Author's Note

Here, I felt a little bad about last chapter so I decided to go ahead and let you guys meet Aiden.

This chapter has very little story progression, it mainly is to just introduce the main character and it will also give you the opportunity to know if you like the guy. I like, Aiden just due to the fact that he is very calm, quiet, and very smart. The next chapter will have a bump in the story.

Chapter 2- Meet Aiden

Aiden sat at his desk, writing down notes about his recent encounter with the ponies.

"The ponies seem to want to be my friend." Aiden, looked away from the paper for a moment before sighing.

The room had been covered with mixed scents of the ponies from before that had entered his little home he created, the atmosphere seemed to change due to the smell.

"But, I think it's for the best we don't interact that often. I just help them with some issues, and I'll get to live peacefully in my little home I've made here." He said before continuing to write things down on the paper.

A stop watch beeped and notified its owner to switch to a different task.

"Okay, now it's time for exercise." Aiden said while getting up from the desk.

The human walked out of his bedroom door and walked down the dark hall. He got to the tunnel entrance and climbed up the ladder to the forest.

It was currently October in Equestria, so all of the leaves had covered the earths surface with orange and brown leaves. The fall air was a little chilly on this cloudy day. It was evening, so the sun was on its way to the other side of the planet.

Aiden lifted his insulated mouth cover over his mouth and unfolded his sleeves all the way down his arms. The man closed his eyes to build up some inspiration for his little exercise session, every time he exercised it's always good to motivate himself so he will keep pushing forward to be a better person.

Aiden opened his eyes and began to stretch his limbs, the last thing he wants is to tear a muscle, it would weaken his efforts in making the land a better place. He stretched his arms up and over his head and then stretched down below his waist, this way he could swing his arms in rythm with ease. His back arched out and then stretched down to make him face the ground, his legs then stretched out so he could loosen up his muscles for running and combat flexibility.

Aiden took a few deep breaths before slowly building up speed from a jog to a full on sprint, he passed the trees and even dodged a few, him sprinting helped with improving cardio, if he ever wishes to make a good impact then he would need to be the best in all aspects of fitness.

Aiden slowly came to a stop and took heavy breaths, he looked down at his watch and saw he ran only about a mile. He sighed and calmed his breathing, since it is a very important skill when it comes to endurance.

Aiden walked forward and looked for a tall healthy tree with a lot of branches, he needed to build some upper body strength, so climbing a tree with his arms would get the job done. The trees all seemed to either have not enough branches or they weren't healthy enough, up until he found a perfect one for the task at hand. "Perfect." He said while walking towards the tree.

Aiden reached up, grabbed a tree branch, and pulled himself up slowly so it would build the muscles in his arms better. He placed his feet onto the branches and grabbed onto a higher branch, he wasn't only just trying to make it to the top, he was also trying to find a good spot in the tree for upper body excercises.

Aiden kept climbing the tree until he started to near the upper middle part of the tree, which where he located a good position for his task at hand. Before he started excercising he took a moment to admire his surroundings. The tree was one of the tallest in the forest, and it gave him a good view of the forest and even a little bit of Ponyville, he saw a few Pegasus flying around the town moving a few clouds to certain positions in the town. The leaves would slowly fall off of the trees towards the ground after detaching from a tree branch, the fall breeze would blow against the trees, making them slightly bend if they weren't healthy enough, the air was switching from summer to winter, so the temperatures were just right for the time being.

Aiden smiled and put his attention back on his task. He grabbed two branches and pulled himself up enough to where his feet could dangle below him, looking at the far away ground below him. He began to do pull-ups on the branches and smiled to see that the branches were healthy enough to easily support his weight, he continued to do this exercise with ease until he made it around to forty or so pull-ups, he started to slow down due to the burning sensation in his arms, even his obliques were starting to hurt. He kept going, he needed to beat his amount from the day before, which was sixty-five, so he tried his best to ignore the burning in his arms.

