The hall was filled to the brim with ponies, both military can civilian, who all shared a common question: who was the new captain?
To keep the party interesting, all who knew of the new senior officer would not tell, including the pony himself. Hammerhoof enjoyed the idea as it allowed him more time to spend with Merry without nobles trying to kiss his hooves. Honestly, Hammerhoof couldn't understand how Celestia could take it, unless if she got off on it? The pony decided to put that thought away and continue the conversation as the party continued on.
"So stud," Merry started, winking at the pony, causing the target to pop red, "when do you reveal the big announcement?" Now obviously Hammerhoof's new promotion came up in conversation at the restaurant, but he decided to say that he was simply being the captain as a fill-in, and while he certainly didn't believe it wasn't going to be a fill-in, he decided modesty was always a good comfort. To brag about a promotion is something he found under the etiquette of morally correct ponies; nobles and aristocrats perhaps, but not for him.
He watched as ponies, dressed in the most luxurious garb, or simply guards vested up in armor, from which most were crowded by mares, conversed profusely on different subjects; some were of genuine concern, while others were the latest earnings in their stock and investments. Although one point was stirring in the most rapid frequency, including among the Elements, who were also situated at the party: Who and where is the human?
Ponies have heard of humans before. Of course, only the extremely educated in ancient Equestria actually knew of the legends of them. Most things describing them were vague, so much so to constitute contraries on every page of information. Some stated of fierce, bloodthirsty conquerors, while some stated of imaginative and creative beings of art, while others depicted advanced beings of supreme intelligence, trumping any challenge with technology. Finally a widely accepted legend of them being their thirst for war and violence, thus sending up flames of extinction. Besides vague descriptions and estimates, the picture of a human is closest to a neanderthal in relative composition.
Merry frowned as Hammerhoof was in deep thought, slightly whining in a small-toddler's-ignored-tone. Hammerhoof noticed this and smiled, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head with his single appendageal hand.
"Sorry. I was just thinking." Merry slightly giggled.
"What were you thinking about?" She asked this while leaning in with a sinister smile of information gathering.
"My friend," Hammerhoof replied, giving Merry a weird expression, but after a few seconds she returned to a light smile.
"Hammerhoof are you lonely?" She asked directly.
Hammerhoof taken back by the sudden oddity looked quizzically, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, do you feel alone. Like nopony knows your pain." Hammerhoof was awestruck, how did she know this, and that's when he slightly tensed.
"How do yo--"
"I can see it in your eyes." Hammerhoof was completely blown away.
"My eyes?"
"Yes. I can see the gloss over them. I can see your past was filled with pain." Hammerhoof could understand. Even the princesses often asked if he was alright when he reported for duty. Most times he was taken back to fond memories, which were abruptly ripped away as he fanned away tears and saluted. Truthfully he always wanted to simply walk away and live in isolated solitude; it was all so painful sometimes, but he stuck through because it was what his love would want him to do. To fight for the better times and he has reached them. He had gained a true friend, and found real love again.
However as he realized his true predicament he genuinely smiled. A true, full and sunny smile. And just as that happened disaster struck in the form of wild shouts and the unamused faces of the two princesses. Hammerhoof looked over to see an all too familiar face, and the face looked to be in better spirits. Commotion sparked and everyone gathered around, while the princesses approached the scene to deal punishment.
"Almost--" Aldon huffed as he slowly balanced on the edge outside the window. Fully clothed and ready to jump onto the street, he glanced one last time to see the coast being clear for the moment. He didn't question the oddity, but instead used it to his advantage as he quickly scurried to a nearby alley, to plan out what he was going to do now that he was technically a fugitive. Of course he understood why he needed to be kept at the hospital, but he didn't agree with it and as such Aldon figured it would be alright for him to simply take a leave of absence. Redheart wouldn't be a happy camper to say the least.
That's when guards marched by, horns glowing, searching for something or in his case, Aldon. He truly was a fugitive, and Nurse Redheart was the warden of the prison. Luckily, the ponies weren't too bright to search the alleyways and a dumpster provided perfect cover for the giant.
Another group paraded by, searching with haste to find the loose animal from its cage. Aldon almost wanted to burn a path to the castle, but thinking about how cruel it would be put that idea aside.
"You see anything?" A guard asked his compatriot besides him as he stared down the occupied alley.
"No; just darkness." The other guard snickered.
"What are you chicken? Get moving. All the other idiots might be too lazy, but personally, I don't trust that ape too kindly. He could be going to try to assassinate the princesses for all we know." The other guard looekd shocked, but in fact did begin walking down the alleyway, peering his head around every crevice and corner.
Aldon shook his head at the ridiculous notion, but could agree on the idea of how all the other ponies are stupid, but sometimes ignorance can be so blissful. They rounded Aldon's hiding spot and as they saw the huge hulking beast, attempted to scream, until with ease, Aldon launched them opposite him and with a good solid hit they lost all consciousness.
