Chronicles of a lone guardsman

The club house was well over a hundred yards away, but Applejack’s voice was still pretty clear. She was none too happy about her property being destroyed. ‘I’m disappointed in you, young filly’, ‘How could you be so irresponsible’, and ‘We have enough work to do without rebuilding barns all day’ echoed all around Apple Family property. Anypony within earshot knew that somepony was about to get walloped for such a transgression. Fortunately, Applebloom was Apple Family kin and a young one to boot. She would never be subject to such harsh punishment.

Out of sight underneath the club house, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were tending to Green-Shell’s wounds. He wasn’t seriously wounded, but the bleeding on his arm was pretty serious. The one thing they did agree on was that they needed to dress his wounds before an infection took hold.

“Sure am glad that’s not us up there,” Scootaloo commented as she struggled against the creature’s weight. Even though she was just lifting his shoulder off the ground, it was still at least twice her own weight.

“Well, this is no better,” Sweetie Belle replied as she wrapped a bandage around Green-Shell’s lacerated arm with her magic. Red-Robe managed to inflict a pretty serious wound in the brief moment he was able. “Besides,” she continued, “what are we going to do with this…” Sweetie Belle thought for a moment for the right word to use as she tied off the bandage, “…creature?” She narrowly avoided using the politically incorrect word ‘thing’.

“Well, once she gets better,” Scootaloo explained as she lowered Green-Shell back down, “I figure we can just release her into the wild.” Sweetie Belle could only return a look of confusion as she prepared her counter-argument.

“First of all,” Sweetie began, “an injured creature is not going to last long in the wild. Secondly,” she continued as she approached Scootaloo, “you can’t assume a creature’s gender just by looking.”

“Why not?” Scootaloo asked, “almost 80% of Equestria is female. I’m probably right.”

“That’s not even close to being true,” Sweetie snapped back.

“Oh right, I’m sorry,” Scootaloo sarcastically replied, “80% identifies as mares,” she replied with a smug grin. Sweetie had had just about of Scootaloo’s smart talk.

“Listen, you,” she angrily started, but she wouldn’t get a chance to finish.

A deep, rough, labored moan clawed its way out of Green-shell’s throat. He could barely lift his head to observe his surroundings. More groans of exertion came as he summoned the strength to sit himself upright. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ceased their squabble as the mass of chitin and wounded flesh rose up before them. There was just enough clearance for him to sit up, but slouched over. He was still regaining his bearings when he turned to face the young fillies. There was an eerie moment of silence as Green-Shell and the girls processed what was now in front of them.

“Umm…,” Scootaloo finally spoke, breaking the silence, “Hi,” she greeted with a waving hoof. It was a standard greeting for any stranger and this creature was about as strange as they came. However, the creature gave a response that neither of the girls expected.

In an instant, Green-Shell was scrambling like a caged animal to flee. He let out a brief, but panicked scream as he nearly kicked the girls with his powerful legs. In response, the young fillies also screamed in fear as they fled the flailing limbs of this beast of unknown origin.

It was a struggle, but shrugging off the pain from his wound, Green-Shell ran out in to the open desperately trying to regain his bearings. His gaze darted, up, down, behind, all around in random directions. He was lost, frightened, confused, and desperate to make sense of his new surroundings.

“What in tarnation?!” came Applejack’s voice from the house. Green-Shell turned to face the source of the sound. Every single Apple family member shared the same expression of shock and confusion. Every creature was on edge from the shear unfamiliarity of what lay before them.

“Applebloom, get in the house. Now!” ordered Applejack to her sister as she produced a lasso from her saddle bag.

“Wait, Applejack-“ Applebloom protested.

“GO! NOW!” Applejack repeated through the lasso rope in her teeth. In an instant, Applejack and Big Mac were positioned to defend their lives and property from this invader. Big Mac snorted as he took a wide aggressive stance toward Green-Shell. Green-Shell himself also widened his stance, but his face was dominated by the fear a cornered animal would show.

