The Warden: Part 2, The Crusader and The Warden

by FortressLegacy

Chapter 6: Final Preparations

"Apple Bloom? It's time to get up."

The lamp turned on, and Apple Bloom stirred a bit, steadily waking up. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see the Warden looking down at her. It was still dark outside, but several years of consistently waking up in the predawn hours allowed her to realize that dawn was not far off.

She closed her eyes again, inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled, taking a moment to overcome her sleepy daze and remember where she was and why she was there in the first place.

"You awake?"

She nodded, and opened her eyes, sitting up. It was then that she noticed that the Warden was holding on to two objects. One of these objects was her bow, completely clean and pressed. This observation woke her up quickly, and she smiled.

"Mah bow! Thank you!"

The Warden nodded and smiled slightly, giving her the bow. Apple Bloom wasted no time putting it on her head, happy that she had her favorite accessory once again.

"I also have this for you." The Warden said, placing the other object that he was holding onto the bed.

Unlike the bow, Apple Bloom did not recognize it. It looked like some sort of metal frame with foam lining the inside and a hinge halfway down.

"What's that supposed to be?" She asked.

"A leg brace." The Warden answered. "I made it earlier. Try it on."

It was then that she saw that it was about the size of her hind leg, and after a moment's examination, she realized that it was, indeed, a leg brace.

She backed out of the blankets and sat atop them, carefully moving to the bedside. The Warden grabbed the brace, and instructed her to lift her injured leg. She did so without hesitation, trusting that he knew what he was doing. He carefully unlatched a part of the brace, opening it up before closing it gently around her injured leg.

She inhaled sharply as the brace made contact with her knee, compelling the Warden to stop and look at her with concern.

"Sorry. Does it hurt?"

"A little." She replied.

"Should I leave it off?"

"No... Keep goin'. A little pain doesn't scare me, Ah'm a big filly!"

The stallion gave a single, subdued laugh, catching her off guard. "You're a brave one, you know that? Give me another moment."

Apple Bloom felt some happiness surge through her at his praise, in addition to her surprise. It seemed as if his mood had gotten a bit lighter since last night.

It also seemed that he understood that she was, indeed, quite a bit braver than most foals. That was something that most adults seemed to miss completely.

The Warden shifted the brace a little more, then tightened it up snug against her leg. It was a bit uncomfortable, but it kept her knee in a fairly painless position.

"Alright, let's try standing up." He suggested.

He put out one of his forelegs, providing a means of support for Apple Bloom as she slowly slid off the bed, hind legs first. She held her breath, and her hooves made contact with the floor. She winced as a little pressure sent her knee into pain. Hearing this, the Warden lifted his leg, pulling her off of the floor.

"Keep goin'." Apple Bloom instructed. "Ah can do it!"

He nodded, and slowly let her back down. This time, she inhaled slowly as pressure was placed back on her knee, realizing that while the brace didn't remove the pain, it did allow her to put some weight on it. After she stood on her hind legs for a few seconds, the Warden carefully let her forelegs down as well, and soon she was standing on all fours, albeit with her injured leg lifted up slightly.

"Do you want to try walking?" He asked.

Apple Bloom did not respond, for she was already thinking about what the best way to walk would be. After a moment, she cautiously hobbled forward.

She winced again once she placed more weight on her injured leg, but kept on going, working towards the open door. Progress was a lot slower and painful than she would have liked, but she didn't stop, walking into the central room.

Once again, there was a fire in the fireplace, and a pot of oatmeal was simmering over the flames. While Apple Bloom didn't really find oatmeal to be particularly appetizing, her hunger had returned, overriding her distaste.

The Warden followed her attentively, watching for any sign of trouble or need for assistance. But once she had shambled well into the central room, he walked up to the table and pulled out a chair. When she was close enough, he hoisted her upon it, and slid it closer to the table.

He then turned to the fireplace, and as he stirred the oatmeal, the screen lowered from the ceiling and faced Apple Bloom.

"Good morning, Miss Bloom!" ARTIS said cheerily.

"Mornin' to ya, ARTIS." She responded, finding herself unable to contain a smile upon receiving such a greeting.

"I see you are making use of your new brace." The computer observed. "On a scale of one to ten, how satisfied are you with it?"

