Son of the Moon

One year.

It had been one full year since Polaris left to begin his training under Zen. And now, his training was finally nearing its end. The zebra had trained both Polaris' body, skill and spirit to a level he had deemed as acceptable. The training may have been harsh, but in the young colt's mind, it was worth it. Anything to help his mother, and he was motivated now more than ever.

Polaris threw a kick to his master's head, but the old zebra blocked it with an arm. Zen smirked and threw a punch to his student's gut, but the young colt caught it with his hand. The two jumped away from each other, landing on opposite ends of the forest glade where they shared their final sparring session, illuminated by the light of the full moon overhead.

"Come on, now," Zen spoke with a grin on his face as he stared down Polaris, his prized pupil. "Don't tell me all of that training I gave you has gone to waste? You've yet to land a single hit on me, when you need three to pass your final exam." He goaded.

"Don't get a big head, old man," Polaris said, staring into his master's eyes, reading his movements. "You're the one that taught me not to taunt an opponent like that. Like you said, there's always someone stronger, so it's not good to provoke." He was caught off guard by a kick to the face from Zen, having closed the distance between them at incredible speeds.

"That only applies when you don't know an opponent's strength relative to your own." Zen's lecture was cut short as Polaris' fist connected with his side, making the zebra grunt as he quickly jumped backwards.

"That's one." Polaris grinned smugly. Zen's foot instantly connected with his chin, snapping his head upwards before Zen brought his leg back down, his heel going directly into Polaris' face and slamming his head into the ground.

Suddenly, Zen found himself falling. Polaris had taken an opportunity to sweep his one leg from under him while his other foot was still resting on his face. Acting quickly, Zen landed on his hands, rapidly spinning with his legs outstretched to knock Polaris away from him. However, the colt caught his legs, lifting him up and over his head, intent on slamming him into the ground. Zen caught on to this, wrapping his legs around Polaris' head and flipping backwards to swiftly slam him headfirst into the ground.

A foot quickly connected with Zen's back, making him grunt in pain and jump away.

"You have an unnatural flexibility, being able to still hit me from such a position." Zen chuckled. "I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from one who possesses a Fighter's Body."

"Thanks. I learned from the best, after all." Polaris gave a chuckle as well, standing up and wiping the blood from his face.

"Those with Fighter's Bodies are essentially perfect, the peak of their race in physicality. Strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, they're all at top notch when compared to an average specimen of the same race. However, have you ever been told of the true strength of a Fighter's Body?" Zen questioned.

"... Good looks?" Polaris was immediately met with a knee to the face.

"NO!" Zen exclaimed, giving Polaris a fierce uppercut. "It's potential!" He grabbed Polaris by the back of the head, repeatedly punching him in the face. "The average body, no matter the race, has limits! A Fighter's Body does not!" He finished by kicking Polaris in the chest, sending him flying back into a tree.

"Geez... You don't need to get so worked up about it, old man. You'll give yourself a heart attack at this rate," Polaris grunted as he stood up, spitting out the blood in his mouth.

"Eventually, no matter how hard one trains, the progress that their body makes will slow, until they eventually hit a wall," Zen continued.

"Okay, just ignore me then..." Polaris grumbled.

"It is possible to break these walls and overcome the limits they impose, but a Fighter's Body has no limits in the first place! Their potential is infinite, as they don't have any ceiling!" Zen quickly blocked a punch from Polaris.

"That's enough of the lecture, old man. Don't want you going senile already." Polaris threw a kick but was blocked once again. Zen knocked him backwards, but he quickly landed on his hands, spinning rapidly with his legs outstretched. Zen swiftly ducked under the attack, striking Polaris with a palm to the face and knocking him off balance. He landed face first on the ground before quickly moving away.

"You'll never land your last hit like this." Zen grinned.

"Says you. I've been working on something." Polaris grinned back.

"An original move? Let's see it, then." Zen motioned for Polaris to come at him.

Polaris obliged, running towards Zen at high speed. Zen raised his guard to prepare for the incoming attack, only for Polaris to swiftly pivot behind him and throw a kick towards Zen's back, which he easily caught with a hand before throwing him into another tree. Polaris quickly recovered, jumping high with his leg extended for a kick towards Zen's head, with the old zebra raising an arm to catch the attack.

The kick instead curved around Zen's defense, hitting him directly in his unprotected side.

"A curving kick," Zen coughed. "I never thought you could do such a thing." He fell to his knees.

"That's three." Polaris smiled. His bright smile was something Zen had grown to enjoy in their time together. Truth be told, he was a bit sad to see his pupil leave. Just a bit.

