Ponyville's First Warrior Meet: Sneak Peek preview that was bugging me.

Well, for those of you who are waiting for me to write more: I am sorry. I had this scene stuck in my head the past few days, and with all the work I've been doing on Whimper art I needed to get this written down so I could move on. What's below here is the prologue to the Flight Camp sequel, titled 'Ponyville's First Warrior Meet'. It picks up where Flight Camp left off, and starts with a dialogue-heavy scene like the one the original had as its resolution. I should warn you, though: while the overall themes remain the same, the content is vastly different, being more of an action story that focuses more on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. As the title implies, it is all about a Warrior Meet, and it involves a cameo from that other OC some people liked, but not a lot of people know. It also has Scootaloo getting scared out of town. It'll make sense when it's done. Some people may have spoilers to the whole thing -- one of Luna's guards will be supplied by a chat friend of mine -- but I trust these will not be leaked in the comments. Little shout-out to SomeRandomMinion: yes, this is the fic I told you about on DA, but that one OC I promised isn't in this prologue.

Anyway, I'm still writing the Quorum Sensing sequel and the Faux Pas sequel as well as the CMC/Octavia sleepover fic -- albeit slowly, on all accounts -- but this thing just nagged at me to get written. So here's a rough draft of it. Very rough draft, but most of the core sentences are in it. You'll know them when you see them.

Enjoy!

Prologue: Royal Visit

The blue pegasus colt moaned as his stomach turned. He was shaking all over and his breath came in ragged.

“I-I don’t feel so good.”

“It’s alright, Whimper. Three tries of that test will do that to you,” princess Luna assured, conjuring up a bucket just in case the boy lost his dinner.

Whimper leaned over the bucket, heaving and burping but never really letting go.

“I didn’t think it’d be like this. Rainbow Dash didn’t tell me it’d be like this.”

The princess looked around the place, a residence carved out of a tree. It was a common design she remembered from before her imprisonment, one she was told even persisted for Ponyville library, despite it being a new town and all. Bogsdown was pretty old, though. While she didn’t remember the little hills being quite the way they were, the princess felt oddly at home here.

Although, if she had to be perfectly frank, that might have been due to the company. Doldrum Whimper had quite the reputation among the Canterlot elite, at least those involved in martial arts. Having felled a demon who waylaid his friend was one thing, but judging from appearances Luna was right to intervene here. With a physique that resembled that of a weightlifter or at least a workhorse, the young colt clearly had a great strength, inner and outer. But the one encounter that had given him his little fame had left marks that needed to be dealt with properly.

As he lay there, face in the bucket, Luna wondered what had finally convinced the boy to seek her help. She’d offered it freely, of course, and Shining Armour assured her the message had arrived. Still he’d waited for months to reply. Perhaps it was his sense of pride, or fear.

He pulled himself together, flapping his wings to try and get some sensation back into them. He looked dizzy, which wasn’t at all surprising. He still looked scared, though, and that was surprising.

“Feel better?” the alicorn asked.

“A little,” he replied meekly. “So what happens now?”

“Now? Now we have some time to talk before your parents return from the hospital. I have some questions that I’d like answered, and I know you must have some queries as well. So, before we go any further, I need to know what Rainbow Dash told you at Flight Camp. She explained your current condition, did she not?”

Whimper nodded.

“Uh huh. She said my body’s starting to think, that I’m going to get this energy flowing through me. She said I’d change inside, that I'd start to glow or something.”

The Princess of the Night weighed that response in her mind.

“That’s true. What you have is known by many names, and it’s more common than you think. A primal fear response can shut down the rational mind, and the body thinks instead. Sometimes the body decides it would be better to keep on doing the thinking. That is where you were.”

“And that’s why I kept blacking out. Why I started doing things without knowing it. And when I got angry --”

Luna sighed as the boy shyly covered up the embarrassing revelation he was about to make.

“When you got angry, your body would go into overdrive and you would go mad with rage, I know and I am sorry. I was only informed of the shock you suffered. Had I known your condition was getting worse, I’d have come here without your request.”

“Thanks,” Whimper answered with a nervous smile. “But I feel a lot better about it now, actually. Like I’m on the right track. You being here, Your Highness, it feels familiar. Like we’ve met before.”

The alicorn grinned a little at that.

“We have met before, Whimper. Do you remember the nights right after you felled Kludde? That voice ringing in your head, the shine of his blade and those tusks haunting your dreams?”

