Equestria has been under attack from all sides for years now, Griffins, Dragons and just about everything else in the whole world..............Lacking the knowledge to fight back without using their magic Celestia see's no other option..........
Equestria itself is being backed into a corner, that corner being Canterlot, and they are running out of options. As Equestria have never been at war, they find themselves powerless against technologically advanced civilizations, the Griffins being one example.
The rulers of Equestria are forced to watch as brave mares and stallions fall in the name of peace, this can go on no longer. Having found a world where many know how to fight, using various forms and degrees of violence, Celestia and Luna have constructed a portal which............If all they have seen of this world through nothing but a magically induced hOle through time and space is right then Equestria just may have hope.
This is the story of Equestria's protectors, the ever vigilant hero's................But before all else........They are warriors.
I would really appreciate it if somepony could make me cover art for this!
It was a beautiful night, the stars shinned so bright and the moon only made the spectacle all the more beautiful. The skies in Thailand were usually clear yet this night was especially beautiful, there were definitely lovers gazing at the beauty above tonight. Although over in the vibrant jungles of Thailand there was a particular man who had his eyes focused elsewhere, as well as his mind among other things. Out in the jungle near Chaiya District was a small wooden hut, the wood was dark and helped keep it secluded in the dense jungle.
However there was no sign of any current occupant, except for a mostly melted candle behind the window. Yet if one were to go for a short but enchanting walk you would find a lone tree next to a rocky embankment which sunk into a swiftly flower river, the sound of flowing water eased any who would stop to listen. Under this tree was a man, currently weaving back and fourth striking what seemed to be thin air but a man nonetheless, and hanging from it at around neck height where small lemons.
A stranger to this scene would be bewildered and worrying for the man's sanity as he struck the lemons to then weave out of it's way to strike another, this was what some would call his zone or a place/moment of self expression. To any onlooker the sight would be strange as it was fascinating, his movements thoughtlessly coordinated as his strikes struck swiftly yet with power.
The lemons he stuck swung back and fourth in an attempt to hit him however before they even got close he had already struck a lemon and moved on to his next target, the strange combinations of elbows, fists and slaps made for a fluid defense against his multiple attackers.
Said man's body was relaxed and seamlessly fluid as he slid between and below his swinging opponents. With each strike came a rapid exhale, relaxing his body further as he struck. It was only when sweat was dripping onto the grassy ground below and his controlled breaths became shaky, a thin layer of sweat made his arms and forehead gleam slightly.
After he halted the swinging of the lemons he took a seat next to on the embankment and looked into the clear water flower past him. He sat upon the soft grass and crossed his legs, admiring every sound and sight as he did. The sound of insects in the night was complimented by the flowing river, a symphony of nature which only few allowed to truly enchant them.
His near-black eyes reflected the moonlight as he admired it's beauty, he was awed by the stars which adorned the dark cloak of the night sky. After admiring the night sky his gaze drifted to the running river, he was almost torn between the two sights. Now observing the clear river as the moonlight reflected off of it's surface, a natural glow was granted to the river. The man 's reflection showed a head of short and black messy hair, there was a natural shine to his hair which reflected the moonlight. His skin was a dark tan, more due to Thailand's weather rather than a natural tan. Covering his lean body was a black tank top and red shorts though he wore no shoes, his preference was barefoot as he found it comfortable.
Unknown to him as he shut his eyes, the river began to glow white as the moonlight spread across a small portion of the body of water. Soon the radiating light could not be ignored........His eyes snapped open as he swiftly returned to his feet. For some reason unbeknownst to him, he had an urge to step into the water.
Having learned over years to trust his instinct, he stepped into the pool of tingling liquid. The sensation of tingling felt like electricity passing over his skin instead of putting him on edge it in fact did the opposite, as his body became incredibly loose. As he stepped further and further into the radiant light his body became weightless and his sight was blinded by an overwhelming light.
In Equestria.......
"Sister are you sure it worked?"
"It must have.......The spell sustained itself and I can still feel-"
A burst of light suddenly caught the sisters off guard. Before them........Upon it's knees was, hopefully, what they had attempted to summon to their aid. The Princesses watched the creature before them slowly come to stand upon it's feet and with an expected expression of confusion upon it's features, they had an empathy towards the being they had summoned.
