Death Dealer

Silence is Golden

The apple family worked hard in their orchard, all three siblings hurrying to get the apple harvest complete. The two older siblings wore their work jeans, cowboy boots, and flannel shirts. Applejack was in her usual orange flannel while Big Macintosh wore a red flannel. Little Applebloom was in her overalls and canary yellow t-shirt. Applejack shook the apples from the trees with a mighty drop kick as Applebloom then picked up the fallen apples, only the ripe and ready ones would fall with this method assuring the quality of the Apple family products. After Applebloom filled a bucket, Big Macintosh would then carry the buckets to a wagon, and when the wagon filled he would haul it back to the barn where Granny Smith waited to cook and package the apples.

The Apple family prided themselves on their hard work and the quality of their apples, for truly they were the greatest in all of Equestria. The princesses themselves frequently had the Apple family apples shipped to Canterlot for the royal bakers to cook. This was why the Apples toiled day and night during harvest season, for if they did not hurry they would fall short on stock. Luckily for them however, Twilight had taken the liberty of creating a harvesting schedule that would keep the apple farmers on top of the demand in a timely matter that would not leave them ragged. Because of Twilight's time management they were able to even afford some personal time in their days instead of running around the far harvesting trees at random all season.

Now was one such time as the day quickly approached noon, and the family took it's break. Granny Smith returned to her rocking chair as she watched the day lazily go by, Applejack and Big Macintosh were taking back the last wagon full of apples, another hard days work done and the two older siblings were eager to go on with their days. Applejack was going to join the rest of her friends for lunch, then help Rainbow Dash train at the gym. Big Macintosh was eager to get to the other chores around the farm, lest they go undone for too long.

While her two older siblings were heading back to the barn, Applebloom made a beeline through the orchard for the 'Crusader's Clubhouse' where her friends Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo were waiting for them all to try and find what their special talents were. The three young girls were determined to find something they were good at in hopes of finding jobs of their own, marking them finally as adults.

As Applebloom made her way towards the clubhouse, she noticed something unsettling. She was not alone in the orchard, a rather large man was reaching into one of the trees and grabbing apples. He had very pale skin, as if he had not been in the sun for many years and he wore a black fur jerkin over chainmail armor. The chainmail continued down to the back and sides of his calf, but left the shins up to above the knee open as it came back into a large leather belt with a skull buckle. The grass was torn from his plated greaves, and his face was hidden behind a horned plate helmet that covered everything but the tip of his nose to his chin. What gave Applebloom the largest reason to fear this armor clad man was his eyes, they glowed red from the shadowy eye sockets of the helmet.

The man looked her way and seemed to size her up with an apple hanging from his mouth, the juices dripping to the grass as their gazes met. Applebloom did what any rational young girl would do in her position. She screamed as loud as her little lungs could muster, and ran back to the barn to fetch her siblings.

Gath merely watched her run as he took the apple from his mouth to take another bite.

"Applejack! Big Mac!" Applebloom yelled in a frightened voice for her siblings. Her siblings heard her and rushed to see what the matter was.

"What is it Applebloom?" Applejack asked, a look of concern on her face, "Have the timber wolves come out of the forest again?"

At this Applebloom shook her head and continued on, "No, there is a big scary man in the orchard. He was eatin' some of the apples and he was wearin' some really scary lookin' armor!"

At this Big Mac lifted the lumber axe he was carrying onto his shoulder and looked at Applejack, both of them nodded to each other as they ran off towards where Applebloom was pointing.

The run only took a few minutes until they saw the apple thief still lazily munching on some apples. As they drew closer to him, the siblings stopped abruptly. Applebloom was not lying about him being big, the man was at least a head taller than Big Macintosh, and his muscles put Mac's to shame. The siblings shared a look with each other, then advanced slowly on the man.

Wiping his mouth withe the back of his hand Gath finally spoke to the two farmers, "This your land?" Gath inquired.

"It is, mind if I ask what you're doin' here scarin' mah' lil' sis?" Applejack shot back.