This question caught her off guard.

"Uhhh…" Apple Bloom murmured, trying to think of a way to respond.

"Don't confuse her, ARTIS." The Warden said, picking up the pot and bringing it to the table, looking at Apple Bloom. "Just give it to him straight, little one."

"Ah… guess it works fine enough?" She answered, shrugging slightly.

"So it is satisfactory?" ARTIS asked.

"Ah guess so?"

"Good! I was afraid that my precision measurement capabilities were in need of calibration after a thousand years of inactivity."

Apple Bloom nodded, briefly staring off into space as she remembered how old this computer claimed to be.

"Well, even if it is helping, I would hesitate to say that it'll enable you to walk all the way back." The Warden remarked, snapping her out of the stupor as he poured some hot oatmeal into the bowl in front of her. "If you want to get home in a timely fashion, I'll have to carry you."

Apple Bloom had conflicting feelings about that remark. She didn't like the idea of being dependent on somepony else, but he was right. Who knew how long it would take if she were to try hoofing it?

The sensation of steam hitting her face compelled her to focus on the food in front of her. In moments, she was eating heartily.

The Warden also began eating, but paused after a few bites. "ARTIS, let's review the route."

"Yes sir." The computer replied, displaying a map of Equestria on the screen.

Apple Bloom noted that the map encompassed the north central portion of her homeland, with Canterlot at the far eastern
edge of the screen, and Ponyville near the southeastern corner. The Unicorn Range stretched along the western edge, working its way southwards then eastwards after a point.

Then a meandering line appeared on the screen, working its way from the central portion of the western stretch of the Unicorn Range, snaking around mountains and through forests. Eventually, it terminated next to the Everfree forest southwest of Canterlot, where Ponyville was.

"So, the first thing you shall do is descend out of the Unicorn Range by heading east." ARTIS began, highlighting a portion of the path that led out of the mountains, before highlighting another segment which seemed to run between the western and southern stretches of the Unicorn Range. "Then you will traverse the lowlands, going southeast."

Then a third and final segment was highlighted, traversing across the southern portion of the mountain range and terminating next to the Everfree forest. "At this point, you will scale the Unicorn Range by heading south, before descending into Ponyville. Any questions?"

The Warden shook his head. "I don't. How about you?" He asked, looking at Apple Bloom.

She swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal, and briefly wondered if she had anything to ask. After not finding any, she shook her head and resumed eating.

"I guess that's it. Thank you ARTIS." The Warden declared, also resuming his meal.

"My pleasure sir. Enjoy your breakfast." The computer replied, his screen retreating back into the ceiling.

Both ponies sat, quietly eating for several minutes. Apple Bloom noticed that the darkness outside was not quite as prevalent as before, and she knew that the sun was going to be up in less than an hour. Then she looked down at her new brace, and she suddenly remembered that the Warden had said that he had made it.

"When did ya make the brace?" She asked, sounding curious.

"A few hours ago." He said nonchalantly. "Why?"

Apple Bloom almost choked, surprised at his answer. "Gahk! Last night?! How?!" It was truly beyond her how he had made something so robust that fit her so well in only a matter of hours.

The Warden shrugged. "I'm a good fabricator. I have all the equipment I could possibly need in the lab downstairs to make pretty much anything. What's wrong? Is it unheard of for ponies to make things like that in such a short time nowadays?"

After taking a moment to think, Apple Bloom shook her head. "... Ah guess not? But Ah'd say that it is still mighty unusual for somepony to make something like that so quick!"

"Mmhm." The Warden replied in an understanding manner. "I must admit, I'm a little curious to see just how far technology has come in Equestria, despite the interference of the princess."

"What?" Apple Bloom asked, wondering what he meant by that.

The Warden's eyes widened slightly, seeming as if he had just said something that he didn't mean to say aloud.

"Uh, never mind. Just forget I said that."

"Why?"

"Because I told you to forget it."

"... Alright…"

What was that about?

Which princess was he referring to, and why would any of them try to hamper technological progress?

A few more minutes passed, and both ponies finished their bowls at roughly the same time. After letting Apple Bloom down from the chair, the Warden took the dishes into a side room and cleaned them. While he was doing so, she noticed a pile of gear lying next to the door.

