the ground beside him.

"Master!" Polaris shouted to get his attention. He was immediately hit in the face with the tea kettle, knocking him to the ground.

"What did I teach you about patience?" Zen asked angrily. Polaris grumbled, sitting back up. Thankfully none of his salad had spilled.

"Do not rush everything, things happen in their own time." He recited. Zen smiled, nodding in satisfaction.

"Now, as for your question," Zen cleared his throat. "To protect someone, one doesn't necessarily need to be the strongest, per se. They simply need to be strong enough." He motioned for Polaris to hand him his tea kettle, which he obliged. The zebra began brewing tea using different leaves.

"What... Does that even mean?" Polaris pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he would likely never receive an answer. Zen was never one to elaborate much. Polaris had learned that after Zen had given him a riddle that he never got an answer for until ten days later. Apparently, the answer was "Butt."

"Means you need to train more," Zen stated, waiting on the new tea to finish. Polaris just sighed in resignation, knowing the answer would be something along those lines.

"Not much training if we're just sitting here," Polaris said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Before Zen could speak, Polaris interrupted. "I know, train hard, rest well."

"You underestimate the importance of proper rest," Zen chided. "Training is meaningless if you don't let your body rest and recover. You'll just end up hurting yourself otherwise." At the whistle of the tea kettle, he picked it up, pouring himself a new cup of tea.

"I hate that you're right, you crazy old monk..." After the first day, the next three had been dedicated to relaxing. Polaris hated that, it made him feel restless when he wasn't active. But Zen had explained that the purpose of the rest was to allow Polaris' body to recover and actually catch up to the amount of training he always did. At first, it hurt like hell, to the point that he could barely lift a finger. But afterwards, he felt stronger than ever. This weird old zebra knew his stuff, evidently.

"It's your fighting instincts," Zen sipped his tea, gagging and almost losing his lunch. "I could make better tea than this by simply picking up fallen autumn leaves! Are those damn merchants trying to poison me!?" Polaris waited patiently as Zen poured out the tea kettle once again before brewing more "Time for some good old Jasmine Tea."

"My... Fighting instincts?" Polaris finally asked.

"Yes. They keep you restless, they give you a constant itch to do battle." Zen shook his head, looking at his student. "But you must control them. A fighter who gives into instinct will often lose themselves. That is the Flow State, or State of Nothingness, as some call it. Personally, Flow State just rolls off the tongue better for me."

"What's the Flow State?" Polaris leaned in, now intrigued. He had never heard of such a thing, but if it would help his mother, then he would do anything.

"Think of it as more of a state of being, rather than a simple technique," Zen explained. "It is the pinnacle of martial arts. Very few even have the potential to gain access to it. But those who do..." He sipped his now finished tea, humming in satisfaction. "They become like a force of nature. The body maximizes itself, power, speed, endurance, technique, everything reaches the very pinnacle of what is possible for the user. On top of that, users have been known to become truly peerless in their fighting styles, surpassing even grand masters in said style."

"So, it's like some kinda super buff?" Polaris leaned in excitedly.

"More than that. They essentially gain the perfect body, they become the pinnacle of their race, some might say." Zen looked Polaris in the eye, silver meeting purple as he stared him down. "Don't even think about it."

"But-!"

"You are far from ready to even attempt it. I'm not even sure if you have the potential." Zen calmly sipped his tea. "For now, we simply focus on sharpening your fighting instincts more than they already are." For some reason, the mention of his fighting instincts made Polaris afraid. Very, very afraid.

Maybe it was for the best that he never learned how to utilize the Flow State.

"Now then..." Zen looked over to see that Polaris had finished his food. "Back to it." Polaris was met with a foot to the face, sending him sliding backwards along the ground.

"Cheap trick, old timer." Polaris wiped the blood from his nose.

"You can't always expect an enemy to wait until you're ready. I taught you better than that." Zen gave a wide grin.

The two charged at each other.

"..."

Polaris stirred a bit, rolling onto his side.

"... Po....s..."

