Spitefic: Kill or control?

[pan2000]

After a few more struggles, things could not be better for the alliance.

With Artie's help, Stormwolf has now a new member, Mako.

Not just that, but Starfleet's planets have decreased significantly in numbers. They now consist of United Equestria, El Bueno Mundo and technically Luminous.

So, it was time for Stormwolf to make smaller, but more significant moves.

"I don't want to hide anymore, and anyone who wants to be free from those racists shouldn't have to go to space!" Twilight tells the others. "Tomorrow we free New Ponyville!"

Everyone cheers as one person.

"How?" Rey asks. "Do we kick the butts of everyone who works for Starfleet?"

Twilight wags her finger. "No. I have a brilliant plan. One that will easily free the city, will make our forces more powerful, will ensure we will not be spotted by Starfleet and get counterattacked tol early, will cause no damage to Ponyville, and above all else, will certainly have no casualties!"

"Nice! I don't want anymore bloodshed!" Fluttershy tells her friend.

"Can I be with you?" Finn asks. "I think I can help inspire soldiers forced to work for the enemy. I have helped in Exegol this way."

"Don't worry, Finny, I can handle this all by myself. I think seeing you would make them more aggressive, considering you beat their champion up twice" Twilight replies, not looking at him.

Finn snorts. "I just wanted to help her."

Rey pats him in the back. "Don't worry, she just wants to handle it on her own. I always want to do so myself, imprint or no imprint. Remember?"

"I just worry about her. What if they don't listen? Twilight is considered dead and she has a bad name in Starfleet. How can she fix this?" Finn asks.

"You underestimate Twily" Rainbow tells the Jedi. "She is a great diplomat, and she can fix most cases of friendship!"

The next day, Twilight stands at the tallest building and senses everyone that is in Starfleet all around the city by making her horn glow. Then it glows purple and she remembers something.

How she changed the diet of a whole species so they won't endanger her friends anymore. And now, she knows this is the only way to avoid bloodshed. Even inspiring them will not work, she seen as dead and will be misunderstood as an evil spirit. Also her being spotted will bring Celesto's wrath on everyone who revived her.

"This is for all my friends."

And her horn fires purple dust all over the heads of the Starfleet soldiers.

Who suddenly become much more friendly to the Equestrians.

One of them is beating up an Equestrian mare on the street.

"How dare you say no? I give you the opportunity to mix your genes with those of a race more advanced in strength, speed and intelligence, and you say no?"

Twilight's dust falls on him.

And suddenly he falls on his knees. "What am I doing? I am sorry. I am so sorry." And he starts crying, his guilt consuming him.

"Too late. You shouldn't have hit me."

The mare leaves and the Unicornicopian looks at his hands. "I was so stupid. This is all my fault!"

Elsewhere, two Starfleet soldiers are patrolling.

"Any sign of Stormwolf?"

"Not yet. The bastards probably are razing another planet and leaving it to die on its own, without its protectors."

The dust falls on them.

"Actually, I think Stormwolf is doing the right thing. The people of our former planets deserve a chance to stand on their own and make their own civilizations and armies."

"Yeah, I think making colonies and preaching how we are their only salvation makes us the bad guys."

Even inside the buildings, the dust falls.

Officer Dusty Badge, who is an Equestrian loyal to Starfleet, and got a relatively high position due to his uncle, Muddy Badge, making a big name out of arresting protesters and sending them to prison planets, is in his plain, wooden office, drinking his coffee.

"I want you all to find that traitor, Trixie Lulamoon and..."

The dust falls on him.

"... give her a medal for her brave performance in Tiamo."

"YES, SIR!" the cops tell him with enthusiasm.

Twilight, victorious, gets back to the base.

"Attention, everyone! Ponyville is free! No casualties, and everyone is in our side now! No need to hide here anymore! No more oppression! No more terror!"

And she receives thunderous applause.

---

Twilight and Finn are in the former's quarters.

"So, where should we go next?" Finn asks. "New Fillydelphia? Or Horn Kong?"

"Why not both? Let's split up, Starfleet can't be everywhere, and they usually send only a few good warriors at a time" Twilight replies.