That stuff wasn't there last night.

She approached the pile of gear, looking at it all. It appeared to be a mixture of saddlebags and clothing of some kind, topped by strange metal gadgets.

One of these gadgets was a small metal block, which had what appeared to be a multi-piece metal ball embedded within it. On it appeared to be a button of some sort, and it had a blinking blue light. This caught her attention, and she felt an urge to touch it arise. Cautiously, she slowly put a hoof up to it, her eyes fixed on the metal sphere while she held her breath.

Her hoof then contacted the button with a click, and suddenly the ball seemed to come to life!

A tiny circular door opened up on the sphere, and a small camera lens popped out, looking around as if it were an eye. It shortly caught sight of Apple Bloom, who was staring right back at it with wonder and apprehension. They sat there staring at each other for a few moments, and Apple Bloom began to grow uneasy as she spoke.

"What in tarn-"

That was as far as she got before the strange object gave a few rapid chirps and jumped to life. The sphere flew upwards from the block, jumping into the air. Four small arms deployed from the orb and an upwards facing propeller unfolded at the end of each arm. Then, the propellers began to spin with a whir as it rose up to Apple Bloom's eye level.

She involuntarily took a few steps back, not sure what to think of the strange contraption. Like many of the things that she had seen since she got teleported, it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

The machine then flew in a circle slowly around Apple Bloom, its camera "eye" watching her carefully as it emitted a bright light as if it was scanning her. After making a full orbit around her, the machine chirped and tweeted, bouncing in the air excitedly.

Apple Bloom felt compelled to relax a bit. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't seem dangerous. In fact, it almost acted like a bird of some kind.

"What're you doing?" Asked the Warden, who had silently walked up behind Apple Bloom.

She jumped a little, having been caught messing with the Warden's gear.

"Ah, uh- Ah was just lookin' at… At whatever that is." She answered, gesturing at the little flying machine.

The machine flew back slightly and made an irritated noise at her remark.

"His name is RAD." The Warden explained. "He hates being misidentified."

"Oh." Apple Bloom murmured, thinking it strange that it had such a name. "Sorry, um, RAD."

The machine chirped in a happier manner, and Apple Bloom turned to the Warden. "What is he?"

"He is a Recon and Assistant Drone, or RAD for short." He explained. "He'll be coming with us."

The small drone tweeted as if to affirm the Warden's remark. Then, it flew up to Apple Bloom and made an inquisitive sound, its camera looking around her face. The filly simply stared at the contraption for a moment, before turning towards the stallion for an explanation.

"He wants to know your name." The Warden explained.

"Oh! Mah name's Apple Bloom!" She replied, looking at the little drone while putting one of her hooves to her chest.

The machine tweeted excitedly and performed a flip, compelling Apple Bloom to think that it was happy to make her acquaintance. She could not help but smile, in awe at the advanced nature of the little drone's tech and its friendliness.

"Alright," The Warden commanded, "fold up and save your battery for the trip."

RAD gave a sad beep and landed in his block, folding up into a metal ball as he did so. The Warden then walked over, taking two metal gadgets from the top of the pile and placing them on the floor.

Apple Bloom looked on, and looked over the strange devices. One appeared to be a grappling claw of some kind, attached to a spool of steel cable. The whole assembly had an elastic strap on it, as if it were meant to be strapped to a pony's leg. The other device looked like a two-pronged fork of some kind, attached to a small metal box. Like the previous device, it too had a strap.

The Warden then put one of his forelegs inside the loop formed by the strap.

"Grapple, tighten." He commanded, and to Apple Bloom's amazement, the strap tightened around his leg, attaching itself to him!

He then did the same with the other device on his other foreleg, and turned around. He lifted the leg with the grappling claw, pointing at one of the chairs.

What was he doing?

Her question was answered when he gave another command.

"Grapple, shoot!"

The claw shot out with a hiss, shooting across the room and latching onto the chair. Then, the Warden barked another command.

"Grapple, retract!"

Making a sound similar to a reel on a fishing pole, the spool retracted the claw and chair, pulling them both to the Warden.

"That still works. Good." He mumbled to himself, giving a final command. "Grapple, release."