Something on the ground caught every creature’s attention. Halfway between the two sides squaring off to each other was a long rectangular object. Its body was mostly olive-green save for the golden bird-like decoration near the front. A short dull gray tube jutted out the front, ending in an angular cut downwards. The rear of the object was irregularly shaped and seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever. A small box protruded out the bottom and likewise seemed to be there for show as did the oddly angled handle directly behind it.

It was completely alien to the ponies, but it gave Green-Shell a glimmer of hope in this fight. He glanced at the strange object, hoping Applejack wouldn’t notice he was going to make a move for it. With a burst of speed, Green-Shell made a beeline for the object out in the open. At the last possible moment, he made a desperate dive for the object, but it evaded his grasp by inches. He slid for a few feet, grabbing nothing but an armful of dirt. He looked up and to his dismay, Applejack now had possession of the object.

“You ain’t getting’ a leg up on me that easy, partner,” she taunted to the creature, the object now underhoof. In another instant, Applejack had readied her lasso for another go. Meanwhile, Big Mac had circled around to the creature’s 9:00, forcing him to split his attention between the two Apple siblings.

Green-Shell responded back, but not in any language anypony had ever heard before. Whatever he said, he sounded determined not to be bested by a colorful pack of horses half his size. He quickly rose to his feet and reached for his right hip. His look of determination evaporated and left a face of despair. Glancing down at his hand, he realized that he was simply grabbing empty air. He looked back up at Applejack, nervous sweat running down his face. It was enough to distract him from Big Mac’s next move.

At the last possible moment, Green-Shell noticed something to his left. He glanced over and noticed Big Mac quickly bearing down on him. He was unarmed and paralyzed with fear. Or so it would seem…

Staring down a charging stallion, Green-Shell slowly reached to the left side of his belt. He stood his ground and waited for the right moment to present itself. At a distance of just ten paces, Green-Shell was eager to react, but willed himself still until the time was right. Big Mag was charging full speed, intent on tackling and battering this threat to his family. Five paces between them and the tide of the battle suddenly changed.

In the blink of an eye, Green-Shell struck like a coiled snake. In his hand, he gripped a 9-inch dagger. He let out a grunt of exertion as his body swung in a wide arc. With cat-like reflexes, Big Mac threw his heavy muscular body off course, but was still nicked by the razor-sharp blade. He winced in pain as a crimson tear ran down his cheek. It was now painfully clear that Green-Shell’s aim was to kill. He turned to follow Big Mac, knife in-hand to deliver the coup de grâce.

As quickly as the tide had turned, Applejack turned it once more with a decisively placed lasso around Green-Shell’s neck, stopping him in his tracks and nearly causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled through the momentum of his run, but came face-to-face with his new opponent. The tug-of-war that ensued was a nearly matched show of strength, but Green-Shell was unable to breathe in his position. He would be fighting a very short battle of attrition if he did not take action soon.

With his free hand, he grabbed hold of the rope Applejack used to ensnare him, but he did not intend to pull back. Instead, he swung his blade clean through the rope, cleaving it like a hot knife through butter. Applejack was pulling back so hard that she fell on her back and lost sight of Green-Shell. By the time she righted herself, she saw her attacker had regained his strength. Worse still, he was charging straight for her. Her only rope was cut and she could not prepare another lasso in time. Big Mag was wounded and Granny Smith was in no shape to help.

Applejack was frozen in fear as her heart pounded in her ears. Time seemed to slow as the enraged giant closed the distance with each running stride. In that instant, thoughts of the Apple family perishing at the hands of this creature flooded her mind. It was the single most stressful instance in her entire life.

*THWOCK*

A stone the size of a lemon ricocheted off Green-Shell’s forehead, bringing him down to the ground in a heartbeat. He was just feet from Applejack as he landed flat on his face. The stunned farm pony was still in shock processing what had just happened.

“Now, Applejack!” Granny Smith called out from behind. Applejack turned around to see that Granny had made a makeshift slingshot out of her scarf. “Git ‘im! ‘Fore he gets up again!”