He groaned, sitting up groggily.

"Polaris."

His eyes shot open, and he quickly jumped to his feet, looking around the area. It was very familiar.

"Is this... Rockmount?" He slowly approached one of the stalls, expecting to see a vendor. There was nobody. Come to think of it, the town was strangely empty. Normally, it was bustling during all hours of the day and through the night, but there wasn't a soul in sight right now.

It was terrifying.

"Hellooooooo!? Anypony!?" No response. He was desperately hoping for someone, anyone to answer back. He would even take one of the angry vendors that always chased him away. But no, all he received in return was eerie silence and the echoing of his own voice. Steeling himself, Polaris gathered the courage to explore the area. Everywhere he looked, he found nobody.

But he could feel something calling him, pulling him. He followed it towards the arena. Walking inside, at the center he saw...

Himself?

But... it wasn't him. He couldn't be there, he was here! But the figure he saw, surrounded by red splotches on the ground and walls, was undoubtedly himself. This copy stood with its back to him, red spots dotting various parts of his body. Polaris had a sinking feeling about what this red substance was. The copy turned its head towards him. Its expression was completely blank, emotionless, uncaring. It opened its mouth, but no sound came out. Yet somehow, Polaris could feel what it said.

"Release me."

His breathing quickened; he began hyperventilating. Falling to his knees, he couldn't help looking around at the red everywhere as tears streamed down his face. Slowly, he brought his hands to his face. They felt... wet?

Slowly, agonizingly so, he brought his shaking hands in front of his face.

They were red.

He retched, hands instinctively covering his mouth, only making the sick feeling in his stomach worse as more of the red was smeared on his face.

"Release me."

"BEGONE, FOUL CREATURE!"

The entire area flashed white, and Polaris suddenly found himself on a moonlit beach. Looking at himself, he was completely cleaned. He sighed in relief, hugging himself as he cried from the stress of that horrible experience.

"You are okay, Polaris, it was simply a nightmare." He heard the familiar voice of his mother as he was wrapped in a warm and comforting embrace.

"M-Mom?" Polaris looked up at Luna with tear filled eyes, grateful to finally see a friendly face.

"Yes... I am here now. Do not worry, I will not allow anything to hurt you." She gently shushed him, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"It was all a dream... But it felt so real..." His breathing gradually slowed down as he was calmed by his mother. "I don't know what that was all about. I don't understand..."

"Neither do I," Luna responded. "I had come to visit you within your dreams for the purpose of an important discussion, but I did not expect to encounter such a nightmare."

"An important discussion?" Polaris asked, drying his eyes. "What is it? Some kind of threat?"

"You could say that, yes." Luna inhaled deeply, preparing herself mentally for what she was about to say. "Polaris, I have a request."

"Anything, mom!" Polaris looked at her with sparkling eyes. It only made her feel worse about her decision.

After a few moments of silence, Luna finally spoke. "I... I wish for you to remain with Zen, or at the very least, stay far away from the castle from now on." Polaris' ears drooped, pressing against his skull at what he heard. After all their time spent together, she was simply telling him to leave.

"Why?" Tears filled his eyes once more. "Are you... abandoning me? I don't wanna leave!" He began crying again.

"No, it is nothing like that-"

"THEN WHY!?" He screamed in sorrow. Luna sighed, hoping to have been able to keep her reasons a secret, although in hindsight, it was inevitable that he would ask questions. In the end, he was still her son, and he had a right to know her true intentions.

She couldn't lie to him.

"The truth is..." Luna paused, still unsure if she should be speaking about this. She stared at the moon that she had created within her son's dreams, the symbol of herself that illuminated the night sky. "I intend to go against my sister." Polaris gasped, a response she had predicted. It was quite a bold statement, after all.

"You mean, you're gonna fight Aunt Tia?"

