//------------------------------// // Dex and Riches // Story: Days of our Dex // by StapleCactus //------------------------------// Celestia’s grand chariot began its descent upon the small town of Slade. The golden siding glinted in the sunlight as two strong pegasi steadied the descent. The occupants of the airborne craft, Princess Celestia and her constant companion, Sir Dex, Knight of the Solar Guard, jerked slightly as the ride touched down upon the soft soil. The only human to grace Equestria’s land stepped out first, scanning the gathered villagers and scenery for threats. His serious expression and armed stature led the ponies to grow a little concerned. After a brief nod towards the chariot, Celestia stepped out and greeted her subjects by spreading her wings and giving a soft smile. In return, the ponies bowed in reverence until she asked them to rise. There was no particular reason for the sudden visit by the princess of the sun. Occasionally, she would take a day off to see her subjects and reacquaint herself with their lives. The only thing different about this visit, was the odd being standing beside her, looking both excited and bored at the same time. The looks Dex was receiving ranged across the full spectrum: from fear to curiosity. He had gotten used to such looks on previous missions with his liege and regarded the ponies in a neutral expression he was sure they’d confuse. I wonder how long I can keep this up this time, he thought. As he was about to lose his nerve, Celestia spoke up. “My dear citizens, it is wonderful to see you all again.” A grey pony with black hair was pushed forward from the gathering and he gave a quick bow before responding. “Your Majesty, we are honored by your presence. I am the new mayor of Slade, Slate Grey.” How appropriate. “May I ask what the being is beside your royal presence?” Can this guy get anymore stiff? The princess had enough praise and folded her wings back before relaxing her stature a bit. “Please, do not be alarmed, my little ponies. This man beside is one of my knights, Sir Dex of the Solar Guard, and I would like you all to treat him as you would anypony.” At her words, most of the ponies gathered had relaxed and gave Dex a few smiles, or waves by the younger ones. Seeing the little fillies and colts in the group brought a smile on the young knight’s face, for they reminded him of his own world slightly. He threw caution and etiquette to the wind and stepped forward, releasing the grip on his sword. Psh, that didn’t take long. “Hello, everyone. It’s good to meet y’all. The princess and I are here to visit, so make yourselves comfortable. Stiff ponies make for poor conversation after all.” The man’s voice was loud enough to reach everypony’s ears, but soft enough to bring his emotions across. He had learned that if he didn’t take the lead, Celestia would allow her subjects to remain as they were and slip a few jokes in at their actions. Between the princess’s request and her knight’s own, the ponies couldn’t hold back any longer and slacked entirely. Some turned and went about their business, while others would come up to ask a few questions or exchange greetings with the royalty in their presence. “Dex, go along and mingle. Everything is fine here,” the princess said during a lull in conversation. “Alright, but where will you be?” he responded. “We will meet again easily enough, do not worry.” Trusting in Celestia’s judgement, the knight bowed before her and stepped through the crowd as it parted for him. As he was just entering the town’s border, a young voice could be heard nearby. “Numbers!” “Huh?! Wha?” Dex snapped out of his reminiscing when he heard his young friend shout. He took a moment to shake out of the daydream before looking over at the source of the voice. “What is it, Riches?” “You’ve been staring into space for a while now. I thought you were going to help me with my chores?” The little golden coated filly looked up at him with wide eyes, her silver hair falling to one side of her head like a waterfall that reached beyond her shoulders. She put on a pout to increase the effectiveness of her guilt trip. “Gah! Sorry, I’m sorry! Stop that!” the knight said in response, turning his head in any direction he could to avoid looking at the young pony. Seeing that her ploy had worked, she immediately reverted to her bossy nature. “Hup to it then. You have to move all the boxes here up to the kitchens,” she said as she set one upon her back and started for the stairs. Dex looked around the cellar to see a mountain of boxes, ranging from foods to supplies any tavern would need. He shook his head slowly, remembering that he brought the situation