"Sorry, but I don't feel like using this power just yet." Aldon slowly clamped his fists shut. He could feel the power to destroy the world in his fingertips.
Aldon considered their notion for a second longer as he maneuvered through the alleyway back to the street. It would be simple enough to kill them, but there was no reason to. Lamps gave eerie light to the empty streets. The guards were all converging on his destination. If they thought of him as an animal, maybe it wouldn't be so bad for him to act like one.
He slowly jogged toward the castle, passing the immaculate and beautifully, yet arrogantly build structures of Canterlot. That was until he spotted the one spot that he could picture so well. The small cottage on the streets, all burned down and disheveled. The little building used to stand proud among the titans, but was defeated and destroyed. Hammerhoof no longer lived there for sure. It was a painful memory for him, and even Aldon could feel the past emanating from the structure. The slaughter and carnage protruding from the dead structure.
He had mixed emotions of sadness, compassion, and anger. Not anger at himself, but anger at the world. To put a pony, or anything through so much pain and then to still have the structure that houses it in such shape. He turned his head to the castle, a neutral expression of conflicted emotions evident on the face. With the unstoppable force of a moving wall, the man marched towards the castle, ignoring everything around him, including the prying eyes from a nearby alleyway; the malicious smile that went along with it as well.
"Darling, I thought you would have still been recovering," Rarity said in a state of mild shock. Aldon stood in the party hall as commotion died down and all attention rested on the most prized possession of the world in every respect. The only human; the only fire mage; the only true demon; the only true god.
"Ah'm a little confused as well. Didn't ya' die?" Applejack asked with the same feelings as Rarity, meanwhile Pinkie was jumping in glee, hugging the human who could only direct his gaze at the approaching princesses, which he dwarfed in size; although the same could be said for every single pony.
Although, what he noticed next was the approach of the pink alicorn as well. He had never formally met with her, although her opposite emotion compared to the regal sisters could tell him that she was the kindest out of the three, or technically it could be four.
That's when guards began to clamour through the door and surround the man. They raised spears to the human. As Celestia and Luna approached they could feel the pure power radiating off of the monster in front of them. He was the pure definition of power. The bottomless pit of energy in the body. A vessel of unimaginable strength and pure destructive force.
"Surrender Ape!" One of the guards yelled, gaining some gasps, but an unamused expression from the human. Celestia's brow blew a beat of sweat to the ground, and although none noticed it, she was slightly shaking.
"This is the human we fought alongside!" The crystal empress exclaimed, attempting to lighten the mood as she approached, followed by the recently retired captain of the guard and her husband.
"Celestia," Aldon stated as the sun goddess slightly tensed on the words and looked to the guards nodding her head for them to lower their weapons. "Why would you keep me in the hospital without my consent." The two princesses looked to each other then back at the human, faking a smile, more so on Celestia's part.
"Well, we just wanted to make sure you were fully rested and recovered before we revealed you to the world." Aldon was not convinced. "Please, try not to be angry with me and my sister. We just merely wanted you to be in good health."
"Do you think of me as a threat?" Aldon asked slowly and punctually. Every single pony tensed on that question.
"Of course not," Celestia slowly started to calm everyone, "I mean you are the savior of Ponyville." Truthfully Celestia was contemplating listening to the warning. The hostility radiating off of the man was uncanny.
The atmosphere radiated intense fear, and negative emotion. Aldon slowly turned his frown into a smile.
"You should have invited me to this!" He exclaimed looking to everyone, "party on to the new captain!" He shouted, gaining shouts of agreement as music sounded and dancing started. Luna gave a genuine smile while Celestia still held a deeper feeling of thought towards the human; the threat he posed was no small deal.
The party guests began to bombard the man with questions, some personal and some just general. Even the Elements, more so Twilight bombarded him.
'Where are you from?'
'What's your name?'
'Do you eat ponies?'
'What are you?'
'What's your status with the princesses?'
'Can you do magic?'
'Why are you so big?'
'Are you mean?'
'What does death feel like?'
The last one got Aldon as he looked to Twilight, who was genuinely curious. Aldon was probably the only being to be sent into the mindless void and see death; or his version of it. The technicality of it was that he was never truly dead. Although, he didn't need to say that. Having a little fun would be worth it.
"Let's just say," Aldon began, gaining the lavender princesses' full attention, as well as his many sprawling fans, "it's something like feeling completely helpless as demons tear apart your body." The faces of every pony contorted in imaginary pain and cringed in agony. "They love the screams you make. And to top it off you get to watch it happen to every single thing around. Animals, people, ponies." Fluttershy fainted at the sound of animals and everyone slowly looked down with fear until Aldon gave a slight chuckle.
"I'm just kidding!" He yelled gaining annoyed groan and an overhyped laugh from Pinkie. Although, Fluttershy's companions weren't happy campers to say the least.