"Was hungry, ate a dozen or so apples, here." Gath said, as he reached a hand into a small leather pouch that hung form his belt and procured a golden coin. He then flipped the coin at Applejack who caught it.

Big Macintosh lowered the axe as he looked at the coin Gath had flipped at his sister, both of the siblings were wide eyed. Gold was rare, the main currency was copper coins, and sometimes silver for the higher amounts. Rarely had gold been present in the small town of Ponyville, this was enough to pay for half a wagon of apples, let alone a mere dozen.

"Umm, this is mighty kind of ya', but you're payin' a bit over what you owe..." Applejack said with the utmost honesty.

"Show me around town, perhaps to a smithy and we can call it even." Gath grunted out, not sure how far his coins would get him in this new age.

At this offer Applejack perked up, she was not one for robbing a man blind, and was happy to work off what she was paid. Nodding at Big Mac that she would take on what the man had hired her for, she motioned for him to follow, but then stopped and turned back to him.

"You might want to take off that helmet, it is a little bit spooky. Wouldn't wanna' scare the entire town now." Applejack laughed nervously at the stoic red gaze from behind the shadowy helmet.

"Doesn't come off." Gath said in a stiff voice. He was not one for talking, he did not like talking. He had learned that listening was better, too often had he seen words be the death of someone. And as they said, silence was golden.

"Beg y'er pardon?" Applejack said with a questioning look on her face.

To make his point, Gath grabbed the helmet and tugged at it, trying to remove it. Sure enough, the helmet stayed put on his head, despite his best efforts. At this Applejack shrugged and lead on to Ponyville, wondering what the man wanted to do at a smithy.

The girls were all meeting at Ponyville cafe for lunch. Twilight was feeling better after her breakfast and nap. She was still famished however, and the last friend to show up was Applejack. Twilight was hungry yes, but she could wait a little bit more for her friend. Rainbow Dash was another story.

"Ugh, where is she?" Rainbow whined, she had slept through the morning and had missed breakfast completely and waited impatiently for the farmer to show up.

Rarity tutted at Rainbows whining and scolded her, "Rainbow Dash, it is most unladylike to whine in public."

"Didn't stop you when you were captured by those diamond hunters." Sniggered Pinkie, unable to stifle her laughter.

The rest of the girls excluding Rarity broke into a mighty fit of laughter, even the timid Fluttershy giggling openly at the joke.

Rarity fidgeted in her white dress and fiddled with her styled purple hair as she remembered the embarrassing moment.

"Ooh, lookie! There she is, and she has a new friend!" Pinkie said enthusiastically pointing out the cafe's window.

The other four girls looked out the window and saw in the street Applejack with a rather large pale man that was wearing armor and had a rather large axe hanging from his belt. Twilight was the most taken aback by the man, for she recognized him. The glowing red eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Woah, look at the size of him!" Rainbow Dash said admiring the athletic figure of the man, her feathers began to ruffle up at the sight of him.

"Getting a little excited aren't we Rainbow Dash?" Rarity quipped, getting revenge for the rainbow haired girl's earlier remarks.

"Twilight, um... Isn't that-" Fluttershy started before getting cut off by Twilight.

"It's him!" Cried Twilight suddenly, breaking form her stupor.

The other girls gave her a questioning glance save Fluttershy who looked ready to bolt, for Applejack was leading him right into the cafe.

As he entered the door, the cafe fell silent. All the denizens looked bug eyed at the armed man. Very rarely had anyone entered the town armed other than the guards, and they had always been trouble. Because of this the townsfolk were always quite wary of anyone carrying a weapon. His visage did him no justice, only when they noticed the local hero Applejack seemingly leading him did they ease up slightly, slowly returning to their own conversations.

"Hey gals, sorry a'hm late. Was showin' this feller here round town. Hope ya'll don't mind I invited him to join us, paid me a pretty bit to show him around and I thought it would be mighty kind." Applejack said to her friends.