Aiden counted out loud when he neared his goal "Fifty-four, fifty-five...." He he would occasionally take deep breaths of air in between the numbers he counted. Aiden smiled wide as he neared his goal "Sixty-four, sixty-five, sixty-six!" He kept going after he beat his goal, he needed to go for as long as he could.

Aiden placed his feet on the branches below him and took a few deep breaths of air "I think seventy-seven is pretty good." He said while looking up to the branches "Now I need to focus on my abdominal region." He said while pulling himself back up onto the branches, but this time he held himself up with arms fully extended and he extended his legs outwards.

Aiden raised and lowered his legs, he would swing them left or right to try and get the most out of the exercise. He did this about forty times before he decided he was done exercising for the day "I'm gonna call quits for today, I need to save some of my energy for tonight anyways." He said while climbing down the tree "I'm sure while I'm walking around town that I'll see someone that may need some help." He said with a smile on his face.

Aiden reached the bottom of the tree and let go to let his feet land safely on the earth beneath him. He observed his surroundings and smiled when he figured out where he was "I'm near that lake I fish at. It seems to be getting around dinner time, so maybe if I'm lucky I can catch a salmon, it would definitely be a good benefit for my heart since I just excercised." He then jogged toward the lake he spoke about.

Aiden kept on jogging until he saw the lake come into view, he slowed down to walking speed and approached a log. "Now, where's my fishing pole." He said while bending over and reaching into a hole in the ground "Gotcha!" He said while pulling the handmade fishing pole out of the ground.

Aiden walked to the lake and sat in front of it before he started to prep the fishing pole "Let's hope for the best" he said when he finished prepping the pole. He held the pole behind his head before casting the line out into the open lake waters.

Aiden sat there for a few moments, waiting for a fish to catch the hook into its skin. He sat back and relaxed while he waited, fishing was something he quite enjoyed, it always gave him time to think to himself. His mind eventually wandered off into his past.

'It all began with just wanting to eat a nice warm meal' He thought while leaning back with the fishing rod still in his hands.

Aiden then went deep into thought about his past 'I wonder why that guy shot me?' He thought while trying to remembering.

Aiden sat at his desk at home and played on his gaming laptop, he had been playing on the laptop for most of his time back from the, Navy. He was currently playing, GTA V with a few people on a online session.

The door to his bedroom creaked open and his mother walked in "There you are, I've been wondering if you were home all day." She stated with her sweet motherly tone. "Do you think you could take a break from your game and come to dinner with us?" She asked while holding her hands together.

Aiden had been staying at his parents house ever since he returned, he wasn't ashamed to still live with them, he would actually claim to be a happy soul since he never had to worry about bills. Besides, when you're in the military it's nice to have a worry free conscience when it concerns maintaining a life at home.

Aiden turned to his mother and smiled "Sure thing, mom. Just let me get ready real quick and then we can go." He said while shutting down his laptop. He got up and walked over to his closet and selected a outfit to wear.

His mother smiled and closed the door to his bedroom so he can have some privacy.

Aiden selected a black T-shirt and blue jeans, alongside a pair of orange and gray, Nike running shoes. He changed out from his pajamas to the new outfit relatively quick. After he did that he went to his dresser and got his cologne out, he sprayed himself a few times before smiling at the smell of, Polo cologne.

Aiden finished getting ready and left his room, he then walked out of the front door to the car where his family waited for him. The door to the car opened after he pulled on the handle, he sat down and gave his parents the confirmation they needed so they could leave.

Aiden got out of the car after they arrived at the restaurant. He noticed the restaurant was pretty fancy, but since he wasn't always optimistic, it appeared as a perfect place for a robbery or some form of shooting, especially with the fucked up stuff that's been happening.

Aiden walked inside of the restaurant and saw there was a decent sized wait for a booth to be available, he smiled and sat down "When a restaurant is busy then it's a good sign." He stated to himself out loud. His parents had sat down beside him while they waited, his dad sat closest to him.

