The Alicorn Warrior Analysis · 11:37am Jul 10th, 2021
Please read first:
At the time of writing this, the newest chapter 18 of the TAW story opened up a lot of topics to talk about. In this post, I will present my interpretation of recent happenings, so that obviously means spoilers for the story. It is also noteworthy to say that I will not be only analyzing the chapter 18, but also the events that lead up to it.
Disclaimer: I do not claim everything has to be factual in this blog. This is purely my interpretation of the recent events that I have information for. I will be looking at specific topics I feel like are most relevant. And I repeat, there are spoilers for the story. You have been warned.
The Analysis:
Part 1: Themes
The story of TAW has a few themes going around it. The message that a story sends is in my opinion one of the, if not the most important, aspect of a story. Since the story is still ongoing, I will present ones I feel like are the ones making the story interesting for me.
- Exile
Twilight Sparkle was exiled from Equestria. But even though she was in an seemingly impossible situation, she pulled herself together and made a life out of what she had. A very inspiring inclusion.
- Friendship
I mean, come on, it's in the name. Jokes aside, the theme of friendship is always welcomed and is obviously present here too.
- Killing
Twilight Sparkle has killed many in order to survive in her harsh 4 years of living in Badlands. A very deep message that reminds us of how harsh the life can really be. While Twilight's decision sounds clear, it is a morally wrong thing to do.
- Deception
Twilight finds out that there's a deeper mystery behind her exile. It is important to be open-minded and not always assume the worst.
- Humility
Maximus tries to teach Twilight about humility. It is important to be humble, but also be proud about your achievements as a person.
Part 2: Is Maximus Discord?
While reading the recent chapters, one might think that Maximus is actually our favorite Spirit of Chaos. I myself have been convinced of this while reading. So, I will do my best to present why I, or anyone else, got that impression.
Let's go in order, the first possible sighting of Discord if we don't count extra material, ahem the first April chapter, is at the end of chapter 15. This is the scene that I am referring to:
A presence watched as the ponies exited the house, before smirking to itself once the door closed. “Well well well, Sparkle… what a nice house you have here, eh?”
He teleported, appearing in a room filled with weapons. “Shabby,” he tutted disapprovingly.
Teleporting again, he appeared in the room Twilight and Rainbow were in earlier. “Better, but honestly? Too cliche.”
This time, he appeared into a room filled with Twilight’s drawings and paintings. “It’s a shame she has to leave most of these behind…” he mused. “Perhaps I could arrange for something once this is all over, eh? Equestria would certainly like these…”
“Whatever!” Teleporting again, he appeared in Twilight’s room. “Pfft, thought she would have had some kind of secret thingmajig around. What kind of room doesn’t have a secret compartment? Booooooring.”
“The house is just so boring,” it complained. “At least Sparkle isn’t as boring…” chuckling to himself, he teleported away for the final time, leaving the house, leaving the echo of a laugh behind.
First of all, this scene screams Discord for me, but let's go over the details. It definitely likes to play around like Discord. It's stated to be male, like Discord. He mentions Equestria like he is living there, which is interesting. The teleporting around does seem to point to Discord, however to be fair we have seen unicorns kind of do the same thing, but I don't think anyone would point an eye if I say this seems to be kind of a Discord-thing-to-do. It's minor, but it's there. That laugh at the end just screams Discord...again. Also, since I am listing everything, the fact that he is interested in Twilight does also point to Discord since he did do that. But this is just the beginning, let's move on to a different scene.
“Yeah!” Pinkie nodded fervently. “When he did his first fight, my Pinkie Sense went off and told me something was off!”
“Like what, exactly?” Twilight pressed. She needed any and every possible intel on her mysterious opponent if she was to defeat him.
“That’s not what he looks like normally!” Pinkie supplied, squeaking as she bounced up and down. “My Pinkie Sense tells me that he’s wearing some kind of costume or disguise!”
Fast forward to chapter 17, there is a lot to cover here. First, we find out in this scene that Pinkie was able to figure out that this is not how Maximus looks normally. This means he doesn't have to be a unicorn, adding to the possibility that this could be Discord. I want to add that while researching, I've find out that the name ''Maximus'' means ''greatest'', which is interesting. Anyway, next scene please.
“I’ve waited a long time to face you,” Maximus continued, as Twilight turned to try and find him. “To knock you down a few pegs. You’ve become too proud, Sparkle, and you need to learn that you can’t always go it alone. You need your friends.”