upon himself. Setting the box he was carrying on top of a stack he had made earlier, he bent down and lifted the five piled crates as one and headed for the stairs. His mind fell back into his daydream, but kept the work on his subconscious as he didn’t want to face his friend’s wrath again. The voice the knight had heard earlier devolved into a scream. Wasting no time, he ran towards the sound and ended up between two of the wooden buildings in town. Inside the narrow alleyway, he could see two colts stalking closer to a trembling little filly, but the shadows didn’t let him catch any colors from the assailants or their victim. “Aw, why you crying? Little orphan can’t take care of herself once she’s cornered?” one of the colts mocked while the other snickered. “How about I teach you how to get some money?” he continued, nudging his accomplice at the innuendo before laughing as well. It was at that point that Dex realized they were older than he first thought. With anger boiling in his veins, he stepped closer to the duo, making sure his footfalls were loud. Between the soft soil and the colts’ laughter, they didn’t hear him approach and he placed a hand on either pony. They froze on the contact. “I’ve got a better idea,” the man said in as dark a voice he could muster. “How about I teach two young stallions some manners?” The two turned slowly to view a large creature standing on two legs they had never seen before with a sword at his side. They screamed at the perceived monster before running full tilt out of the alleyway. Dex let the colts go and walked slowly over to the still cowering filly. Some light streamed through a cloud so he could see her golden coat and silver hair. She was covered in dirt and was in need of a good brushing. “Hey, they’re gone now. It’s safe,” he spoke softly, kneeling and attempting to get her to stop shaking in fear. The filly slowly pulled her head away from her body to look up at the man, but didn’t react as the others had. Her ruby eyes darted between Dex and the empty alley behind him before she abruptly stood up and attempted to brush off some dirt. “I-I could have taken care of them,” she said in a sweet, harmonic voice that struggled to sound tough. “I didn’t need any help.” The knight started to add everything he had heard together, and didn’t mind the filly’s brash attitude. “You’ve been alone for awhile haven’t you?” he asked, still crouched with a sympathetic smile on his face. “I don’t need your pity,” she spat as she shakily stood and started towards the entrance to the alley.  Her bones could be seen slightly through her skin, as if she hadn’t eaten in some time. “I can take care of myself just fine.” Dex disagreed with her statement and swept her up before she passed him entirely. “Yeah, not buying it kid.” “Hey!” she struggled for a minute before the man’s strength overpowered her own. The filly seemed to accept her fate and settled in his arms like a cat. “I’m going to get you some food, and then we are going to talk. There’s no way I’m letting an orphan stay that way under my watch,” Dex said as he walked out of the alley and towards the local tavern. In the distance, Celestia noticed her knight carrying a dirty filly and smiled to herself before talking more with the town’s residents. The last box had been brought up from the cellar when Riches ran over to him. “Numbers!” She took a moment to breathe before continuing. “We have a situation at the bar!” Dex stood from setting the box down and cracked his neck. “Barfight?” he asked as he grabbed his sword from next to the doorway to the basement. He normally wouldn’t need it, but it was always good to have for intimidation purposes. “Worse,” was the only reply before she started pushing him towards the kitchen door. He indulged her for a moment before relenting and walking on his own. As soon as he entered the tavern’s main hall, with the filly trailing behind him, he could see the problem. A few of the local stallions had started up a little gang and was attempting to extort the owners for ‘protection’ money. “Now, now. We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to this establishment, would we?” spoke a familiar looking pony. Riches gasped when she managed to get a better look at him. “That’s one of the colts that always bothered me!” she said in a loud whisper. “What is he doing here?” The stallion had heard Riches speak and turned to see her. His eyes grew a bit before cuckling. “Well if it isn’t the little orphan!” He looked beside her to the knight. “And the monster! Isn’t this interesting. I can show this old stallion we mean business and get my revenge at the same time!” He then nodded towards his