//------------------------------// // Here Be Dragons // Story: Guardian // by Requiem17 //------------------------------// Ale woke up to the sun shining gently into his room. With a grunt he rolled off of the bed and onto his feet. He stretched for a few moments before heading downstairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he saw Twilight hunched over her writing desk with piles of books strewn around her. Her mane was knotted and her fur looked rugged; she obviously had a long night of studying. Ale decided he would eat another one of his limited MRE’s outside in the Pelican. The grass was glistening with a wet dew that had yet to vaporize away from the sun. Ale had just finished his meal of ham and scrambled eggs when a blue mist floated in front of him. He slipped on his helmet as a scroll materialized from the mist, Ale catching it in his hand as it fell. He broke the seal that no doubt belonged to Luna judging from the crescent moon decal. He unfurled it and began reading. Dear beloved, I would have delivered this message personally if matters in the court hadn’t arisen. We have need of you at a desert town called Dodge Junction. There are recent reports of a rogue dragon causing problems there. We know not as to why the dragon has gone on a rampage. Our guards are ill suited for this situation and we ask that you please resolve it as peacefully as you can. We are confident that if things turn south that you will be more than capable of handling it. We ask that you depart post haste. With love, Luna XOXO Ale set the letter down as he pondered the message. “A dragon aye? Well, I guess I better prep my trusty steed,” Ale declared out loud as he patted the Pelican lovingly. He stood and walked back to the library to leave Twilight a note. He walked in to find her drooling on the desk, smudging the ink from the heavy writing she had performed the night prior. He quickly found a piece of parchment and a quill with an ink pot. After breaking three quills and cursing at the ponies lack of a ball point pen, Ale had left a message detailing that he was on a mission from the princesses and that he expected to be back by tomorrow at the latest. He closed the library door as he left, snickering at leaving the note impaled on Twilights horn. He walked up the ramp of the pelican, closing the bay door behind him, and climbed into the pilots seat. He tapped a few commands and listened as the Pelican fired up. He checked the systems and found them to be green, prompting him to lift off the ground. As he circled the Pelican into the correct heading he saw a most peculiar sight. There was a hole where his Pelican had been sitting. He saw plastic shovels and even a spoon among other random junk at the bottom of the hole. He shook his head as this reeked of the doing of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He turned the Pelican south and settled back for a long flight towards the desert, the gently increasing force of acceleration a pleasant feeling to Ale. ----------------------------------------------------- The sun was about halfway in the sky when Ale approached a small wooden town that looked like it had come straight from an old western film. Once again, many of the ponies were running around in terror at the roaring monster that descended from the sky. He landed in the middle of the town by a well, throwing up dust everywhere. When he felt the hull shudder with contact he began powering down the systems and locking the controls. He stood up and opened the ramp door. It settled on the ground with a gentle thump, tossing a brief spout of dust into the cargo hold. Ale stepped forward slowly, promoting an air of tension amongst the observing ponies. The thumps from his feet stopped when he stepped off of the metal ramp and onto the dirt road. He looked to his right, spotting what he presumed to be the sheriff standing a few meters away. He walked towards him until he was a few feet away, towering over the pony. The sheriff looked up towards him fearfully, both exerting silence. Ale smiled as he thought up of the cheesiest sci-fi line he could think of. “Take me to your leader.” “…” “…” “…” A tumbleweed rolled through the streets between the crowd of ponies and the alien monstrosity. Ale sighed as he gave up. “I really need to work on my doom bringing skills of mass panic.” He glanced at the now confused sheriff before holding out his hand. “Hi, my name’s Ale. I’m a Lunar Guard and I was sent out here to address a dragon problem?” The sheriff shook his head as he tentatively held out his hoof to shake Ales hand. “Sheriff Cherry. I ain’t ever seen one of your kind in the guard before.” “Yeah, I’m not from around here. Anyways, you needed some help?” The sheriff nodded. “You betcha. Just two days ago our cherry fields were attacked by a dragon. We need to stop it before we lose