That voice...it seems familiar...but who? “What do you know about my friends?!” she snarled as she stomped the earthen ground with her forehooves, kicking up dirt. “I don’t need to be taught anything by you!”
“On the contrary, you do,” Maximus commented as a barrage of spells assaulted her, slamming into a hastily erected shield. “I was taught that lesson too late. It’s not too late for you yet.”
So not directly related, but I assume that the figure at the end of chapter 14 and Maximus are the same thing, but anyway. Twilight mentions that the voice of Maximus sounds familiar. Now, this is a huge red flag, if we don't know something since we are introduced to new characters, there aren't many characters as capable as Maximus has shown to be able to keep up with this Twilight, seem to know her, and that Twilight has interacted with (since she probably needs to interact with the guy to know his voice). This is the point where you would really start to believe this possibility, if you haven't already. Also, he was taught that lesson, of humility? Interesting. But wait, there's more.
“I am Maximus,” he replied simply. “A simple being on a simple journey. There’s nothing more to it. I am not an ally, nor am I an enemy. I am simply the extra wheel, seeking to churn things up.”
To be fair, I don't know if Discord would go through all of this, but he is someone who likes to play around. But, it is also interesting to note that Discord could have changed in 4 years of Twilight not being there, but this is why it could be Discord so let's just move on. He is playing around, like Discord would. Okay, let's continue.
As she locked eyes with Maximus, he looked up suddenly. Rarity’s eyes widened as their eyes met, something about Maximus’s eyes...disturbed her. There were no discernable emotions like Maximus wasn’t even a pony.
Moving on to the interlude, Rarity thought that Maximus's eyes are so discernable of emotions like he wasn't even a pony. Yes, the draconequus would agree.
“Nah,” he took a step forwards, and he stumbled as his hoof hit an errant rock on the ground, tripping over it. As he tumbled over, face first, there was an audible crack noise from his neck as his face slammed into the ground.
Rarity backed up in shock, her eyes looking at the unmoving body. “Mister Maximus…?” she asked weakly. “You okay…?”
Tirek, she thought, It’s honestly quite similar to how Tirek drained the magic from us, in fact.
It's interesting to note that she made that comparison, since Discord does know how that feels and looks like. But this is a minor example since it's kind of out there.
Alright, that's all I got on why Maximus could be Discord. There are some questionable things we learnt in the interludes, but they don't outright dismiss the possibility, so I won't pry on them. I am interested in how the character of Maximus will be handled and if he really is Discord. But hey, this is just a theory, a draconequus theory.
Part 3: The Hints?
This discussion is based on an author statement after Chapter 18: Bleeding Hearts. This is what I am referring to:
Let's see if anyone can catch the hints I placed...
That is just begging me to talk about it. So, I will present what I think this refers to.
I think this is referring to the second scene of the chapter, more specifically, this one:
Darkness.
Enveloping darkness surrounded her.
A tiny prick of light, provided by a candle, burned strong in front of her.
For years, that candle was her only source of light.
Twilight could see barely anything but darkness.
But just only this week. When her friends arrived.
There was light. Seven different colors of light.
Let me explain. I've seen some fellow readers out there try to interpret this, but I think this is more fitting than anything else I've seen so far:
For years, living alone, all that time inside of darkness is only a tiny prick of light that represents her strength alone. But after those ones she called friends arrived this week, her darkness was replaced by light. The pitch-black replaced by blinding white.
And obviously, the seven lights are her seven friends. This should correlate to what Maximus is saying that she would have to face an impossible choice that involves her friends:
Destiny lies, fate tricks you. You've thrown off Destiny's chains already, don't let Fate drag you back into their world. Make your own destiny, forge your own fate. Your life is yours to change. Remember these words, Sparkle, when you're faced with an impossible choice.
Unless I'm missing something, that setup should be the hint that's being referred to. So, I think that makes the most sense to be ''the hints''. And why do I say all this, you might ask? Repeat it with me. Friendship is Magic!
The Conclusion
Since the beginning, the story of The Alicorn Warrior written by iAmSiNnEr has a lot of potential as a story. The themes and narrative are mostly on point, and I can't forget the humor the chapters have to offer. The last few chapters have opened up a lot, and I like when I have to theorize like I am doing right now. I am looking forward to see how this story progresses and how it's characters will be developed.
But that would be all for me, bye.
OwO?
5552705
Apples, am I right chat?
5552706
Agreed