Then she notices Finn looking down. She approaches him and with a finger raises his chin up.

"Finn, why are you so down? What's wrong?" she asks.

"Twilight... can we talk about how you saved Ponyville?" Finn asks her, still not looking.

Twilight nods. "Okay. I can tell you it went without a hitch."

"How did you convince everyone in Starfleet to join you? They see you as pathetic and weak!"

Twilight looks at him, but her look is unsteady. "Well... I showed them my magic and now they are taking me more seriously. Now they know how strong I am."

This answer makes Finn even more worried.

"Also, they thought you were dead. How did you convince them you are the real deal, Twilight, and that you are their friend?"

Twilight doesn't look at him. "Well... I had them ask me a few questions only the real me would know."

"Ok. What kind of magic did you show them?" Finn's voice is more steady and loud than before.

"Eh... a purple dust that covered the whole city. That helped them change their mind about how they view me" Twilight replies.

"Just some... dust? Twilight." He grabs her face and makes her look him in the eyes. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Fine!" Twilight snaps at him. "I used magical dust to make them all decent people, who will be loyal to us and no longer shame and hit us Equestrians for being a different species, no stallion will attack a mare for rejecting him, and nobody will report us to Celesto, meaning there will be no counterattacks, and all in all this is the best way to ensure nobody dies! Even if I inspired them, word about me would come out, and Celesto would come on us immediately. Plus, what if they don't listen?

There would have to be bloodshed, and I just prevented it all in a single spell! Now every single one of our former enemies will live happily ever after and redeem themselves."

Finn gives her a fake smile. "What you did, Twilight...

Was evil. Killing them all would be far more merciful.

Do you think them being controlled will make Starfleet hesitate at cutting them down? I would. But Starfleet will not.

Instead of choosing what's right, to inspire them to stand up for themselves, you chose the easy way out. Kinda like some ponies Starfleet favors, really. You should have given them a choice. A chance to rebel on their own!"

Twilight flinches. "Like you give your foes a chance? Sure, I know the whole story with how you saved the Stormtroopers. But have you cut down none of them whatsoever? What about the Moblins? What about Blue Knees? That guy wanted help and quiet, and you killed him! Me? I have killed nobody except maybe Sombra once! And that didn't even stick!"

"Blue Knees? I helped him! I gave him his eyes and a chance. But he would not let me help that priest get his medicine because he wanted it for himself. He was planning to kill me for wanting to help someone!" Finn stops her by thrusting his palm forward.

"If you could beat him the first two times, you could spare him the third one!" Twilight tells him. "He wouldn't hurt anyone outside his ruined cabin!"

"But what if someone gets inside to be protected from the cold? Anyway, sure, you might have zero kills, but I have never charmed anyone with magic. Not even with the Jedi Mind Trick Rey uses!

Sure, Twilight, you changed those assholes for the better. But you know something? Free will can be good or evil. Taking it from someone, even if it's scum like Celesto, is always evil.

At least, when you fight someone, you give them the chance to fight back!" Finn tells her.

"Really? I thought you overturn their will to live. That you don't give them a chance at all!" Twilight tells Finn mockingly.

"Listen, you misinterpreted something. I kill in a fair fight, Twilight. But I never executed anyone in my life. Even if it's an enemy, if they can't fight back, I will never, ever kill them! Not even give them a single punch! I am not a murderer.

In fact, do you know about how Matt Engarde nearly escaped? He knew I don't attack helpless foes, and so he refused to fight me! And I relented! And that son of a bitch was the most evil being in Starfleet!" Finn explains.

"You still killed some foes that could be saved in a fight. And that was awful of you. You are not a murderer, but you are still a killer!" Twilight tells him, glaring at the man.

"Tell me, Twilight, have you ever been brainwashed? Raised in a family that sent you messages about how to murder innocent civilians? Have you ever seen people being conditioned, their mind being altered to shoot anyone who opposed the cult they were in? I have. I was one of them. And what you did is insulting to me, and everyone I could save from the cult!" Finn points a finger at her.

