//------------------------------// // Meeting Their Doom Slayer // Story: Guardian // by Thule117 //------------------------------// Rainbow watched the train from Manehattan as it pulled into Ponyville station with a loud metallic screech. A moment later the doors to the passenger cars opened, and Rainbow watched through clouds of steam as ponies disembarked. Hovering about twenty feet above the platform she kept her eyes searching for her targets. Swiftly locating a familiar brown stetson hat and elegantly styled purple mane Rainbow descended back to earth with a smile. "Hey Applejack, Rarity, over here!" She called out, waving a hoof. The two ponies smiled, and waved to their friend as they moved to greet her. "Hey there Rainbow, it was mighty thoughtful of ya ta come meet us like this." Applejack said giving Rainbow a high hoof. "Indeed darling, when did you get back from your performance in Fillydelphia?" Rarity asked with a smile and a toss of her mane. Rainbow smiled as they started walking along the platform toward the baggage car. "About two days ago, it was awesome! The city was amazing, and the stadium was packed every show!" She explained happily. "Have y'all seen Twilight? Ah was worried she'da felt a mite left out, what with all of us gone." Applejack said with a little concern. Rainbow smirked as her friends collected their bags, or in Rarity's case; several large trunks that she placed on a heavy duty luggage trolley. "Oh trust me she's had plenty to keep her busy, what with our new visitor." Dash replied cryptically. Applejack, and Rarity glanced questioningly at Rainbow. "And what new visitor might that be darling? Ooh, did Trenderhoof come to visit me?!" Rarity squealed, causing Applejack to roll her eyes slightly. "Nope." Rainbow said with a smirk. "Oh, is it Rah-rah? Ah know she said she wanted to visit Ponyville again soon." Applejack asked excitedly. Rainbow's smirk widened. "If you mean Coloratura, then no." "Is it Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart?" Rarity guessed. "Hehe, nope, it's somepony, or should I say somebody completely new." Applejack and Rarity looked at each other curiously before shrugging and looking back at Rainbow Dash. "Well don't keep us in suspense darling what's their name?" Rarity asked, as Applejack nodded. Rainbow giggled as though enjoying some private joke. "Tell you what, why don't I introduce you to him, and you can ask him yourself." She said, smiling mischievously. Applejack arched an eyebrow in suspicion. "Why can't ya'll just tell us?" Rarity nodded. "Indeed darling, this seems a bit, melodramatic for my tastes." She said, causing Applejack to roll her eyes again. Rainbow shook her head still smiling. "Nope, no way I'm gonna ruin the surprise, but I will tell you a little about him. First though I need to tell you about the dragon attack a few days ago. . ." Twilight stared across the table at her guest, not quite sure how to begin. "So. . . where's your other retainer? His name was Stormfang right?" Dragon lord Ember glanced up from the teacup she was drinking out of to nod. "I left him back in the Dragonlands, he's one of the 'old guard' who think anybody, err, anypony who isn't a dragon is only good for food. I figured for what I wanted to discuss it was better if he wasn't here. Where's that armoured creature who was with you? Derran, was it?" "He's out assisting with the repairs, he wanted to be here, but I figured you might not like him around because of, well. . ." Twilight trailed off. Ember nodded. "I appreciate the thought, though honestly I don't personally feel any anger toward him. He was only defending what was important to him, and you can hardly fault sompony for that. Besides, at that point Garble was little more than a rabid animal. I wish I could believe otherwise, but I don't think things could have ended any other way." Twilight nodded sadly. "You may be right, but I still wish there was something that we could have done to prevent it happening in the first place." She said with genuine regret. "Actually, that's exactly what I hoped to talk to you about Princess Twilight." Ember stated with a smile. