Not a bad idea.
These quotes excerpted from the stories thus far, I hope, help to exemplify how each character "is":
IRONHOOF -
“Oh, I might find somethin’ sumday ... but, see, I ain’t like most mares. I’m ... diffrent. I don’t rely on others t’look after me. I got hooves ‘n teeth ‘n I learned how t’use ‘em. I got a brain t’think and my spirit t’guide me. I ain’t t’be owned by a herd, not t’be ruled by some horse thinkin’ with his testicles draggin’ his thoughts like an anchor.”
“I don’t want t’have foals.”
“I ‘preciate that yer thankful fer my killin’ the wolves ’n though I was juss’ protectin’ myself, I’m glad it helped yer herd too. I juss’ am my own horse, I’m not owned or ruled b’anyone ... an’ no being owned or ruled b’nother being truly lives. I just ... don’t feel like no normal mare. I ain’t ruled by others, nor do I rule others ... I’m my own horse!”
“Enough! Ya don’t own Shoshone! Ya don’t own me, either! I am Ironhoof an’ I am m’own horse! You thinkin’ is gettin’ dragged down by what’s between yer hind legs! I ain’t t’be owned by you or by any stallion! You don’t even respect Shoshone! Ya wanna know why I can’t stay? Y’wanna know why Rosehoof isn’t here? ‘Cuz she an I are in love wichother! Ya ain’t in my interests!”
FORTIVIRAGO:
“There is no challenge here. There is no war. There is no greatness to be had, no battles to better ourselves with, nothing to learn, no victory to revel over nor anything of value to gain here. I am Fortivirago of Urtonis, Alpha of this war party and all Dire Horses ... I declare this mission at an end, and I declare it a defeating waste of ourselves! I order all manes of this party to return home by the way we came. All ... save one: myself. Titanus! I now retire from the service of Urtonis. Remove my flag ... I bestow it upon you as a gift!”
“I offer no resistance. I surrender my life to you, and I do not hold this woman whose husband I slayed.”
“I am honored, but I feel it undeserved. I would have no quell and offer no resistance were you to slay me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I can. I can and am also prepared to answer for the crimes I committed against your citizens. I offer you my blood, if only one of your trusted court would remove my head armor to allow your strike to deliver justice unto me.”
“Please, no ... this kingdom deserves my blood however they see fit. I do not wish to escape, I wish to offer some semblance of justice for the human citizens I slaughtered today,”
“Those are my war ribbons recording my kills starting with my first year nearest my head. The outline stars represent number of kills I rendered per year by the number of points on the stars up to ten per star; the solid-filled five-point stars represent fifty kills and the solid-filled ten-point stars represent one hundred kills. Adding these for each years shows how many I killed in a particular year. Men, horses, dragons, unicorns, other enemies ... and yes, Your Majesty, that is what the ribbons show. The stars are bestowed after returning home from battle, Your Majesty, so they do not reflect the eighty-six kills I rendered upon your citizens.”
“He is a warrior who knows an honor code, something that I've never had, it was never in our training and we never learned it on the field of battle. I do not know how to consider myself as anything but subservient to men, but before I even try to think of myself as something beyond mere beast, I feel this lacking in my thoughts and abilities of an honor code. I do not know why it occurred to me to break my orders and turn on Sir Taurus of Urtonis, whom I was sworn to serve obediently. A code of honor is something I've believed is the one possession I lack that prevents me from having an equal hoofing with a human warrior, something I could carry with me and provide me with a conscience.”
ONYX:
“Well if Epona doesn't bless me with another gorgeous daughter! Why, I dare say her guiding you to me at this time is one of the greatest blessings she's showered you with!”
“There, there, I understand ... to touch a unicorn, after all, is something quite special indeed! You sure are pretty for a horse.”
“My, but you are excitable. Why, I wonder what that is all about. My days are so filled with duty. I am so sorry. Tell me, is there anything I could ... do for you? I do so wish to help fulfill you with the happiness and joy I feel when I see to my duties as a unicorn stallion.”
“I see, I would be happy to oblige you with my blessing, as I have no other duties to attend to. I sense you've never been blessed by a stallion before, mare – do not fear, I am as gentle as a breeze! I do like to know whom I am blessing, sweet mare – what is your name?”
“Epona, no, please! Please no! I'll do anything! Please give me another chance!”
“No! Horse, horse ... Fortivirago? Come on, we can escape, I can hold these men!” (this is his line just before Fortivirago's "Please, no...")
“King N'roh, I beg your indulgence, I would like to take this mare into my custody and ... begging your pardon, Your Majesty, that was not what I intended. With no insult intended to the men here, but you did remark she was a slave to her orders that she must obey, correct? Epona has spoken with me. What men have done with this horse is taken her from the goddess' kingdom, corrupted her into a weapon that has killed and probably knows nothing in her life except killing. She may stand on four legs, she may nicker and she may have a tail – but how much real horse is in her compared with man? I submit to Your Majesty that Fortivirago has been denied any chance to learn what is important to being equine, and if you wish what is best for her, that I take her into my custody and show her how to feel the heart of a horse that's been silenced within her for her entire life.”
“It is me ... I'd ... I'd like to get to know you. In case you hadn't caught it, my name is Onyx. This is unfamiliar ground for me as well. Its ... hard to explain. I haven't always been so ... accepting ... of non-unicorn equines as equals.”
“That's not what I asked. I'm sure I could tell you to go impale yourself on a blunt spike and you'd do it to your own death! I asked you if you trusted me – and I require an honest answer. Epona, I am doing all I can to gain her understanding ... I pray you allow this.”
“I ... have a long way to go. Epona is the dam of all equines ... she created us all, unicorn and horse. Every horse in existence, has ever existed or will exist, is her foal. She is above even us unicorns, and when she commands something of us, we must do it – there is no debate nor questioning of it. She nurtures and protects, but horses can be taken from her kingdom when men dominates a horse and breaks its will away from her spirit. You, your entire family – your entire breed – have had this happen; Epona is unable to touch any of you. Nothing on earth, not even a mighty dragon, can match her power – she is a goddess – but even with all that power, she cannot touch you until you return to her kingdom. My kind, the unicorn, are her guardians who help her keep her herd within her kingdom, imbued with sentience, intelligence and very powerful magic, as strong as a dragon's magic but in different areas.”
“Epona made us ... special, above other horses, so we could serve as her guardians or knights, if you will, of horsekind. We are entrusted to help keep the grasses green and the forests lush to feed and shelter our kind.”
“This is going to take a lot of time ... I don't know what you are myself, Fortivirago. You are a warrior no longer, though ... I don't want to see you kill anything while I'm around, not unless it is absolutely necessary – as in something threatening your life – okay?”
“You are free, Fortivirago! If you're smart enough to figure out how to defeat a unicorn when you don't have any magical ability, surely you can figure out a way to relax your blades! Whatever it takes, do it!”
“What ... I ... you brought me here? I thought you never wanted to see me again. I ... it wasn't my choice ... Epona gave me a ... project. I'm not touching the stuff again so long as I draw breath, whatever it takes to not do that. I couldn't even heal!”
“I wish I could at least remember last night. You saw ... that, too? I didn't ask for this. Fortivirago's way too upstuck for me. What am I supposed to do? She wouldn't loosen up and feel comfortable around me unless she got drunk. I would rather have done something ... anything else.”