Snapping back to reality, Applejack worked quickly to hogtie the aggressive beast before he could retaliate. She only lost about 3 feet from the 50-foot length of rope, so it was still a useable tool. Unfortunately for Green-Shell, he realized his predicament too late. When he came to, his wrists were tied to his ankles and he couldn’t move any. He struggled in vain to stand, but all he could do was watch as Applejack tightened the complex knot and kicked his knife away.

Green-Shell struggled and snarled in anger and pain, but he was safely restrained on the ground where he had no chance of escape. With the situation under control, Big Mac retreated to get first aid for his injury. Applejack and Granny Smith cautiously approached, assessing the strange creature they just subdued.

“What is this thing, Granny,” Applejack asked, still catching her breath.

“I don’t rightly know,” Granny replied after a moment of observing the creature, “75 years on Celestia’s green earth an’ I ain’t never seen a sight like this.”

“Oportet te mori, xenos!” the beast snarled at the pair of Apples. They both recoiled, fearing that he would attack again, but he was well and truly conquered. All he could do was shout and scream in his alien language.

“And never,” Granny continued, “has any creature spoken that there tongue ta’ me b’fore!”

“Where you from, stranger?” Applejack demanded to know, “And what in tarnation brings you on to Apple Family land?” She glared at him in the most intimidating way she could, but the response she got was completely unexpected.

“Omne bonum a Deus-Imperator,” Green-Shell whispered hoarsely as he closed his eyes, as if in prayer, “omne malum ab xenos.” His voice started to quaver with emotion. It was soft, but still noticeable.

“What?!” Applejack asked, supremely confused and unsure how to proceed. Green-Shell seemed to be ignoring Applejack completely as he continued his desperate prayer. “Deus-Imperator, servatis a maleficum.”

“I tell ya’ Applejack,” Granny Smith said, “I’ve farmed all kind o’ animals in my day and this ‘un here just has me plum stumped.”

“Animal…” Applejack repeated as she thought up a solution to their newest problem. Suddenly, an idea came to her that could crack the mystery wide open. “Granny, you’re a genius!”

“No I ain’t,” Granny replied, slightly confused, “I’m a retired farmer.”

