//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20 
// Story: Scootaloo's Guardian 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 20


Letting Off Steam


Astaroth couldn't bear the anger contained in himself for much longer with how things are going for him. He woke up in a world inhabited by brightly-colored ponies, without his weapon, and is being guided by a child with promises of power. But what also bothered him was the random shots of pain he received the past two days and the fact that the same child guiding him considered the dark golem her guardian. He grew more angry as he grabbed and hoisted up Scootaloo forcefully and glared "You promised me a tour of this place, runt...Unless you want me to shatter some skulls, you'd best stick to your promise!"

Cherilee, along with the rest of the class were pale with what they have heard, and Scootaloo looked back and quickly lied with a chuckle "He's joking! Obviously he's a bit worked up from having to wake up early, and he wants to see the rest of Ponyville!" She chuckled again and cleared her throat as she tried to sound sincere "Ms. Cherilee, is it okay if me and Astaroth leave school early? He's a bit antsy about wanting to meet everypony else!" She gave another awkward grin 'Or wanting to beat them all to a pulp...'

The magenta pony craned her head back at this and looked up at the dark golem. With how he held Scootaloo in his grasp with those eyes made her worry about the orange filly's safety, even though she claims him to be her guardian. Looking back at Scootaloo, she gave a sigh "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. He is new around Ponyville and it's only best that you show him around."

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle did not want their friend to handle Astaroth alone and quickly stepped in for her "Can we go with them, Ms. Cherilee? Scoots is gonna need all th' help she can get! We all agreed on' helpin' Astaroth with th' sights!"

Sweetie Belle chimed in "Yeah, we're in this together! Scootaloo can't really do this alone!" She and Applebloom looked up at the orange filly with concerned smiles. Even they could notice that Astaroth was ready to smack a filly.

Cherilee looked up at Astaroth again to see him glaring back at her. Why was he so angry? Perhaps maybe he was getting impatient with wanting to see the rest of town. She then looked at the crusaders with a smile "Okay then, girls. You're all dismissed! I'm sure Mr. Astaroth just can't wait to see what Ponyville as to offer!"

Scootaloo gave a relieved grin "Great!" The dark golem then released his grip from the orange filly as she dropped to the ground "Oof!" After she picked herself up, she and the rest of the crusaders waved off their classmates and trotted into town. Astaroth followed after them and glared at Scootaloo the whole time they were walking. Other ponies were starting to get used to the dark golem's appearance since he hasn't done anything hostile yet, but they feared him regardless. How could they get used to something big and bad roaming the streets of Ponyville?

Applebloom sighed and turned to Scootaloo "Scoots, have ya lost yer mind!? What th' hay made you want t' consider Astaroth yer guardian?" The yellow filly could not believe what she had heard earlier. To think that one such as Astaroth would even be considered a guardian was insane upon itself. She had to give her credit for how he had grown accustomed to how Scootaloo had acted.

Astaroth leered down at the orange filly "I want to know as well, runt! And why haven't you shown me the elements yet!?"

Scootaloo looked up at the dark golem "Look, maybe what I've said back there was a little uncalled for, but I had to get us out of there somehow! You almost blew your cover with how you threatened me!" She gave him a small glare.

The dark golem scoffed "What cover!? I'm to the point where I just might lash out on the nearest pony and make sure they scream!" The ponies in his radius began to walk faster away from him while he was venting.

Sweetie Belle saw this and turned to Scootaloo "We have to calm him down! What should we do?"

Scootaloo looked down in thought, oblivious to the tension building around her. It wouldn't help to send the dark golem to the spa despite him being both angry and dirty. And with how he was acting, it seemed that letting it blow out was the best option. Where could she take Astaroth so he could show the full extent of his strength without any consequences towards Ponyville's residents? What dangerous spot could fuel the dark golem's desire for wanting to destroy something? When she realized the answer, she facehoofed 'Why the hay didn't I think this sooner?' The orange filly looked up at Astaroth with a confident smirk "Hey, Astaroth! You wanna cause some damage, right?"

