The flight to Ponyville only took an hours time before I made a landing in the town square. As I flew over the landscape, I couldn’t help but notice the large expanding beauty of the fields. Continuous without end and a sight that only a few in life had seen. But should this beast be Senior, and he seeks to destroy this land, the charm of fields will be nothing more than a scorched, desecrated version of its former self. I landed within the center of town and made my way towards the more than familiar tavern, Tolsa’s Tavern.

I stopped along the way as I peered into a few stalls, looking over goods that are more than rare at the fortress. The stalls were plentiful and bountiful with goods, ranging from hats, to clothes, and other goods. But I had my sights set on something rather near and dear to my heart. I stopped at a small stall that sold coffee beans and bought a few packages worth, at least enough to cover a weeks worth. Sliding a small pouch of bits over to the stall owner, I quickly placed the beans into my pack. “Thanks.” I said to the mare, and with a nod, I began on my way towards the bar.

After a couple minutes of walking, I was standing at the front step of the old bar. “Oh the memories.” With a smile caked on my face, I pushed through the swinging wooden bars and found the usual booth my party and I would share. Taking a seat, out of my mouth came a sigh of relief. “Oh, that feels good.” I took a quick stretch and something happened. “Ouch.” a sensation of pain came emanating from my back. It was a hot sensation that was most unwelcomed. At the sight of my distress came the barmaid. Quickly trotting over and asking if I was ok, I waved her worry off and said it was nothing,

“Well, you’re not the young human you once were Dark. At your age, you should be taking better care of yourself.” Voiced the mare, a hint of concern masking her expressions.

“What do you mean ‘My age’?” I asked.

“I mean.. uh.. you should just take care of yourself Dark. We wouldn’t like to lose a customer such as yourself. What would you like to drink?”

I shook her words off and replied,“I’ll take anything with vodka in it. Surprise me.” With my order finished, she made her way over to the bartender, and he immediately began making my drink. With her hearing out of reach, I whispered to myself,“What does she mean by ‘someone my age’? I’m not that old.” I rubbed the center of my back with the palm of my hand, earning a slight burning sensation. “Oww.. my back.”

The barmaid returned with my drink, placed it down on the table before me and blew me a kiss as she walked back over to the bar. I took the drink in hand and took a sip. The rushing liquid flowing down my hoarse throat felt better than ever. I let out a sigh of satisfaction as I placed the drink back down upon the table. I looked around the tavern and noticed that it was rather busy for a thursday, taking careful notice that most of the customers were rather young, between the ages of eighteen and twenty five. “Someone my age...” I shook my head and gave a light puff in irritation.

As the night continued, and a drink turned into many, someone approached the booth and took a seat beside me. I glanced over at him, taking notice of his hood and tattered clothing. Quickly taking notice that he wasn’t from the scouting groups nearby, I asked him some questions.

“Which group are you with?” I asked the hooded man.

He looked to me, his teeth shone as he gave a smile. “I’m from the third division, we were sent to investigate around the Ponyville area for any suspicious activity.” He explained.

“Are you now, well then. Welcome to Tolsa’s Tavern. What’s your name?”

He took a moment before responding. “Crimson Flame, sir.”

“Well Crimson, welcome to the tavern. If you would take notice, look down if your will.” He did as I instructed but stopped as he laid his eyes against the tip of my knife lightly pressed against his side.

“What are you doing sir?” He asked, a tad frightened from the whole ordeal.

“Well Crimson, if that is your real name. You forgot something, that I am the one that assigns missions to the guardians, and I gave no word for Ponyville to be inspected. At least not yet anyway. Never the less, you’re also forgetting that all field troops are assigned with a signature guardian guild armor set, made by Terra Firma himself. One wouldn’t dare to leave your protective gear at the fortress, and make yourself vulnerable at every given moment. Who, or what are you. Answer me correctly and I shall let you continue your night unscaved. Answer me with lies and deceit, I’ll have your lungs and intestines lining the ground in a matter of moments. Now speak.”

He sat there, a frightened expression plastering his face until he cracked a smirk. “Well, your guild is nothing less than ours was. John, or should I call you by your given title, Darkmoon. You know why I’m here, but I want to explain a couple things before I leave. Should you try anything, consider a war begun. You would be blocking me from my goal, and I won’t have that. Now, let’s begin. I’m here for two reasons, reason one is to take the guardian guild and leave nothing but smoldering ash and dust. Secondly, to reclaim someone near and dear to my heart that is trapped within this wretched land.”

“You can try all you will to harm the guild, but you won’t even reach the front gate, Senior.” I reached over and grabbed his hood, pulling it down off his head and ripping it off. With his face revealed, I took notice that he hadn’t aged a day from when I last seen him. ‘What? How is this possible?’ I thought to myself. The old guardian looked to me and grinned, taking notice of my bewilderment.

“You take my hood, I’ll take yours.” He reached over and took hold of my hood. Attempting to rip it off my head and toss it on the ground, he failed but managed to slide it off the top of my head and fall carelessly down to my shoulders. He looked to me and smiled brightly. “So, my ‘boy’ is a man now. It’s almost fitting, the two of us, father and son. Not a man against a boy, but another legendary fight against men. Though only one side shall be victorious, and I have no plans on losing. A war will come to this land, not now but soon. And when it does, you and your guild will have to be in peak physical condition to even last the night against his armies. Our warriors count in the thousands, our very movement shakes the ground beneath us. And they have been trained, trained by me. The best the guild of old had to offer, and they know almost as much as I do by now.”

I glared at him, and grinned. “Your armies might be count in the thousands, and your warriors stronger than steel, but you’re forgetting one more very basic thing.”

“Yeah? And what’s that?” He asked.

“Here, you are not fighting the same guardians as before. I know of your treachery. I know that you killed Diamond Sprint in that cave all those years ago, I know that you lied and cheated your way to the top. I know the secrets from before, all of them. They were given to me by the mighty and fierce blacksmith Firefist. My grandfather. Though he has long since left this world, he looks down upon me from the stars above with a smile. Here, you won’t fight mere boys and girls. You fight men, and women. The guardian’s from the age before left us with a precious gift in our hands, but you exploited it, cheapened it, sold it out for your own personal desire, to return to the human world. The powerful knowledge from the past, you almost made us forget about it, almost. When this war arises, we shall feel it again, the trembling of the ground before us, the cries of fierce warriors, the cries of free men and women. From the singing of our blades through your flesh, to the pounding of our fists into your skull. You wish for a battle old man, but you shall have a war.”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. If you picked up on the Brutal Legend reference, your awesome. A big thanks to AhugeAcidTree for proof reading the chapter for me. Stay awesome.

Keep it cool, Condemned.