Chapter 1: New Assignment
Marwolaeth frowned beneath his helmet as the woman approached him. He did not recognize her, but she was tattooed in the signature chin and jowl symbols of this village. Undoubtedly, she was approaching to thank and reward him for ridding the area of encroaching monsters, like the last five people that had spoken to him. This one, however, was different. She approached with a coy smile and sultry sway of the hips, chest thrust forward and head held high. This one would be offering herself as a reward.
“My greetings, great hero.” She said, voice throaty and rich. Marwolaeth could almost see the perfume wafting from her skin. He could tell that this one would cause a scene. He decided to nip it in the bud, or at least run preemptive damage control.
“I am no great hero.” He cut her off before she could continue. “Merely a man doing as he is told.”
“Even so, I am honoured to meet such a powerful warrior. May I be graced with knowing your name?”
Marwolaeth rolled his eyes, though she couldn’t see them from behind his helmet. “You may call my Pydredd.”
The woman looked put out. She had, in all likelihood, known his name already, as it had been passed forward preceding his arrival. He had given her his formal last name, a clear sign that he was not interested. She pressed on, regardless.
“My name is Avana. I had merely wanted to be sure; you were rewarded for your actions, were you not?”
Marwolaeth was accustomed to this question as an initiation of what he had dubbed the ‘courting process.’ Step one, inquire about rewards received, despite knowing full well that had not received any, nor asked for them, nor desired them, nor allowed them.
“No. I have not been given material reward. The knowledge that I have served the public and pleased the gods is reward enough for me.” The fact that doing so was part of his contract, and brought him one step closer to freedom helped.
“Well, I simply cannot allow such an oversight. Perhaps I could rally the townsfolk to pull together a suitable reward?” Step two; give the appearance of caring and offer a reward from the whole town, despite telling no one beforehand, also knowing that it would be turned down.
“I could not ask that of you. Such a small village needs every asset it can muster for when the lord’s taxmen make their rounds.” Many suitors would break off at this step at the insult to their home, polite as it may have been.
“If you won’t let me organize a reward for you, allow me to at least give you something. It will be no problem for me, I assure you, and I feel that I simply must properly compensate you for your time.” Step three; appear generous and well cared for, still knowing that the reward would be refused.
“While I appreciate the offer, I must refuse. I must travel as light as I can, even if it means forgoing finery and coin.” While not completely true, it was not a lie. Marwolaeth could have purchased a horse to carry his rewards, but he much preferred not giving the suitors hope, as he was barred from accepting such rewards for his actions.
“Ah, I see.” The woman winked at Marwolaeth. “If I cannot give you something for the journey, perhaps I can make your stay here a tad more comfortable? I would not be opposed to letting you stay in my house until such time that you would leave.” Step four; make a show of kindness, subtly implying true intentions.
“I am afraid that it won’t be necessary. I leave as soon as possible. I must reach the next conflict as swiftly as possible.” Many women became flustered at this point due to Marwolaeth’s steady voice and refusal of all rewards, even those not prohibited by his order. This woman, though, only became more determined.
“Oh, such gallantry. At the very least, allow me to fetch you more to eat. No man should be going hungry at a feast, especially when he is the subject of honour.” Step five, offer food under the assumption that the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Even then, often the food is drugged or otherwise tampered with to cause compliance or overwhelming lust.
“Thank you, but no. I have eaten my fill, and must be on my way soon.” The majority of suitors abandon the pursuit at this point, thinking of no way else to entice their hero into their bed.
“Very well, I will not keep the great hero from his duties.” Marwolaeth smirked to himself and cocked an eyebrow. This one was clever, playing the innocent peasant, but he could feel the final step of the courting process inexorably come to pass. “Before you go, might I ask for one small boon?”
Step six, ask for one trivial favour. This could split one of three ways. Either she would brazenly ask for his company in bed, ask for a kiss, or ask to see his face. The first two were easy to deal with: a flat ‘no’ and they would be on their way. The last one, though, the knowledge of what their escaping prey looked like, the image of which would go into a hall of those that got away, was Marwolaeth’s least favourite outcome.