compatriots. “Get him, fellas. I want the little one for myself.” Dex stood calmly while the ponies started towards him slowly, knocking tables and chairs out of the way while working into a circle around him and the filly. When he spoke, it was in complete confidence and command. “As a knight of Princess Celestia’s Solar Guard, I ask you just this once to cease your activities or be brought to justice.” The leader laughed once more. “As if the princess would employ a monster like you! Get him.” The stallions began to rush him at his command. “Very well,” was all that the knight said before taking a defensive stance and removing his sword from his side, keeping it sheathed to prevent serious injury. Two of the four ponies reached him at once. Dex threw a punch to the right while swinging his weapon to the left, knocking both colts back and allowing the other two to try. The stallion on the left about faced and attempted to buck the man, but lost his balance as the human sidestepped to attack the other pony. As the knight delivered a two-handed swing across the face of his newest opponent, he heard a scream from behind him. The leader had stepped around the brawl to grab Riches and started dragging her towards the kitchen. Hell, no. Dex felt anger rush through him as it had the day he met the golden filly. Instead of holding it back, he embraced the emotion. Release. The human was a blur of motion, as he quickly slammed a foot across the head of the stallion just getting up from his tumble, followed by a quick jab to the first two colts as they blocked his way. The man burst through the doorway to find the leader holding the young mare down. Without a second thought, Dex slammed into the stallion and pushed him into the wall behind him. Flicking his thumb across the guard of his sword, the sheath fell away to show a deadly sharp katana. The knight pointed the tip straight at the pony’s face and pulled back the blade for a quick thrust. “Stop!” came the cry of the filly behind him. The blade halted its progress a mere centimeter from the colt’s eye. “Why?” Dex said, venom dripping from his voice. “It’s alright.” Riches paused as she walked up to the enraged knight and looked up at him. Her head only came up to his stomach, but he could see her nonetheless. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke. “Remember what you said the day we met?” The noise of the tavern was drowned out by the utter silence surrounding the man and filly sitting at a table on the far side of the room. Plates of food had been brought over, only to sit and cool as the two continued their silence. The filly would look over the food and up at the man, only to look back down at her hooves, while the knight would sit still and watch her quietly. One of the waitresses came over at one point to ask if they needed anything else as she surveyed the mess of uneaten food, only to be waved off by Dex. “What’s your name, little one?” the human finally asked, only to receive nothing in reply. Well... “If you won’t tell me your name, I guess I’ll have to give you one.” The golden filly looked up at him and opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it and looked at the food. “You can eat whatever you see here, no need to be shy.” “I’m not shy!” she suddenly blurted. Her eyes grew a bit at her outburst before fighting through the words. “I don’t want your pity, and now you’re torturing me by putting all this food in front of me.” The man sighed slowly and grabbed a plate of fries he had specifically ordered to be made from potatoes. “Look, I’m not pitying you. I want to help you, so eat and help me help you,” he said before throwing a few fries in his mouth. The filly looked down and mumbled for a moment, much to the human’s chagrin. “I didn’t catch that.” She spoke a little louder, but it was still muffled. “Come again?” Once more, she said something the knight couldn’t understand. “Could you look at me when you speak? I can’t understand you.” “Precious Metal!” she yelled, a bit too loud than she wanted. Some of the patrons on the tavern looked over at the duo, but were waved off by the knight. “Precious Metal? That’s your name?” I really don’t want to laugh, but really? The young mare seemed to understand the man’s thought process, as she glared at him. “Yes, my parents gave me that name. You have a problem with it?” she bit back. “No, no. It’s cute.” He smiled at her, only making her more irritated. “This is why I don’t tell anypony my name.” She huffed and looked away. “How about I call you Riches, then?” “Riches?” “Because of your colors: gold, silver, and ruby. Riches.” “Hmph, what’s your name?” she asked as she turned back to the