“Yeah, I do. But there was always something else. This big black thing that turned into bats and kept covering him,” the colt narrated, before looking up at the mare. “That was you?"

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make those nightmares go away, Whimper. I tried, truly I did, but the wounds you suffered ran deeper than I could treat. It just took time, I suppose. But you are coping quite well now, aren’t you? Your mind, body and spirit will start to balance themselves out again soon. You should be feeling some of it by now.”

Despite still being a little shaky, he smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. I can pick up on things now, like how ponies are feeling. I can’t really be in crowds, but it’s still pretty cool.”

“But how do you feel right now, this very moment, physically? Any aches, lights flashing in your eyes?” Luna carefully inquired.

“Just this rumbling underneath my stomach, and my chest is a little tight,” the boy noted, rubbing that toned chest with a hoof.

Princess Luna took a deep breath, then shed the silver shoes on her front and hind hooves. All at once, the lights in the house flickered, and the air took on a different atmosphere. She moved little closer and raised a front hoof at the boy.

“Doldrum Whimper, I would like to inspect your body for any internal injuries. You’ve had several bursts going through your body with an energy it is not accustomed to. Normally it goes up the spine and into your head, energising nerves and glands along the way. I cannot tell how far your body has gone by your mental state, or the other way around. I need to make certain both are in order before you proceed. If you have any injuries impeding your energy flow, the scarring can lead to a grave illness that no mere doctor can treat and a madness that no one can understand.”

“Okay. Then go ahead.”

“I don’t say this lightly. If I touch you now, I can take control of your body. I can enter your mind and do as I please. All your secrets will be laid bare, and if you try and fight or break contact there’s a chance a piece of me gets left behind. While that wouldn't hurt, it would be quite unsettling, to say the least. Does thou trust me with this?" Luna asked, slipping back into her old mannerisms for just a second.

The colt braced himself and closed his eyes.

“Rainbow Dash already showed me how it feels. I can handle it.”

“Alright then,” Luna solemnly replied as she placed a bare hoof on the boy's back, “let’s see what we can find, shall we?”

Whimper tried his best to relax as he felt himself being watched, only on the inside. The princess kept her eyes closed as the little ball of perception fluttered around in his body.

“Alright, no scar tissue in your hind legs, good. Good, strong musculature, not too stiff, that's a plus. And you didn't deprive yourself of anything getting it: your whole musculature feels smoother than than I'd expect, no little nicks. It's almost like your muscles had a perfect recovery, but you didn't get that from your energy rush. Special diet, I take it?”

“My mom’s a dietetic nurse. It’s her job to get the right food for athletes or sick ponies who need to recover from something.”

“Hmm, that explains it. Now let me just move along here.” Luna’s magical gaze carefully started at the base of his spine and settled on his stomach. “No need to linger on the bottom two rungs, those won’t give you any trouble at your age. Your belly area looks fine, as well, very toned but not too rigid yet. Perhaps a little more stretching, though: you’re not quite as flexible there as you are in your legs. You will need to be when you start glowing more strongly.”

“Okay. So I just need to stretch more and that’ll help. I was supposed to ask for some training advice, I think?”

“Indeed, but you do not need a princess to show you all of the exercises. Believe me: they are numerous, and not all of them are fit for everypony. You’ll find a lot of clues in old legends to help you progress, meditations and exercises you might not realise are written down. Once you know the effects of breathing exercises and meditation on your body, you’ll learn to read between the lines. A lot of symbols will start making sense. In the meantime,” Luna trailed off as her eye reached his lungs, making the boy itch on his back.

“That’s a little tender,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I can see that. That must be the defect I've heard so much about. And it's quite a heavy case, from the looks of it.”

“Uh huh. I can fly okay, but only if I don’t flap my wings too fast.”

“That’s how a lot of great flyers do it. And you built your strength despite your little handicap. You didn’t give up. Most would have, especially at such a young age," the princess offered.

“My friend got me into it, that’s all.”

“But it wasn’t your friend who did all that heavy lifting and growing, was it?”

Whimper didn’t answer to that question. He just blushed as that ethereal eye made its way towards his heart.

“Oh. I think I’ve found it. There’s a very large knot here, Whimper. Your energy’s running quite well, it's circulating normally, but….”

“But?” the colt dared.

Luna opened her eyes, but didn’t break contact or withdraw her magic.