“Might I know the face of our great liberator?”
There could be no refusal without insult. There could be no polite misdirection.
Marwolaeth closed his eyes and sighed. “Very well.”
There could only be chaos.
Marwolaeth unstrapped his helmet and slowly lifted it from his head. The woman’s face slowly fell from disappointment and anticipation to horror.
Marwolaeth kept his visage hidden at all times.
Marwolaeth kept his face concealed at all costs.
But it was inevitable.
Through one way or another, every town learned of his curse.
The woman screamed and fell to the ground.
Silence reigned as every head turned to seek the disturbance.
Every jaw fell as they saw what their hero truly was.
Swarthy skin turned pale. Pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
‘No wonder he was so powerful.’ The thought ran through many minds.
The woman ran.
Ran from the piercing eyes.
Ran from the hated skin.
Ran from the grotesque head.
Ran from the binding tattoos.
Ran from the monstrosity that had the gall to exist.
Ran from the realization of what she had been attempting to bed.
Marwolaeth quickly put his helmet back on, concealing his infernal heritage. No one could look away from him, the sight of his face burned into their minds. Only one person dared move.
The guard captain quietly walked up to the hulking figure concealed beneath layers of metal and chain and leather. He put his hands to his hips and looked up into the impassive faceguard of Marwolaeth’s helmet.
“I think that it’s about time that you get moving, stranger.” The military man said loudly, his voice echoing across the hall.
“I agree. There is nothing for me here, and I must reach the next conflict swiftly. Be safe, be healthy.” Marwolaeth quickly made his way to the door and retrieved his weaponry before the shocked stupor could wear off of his hosts.
Marwolaeth briefly pondered about the woman who had attempted to seduce him. He was rather impressed with her, all things considered. Few people approached him to begin with, and even fewer progressed to step six of the courting process. Of those few, only a handful asked to see his face. Those ones he held in his mind, a reminder of who he was and what he did.
A familiar sense of foreboding and the smell of lilac was the only warning Marwolaeth received before the air directly in his path split in two with the hair raising sound of rending flesh. On the other side of the rift, a spindly man with two goat horns on his head and a set of goat legs stood on a well-trodden dirt path in the middle of a forest. The satyr moved to the side as Marwolaeth walked unflinchingly through the rift, and trotted by his side. The clanging and clacking of the large man’s armour drowned the small man’s soft hoofsteps.
“You’re early.” The satyr chirped in a nasally voice. “Take another foray into the love scene?”
Marwolaeth grunted. “Aye. Another for my collection of faces twisted by horror.”
“Ah, she completed the courting process and asked for some face time, eh? Tsk, a shame. You need to relax some, and a woman would help dearly with that.”
“Hmph. What woman would lay with what is underneath this armour, Tade? No, chaste I have been and chaste I shall stay.”
“You still need to relax, though. Take some enjoyment in your work; maybe take a break now and then!”
“Whether or not I enjoy the tasks set before me, I will not rest until my contract is complete.”
“Bah, fine. Guess Tode owes me and Tude ten crystals. Well, since you’re going to walk to the next assignment like you always do, I’ve got some good news, some neutral news, and some bad news.”
“Best to worst.”
“The good news is that your task is very straightforward: Guard the lives of seven important figures of this kingdom. The neutral news is that this is an alternate plane, so be prepared for the locals to look a bit weird. The bad news is that you’ll be stuck with this assignment until either your contact to the contractors believes that the danger has passed, or you fail.”
Marwolaeth growled under his breath. “I never fail. I might be here for some time then, I gather?”
“Yeah, the kingdom you’ll be working for has been at peace for centuries and have what basically amounts to a ceremonial guard and a small set of covert operatives.” Tade pulled a scroll from one of his tunic pockets and unfurled it, taking a quick peek at its contents. “From the looks of things, they tend to overreact to any danger, and don’t deal with threats very well. You may very well be here for the rest of these important figures for the rest of their natural lives, however long they may be.”