Astaroth glared down "More than you know, runt...Are you and your pathetic cohorts willing to contribute to my needs?"

Applebloom glared back at the dark golem "We're not cohorts, ya id-" Her muzzle was covered by an orange hoof.

Scootaloo only continued while keeping Applebloom's mouth shut. She wanted this idea of hers to flow well without any hiccups "Not us, actually! I can take you to a place where you can cause all the destruction you want!"

The dark golem scoffed "And I should trust you this time!? Where could I possibly get my fill of battle in a place like this??" He had every right to doubt Scootaloo with how peaceful Ponyville seems.

Scootaloo released her hoof from Applebloom's mouth and waved her other one "Follow me, big guy! I know just the place!" She trotted away with a determined smile, and Astaroth followed her as he cracked his knuckles.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle traded glances and quickly trotted after them. Before they could continue, the yellow filly remembered something important as she turned to her dog "Ponyfeathers! Ah gotta go take Winona home 'fore I can actually catch up with 'em!"

Sweetie Belle then looked down at her dress "I guess I better get rid of this, too if Scootaloo is going where I think she is..." She looked ahead and called out to her friend "Scootaloo, we'll be right with you! We gotta take care of our things first!"

Scootaloo called back with a smile "Okay! Don't take too long if you wanna see a good show!" She continued her path without any trouble at all. The orange filly knew that her friends would eventually return to her, and with Astaroth by her side she couldn't be more okay with their absence. She heard her friends gallop away towards their respective homes while she trotted onward.

Astaroth glared down at the orange filly with rising impatience "Where are we going, runt? Is this a trick? If so, I'd hate to be you right now..."

Scootaloo gave a smug smile to the dark golem "Have I ever steered you wrong? Just follow my lead, big guy! You'll have a ball where I'm taking you!" The two continued their pace as the Everfree Forest came into view.
_____

At the Ponyville Train Station, the Friendship Express came to a stop after a long trip. Braeburn and Little Strongheart departed from their cart with their traveling gear and looked ahead at the town. The cowpony gave a bright smile "Well, here we are! Ponyville at last! Now all we gotta do is find my cousin an' we'll be right as rain!" He turned to his buffalo friend "C'mon, Li'l Strongheart! Let's head on over t' Sweet Apple Acres while th' sun's up so we can get crackin'!"

Little Strongheart nodded "We must hurry if we're to find that mysterious figure soon! Lead the way, Braeburn!" The two then galloped into town without a moment to lose.

The two did not stop their fast pace as they made their way towards Sweet Apple Acres, and accidentally bumped into different ponies along the way. Braeburn was polite enough to excuse himself and Little Strongheart for every pony they ran into, but he had to make haste if he wanted to see Applejack.

As their destination came into view, they noticed a filly and her dog up ahead running towards the same path they were going. Braeburn finally recognized the pony and galloped right next to her, tipping his hat towards his cousin with a smile "Howdy there, Applebloom! Long time no see!"

Applebloom saw the cowpony and was taken by surprise as she stumbled in her tracks for a moment "Cousin Braeburn? An' Li'l Strongheart? What're y'all doin' in Ponyville?"

Little Strongheart spoke up "We wish to seek your older sister, along with the rest of the element bearers! We need their help! Is your sister at home, by any chance??"

Applebloom shook her head "Sorry, but my sis an' 'er friends are gone! They're on some sorta adventure findin' this Zasala-...Zasa-..." She groaned at how she failed to pronounce the name "They're lookin' for this feller with a cloak an' scythe or somethin'! Ah don't know all th' details!"

Braeburn smiled "Ya don't say! That's why we're here, too! Y'see, we sorta ran int' him a couple o' days ago! He saved Li'l Strongheart an' I from-" He looked ahead and noticed that they were already at Sweet Apple Acres. The cowpony, along with the other runners skidded to a halt when they reached the front yard "Hehe, well at least we're here...I guess it wouldn't hurt t' say hi to th' family 'fore me an' Li'l Strongheart set out!"

