The Protector

"What's your name?" Asked a unknown source.

"The Protector." Aiden responded.

"Why are you called that? Do you always protect? Do you have the capacity of skill beyond of anything to ever live? Are you stronger than the goddesses themselves?" The source asked many questions that it thought would stump him.

"I go beyond a limit that was once set for me, I found that there is no limit. I have gone through hell to just get to you, my bones feel like they'll snap any moment, my muscles are swollen from the rips in them, I won't stop, and I will never stop protecting, even if it kills me. My skills are not to be messed with, I've learned to lie, I've learned to do more for others than to do for myself, that's something not even a goddess will do. Those goddesses live in a castle, I don't even own a home. Giving is all I know, my main gift to this world is a service that can never be beaten, I will protect these ponies for absolutely free. I am stronger than them, I have will, potential. I never give up, I always take risks so I can move forward. Do they do these things? Do you do these things? Or are you now starting to realize I'm not just some human, I'm The Protector." He told the unknown source.

"I see... Perhaps you're more than I thought."

-Earlier-

Aiden waited at the main entrance of the castle, he was the only one there. He was looking at blueprints of the Manehattan that once belonged to Equestria. "Hmm... Something doesn't add up here. The bars, the restaurants, all of the decencies that once were there have been modified. These blueprints say they're luxurious, top of the line types of places, but these pictures the spies took... They're different, almost like as if they've turned it into a wasteland. It almost reminds me of Fallout." He sighed and put down the pictures "I guess I won't learn much from these blueprints if they've modified the place. I guess I'll have to depend on my common sense underground."

Aiden turned around when he heard footsteps behind him, he was happy to see John be the second one to be at the meetup spot "Good morning John." He said while patting the spot beside him to sit down on the couch.

John nodded before sitting "Mornin'" he said with his slight country accent.

Aiden chuckled "I'm surprised I never caught that accent, we lived in Georgia our whole lives." He said to John, reminiscing about the old times.

John nodded "Yup, we lived in Georgia but we didn't meet until that mission, when you and your squad saved our asses. I do suppose that's what's so special about Navy Seals, some of the toughest motherfuckers to exist. Do they know you were a Navy Seal?" He asked Aiden with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Aiden sighed "I told them half. I said I was in the Navy, but not in the Navy Seals." He informed John.

John wore a confused expression "why wouldn't you tell them? You went out on recon missions and everything, that's how you know how to fight. Shit, you're the one that really taught me how to fight. You act like damn Bruce Lee in battle doing roundhouse kicks and submissions." He reminisced as well.

Aiden sighed "I don't really want to make me seem like a bigger deal than a really am. I protect, that's all they really need to know, but that Twilight girl... She knows a good bit about me, my knowledge, some of my history, only thing she doesn't really know is that I don't feel guilt when I kill."

John shook his head "You're fucking her aren't you?" He asked.

Aiden slowly looked at him "What type of shit are you thinking of?" He asked him with a hint of fake disgust in his voice.

John chuckled "I'm joking, sheesh. To be serious right now, you should tell that Twilight girl more about yourself, she'll trust you more if you tell her the truth. Just relax around these ponies, they respect you." He told Aiden his opinions.

Aiden was about to speak but was interrupted by the sounds of hooves clacking against the marble floor, he looked to source of the sound and spotted the six girls ready for action.

Twilight smiled gently at Aiden "Good morning early bird." She said before sitting beside him.

Aiden smiled "Good morning." He made sure to not show much love since everypony was present.

Applejack stared hard at John with curiosity and suspicion obvious in her eyes.

John stared back with a blankness in his eyes "Do I have a dick on my forehead?" He asked the intrusive pony.

Applejack was taken aback with surprise by the question "Huh?!?" She asked with heavy confusion in her voice.

John sighed before turning to Aiden "These ponies don't really understand vulgar humor do they?" He asked his human friend.

Aiden chuckled "Depends on who's saying it. They don't fully trust you yet, especially since that thing possessed you, once they get used to you then they'll understand your jokes, but you kind of had a rough start and I didn't. I saved ponies before they even met me, I had respect long before I was accepted into their society." He informed John.

John blinked a few times before fully processing what he said "Oh." He said plainly.

Rainbow bumped in "Do you remember anything? Like when you were possessed, like when it happened, when Aiden kicked your ass-"

"Rainbow!" Twilight stopped her.

"What? It's true?" She claimed.

John sighed "No, no I don't. I just remember feeling like a bag of shit when I woke up." He informed the rainbow colored pony.

Rainbow sighed "Sounds boring. Hopefully your fighting tactics aren't as bland as you are." She said to the plain acting human.

Aiden stood up when he saw a rather young looking guard run up to him.

The guard was out of breath "Am I late? Oh no I'm late!" He said before standing up straight and focusing on Aiden "White Light at your service sir!" He said while standing as straight as he could while saluting the human.

Aiden slowly pointed a finger at himself "At my service?" He said with a confused expression.

"Yes sir!" White Light said with a hint of nervousness.

Aiden cleared his throat "Well, I'm guessing Celestia put me in charge of you?" He asked the stallion.

"Yes sir!" He responded like a fresh military recruit.

