Ch. 2
Early the next morning, Yol Toor, Celestia, and Luna shared breakfast together, while Celestia suggested to Yol Toor about where he should stay in Equestria.
“Ponyville?” Yol Toor asked as he threw a gem into his mouth.
“Yes; in my visions, the most prominent location that appears is the Everfree Forest,” Celestia said as she bit into an apple.
“Ah. That makes sense then. But I don’t think that small town will see things the way you do.”
“My citizens trust my judgement. If I tell them that you need to stay in Ponyville for some time, they will do so.”
“Well, at least you’ll be close enough to visit us every now and then,” Luna said with a smile.
“Eh, I suppose that’s true. But Celestia, if I’m going to be protecting Equestria again, I’m going to need some weapons.”
“I’ve hung onto the weapons you had when you originally stayed with us; they’re in the same condition they were in when you left. I saw to their preservation personally.”
“Well, okay then. Just tell me when you need me to move there, and I’ll go immediately.”
“You will have to wait for a few days so I can have a comfortable place of residence built for you.”
“Alright then. Just don’t make it too extravagant; you know how I don’t like sticking out.”
Luna snickered. “Yes, and we’re confident that you’ll blend in so well in a town full of ponies.”
Yol Toor picked a grape from a nearby bowl and flicked it at Luna in response, hitting her the face.
Luna stuck her tongue out at Yol Toor.
All three of them chuckled as they went back to eating their meals.
~~~
When Yol Toor’s new home was ready, Celestia returned to Ponyville.
“Citizens of Ponyville, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to hear my announcement. It has come to my attention that the creatures of the Everfree Forest have become more restless in the recent months. Your well-being is my utmost concern in this matter, and as such, I have employed the services of my friend, Yol Toor, to serve as your first line of defense against these creatures, should any of the beasts of the forest attack.”
The announcement created disturbed chatter and grumblings amongst the ponies.
“I know Ponyville didn’t have the greatest first impression with dragons, but I can assure you; there is no one more capable of protecting Ponyville and its citizens from these creatures. All I ask is that you give Yol Toor a chance, and welcome him with open hooves,”
“Well, I for one, would like to thank the Princess, as well as her dragon compatriot. It is reassuring to know that a dragon will be watching over our small town,” The Mayor said, trying to calm everypony down.
Meanwhile, Twilight processed what the Princess had said.
Why do we need a dragon? We can defend ourselves just fine; my friends and I were able to defeat Nightmare Moon, and change her back to Princess Luna. Oh well, I’m sure the Princess has a good reason for this.
Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder; she turned around and saw Princess Celestia, smiling.
“Twilight, I know you and your friends are nervous about the idea of a dragon like Yol Toor living in Ponyville, but trust me when I say that he is a good, honorable dragon. He may appear cold at times, but he is a gentle being. That said, I would appreciate it if you and your friends would try to befriend Yol Toor; make him feel welcome in Ponyville.”
“I… we’ll do our best, Princess.”
“I know you will, Twilight. Now, I must make sure Yol Toor’s home is ready for him to move him.”
“Where will he be staying, Princess?”
“There is a small hut on the southern outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres I had built for him. Yol Toor will have a better view of the majority of the Forest from there, while also being away from the bustle of the town, yet close enough to warn everypony of any impending danger.”
“So… this dragon is going to be my family’s new neighbor?” Applejack asked.
“Yes Applejack, but I promise you; he will not bring any harm to you, your family, or your farm. You have my word on that.”
Applejack shifted and frowned.
“Is there anything you can tell us about him, Princess? Something that might make it easier to get to know him better?”
“I’m afraid not Twilight; it would be disrespectful to tell you anything personal without his consent. Just be patient with him; that’s all I can say.”
Twilight sighed. “I understand, Princess.”
“Good. Now I must return to Canterlot. Yol Toor will arrive sometime this afternoon, be sure to welcome him the first chance you get.”
Twilight and the other ponies bowed before her as she vanished in a flash of light.
