Ponyville's First Warrior Meet

by Wise Cracker

Prologue: Royal Visit! The Bullhead's New Path!

Doldrum Whimper moaned as his stomach turned. He was shaking all over and his breath came in ragged. “I-I don’t fuh-feel so good.”

“It’s alright, Whimper. Three tries of the Spear Test will do that to you,” Princess Luna conjured up a bucket just in case the boy lost his dinner.

The blue pegasus colt leaned over the bucket, heaving and burping but never really letting go. Beads of sweat rolled down his brow. “I can’t see. I didn’t think it’d be like this. Rainbow Dash didn’t tell me it’d be like this.”

“No, I imagine she wouldn’t.” The Princess looked around the 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 quite old, though. While she didn’t remember the little hills being quite the way they were, Luna 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, he was clearly not a boy to be trifled with. Judging from appearances, though, Luna was right to intervene here. With a toned 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 niche of 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 right after the incident, 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. Normally the process should be giving him some relief by now.

“Feel better?” the alicorn asked.

“A little,” he replied meekly, his voice a hushed whisper. It reminded her of Fluttershy, actually, and the lessons in soft speaking Luna had so eagerly taken to heart. “So what happens now?”

“Now? Now that your body is recovering from the shock, 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. “Uhuh. 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 is... true, in a sense. It’s the simple explanation, I suppose. 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, for a short time. Sometimes the body decides it would be better to keep on doing the thinking, and certain parts of the brain become more active while others are pushed to the background. That is what you were coping with: a conflict between mind and body. One Self battling the other for control.”

“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. One of the side effects of the body and mind becoming more aligned is an increase in physical strength, but it can come with mood swings, rather violent ones in your case. I was only informed of the shock you’d 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, really. It feels like I know you, if you don’t mind me saying so, Your Majesty. Like we’ve met before, or something.”

Luna afforded herself a small grin at that. “We have met before, Whimper, technically. 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 the dreams never went the way it actually happened, I don’t know why. There was always something else fighting him instead of me. I just thought that maybe I remembered it wrong,” the colt narrated, before looking up at the mare. “That was you?"

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make those nightmares go away. I tried, truly I did, but the wounds you suffered ran deeper than I could treat. It takes time. 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 shaky all over, he smiled and nodded. His breath slowed down, a good sign.

“Uhuh. My head feels clearer. It’s quiet again.” He smiled, and his ears twitched. “I can’t remember last time I had quiet like that.”

“Heightened sensitivity, I presume?”

He nodded. “Like every time I’m in a crowd, all the voices go right into my head. I can feel how other ponies are feeling.”

“Hmm, sounds familiar enough. Rising empathy does tend to cause a lot of white noise in the mind, especially in boys and stallions. But how do you feel right now, this very moment, physically? Any aches, any lights flashing in your eyes?” Luna asked, keeping her voice light so as not to disturb his shaken composure.

“Just this rumbling underneath my stomach, and my chest is a little tight,” the boy said, rubbing that muscular 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 a step closer and pointed a hoof at the boy.

“Alright, then. Doldrum Whimper, if you are feeling up to it, I would like to inspect you 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. In your case, with that much stress behind it, it may have gotten stuck. I cannot tell how far your body has gone by your mental state, or how much your body’s state is affecting your mind. I need to make certain both are in order before you proceed any further. 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. Go ahead.”

“I do not say this lightly, child. This is a very ancient and, in some countries, a forbidden technique. If I touch you now, if I do this properly, I can take control of your body. I can enter your mind and do as I please. I could rewrite everything that you think you are. All your secrets will be laid bare, and if you try to fight or break contact there is a chance a piece of me gets left behind that shouldn’t be there. While that wouldn't hurt, it would be quite unsettling, to say the least. You’ll be giving up any control to me, at least for a time. 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.”

“Good,” Luna solemnly replied as she walked behind him 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, like a pearl, or a tiny moon.

“No scar tissue in your hind legs, good. Firm, strong muscles, not too stiff, that's a plus. Your whole musculature feels smoother than than I'd expect, no nicks or cuts. If I had to guess, that’s the Chuck Boulders method of training, is it not?”

“You know Chuck Boulders? I thought that was from before, you know.”

“It was, actually, but I have been catching up on the stories I’ve missed, and his was a fascinating one. Yes, you did well, from the looks of it. Your legs shouldn’t give you any trouble any time soon if you continue like this. No signs of any nutrient deficits, either. Healthy diet, good boy.”

He felt her rooting around through his memories, mostly from meals he’d had over the years. “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.”

“Ah, of course, Passiflora. Another interesting story. Right, 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?”