“That is a lot of anger you are holding, Whimper. So much anger in such a little heart. Who put that there, I wonder?”

The boy shrugged.

“I don’t know. I get teased because I'm slow, is all. Sports are really important in our school, and I can’t keep up in gym class. So ponies laugh at me. And the ones that don’t, take pity on me. I don’t wanna be treated like I’m sick, but I really can’t do what I’m supposed to do. And I get angry when someone pushes me. I know it’s wrong, that I should turn the other cheek, but –“

“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, but turning the other cheek leaves your whole face red,” Luna interrupted. “I understand completely. It’s alright to be angry, anger is as much a part of you as love is. It lets you fight the things you need to fight. You can use anger without being a bully, Whimper.”

A single tear ran down the colt’s face. Luna could feel him tensing up for a moment, but he didn’t hold it long enough to cause her any real concern.

“I know. Rainbow Dash told me about all that. It’s just that, well, you weren’t around for a long time, right? We were always taught that princess Celestia is the one who protects good ponies. And good ponies are the ones who rely on friendship. I don’t feel friendship with the ponies that pick on me. I tried being nice and it doesn't work, it only makes me feel weaker. But I feel strong when I’m angry, I can stand up for myself and for my friend if I don't hold back. And I did the impossible by going into a berserker rage.”

“Now how would a boy your age even know what a 'berserker rage' is?” Luna inquired with a bit of wonder.

“Twilight Sparkle taught me at Flight Camp, too.”

“Ah. Yes, I suppose that’ll do it,” came the princess' slightly snarky reply.

“I guess it just feels different, even if I know it’s right. Like I am good, but not good like everypony else.”

“Like you are not one of princess Celestia’s little ponies?” princess Luna asked.

The boy nodded with a wince, no doubt realising the topic might be a bit painful for the mare, all things considered.

“I think can relate to that. You have a different outlook on things, you don’t feel the same way as other ponies do. Perhaps you aren’t one of Celestia’s little ponies.”

Whimper sighed at that suggestion.

“But you are most certainly one of my little ponies.”

The boy looked up. Slowly, Luna withdrew her hoof and her magic eye from his body, content at the little inspection.

“My sister guards the light: things that are out in the open, the good inside and the masks ponies wear to fit in. I guard the shadow: my task is to guide those ponies who encounter fear and anger, emotions we try to hide. It is my duty to help ponies like you, and rest assured: what I have seen from you tonight gives me no cause for concern.”

“Except the other changes that’ll happen, right?” he dared.

Luna rose up and looked down on the little pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash told you about that, too, I take it?”

“She said my true self would come out. The part of me that’s in the shadow now. The part that’s angry and uncivilised. Even if I get it under control, I can still turn into a jerk, right?”

“Perhaps. Your personality and body will become more in tune with each other. If your anger leads you to become a bully, then your abilities will suit those of a bully. Your defect might clear up, actually,” the alicorn offered.

“But Rainbow Dash said she couldn’t be sure it would. Will it?”

“You’re not thinking about this the right way yet, Whimper. You haven’t gotten the flashes of inspiration or insight that normally comes from your condition, only the reflexes. These things can't just be put in words. Believe me: I have had a great deal of time to contemplate it. You’ll understand what I mean in time. Suffice to say it is a complicated matter.”

“So it could happen? I could become as fast as any other pony?”

“Certainly. I could mend it right now, actually,” the princess offered with a smile.

“What?”

“I could put my hoof on you and flood your body with my energy and my magic. I could mend any imbalance in your magic and your body and complete your mental, physical and spiritual development right this instant. It wouldn’t hurt that much, either, since your body is already getting accustomed to such energies. Another little shock would barely make your stomach grumble. And in the end, your lungs would be cured, your body would be stronger, and you’d wake up in the morning with a horn,” Luna explained, smiling just a bit unpleasantly.

“B-beg your pardon, princess Luna?”

“If I offered to turn you into an alicorn -- a perfect prince, even -- would you accept it?”

Whimper shook his head, lost for words.

“Of course you would. I told you I’d see all your secrets. You’re a young stallion of principle, fiercely protective of what he holds dear. You’d jump at the chance at becoming an alicorn. Even if it doesn’t stop the bullying, you’d at least have the power to do something about it,” the mare noted.

“I guess that’s true. So, are you going to, Your Highness? Turn me, I mean?”

