The building was big on the otuside, but that was only the apparent upper portion. Apparently it also functioned as the guards barracks. Subsequently, and ironically, there were no guards stationed in Ponyville. Only captain 'Hammerhoof,' who by all accounts was more of an old sergeant type, preferring to let the newer generations handle it. In both physical and mental shapes he portrayed it.
"Ah, so this must be the new recruit." Hammerhoof, who sported a shriveled, yet still kept, white coat, with a short-cut chocolate-brown mane. He also sported a fairly muscular body as far as ponies would go, and was slightly bigger than most Aldon had seen, but still a foot smaller than Celestia. He was neither a pegasus, or a unicorn, making him a regular pony.
"Yes. I presume you are the captain?" Aldon asked.
"You got that right. A little odd though, her majesty didn't tell me anything about an ape protecting us though." He rubbed his beardless chin in curiosity.
"Actually, I'm a human. Very close relatives to apes, but with higher intellect." Hammerhoof furrowed his chin, while directing Aldon and Twilight through the building.
"Captain, I've never actually seen a guard's test before, but it won't involve anything dangerous right?" Twilight asked, seemingly in a nervous tone. Apparently she wasn't fond of violence, but Aldon couldn't blame her. In a world like this, the most that probably happens is a scuffle here or there, or perhaps like before, a gang of bullies.
Twilight could take violence, but to needlessly do it was something she despised. Luckily though, while they were traversing the town hall, they traveled down stairs to find a make-shift barracks, with training equipment and a small armory.
"Alright, son. Pick up your line of weapon, and demonstrate your strength on there dummies. But beware, the thing's are a hard nut to crack. If you can't crack em' just give it all you got." Aldon nodded and moved over to the melee weapon's racks. Greatswords, spears, long-swords, mace's, hammers, and more were lined up. Aldon however decided to let it all lose as he picked up two greatswords, one in each hand.
"Now, maybe you should start off a little lighter. You don't want to be tired in the heat of battle." Hammerhoof had a beat of sweat, cold sweat running down his head.
Aldon calmly shook his head, "No, feels a little light." Meanwhile, the swords themselves are almost the size of a regular pony.
With a few large practice swings, or to Twilight's and Hammerhoof's eyes, wind-creating swings, he began walking towards the dummies. "So, do you want me to just destroy them?"
Hammerhoof nodded as Aldon's eyes got a serious tint in them. With a determined swing, one torso was chopped off of the pony dummy. Next, within a few seconds another was gone. This was repeated, in increasingly less time, until all of the dummies lied destroyed, and in need of stitches and repairs. Of course, they weren't the only ones as Hammerhoof and Twilight calmly twitched at Aldon as he slowly approached the two.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, uh fine son. Uh--I never got your name actually."
"Oh, it's Aldon. But uh, are you sure. I mean you're both twitching. Should I bring you two to the hospital?" Aldon said this, but he realized he had no directional sense in the town. None whatsoever.
"I'm--uh--gonna get going. Plenty of more research to do." Twilight waved as she began to leave, albeit with cold sweat going down her face. Aldon supposed he overdid it just a little.
"Alright, so what's next?"
"Just some simple questions. So are you good with a bow or crossbow?" Hammerhoof asked, but already knew the answer. He could tell the type.
"No. I like to be more up close and personal when it comes to enemies. Anyway, what questions would you like to ask?"
"Why don't you take a seat," Hammerhoof pointed Aldon over to a small table, with two small wooden chairs on each side. They were indeed just big enough to support Aldon, as it creaked when he sat.
Hammerhoof heard the noise, but tried to ignore it as he held his hooves together, "Alright Mr. Aldon, so what makes you qualified to be a guard besides wielding weapons?"
"Well, to be honest, not much. I've dealt with bad guys, or in your terms 'ponies,' but most of the time I've had to kill them." Hammerhoof stammered a cough at this, but asked Aldon to continue.
"However, the world I come from is something of a violent place. The scuffles here, are well most likely, well scuffles compared to it." Aldon paused, "but if you would like to enlighten me if i'm wrong."