Marwolaeth rubbed the temples of his helmet, more out of muscle memory and habit than for the contact. “Wonderful. Next you’ll be telling me that this set of clients is a harem of women.” He groaned at the sheepish look on Tade’s face.
“Well, six out of the seven are female, the last is a male, but is young.”
“This will not end well. Not that it ever does.”
“Ah cheer up. From what I’ve been told, the entire population runs this kind of ratio.”
“Matriarchy?”
“Ayep. Apparently they used to be some sort of nomadic society that was structured much like a herd of animals, with only a few males kept for breeding purposes. They’ve moved past that bit, into a Diarchy.”
“Will I be under the command of these people I am to guard?”
“No, but you will be under the command of the contract renter, who is one of the ruling figures in the Diarchy.”
“Good. Hopefully she has enough sense not to order me to follow their orders, or to use me for breeding purposes. I will take my first failure if these beings attempt to cross lines.”
“Of course, of course.” Tade looked down the path. “Ah, here we are. The group you are to meet should be waiting for you at the edge of the forest. That’s my cue to head off.”
Marwolaeth grunted and affirmative and shook Tade’s hand before the satyr stomped the ground three times and disappeared into a hole in the ground that opened and closed with the scent of lilac and the sound of tearing meat.
Marwolaeth continued down the dirt path that wound between tall trees, a blanket of mist wafting around his shins. As he began to sense a thinning in the surrounding trees, he heard the muttering of women, and knew he was close. As he approached, he could begin to hear the conversation that his group of charges had begun.
“I know that, but nopony else does. Princess Celestia wants to make sure she’s taken every precaution she can, and if bargaining with some monster from the Everfree is what she wants to do, then who are we to stop her?”
“As right as you may be, Twilight, I question the wisdom that Foreign Tongue showed in having us meet him just as he arrives.”
“I’m sure that it’s merely a matter of culture shock, who knows what this mon-”
“Girls, shh, shh, I hear something!”
“What are y’all talkin’ abou- No, wait, Ah hear it, too.”
“It-it-it-it s-s-sounds b-big…”
The only sound for the next few seconds was the sound of armour as Marwolaeth walked until he broke the tree line. There was a large intake of breath from the gathered beings in front of him, so he took their stunned silence to survey his charges.
They were horses. Small, colourful horses, some with horns, others with wings, some with neither. One of them even had both. Were it not for his warning beforehand, Marwolaeth would have fumbled for identifying their genders. The one that had both wings and a horn was a light purple, with a mane and tail of darker purple with streaks of pink in both. The other one with a horn was a pale off-white with a curled purple mane. One of the others with wings was blue of coat with a prismatic display of colours in her mane. The other winged one was somewhat difficult to see, as she was hiding behind the larger horse with both wings and a horn, but Marwolaeth could see a light yellow coat and rosy pink tail. Of the two remaining creatures, one was orange with freckles in her coat and some kind of large hat covering a straw yellow mane. The last was pink, with another shade of pink in her mane. All of them gazed upon him and, perhaps, upon their reflections in his armour.
All except for the pink one, who had an anatomically impossibly large smile on her face as she bounced up and down in place, something else a normal horse would have had trouble doing. Marwolaeth had to forcibly remind himself that this was an alternate plane, and thus obeyed different rules than his native one.
After three long minutes of silence, the pink one seemed to explode and appeared directly in front of Marwolaeth standing on her hind legs, supporting her front hooves on his chest.
“Wow, you’re reeealy tall, mister!” She inhaled deeply, almost like an elongated gasp. “Are you the monster that Princess Celestia bought? Because that would be really cool, ‘cuz you’re so tall and shiny and hard and ooh, is this armor or skin or carapace? Do you like cupcakes, oh silly me, of course you like cupcakes, everypony likes cupcakes, but then you’re not a pony are you? I’m Pinkamena Diane Pie, but everypony just calls me Pinkie Pie, and I’m a baker and singer and dancer and Element of Laughter and artíst and party planner and party executioner and welcoming partier and what’s your name?”