“Well, come on everypony; let’s go meet our new neighbor,” Twilight said reluctantly, when something sped past her. Unable to get a good look at what it was, Twilight quickly examined the area. The only thing out of the ordinary she could find though, was a dust cloud in the shape of a Pegasus.
~~~
Yol Toor landed just a few meters from his new home; it was a modest hut, built out of stone and wooden shingles, with a simple door and two windows on the front of the house.
When Yol Toor opened the front door and walked inside, closing the door behind him as he looked around, collecting his bearings.
The interior was very simple; a wooden bed, a table with a single chair, a fireplace, and stone flooring.
In the corner, Yol Toor noticed a wooden weapons rack, constructed perfectly to hold the weapons Celestia had given him at the castle.
Yol Toor walked over to the rack, and rested his weapons on them; two short swords, a dory spear, and a battle-axe. Next to the rack, Yol Toor placed his shield, against the wall; it was a large, round shield, wide enough to cover Yol Toor’s torso and folded wings, with the profile of a dragons head on the face of the shield.
Going over to the bed next, Yol Toor sat down, testing to see if the bed was to his liking. Surprised at how comfortable it was, Yol Toor was tempted to lie down and go to sleep right then, until he heard three knocks on his door.
Jumping out of his bed, Yol Toor walked over to the door, and smiled at his guest.
“So, is the house to your liking?” Celestia asked.
Yol Toor stepped to the side, inviting the princess in.
“It is. Thank you for this gift.”
“Think nothing of it; knowing that I can count on you to watch over my subjects is more than enough thanks.”
The princess placed a brown sack on the nearby table, making a jingling noise as it fell over, with several bits falling out. “This should be more than adequate enough for you to live off of for a month.”
Yol Toor walked over to the table to examine the contents of the bag, seeing that it contained a few hundred bits.
“Well, I’m sure you have much to do, with getting settled in and everything. If you need anything else Yol Toor, don’t hesitate to ask; I’ll help you in any way I can,” Celestia offered as she wrapped a hoof around him in a hug.
Yol Toor returned the embrace with a smile.
When they separated, Celestia teleported out of the house, leaving Yol Toor to his thoughts.
Yol Toor couldn’t even turn around before more knocking came at his door again. He opened the door, and kept his face blank at his new guests
“Um… hi!” Twilight greeted. She cleared her throat and smiled. “We just thought we’d come by and… welcome you to Ponyville.” .
“Thank you,” Yol Toor said and he immediately shut the door.
“Hey! We haven’t sung our ‘Welcome Song’ to you yet!” Pinkie cried out.
“Something tells me he wouldn’t really be interested, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said.
Only shortly after closing the door, Yol Toor remembered what Celestia had told him about those six ponies, so he quickly opened the door and stuck his head out.
“Wait!”
The six ponies turned around, and looked at Yol Toor curiously.
“I just wanted to say… thank you, for saving Luna. She’s… a very dear friend of mine.”
The ponies smiled and nodded, and went back to Ponyville as Yol Toor shut his door again.
~~~
After Yol Toor shut the door, he turned to go back to his bed, only to hear knocking on his door again. Yol Toor growled as he went to open it again. Nopony was there.
As he looked around, Yol Toor noticed a small box, covered in pink gift wrap, and tied with a green ribbon. Yol Toor picked up the box and removed the lid. Confetti exploded in his face. He wiped the colorful strings off and growled. He prepared to burn the box, when he noticed something sparkle inside. He looked, and saw an assortment of jewels inside the box, with a card placed on top.
‘Welcome to Ponyville! Hope you enjoy the gemstones and other gifts!
From your new best friend, Pinkie Pie’
Yol Toor stared at the gift blankly as he picked up the box holding the gemstones.
What did she mean by other gifts? I only saw - Dozens of balloon animals and streamers erupting from the box. Yol Toor dropped the box and jump back. By the time the box was empty, the floor was covered in party favors.
How did she even – Yol Toor sighed – I’ll never understand ponies.
~~~
The next morning, Yol Toor awoke before the sun had risen and crawled out of bed
When Yol Toor walked outside, he noticed a pile of logs stacked next to his door. Yol Toor smiled as he sat down next to the pile, took a log, and carved into it with his claws.
