The Alicorn Warrior
Written by iAmSiNnEr
Helped by Gastredner
Edited by Stinium_Ruide
Chapter 11- Aftermath
After the commotion earlier, the day wound down surprisingly fast. Retrieving the money for an initial down payment on the mercenaries, arranging for the safe storage and transportation of the prisoners to Trikon Town had been troublesome, those griffons didn’t want to go quietly.
After last-minute discussions with Hard Line in regard to the arena during Twilight's absence, that saw her and her friends return to her abode no earlier than the early evening. Somewhat exhausted—mentally, magically, and physically—they did not bother with a lavish meal and after a short, slightly awkward dinner, her friends excused themselves to their beds and Twilight found herself alone on the little balcony she so liked.
Hidden into a niche and mostly covered with a heavy tarp to blot out the sun, Twilight rather liked to spend her evenings here, hidden away from prying eyes while being able to gaze upon the tips of the surrounding mountains and the mostly empty sky.
The setting sun illuminated the mountain tips in fierce reds, oranges, and yellows, and she quite enjoyed not just the looks, but also the sudden drop in temperature, savoring the short time between the hot and cold phases of the day.
And, with the troubles and turmoils of the day draining away into the silence and rest of evening and night, only the sound of the wind and the occasional desert critter rustling through the empty streets could be heard.
Without the silence, the soft hoofsteps in the corridor behind her might have gone unnoticed. With it, they might as well have been thunderclaps in Twilight's ears. She only needed to crane her neck a bit to see the hooves' owner in the doorway, her right front hoof raised, yellow ears laid back, shoulders and pink tail tucked in and a look in her eyes Twilight never wanted to see in the eyes of a pony she considered very dear to her.
"Still afraid of me?" she asked. Fluttershy looked away for a second before closing her eyes, scuffing her hoof on the floor two, three times, and taking a deep breath. Squaring her shoulders, she slowly walked onto the balcony, stopping only once she reached the floor next to Twilight's recliner.
"I don't want to be," she said, "but I tried to sleep and...e-everytime I close my eyes…"
Twilight rolled her head back straight and took some seconds to look at the sky, her gaze finding the moon's edge slowly rising above the mountains.
"The griffon?" she asked, before looking back at Fluttershy to see a meek nod.
"I always knew that I'd changed," Twilight began, "but I don't think I knew just how much I would have changed until I met you again. I don't really know what to think about it right now."
Twilight sat up to properly face Fluttershy before continuing.
"Strangely enough, I would have thought you to be one of the more understanding," she said to Fluttershy's utter astonishment. Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You are working with animals, Fluttershy. Maybe things are more different than I seem to remember, but I'm sure nature in Equestria isn't much less violent than here in the Badlands."
"B-but animals don't kill needlessly, Twilight," Fluttershy murmured, pawing at the ground, "and…ponies are not animals. I think..."
"No, you're right—we're not simple animals. That is why we strive not to kill. But it is necessary from time to time, as regrettable as that may be. As for the griffon…" Twilight trailed off, furrowing her brow while looking at the ground.
"Don't you think I tried? I do not remember the face of every griffon I threw out of the arena time and time again, but I can tell you: Most of today’s assailants weren't some innocent bystanders swept up in something terrible. I've rebuffed them more than once, gave them more than one chance—and yet they keep coming, threatening me, the arena staff, the people living close by…and now you."
"That doesn't mean that k-killing them is necessary, Twilight," Fluttershy countered, looking straight into Twilight's eyes. "There are always other ways if only we look for them hard enough! Like that prison!"
Twilight snorted. “These are the Badlands, Fluttershy. There aren’t really prisons, or anywhere to keep anybody we think are evil. The only one out there is Trikon Town, and that’s provided you pay for their stay.”
"Pay? W-what happens if you, you know…?" asked Fluttershy.
"They go from the paid-for confinement to the open confinement," Twilight answered.
"T-that doesn't sound so bad…"
Twilight had to repress an urge to roll her eyes. "Open confinement is called that because it is an unroofed slave labor camp, Fluttershy. The only thing it is open to is the sun. Sleeping conditions are appalling too; they sleep on the ground with no bedding. I”m already being very nice to the griffons paying for cells for them to stay in.”
"W-what!?" Fluttershy yelped. "That's horrible! Why doesn't anyone do something about that?"
"Who should do something about it?" Twilight asked wearily. "This is not Equestria, Fluttershy. The Badlands does not have a centralized government. There is no Royal Guard keeping the peace, no laws to determine how prisoners are kept or what is to be considered a just punishment for a crime."
"But, t-those poor beings…why would anyone do that?"
"Because running a prison is neither cheap nor easy, especially out here. Look around, Fluttershy. Finding water can be hard, and there is little in regards to edible plants or animals to be found. And unlike in Equestria, there are no taxes to help you provide for your prisoners. So, unless someone pays for them, you have to get what money you can get from the prisoners themselves."
Fluttershy shook her head. "There has to be a better way, Twilight. Maybe someone just needs to show them how to do it, why a government is good. Can't you do anything about it? You are a princess!"