The being they hoped was a Human, he certainly matched the description, looked over the Princesses and took in the unique appearance of each. He strangely admired the oddly beautiful appearance they each held, one consisting of dark blues and blacks while the other was stark white with a mane consisting of a multitude of colors.
Celestia took a breath before approaching the Human. "Greetings, I hope your journey was comfortable".
"I-I don't understand what is going on here, what is this place?"
What they were not expecting was the deep yet calm voice.The Human looked around, noticing he was in an extremely long and tall chamber. He admired many stained glass windows which seemed to capture critical moments in history. "You are in our Throne Room. This is our Castle which is in Canterlot".
"Well........The information certainly helps me attain some level of clarity. What exactly am I here for? There must be a reason?"
The Human was a lot calmer than they expected, in honesty they had a small detachment of guards waiting just outside the doors. "You see, you are in Equestria a land which has experienced unprecedented peace for most of it's entire existence. Unfortunately just recently we have come under attack from factions with more proficiency in........Violence". Celestia said that last word with spite.
"So......You wish for me to battle armies? I don't know what you know of me yet I believe we should exchange names, don't you?" He gestured towards Luna.
Luna stepped forward, with enthusiasm and a smile. "I am Luna, Princess of the night and I raise the moon at night to lower it for my sister to raise it when morning comes".
" I am Celestia and as you can tell I raise and lower the sun, obvious when you think about it". The mare gave a respective bow of the head.
He returned her gesture. "You may call me Luk, not my native name but it's what I would prefer".
A smile was directed towards both Princesses. "Now back to my question, how do you expect me to deal with these threats?"
Luna looked at Celestia before receiving an approving nod form her sister. "We have been searching many worlds who hold those with offensive capabilities yet they are not barbaric and mindless, in short a being who would always hold control over the violence they commit".
"I see.......You wish for me to end the threats towards your people.........Please do explain how you have found yourselves in this situation?"
Sighing, Celestia looked the Human in the eyes. "We are not a violent race, far from it. There are those among us, namely Unicorns and Alicorns, who are capable of using magic. Although magic does have offensive capabilities it is not inherently violent, unless one accustoms themselves in dark magics".
"I see your problem......You wish to defend yourselves without turning to such dark methods?"
"Precisely!" Luna exclaimed. "This is why we brought you here.......In hopes that you can stop the slaughter of our soldiers, who are dying without even having a chance to fight".
The tears in the mare's dark blue eyes only angered the man more. "That isn't even battle.......That is slaughter...."
Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Will you please help us?"
A moment of contemplation was all that was required for the Human to make his decision. "I suppose I have been waiting for a moment like this all my life, okay I will do my best to help your kind, but how will I do it alone?"
"You won't" They said in unison.
Another blinding light spontaneously radiated within the Throne room. Luk was not going to fight this battle alone........The Princesses made doubly sure of that.
'It worked!' I cheered in my mind as another brilliant light signaled the arrival of another potential warrior. Celestia had told me countless times of her doubts, not that it ever deterred me, but I was fixated upon finding a way. What surprised me when we summoned the Human we observed for a short while was his calm and collected attitude, a good quality to have in a warrior. Although I found herself looking the Human up and down, his lean build was showing through the slightly tight clothing he wore.
My I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment as he met my gaze before turning to see the other warrior we had summoned, I was thankful for his distraction as he seemed to not notice my embarrassment. As the light faded a taller Human with dirty blond hair stumbled forwards, probably in shock the poor thing.
Third person
Luk assessed the tall man, who probably had been doing whatever he does throughout daily life, his messy dirty blond hair and wide emerald eyes were enough to say he was on the brink of freaking out.......
"Where am I! Who are you! What are they! Why am I here! Since when did unicorns exist!" With waving arms and no sign of his freak-out mode ending. Luk swiftly strode over to the man and slapped him across the face, the sound echoed through the Throne room.
"If you calm down! These two can explain everything". The tall blond man took a few deep breaths."Okay, I think it's safe to say I am an finally going insane, now in the name of all things sacred why am I here!?"
