A Warrior's Calling

by Valiant_Daybreak

Chapter 1 - Kindness at Last

Chapter 1 – Kindness at Last

As daylight streamed in through the windows, Prince Valiant Daybreak opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings with a quick turn of his head. He was in what appeared to be a spare bedroom carved out of the trunk of a large tree. Pictures of both rare and common animals littered the walls; it was clear that whoever had put them up had no real sense of direction, instead putting up pictures wherever he or she had managed to find wall space.

Where am I? He wondered.

As he searched around the room for his belongings, the memories came flooding back. I collapsed in front of that house... Did... somepony... take me in..?!

He found his cloak on a chair next to the bed, recently washed and neatly folded. The horn on his head faintly glowed as he willed it on with a bit of magic.

As he put on his cloak, he realized with a start that something was missing. He gave his room a quick, thorough search before coming to the conclusion he feared: his sword and shield were gone. He pondered this for a moment. While it was true that whoever took him in had taken his sword and shield, they had actually taken him in... That fact alone was enough to warrant whoever it was a bit of trust. Still, to trust a stranger too much had the potential to be a mistake, so he cautiously opened the door, looked around, and crept down the hallway until he heard voices. Ever so carefully, he sneaked around the corner, until he could match figures with the conversation.

Two mares sat in what appeared to be a kitchen. The first, back turned to him, was the butterscotch pony he had seen before he collapsed; he could see now that she was a pegasus. The second mare was light lavender, and had a pointed horn that signified she was a unicorn.

"Well..." the butterscotch pony quietly said, "he just sort of walked up to my front door and it was obvious he was hurt and, well... umm... I took him inside."

"Wait, hold on Fluttershy," said the unicorn, "A mysterious pony comes walking out of the Everfree and you just let it into your house?"

"Oh, well... he just sort of... collapsed... and... I didn't want to leave him out in the rain..."

The unicorn sighed and shook her head. Sometimes Fluttershy could be too compassionate for her own good. "So where is he now?"

Fluttershy ducked her head and quietly replied, "Oh, umm... he's asleep in the guest bedroom. Oh, and Twilight? He had these with him..." Gingerly, she placed the missing weapons on the table at which the two ponies were seated. So... they weren't outright stolen, Valiant thought.

Twilight picked them up, examining them with slight interest. After a quick examination, she replaced them on the table. "Well, this is extremely interesting, Fluttershy, but it hardly qualifies as an emergency... Spike and I were in the middle of..."

"Oh... umm... Twilight? Sorry to interrupt, but... There's more."

The purple filly leaned forward in anticipation. "Well?"

Clearing her throat with obvious nervousness, the yellow filly said, "Well... he... he is... That is... he has.."

"I have both a horn and wings." Valiant said, as he stepped into the room.

Fluttershy, startled, yelped and whirled around, backing quickly away from him into a corner of the room.

A bit startled himself, Valiant eyed the retreating pegasus with surprise. "I'm sorry," he said finally, "I did not mean to frighten you. Please, I mean you no harm."

Slightly reassured by his words, the butterscotch colored pony regained a bit of her courage, shyly walking forward and retaking her seat.

"Oh... umm... don't worry about it... I'm easily frightened..."

Clearing her throat, the unicorn, whom the pegasus had called Twilight, said, "Yes, well, now that that's all been cleared up, who are you?" Eyeing him suspiciously, she added, "Mysterious ponies don't usually just show up out of the blue!"

Valiant winced slightly, before nodding and replying, "I suppose I concede you that point. I do not usually tell others my identity, but I suppose since you both know about my... true appearance you will inevitably guess something... my name is..." at that moment, his stomach gave out an enormous growl, reminding him of how hungry he was. It was so loud that it woke up a small bunny, who had previously been sleeping in a chair in a corner of the room.

Fluttershy gave a quiet gasp before saying, "Oh! Where are my manners? If you were that exhausted you must be hungry too!" Quickly, she flew into the kitchen, gathering enough things together to make a simple salad. Setting it in front of him, she said shyly, "I hope it's alright... It... it's all I have at the moment... I was going to go to the market today..."