Marwolaeth blinked at the mass of pink hair bouncing around just outside his visor. Even standing tall, the being barely reached his shoulders. He waited for a few seconds before realizing that this Pinkie Pie had begun introductions.
“Greetings Pinkamena. I am Marwolaeth Pydredd. Before we continue: a clarification. Your princess did not buy me. She rented my services. Neither she, nor any of you, owns my contract and I. She is not my master, and neither are any of you. You are clients. Know your places and you will have my service. Now, I was told that there would be seven under my protection, but there are only six here. Where is the seventh?”
The pink one, Pinkamena, backed off sheepishly while the large purple one walked up to him. Standing on all fours, this large one reached his waist, while the others reached closer to the bottom of his pelvis.
“Ahem, yes, uh, we left Spike at the library. A dangerous place like the Everfree Forest is not someplace he should be. Ah, but introductions. My name is Princess-” Marwolaeth kept his stoic demeanor, but a short, almost silent groan issued from his throat. “-Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, librarian of the Golden Oaks Library, and student to Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia.”
The orange one stepped up next. “Ah’m Applejack, Element of Honesty, and Ah run Sweet Apple Acres, the best apple orchard in Equestria!” Another nearly silent groan escaped from Marwolaeth as he heard the name of the place he was in.
The blue one flew up to Marwolaeth’s face and scowled at his helmet. “I’m Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, the fastest flier in all of Equestria and all around most awesomest pony to ever exist, and I’ve got my eye on you, buster.” Rainbow Dash jabbed a hoof into his chest, causing a hollow gong to ring forth, before drifting backwards. Marwolaeth rolled his eyes. This one was not only arrogant, but egotistical as well. She would be the biggest problem, he could already tell.
The white one stepped forth and fluttered her eyelashes at Marwolaeth, who got a feeling of dread building in his gut. “I am Rarity, Element of Generosity, and fashionista extraordinaire, and I must say that while your armour certainly is imposing, I could whip up a suitable garm-”
“The armour stays on.” Marwolaeth interrupted. Rarity harrumphed and backed off as Applejack pushed the yellow one forward.
The yellow one huddled in a ball at Marwolaeth’s feet, whimpering. Twilight sighed and gestured to her. “That’s Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. She takes care of lost and sick animals. You, uh, kind of intimidate her.”
“Good. I am your guard, not your friend.”
“But-”
Marwolaeth held up a hand to stall Pinkamena. “For now. We shall see what happens over the course of time. This seventh member of your party, Spike. What does he do?”
Twilight spoke up once more. “He’s my assistant at the library. When you first see him, don’t panic.”
“What cause would I have to panic?”
“Well… He’s a dragon.”
“How big?”
“I kno- Uh, what?”
“I was told that the seventh member was young. How large is this dragon, Spike?”
“Uh, well he stands about as tall as a pony’s shoulders on two legs, about the size of a foal on four, why?”
“How old is he?”
“He’s only a year away to being of legal age in Equestria, but dragons age differ-”
“He is malnourished.”
“Excuse me?”
“A dragon of that age and size in the wild would be prey for many a creature. He should at least be as large as you.”
“Ah- wh- How would you know? Dragons are a very secretive species; nopony knows how they grow except the dragons themselves. Besides, Spike lives with Ponies, he doesn’t need to be large and violent.”
“Then ask this Spike’s caretaker if she had ever consulted a dragon.”
Twilight seemed to take offense to that. “I am Spike’s caretaker!”
“Then why have you not consulted a dragon?”
“We tried!”
“Hm. Dragons here must hoard their secrets harder than those of my home. Very well.”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash flew up into Marwolaeth’s visor again. “What’s with the interrogation, huh? What’s it to you how big Spike is?”