"Son, I'm still shocked to see that you were brave enough to go into the military, every time I think of it, it makes me just think of how proud I am of you." Aiden's father said while patting him on the back.

Aiden smiled "Thanks, pop, it means a lot when you say that. Besides, I would've never gone if it weren't for you, you raised me to be a law abiding citizen so the Navy was a good place for me to go." He said while looking at his father.

He chuckled "I love you son." He said, looking at him with proud eyes.

"I love you too, dad." Aiden hugged his father before turning to look at the line ahead. "Looks like we're gonna be here for a while."

Aiden waited for a few moments before hearing a little bit of commotion, he heard people rambling loudly, so he stood up and walked over to see what was going on. When he arrived to what it was, he saw that a man was waving a gun around.

Aiden snapped his attention to his father, which who was getting closer to the man. His father started to talk to the man for a few moments, probably telling him a few words of wisdom.

The man yelled "Hell no, man! I'm not putting this gun down! The voices won't leave me alone until I do it!" He paused for a few moments before raising the gun to point at, Aiden's father "They want you dead." He said before squeezing the trigger.

Aiden's heart sunk, then his adrenaline kicked in, he blew through the crowd and tackled the man. He wrestled with him for a few moments before hearing the gun go off again, but that only pushed him to secure the weapon even more. Aiden got ahold of the mans arm before snapping it in half at the elbow. He grabbed the gun and stood up, he then pointed the gun at the man and pulled the trigger, the bullet shot him right in the head, it ended his life quickly. Aiden turned around to look at the crowd and heard a few people gasp and he wasn't sure what they were looking at until he looked down at his stomach, he had been shot, and it appeared the blood from the wound soaked his shirt red, he put his hand over it and applied pressure. He turned around to see his mother rushing to him, she had yelled a few words but he couldn't hear her anymore.

"Shit, this can't be happening, it all just happened so quickly." He said while stumbling forward. Aiden turned and looked to his left, he saw a big white pony standing there, he looked at it for a few moments before feeling a little cold and dizzy, he fell without even realizing it. He knew he was dying, so he spoke his last words while he still could "I love you, mom." He took a few deep breaths, his vision never faded or anything, he actually saw a flash of white before dying.

"And that's pretty much what happened. It's not a detailed explanation, but it's just a quick summary." Aiden talked to himself while holding the rod "After that, I woke up here, near someones car." He looked out into the lake "I guess that's what makes me want to save lives, so that no one has to see their father die, so that no one has to die." He sighed before remaining quiet.

Aiden perked up when he felt his rod jerk "Aha! It looks like I've got something!" He said while pulling back on the rod, he grabbed the fishing wire and pulled a salmon out of the water "Looks like I'm gonna be eating good tonight!" He said while unhooking the fish from the hook, he then jabbed a sharp stick through its head "Quick with no pain, the way something should die." He said while cutting it open and gutting it.

Aiden held the fish while walking back to his home, he admired his surroundings one last time while the forest stayed lit by the sunset, everything looked peaceful, it was all a mixture of orange and brown.

Aiden bent over and opened up his door located in the ground, he placed his feet on the ladder and then climbed down. He set his feet on the dirt beneath him and walked to his little secluded room located at the end of the earth filled hallway. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him, he then grabbed his small stash of fuel for his lantern, he had gotten it from a pony he helped. Aiden poured the fuel into the the fire pit he made for cooking, he lit a match and threw it into the pit, which resulted in the flames coming to life. He grabbed a metal grate and placed it over the fire. "Okay, now let's get dinner ready." He said while putting the salmon onto the the metal grate, he licked his lips when he heard the satisfying sound of sizzling meat.

Aiden went to his desk and sat down "Okay, journal entry number sixty-four." He flipped the page in the journal and began writing down what all he has done today. He wrote down his days so he would know what tasks he needed for tomorrow, like how he needs to have more reps of exercise tomorrow.