"I was a princess in Equestria, Fluttershy. Here, I am respected, yes—but not because I run around and try to set up my own government. The people like me because I entertain them without harming others needlessly."
Twilight stood up and went to the balcony's railing, beckoning Fluttershy on with a hoof to follow. Once she heard her friend's hoofsteps stopping next to her, she continued. "If you were to follow this street down to its end, you'd find a nice little alchemist's shop on the right side. It is run by a rather nice elderly pegasus, and they do not sell anything too dangerous or ethically questionable in nature."
"That doesn't sound so ba—" Fluttershy began before Twilight interrupted her.
"They do sell unicorn horns, though. Pegasus flight bones, too, the last time I was there."
Twilight could see Fluttershy's eyes growing wide. "U-unicorn h-horns? B-but, to get that…" she started, before falling silent.
"Yes, you'd have to sever it off a unicorn's head. I actually have an agreement with them: They don't…source…it from living beings or anyone from this community, and I don't raise a fuss. That's what I can do, Fluttershy: Try to get the people to agree on what many would consider common decency. Sometimes, I can strong-hoof some of the more aggressive ones into keeping out of here or sway public opinion in a certain direction. But I'm not a princess here. And neither a mayor or any other kind of official. I guess the best description would be to say that I'm the extraordinarily mild-mannered schoolyard bully interested in the public good."
Twilight stepped back from the railing and sat down once more. "If I were to try and start my own government, the people would come together and question what it is that gives me the right to do that, Fluttershy. And, truthfully: What am I to say to that? That I deserve their unquestioning loyalty and to rule over them because I consider myself virtuous? That being an alicorn makes me inherently better than them?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, there's nothing I could say to them to get myself that kind of power. I'm doing what I can and, maybe, if I were to keep it up for some decades, or maybe centuries, people would agree to it. But right now, it is much too early for something like that. I'd not be seen as the benevolent ruler—I'd appear to be the power-hungry tyrant instead."
"I can see myself in you, Fluttershy. Back then, when I had just arrived. I would think and say the same things and, if I'm being honest, there is a surprisingly large part of me that still seems to agree. I wouldn't have sent those griffons to Trikon's otherwise. And yet, at the same time, I now have the experience to know just how naive it is, to see the myriad of ways it could all go wrong and they would come back to hurt me or the people living and working in and around my arena. And I can't help but wonder: Am I wrong? And, more importantly, if I am: Which part of me is wrong? The merciful Equestrian who gives chance after chance, no matter how undeserving the recipient may be? Or the realist from the Badlands, trying to be good within reason?"
Fluttershy still hadn't moved from her place at the railing, but her ears had attentively followed Twilight. The latter got up and went the few steps to her friend’s side.
"Or maybe, Fluttershy…maybe the rules are simply different, here and in Equestria. Maybe I'm right and wrong at the same time. But I don't think I'll be able to find any answers to that this evening. But seeing Equestria again might help—I've certainly missed it and its ponies very much. So…I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I'm sorry you had to see this just to find me, and I'm sorry if I have ever made you afraid. Especially as I am very thankful. I did not think I would meet you or my family ever again, and now, you've given me that chance. And who knows? Maybe we actually will find a way to improve the situation here. So…thank you, my friend." Twilight said before hugging Fluttershy. The pegasus, to her credit, only froze up for a split second before putting her own forelegs around Twilight.
Twilight held the hug for several seconds, eyes closed, and allowed herself a short reminiscence of the time before. Not long after, she and Fluttershy released the hug, but Twilight stayed close. "If you go into the kitchen, you'll find a small, green pot in the right most cupboard. In it are some roots of a desert plant growing further out. Put two in a cup and add some hot water—they are relaxing and will help you find your sleep. They usually do the trick for me," she said before trotting over to the corridor's entrance. "Good night, Fluttershy."
"Good night, Twilight," Fluttershy responded, still standing at the railing, but now looking at the alicorn vanishing into the corridor. The night fell silent again—silent enough for Fluttershy’s rather sharp hearing to catch Twilight mumbling to herself:
"Or maybe, we'll find out I've changed even more than I thought."
Hey! Take this comment and know that I realy enjoyed Chapter 10 and do enjoy the whole story.
I am happy to see where this little adventure will take Twilight and what happens in the next days...or if everything goes to Tartarus!
Awesome chapter, btw. Thank you for using my idea that maybe the character has changed too much to be considered Equestrian anymore
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I get why people were somewhat upset at Twilight's behavior in the earlier chapter—we've seent that the Badlands aren't Equestria and that Twilight had to adapt, so we see her behavior towards the griffons as vindicated. And it might be that. The problem is, of course, that her friends are used to something different. In Equestria, being merciful and giving chances repeatedly beyond what we would consider reasonable factually works (most of the time). I wasn't really too surprised by Twilight wanting to try and give it another shot, given her earlier experiences, once her friends reappeared and threw her into a bit of an emotional loop.
In that way, it is actually a quite nice setup to explore how different Equestria and it inhabitants are not just from the rest of their world, but ours, too.
She just said it herself, people won't agree to her rule and change.
And Equestria "help" won't help.