our whole harvest and lose the town.” “I see. How big is the dragon?” “I uh… I actually don’t know.” “Okay, what color is the dragon?” “I don’t know that either.” “… So, do you know anything about the dragon?” “…” “Has anypony seen the dragon?” “Uhh, no?” Ale just stared at the sheriff before asking him one more question. “Is the dragon made up?” The stallion looked extremely offended, yelling in reply, “Of course it’s not made up! How else would our fields be on fire like they are?” “Maybe it’s something other than an imaginary dragon.” “Listen mister, I-“ “Yes yes, I know. You’ve probably served as the town’s sheriff for 35 or so years and you always get your man. Does that sound about right?” “Well I-“ The stallion continued to splutter on before Ale spotted his deputy, an intelligent looking mare who eyed them with a shake of her head. Ale walked past the blubbering stallion before approaching the mare. “Excuse me; do you know exactly what’s going on here?” The mare looked up at him with a genuine smile as she responded, “No, but I do know that there is a dragon cave nearby.” “And where might that be?” The mare pointed to a distant mountain chain. Ale thanked her and walked back to his Pelican, firing it back up and shooting across the sky towards the desert mountains. ------------------------------------------------- Ale saw the smoke long before he saw the actual cave entrance. The Pelican swooped in low as he hovered in front of the entrance. His radar was reading clear but Ale decided to manually check before heading out on foot. He turned on the Pelicans floodlights… only to turn them immediately off and jerk the Pelican to the side as a massive blue dragon barreled out. Ale barely missed it, his eyes widening as he was close enough to have seen its massive reptilian eye fill up his view port. The dragon circled around and blew fire at him. Ale dived down and pushed the Pelicans nose up towards the dragon. He unleashed the full might of the Pelicans Vulcan cannon against the dragons tough hide. It roared in fury as it dived and slashed the top of the Pelican. The systems read minimal damage but Ale wasn’t going to let it hit him again if he could help it. He swung the pelican around and gave pursuit to the fleeing dragon. They weaved between the mountain spires and squeezed through canyons, the Pelican hitting the sides every now and then due to the narrow passage ways. They flew out of the canyons and the dragon disappeared around a cliff side. Ale barreled around the corner, noticing too late that the dragon was perched on said corner. It lashed out and clipped the right side wing, causing Ales Pelican to spin towards the point of contact while lurching backwards and towards the ground. Ale nudged the missile release on accident while struggling to maintain the bird. The missile struck right below the dragon and caused a landslide. Ale braced for impact as the Pelican slid onto the ground backwards, the bird suffering little damage on the soft sand. Ale checked the systems and saw that the right engine had a cracked casing. It was going anywhere until that was repaired; luckily it was a simple repair that Ale just happened to have the parts for. He had bigger problems in the dust cloud in front of him however. Ale was able to maneuver the left engine forward and gave a brief burst of power, clearing the dust to reveal a struggling dragon with a wing pinned under a boulder. Ale quickly got out of the Pelican and approached the dragon wearily. “Listen, I can help you. All we need to do is calm down an-“ He jumped up as a large tail swept under his feet. He continued to dodge the dragons tail thrusts and smashes. Ale grabbed the dragons tail and stopped it from pushing him back. The dragon smiled evilly as it pulled its tail forward, catching Ale off guard and making him stumble forward. The dragon swiftly moved its head forward with its strong jaws open wide. Thus, Ale met his tragic end when the dragons stomach burned hot enough to turn Ale into a pile of molten metal, shattering his soul bond with Luna. Her sadness and anger were so great that she fell into madness and became the feared nightmare she once was, overpowering her sister rapidly and conquering the elements, thrusting Equestria into an age of tyrannical rule. Or so it would have been if Ale hadn’t tripped on a rock. He landed face first as the dragons head barely missed him. He rolled onto his back in time to have a massive clawed foot pin him to the ground. Ale looked the dragon in the eye as it began diving for the kill shot. He noticed a very faint green glow in the depths of its dark pupils; Ale concluding that there might be more to the dragon than he thought. He pulled out his combat knife and jabbed it between two armored plates on one of the dragons’ toes. It lifted its foot off of him in pain and roared in