As soon as he said so, the claw let the chair go.

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. She had thought that such a device was restricted to superheroes in comic books! In fact, a lot of things about the Warden seemed to be straight out of a comic book, now that she thought about it.

The Warden then lifted his other leg, and the Warden made another command.

"Taser, on!"

Apple Bloom flinched when a series of harsh crackles filled the room as blue sparks flew between the two fork prongs.

"Taser, shoot!"

The two prongs shot out, sailing across the room and embedding themselves in the other chair, still popping and crackling. After a second of this, the Warden made a final command.

"Taser, off and retract!"

The prongs stopped making noise and retracted back to their original place.

"What in tarnation was that?" Apple Bloom asked, her mouth agape.

"A taser." The Warden answered, tinkering briefly with the device. "In case I need to use it."

Apple Bloom had heard of tasers before, although she had never seen one. Still, she knew that if shocked by one, a full grown stallion could be knocked out in seconds. Remembering the dangerous creatures that roamed the Equestrian wilderness, she came to the conclusion that perhaps bringing such a weapon was a necessity.

She hoped that they would not have to use it.

The Warden now picked up the saddlebags, which were attached to a harness. Four large bags, each either having several smaller pouches or a canteen attached. Despite the complexity of this arrangement, he smoothly put it on and began attaching the straps together. When he was done, he jumped around briefly, and Apple Bloom noticed that the bags did not flop around like normal saddlebags, firmly attached to the Warden thanks to the straps.

All that was left was two ponchos, the clothing items that Apple Bloom had seen earlier. One was large, about the Warden's size, and the other was small. Apple Bloom was given the latter.

"Put this on, it's cold out there." He instructed.

She put it on, and found it to be a bit heavy and uncomfortably warm. Still, she didn't complain.

Meanwhile, the Warden rolled up the other poncho and when Apple Bloom was finished, he rolled it over to her hooves, kneeling as he did so.

"Do me a favor and put that in here, please." He instructed, gesturing to a loop that was attached to the harness on his back. Although she was swimming a bit within her poncho, Apple Bloom managed to do it, and the Warden stood back up.

"Thank you." He said, shaking around and looking back to make sure that it was firmly attached.

Now that the pile was gone, he took a deep breath, as Apple Bloom's stomach twisted a bit out of excitement. It had just dawned on her that she was about to start her journey home.

The Warden walked over to the fireplace, whose fire had died down somewhat, and spilled a bucket of dirt over it, smothering the flames.

He then walked back, and after making a few more checks and adjustments to his gear, the Warden looked down at her.

"Well, you ready?"

She nodded, her eyes shining in anticipation. "Eeyup!"

He then kneeled down, and motioned for her to get on his back.

"Then hop on."

Apple Bloom clambered onto the stallion's back, and he stood back up, turning towards a screen that had lowered from the ceiling once again.

"Well, we're off. I should be back in six to seven days."

"Understood sir." ARTIS replied. "Best of luck to you both. Especially you, Miss Bloom."

"Thank you, ARTIS!" She exclaimed, waving at the screen.

The Warden then walked to the door, opened it, and walked out. The damp fall chill immediately settled down on Apple Bloom, making her glad that she had been given that heavy poncho. The Warden then closed the door, and a click was heard as it locked behind him.

It was now bright enough for Apple Bloom to see the exterior of the cottage that they had just walked out of. Her heart leaped in her chest. It was the same cottage that was in the photos after all!

The Warden walked forward a few paces, towards the middle of the clearing that the house was situated in, and stopped.

Apple Bloom took the opportunity to take it all in. The green grass beneath her was lush, covered with a silver coat of frost. All around, towering pine trees dwarfed them both, and bent slightly under the cold breeze, which could be heard rushing gently through them. Through the treetops, the sky was a mixture of deep blue, pink, and orange; and the mountaintops were basking in the glow of Princess Celestia's sun, revealing that it had risen. A light mist was visible just over the ground, only adding to the serenity of the scene.

The Warden then sighed, and began walking away, heading off into the forest.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cold, mountain air. Then she exhaled, sending a cloud of condensation out of her nostrils as a warm feeling arose within her heart.

She was on her way home.