"How much are we talking?" Rarity questioned, wondering why Applejack was being so neighborly to the stranger.

In response Applejack held up the solid gold coin. Her friends gasped at the valuable material, only the nobles carried gold anymore after the mines ran out of the precious metal.

"Wowie, you must be super rich mister!" Pinkie said jumping to her feet and running up to Gath. The man stoicly held his ground as the pink haired girl got close to him. He did not want to cause a scene, and despite the discomfort he felt at having the young lady so close to him, he did not know what social norms were nowadays. Back before his incarceration however, he would have killed a man for coming so close. This town seemed peaceful enough however, he silently wondered if Celestia had finally reached the peace she sought so dearly for her kingdom.

As Gath turned his attention from the bouncing Pinkie to the other girls, he froze. He recognized two of them, Twilight and Fluttershy if he remembered their conversation he overheard at the edge of the forest. Gath's eyes narrowed as he stared at Twilight, she was looking at him strangely. He wondered if she had told any guards of his presence, if word got to Celestia that he had escaped he would be back on the run again. Gath did not want that.

Twilight noticed that the glowing eyes were directed at her, and shifted nervously in her seat. Seeing her discomfort, Rainbow stood up form her chair to defend her friend.

"Hey, whats your deal?" Rainbow said glaring at Gath.

"Rainbow, its okay..." Twilight started nervously, "He saved me when I was in the Everfree Forest."

Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie gaped at what Twilight said. She was in the Everfree Forest? They looked back at the intimidating man with a new found respect. If he saved their friend he was okay to them. Gath visibly relaxed as he observed the friendly expressions the girls now had. Twilight motioned for Gath and Applejack to join them at the table.

Gath took the seat next to Twilight as the rest of the girls returned to their seats. The dark blue haired girl glanced sideways at the large man, trying to decide how best to approach the issue she wished to discuss. The group placed their orders as a nervous waiter approached them. Twilight finally decided on what to say.

"So... Gath, what brings you to Ponyville?" Twilight baited, trying to get the man to slip up and give some information as to what he was after.

"I did not give my name yet." Gath responded looking down at the scholarly girl, the corners of his mouth pulling down into a frown.

Twilight froze realizing the mistake she had made. Under his disapproving gaze she seemed to shrink, the other girls did not know what to make of the exchange. Applejack just wondered how Twilight knew who he was, and doubted it was a lucky guess. Gath was not a name she had ever heard before.

"Must I ask how you know my name?" Gath said, the frown becoming more evident as he wondered if he made a grave mistake coming into the town for supplies. His hand instinctively drew closer to the handle of his new axe.

Twilight procured a rather ancient looking tome from the pack that had lain hidden on the floor by her chair. As she opened it, realization donned on Gath and he let his hand drift further from his axe. She knew only that he was imprisoned, not why. The frown melted into an impassive look, giving Twilight the courage to talk again.

"Your name was in here... Mind if I ask why?" Twilight started again.

"Yes." Gath said simply as the waiter began plopping down steaming plates of food. Gath looked at the meals the other girls had ordered, then looked down to the cut of meat on his plate. He smiled, the salads and sweats the girls had ordered were not for him, he had hungered for this for quite some time. As he sunk his teeth into the meat, picking it up with his bare hands instead of using his untensils Rarity gasped at his lack of manners.

"My word..." She tutted

Gath gave her an uncertain look as he chewed his meal. Twilight then tried to intervene before Rarity could go over the top on scolding him for his manners.

"He is not form around here Rarity, they must have different traditions where he is from." The scholarly girl offered, hoping Gath would catch on.

"Things are indeed very different here. More peaceful." Gath responded. Twilight sighed in relief as Gath followed up on the comment she had given. Then as a thought occurred to her she looked rather curious.

"Gath, would you mind swinging by my home at the library later tonight. I have some questions I would like to ask you." Twilight said, hoping for the man to accept. He seemed to weigh his options however.