"No. But what do you know about death? Have you ever died? Do you know how afterlife is? Even though I went to Heaven, I had to watch my friends increasingly getting distant, struggling to put anything but war in their lives, and be subordinates to a settler who flaunted how he was born better and how destiny made him a hero all the time! I died to protect Celestia and my friends, and, now that you brought Engarde, Celesto spun it as me only doing it to protect my public image and my honor. But why would it be in danger? Maybe too much abuse and being belittled by false saviors?

And I could do nothing about it. This is what you condemn those monsters to. This is what Starfleet does as well. You only spare some enemies. Usually those who are too weak or you and your friends deem redeemable. What makes you the judge?" Twilight asks.

By this point, they are loud enough for everyone to hear them.

"I have been close to death several times! I have felt people die! And even that is not as bad as slavery! Nobody deserves slavery, Twilight. Give those Starfleet grunts their free will back, or I will propose we part ways."

"Well, a few of your friends are more violent than you anyway. You were one of the people that kept the alliance together. I think we should part ways for now, Finn. You will not put my town in danger by making me reverse the spell."

The debate reaches the ears of the others.

And not many things change. Most Stormwolf members take Finn's side, most Equestrians not officially in Stormwolf take Twilight's. However, the likes of Ace Ray, who is a former victim of brainwashing, stay in Stormwolf.

However, there are exchanges. Gray, her main power being mind control, talks to Finn. "Sorry, Finn. I like your values. But Twilight saved us all. I am joining her."

"Ok. May the Force be with you, Gray. I hope you and the ponies succeed at toppling Starfleet. But if you want to brainwash another city, count me out" Finn replies.

Shailiha, the new member that joined in the alliance after Eutracia, is forced to go behind Twilight or Finn. She chooses Finn.

"I heard from a vampire called Alice I would be brainwashed into molesting my brother. I would rather get shot."

Mako also chooses to stay with Stormwolf. "I was once a slave like Finn. I am taking his side."

"Well, if you really wanted to die then" Twilight says "I can see why you are on his side."

Trixie, despite her big rivalry with Twilight, gets behind her. "Brainwashing can and will be undone after the war. But bringing people back to life is not so easy. I feel like Twilight is right."

Twilight is shocked that Trixie defends her using first person.

Trixie's words make Padawan Ken join. "Yes. We can save someone from brainwashing more easily, and so can do our enemies."

Soon, Rainbow Dash and Alix get to the Crystal Empire to ask for opinions.

Shining and Cadance consider killing worse.

"You can save someone, like my brother, from mind control. Being forced to kill him in the past? I don't want to kill everyone ever again. Especially if they can be saved. I am with Equestria" Cadance explains.

"Sorry, sister. But I will disagree with you willingly here" Fratello's voice is heard. "I will go with Stormwolf. Being brainwashed by that disgusting Biomeka, I can tell you, that was worse than death. I have been both killed and brainwashed. And I know the latter entails more suffering."

While Poe Dameron stays with Stormwolf, he and Fluttershy decide to stay neutral in the argument. They worry about how being divided will allow Starfleet, who beforehand were losing very badly, to beat both of them.

"Instead of arguing, we should attack Starfleet, which kills and brainwashes simultaneously!" Poe proposes. But it's too late.

Later, the new teams are formed, and Stormwolf goes back to a certain Galaxy far, far away. Where Poe is scolding Finn.

"You know you caused the alliance to break, right?" Poe tells him sternly.

"Sorry, Poe. But I could not let Twilight brainwash a whole city of foes and reprogram their minds! That's despicable. And Equestria can do without killers like us! Who knows how many monsters they will save without us cutting them down in battle?" Finn explains himself.

Twilight is confronted by Fluttershy. "You know, I stay with you because we are friends. But you went too far and drove our allies away! Why, Twilight?"

"Because they kill some of their foes, just like Starfleet! Even a few that aren't complete monsters! Besides, it's better for Stormwolf. They value free will above all else, and both me and Gray, who has joined us now, were feeling guilty about using our mind magic in front of them. And they would feel guilty letting us use this magic. Stormwolf can do without us."

But after both Finn and Twilight are confronted, they stay in their rooms, alone, and cry. They wish they can remake their alliance, and their friendship, one day.