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked curiously. Ember sighed as she rose from her seat, walking a short distance to gaze out an open window overlooking Ponyville. "During the Gauntlet of Fire, your assistant Spike helped me see that there is great power in having friends, and allies. He also proved that having a strong mind, and heart, can be far more useful than any amount of muscle." Ember paused, and Twilight waited for her to continue. "Look at what knowledge, and friendship has done for you ponies." Ember exclaimed gesturing out the window. "Green fields, thriving towns, laughing children, art, music, festivals, and so much more! Meanwhile we dragon's have only barren wastes, pits of lava, and useless wealth. We have no songs, no celebrations, no cities, and our only joy comes at the expense of others, in truth; we have no civilization at all!" Twilight nodded sympathetically. "I take it you want to change that?" Ember turned back to Twilight nodding. "Yes, and I want to start by opening trade with Equestria. The dragon nation has an unimaginable amount of gold but nothing to spend it on, we just hoard it because it's pretty." Ember paused for a moment, before continuing with just a hint of reverence in her voice. "Your ponies have so many things that don't exist in the Dragonlands, tea, fruit, books, cloth. Things that I'm sure my subjects would want to buy if only they knew about them. So here's what I'm proposing, a grand festival, sponsored by the Dragon Lord, and the Princesses of Equestria. Your ponies could bring all the amazing things Equestria has to offer so my subjects can try them, while the Dragon Nation would finance the event. Hopefully it would help my subjects see the benefit of things like friendship simply by interacting with your ponies, what do you think?" Twilight's face lit up. "I think that sounds like a great idea! I'm sure Celestia, Luna, and Cadence will all want to participate. This will be an amazing opportunity for both our kingdoms!" She said clapping her hooves in excitement. Ember smiled grateful for Twilight's enthusiasm. "Thank you Princess, honestly after what happened I was afraid you wouldn't be interested." Twilight smiled. "I'm not really into holding grudges, and it wouldn't feel right to blame the entire Dragon Nation just because a few dragons happen to be jerks." Ember nodded. "The way of thinking in the Dragon Nation has started changing since I took power. Most dragons believed physical strength was the only trait that mattered. However after Spike, a dragon raised by ponies, won the Gauntlet of Fire. Some dragons have started wondering if there might be more to life than just physical power, and treasure." "I take it you've been encouraging that line of thinking?" Twilight asked. Ember smiled. "I have. I want more for dragonkind than to be seen as ferocious destructive beasts. I want us to have a true society, a culture. I want dragons to build a civilization that will stand the test of time, and be constructed upon a foundation of wisdom, and friendship!" Ember declared, conviction in every word. Twilight nodded slowly. "A beautiful dream. . . one I would be honored to help make a reality." She said with a gentle smile. Ember smiled broadly in return. "Thank you Princess, you have no idea how much that means to me." Twilight nodded, and was about to reply when she heard what sounded like a distant series of explosions. . . Derran looked at his surroundings with a critical eye. Shortly after Twilight received word that the Dragon Lord had been sighted she had requested Derran leave the castle, despite his protests. In the end he had capitulated only because he was fairly certain that the dragon's leader truly had no wish for conflict. One thing Derran had always been good at was telling when someone was trying to hide their real motives. Ember had seemed genuinely distressed at the damage to the town during their first meeting, and when Derran had looked into her eyes he saw no signs of duplicity. Nevertheless, Derran had lingered out of sight near the castle to observe the dragon's arrival. He had gone only after noticing that Stormfang was absent from Ember's retinue, indicating she wanted to be as diplomatic as possible. He also noticed her second retainer was carrying a massive locked chest that gave off the sound of shifting coins with every step. As such, the Doom Slayer decided that at the very least he could trust the dragons to honor their word. While that didn't mean Derran would trust them completely, he would trust them for the moment. Thus Derran had headed for town. In the end he decided it was all for the best. Ponyville was still in dire need of repair, and his strength would be most needed there, rather than standing idly by in the castle. He had intended to assist in rebuilding the houses, though he had never been much good at carpentry, but a problem had arisen almost immediately. Apparently there was not enough lumber, and while Ponyville had a small saw mill, somehow they had run out of logs to process into new boards. "Forgive my ignorance, but how can you be out of logs when you live at the edge of a massive forest?" Derran had asked the boss of the mill. An older earth pony mare with an orange coat, short white mane, hatchet cutie mark and a no nonsense look about her. "We don't get our wood from the forest, it's too dangerous. All our logs