Applebloom trotted towards her cousin while Winona simply walked into the Apple Family house "Wait a minute, Braeburn! Ya said ya met this guy, too? Who is he??"

The cowpony shook his head "No clue. That's why we're gonna find 'im an' ask a few things! He saved Li'l Strongheart's tribe from some real trouble back then! There was somethin' fishy goin' on with one o' th' buffalo that caused 'im t' go all crazy!" He grunted a little as he held his chest, causing Little Strongheart to gasp "S-Sorry...s'probably from all that runnin'. I'll be fine!" He gave a reassuring smile.

Applebloom noticed the cowpony's patched wound and almost shared Little Strongheart's worry "Ya got involved with all th' trouble, too? Ya sure y'all can go far with that scar on yer chest??"

Braeburn gave a chuckle "I'd gladly settle down fer a bit, but we really gotta get goin'! We need figure out where t' start lookin' iffin' we're gonna find 'im! Shame that Applejack's not home, though..." He then turned to Applebloom with a smile "Do ya perhaps know where she went? Y'all would be doin' me a favor pointin' me out t' where she an' her friends went!"

Applebloom pointed over towards the distant forest "Ah think she went towards-" She stopped herself and thought about Braeburn running into Astaroth. The yellow filly couldn't risk losing her dear cousin to the dark golem and quickly pointed to a different direction "Fillydelphia! Yeah, Ah think that's where she an' th' others went!!"

Little Strongheart turned to Braeburn with determination "Then that is where we shall start, yes? We should hurry if we're to catch up with them!"

Braeburn nodded to his friend "You got it! But I gotta say hi to th' rest o' my family first!" He turned and tipped his hat to Applebloom "Sorry I can't stick around, cuz! But it's mighty nice seein' ya again after so long!" He turned to Strongheart with a smile "C'mon, Li'l Strongheart, let's go see my family 'fore we go!" The two made their way into the Apple family house, leaving Applebloom all alone in the front yard.

The yellow filly felt guilty for lying to her cousin, but she sighed in relief knowing that they will at least stay out of Astaroth's way. She decided to go towards the Everfree forest since she escorted Winona home.
_____

Scootaloo and Astaroth found themselves inside Everfree Forest and walked further along a trail. When they went far enough inside, Scootaloo decided to stand around "Okay, now all we gotta do is wait! I hope you're ready, Astaroth!"

Astaroth scoffed and stood as well "Always ready, runt..." He looked around "What am I waiting for here?? Am I expecting something to come for me?" The dark golem looked around, and quickly grew impatient as he bared his teeth and growled. He then looked up and yelled "COME OUT!" The orange filly cringed at his volume, but then perked up her ears. On cue, a cacophony of snarls could be heard from inside the forest.

Scootaloo lost most of her vigor when she heard them and trotted to Astaroth's side "Yeah, you got your wish, big guy! Now you can cause all the pain you want!" Her tone was slightly anxious when she saw a pack of timberwolves come into view. She winced as she noticed that this particular pack did not seem in their best shape. Most of them had wounds all over their bodies, and their eyes seemed a little scathed.

Astaroth saw them and was impressed with their appearance. They looked both ferocious and strong enough to give him a decent challenge as he gave a malicious grin "Finally, something worth my time...You actually did something good for once, runt..." He ignored the smile he earned from the orange filly and clenched his fists "Time to reap some souls..." With anger mixed with eagerness, he sprinted towards the pack of timberwolves and leaped for the leader "Gorah!!!" The alpha wolf was lifted up and slammed to the ground by Astaroth with a sickening crack as it gave a pained yelp. He then tossed the wolf into a tree while the rest of the pack charged at the dark golem at once.

Scootaloo was worried about the odds when the pack charged at her 'guardian', but her worry vanished when she noticed Astaroth enjoying every moment of the fight that was brought to him. One by one, he took each wolf and either slammed, tossed, or broke parts of their body with his bare hands while shouting battlecries. This one was definitely as strong as he looked, and the orange filly was entranced, though a little traumatized, with the scene unfolding.