“Of course not, that would be silly. That sort of transformation would leave too much of me in you and hardly anything remaining of yourself. You would act, talk and think in the same terms I do, not to mention a certain proclivity towards freshly baked croissants in the morning. It would mend everything, true, but it would do you no good. There wouldn't be much of you at all for a few years, and by the time you manage to reach a high enough level you'd beg me to take back what I'd given you. I wouldn't be much of a guardian if I did that, now, would I?"

The colt chuckled at the thought. Luna grinned as she swore she spotted the image of him running around with an oversized crown on his head twinkling in his eyes.

"What I mean to say is: any changes that will happen, anything that shall be mended, it all needs to come naturally. If I were to force it, I wouldn't be doing you any good. Happiness is a very different thing for ponies like us, you see. It’s something that leads us, not what we need to strive for. Do you understand that?”

“I think I do. It didn’t make a lot of sense before, but it’s starting to,” the boy replied, pondering it.

“Good. Now, just because I shan’t force you into royalty, doesn’t mean I shall neglect your future. You have a very specific problem, and it is my duty to find a suitable solution to it. So I'll tell you what: I'll have my personal physician write you a doctor’s note, and you’ll not have to take gym class again, ever,” the princess calmly declared.

“Really? Thank you, Your Highness. Isn’t that kind of unfair to the rest of my class, though? I mean, my problem was never enough of a reason to make an exception.”

“It’s not your pain that concerns me, Doldrum Whimper. Your body is going to go through some more changes from now on, and some will be decidedly more drastic than others. Your strength will increase dramatically, I can attest to that. You may also find yourself going blind every once in a while, especially the first few weeks. Never when you really can't afford to, though, rest assured. It's just not something you want to have to explain. It will also be safer if you to stay away from situations where you might get angry, given your heightened sensitivity.”

“Oh. Makes sense,” the boy replied.

“However,” the alicorn stated sternly, “you will not get this exemption without a compensation. You've already proven you are a competent fighter, so I shall expect you to study martial arts. Given your condition, it is the best way of learning control and developing your strength. There’s no reason you shouldn’t try it on your own, even if you cannot attend a class with your handicap. It is also ideal for both your anger and bully problems, and it’ll help you learn natural movement, a crucial skill when your energy is rising. I will also expect you to attend any meetings or martial arts demonstrations that you can, to prove that you are making an effort. And when you feel ready, we can work something out regarding that medal the Royal Guard is hanging on to.”

“Eheh, yeah… not really sure how I should handle that,” Whimper nervously started, rubbing the back of his head.

“Give it time, and things will become clear. I shall send you some books that will let you get started on the basic movements and meditations. They use quite a lot of symbols, but I’m sure you can make sense of them,” Luna offered.

“Thank you, princess Luna,” Whimper replied with a bow, “for everything.”

“And thank you for your act of courage, Whimper. That demon you felled was a pest, and we are all glad to be rid of it.”

“Umm, princess?”

“Yes?”

“About that Kludde thing? Why me? How come I beat that thing when the Royal Guard couldn’t?”

“You didn’t know? Kludde is a coward, it flees when injured. When it takes a shock, like losing its balance, the spell it uses to incapacitate prey is broken and must be recast. The mist it uses to cover its escape does not dissipate as easily, though. Normally it would have run away and disappeared after the first blow you landed, but I suppose you made it angry. It knew to run from highly trained guards, from martial arts masters, even from royalty. It did not know it should have run from you, and I think it’s safe to say it's sorely regretting that mistake, assuming it can even survive in Tartarus. Don't think too much on the sense and meaning of it, you won't find anything you want from that. It happened because it happened. If you are truly concerned with something as trivial as destiny, try not to be. A young colt such as yourself doesn't need to burden himself with such heavy subjects. As you are now, you can move on. As you will be, you can find happiness. Whatever your destiny is, however grand or mundane, you are already on its path and it will find you regardless. Your heart will speak louder now, all you need do is listen to it,” Luna said with a warm smile.

“I think I can handle that.”

“I know you can. I look forward to hearing of your progress, Doldrum Whimper,” the winged mare offered, turning to the front door and opening it with her magic. The colt followed her for a moment, noting a mischievous grin on her face.

“Oh, and one more thing. Congratulations on getting your cutie mark.”

Whimper locked eyes with her for moment, then gulped. He looked down at his flank. She followed his gaze and chuckled.

“Yes, I’m quite sure I’ll be hearing from you in the future.”