Hammerhoof had to admit, wars rarely happened, and most of the problems stemmed from arrogant nobles, but bloodshed rarely occurred, and most things in Equestria were solved with non-violence. However, from his account, and just by the choice of words, Hammerhoof knew Aldon had seen heinous acts and occurrences. "Well, besides animal life, and gangs, there is rarely bloodshed here. And that's one of the main reasons our guards are always so inexperienced, because they have no actual combat knowledge and experience." Hammerhoof was no exception to that. Of course small struggles, and minor occurrences were in his field of experience, but nothing compared to war. The only real experienced ones in that regard are Luna and Celestia, but he would only expect them to fight in dire situations.
Truly Equestria was peaceful, but still to have defense just in case is what Aldon was there for. However, he needed to make sure he wouldn't kill needlessly. After first blood, it becomes easier to do with each and everything after. Even family can be easy to kill after enough time.
Hammerhoof simply wanted to see for himself: "the immense strength," as Princess Celestia pointed out in a letter to him, asking to accept Aldon as a guard. Of course, Hammerhoof had to make sure he was capable first, and by all accounts he was, but there still remained one question to ask.
"What is your testament of strength?" Aldon had to convey his thoughts. His reasons for using strength and striking one down one with it.
"For the people, or in this case ponies, or other species that need to be taught a lesson." Aldon knew well enough, true power was rare in this world, and perhaps the princesses were the most powerful, but anyone to cause harm with power must be taught a lesson. "Even one's with the most minute power, or the ones with the largest. The most influential, or the most poor. Any to cause legitimate harm to another without just cause should suffer just punishment. All my life, I was treated like a sub-par animal, which should be killed on a dime. Killed for nothing: no harm, no pain, or anything, and yet no one stopped them from trying it. In the end, I had to to do it myself. However, hopefully it can be different here, with me being a simple guard judging simple squabbles, or small fights. I doubt anything would like my way of dealing with criminals, so I will leave it to the laws of this land to judge the pony, or any other. However, to bring criminals to justice, force is needed, but I hope death won't have to come as a result of using it."
Hammerhoof understood. Slavery, noble abuse, and even monarch abuse in other countries were occurring still, but laws should be obeyed and to Hammerhoof, Aldon seemed like a good candidate to do his job: hold up the law and protect the innocent.
"Congratulations. Starting tomorrow, you can begin your work as a simple protector of peace. A town guard, but of course if you need anything, let me know." Aldon nodded. "Do you have any simple questions, private?"
Aldon smirked, and gave a chuckle to the title, but he did in fact have a question, "so where are the others?"
"Oh, well you're the only guard to be employed here." Hammerhoof smiled.
Aldon had a contorted face after hearing that, "wait, but aren't you a guard here?"
"Nope, I'm part of the royal guard in Canterlot. Celestia just asked me to act as a over watch for you in Ponyville. Also, you can use this as your training area, and dorms. There are pull out beds over there." Hammerhoof used his right hoof to point to a lighted area, which showed a couch, which was indeed a pull out, having pillows on the side and a blanket on top. "And, I'll be with you on patrols."
"Now, get going. Twilight asked me to send you straight to her afterwards. Just head to the castle."
Aldon sighed, but figured what the hell. He got up and began to walk to the door leading to ground floor, "One more thing private, don't scare the ponies with those weapons." Aldon looked on his back at the holsters for the two great swords, with weapons on them and nodded. He wouldn't need them unless it was a monster he had to fight.
Aldon opened the door as Hammerhoof sighed, "he's seen it alright. The sight of true destruction." Hammerhoof gave one last look as his recently-made subordinate left.
Aldon, not being in a rush, had more time to view the building and it's employees. It was a serene little town hall. However, apparently he was needed elsewhere as he remembered where he had to go. Sadly direction wasn't his strong suit as he began his miraculous search for the huge castle. Of course, it being huge gave him a great advantage, but he figured that he take in the locations as went on his way there.
That was until he saw them again. That same griffin, being picked on by the same group of ponies. It pissed him off. That was until he saw what sparked it, the punch by the same pony, right into the griffins beak. Going to the castle would have to wait.