"Yes," Luna stated bluntly. "I have had enough of her taking all of the credit from the citizens of this country that we both rule over. We are meant to be equals, yet the ponies of Equestria only seem to acknowledge my sister's sunny day and shun my beautiful night that I work so hard to provide. I even move the stars themselves into patterns for them, but they simply sleep through it all. I simply wish for the adoration that my sister receives!" She stomped her foot on the ground, shaking the dream realm and knocking Polaris onto his butt. She quickly realized that her explanation had devolved into a rant about her sister. "I am sorry Polaris, I-"

"I'll help you then." Polaris interrupted as he stood up, seemingly unfazed by his mother's outburst. "If you can just wait a little longer, I'll finish my training with Master Zen, and then I'll help you make Aunt Tia see reason!" He looked into her eyes, and she could see that same flame of determination burning within him. That flame that made her interest in him grow in the first place, beyond simply his talents.

"I can tell you will not let this go." Polaris shook his head side to side at her observation. "However, there is a reason that I had wanted you to run away. I do not wish to see you hurt, and if push comes to shove, then..." She bit her lower lip, even she was scared, Polaris could see it in her eyes. "I believe my sister may even resort to using the Elements of Harmony on me."

"The Elements of Harmony..." Polaris repeated. He had remembered that Luna mentioned those in the past. Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty and Magic. Apparently, Celestia and Luna had used them to deal with dangerous threats in the past. "But won't they not work on you? You're not evil."

"Not intrinsically-" She paused at the look of confusion on her son's face. Apparently, such big words were still lost on him. She made a mental note to teach him more. "Not by nature, I am not. But my actions may be considered 'evil' enough for them to work. The darkness of jealousy... has tainted my heart." She put a hand to her chest. It surprised Polaris to see his mother so freely admit weakness like this. She was normally such a shining pillar of strength that he looked up to, the idea of her having any weaknesses at all never even crossed his mind.

"I'll steal them, then," Polaris suddenly said, shocking Luna. "She can't use them on you if she can't get her hands on them, right?" He grinned impishly. Against her better judgement, Luna found herself indulging her son's plan.

"They are in a secret compartment in the foyer, when you first enter the castle," She explained. "Normally, it is only accessible to my sister or I through use of our magic. However, the pendant I gave you is infused with a small part of my magic." Polaris fished the crescent moon pendant from his pocket, looking down at it. "It was meant to protect the pendant from corrosion should it ever end up being exposed to the harsh elements. But it should also allow access to areas that would normally require alicorn magic."

"Guess we're doing this then." Polaris gave a wide smile. "You distract Aunt Tia while I grab the Elements!"

"Yes, we are." Luna sighed. As much as she didn't want him getting involved in her personal battles, she would admit that she did require his help to win such an uphill battle as this. "But are you truly certain you wish to assist me? You will be branded a traitor, the same as me."

"Positive," Polaris answered without hesitation. "Not like I haven't survived on the streets before. And besides, when we win, I won't really be called a traitor under the new ruler." A smile spread across his face, causing Luna to smile as well.

"You seem awfully confident." She giggled softly. "Then, I would like to change my request."

"Hm?" Polaris put his hands behind his head nonchalantly as he looked up at her.

"Once you come home, I would like to spend one last year with you before we enact our plan." Luna pulled Polaris into a loving embrace. "Just in case we do not succeed. Obviously, you should act normal around my sister during this time."

"Of course!" Polaris exclaimed. "I'll come home as soon as I can!"

"It is a deal, then." Luna smiled, looking to the sky. "It is almost morning; you should be waking up soon."

"I'll see you later then, mom! And I'll be WAY stronger! You'll see!" He threw a few punches into the air.

"I don't doubt it." Luna gave a soft smile.

Polaris slowly opened his eyes. It was morning. He sat up, wiping the tears from his face as he had been crying in his sleep.

"About time you woke up." He saw Zen sitting on a log. "Any longer and I would've woken you up by force."

"Sorry, Master. I just had a dream is all." Polaris stood up, stretching his muscles and popping his joints.

"Hm." Zen grunted in response. "Ready for today's training then?" Wiping the last of the tears from his face, Polaris gave a big, toothy smile.

"Yes, Master!"