Although he was only slightly calmed down, it was better than a full grown man freaking out........it caused quite the headache. Luk could see Celestia about to speak and explain everything all over again, he wasn't exactly in the mood for that. "Basically these two are Princesses who raise the sun and moon, I know it sounds crazy but trust me, they have brought us here because they believe we are skilled enough to fend of multiple factions who are slaughtering they troops daily".
The blond man's eyes seemed to widen further. "Now, for the name exchange, these to are Luna and Celestia". Luk gestured to the mares as he said their names. "I am Luk. Now what is your name?"
"B-Be-Benjamin, my name is Benjamin. Although it's nice and dandy to meet you all, and I have another human to keep me sane, whats this about armies?"
Celestia and Luna went to there respective thrones and sat down. Celestia decided it would be best to give them a more detailed description of their current situation, especially seeing as they were going to fight to the death for her ponies. "As I told you, Luk. We Ponies have never indulged into violence with our magics.........This now puts us at a disadvantage against those with more advanced weaponry, or other means of using violence against others. Such as the Diamond Dog War-bands and the Griffon Empire not to mention that the creatures of Everfree forest are going berserk, hopefully you now have more insight upon our predicament".
While Celestia further informed Luk and Benjamin took in everything he had missed out, unknown to Benjamin, Luk was observing his clothing and features. His body was slightly bulkier than Luk's lean frame which could be seen through his black T-shirt which was complimented by a pair of black jeans, not flashy or extravagant but it went together nonetheless. Looking over some yellow letters on his shirt, which caught much of his attention, the two words were spoken aloud. "Wing Chun..."
"What?" The Princesses asked in union.
Luk approached the man calmly. "Wing Chun......So we are both Martial Artists".
"Yeah, I guess it makes more sense why they chose us, but what do you practice?"
Benjamin couldn't really guess from his clothing or his structure. He knew Luk wasn't some MMA wannabe, he wasn't a dumb meat head, so it left him in a state of confusion. Luk smiled, one of warmth not arrogance. "Muay Boran, a sort of umbrella martial art, using multiple techniques of Thailand's ancient boxing styles".
Benjamin smiled with an deep inner warmth. "I see, so that explains the tanned skin. Do you know much of Wing Chun?"
"No, only the basic concepts". Luk admitted his lack of insight into the art. "Although I appreciate the fundamental of the art and especially the true power behind it, one has to sit back to admire it's beauty".
"Excuse me but I would like to know what a Martial Artist is?" Celestia just couldn't contain her curiosity, she knew she had summoned warriors yet knew nothing about them.
"What is a Wing Chun? Furthermore what is a Moo Banana?" Luna asked, obviously shaking with excitement.
Luk looked at Celestia. "You see a Martial Artist is someone who practices Martial Arts, that's why you brought us here, and it's Muay Boran Princess Luna, those are the arts we practice".
Celestia had a look of disgust on her face. "Human's view violence as an art!"
Benjamin had some foresight on what was to come, so he conveniently butted in before the magical Sun Queen dubbed the as monsters. "No, not at all. The reason Martial Arts were created was to defend one's self from stronger opponents. There are those who do practice it in the name of violence yet many practice them so we can understand not just ourselves but violence in general, it does make sense. My Sifu always tells me 'By practicing violence, we come to understand it, when we understand it we can prevent it'. Now does it make sense?"
Celestia was deep in though and she, self admittedly, agreed with what these Humans believed. However Luna's mouth was slightly agape with all the knew knowledge being fed to her and she could hardly contain how excited she was. Luk and Benjamin already felt a connection as Martial Artists, it was a bond between those with common ideals.
"So Princesses". Luk asked approaching their thrones with Benjamin in tow. "What is our first task in Equestria?"
CRASH!
Shards of stained glass suddenly fired towards Luk and Benjamin from the right, each of them covered their faces to prevent losing their eyes. Luna and Celestia shielded themselves with their wings, although the majority of glass shards were around the feet of the two Humans. When all of them look towards the shattered window, which allowed the sun to pour into the chamber, the jagged remains of the window still transformed the light passing through it into the glass's respective coloring.