~~~
After two hours of carving, Yol Toor was admiring the work he had finished; he had created two carvings of dragons, and placed them on the window seals.
Yol Toor’s smile vanished when he turned and looked into the Everfree Forest.
A shadow… are you really here?
Yol Toor walked towards the forest, with the hope of finding Celestia’s shadow before it could cause any harm.
~~~
The forest was strangely quiet. Typically teeming with life, most of it predatorial, the forest seemed almost empty, with only a few creatures making themselves known.
Yol Toor continued to walk through the forest, even after not finding anything after an hour of searching.
Yol Toor neared a cave and several small animals appeared out of some bushes and ran past him.
Something has these animals frightened.
Suddenly, three timber wolves also ran out of another group of bushes, and also ran past Yol Toor.
And it’s not me.
The sound of echoed snarling made Yol Toor turn towards the cave, where a large shadowy figure was curled up inside. As Yol Toor curiously tilted his head and squinted his eyes, a low orange glow appeared.
FWOOSH
A large blast of fire shot out of the cave and engulfed Yol Toor and the surrounding foliage.
When the blaze died down, Yol Toor looked into the cave and blinked.
“Did you really think that was going to work? Against a fellow dragon?”
Loud footsteps echoed out of the cave, as the culprit of the attack revealed himself: a large, green dragon.
The dragon proceeded to growl at Yol Toor, revealing its razor sharp teeth, as well as extending its claws.
Meanwhile, Yol Toor just stared at the dragon, unimpressed.
You’re not the dragon I’m looking for. No matter.
The larger dragon raised its head and opened his mouth, preparing to strike. Yol Toor responded by twitching his fingers.
Fwoosh
The scales on Yol Toor’s arms suddenly burst into flames. When the larger dragon saw this, his eyes grew wide and he lowered his head to the ground. He then quickly stepped back into the cave, while making a sound along the lines of whimpering.
That’s what I thought.
Yol Toor returned his arms to normal and looked behind him; the grass, shrubs, and trees were scorched black, with small flames still burning near the edges. Yol Toor waved his right arm in front of the flames and they quickly died down.
If that titan still lives in this forest, then he can’t possibly be here. So what has the forest spooked?
Yol Toor attempted to sniff the air around him, hoping to find any sort of anomaly, but was only met with the forest’s natural scent.
With a grunt, Yol Toor looked towards a deeper part of the forest, before turning around and making his way to his home.
~~~
When Yol Toor made it back home, he looked towards the sun for the time, and saw that it was around noon. Then his stomach growled.
I wonder if Ponyville sells anything edible.
Yol Toor quickly went into his house to grab his coinpurse. When he was back outside, realization made him skid to a stop.
Wait a minute! Why did I leave the forest? I wasn’t finished with my investigation! I’m more thorough than that! So what made me want to leave?
Yol Toor looked back at the forest, but he felt a sudden urge to just ignore it.
Ah. I see. Clever. A cloaking spell would be too obvious; so use a perception filter spell instead. Very clever.
After making a mental not of his discovery, Yol Toor took off and flew towards Ponyville with the hope of finding some lunch.
~~~
Yol Toor landed a ways outside of Ponyville, hoping to avoid creating an epidemic of hysteria and increase his chances of finding a pony willing to do business with him. Once Yol Toor entered town however, the hope of finding somepony to work with diminished as anypony who noticed Yol Toor backed away as far as possible, and ran into the nearest building, and quickly shut and barricaded the doors.
Their idea of protection against a fire-breathing dragon is hiding in houses made of wood and hay. Pony logic confounds me.
Yol Toor noticed a small apple stand in the town market, managed by an orange earth pony. His growling stomach spurred his steps toward the stand. However, the mare was in a conversation with two other ponies, and was too involved to even notice Yol Toor. The little filly standing next to her didn’t have that problem, though. She jumped when she saw the dragon.
“Oh… hi! You must be the dragon that just moved here to Ponyville,” The filly said, and Yol Toor swallowed the jeer rolling beneath his tongue as he pulled out six bits from a small brown pouch tied to his waist.