"I do not know where that is. Applejack did not point it out, so why don;t we meet at the edge of the forest where I left you?" Gath offered, not wanting to meet a stranger on a turf as familiar to them as their own home, lest there be an ambush of guards waiting. Out in the open he could be prepared for a fight if it came to that.

Twilight did not like the change in plans, but went with it nonetheless. Perhaps she could even coax him back to the library to take notes if she got his trust. She wanted to squeeze as much history as she could from him, if her theory was right, he could be as old if not older than the princess herself.

"Very well, shall we meet just before sun down then?" Twilight offered.

"That will be acceptable." Gath said in between bites, "Bring me some wine skins in exchange for your questions though."

The other girls watched the exchange with some great interest. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were still sizing him up, wondering just how strong he was. Pinkie was trying to plan a party for him, but was not sure as of yet where to throw it seeing as he did not have a home in Ponyville. Rarity was keeping a look of disdain at his manners as she watched him dig in. But Fluttershy, she did not like the looks of him. She got a bad feeling just looking at him and had barely touched her food.

Gath procured a golden coin and set it upon the table as he stood up. He turned to leave and looked back to the girls.

"On me." he said, as he turned back and left the cafe. The girls stared at the coin on the table.

"At least he has some manners." Huffed Rarity.

The waiter was staring wide eyed at the valuable metal on the table, he looked over at the girls almost as if to confirm it was real.

"You might want to open a tab for him..." Twilight mumbled, barely loud enough for the waiter to hear. The waiter merely nodded stiffly as the girls all left the table to carry on with their days.

Gath looked up from the work he was doing, it was not much yet but it was a start. The tree he found in the forest was a magnificent specimen, and would serve as a good place to build his new home. Now it was only partially hollowed near the base, but he had dug around the roots and had made a den for himself. It would do until he could put some more time into it. Looking to the sky he noticed the sun had set, and he looked back down to his now dulled axe. The design was not meant for the kind of work he used it for, for the bearded axe blade still served the purpose he had for it.

Making his way out of the forest he came upon something he did not expect. Twilight had fallen asleep waiting for him. She was lying on her side in the grass, her blouse and skirt offering little protection from the cool of the night as she shivered on the cold ground. Gath held a defeated look in his eyes as he briefly considered leaving her there, but decided against it. He still needed to make sure she did not turn him in yet. Without a place to call refuge, he did not want Celestia after him yet.

Gath scooped up the young lady and began walking towards the library. He had lied earlier, Applejack may not have showed him where it was, but the sign he saw on the old tree was clear enough. As he walked on, Twilight grasped his jerkin pulling herself closer to him feeling the warmth as she slept. Gath looked down at the fragile girl, when she was not giving him those condescending looks she was not so bad to be around. He watched as her lips moved as she mumbled something in her sleep. His gaze followed them as if they were dancers, putting on a show only for him. He watched as their ballet drew his attention fully into them, he barely noticed where he went as he subconsciously followed the path to the library.

As he reached the door however, something in the dancing lips made him freeze, snapping him out of the stupor he was trapped in. She had mumbled a name in a way that meant she knew it well, Twilight had mumbled in her sleep, "Princess Celestia."

The door opened and a small boy with green hair in purple shorts and jacket stood in the doorway. Gath took in his reptilian eyes, and the fangs he had as the child gasped at seeing him. This was a dragon child, one of the very breed Celestia gave to all of her pupils as assistants. Gath turned his attention back to the girl he had just been admiring in his arms. She had a direct line of contact to Celestia, Gath now had to keep a close eye on her.

"T-Twilight?!" Spike stuttered out seeing the sorceress he served unconscious in this mans arms. Gath had to think fast, lest the dragon boy send an urgent message worrying for Twilight's well being.

"Don't worry, I was late and she fell asleep waiting for me." Gath offered, a reassuring tone to his voice. Spike then hesitantly stepped aside to let the large man in with Twilight still in his arms.

