Author's Note

Language will be had in this chapter. And most likely every chapter from now on. Don't ever say I didn't warn you. Let me know if there are any mistakes. Please?

Spoiler warning that only slightly pertains to the story, don't worry nothing major. The Awoken can bite me.

The Most Feared

"Guardian, it's time to get up." Ghost said as he appeared over the sleeping guardian. His makeshift bed pressed up against both the barricade and the wall. The guardian continued to snore, making a sound akin to a chainsaw as he did so. Ghost sighed and floated over to the guardian before lightly tapping his small body against the Guardians head.

Martin bolted upright as he woke from his slumber "Wha? What time is it?" He asked drowsily.

"Time to go unless you want to be cornered here... again."

Martin got up from the ground and brushed his robe off. As he made his way to the castle door he could hear the ponies talking. Why were they awake this early?!

"Shit." Martin muttered to himself. As he slightly crouched at the door, trying not to trigger his invisibility just yet. He listened to them talk.

"This is most problematic. We have to get him out of there one way or another." He could assume that was the white princess from yesterday... what was her name? Martin shrugged and kept listening.

"But sister, his actions have proven that he wishes to be left alone. We should respect what he wants."

That one, Martin liked. Martin didn't hate the ponies, far from it, he just doesn't want anything to do with them.

"But Luna! What about all of things we could learn from him! A real life alien! Think of the possibilities!"

That one, Martin didn't like her. What did she think he was? A Warlock?

"I still say he's dangerous. I mean, what are those things? That stuff he was shooting at us wasn't magic."

"I have to agree with Rainbow on this Princesses. He may seem peaceful, I jus' get a bad feelin' from him." A pony said with a southern drawl.

Everything went quiet after the last mare spoke. "Do you hear that?" Celestia asked.

"... I don't hear anything Princess."

"Exactly, it seems that we have an extra guest to this conversation."

"How the fuck did she know?!" Martin thought to himself before a golden aura enveloped the door between him and the ponies. The door swung open and the aura vanished. All of the ponies stared at him, the large ones had questioning gazes while the rest were mixed between fear, anger, shock, joy, and even just a raised eyebrow.

Martin stood up straight. His robe lifting off of the stone floor.

"Care to have a chat?" Celestia asked with a smile on her face.

Martin looked at them all and replied with. "Only if you can walk and talk at the same time." His voice held no emotion.

He began to walk past the group of ponies and they soon followed him.

"Where are you going? If you don't mind me asking..." Celestia said as she walked beside Martin.

"Patrol."

"Ah." Was all she had to say.

"So, what's your name?" The purple one asked.

"You don't deserve my name." He said as memories of his fellow Guardians flowed through his mind. The purple one flinched and her ears pinned against the back of her head.

"Hey buddy! Where do you get the nerve to talk like that to a princess!?" Rainbow Dash yelled as she flew up behind Martin and pushed her hoof into his back.

Martin stopped. And so everypony else stopped.

"Because the things I've killed would make you look like an ant underneath my boot. But that's a little insulting to ants." Rainbow didn't like that remark. She flew up to him, jamming her face against his helmet.

"You wanna fight?!"

"Why can't we just talk?" Celestia thought as she looked at the two at each others throat.

It was quiet. All before what sounded like laughter come from Martin, but it sounded more like snarling then anything else. Everyone had a look of utter confusion on their face. He stopped laughing as he reared his head back and brought it forward with a loud crack. Rainbow Dash fell to the ground unconscious. Everyone flinched.

"Why would you do that?!" Twilight yelled as she ran to her friend.

"When a Guardian gets cocky and doubts the strength of his peer, they engage in a one on one fight, your friend tried to pick a fight she wouldn't win."

"Surely that didn't call for such a reaction though?" Celestia asked as she stood by her student with a wing on her back.

Martin didn't say anything, he just turned and continued his walk through the Everfree. The group of ponies noticing him leave, Celestia levitated Rainbow Dash onto her back and ran to catch up to Martin.

"If you will not tell us your name... will you at least tell us what you are?" She asked.

"Race or title?"

"Both? If that's not to much trouble."

"I'm an Exo. And my title is Guardian."

The farmpony named Applejack scoffed at that. Martin turned his head to look at her. "Something funny?"

"I don' think what ya did to Rainbow over here was guarding."

Martin couldn't help but chuckle. "I guard people from the darkness, not from themselves."

"You called yourself an Exo? What is that?"

"I'm a machine given thought and life."

"That's impossible, you can't give a machine life." Twilight said. "You can turn it on, but what it does from then on is up to the creator."

"... Ghost? Do you mind?" Martin asked as he stopped once again and turned to the group of ponies.

"I find what she said offensive." He said as he pulled the helmet Martin was wearing into his inventory. Everypony around him gasped.

There in front of them was a living machine, an Exo. "Do you need anymore proof?" No one said a thing. "Good." And the helmet was back on. And they continued.

"What is that?" Martin asked as he pointed at the horizon. Above the tree line were a couple of heads, all of them similar to a lizards in appearance.

"Hydra!" Twilight screamed in a hushed tone.

Martin looked at the moving heads before he broke into a sprint towards them. Everypony followed after him.

"Are you crazy?! You can't fight a hydra!"

"To close to home, gotta get rid of it." He said as he jumped over bushes and ducked under low hanging branches.

"It'll kill you! Hydras are extremely territorial!"