"Yes, it is. I suppose I'm getting rusty." Zen chuckled softly, standing up. "Nevertheless, you pass. Your unpredictability caught me by surprise more than a few times."

Polaris surprised Zen with a sudden hug, burying his face in his chest.

"Thanks, master. For everything," Polaris said sincerely. "You helped me a bunch."

"... Yeah. Sure." Zen awkwardly rubbed Polaris' head. Truthfully, he was never one to show affection too often. "You can just... go on home now."

"Yes master!" Polaris saluted, before darting off into the forest. "And thanks again for everything!" He shouted one last time.

"Damn kid... I'm not really a fan of long goodbyes..." Zen wiped a tear from his eye. "You're making this old zebra all misty eyed."

"So, that was who you finally chose as your successor." Zen turned towards the new voice. Though he couldn't tell who it was as they were obscured by the shadows of the forest, he had a pretty good feeling.

"Bloody Angel." Zen frowned deeply, eyeing the figure for any suspicious actions.

"Nobody really calls me that anymore. It was just a moniker given by the townsfolk." The figure corrected.

"It's what I know you as." Zen stood tall, facing them. "I assume you're here for that." His gaze hardened.

"You knew this was coming." The figure sighed. "I gave you time to find a successor as you requested. But you took so long that I almost don't want to carry out the deal." The figure shrugged, shaking their head in disappointment. "It's no fun taking the life of an old timer like you, after all."

"Trust me." Zen stepped forward, his silver eyes seemingly glowing in the moonlight. "This old dog has learned plenty of tricks in his lifetime." The figure eyed him as he took a fighting stance.

"I see your spirit hasn't wavered in the slightest." The figure gave a wicked grin. "Very well, then."

Polaris sprinted through the forest, his face alight with a wide grin as he jumped between the trees in excitement. He was finally going home, and he couldn't be happier. Exiting the forest, it was only a few short miles until he entered the city his mother and aunt stayed in, Canterlot. He never really understood why they set up the town in some random field like this when they could've stayed near the top of the nearby mountain like badasses, but then again, he never really bothered to ask. He was just happy to be home right now.

He ran through the city, ignoring the looks and occasional comments from the townsfolk. He had rarely actually left the castle, preferring to train with the guards or simply on his own, something Celestia and Luna would both constantly chastise him for, so it was rare for the townsfolk to actually see the prince even for a fleeting moment like this. They had pretty mixed reactions when it was revealed that one of the princesses had adopted a child; some were outraged, some accepting of the new prince, while others were simply indifferent.

Celestia always told him that it was good to go out and mingle with his subjects, at least attempting to make friends with others, as it wasn't very good to spend his life alone like he did. Luna, on the other hand, wanted him to experience the town and not be so reliant on her to go out and buy everything for him from his clothes to his food. She had even given him an allowance of a thousand bits to go crazy with. Currently, his allowance still sat at one thousand bits.

Of course, Polaris had tried to mingle on a few occasions but found it difficult to find anyone willing to befriend him for the complete opposite reason as his life before becoming a prince. Back in Rockmount, he had many fans as the champion "Grey Avenger", but many simply wanted him for his status as a celebrity. During his time as the nameless thief, many hated him and chased him away. Mixing the two identities was impossible, as it would likely result in universal hatred, the townsponies no longer seeing him as "The Grey Avenger" but simply as "that damn thief". As a prince, however, many would treat him with reverence, scared to upset him lest they be punished severely. Those that did try to befriend him were clearly only trying to get into the good graces of the princesses.

He imagined most others with the title of "Celestia's nephew" would be stuck up jerks with their heads so far up their asses that it would loop back around to being on their shoulders.

Polaris' running slowed to a stop as he looked up at the castle, smiling ear to ear. Slowly pushing open the large door, he was instantly scooped up by a dark blue blur before he could even announce his presence.

Luna held him tightly in a hug, rubbing his back as tears streamed down her face. "I missed you."

Managing to pull his face out from his mother's chest, Polaris gasped for air, having been taken by surprise. "You know you could've visited me in my dreams whenever, right? I would've liked that."

"I-I did not wish to disturb your training!" Luna stammered. "I only did it the one time because it was important!"

"I missed you too, mom," Polaris said, returning her hug.

The two remained silent like this for several minutes.

"We have a year to prepare," Luna finally spoke.

"Are you scared?" Polaris asked, looking up at her.

"... Yes. Very," She answered truthfully.

"... I think we can do it. I know we can." Polaris smiled up at her. "I know we can beat Aunt Tia."

10 months before the plan...