Valiant stared at the food for a full ten seconds. "You do not even know me," he finally said, "and you are giving me food?"

Ducking her head, Fluttershy said, "Oh... umm... yes... if that's alright..."

Valiant's eyes grew a bit misty. I have been traveling so long... Searching for a place to stay... Perhaps my search is finally over. Now if I could only be sure... Blinking back the tears and clearing his throat, he said, "Thank you very much. Your kindness shall be repaid."

"Well... that is..." the pegasus began, "you don't have to worry about that... I couldn't sit by and let another pony go hungry..."

The emotions hit Valiant again, causing him to pause. She doesn't want anything from me... She's helping me simply because she wants to... Just like... Valiant squashed down the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Regain composure! "In that case, thank you again, you are truly very kind." He quickly began to eat, utilizing as much etiquette as he could bear with his growling stomach.

When he had finished, Twilight cleared her throat again, asking, "Yes, well, now that we've got that cleared up: you were saying?"

"Forgive me," Valiant replied, pushing the bowl to the center of the table. "My name is Prince Valiant Daybreak, heir to the throne of Corralland, a country far to the east. I... am the last true surviving citizen of my country, or one of the last anyway."

"Oh my..." Fluttershy said, "What happened?"

Silent for a second, Valiant replied, "It is a sad tale, not something I would like to discuss at the moment. Someone as fair as yourself could not possibly benefit from hearing it, and it brings up... painful memories as well."

Overcome with sadness for the other pony, Fluttershy's eyes welled with tears, before she said, "I'm... I'm sorry I mentioned it..."

Valiant, who at this time had regained his composure, said, “It is alright. Perhaps I will be able to face these memories one day.” Clearing his throat, he continued, “Regardless, since my country was... destroyed, I have traveled east, searching for a place to call home. I disguised my princely nature, as I wanted to live somewhere where everypony was treated equally... I'm... tired of special treatment. I disguised myself as a homeless pony, passing through every town I came to unless somepony willingly extended hospitality to me. Needless to say from my current condition, I have not stopped for a fair amount of time. You are the first pony in a week that has opened her door to me, and the first pony I have encountered in my entire search to have no ulterior motives for doing so."

Fluttershy ducked her head, quietly replying, "Well... you were hurt... and... umm... I couldn't just leave you there..."

Valiant smiled, "For that, I thank you."

After a brief moment of silence, Twilight finally spoke. "So, what will you do now?"

He thought for a second. Should I give this place a chance? Glancing over at Fluttershy, he thought, If they are all half as kind as she, I think I need go no further. "If it is alright with whoever is in charge of your town, I would love to stay here for the time being."

Twilight still slightly suspicious, said, "That's fine, but we don't need to go through anyone to ask for permission. Ponyville is always open to strangers. The only real question is where you will stay until we can find you a house of your own..."

"Oh... umm Twilight?" Fluttershy began.

"Yes, Fluttershy?" Oh no, Twilight thought.

"Umm, well... He could... he could stay here if he wanted to..." quickly turning around to face Valiant, she said, "If you'd like to, of course! But if you don't want to... I understand."

There it was. The offer was on the table. Twilight braced herself for Valiant's response.

After a moment of thinking, he replied, "I appreciate your hospitality, but... I wouldn't want to put you through so much trouble..."

"Oh!” She exclaimed, her eyes growing a bit wider, “It would be no trouble at all... I mean... unless you don't find my house nice enough... you are a prince after all."

“Not at all!” he exclaimed quickly, “You have a beautiful home... but... I am a strange pony, whom you have never met before. You have no idea of my intentions. Are you sure you trust me enough to let me stay with you?”

After thinking for a moment, she quietly said, “Y... yes... I think so.”

"In that case, I have one thing to offer you in return. It is true that I am a Prince, but, in my country, I was also a knight. As such, I give my word that, while I remain here, no harm shall come to you. Neither myself, nor anything else, will harm you as long as I remain under your roof." He walked over to the table, and picked up the weapons which were still lying there. "These are the tools of the warrior. Some ponies use them as weapons of destruction and war, tools only to take what others have earned themselves. I choose to use them as tools of defense, existing to protect myself and others."