“What I mean is,” Applejack explained, “We don’t know nothin’ ‘bout this here animal, but I know somepony who just might!”

~~~

An hour would pass before Fluttershy could be summoned to the Apple farm. Given the urgency of the situation, Fluttershy flew directly to the scene, something she rarely ever did. She arrived to find Big Mac and Granny Smith surrounding a completely subdued ape-like creature like he was a prisoner of war. His arms and legs were hogtied as one tangled mass of limbs and rope. His left arm was clearly injured as was a spot square in the middle of his forehead. He had been lying in the afternoon sun for almost an hour surrounded by his captors.

“Oh, my goodness,” Fluttershy gasped as she landed so gingerly next to Green-Shell, “What happened to you here?” Being the animal whisperer that she was, Fluttershy expected a response. Instead, the creature simply looked up to get a better look at Fluttershy. His bony skullplate dug into the ground as he moved his head. He wordlessly observed Fluttershy as she in turn assessed his wounds.

“Do you have a name?” Fluttershy asked after a long moment of no response. Green-Shell simply gave a blank stare back with no discernable message in his gaze.

“Can’t you talk?” she asked, getting a little closer to his face this time. This time, she did get a response. However, it was slurred by weakness and spoken in a tongue completely alien to her. Even if language wasn’t an issue, his throat sounded rough and dry, as if he was dehydrated. Fluttershy was puzzled by this as she had never met an animal to which she could not speak.

“We already tried that, dear,” Granny interjected, “Ain’t no sense talkin’ to a creature what can’t talk back to ya’.”

“It’s not that he can’t talk,” Fluttershy explained, “He just needs somepony to nurse him back to health. Now,” Fluttershy continued as she made her way over to Green-Shell, “Let’s take off these ropes and-“

“Nope!” Big Mac interrupted as he blocked Fluttershy’s approach. Fluttershy jumped back as Big Mac suddenly confronted her. This is when she noticed the scar on his face from the earlier altercation.

“We had a devil of a time takin’ ‘im down, dear,” Granny explained, “We don’t need no re-peat o’ that, now.”

“If you untie him, I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt anypony else,” Fluttershy promised. She was sincere as she looked Granny Smith in the eye. Big Mac still didn’t trust that a meek pegasus like Fluttershy could truly control a creature capable of the violence he had to combat. Even Granny Smith was skeptical. Fortunately, she could judge a pony’s character by looking into her eyes. Fluttershy was understandably nervous, but her resolve was iron-clad. Granny was the longest lived pony by far, but Fluttershy was a subject matter expert on all animals, be they Equestrian, mythical or otherwise.

“If anything happens to my kin,” Granny sternly replied, “I’m a’holdin you responsible, miss Flutter-critters.” She could not strongly enough emphasize the well-being of her family above this beast she only met today. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Granny then turned her glance to Big Mac, signaling him to undo the bonds around Green-Shell’s hands and feet.

The knot was designed to contain a struggling animal and only come off once the wrangler wanted. Still, it took an experienced pony to undo it properly. Big mag gave the rope a very specific sequence of tugs and adjustments. Slowly, the layers of restraints disappeared, like a snake disappearing into long grass.

“Now just relax,” Fluttershy cooed to Green-Shell, “Big Mac is going to let you loose and we’ll have you feeling better very soon.” Her voice seemed to set everypony at ease, including the once-on-edge Green-Shell. Once the rope was off, Fluttershy helped the nervous creature sit upright. He was plenty recuperated to do it himself, but Fluttershy just wanted to be sure.

“See?” Fluttershy reassured, “Everything’s going to be fine.” She spoke like a caring and affectionate mother despite having no relation to him whatsoever. Now that he was upright, he massaged his wrists and made a comment clearly directed at Fluttershy. “Gratias.” It was still in his native language, so even Fluttershy had no idea what he was saying.

“Um…” Fluttershy paused to think of a reply, “You’re welcome, I guess.”

“Well tan my hide and call me Leather Neck,” Granny Smith remarked, genuinely surprised by what she just witnessed, “Applejack weren’t kiddin’ one bit ‘bout you and animals! Got you a bond strong as Crown Apple whiskey!”

“Oh,” FLuttershy blushed, “Why, thank you Granny Smith.”

As the ponies finished their conversation, Green-Shell candidly reached down to his belt for something. Right away, Granny and Big Mac’s sense of danger came flooding back. Every time he reached for something, it had been a weapon or something equally dangerous.

“It’s OK, everypony,” Fluttershy reassured the two on-edge Apples, “He’s not scared anymore, so he won’t be aggressive.” Sure enough, the object he pulled out looked more like a water canteen. The liquid inside sloshed around and sounded a little less than half-full.

Even as Green-Shell unscrewed the cap, the Apples didn’t lower their guard. With Fluttershy present, Green-Shell simply carried on. He looked at the canteen eagerly, trembling with anticipation as he put the open end to his lips. As he tilted his head back, he took big greedy gulps from the canteen. He took four in total before he had to stop for air.