fury. It lunged one more time at Ale. Ale reared back his fist and delivered a nasty haymaker to the dragons snout. While it did seem to have stopped the dragon, it didn’t look like it had damaged it all that much. Ale saw a bright green flash in the dragons eyes before it disappeared all together. The blue dragon shook its head before groaning in pain. Ale was surprised that the dragon was actually female, judging from the tone of its pained moans. She looked down at Ale, her eyes widening in realization. She stuttered in fear, “Y-you’re the Armored Guardian! Please, I didn’t mean to hurt anypony I swear!” She held up a claw to her snout, crimson rivers began flowing between her claws as she gazed upon Ale in fear. Ale, still weary that this might be a trick, spoke up. “Don’t give me a reason to hurt you and I won’t.” She nodded rapidly in understanding. “Are you alright?” She lifted her talons away from her face to reveal that the blood had already dried up. “I’ll be fine.” She turned to look at her wing. “My wing is broken though and I can’t move it.” “May I?” The dragon nodded and watched as Ale approached the boulder. Knowing that half a ton of weight on an already damaged wing would hurt a heck of a lot, he gingerly worked his way around to the boulder. “This is going to hurt. On the count of three I’ll roll it off. Ready?” The dragon nodded as she closed her eyes hard, waiting for the Spartan to act. “One,” Ale pushed quickly, rolling the stone of her wing as she shrieked in pain. “I thought you said on three!” Ale simply shrugged, prompting a scowl from the dragon. She attempted to shift her wing and fold it onto her back before she roared in agony. Ale winced as he saw tears streaming down her face. “Give me a minute,” Ale said as he ran to the Pelican. He rooted around the bay of the Pelican before finding the largest med kit he could. On his way out he stumbled across a loose strap that had fallen from its storage place. Thinking creatively, Ale grabbed two of them and headed back to the dragon. She watched through blurry eyes as Ale opened a white case that had the ‘universal’ symbol for health on it. He picked up an object that looked similar to the one that was clipped to his right thigh. She watched as he picked up another cylinder that could fit inside of what must be the tool. He glanced at her before diving back into the case and grabbing six more of the smaller cylinders. Ale walked over to the dragon and spoke, “I have painkillers if you’d like them.” The dragon nodded her consent. “Alright, you’ll feel a slight pinch… more like seven.” With that he pressed the needle gun in between her armored skin and gave her a shot. He did that six more times, figuring that an animal her size could handle all of the painkillers. After a moment she sized with relief. Ale asked her if he could secure her wing to her back and set it properly so that she didn’t drag it everywhere while damaging it more. She agreed and Ale secured her wing with the two cargo straps. Satisfied with his work he stepped back from her. “My name’s Ale. What’s yours?” “Zephyr.” Ale nodded, all the while thinking about his next question, remembering her eyes after he had hit her. “Well Zephyr, would you like to explain why you attacked and almost killed me?” “I… I don’t know. I knew what I was doing but I couldn’t think clearly. It’s like I lost all control of myself.” Ale nodded slowly. He could see mind control or some weird magical thing being responsible. He couldn’t believe how easily he was accepting all this magical stuff, but after hanging around Twilight you’ve practically seen everything involving magic. “Do you think you were being controlled?” The dragon looked at him in surprise. “I don’t know how that would be possible. Dragons are naturally resistant to magic. It would have to be very powerful or we’d have to be tricked somehow.” “Well, has anypony attempted to trick you?” “I haven’t seen anypony in a long while.” Ale thought carefully about what could have happened. ‘She said she had to be tricked or something had to be very powerful. Let’s see…’ Ale quietly pondered the situation, unnerving the dragon slightly as all she could see was a ram rod straight, expressionless, armored, and very deadly being. She had heard from other dragons about his recent escapade in the Crystal Empire against the rebel griffon army. Meanwhile, Ale came to a conclusion. “May I search your cave for any evidence of anything?” “You may, although you’ll beat me there since I’ll have to walk.” “Ha, same here,” Ale said as he pointed a thumb at the lightly smoking machine. The dragon grimaced, “Sorry about that.” “No worries. It wasn’t your fault. Let’s get walking.” The unlikely duo steadily walked towards Zephyrs cave. The dragoness limped along while Ale had to speed walk to keep up with the dragons large steps. It didn’t take