//------------------------------// // Into the Fray and Most World Leaders of the Time // Story: A Guardian's Tale in Equestria // by TheWolfSpartanBrony //------------------------------// (POV: Maximus) "So what was up with that woman with the wings?" asked Faye through our mental link as I blasted across the desert towards the giant scorpion made out of rock. "She is well... a pegasus. Though I was expecting a little more fur on them, but it looks like they are more human than pony." I answer as I weave around a sand dune "Oh so we're at that place you kept talking about... Equestria right?" asked Faye after realizing what I was talking about "Yes and no, we are on the word Equus which Equestria is a country on it. So I am not sure that we are in Equestria mainly due to what Princess Ivy said her mother was at." I answer as I go flying up and over a sand dune to make sure I was going in the right direction, which I was. "Huh... So we might see actual magic and not Hive magic?" asked Faye "Probably." I answer as I stop atop a fairly large sand dune as I watch an army of smaller sand crawlers, about six feet tall, mach in front of the massive form of a matriarch sand crawler that stands at roughly six stories tall with an extra three with the tail, so the thing is roughly nine stories tall. There is another thing I notice in all of the creatures is that there is black crystals protruding from their backs, parts of their legs, and their stingers are made out of the same crystal substance. "Well they sure don't look dangerous at all." stated Faye with an obvious sense of sarcasm in her voice, who had materialized over my right shoulder. "Definitely, Though I think Sweet Business, Black Spindle, and Sleeper Simulant would work better for them." I state as I look over the army that approaches. "You sure?" asked Faye questioning my selection of weaponry "No, scratch that order give me Crimson, Zhalo Supercell, and Thunderlord." I answer after reworking the numbers of the incoming army. With my loadout set, I got off my sparrow and let it dematerialize to return to my ship in orbit. As I was preparing myself for the coming fight a voice boomed across the field of sand crawlers. "WHO DARES STAND BEFORE MY ARMY!?!?" "A DEATHLESS FOOL WHO WOULD PROTECT THE INNOCENT IF IT MEANT DYING TO DO SO!!" was my reply with the help of Faye to amplify it. "THEN YOU WILL BE SQUASHED BY MY ARMY!!" shouted the voice and the army surged forward and I started firing. (Several Minutes Earlier) (POV: Empress Ruby Windsong) "What was that!" cried Princess Celestia, daughter to Queen Faust "Something terrible." I answered knowing that was a Matriarch Sandcrawler, but before I could ask for reports from the scouts that had shot off the moment the roar ripped through the peace of the calm day, the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance, yet there was no clouds in sight. 'Strange' I think to myself before Faust herself walks up to me. "What is going on Empress?" asked Queen Faust "For once in my life, I have no idea." I replied still staring in the direction as thunder continued to ring out in a trio, then a scout landed near by. "Speak" I said to the scout "There is a being fighting an army of infected Sandcrawlers." "And?" I asked knowing there was more to it. "It is winning." was the scouts answer "How?" I asked with slight surprise in my voice "With weapons that that produce thunder spit fire and lightning. Sometimes lightning itself is called from the heavens to aid him." was his answer which was given further credence when lightning rained down from a clear sky for several seconds. "Empress Ruby what is the meaning of this?" demanded King Steel Fist of the Minotaurs "An army of Infected Sand Crawlers is on the march and is being halted by a single being." I answered still not believing the report I was given "Impossible no one being can fight an army. Especially against those things." stated Emperor Gold Wing of the Griffons, who have had several incursons of Sandcrawlers upon his western boarder. "Not entirely..." stated Princess Luna who had her eyes closed in concentration and her horn alight. "Then show us child, how one can take on thousands." stated King Lionheart. Which she did with the help of her mother, they projected a moving image of the battle occurring several miles away. The image showed a male being garbed in strange and advanced looking armor wielding strange weapons the spewed fire and lightning. Each bolt of lightning from his weapons would down a Crawler or several within close proximity. All fell with practiced ease of a seasoned warrior. There were times the male would outright stab a Crawler or throw a knife that looked to six to seven inches long at Crawlers. Then there were its abilities. He would throw different colored orbs at the bests which would explode on contact, or seek out a Crawler then explode, or a wall of purple flames. It was a deadly art, an art that was beautiful yet gruesome. My concentration on the warrior was broken as something attached itself to my right leg. "Mother what is going on?" asked Ivory Windsong my youngest daughter of five years old with fear in her eyes and voice who was now clinging to my right leg for dear life. "A very brave warrior is doing his best to halt an army." I answered in a soothing motherly voice while I held my youngest child close to my body. In the span of two hours the being fought his way to the corrupted MSC. Halfway through the fight Queen Faust took over the spell for her daughter to rest from keeping the spell going for as long as it did. When that happened I let Ivory stay with the celestial sisters. After that I ordered the defenses closest to the fighting to be reinforced. After issuing the order did something truly happen for the 'Guardian' called forth the power of lightning itself into himself and a blade he held in one hand. With the power