Aiden sighed "How old are you?" He asked the young stallion.

"17, sir!" He informed Aiden.

Aiden was taken aback "You're still a kid?" He turned to Twilight "Is 17 the minimum to enter?" He asked her.

Twilight nodded "Yup, he's a young one. You're in charge of him which means he'll be by your side the whole war. Celestia probably knows you'll need a extra pair of hooves and also you can insure his safety." She told him.

Aiden nodded before turning back to the kid "I don't have many rules. First one, you don't have to act like you have a stick up your ass around me. Second one, stay behind me at all times. Third one, don't be stupid." He told the young guard.

White Light slowly relaxed his stance before nodding "Yes sir. One question though, sir. Won't I get in trouble if don't stick to protocol?" He asked Aiden.

Aiden shook his head "If I'm in charge then the only one that can chew your ass out is me. If someone or somepony tries to push you around then tell me, I will happily whoop their ass. Understand?" He asked the new recruit.

The recruit smiled gently "Yes sir!" He said before relaxing all of the way.

Aiden turned to the others "Hopefully we will get to go soon, we're getting to the time I originally planned and only one troop is here." He said with disappointment in his voice.

Aiden may of spoken too soon, because just as he finished saying that the chattering of voices and the clopping of hooves could be heard approaching fast. The group had turned to source of the noise and surely there were many guards in their uniforms, they all looked ready to go, some even looked excited to enter a war zone. The large group of guards straightened their pose and quit talking once they were in front of Aiden.

Shining Armour appeared out of the group of guards and smiled when he caught the sight of Aiden "Nice to know you're not late to the game." He said with a chipper tone.

Aiden smiled "I'm always ready. I figured I would see Celestia before I saw you." He mentioned the princess to the captain.

Shining perked up "Celestia? Nah, you won't be seeing her, she isn't coming with us." He informed the human.

Aiden squinted at him with curiosity "Why not?" He asked, obviously not amused.

Shining sighed "She has a country to run. Besides, she's grown fond of you, so fond that she allowed this guard be yours, I mean he did beg to be under your control. I suppose your name has spread positively across the country, but today we can see what you can do billy bad ass." He said with a slight smirk planted onto his face.

Aiden nodded slowly "I guess we will see. Who dies? Who survives? Today will be survival of the fittest." He told the captain of the guard.

Shining looked back at his guards before looking back at Aiden "So, are we ready to head out?" He asked Aiden.

Aiden looked at his small group before turning back to Shining "Yup, let's go." He said with confidence.

White Light ran up to beside Aiden "Can I ask you a question?" He asked him with nervousness present in his voice.

Aiden turned to the young stallion and smiled gently "Shoot." He said with a comforting tone.

The troop took a deep breath "Umm... W-why do you want to help ponies you barely know? A-and how are you experienced?" He said with his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

Aiden stared at him with confusion "A better question is, why would you not?" He told the guard.

The stallion pushed deeper with a response "Because you don't know them, they've done next to nothing for you. Perhap-" the troop was cut off by Aiden's hand going up to signal him to stop talking.

"One doesn't need a reason to be kind, but they do need a reason to not be." He informed White Light.

The stallion stared at him with a dumbfounded expression before rushing to get something out of his bag.

"What are you doing?" Aided asked the stallion.

The fresh troop yanked out a notebook before jotting something down "I'm writing that down, that was an amazing quote that I've never heard before." he informed his new leader.

Aiden sighed "Man, courage is rare now days." He spoke to himself before continuing on.

The troops including Aiden stood at a post that read Do Not Pass

Shining Armor looked at Aiden "You think they like us?" He asked with humor in his voice.

Aiden chuckled "Oh yeah, they'll have a fresh cup of napalm waiting for us." He responded with more humor.

One of the troops walked past the post and smiled "It's clear!" He said before taking one more step to only be exploded into just limbs.

Aiden stood and cursed under his breath "Dumbass..."

Everypony else dived and took cover "we're under attack!" Shining armor shouted.

Aiden groaned, then he pulled Twilight and White Light off of the ground "You two come with me." He said with a stern expression.

Twilight was in panic "But he just, just, just... Died!" She said with horror.

Aiden sighed "It was his fault, land mines tend to be the first cause of death. Just follow my orders if you two want to live." He told the two.

"But what about the girls?" Twilight asked him.

"They have a plan Twi, I gave them a route to follow. They're just supply getters." He said before yanking them towards the field.

White Light gulped and nodded "I-I'm with you sir." He said to his new leader.

Twilight regained some of her composure "Lead the way." She said with little to no emotion, but her face read complete and utter fear.

Aiden observed the ground under his feet "From this point on make sure to take ten steps straight, three steps right, fifty more steps straight, and then two steps left to arrive at the sewer entry nearest. I'm letting you know this in case if you fall behind somehow" he informed the two of them.

Twilight stared at him, obviously confused "How do you know the locations?" She asked her not official lover.

Aiden sighed "You won't ever see me fight in a place that I'm not familiar with." He told her.

"I'll just ask you again later."

Aiden cleared his throat before turning to Twilight "I love you." He said to her.