Marwolaeth stared into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “I am merely getting acquainted with my clients. If I am to protect you, I need to know your capabilities and weaknesses, so as to know when to intervene and when to allow you to solve your own problems.”
“Oh yeah? And what if you’re just some kind of evil spy, sent to eliminate Equestria’s best line of defense?”
Marwolaeth sighed and turned to the rest of his charges. “Can any of you here use magic?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, both Rarity and I can cast magic, though all of the Pony races have an innate connection to Mana, why?”
Marwolaeth turned his head back to Rainbow Dash. “Then that means that I can show you all this.” Marwolaeth clenched his left fist and delved his mind into the feeling of his bones, drawing power from their marrow. Green swirls and lines began to outline themselves on his armour at the wrists, ankles, and neck. “These are the marks of my contract. They bind my being to the will of my masters and protect my body from possession and control. If I were a spy, I would not openly show where my allegiances lie.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know if you’re telling the truth?” Rainbow Dash asked, butting her head into the faceplate.
“Actually Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I’ve heard about beings like this. Projections of their master’s will, they cannot tell a lie and cannot be swayed from their orders or their master. They adhere to their master’s tenets and codes and carry the marks of servitude on their person. I’ve never actually seen one before…”
“…Alright, fine. But I’m still watching you, mister.” Rainbow glared at Marwolaeth, who nodded at her.
“Likewise.”
“Wait, Marwolaeth-” Twilight began.
“Call me Pydredd.”
“Uh, okay. Pydredd, how do you know so much about dragons?”
“A previous client was a dragon matriarch. She had rented me to protect her hoard as she laid eggs and raised her young. Her intent was to keep me as part of her hoard, but she learned the hard way that if a client proves unreasonable or attempts trickery with my master, the loan is considered void and I am extracted from my position.”
“Alright, but that doesn’t really answer my question. If you found out her true intentions, why did you stay?”
“Perhaps I should explain further. I was loaned to this dragon under the stipulation that I be returned as soon as the drakes left the nest. Drakes leave the nest after twenty years, when they are as tall as I at the shoulder. I was there for twenty one, from the laying of the dragon’s eggs to their exile from the nest. I learned quite a bit. After they left, the dragon put me in a cage as I attempted to leave, and divulged her intention to add me to her collection of knights. With the permission of my master, I broke out of the cage, and took the eye of the dragon.”
The entire group’s eyes widened. “You attacked a dragon and lived?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes. Take this as a warning: Do not renege on or misuse my services. Bad things happen to those that do.”
Twilight nodded and gulped. “Well, we may as well get you to Ponyville as soon as possible.” Marwolaeth gave a miniscule shudder at the name of his new home. “Mayor Mare will want to introduce you to the town so that they don’t panic at the sight of you, and we’ll set up a housing plan.”
Marwolaeth grunted an affirmative. “Lead the way.”
As the group began walking away from the dark forest and towards a colourful town, Twilight sidled up to Marwolaeth.
“So, uh, Marwolaeth y-”
“Call me Pydredd.”
“Um, right. So Pydredd, you live in the Everfree Forest?”
“No.”
“So… There’s no hidden civilization of yours in the forest?”
“No.”
“Not even a little bit?”
“You might find the planar tearing I used to get here, but it’s hardly hidden.”
Twilight gasped. “You come from a different dimension?”
“Plane. There is a difference.”
“Still, it’s a whole new world!” The entire party was looking at Marwolaeth with newfound interest, listening intently as Twilight began her questioning. “Can you tell me about it?”
“No.”
“What?! Why not?”
“You’re not ready.”
“Psh, of course I’m ready! I’m the Element of Magic, Princess of Equestria and student to Princess Celestia herself! What makes you think I’m not ready to study a new civilization?” The group of colourful ponies snickered, as Marwolaeth had awakened the beast inside Twilight, whose hunger could only be filled by knowledge.
“Are you versed in language?”
“I know three different Equestrian dialects.”
“Have you studied the make and laws of languages? Have you invented your own language? Do you know anything other than Equestrian?”