of lightning on his side the Guardian carved a path through the swarm of Sandcrawlers that left none that he struck standing with ease. "So this is the true power of a Guardian of the Last Safe City of Earth." I said out loud which caught the attention of the other world leaders. "You know this being?" asked Steel Fist with a bit of suspicion in his voice. "No, but my eldest daughter met him on the road on her journey back from the Zebra Lands. His name is Maximus Meridius, Iron Lord and Guardian of the Last Safe City of Earth. I also received a message about his accomplishments." I answered "And?" asked Gold Wing knowing that there was more to the tale then just that. "He has killed beings that define the word God on multiple occasions." I answer looking him dead in the eye to show that even I do not believe what the note said, but now watching him carve a path through an army of Sandcrawlers with ease. Begs the question could he kill Gods and should Faust be worried, probably if she pisses him off. "Impossible no one being can do such a thing, can they?" asked Steel Fist to Faust "With the power that this 'Maximus' holds within him, it is posible." answered Faust with concern laced in her words as the rest of the world leaders and I watched on as Maximus made his way up one of the Monarch Sand Crawler's legs and almost get squashed by the stinger, but he used it to reach the top of the Monarch faster than climbing up the leg. On the back of the Monarch was a pony I hoped to never see again. "Hallowfire Blackwing" I growled out that murder's name low enough that the other leader's didn't hear me. How he managed to corrupt an army of Sandcrawlers and a Monarch Sandcrawler to follow him I may never know. All I care is that stallion die for what he did in the royal court four years ago. "Isn't that-" said Faust, but I cut her off knowing what she was going to say "Yes, that is Hallowfire Blackwing. How he managed to survive his exile to the desert is beyond me." I stated what Faust was going to say. (POV: Maximus) Using the stinger of the Monarch Sandcrawler to reach the back of the monstrosity was nice yet bumpy trip as I tried not to get flung off. Thanks to Alex I was able to time when the tail would be over the back of the MSC and landed behind another humanized pony. This one had dark tan skin, black hair and tail, black pony ears, black wings, wearing nothing more than a loin cloth, and his eyes were glowing a sulfer yellow which were full of hate. I had Crimson trained on his head. "Well it seems the 'deathless fool' has arrived." said the pony "Aye, that I have." I said with my Irish heritage coming out in a slight accent, "I would ask what you're up to, but I can clearly see that you intend to sow chaos and death. So, I'll ask why?" I continued to speak to this pony. "When I was younger, much younger, I had found a crystalline substance growing out in the desserts that held a magical property to it. I had spent my entire life studying the crystal and its properties. When I had believed I had sufficient research on the crystal I sent it to the Emperor to use in his army. I was brought before him, tried for treason, had my research burnt in front of me, and exiled to the deserts." monologue the pony who was holding a fist sized crystal that was burning with Hive Soul Fire. Realization dawned on me at the same time my super recharged so I turned it from the mysterious Void to the burning Solar, adjusted my aim for the crystal, popped my super, and fired the Golden Gun shot into the crystal. The single enhanced solar round ruptured the crystal he held in his hand before I booked it towards the edge of the MSC closest to me, but I didn't get far as I was surrounded by a sickly green flamin aura and lifted off of the ground. I was then brought before the deranged pony who looked absolutely PISSED. "LeT uS tEsT yOuR rEsIlIeNcE tO dEaTh, ShAlL wE!?" shouted the pony in a demonic distorted voice before throwing me near mack speed towards the city of Alexandria. 'Faye,-' I start to mentaly say to my Ghost over out mental link as I fly through the air at speed that I'm not comfortable with. 'Got it ready boss.' says Faye reassuringly through our mental link 'Thanks.' was all I could say to Faye before I impacted with a wall and die instantaneously. (POV: Empress Ruby Windsong) As the seen unfolded with Maximus talking with that bastard and his crystal. There was a point that I though Maximus would join his side, but when he destroyed the crystal with a nother one of his fantastical abilities and tried to run where my fears alleviate. Then they became a reality again as the Guardian was flung towards Alexandria at speeds unseen before. With the speed he was going the spell couldn't keep up with him until he hit the outer wall of the palace all of the leaders including myself were shocked to see the Guardian be revived after such an impact with the wall. "By the gods above..." I said out loud seeing that he could indeed come back from the dead. The report given to me by a messenger from Ivy was quite ridiculous, but after seeing what this man was capable of doing made that report sound quite real. As the Guardian talked with his 'Ghost' there was a distant roar that increased in volume as it got closer. "By the gods what now!" demanded Steel Fist "This is something different." stated Lionheart as he knew the varius creatures that inhabited his lands much better than I did. If he said it was something different then it was something different. Then from the skies came down a metal construct loaded with what I could only assume was more of the Guardians weapons. The construct came down to where the Guardian was standing. Once it reached the Guardian he disappeared into small bluish white blox that flowed upward into the construct. Which then roared off into the sky on pillars of fire that protruded from the back of the construct.