them long to reach the cave. Ale stepped in first with his helmet lights lit up, searching the massive piles of gem for anything out of the ordinary. Ale saw two contacts on his radar currently hiding behind a large spire. “So Zephyr, you said you don’t get visitors often?” Ale walked casually in the general vicinity of the two potential hostiles. “No. The last visitors were two centuries ago. Why do you ask?” “Oh, not for any particular reason,” Ale hefted his rifle as he leapt around the corner. “Other than that you may have a couple of thieves instead.” “Please don’t hurt us!” Two unicorns that looked to be brothers were standing in front of Ale, fearful about what the alien might do having discovered them. “What are you doing here?” Ale asked. “W-we were just after the gems.” Ale stepped up to one of the gem piles and examined one of the gems. He could see a faint green glow embedded in it. “Gems don’t glow green naturally. What’s wrong with them?” The two stallions remained silent as they glanced at each other. Ale stepped forward threateningly, “What did you do to them?” One of the stallions spluttered out a response, “W-we enchanted them. It allowed us to manipulate the dragon. We only intended for it to leave so that we could have the gems.” “It!” Zephyr seethed in anger. “It has a name!” “Easy,” Ale said. He looked towards the stallions. “You almost got me killed. Did you intend for that to happen?” The two stallions looked ashamed of themselves, telling Ale everything he needed to know. “You’re lucky I’m not going to let Zephyr have her way with you here.” The two stallions looked extremely grateful until Ale continued, “However, I will report what occurred here. You can expect swift justice from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. What are your names, and if you lie I’ll know about it.” The two stallions looked fearful at what there punishment may be. So, in hopes of lessening their punishment by cooperating, replied truthfully. “Flim and Flam.” Ale watched them closely and nodded when they didn’t show signs of lying. “Alright. Now if you would be as kind as to un-enchant these gems and leave this place to never return, I may not have to come back for you.” The two stallions nodded and lit up their horns. Green auras from the gems coalesced into one form and disappeared into the air. They nodded to Ale and glanced fearfully at Zephyr as they trotted out of the cave. Ale looked up at Zephyr and saw her smiling appreciatively at Ale. “Thank you Armored Guardian. I am forever in you debt.” Ale looked at her curiously, “You called me that before. Why?” “It’s what we dragons call you. You fell from the heavens, protected the deity of the night, and fight for justice and honor. If I may be as bold to ask, but may I see your face?” Ale smirked as he reveled in his shroud of mystery. “Maybe another time.” “Ah,” she nodded in understanding. “Well, I better get going. It was nice meeting you, even through the given circumstances, and I hope we cross paths again.” “Likewise. You may visit my cave anytime.” “Thanks, I’ll spread word of your innocence. You shouldn’t have any more trouble.” “Goodbye, Guardian Ale.” Ale left the cave and jogged back to his Pelican. He saw that the engine had stopped smoking, but he still needed to repair the casing. He rolled up his imaginary sleeves as he got to work, the sun steadily reaching the horizon in the background. --------------------------------------------- Flim and Flam were trudging through the desert as the chilly night descended upon them. They glowered angrily at their loss of a massive fortune and the interference of the alien freak. They were halfway to the settlement of Dodge Junction but still had a good hours trek to go. They heard a whine and looked up. They watched that strange flying machine fly overhead, a continuous bright white light accompanied by a flashing red and green light illuminating the machine. It continued flying in the general direction of Canterlot and Ponyville, steadily getting smaller. “That stupid alien wrecked everything!” Flim exclaimed angrily. “Don’t you worry brother. We’ll make him pay for what he did. He’ll be sorry he ever crossed us.” “I think you’ll find that you’re going to be the ones that are sorry.” Flim and Flam whipped around towards the voice that had spoken, confused and scared when they didn’t find anything. “Over here.” Flam turned around again and backed up against his brother. “Flim, light up the area.” His brother didn’t respond, Flam assuming that he was scared speechless. “Flim?” Flam turned towards where he was touching his brothers body and screamed when the body that he thought was his brother lunged at him with a flash of teeth. Ale continued flying on, the screams drowned out from the whine of his Pelican, oblivious to the bright green flash in the middle of the desert.