“I’d like three apples please,” Yol Toor requested, and when the older earth pony heard his voice, she immediately turned her head, surprised to see the filly talking with Yol Toor.
“Applebloom! What have I told you about talking to strangers!?” The earth pony scolded.
“But he was just asking for some apples!”
The earth pony raised an eyebrow at Yol Toor, who held up the bits he was carrying.
“Specifically, I asked for three of them. Will this cover it?”
The earth pony continued to stare Yol Toor down for a while, making sure he didn’t try anything. She finally took the bits, put three apples in a sack, and handed it to Yol Toor.
“Thank you,” Yol Toor said, as he took the bag. He turned around, and made his way back to his house.
During his walk through the town, Yol Toor noticed a sign on the building with the picture of a quill and piece of parchment. Yol Toor walked into the building, and the sound of a bell rang through the air as he opened the door. Yol Toor took a moment to inspect the shop, which housed several shelves of books, parchment stacks, writing quills, and ink wells. Yol Toor was broken from his observations when he heard hoofsteps echo throughout the room. Looking towards the source revealed a gray unicorn walking into the room, eyes closed and a smile on his face.
“Good morning. Welcome to-” When the unicorn opened his eyes, his smile vanished and he jumped back with a yelp and shook in fear. “Y-yes? Can I h-help you?”
“I would like to purchase two small journals to write in, ten quills, and three full inkwells please.”
“Okay. T-that’ll be twenty bits, please.”
As Yol Toor reached into his coin purse for the money, the shop owner scurried around the shop, grabbing the requested items as fast as he could.
By the time Yol Toor placed his money on the counter, the shop owner had scattered the writing materials all over the counter. After counting the bits, the shop owner put the items in a sack, and gave it to Yol Toor.
“Am I correct in assuming you also refill ink wells?”
“Yes; it’s two bits for every well.”
“Thank you.”
Yol Toor then walked out of the store, leaving the owner to faint in peace.
~~~
When Yol Toor returned home, he sat against one of the walls, grabbed a journal and quill with his hands, picked up an apple with his tail, and began writing in the book.
Initial investegations have provided no concrete evidence to any enemy operatives hiding in the Everfree Forest. However, the mysterious activities of forest fauna and the presence of a very powerful perception filter reveal a very intelligent and powerful presence. The presence of a greed-crazed titan, however, disproves my asumption of it being the missing Master, which is some much needed good news. Though I’m still concerned about what could be hiding beyond that filter, the most I can do warn is Celestia about it.
~~~
With his journal entry finished, Yol Toor tore out a piece of paper from the back of the journal, and wrote Celestia a quick letter explaining his findings. He then rolled up the parchment, and sent it away with a quick burst of enchanted fire.
Yol Toor leaned his head against and looked to the clouds, and closed his eyes for a few minutes.
~~~
Yol Toor’s nap was interrupted by his stomach rumbling and sudden belch of fire. When his eyes shot opened, he saw a rolled up parchment floating in front of him. He took the parchment and unrolled it.
Yol Toor
News of this perception filter concerns me, though my hooves are tied. My student, Twilight Sparkle, however, would be much more capable of following up on this matter. She’s quite intelligent, if a bit eccentric, and will be a big help for you; just give her a chance. I’ve already asked her to visit you tomorrow morning.
Your friend
Celestia
Yol Toor rolled his eyes as the letter burst into flames in his hand.
What help could a unicorn be to me? Especially at such a young age; she hasn’t even had time to learn about this world.
~~~
A couple of hours later, Applebloom sat at the apple stand, trying to think of something to make time go by faster, when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo trotted towards the stand.
“Applebloom! You’ve got to come with us; we just thought of a surefire way to get our Cutie Marks!” Scootaloo said anxiously, and Applebloom perked up for a split second, before remembering that she needed to help Applejack, who was listening in on their conversation.
When Applejack turned to face her, Applebloom gave the best pouting look she could, quivering her lower lip, and showing puppy dog eyes. Applejack rolled her eyes and chuckle.