This chapter was MUCH better than the last one. The introspective moments and harsh realities being shown in a way that anyone could understand are absolutely amazing. This chapter was, for lack of a better word, perfect.
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Right, so just to be clear: you're not going to do a full rewrite then? I had been holding off on catching up with this story because of that announcement and waiting for the re-write to be done, but if there's not going to be one I'll start catching up now.
Absolutely loving this story.
sooooo... whens the threat to equestria coming that makes twily go rambo and proves that bodily harm is magical!
I absolutely love this story. I like the way Twilight has changed, as it shows that she knows what she is doing. What kind of makes me confused, is the fact that Fluttershy is afraid of Twilight who nearly killed a couple of Griffons. I mean, she helps animals that are sometimes seen as ultimate predators that kills. In my opinion, what is the difference? Don't get me wrong: I am not saying "Let's go and kill!" I would only do that if my life depended on it. But as i said, i really like this story.
Are you REALLY sure about that? Because, in MANY MLP Stories that I read in here. The many Everfree Forest Creatures/Monsters will LOVE to dine on Pony Fresh!!!
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So, they are killing ponies because they are hungry. That's not killing needlessly.
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Ok, good point. It's just that every MLP Story that I read in here. I keep seeing the Highly OVER Cliche of having the Everfree Forest Creatures/Monsters ( Timberwolf, Manticore, Hydra, Cockatrice, Chimera, etc.) that tried to eat the Ponies unfortunate enough to be in the forest. It's always the CMC, or even the Main Six sometimes.
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There's not going to be a full rewrite, just some grammar and repitition edits.
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*winks*
Can't wait for the next update!
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Waiting...
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Waiting even more...
Honestly? I am really looking forward to this story. From my "Tracking" list, it is one of the best that I am reading.
I am not sure why there was so much hate over the last chapter, since it showed precisely one of the biggest points of the story, the changes of Twilight, alongside this one, that showed her level of self awareness over it.
Anyways, I look forward for this story!
This was a great chapter.
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Bisingr, you mean. And yes, I took the idea from there. If you read carefully, some ideas are from multiple books, I don't take the whole idea for myself, though.
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Thanks :)
Great chapter. I enjoy how much mature Twilight is. Its really refreshing
I remember a old joke. "When I first arrived here all I had was a sword and a Army of Mercs" said the King to his son.
I could see Twilight doing so in the badlands.
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Oh I never meant it as a bad thing I think it's hilariously fantastic.
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Oh. Awkwarddddddd
nice work
Have you considered rewriting some of the beginning chapters to add length, depth, and help the chapters run together more smoothly? (just a thought) Great chapter by the way. It really helps shead more light on Twilight's character changes and decisions.
I'm sorry you didn't get great feedback on the last chapter. I've been enjoying and looking forward to more chapters from this story.
I think this is a great story and it is definitely getting added to my Favorites List!
Anyway, I'm glad Twilight had that talk with Fluttershy, as I thought her and her other friends were way too quick to judge Twilight. Twilight's old friends have no idea what it was like in her own personal situation. Not only did she have to bust her flank running the arena and other businesses to get money, she also had to put up with regular attempts on her life. Her friends got care packages from Equestria with money and food, and they had each other to protect them against the dangers of the desert.
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Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't see this until today. I can see why you think so, and no, I'm not going to justify myself. I know I may have went off track, and I'm trying to bring it back on. Please bear with me as I do so in the next few chapters :)
when will they understand she killed becaouse she NEEDED to?!!!
She gave the "This is the Badlands" speech. I know many people think this slow down in the story is counterproductive, but you've got to have the occasional slow down for the characters to take a pause and reflect.
BWHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!
ponies sure are a bunch of snowflakes!
the animal kingdom is more scarier than those who have a mind to scheme and kill you, coz for them the buffet hours is freakin 24/7!
FS i like you and your cute, but youre being an idiot, i wouldve slapped you if i could!
Fluttershy is literally a dead victim walking. She expects some of them are going to give her time to spout her ideals to every crook and mugger that comes along.
I would laugh if it wouldn't be tragic if some murder stabs her in the back and while she is bleeding out she whimpers "why?" And the guy literally just stops for a moment in
Confusion and says "cause i am a bad guy you dunce..."
This chapter reminded me of a book I read, A Practical Guide to Evil. The protagonist is a villain that is pretty much the epitome of "nessesary evil". She does try to work with heroes, but laments that more often than not the heroes only say that she is wrong and try to stop her with idealism and zeal. Never offering suggestions on what she could do instead, potentially leaving a world more broken than it was when she was in charge.
I enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for writing it! The examples of compromising with the unicorn horns etc. were fantastic.
This sentence is literally melting my brain right now.
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Yeah me too, I'm quite sure there are plenty that kill and maim needlessly. Like I think it was dolphins? Or was it orcas or killer whales? I don't exactly remember.
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Cats, and even dogs too, kill rats and mices for fun, like a sport, or as a sign of loyalty where pets would bring their hunt to you.
Dolphins would sometimes literally sealclub for fun, and do underwater soccer with pufferfishes until they die.
If I recall correctly, orcas does the same thing as dolphins.
Fluttershy is too used to looking the other way.