“Well no. But what about, you, you’re speaking perfect Equestrian!”
“My master allows me to understand any spoken language. If you do not know how to learn and recognize a language, how do you plan on learning it with no translator?”
“I’ll… Figure something out.”
“Of course. How about transformation spells? Can you look like anything other than a Pony?”
“No transformation of flesh is black magic. Why?”
“You are a prey animal in many lands. You would be hunted and eaten immediately. Ah, and of course, the most important question: Can you travel between planes?”
“No, Princess Celestia hasn’t taught me how to do that, yet.”
“And why do you think that is?”
“Because… Because I’m not ready.” Twilight hung her head.
Marwolaeth patted her back. “The first step to fixing a problem is admitting that you have one.”
The ponies gawked at Marwolaeth. Not only had he talked Twilight down from researching him and his home, he’d delivered what could easily have been a lesson in friendship to her on a silver platter.
“Smart monster…” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“But… But that didn’t really answer my question.” Twilight realized, looking at Marwolaeth.
“What would you do if I told you about my lands?”
“Write it down.”
“And then?”
“…Ask some more questions?”
“And when I don’t know the answer to your questions?”
“Uh…”
“Knowing your type, you’d try to pry the information from my mind, or go looking for my lands despite your lack of training and knowledge.”
“I… I wouldn’t try and tear it from your mind!”
“Uh, Twilight…” Applejack butted in. “…Want it, need it.”
“That- That wasn’t the same thing.”
“If I do start explaining my plane to you, and cease answering questions,” Marwolaeth continued, oblivious to Applejack’s reference. “You’d be left with a project partially done, and Master knows I hate leaving things unfinished. So no, Twilight, I will not tell you about my lands.”
“I… I guess I understand.”
“Good.”
“Girls! And guy!” Pinkamena jumped between Marwolaeth and Twilight. “We’re here!”
Marwolaeth turned his gaze from Twilight to the small village before him. Everything was too small. He stood as a giant among Ponies, reaching nearly a full story with his height. Every building was a quaint thatched roof cottage or other early civilization building material. In front of the entrance to town was a tan Pony with grey hair and spectacles, which greeted Twilight and held a whispered conversation with her. The new Pony then turned to Marwolaeth and smiled.
“Welcome to Ponyville, Marwolaeth, I-”
Marwolaeth held up one of his hands. “Call me Pydredd.”
“Uh, very well then, Pydredd. Welcome to Ponyville, I am Mayor Mare. You’ll be staying for some time, I take it?”
“As long as Celestia deems necessary.”
Twilight nudged Marwolaeth’s shin and hissed at him out of the side of her mouth. “Princess Celestia.”
Marwolaeth looked down at Twilight and answered her quietly. “She’s not my princess.” He turned back to Mayor Mare, who could have easily heard the short dialogue. “I will be staying with one of these six.” He gestured to the group of ponies behind him. “Though I doubt it will be in town. Your buildings are much too small for me.”
Mayor Mare nodded. “Of course, I had been wondering about that. I’d say that rules out everypony but Applejack.” She turned to the mare in question. “Your barn should be big enough to house Pydredd, right?”
Applejack nodded. Only then did Marwolaeth see that she had done her hair up into ponytails. He groaned softly one more time. “Sure thing. He can sleep in th’ barn.”
Mayor Mare smiled warmly. “Wonderful. I’d love to stay and chat, Mister Pydredd, but I have a town to keep running. Ta ta!”
Marwolaeth nodded to her as she trotted away. Applejack turned to him and frowned. “Well, if Ah’da known that we were gonna use the barn, Ah’da rustled up a bed! ‘Course, Ah don’t think we got any beds that’ll fit ya. Ya okay with sleepin’ in the hay?”
“I’ve slept in worse places. Thank you for your hospitality, Jack.”
“Aw, it’s just Applejack, Sugarcube.”
“Very well, though I am not called Sugarcube.”