As they got closer and closer, the group of ponies decided that they best not try to interfere. As Martin walked up to the hydra, it spotted him with one of its heads. Getting the attention of the others they all bent down down to eye-level with Martin and roared. Spit flew from their maws and the wind kicked up his robe.

The ponies watched what the guardian was going to do. Martin pulled his hood back and looked up at the Hydra. He pulled the wooden club from its place on his thigh and began to feel the light from his body rush into the staff. The dark glow of the void surrounded Martin and the staff grew. He raised it up and gave a snarl that sounded akin to a Vex Minotaur charging at its prey. The sound ripped through the air like a chainsaw through butter, and the table beneath it. Everyone but Celestia and Luna cowered in fear. Even Pinkie lost her mirth.

Even from where they were, the ponies in the bushes could feel the power of the staff in the guardians hands. They could feel the magic around him being sapped from the air. Apparently, the hydra could feel it as well, it had a look of fear make its way to all three of its faces. It turned around and began to walk away as if nothing had happened.

Everypony couldn't believe it. The creature in front of them had made a hydra back down without even lifting a finger. He walked over to the ponies and dispelled the staff. Everypony's mouth was agape at the creature in front of them.

"What was that?!" Twilight shrieked. Never had she seen someone scare a Hydra.

"Animals know their place."

Ghost appeared in front of the ponies and looked back. "Guardian, after looking at the ability you gained I'm afraid to say that it isn't complete."

Everypony jumped back at the little robot in front of them.

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that what your light is trying to take shape into isn't quite what that staff is."

"What is that?" Twilight asked as she stepped towards Ghost. Bumping it with her nose it floated away and turned towards her and let out a huph.

"I'm a ghost. Well... I'm his ghost." Ghost floated over to Martin and levitated above his shoulder.

"Yer that thing we saw in the castle." Applejack stated. "Floatin' behind him and readin' those books."

"Yeah yeah. What do you mean it isn't what it's supposed to be?" Martin cut off any other questions.

"It means that... The light you're using to make that staff is trying to turn into something else, it isn't meant for a piece of wood."

"The Guardian will die by your hands son. Do not disappoint." The large hive said as he turned to face a towering Hive Knight.

The knight bowed and burned in green flame, disappearing from the room.

"You may have defeated the King of Time, but you will fall by my hands, Guardian."

"Where, pray tell, are we going now?" Luna asked the Exo as she dodged a branch in her glide.

"Back to the castle, patrol is over."

"I would politely ask for you to come with us, there are many questions we have."

"No."

Celestia was flustered, nopony had ever outright denied her before. "May I ask why?"

"Because I don't have to." He said before getting an angry glare from Luna to the back of his head.

"We demand you come with us!"

"And if I don't?"

Luna was about to reply but Celestia held up a hoof. "You will be going against the demands of the crown, and we will have to arrest you." She stated.

"Then it seems I am a wanted man." Martin said as he walked on.

Celestia used her magic to capture the Exo and levitate him to face her. "You are coming with us, whether you like it or not. I don't know if you are a threat, but if you will not come with us peacefully, you will be seen as such." She connected her horn to the forehead of the Exo and took a step back. She had casted a sleep spell on the creature in her magical grasp, hoping that would buy her enough time to get back to town.

"Put me down, or I'll make you put me down." He said in a deep tone, unfazed by the sleep spell.

"Wha—? How did you—"

"I have no clue what you just tried to do, but I'm going to break out now." Martin said as his whole body began to glow with a brilliant purple. The yellow aura that was once around him drained of color before vanishing completely. Everyone around him felt the effects of his drain. Growing weary as their magic, and energy, was slowly sapped away. He began to glow brighter and brighter as the magic drifted towards him. Absorbed by the light around him.

"What are you doing!?" Celestia said, her voice weak and hoarse. She looked behind her to see everyone else but Luna and Twilight unconscious on the forest floor. She looked back up at Martin, to see the Exo still standing there. He bent over and looked Celestia in the eyes.

"Hear me, if you threaten me again, I won't be so forgiving." He stood back up to his full height. "I'm a strange creature with strange, powerful weapons. And you care for your citizens. But angering an immortal won't do you any good." The glow stopped and he stretched a hand to help her up.

Celestia took his hand and she lifted herself up. "Immortal?" She asked weakly.

"More or less. I'll tell you later."

BOOM

A thundering explosion assaulted their hearing as a light blinded them. Everyone blocked out the light with their forearms and forelegs. As the light died down, all that was left were two figures. They were the same height as Martin, one was wearing bulky armor and he had broad shoulders, the other was a more smaller figure, wearing a robe that stopped at its ankles.

"There ya are! Fucking christ! Finally!" The large figure said as it stepped closer.

"Yeah, kinda had to rip a whole in space and time to find you. You owe me a ship by the way." The smaller figure said.

In front of the Hunter were two other Guardians, a Titan, and a Warlock.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" The Titan said in disgust as he inspected Martin. He gasped. "I can't believe it! I'm surrounded by dress wearing pansies." This earned him a magical shove from the Warlock, which he landed face first into the dirt. "It's not a dress!" The Warlock yelled.

"What?" Martin asked, his mind doing flips at the sight of his friends.

The Titan groaned and chuckled. "Don't get your panties in a knot." He got up from the ground and walked over to the Hunter. "This may hurt but you deserve it." He said before raising a fist and knocking Martin out.