Standing before the destroyed window, facing the Humans, was a Griffon with a much darker shade to his feathers. His dead gaze befell the two Human's before him before looking over at his intended targets, a darkness lingered within the Griffin. "For the Imperial Griffon Empire!"
He screamed and flew towards the Princesses with a blade clutched in his claw. Luna and Celestia were about to restrain the Griffin with magic, the magic in their horns producing a bright aura.
CRACK!
Neither of them could believe what they had seen when Luk propelled through the air and met the flat of his foot with the side of the Griffin's face. It was the audible crack the made Luna and Celestia wince, imagining how much power was behind the strike scared even them.
The Griffin hit the ground with a THUD while Luk landed inches away from him in a wide and low stance with both fists ready to strike the assassins face. Said Griffin suddenly grabbed Luk's left arm with his claw which earned him a right elbow using the pull from the Griffin to bring it slamming on top of his skull, not hard enough to kill but hard enough to leave the Griffin with a disorienting concussion. Benjamin was standing behind the beaten Griffin just in case he tried anything else.
"So ladies.......What do we do with this one?" Luk said sitting on the unaware would-be-assassin with a confident smile.
Meanwhile the mare could only gaze in awe with their mouth unhinged, Luk's simple display of power and ferocity overwhelmed their minds. Furthermore why did he just wink at the both of them with that smile!?
The stone was cold, almost freezing. A spine tingling chill hung in the air, bring up goosebumps of all who entered, the darkness seemed to co-exist with the cold in a grim harmony. Although the occasional torch illuminated the somber passageways there were still instances of darkness where one would feel unsafe, almost life threatening. You wouldn't believe that a place so melancholy would exist underneath a castle which was the abode of Pony Princesses, the Humans waiting outside a cell had the same amount of trouble figuring that one out.
The black haired Luk leaned against the cold stone as Benjamin did the same, both waited on the opposite sides of an iron door. Along the passageways there were many doors just like the one between the duo, the cobwebs here and there were testament to how long these facilities had gone without use.
"Who would of thought....."
Luk turned his Gaze towards his dirty blond companion, puzzled by the meaning of his words. "Besides Princess Ponies, being transported to another world or being the only hope for possibly thousands of lives?"
Both expressed grins of uncertain joy. "Well all of them........And the secret torture dungeon........"
"Hahahaha! Let us never forget the secret pony torture dungeon!" Luk held his fist high in a mock speech, maturity being one if the many things exempt from his actions.
Neither of them could hold back the laughter which echoed down the halls, their laughter seemed to uplift the somber atmosphere. However the sudden groaning of the iron door between the duo opening halted their laughter, quite abruptly so too. Both Princesses did not look best pleased, Celestia scowling while Luna seemed to be thinking about solutions to their problem.
"Any luck?" Luk asked Luna, like he was taking his chances with a pissed off all powerful female.
Luna sighed, though she tried to smile at Luk after said sigh. "We tried everything, even negotiated on terms of releasing him, yet he is taking none of it and refuses to give us information on how he got so close to the castle, he shouldn't of been able to get so close to the Throne Room. This time was too close......"
The mare seemed to zone out, Luk looked at Benjamin with worry. "What do you mean this time? Are you telling me this isn't the first attempt on your lives?"
Again Luna smiled, though it seemed as though each time she did it took away a piece of her. 'Such a strong girl' Luk thought to himself. "No, in fact we have had to live in the castle for months now in fear of an assassination on a larger scale. We would never want our precious ponies to be hurt because of our carelessness".
Luna's eyes were wet and a tear ran down her cheek and it was about to leave her dark fur until a delicate finger wiped it away, an aura of protection and warmth washed over her. Luk was there, a bit closer than he was before, he leaned forward and she could feel his breath on her ear. "I will get the information and stop him, you've been strong for too long".
Her eyes widened as her jaw hung loose........Luna couldn't understand what had just happened but the warmth she felt stopped all the questions she would of asked Luk yet as Celestia turned around from her brooding the iron door slammed shut. The sound echoed through the dungeon..........
Be warned. This is a dark and bloody part the chapter and will contain detailed interrogation and torture methods. You have been warned!