come by rail, but some quill necked moron screwed up the orders, and we won't get a new shipment for a week!" She said irritably. "Apologies for being a bit harsh, but that is unacceptable. We cannot expect the displaced citizens to spend an entire week in tents while we accomplish nothing." Darran said curtly. The mare nodded slowly. "I hear ya, but there's nothing that can be done." Derran looked over the mare's shoulder at the distant edge of the Everfree forest. "Tell me," He began, a plan quickly taking shape in his head. "how many unicorns could you gather together on short notice?" The boss mare glanced at the Doom Slayer in confusion. "Why do you-" She began but Derran swiftly cut her off. "Just answer the question please." he said politely but firmly. The mare shrugged. "I dunno, maybe about forty or so, but why-" Derran continued, ignoring the mare's interrupted question. "Would that be enough to lift trees of the appropriate size from the forest to the mill?" The boss mare glanced up at Derran in shock, starting to guess his plan. "Well yes, but you can't be suggesting-" She started as again the Doom Slayer interrupted. "How big of a tree would you need?" At this point the mare was starting to grow a little irritated. "Look I wanna help these ponies too, but marching into that wood is suicide for anypony who-" Yet again she found herself interrupted. "Suicide for anypony perhaps, but at the risk of sounding a touch arrogant; I am no pony. Now, if you would be so kind, please elaborate on the dimensions of the trees you require." Derran stated as he continued to work out the details in his head. "At least 36 inches in diameter, and minimum of 100 feet tall." She said simply, deciding that arguing would be pointless. "Very well, gather up every unicorn you can find, and tell them to wait, I shall return when I have enough trees." Derran said calmly. "Hold on, how exactly are you planning to cut all the trees? I know you're strong, but I seriously doubt even you could just tear them out of the ground!" The mare demanded raising her voice slightly in exasperation. Derran had simply smiled. "What is your name madam?" "Sawdust." She replied. "Well miss Sawdust I can assure you I have no intention of trying to tear trees out of the ground. However I promise you I can get you the wood you need, I simply need a little time. Unless the idea of waiting for a week is a more preferable option, in which case I shall happily defer to your greater wisdom in the matter." Derran stated with a respectful bow. Sawdust sighed. "Well you've already performed one miracle, I guess I can believe you can pull off another. Alright, I'll get everypony ready, just don't get yourself killed." Derran nodded. "I shall be the very soul of caution miss Sawdust, and will return as soon as I can." Thus Derran now found himself a short ways into the Everfree Forest searching for the trees he needed. Fortunately the forest was not quite as thick in the area he was exploring, allowing him to see a fair distance in all directions. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. After only a few minutes Derran located a large clump of oak trees of the proper size and shape. There was a flash of red light, and a faint crack as the Doom slayer summoned the perfect weapon for the job. The hum of the chainsaw in Derran's hands felt like the handshake of an old, treasured friend. Many were the foes who had been felled by the whirling metallic teeth of this terrible device. Yet now for the first time the Doom Slayer would use it for it's original intended purpose. "And to think, I found you on a planet devoid of even a single tree." Derran mused as he started toward his first target. "So, this stallion is strong, heroic, well mannered, educated, kind hearted, handsome, and he can cook?" Rarity asked skeptically. "Yep." Rainbow nodded. Rarity arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing a word of it. "Darling if this is a prank it's not one of your better ones. No stallion in Equestria is that perfect." AJ nodded in agreement. "An ya'll don't seriously expect us ta believe that somepony could slay sixteen dragons by themselves?" Rainbow gave them a superior looking smile. "Oh? Care to bet on it?" She asked slyly. Applejack gave a wry smile. "What did ya'll have in mind?" She asked a challenge in her voice. Rainbow smirked, this was going to be too sweet for words. "How about if I win, you have to admit to the entire town that I'm the greatest athlete in Ponyville, and you can never take it back?" Applejack gave Rainbow a suspicious look. The two of them had been competing against each other for the "best Ponyville athlete" title for years. Despite numerous competitions, and contests between them, neither had ever claimed a decisive