Twilight stared at him "I love you too, but you know not to say that out in public just yet." She said before giving White Light a quick glance.

Aiden smiled gently "I want to say that just in case if I never get to in the future." He said sweetly to his mare.

Twilight blushed but had worry on her face "Don't say that. I know you'll get to see me and you together." She said with confidence.

Aiden nodded before taking a breath "Okay, let's get moving." He said before taking a few steps forward with his companions behind him.

Aiden counted silently in his head as he walked in between the mines that could easily end his life. Aiden noticed how poorly they had placed the mines "Poor guy lost his life to stupidity on both ends." He said silently to himself. He took notice that his companions were talking behind him.

White Light talked to Twilight with a more relaxed tone "Does he make you nervous at all?" He asked Twi, obviously referring to Aiden.

Twilight giggled "Nope! He actually makes me intrigued about his story, he hasn't told me all of his story, but he hasn't lied about his past." She told the guard.

"Should I be nervous?" He asked with curiosity.

Twilight shook her head "No, he's here to help and protect you! He won't lay a hoo- err finger on you unless if you gave him a reason to." She comforted the stallion.

Aiden smiled in secret before arriving at the sewer hole he was looking for "Stop, we're here." He said before lifting the lid to the sewer up.

The young troop stared with awe "I heard those weigh a lot, but you just lifted one up easily!" He said with excitement, probably from experiencing the strength of The Protector for the first time.

Aiden shook his head "Now's not the time, just get in the hole." He said to the both of them.

Once the two ponies entered, Aiden took the lid and placed it back above them once he had climbed in as well.

White Light held his muzzle "It smells like shit in here!" He said with disgust.

Aiden sighed "I wonder why...." He said with slight disappointment in his voice.

Twilight turned to the young soldier "It's a sewer, I believe this is where Aiden wanted to go." She informed him.

Aiden waved for them to follow him "come on." He said before moving forth.

Aiden reached the point he was looking for after the group walked for some time in the disgusting area "here we are. Let's get out of this shit hole." He said before popping the lid off above them. Aiden lifted himself out of the sewer before assisting the others out.

White Light took in a deep breath of air "Oh, how I love clean air!" He said with joy.

Aiden reached into his bag he brought with him and pulled out the explosives he needed.

Twilight saw them and stared "Wait, are we that close?" She asked.

Aiden nodded "Yup, the sewer pretty much took us straight there." He said before looking up at the extremely large building in front of them "So, this is the beauty of Manehatten." He said before walking toward the outer wall of it.

Twilight stared at him "Don't we need to be on the inside?" She asked him.

Aiden shook his head "Nah, I have some explosives and also some thermite." He said before planting a charge.

Twilight swallowed "Don't you need to set off the charges manually?" She asked him.

Aiden nodded "Yup, that's why you two will enter the sewer before I set them off." He informed her.

Twilight had a nervous expression before following Aiden to the other point for the explosive.

Aiden stopped the two of them from going any further "shh, I hear voices." He said as two voices had a friendly chat around the corner.

White Light and Twilght wore scared expressions, fearing that they were screwed.

Aiden signaled for them to stay put before going around the corner "Hey, you two!" He shouted at the guards guarding the entrance.

The two guards took notice and ran towards him.

Aiden quickly pulled out the knife he had brought with him "Who's first?" He said as the two closed in on him quickly.

One guard charged Aiden with his spear but missed after Aiden did a roll out of the way, but while Aiden was close to the ground he cut the tendon to left leg, preventing him from standing. The other guard tried to attack but Aiden dodged and grabbed the weapon out of his hooves, the guard found himself meeting with the blunt end of the spear, causing him to be knocked off of his feet.

Aiden looked at the one guard crying from the pain of his leg, Aiden pushed him to the ground before proceeding to snap his neck with his foot. The other guard found his balance but before getting to attack he was pushed into the wall, Aiden grabbed his knife and stabbed through the guards temple as hard as he could, resulting in the guards gruesome death, his lifeless body was dangling from the knife that was now stuck in the wall.

Aiden wiped his hands on his shirt before removing the knife, creating a audible sound of a blade rubbing against a brain. He looked at his two companions that stared at him with pure fear. Aiden sighed before planting the rest of the bombs on the building "we need to hurry, it won't be long before the other guards are alerted." He said before planting the last charge.

Twilight and White Light remained quite as they went back into the sewer.

Aiden watched as they went "I wonder if they're scared of me?" He said to himself before setting the fuse and running into the hole.

They all ducked down low when they heard the incredibly loud explosion go on outside, they could also hear the thermite get to work before hearing the building collapse with a loud fall and a lot of screams outside.

Aiden waited for everything to settle before taking a peak outside. What he saw was basically a war zone, bodies were smushed from the impact, paper was scattered everywhere, pieces of concrete was on the ground with blood leaking out from underneath. It didn't appear anypony survived, which that brought dread to Aiden, that creature, the source of it all should come crawling out. If it wasn't there, then where was it? He slowly realized before running through the sewer "We have to go! I think the others are in trouble." He said while running insanely fast through the sewers, running fast enough to where the two ponies could hardly keep up.

"I know who it is." Aiden said with fear.