He knelt on the ground, bowing his head, "I, Prince Valiant Daybreak, do hereby lend my sword to your aid, and pledge that nothing above my power shall harm a hair of your mane for the duration of my stay with you."

What the...! Twilight's mouth was now nearly touching the floor. Fluttershy, the butterscotch fur on her face now completely red, managed to stutter, "Th... th... tha..." before turning, running up the stairs to her room and swiftly closing the door behind her.

Valiant stood slowly, staring after her in shock. "What did I say?" he asked.

Sighing, Twilight walked over to him. "Fluttershy's name is extremely descriptive: she is the most timid pony I've ever met in my life. She takes everything extremely seriously, and what you said to her probably had the emotional equivalent of a marriage proposal in her mind."

It was Valiant's turn to turn crimson, "That.... that's not what I meant at all! Where I come from, it's only natural for..."

"I know," Twilight interrupted, holding up a hoof, "and she knows, but the feeling is the same. She's probably just extremely confused. Nopony has ever said something like that to her. She'll come down in a minute, but it's best you don't talk about it. It'd only embarrass her."

The room was silent for a precious moment, before Twilight quickly wheeled at him and said, "I don't know what you're up to, but don't think I haven't got my eye on you!"

Startled, Valiant stuttered, "I..."

She continued, "If you intend to do ANYTHING that might hurt Fluttershy, if you take advantage of her good will, you WILL be severely punished. Oh, and that promise you made? You better keep it, or else..."

Valiant stared into Twilight's eyes, which were burning bright with protectiveness for her friend. "Twilight," he said softly after the initial shock had passed.

Eying him suspiciously, she said, "what?"

"Everything I said about my journey was the truth. She is the first pony who has actually cared about my well-being in a long time... I will protect her, if only for that fact."

The door at the top of the stairs swung open and Fluttershy peeped out. Exiting the room, she walking down the stairs with her head hung low. "I... I'm sorry about that... it was incredibly rude of me..."

"Sorry about what?" Valiant asked.

Surprised, Fluttershy said, "Oh... about me running up the stairs and..."

"It makes sense that you would have things to prepare," he said. "You needed to go to the market right?"

Slowly, Fluttershy nodded. "...yes..."

"Well, would you mind if I came along?" he asked, "I would carry your bags for you, and it would give me a good opportunity to see the town!"

"Oh... well..." she began, "I suppose, that would be nice." For the first time since he arrived, she looked up into his eyes and smiled. As she stared, she felt something she couldn't quite get a good hold of... A warm feeling, resonating from her heart outward.

Smiling back, he replied, "Shall we go then?" He opened the door for her with a bit of magic, and she gracefully stepped out of it, before turning around and saying, "Oh! I forgot my saddlebags..."

"You mean these?" he turned, showing her the twin saddlebags resting on his back.

"Oh... yes... those are the ones." Blushing slightly again, she continued down the path, Valiant walking alongside her. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Twilight closed the door and followed.

Comments

[Xtremman2]

Nice story.
I like the idea of a knight from a foreign land honor bound to protect Fluttershy.

[Tealove]

This is a really good start. I'm not usually into OC stories but I think I'll have to follow this one. Just a couple of things to point out though, if you don't mind.

When he's thinking to himself you usually have it in italics, but there is one part his thoughts are in regular font. This here: " She doesn't want anything from me... She's helping me simply because she wants to... Just like... "

Also, for the most part we are in Valiant's head so it's a little jarring when suddenly we're in Twilight's head. You only do it a few times and very briefly (once with Fluttershy, too, I believe) but it's something you might want to think about in further chapters. Or just ignore me. Head hopping is my pet peeve so I pick up on it far too easily.

[Valiant_Daybreak]

>>Tealove

My Bad... I'm actually pretty far ahead on writing the chapters, and copy-pasting this into the poster didn't copy over the italics. Must have missed that one. I'll do a better job of proof reading that one.

>>Xtrememan2

Thanks for the feedback! Nice to know someone else likes my story!

[derpyhuman]

This, is an interesting story, I'm following this.

[Tealove]

1300285 It happens to us all.