Twilight stirred at the sound of Spike's voice, and slowly started taking in her surroundings. She realized then she was being carried. Looking up she recognized the pale skin and dark helmet of Gath. A small blush formed on Twilight's face as she realized he must have carried her all the way back from the forests edge.

Gath set the girl down on a sofa, and grabbed a nearby chair which he set himself down on. Gath crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, taking in the blushing girl. Twilight noticed his gaze on her, and looked at his muscular arms as she blushed a deeper red.

"So, you had some questions then?" Gath pressed, wanting to get past the awkward silence that was building as she watched over him. The dragon child watched him wearily he noticed, Twilight noticed this as well.

"Spike, would you mind getting something for us to drink?" Twilight asked, moving to sit upright in the sofa and levitating a quill and parchment over near her. Gath did not like her having the utensils she needed to rat him out in her hands. His anxiety grew as Twilight began jotting something down on the paper with her magic keeping her focus on him as she did so. He sat upright and threw his axe at the floating parchment, pinning it to the wall.

Twilight jumped back into the sofa, curling her legs from beneath her at the sudden aggression he showed. Gath stood up, knocking the chair to the ground and striding over to her. His face hovered a mere foot away from Twilight's as he held her gaze with his own fiery red eyes. As she shrank back from the growing ferocity of the blaze behind his helmet's eye slots, he took in her own eyes. The large violet pools twinkled in the light as tears of fear began to form. Spike was frozen in the kitchen as he looked over and saw the man leaning threateningly over Twilight.

Gath backed off slowly, the wooden floorboards creaking under his weight as he shifted it back slowly to his heels as he stood upright.

"Do not write that letter." He warned in a stern voice. The red glow dimming as he gained a control on his rage.

Twilight looked over the the axe that was embedded in her wall with the parchment pinned under it. She then looked back to Gath with a questioning look as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Why would I be writing a letter?" Twilight sniffed out.

Gath impatiently grabbed the parchment from under his axe and read the now torn paper in his hands. It appeared to be a list of notes Twilight had taken of his mannerisms. He gave her a questioning look and re read the notes on how he acted. Why would she need this?

"I will let you take your notes if that is all you want, but you will not tell Celestia of me." Gath finally said, feeling a little guilty of his false accusation. He handed the torn parchment back to Twilight retrieved the chair and sat back down, the chair groaned as he set his weight back down on it.

Twilight then caught on to why he was so weary, Celestia did not want him loose. Could she trust him though? He had just proven to be quick to act with violence. but he did seem sorry for his actions. Twilight was torn between what decision to make. She needed to see more of how he acted first. Perhaps she would wait until she made a final decision on whether to tell the princess or not.

The chair suddenly splintered under the large man's weight, having been damaged from when he knocked it over it could no longer hold him. Gath collided heavily with the floor, Twilight winced but he seemed to not register any pain. He picked himself up off the floor, and gathered the wooden pieces in his arms. He then looked at her as if asking where to put it, she couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"You can just give those to Spike, he will put them in the garbage." Twilight managed out between laughs.

Gath nodded at this and handed it to the small dragonborn child. He then looked around for another chair but the rest of them looked to be made of even flimsier wood than the previous one he crushed. Twilight then moved herself to one end of the sofa and gestured for Gath to sit at the other end, a little close but still a reasonable distance form her after she had scooted over. Gath accepted the seat and sank into the cushioned chair.

"Never sat on something this soft before..." Mumbled Gath as he sank deep into the cushions. Twilight perked up at this information and retrieved a new piece of parchment and went back to jotting down notes as she controlled it all with a flick of her index finger.

"So, where shall we start?" Twilight smiled. Gath had already began to feel weary from a long day. He had not had true rest in so long, the cell he was kept in never allowed him to attain a lasting level of slumber. But he still did not see rest in his near future as he shook his head trying to think of where to start his story with the young lady sitting expectantly across from him.

Gath just thought to himself to keep a tight lip on most of the things he had done to gain his reputation back in the day. He must always remember, no matter how silver you might think your tongue, silence is golden.