The dark cell was barely illuminated by a single torch secured by iron bonds near the cell door, the stale stench was worse in the cells it would seem. The tall dirty blond Benjamin stood behind the chair the Griffin was strapped to, the Griffin watched the Human moved behind him until his neck strained then he focused on the Human in front of him. He didn't yet know what they were.........Which was the only reason he held his tongue, for now.
Luk paced back and fourth in front of the Griffin remaining silent as he did, even the sound of his breathing faded from the silent cell. This pacing continued for awhile until the Griffin shuffled in his seat which was when Benjamin placed his hands of the Griffins shoulders. "Get off me you frea-CRACK!-Ow! What th-CRACK!-Stop! Please stop!"
From where he had once been pacing Luk had managed to close the small distance between them in a very painful manor due to the split second of his distraction, it was psychological really. The first hook had been to the Griffins cheek yet the other had been aimed at the beak........there was a noticeable crack on the right of his beak, to Luk it was nothing more than another thing to break.
Benjamin tightened his grip on the Griffin shoulders and as he did Luk brought a round elbow into the Griffins right temple, the strike cut open the flesh and caused blood to pour over his eye and down his beak, The crimson fluid dampened the Griffins feathers and gave them a red tint, pain and blood were natural......Nothing for Luk to be concerned with.
The black haired human held little emotion in his dark eyes. "How did you bypass the castle's defenses?"
Due to the blood pouring over his eye the Griffin was forced to close it and stare in fear at the creature before him. "I-It was wide open! Do you think it's hard to break through a freaking glass window! Hahaha-CRACK!"- Agh! Okay, okay, I-I had somepony on the inside!".
Luk smiled, ever so slightly. "I hope you are being honest with me........Because.....". Luk nodded to Benjamin and the tall Human locked the Griffin's neck in a choke hold, lifted his head in the process and exposing the Griffin's torso. Luk closed in and began pounding the Griffin's ribs with piercing strikes, the force of his strikes did not stop where they landed but traveled through the battered Griffin's body.
"I don't! Appreciate! Liars!" Luk halted his assault and signaled for Benjamin to release the Griffin from the choke hold, the feathered victim breathed as much of the stale air as he could, breathing through his mouth before he began to cough up blood. The Griffin wearily looked at the monster that was the sole cause for the failure of his mission and his unimaginable pain, no way where they from Equestria or this world.
"Now, I would like you to tell me, where exactly we can find this inside pony and what name I need to be tracking". The Griffin cracked his neck and took a breather before answering the command disguised as a question, for his own sake more than anything.
"He-He's in the Empire's borders now.......I-I never got a name.....All I know is that he was already a guard with connection throughout the different military sectors I swear that's all I know!"
Luk grinned as he placed his hand on the back of his victims head and took a roughly handful of the Griffin's feather, ripping a few feathers out in the process. "I am glad we could get a place........But no name.....". Luk sighed before rapidly lifting his foot and slamming the heel down upon the Griffin's left claw, a sickening crack was heard as he did so. "You gave me half of what I asked for so I will give you half the pain in return, it's only fair, you better not be lying to me"
The Human's voice was so withdrawn yet it held a tone that made the Griffin want to scream and ball like a child there and then, and that was before expelling his bowels. Another signal to Benjamin and the tall Human removed his hands from the Griffin's shoulders, though something felt off with Benjamin throughout the whole interrogation. Luk opened the iron door yet stopped in the door way for a moment as he took a sniff of the air......."Let's go......It smells like shit down here".
As the two Humans finally exited the cell and took the passageways back to the surface Luna and Celestia were horrified by what they saw, that is probably a subtle description of what their faces expressed. Never in all their immortal lives had they seen such torture inflicted upon any being.......Yes the Griffins were their enemies but........This couldn't be the solution.........Could it?
"Benjamin if I were an idiot you may be able to pass that act by me, unfortunately that's not the case". The young dark skinned Luk once again had a voice with emotion and humanity behind it, not to mention the light of life within his eyes had returned.
The dirty blond struggled to find a better way of saying his words but found none, so he opted for the blunt approach. "You have done bad thing like that before, haven't you?"
A sigh holding a thousand regrets of his haunted soul was only a mere ounce of his life's sorrow and sin . "You have no idea".