Polaris had been training harder than ever since coming home. He had constantly pushed himself to his limits but still reminded himself to heed his master's motto of resting well after intense training. He threw a particularly hard kick, breaking the wooden training dummy in half as he thought about what Zen had told him about his body. He didn't understand much, to be honest, but from what he could gather, while he did have a limit to what he could do, he would constantly grow stronger as he kept up his training. He smiled in excitement of the prospect of becoming even stronger than he was currently.

"Hard at work, I see." Polaris turned to see Celestia leaning against the entrance to the training ground, a gentle smile on her features. "You should still be making friends, I think," She lightly scolded.

"I have my mom and Master Zen." Polaris picked up a water bottle, taking a drink from it. "I don't really need anyone else."

"Do I not count as a friend?" Celestia gasped dramatically. Polaris rolled his eyes at his aunt's attempt at feigning being hurt by his words. She was always a terrible actor. "But in all seriousness, you need actual friends. Zen and your mother don't exactly qualify." Polaris opened his mouth to speak, but Celestia stopped him. "Neither do the guards or me." Polaris closed his mouth, grumbling under his breath.

"I just wanna focus on getting stronger. Fighting is my talent, you know? I'm not very good at much else..." Polaris looked down sadly, but Celestia put a finger under his chin, moving his head upwards to look her in the eye.

"You are so much more than your talent, Polaris," Celestia said with a smile. "You are kind, you have one of the biggest hearts of anypony I have ever met. You strive to become stronger because you believe it's all you're good for, I, however, believe there's another, deeper reason." She pulled her nephew into a gentle embrace, rubbing his head in a soothing manner. "Friends are another source of power, you know. Those who fight for the sake of others will always be stronger than those who fight for the sake of themselves."

"I fight for mom!" Polaris exclaimed. Since that day she had accepted him as her son, he had devoted himself entirely to her. "So, I do have someone to fight for!"

"But what if you're put into a conflict that doesn't involve Luna at all?" Polaris tensed up at Celestia's words. He hadn't exactly thought of that before. Looking back, even his training under Zen was for the sake of Luna and nobody else. "Well, I'm sure you'll always make the right choice when those times come. You have a chivalrous heart, and it will never steer you wrong."

Polaris shut his eyes tightly, internally wincing as Celestia spoke. She had the utmost confidence in him to make the right decisions, but deep in his heart, he knew that the plan he and Luna had made for ten months from now was wrong on so many levels. But he decided to go with it without question. But why? Was it simply because he wanted to follow his mother? Or did he just want to prove himself? Luna had always told him to follow his own path as an individual, and not to simply rely on her for everything. She didn't want him becoming a simple blind follower of hers. But this was something he wholeheartedly wanted to help her with!

Right?

5 months before the plan...

"Polaris, did you know?" Luna asked with a smile, Polaris looking up at his mother with a hint of confusion on his face. They were currently walking along a moonlit field within Polaris' dreams.

"Know what?" He asked curiously.

"There is a species of cat," Luna continued. "It is called a Lunar Kitten! They are pitch black in color, but their tails are white and naturally curve like my moon!" She said giddily. As she described the animal, she created an image of it within the dream for him to look at. "They can even merge with the shadows themselves and move along the ground! Truly fascinating, magical creatures."

"Sounds like it," Polaris responded with a smile. "They look super cute. Probably nocturnal, right?" Luna nodded in response to his question. "Maybe I'll see one someday."

Luna smiled at her son's optimism. He had really matured rather quickly from the arrogant child she had met in Rockmount. Whether it was from Zen's training or in preparation for their upcoming plan against Celestia, she couldn't say. It was likely a combination of the two, she figured. Still, she regretted dragging him into her fight, forcing him to fight on her behalf, even if he did volunteer in the first place.

"Polaris," Luna began. "I am sorry."

"This again?" Polaris released a heavy sigh, complete with an eye roll for added effect. "I wanted to help you. I offered in the first place, remember?" He poked her arm.

"It is not that," she said. "I realize that even had I rejected your offer to help, you would have done so anyway. It is simply how you are. Your heart is simply too loving to allow me to do this alone." Polaris chuckled, putting his hands behind his head with a big grin on his face.

"You know it! Plus, I really wanna fight Aunt Tia!" He pumped his fist. "I wanna see just how strong I've gotten compared to you two!"

"You already defeated everypony in the guard," Luna pointed out. "Sometimes up to ten at a time. I believe Red Wind is the only one you have not beaten."

"That's just because the stupid jerk won't even fight me in the first place!" Polaris exclaimed, making Luna chuckle and shake her head at her son's antics.

"I wanted to apologize for not allowing you a normal childhood," Luna spoke. "You should be out making friends, going to school and such. But I feel as though I robbed you of that opportunity."