“A good idea, yes, 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. Chuck Boulders knew a few secrets of his own, actually, you should look into his writings again. In the meantime...” Luna trailed off as her eye reached his lungs, making the boy itch on his back.

“O-ow, that part’s tender.” Whimper’s whole body clenched.

Luna drew in a sharp breath through her teeth. “I can see that. That must be that birth defect I've heard so much about. And it's quite a severe case, too.”

“Y-yes, Ma’am. I can fly okay, but only if I don’t flap my wings too fast.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of. That’s how a lot of great flyers do it. And you built your strength despite your 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 your friend did not work to become as big as you are, now, did she?”

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

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

“But?”

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

“That is a lot of anger you are holding, Whimper. I can feel it burning, even when it’s buried so deep. It narrows your flow, constricts around you. I’m surprised you don’t feel it now, pounding in your head. 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, feel sorry for me. I don’t wanna be treated like I’m sick, but I don’t wanna be forced to do something I know I can’t do and I can’t help. I never know what to do, I’m stuck. So 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. And you do not need to push it down and let it burn the way it burns now. It’s only going to get worse if you let it stay like this.”

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 when I got into a berserker rage, I beat a monster, a real monster.”

Luna blinked, confused. “Now how would a boy your age even know what a 'berserker rage' is?”

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

“Ah. Yes, I suppose that’d do it,” came her 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, perhaps?” Princess Luna asked.

The boy nodded with a wince, no doubt realising the topic might be 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 it’s true: 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, carefully, 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 real cause for concern.”

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

Luna rose up and looked down at the little pegasus. “Rainbow Dash told you about that, too, I take it?”

Whimper nodded. “She said my true self would come out. The part of me that’s in the shadow now, that’s gonna take over. The part that’s angry and uncivilised is going to be all there is soon. Even if I get it under control, I won’t be me anymore, will I? I’ll be the thing that fought that demon, for the rest of my life. I’m gonna turn into a bully, even if I don’t want to.”

“You’re half right. You will still be yourself, mind you. What you are now, at the surface, and what you are deep down, will mingle and form something new altogether. Your personality and body will become more in tune with each other, and that will change your perceptions, much as they have already. If your anger leads you to become a bully, then your abilities will suit those of a bully. Your defect might clear up as your energy rises, actually,” Luna 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. If you feel that strongly about it, I could cure your breathing defect right now, actually,” she said, smiling.

He cringed. “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. As long as I flush out your soul properly, you wouldn’t be able to struggle hard enough to cause yourself any pain. All your inner conflicts, all your fears, everything that holds you back from your true potential would be washed away in the blink of an eye. Just one little touch, and your lungs would be cured, your body would be stronger, and you’d wake up in the morning with a horn,” Luna explained, smiling menacingly.

“B-beg your pardon, princess Luna?”

“If I offered, here and now, 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. I’ve seen that righteous anger that burns in your heart. 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.”

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

She chuckled and started to put her shoes back on. “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. It would mend everything, true, but it would do you no good. I will, however, give you this, just in case.”

Slowly, carefully, Luna extended her only unshod hoof towards Whimper’s chest. He didn’t see any glow, but he felt a coolness flow from her hoof to his heart. Once it was done, the Princess smiled. “There. Now you have a tiny piece of my magic in you. In time, it will meld with your own self, and it will help balance you out along the way.”

Whimper rubbed his chest, before clenching his eyes shut. “So, this isn’t going to turn me into an alicorn?”

Luna chuckled again, putting on her last shoe. “Not on its own, no. I couldn’t turn you simply to heal you; it would be unethical, and my sister would never let me hear the end of it. No, if I intervened on that level, 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 of power 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. “No, I guess not.” Luna grinned as she swore she spotted an image twinkling in his eyes, namely that of him prancing around with an oversized crown on his head.

“Though between you and me, Doldrum Whimper, you may get a strange craving for croissants every now and again.” She winked at him. “Do not worry about it too much, though. It will not invade on your psyche, and it will return to me once you are properly healed. It won’t get you through all of your trials, but it will help prepare you for the worst ones. The burning in your heart, that clogging, you will have to mend on your own, or learn to adjust so it stops hurting. Some ponies do prefer to draw their power from that sort of thing.”

“So there’s no way I’m suddenly going to turn into an alicorn, right?”

Luna rolled her eyes. "Not because of anything I did, no, but I can’t be certain if you will not manage on your own. All things considered, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. But what I mean to say is: any changes that will happen, anything that shall be mended, that all needs to come naturally. That anger you are holding onto is yours to let go or to wield, or to be driven by. The choice is yours, and, as much as I would prefer one over the others, there are pros and cons to any of those options. So I leave that choice to you in good faith. 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 down our paths, but it's not what we need to strive for. Do you understand that?”