Pinkie Pie bounded up to Marwolaeth. “Well duh, that’s just what Applejack calls everypony, silly! Though if you were a sugar cube you would last soooo long! It would take forever to lick through you!”
“Yes, thank you for that… interesting imagery. Applejack, if you would, I’d like to survey my newest lodging.”
“Before you go Pydredd,” Twilight interjected. “You mentioned that a dragon was just one of your clients, and you know enough about planar travel to dissuade ponies. Just how long have you been in service to your master?”
Marwolaeth smirked at Twilight, though she couldn’t see it from behind his helmet. “Now that’s a good question, isn’t it? If you find out, let me know, I’ve quite forgotten.”
Twilight stood dumbstruck. She shook it off momentarily and called at Marwolaeth’s back as he and Applejack left for Sweet Apple Acres. “Where would I find out?”
“Ask Celestia!” Marwolaeth yelled over his shoulder. “New clients get a list of my past jobs!”
Marwolaeth chuckled as Sweet Apple Acres came into view. “That ought to keep her busy.”
Applejack looked out of the side of her eyes at Marwolaeth. “Y’all didn’t just say that t’ be rid of ‘er, did ya?”
Marwolaeth shook his head and sighed. “You heard Sparkle earlier, Jack. I cannot tell a lie. I’m not quite as curious as to how long I’ve been serving as I may have seemed, though.”
“Why not? Don’t ya want t’ remember all the good times ya had?”
“Best to not dwell on the past, but to look forward to the future. The only thing that matters to me now is the completion of my jobs, and the fulfilment of my contract.”
“Well that hardly seems like any way to live.”
“When it’s all you’ve done for the majority of your life, you forget how to do anything else.”
“Shoot, looks like this’ll be perfect for ya, then! Who knows if anythin’ll crop up, an’ in th’ mean time, we can teach ya ta help with things around town!”
“I can’t fit into any of the buildings in town.”
“Ah… Uh, shoot, Ah forgot that bit. Ah well, Ah can at least teach ya how to buck apples!”
“Fair enough.”
Marwolaeth then stopped in his tracks, one hand going to the sword sheathed at his side.
“Huh? Wassa matter?”
“Something’s approaching town. Big, tan and red, feline in form, long tail, wings. Ring a bell?”
“That sounds like a manticore! What’s one o’ them varmints doin’ near town?”
“Dangerous?”
“Well, yeah! It’s a predator from the Everfree!” Marwolaeth took off sprinting towards town. “Wait! It’s got a poisonous stinger! Marwolaeth, you get your fanny back here!” Applejack shouted at his swiftly retreating form.
Applejack could hear Marwolaeth’s reply carried back to her on the wind.
“Pydredd, not Marwolaeth!”
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YAY a conversation with Twilight that does not end with the otherworldly character telling her about his species and everything else, character is quite cool but i think you may have to be careful about him being overpowered.
3675913 Of course. I'll admit that he might look a bit Marty Stue-ish until the plot gets kicking, but its mostly for background and character development, as this would, in fact, be the easiest thing he's done up to this point.
Thanks for the feedback!
3675913
No such thing as overpowered.
3676575 ...Maybe.
It's mostly because that's some awesome armor and fits the description for Marwolaeth's helmet. I decided not to draw him myself because my art skills are on par with a third grader's.
Got excited for a Dark Souls crossover. Maybe not the best cover image
3677609 Perhaps not, but Dark Soul's armor sets are just so good. I couldn't find another picture that looked right, other than Dark Souls armor pieces. Searching for pictures of heavily armored individuals only brings up Skyrim and Dark Souls as pictures.
3677625
nyhuaegh,PRAISE THE SUN!
GREAT CHEST AHEAD
3677951 Never fall for the Chest!!!!!!
It is evil
3678812
only because of magma butt spider?
NAY I SAY
3678974 Avast ye!!!!
Angard!!
Well drat I was hoping for a Darksouls Crossover.... Meh i'll read it anyway, I'm always looking for good HiE anyway.
Edit: Author added clarification in the story description, making me look like a fool, well played sir, well played...