“Go ahead sugar cube. I’ve got things handled here,” Applejack said, and Applebloom ran over and hugged Applejack before running after her friends.
~~~
Scootaloo had led her friends deep into Sweet Apple Acres. She was also keeping her idea of how to get Cutie Marks a secret, waiting until they were alone before she would explain it.
Come on, Scootaloo; what’s this idea of yours?!” Applebloom demanded for the tenth time, and Scootaloo finally came to a halt.
“Okay, listen to this; there’s no way we can fail at getting our Cutie Marks now! We’re going to be… dragon tamers!” Scootaloo shouted, and she started walking through the orchard again, and her friends each raised an eyebrow as they started following her. “Rainbow Dash told me that a dragon is living in a house just outside your orchard, Applebloom, and everypony is terrified! If we can tame this dragon, everypony will see us as heroes, and we’ll finally get our Cutie Marks!”
“Are you crazy!? That dragon must be a thousand times bigger than us! How are we supposed to tame it!?” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“It’s actually about as three times as big as Applejack,” Applebloom corrected.
“Is that supposed to make things better!?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well…” Applebloom started, when she and Sweetie Belle bumped into Scootaloo.
“There it is!” Scootaloo whispered, pointing a hoof at Yol Toor, who was still carving a log with his claws, and the three immediately hid behind a tree.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Walk over to the dragon and tame him!” Applebloom said, and Scootaloo jumped back.
“By myself!?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yeah, it was your idea! What are you? Chicken?”
“Don’t start that again! I’m not chicken!”
As the two fillies argued, Sweetie Belle noticed a noise coming from the dragon. While trying to remain hidden, Sweetie Belle got closer to Yol Toor, hoping to make out the noise, but her friends arguing made it difficult.
“Be quiet, you two! I’m trying to listen!”
The two fillies stop their arguing and they walked up to her, listening to the noise as well.
“But I would bring you rings of gold,
And even sing you poetry,
And I would keep you from all harm,
If you would stay beside me!”
“Is he… singing?” Applebloom asked.
“Yeah. I wonder what he’s singing about; it seems like such sweet song.” Sweetie Belle said.
~~~
Meanwhile, Yol Toor was carving into a nearby log, making what looked like an alicorn, when he started hearing voices from the trees, distracting him from his work.
“You’re doing a horrible job of hiding!” Yol Toor said, and the voices hushed immediately. “You may as well come out from behind that tree; I already know you’re back there!” Yol Toor said, and the three fillies sheepishly walked out from behind the tree. “Now what do you three want?”
“We’re… we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! And we’re here to tame you!” Scootaloo announced, and Yol Toor just raised an eyebrow. “We’re going to tame you, and finally get our Cutie Marks!”
“Is that so? As long as you don’t bother me, I don’t care what you do,” Yol Toor said, and he went back to carving.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were surprised by Yol Toor’s response though, and didn’t know what to do next.
Applebloom carefully walked over to Yol Toor, hoping to get a look at what he was working on. When the dragon appeared to show no hostility towards her getting closer, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed.
“Uh… what was that song you were singing? It sounded real pretty.”
“It’s an old folk song from my homeland.”
“How’s it go?” Applebloom asked.
“I don’t think children like you would understand its meaning.”
“Well, it sounded like a love song,” Sweetie Belle said.
Yol Toor cleared his throat.
Applebloom got closer to Yol Toor and got a good look at the wood carving in the dragon’s claws.
“Oh hey! Is that Princess Luna? Why are you making a carving of her?”
“Don’t you kids have anything better to do than ask me questions? I doubt your parents want you talking to a dragon”
“He’s right! If Granny ever found out we were here, she’d tan our hides something fierce!”
The three fillies turned around and ran back towards the town.
With Yol Toor all by himself, he went back to carving and singing.
“I’ll swim and sail on savage seas,
With ne’er a fear of drowning.
And gladly ride the waves of life,
If you will marry me.
No scorching sun,
Nor freezing cold,
Will stop me on my journey,
If you promise me your heart,
And love me for eternity.