knight. “Dex.” “Then I’ll call you Numbers.” “Numbers?” The man had to admit, it was sort of catchy. “Because a dex is a base set of numbers, like two dex is ten to the second power.” “You’re smarter than you look.” GRAHHH! The man began screaming in his head at what he had just done. “And how smart do I look?” she asked indignantly. As smart as Precious. Pff. Okay, calm down. The smirk returned to the man’s face at the thought and attempted to calm the situation. “It was a slip of the tongue. In my world, it was a compliment.” “Uhuh.” She didn’t buy it, but let it go as she took a bite of egg from a nearby plate. “Well, Numbers, what do you do since you can afford all this?” The man was surprised at her quick change of mood and smiled at the progress he was making. “I’m a knight of the princess,” he responded. “Can you tell me why you were being assaulted?” The filly looked away. “You don’t have to-” “They always taunt me, ever since my parents...” Dex waited patiently for the Riches to continue. The table was silent except for his occasional grab at food. The young mare began to eat after some time and the knight wondered if he would get any more information from her. As she finished off her second plate, originally covered in hay fries, she spoke up again. “My parents passed away a few years ago. Nopony bothered to take me in, so I’ve been taking care of myself since then.” The knight listened intently as the filly continued her story. There were moments he cringed and others where he laughed along with whatever the girl had found funny. Within a few hours, the empty plates piled up and the sun had begun its descent across the sky. Dex paid for the meal and wandered towards the entrance, beckoning the filly to follow. When they stepped out into the afternoon sun, he spoke up. “What do you say we find those young stallions that bothered you?” His face was empty of all emotion, not letting the filly see what he had planned. “They... they don’t deserve the attention,” she responded, trying to avoid a confrontation with the colts twice in one day. “I think you deserve some revenge,” he continued with coldness starting to seep into his voice. “No!” Her response shocked the knight out of his thoughts. “Numbers, I want you to promise me something,” she said as she stepped in front of him and looked him in the eyes. “I am a man of my word, so if I don’t believe I can do it, I won’t promise it.” “Promise me, Dex. Promise me that you will not harm the ponies who attacked me.” “Why are you so adamant about not bringing them to justice?” Riches shook her head. “No questions. Just promise me.” She looked at him and brought her ultimate weapon against him. Her eyes grew wide and misted with tears while she pouted and tilted her head to one side. How is it that it doesn’t work with me if they’re human, but these ponies can make me do anything with that look? The knight sighed deeply and resigned himself to his fate. “I promise I will not seriously harm the ponies who assaulted you.” “That’s not what exactly what I asked!” “Because if they attack you again, I need some leeway to defend you. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to them unless they start something again.” Satisfied with his explanation, she smiled and started walking off to the left. “Good, we will get cleaned up.” Bossy ain’t she? The man looked between the young mare and stallion for a few moments before retracting his blade from his opponent’s face. The colt let out a breath of relief before the man’s face was in his own. “You will leave this town, never to darken a doorway or assault another pony again. Do. You. Hear. Me?” the knight said as he glared directly into the stallion’s eyes. “Y-yes sir!” the pony responded with a shaky nod. Dex released the stallion and watched him dart out of the kitchen and then the tavern itself, ignoring his teammates in favor of escaping. The human then turned to look down at the filly and picked her up. “I told you I’m a man of my word,” he said as he did his best interpretation of a nuzzle. She giggled in relief and let him carry her back into the main hall. Upon seeing the man, the other stallions quickly stood and ran out of the building as well. The owner of the establishment trotted over to the knight and bowed his head. “Thank you, Sir Dex. You have done more than we ever expected as always.” “It's no problem, Tall Glass.” He looked down at the filly snuggled under his head that he had helped so much in the past and smiled. Dex had finally come to a conclusion. “It’s the least I can do for you giving my sister a home.” Riches looked up at him in shock, before tears began to well up and she smiled happily.