3679215 Yes, my mastermind plan is all coming together... Huehuehue...
But no, your comment made me realize that I did indeed need to put a warning up so that I wasn't dashing any more hopes.
3676563
just very very very good.
Looking forward to more.
i laughed so much
although i'm wondering how Applejack managed to shout Marwolaeth without thinking or stuttering.
3676285 i'm intrested in how you will have him manage his wounds, because if he's as old as he seems, then surely he has suffered through some serious wounds.
3680843 Marwolaeth sounds enough like Marmalade that some Ponies don't have too much of a problem pronouncing it.
Actually, now that I think about it, I might have Pinkie start calling him Marmalade...
3680853 that'd surely make for some funny moments
Now just tell me if you are British or American or neither I guess.
this is good star
ill be following this
Very interesting Story so far.
why am i reading this guy in the voice of Sean Connery?
3684403 Because Sean Connery makes an excellent Narrator. Plus...he's [Redacted] [Redacted].
3684403 Name's Pydredd. Marwolaeth Pydredd. I take my enemies shaken, not stirred.
3684821, 3684403 I was thinking he sounded more along the lines of Liam O'Brian's Asura and War, or Steve Blum's Amon or TOM, because he's an occupational badass for hire, and he needs a good voice to match.
Oh gods, now I'm imagining Marwolaeth sounding like Leeron.
3685382 I wasn't reading in Sean's voice anyway...Sean sounds too...sexy to me. Not enough 'grizzled badass' in that soda, sir. If it makes any difference, I don't really think in accents usually, and there was a slight one here.
3685382
I read it in Steve Blum's voice, it's already in freaking everything so, why not?
This seems pretty promising.
Not even disappointed about lack of Dark Souls, because this looks to be just as good by itself. Love the protagonist's concept. Although his lack of reaction towards the prospect of having to buck apples seemed odd 
This story has a lot of potential, PLEASE keep it going. I hate it when stories fade away.
Potential, Potential, Potential.
Hope you can avoid the common stereotypes or use them at your own advantage
Gibbe moar
3685820
He's a mercenary, he's probably used to being asked to do weird stuff between killing things.
3689037 I wonder what kind of inane bullshit he had to do before, if he doesn't think twice about applebucking.
It's a good thing no one in Ponyville knows Welsh, cause Pydredd has one of those Names To Run Away From Really Fast.
Also, considering Pydredd's apparently horrifying visage, I suppose the name is rather fitting.
3689724
You could say he's...
DnD.
*insert obligatory YEEEAAAHHHHHHH*
i.imgur.com/2OPpbKh.gif
3690453
Goddamn you.
hey hey, this actually looks really good, im a follow it, keep up the good work
This is a great story so far, I can't wait to read more =)
3677625 As silly as it would be, it would be awesome if Pydredd was running around being a badass in full Daedric armor. Can't really imagine anything more badass than that
Oh yeah, awesome fic, really excited for this
3695814 Thanks for the story idea. I can see it now.
"A CHALLENGER APPROACHES!"
"Wha? I'm just the mailstallion-"
*Schunk*
"THERE CAN BE NO OTHER END."
I'll call it... How the Daedra Saved Hearth's Warming.
That's a wrap. GG. I'll accept my Emmy any time now.
3695907 Brb dying
Side story: Mehrunes Dagon and the Hearts Warming Tree
This story deserves way more hype than it's getting
Getting my hopes up for a DkS crossover and then murderingt hem just as quickly. So disappointed.
not even a full day and already working to save ponyville
Aww, I was exited for a dark souls crossover. Still a good story.
*cough, cough*
MOAR!
As a response to all comments about the disappointment of this not being a Dark Souls crossover. Deal with it. This story has plenty of potential, and I'm already interested with Pydredd and what happens to him. If you want a Dark Souls crossover, write one yourself.
This is interesting. Wonder how he is going to respond when he meets Discord?
I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING AT THAT!
Ooooooooo! Snazzy!