victory, and both coveted the title with equal ferocity. If Rainbow was willing to risk losing her shot at it over this bet she had to be extremely confident in victory. Still the idea was absurd, nopony could be that powerful, could they? True she'd seen the cleared areas where the destroyed structures used to stand, but all that proved was that there had been a fire, this had to be a bluff. "Ok, deal. If you can prove there's a stallion capable of slayin sixteen dragons at once, ah'll admit your Ponyville's best athlete." Rainbow smiled triumphantly, as they spit on their hooves, and shook to seal the bet. After dropping off their belongings Rarity, and Applejack, returned to meet Rainbow Dash at the center of Ponyville to be introduced to this legendary stallion. "Allright girls, just follow me." Rainbow declared. "Why? Ah thought you'd be bringin' this hero ah yours here." Applejack asked curiously. "Well I was, but turns out he went to run an errand, so we're gonna have to go to him." Rainbow said slightly embarrassed. "I hope it's not to far, the train ride was exhausting, and I don't want to be running around all over Ponyville looking for this mythical stallion of yours." Rarity declared. "Don't worry it's not too far, and trust me, this guy is worth the wait." Rainbow replied with a smirk. Though skeptical Rarity, and Applejack were still curious about this strange new friend Rainbow had told them about. Applejack wanting to find out if there really was a pony capable of the incredible feats of strength, and skill Rainbow described. While Rarity was curious to find out if said pony was as refined, and gentlecoltly as Rainbow implied. In truth Rarity wondered if Rainbow had come across her secret stash of romance novels. If so, it would explain how she would be able to make up a personality as perfect as the one she claimed this stallion possessed. For about ten minutes they walked in silence, however when Rainbow lead them out of the town limits they spoke up. "Uh, Rainbow darling, where exactly are you taking us?" Rarity asked nervously. "Yeah, this here jus leads to the edge of the Everfree Forest." Applejack chimed in. Rainbow turned back to give her friends a slightly condescending smile. "Duh, where else do you expect to find the mightiest hero in Equestria? Somepony said they saw him head this way after talking to Sawdust. He probably got bored, and decided to go fight a Manticore or something." Privately Rainbow knew that likely wasn't true, but she couldn't resist teasing her friends a little. "Oh, no no no, there is absolutely no way I am going in there!" Rarity declared huffily. "Me neither, least not this way." Applejack agreed. Rainbow gave her two companions a look of exasperation. "Oh come on we go into this forest like every other week, why is it such a big deal now?" Applejack shook her head. "Goin on one of the paths is one thing, those go around the most dangerous areas. You go in anywhere else, and who knows what ya'll might run into." She explained irritably. Rainbow sighed. "Ok fine, tell you what, I'll fly up and see if I can spot him, if I can't or if he's too far out then we'll wait for him back in town, deal?" Applejack considered it for a moment before slowly nodding. "Ah guess that'll be alright, but if this friend ah yours is more than a hunnred feet in, then forget it." Rainbow smiled. "Deal, just give me one sec." She said before shooting into the sky. Flying over the forest, Rainbow scanned for any sign of the Doom Slayer, it didn't take her long to spot him. He was about eighty feet from the edge of the forest, and was holding a large, noisy object that buzzed as he used it to slice into the side of a tree in a spray of sawdust and wood chips. About five other cut trees lay near Derran in a small pile. Rainbow watched for a moment as the tree he was working on fell to the ground, the loud "CRACK" of breaking branches accompanying it's slow fall. Gliding back down to Rarity, and Applejack, Rainbow jerked her head toward the forest. "He's about eighty feet in, and don't worry I didn't see any monsters, Poison Joke, or anything else like that." Applejack glanced at the trees suspiciously. "What was that sound we just heard?" Rainbow shrugged. "Looks like he's cutting down trees with some kind of machine, I've never seen anything like it before, but that's making the sound. So, ready to meet the hero of the century?" She asked with a devil may care grin. "Ah suppose." Applejack said, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "Oh very well, but it had better be worth all this. . . dirt." Rarity said with a shudder. Rainbow just smiled as she led the way, it didn't take long for them to find who they were looking for. Unfortunately, something else had found him first. . .