The sounds of bones cracking and his opponents' screaming in agony was music to Astaroth's ears, and the timberwolves proved to be worth his effort with how they keep coming back. When one of them chose to leap at his chest, he embraced the futile attempt and gripped his attacker into a bear hug, crushing the wolf's midsection as he split in two.

Scootaloo drooped her ears with widened eyes 'Note to self: Don't give him a hug next time...'

Astaroth held one of the timberwolves by the neck and went to land a heavy fist into its snout as he gave a dark chuckle. But before he could, he felt a familiar shot of pain course through his chest as he grunted, fell on one knee and released the wolf from his grip. When the opportunity presented itself, the freed wolf leaped and gnashed its gnarled jaws into his left arm while another approached Astaroth from behind and bit onto his right shoulder, eliciting a growl in pain from the dark golem.

Scootaloo gasped at the sight and shouted "Astaroth!!" She did not want to lose her large friend to a pack of timberwolves like this. Summoning mroe of her courage, she took a pebble and threw it at one of the wolves attacking Astaroth and earned its attention after it bounced off of its head. It leered at the orange filly with its glowing eyes and began to slowly advance on her with dripping fangs.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were galloping into the Everfree Forest and heard the sounds of slamming. When they looked ahead, they saw Astaroth being bombarded by timberwolves and Scootaloo backing away from one. The two galloped towards their fellow crusader and stopped at their side. Applebloom glared up at the timberwolf advancing and stood her ground "Leave 'er alone, ya jerk!" She then gave the wolf a buck to the snout, but only succeeded in angering it. Th wolf snarled while the fillies backed away before being cornered into a tree, and began to scream as the wolf drew closer.

Astaroth was almost covered in timberwolves biting at his body, but when the pain in his chest passed, his eyes flashed open and he gave a loud roar as he forced the pack off of him. He managed to send most of them flying as they hit their own trees or portion of the ground. For the ones that stayed, he tore off the one that latched onto his left arm and broke its neck while tossing the one latched onto his shoulder onto the pile of battered wolves. Astaroth growled in disgust to think that a pack of wild animals managed to try and subdue him while he was down, but when he heard the sound of children screaming, he turned to see that he missed one.

The crusaders shut their eyes the moment the wolf opened its gnarled maw, and before it could snap at one of them, the wolf yelped as it was gripped by the neck. Scootaloo opened her eyes and awed at the sight of Astaroth actually saving her and her friends from certain death. The dark golem held the wolf in the air and glared at it "Stay down..." He lifted it higher and then brought the sorry wolf to the ground with amazing force. There was a small rumble on the ground from the impact that he sent, and it phased the crusaders as well.

When the battle was over, Scootaloo and her friends looked around to see what Astaroth managed to accomplish with only his hands and the orange filly managed to utter a weak "Wow..." She looked up at the dark golem catching his breath and noticed that he was scathed on most of his upper body "Astaroth, that was AMAZING! Nopony would ever hope to fight against a pack of timberwolves and win! I'm so glad you're on our side!!" She beamed up at him, but then looked at his left arm "Your arm's looking bad...We should get you to the hospital!"

Astaroth glared at Scootaloo "I'm fine! I don't need your pity! A small matter like this is only a scratch to me!" He managed to pull out the large splinters lodged into his arm and grunted in pain for each one yanked out. This made the crusaders wince at his attempts of self recovery, but they were worried about his health all the more. What struck them as confused was that they did not find a trace of blood leaking out of any wounds he received from his fight.

Scootaloo trotted up and looked at the dark golem as he caught the last of his breath "So, Astaroth...do you think you had your fill for the time being??" She tilted her head and waited for an answer.

The dark golem nodded "For now...consider yourself lucky I'm satisfied, runt..." He looked back at the broken body parts of most of the wolves and paused. He thought about their durability and rubbed his chin at the possibilities of their parts being put to use. He gave a smirk "Looks like I'll be busy for the time being..." The crusaders behind them shared confused glances at Astaroth's random sentence.


End of Chapter 20