Aiden stopped writing when he heard the fish stop sizzling "Now it needs to be flipped" he got up and grabbed his sharp stick, he walked to the fish to flip it over. He looked at the fish for a few moments before stabbing it with the stick, the fish stuck to it and was carried over to his desk, he placed the fish on a piece of paper before sitting down "Now, this meal should be enjoyable, the last few have been pretty shitty." He tore the fish apart with his hands and picked it up piece by piece with his fingers. He chewed the meat with satisfaction, even though it wasn't as good as the meals in his past, but he still savored the juicy salmon, he loved how all of the flavors melted into his mouth.

Aiden finished the fish and turned back to his journal "Let's put the final touches on this entry." He thought out loud. He grabbed his quill and went over the paper to revise and edit. After he corrected a few pieces of missing punctuation he closed the book of entrys and then stood up, he looked at his watch and saw what the time was "I think I'm in the clear to go to, Ponyville." He said before turning around. He went to the door and opened it, noting that he needed to service the hinges due to them making a loud creaking noise. He walked down the hall and met the ladder once more, he climbed the ladder to the surface and opened the door to the outside world.

The forest was currently turning dark and there were the glowing eyes of the creatures lurking around in the forest, the animals never messed with Aiden due to the fact that he is tall and intimidating. The forest had less of a peaceful vibe and more of a creepy one, every peaceful tree now had a creepy atmosphere about it, almost like as if you were being watched.

Aiden put on his mouth cover and a hat, he wanted to keep his true identity hidden, even though he was the only human there. He walked forward with his bag he had grabbed on his way out, he had it always beside the ladder. The bag contained of a knife he took from a robber, a first aid kit he found, a compass he had found in the handle of the knife, a pair of binoculars, a few rags in case of extreme bleeding, and some stitches for any deep wounds.

Aiden neared the exit of the forest and observed the town with his binoculars, he saw that the town was almost dead "everyone must be in bed by now." He put the binoculars back in his bag and headed towards the town, most nights were peaceful, every now and then you'll have someone come to ruin your day. Aiden walked past some cottage that was near the forest, he was surprised that the individual that lived there never saw him, he would always walk right past it. He arrived onto the path that would take you to the center of Ponyville, he noticed it was a lot more quiet than usual, he just shrugged it off as being a silent night.

Aiden arrived to the center of town and found a bench to sit on, it was the usual place he would relax at, it gave him a great view of most of the town. He had a canteen filled with water, he took a swig of it and relaxed, everything seemed good in the town, so there was no need to be extremely cautious. Aiden rested his eyes and sighed "Maybe I've scared off most of the criminals, that's fine though, it just makes my job a lot easier." He said with a calm tone.

Aiden thought about a few things and realized something "Or maybe they're gonna start doing it in daytime, shit, that wouldn't be good. I mean that would ruin my identity! Everyone would know exactly what I look like." He then perked up "But is that such a bad thing? Do I really plan on living the rest of my life alone?" He paused for a few moments "I may need to take revealing myself into consideration, it might not be as bad as I think it is, those ponies I saw a few days ago didn't seem to mean harm, they just wanted to be my friend." He said with a slight smile on his face "They just wanted to be my friend." He repeated with the same expression.

Aiden rested his eyes again "Maybe I need to trust again, these ponies don't seem to be too violent, they just greet everyone with some kindness in their heart, but sure there are a few criminals, you'll always have a few assholes in your life, but there aren't as many here when you compare it to where I come from." He gave out content sigh after he finished speaking.

Aiden sat there for a few minutes before he heard a few steps behind him, the individual behind him seemed to be trying to stay quiet, so he stayed where he was, just to trick them if they meant any harm. He waited a few more moments before he heard a feminine voice speak.

"That's him, that's the protector." The voice whispered to herself.