“I think I do. Maybe,” 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 sworn duty to find a suitable solution to it. So I'll tell you what: I shall have my personal physician write you a doctor’s note, and you’ll not have to take gym class again, ever,” the alicorn 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 is 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’ll also find yourself going blind every once in a while again, 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 for you to stay away from situations where you might get angry, given your heightened sensitivity. Regardless of how you handle it, that anger will come back to the forefront, with a vengeance. It’s best if you decide on how to deal with it carefully, with minimal risk of damage.”

“Oh. Makes sense.”

“However,” she said sternly with a hoof held up to emphasise her point, “you will not get this exemption without a compensation. You've already proven you are a competent fighter, and you clearly have the discipline to follow a regimen of physical exercise on your own, so I shall expect you to study martial arts more seriously now. Given your condition, it is the best way of learning control and developing your strength.”

He winced. “But, umm, I can’t really join any class here, Your Highness. They always run to warm up.”

“Perhaps, but some masters might make an exception. Besides, 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. Furthermore, I shall 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 said, 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. “And there’s a shop in Canterlot you may want to visit sometime, but it’s not easy to find. I’ll make sure you have a map. Choose what suits you best, whether you decide to follow a master or not. Who knows, you might find an individual who understands you. There are a lot of strange ponies in those circles, after all. They’re not all like the teachers you’ve encountered so far. But your choice of martial arts school is your decision, not mine. Just pick one, that is all I ask.”

“I will. 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 Luna?”

“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. We’ve sent many Royal Guards to ambush it, but it always got away because of that blasted curse.”

“So how come I did? Does that mean I’m stronger than the Royal Guard? Am I a monster now, too?”

Luna recoiled at the very idea. “No, silly child, no. Wherever did you get such a ridiculous notion?”

Whimper looked away and let his head hang.

“Right. Still not the most confident of boys, I see. To answer your question: you defeated it because you were the first warrior that demon did not flee from once engaged in combat. Normally it would have run away and disappeared after the first blow you landed, but I suppose you hurt its pride in the process. You made it angry.”

He grumbled, confused. “I won because I made it angry? That’s all?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Kludde underestimated you, Whimper, and that is something to be proud of. 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.”

Whimper looked at the ground again, his lips curled in the tiniest of pouts. It didn’t take Luna much guessing to tell what he was thinking.

“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 to bring your focus back to your own life, back to the days you have, those are what truly counts. A young colt like 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.

Much to Luna’s joy, Whimper’s pout turned into a small, but hopeful smile. For the first time that night, his face looked like that of a normal, happy little boy. “I think I can handle that.”

“I know you can. I look forward to hearing of your progress, Doldrum Whimper,” she said, before 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 let out a hearty laugh that was somewhere between jolly and intimidating.

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

Author's Note:

And so it begins. More of a setting up prologue, this. Give a little backstory for the boy in case you haven't read the first story. Kind of like the Nine Tails incident that gets mentioned at the start of the series and supposedly is really important, but then fizzles out and gets completely ignored as a plot point for a long-donkey time, besides explaining why the main character is both an idiot and super strong.

My character's not an idiot, but he is pretty strong.

For those who missed the announcements, or for those who are new: this story is kind of a spoof of Naruto, or at least what I remember from Naruto, it's been a while. So expect lots of silliness, action, and, naturally, exclamation marks in the chapter titles.

If you like Naruto, you'll probably like this. If you hate Naruto, you're probably gonna love this. If you don't know anything about Naruto or anime in general, that's perfectly fine, the story is written to be accessible, and I'll be using my Author's Notes to provide additional background for things that would otherwise keep coming up in the comments.

Since this is a major lead-up to what happens later on the story, I'll wait for any major stuff on chi and such. Suffice to say this story deals with concepts like chi and such.

One of the problems I didn't catch until way into the fic is that this chapter has remained pretty much unchanged for several years. I've gone over the other ones so often, I totally forgot to edit this one quite a few times. So on a technical level, this one's probably the weakest. Much like my first stories were. If I was an artsy type with a tendency to make excuses, I'd claim it was intentional. As it is, let's just call it a mixed bag, shall we?

Next up, what you've all been waiting for. The stallion, the legend.

It's been three and a half years, but the day has finally arrived:

Brace Yourself, Ponyville! Hurricane Incoming!

Comments

[ponygrad]

A good job on recapping the story, progressing this one, and giving the catharsis we really wanted from the last story. It's not easy to find that balance other fimfic series I'm reading become bogged down making it accessible. It's always nice to be able to recommend a story without having to start at the beginning.