"Stop right there." Polaris cut her off. "You never 'robbed' me of anything, mom. My life was never normal to begin with. I don't think it was ever really possible for me to make friends or anything." He sat down, pulling his knees to his chest as he stared up at the full moon overhead. "I've always been alone, but you showed me that I never really had to be." He turned to her with a big smile returning to his face. "So, thanks!"

Luna stared at him for a few moments before a soft smile slowly made its way to her face. "You are right. But still, I believe it possible for you to befriend others. You have a big heart; it would be hard for others not to be drawn to you." She put an arm around his shoulder, pulling Polaris close as she sat next to him. "I am sorry because I feel as though I am forcing you to mature faster than you should be."

"Nah, not really," Polaris said without hesitation. "I just wanna enjoy our time together before everything happens." He looked down at the grass that was gently swaying in the wind. "Besides, who do you think drew on your face with marker last week?" He gave a mischievous grin.

"You mean to tell me that was not my sister's doing!?" Luna exclaimed in shock. "It took me an hour to get that moustache to go away completely!"

"Uh... Gotta run!" Polaris laughed and slipped from his mother's arm before sprinting across the field.

"Polaris Starshine, get back here this instant!" Luna stood up, swiftly giving chase.

Despite everything, they were both smiling ear to ear.

1 month before the plan...

Polaris wiped his brow with a towel as he walked inside from the training grounds. Tomorrow would be a rest day, he decided. Zen had never let him forget that important rule of training. If Polaris had wanted to train on a day that Zen had deemed as a day of rest, the old zebra would get particularly upset and would give him a harsh beating. He had made sure to engrave that motto into Polaris' very soul.

"Master the art of peace in addition to the art of war. Train well, eat well, rest well." He recited to himself. He found himself reciting his master's motto to himself at least once a day now, even when he wasn't aware of it. He hadn't thought about it before, but Zen's words made sense. It was important to train, yes, but it was equally important to maintain a balanced diet and to rest and let one's body recover. Luna had told him in the past that violence wasn't always an answer, and Zen only enforced that notion as part of his training had been strengthening his mind as well as his body. Zen had occasionally given him scenarios in which he would need to strategize to win a fight or find some kind of peaceful resolution. Looking back, he was kind of grateful for Zen teaching him the way he did.

Sighing and shaking his head to clear the thoughts from his mind, Polaris entered a darkened room. He blinked in confusion, rubbing his eyes and squinting. He could faintly make out a few figures through the darkness.

"SURPRISE!!!" Polaris jumped back as the room was suddenly illuminated in a bright light. At the center stood his mother and aunt as well as many of the castle guards, surrounding a large triple layer chocolate cake.

"Happy birthday, Polaris." Luna smiled as she approached him. "I decided to make this one a bit special, seeing as you are now thirteen."

"Happy birthday, prince!" One of the guards shouted as he pulled the still flabbergasted colt into a headlock and gave him a noogie. Polaris finally snapped out of his daze and smiled before hugging Luna.

"Shall we begin with the cake now?" Celestia asked, eagerly holding a knife. She was practically bouncing in place in her excitement.

"You just want the cake, sister." Celestia pouted at her sister's blunt but correct statement. "And besides, Polaris will be getting the first slice."

"I suppose that's fair," Celestia agreed, though disappointment was clearly evident in her voice. Polaris laughed at his aunt's cake obsession.

"At least let him blow out the candles, sister." Luna sighed as she put said candles on the cake with Celestia using a weak fire spell to light them.

Polaris smiled and quickly blew them out before Luna grabbed him a slice of the cake. Immediately after, Celestia began attempting to claim the rest of the cake for herself with Luna needing to remind her that there were more guests than just the three of them.

"I just want about ten slices, is that so bad?" Celestia pleaded.

"No, you shall have yours last so as to ensure you do not devour it all before everyone can have some." Luna stated firmly. Celestia whined at her sister's stubbornness. She watched in despair as everyone else grabbed a slice, including Luna herself, before she was finally allowed to. Polaris laughed and took a bite of the cake.

It was delicious.

Looking around, he saw everyone he knew and loved gathered here for him. Several of the guards had wished him a happy birthday individually, all of them happy for the young prince, despite his tendencies to demand fights from them. He looked to the side and saw Red Wind leaning against a wall in the far corner of the room, silently enjoying his cake. He saw Luna forcefully dragging Celestia away from the cake after she had grabbed five slices the instant she had been able to. Everyone was smiling. It was a moment of pure happiness. He wanted this happiness to last forever.

He never wanted this family to break apart.