Aiden smiled slightly at the shock present in their voice, she seemed to be acting like as if he were to be some sort of celebrity.

The individual tapped on his shoulder, to which he slowly turned to face them. Aiden spoke with a slight smile "Hello?" He spoke with a calm soothing voice.

The pony in front of him had a purple coat and she appeared to have a horn present on her forehead, she appeared to have a multi-colored mane, she also had a picture of a purple star on her flank. "U-umm... Are you, The Protector?" She asked with hesitation.

Aiden smiled "Yes I am. Who are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She blinked quickly "I-I'm, Twilight Sparkle. W-we've met before, but it wasn't on pleasant terms." She said with a nervous tone.

Aiden smiled "You must've been one of those ponies that got trapped in my room, yeah I didn't really give a good impression by doing that." He held his hand out for her to shake it "You can call me Aiden." He said with a kind expression on his face.

Twilight smiled slightly and shook his hand "Y-you can just call me Twilight." She finished with less nervousness present in her voice.

Aiden kept his smile on his face "Well, Twilght I do need to apologize for my behavior earlier, it was very rude. After being alone for a long time I guess I got a little startled at seeing someone else." He spoke with a apologetic tone.

Twilight smiled "It's okay, I understand. I'm just glad you aren't a violent individual." She spoke with a calmer voice now, she must've relaxed after he showed no harm.

Aiden shook his head "Nah, I'm not violent, I'm just paranoid. You see, I'm not used to having ponies come to me asking to be friends, I'm used to waking up everyday to pretty much just exercise all day. My life isn't really filled with action twenty-four seven."

Twilight looked at him with a concerned look "That's no way to live. I think you might want to consider speaking to Princess Celestia I'm sure she would happily agree to letting you become a local resident. At least then you could make friends, everypony around here already admires you, you're kind of like a celebrity in a way." She explained with a kind smile on her face "And you seem to be into fighting for justice, so why not join the Royal Guard?"

Aiden looked at her for a few seconds before speaking "That actually sounds... Nice. That reminds me of home." He looked down at the ground for a few moments "To have a life worth living for, to have a life where you can have friends." He blinked away a few tears "A life where I could possibly have a family." He cleared his throat and regained his posture.

Twilight smiled "How about you come with me to my library? You can stay there for the night and I can take you to see Princess Celestia in the morning?" She asked with a little bit of hope in her voice.

Aiden thought for a moment 'So, I can either go back to my home alone, where I'll be probably never make any friends, where I will just wake up again to exercise, to just train for probably nothing, or I can go with this pony, sleep at her house for the night and wake up to talk their leader tomorrow. So, live a secluded life or live a life of adventure.' Aiden thought about the two options for a few moments before speaking "Where is your library?" He asked while raising his head to look at her.

Twilight smiled wide when she heard his response "It's this way! When we get there I'll write to Celestia. In the time that we wait for her response I can ask you a few questions, just so we can learn more about each other." She said while trotting towards her library.

Aiden got up and followed her, he hoped that he made the right decision. The decision should be right, because with his life goals he hoped to help the world become a better place, and it'd be a lot easier if he earned the trust of everyone around him. He looked at the street lights that lit up the empty streets, he walked with her for a little bit before seeing a large structure that looked like a tree.

Twilight turned to him and smiled "That's where I live, it's a pretty nice place for me to relax at." She said with a friendly tone.

Aiden stared at it with a surprised expression "You ponies must be really good at building things, I've never seen a tree be transformed into a permanent home." He said while looking down at her.

Twilight giggled "I love it, it's very roomy on the inside. It has thousands of books and I can sit in there all day absorbing information. It's just my little paradise." She said while walking up to the door.

Aiden sat beside Twilght before she opened the library door "Come on in, I'll write that letter and then we'll talk." She walked inside and left the door open for him.

Aiden took a deep breath "Well, here goes nothing." He said before walking into the library, closing the door behind him.