"You made Fluters faint!" Applejack screamed, while Rainbow Dash ran to the human's face threatening him with a knuckle sandwich for making Fluttershy faint. Aldon chuckled and lifted his hands in the air, gaining increased anger from Rainbow Dash as she continued to threaten the man. Aldon just couldn't help but laugh.
"So you must be the human my wife hasn't stopped talking about," Shining Armor, clad in his armor walked to the human, who simply couldn't understand why gold. He put out his hoof to which Aldon accepted it to find increasing pressure and a fake smile on the ponies face. He was being tested again.
"I can play this game too," and with that being said, ever so slowly the pressure from Aldon's end continued to increase and Shining armor's face slowly contorted into pain until he was practically on the ground crying. That's when the Alicron he had never met made her way to the man, giving a frown at the pony shaking his hoof around.
"Why do you always do that?" She asked, exasperated with the constant game of 'manly stallion.'
"I always gauge a stallion's strength." The alicorn giggled at the pony puffing his chest up, and while Aldon certainly could puff his, he'd rather not make the pony feel down about himself.
The alicorn extended her hoof, "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You can Call Cadence though." Aldon smiled and accepted the hoof, until randomly the princess went into a hug. "Thank you," she slowly said in a whisper until Aldon's eyes slowly widened. He slowly came back to reality after accepting the gratitude and nodding his head with a smile.
"It was no problem," modesty didn't exaclty work for him though as she shook her head.
"No, really. You saved everypony's life in that town including mine, Auntie Celestia's and Auntie Luna's as well as my husband as well. If you ever need anything just let me know." Aldon nodded his head while Shining Armor gave a stare at the man, to which Aldon returned adding a flash of fire to his eyes slowly freaking out the pony as he backed away, but not with another second glare.
They were nice ponies, but against all the questions, he wanted to see the man, well stallion of the hour. He looked around until he spotted the pony with a mare, laughing it up. Aldon was genuinely proud, but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun with it.
Against all of the question prodding still going on, Aldon made his way over to the two, who drew their attention to the man. Hammerhoof acted first, getting up and moving in for a hug.
"Brother," he said pulling in tight. The embrace released all negativity stored up in both of them. Two different species, but still brothers in the heart.
The mare let out a low, 'Aww,' which got everyone doing it, until Aldon sighed and shook his head laughing. He slowly released the pony and smiled at him, "So, are you the lucky pony of the hour?" Aldon asked, suspecting the answer already.
Everyone leaned in, waiting in earnest for the answer, until Hammerhoof slowly nodded his head, smiling and yelling. "You found me out!" Everyone screamed in glee, while people came in to congratulate Hammerhoof, f course it wasn't all pure congratulations, but Hammerhoof knew he would have to get passed the arrogant nobles anyway.
That cotninued on while Aldon began to converse with the two princesses, wihle he heard then obles whisper behind his back.
'So disgusting.'
'Looks like an ape.'
'I think he is one.'
'He should be in a cage.'
'Look at how inconsiderate he is.'
'Yeah, he should be grovelling at their hooves for letting him live.'
Aldon slowly turned his head to the last pony, finding an arrogant pony, adorning a white coat and a golden mane, with the cutie mark of a purple and gold compass, chatting it up with pompous noblewomen with their heads turned on Aldon. He gave a death glare from one eye, which translated into the unicorn slowly pissing and running.
"Guards, he's going to eat me!" He yelled, destroying the scene of the party.
Celestia sighed, face-hoofing. "Everypony, please ignore my nephew!" Everyone looked to each other until the party continued on without a hitch, all the while the unicorn was surrounded by guards being escorted out.
"I didn't know you had a nephew? Makes you look great," Aldon said sarcasstically gaining an annoyed expression from both princesses.
"We brought him in due to rather sad circumstances, but truly he is lacking in the etiquette of royalty."
"I can see that Celestia." Luna sighed as well to this.
"We--I still don't know why you haven't told him to scram." Celestia slightly gasped.
"Luna!"
"What? I'm right." Aldon admired the sisterly argument. He could see the emotion in it, and made him wish he was back with his; so so much. Celestia noticed the pained expression in Aldon's eyes, tow which she commented.
"Are you ok Sir Aldon?" Celestia asked, while the man himself realized he had a tear dripping from his face. He nodded and wiped it off, returning with a beaming smile.
"Just memories princess, just memories." Luna saddened at the thought, while Celestia nodded in understanding also saddened by the development until Pinkie Pie began the party cannon barrage, sending everyone into the dust of innumerable amounts of confetti and balloons. The rest of the party went without a hitch, and it was one of the most enjoyable times Aldon had, with Hammerhoof finally finding true love again; but sadly, not everything is rainbows and sunshine, no in fact more is darkness and deceit, anger and rage.