“Easy, now,” Fluttershy said as she pushed the canteen back down, “Take small sips and remember to breathe.” Her advice went unheeded as the thirsty giant downed the last bit of life-giving liquid from the container. As it emptied, he took a refreshing breath of air. His breathing was noticeably less ragged, as if he went from mildly dehydrated to slightly parched.

Now that his canteen was empty, he looked a bit disheartened. That was the last of his water and he had squandered it not getting nearly as much as he wanted. Looking down the ground in despair, he tossed the empty bottle aside. It gave out an unharmonious hollow thunk as it hit the dirt. All he could do was sit in the dirt propped up on his leg as he spaced out. He wasn’t worried about the ponies as long as Fluttershy was around.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was oddly fascinated by the metal bottle Green-Shell had discarded.

“What’s this?” Fluttershy asked out of curiosity, “Is it yours?” she asked as she picked it up and presented it to him.

“Nullius pretii,” Green-Shell remarked disinterestedly with a wave of his hand. Fluttershy didn’t bother trying to decipher his words; his body language told Fluttershy that he was no longer interested in the empty metal bottle.

After a moment, FLuttershy’s face lit up with an idea. She quickly flew up to the farm house and found the water pump. Even Big Mac’s young eyes struggled to see what Fluttershy was doing all that distance away. It looked like she was pumping water, but it wasn’t too clear.

“Some strange kinda’ folk, them animal lovers,” Granny Smith remarked as she strained to see what Fluttershy was up to.

“Yup,” Big Mac agreed.

On her way back, Fluttershy struggled to carry the full water canteen. She wasn’t used to carrying such a weight, but she was more than willing to work herself hard for the animals under her care.

“Here you go,” Fluttershy said as she offered a now full canteen of water to Green-Shell. His eyes widened with interest, then near disbelief as he noticed a drop of water running down the side of the bottle. He slowly reached out and took the bottle from Fluttershy’s hooves. He almost dropped it because he didn’t anticipate it actually being full of water again. With more controlled eagerness this time, he took smaller sips of water until his thirst was slate.

“You’re already looking a lot better,” Fluttershy cheerfully remarked. Indeed after just an hour’s rest and some water, Green-shell was acting more lively and energetic.

With this newfound energy, he undid a latch under his chin and loosened the straps attached to them. To everypony’s surprise, including Fluttershy’s, his bony skull plate was removable. It soon became clear to all that this was not a natural part of his body. Underneath, his scalp was covered with a patch of short fur. The inside of the domed plate was padding, much like a sports helmet. There was an obvious tan line running across his forehead and down his cheek where the helmet and straps were secured the item to his head. He seemed relieved to have it off.

With his canteen, he poured the cool water over his head, washing the dirt and blood from his face. It was one pour, but that was more than enough for him to feel refreshed after all he had just been through.

“Um, excuse me,” Fluttershy quietly interrupted, “but, umm… I think it’s time we learn each other’s names now.” Green-Shell looked at Fluttershy as if he expected clarification on her request.

“My name is Fluttershy,” she explained as she gestured to herself, “Fluh-ter-shy,” she annunciated, “What’s your name?” she asked as she turned to face Green-Shell.

“Fuh-d’shai?” Green-Shell replied as he did his best to pronounce Fluttershy’s name.

“Almost,” Fluttershy said, trying not to let him know how badly he had butchered her name. Luckily, she had patience to spare. It took a little while, but he finally got it. “Fluh-terr-shy.”

“Great job!” Fluttershy praised, “Now what’s your name?” she asked as she gestured to him.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally replied “Levin.”

“Levin,” Fluttershy echoed back. Levin confirmed the name with a nod. “What a lovely name,” Fluttershy remarked. She genuinely meant it. It was short, easy to pronounce and unique enough that she wouldn’t confuse it for another creature’s name.

“Alright then, Levin,” Fluttershy announced “let’s get you home and make sure you make a full recovery,” she said as she started making her way to her home. She beckoned Levin to follow her and strangely, Levin complied. Whether it was magic or Fluttershy was just that charming, she sure did have an uncanny way with animals.

Before they pushed off proper, however, Levin replaced his helmet and secured his canteen to his belt. Even though all that was in place, he still seemed a bit uncomfortable. Reaching into a leather holster on his right hip, he noticed it was empty. Frantically, he searched

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked, worried about Levin, “Is something wrong?”

Levin pointed to the empty holster and was audibly distressed. He made a gesture with his right hand vaguely resembling some kind of tool or implement. He was looking at the ground, hoping to find whatever he was missing.

Fluttershy was hovering a little higher that Levin’s head height, so she had a slightly better view of the area around them. Something caught her eye in the distance. Fluttershy went toward it and inspected it. It was a long boxy device, olive-green in color. Several protrusions varying in size and shape were affixed to the rectangular body. It had the same general aesthetic as Levin himself, so Fluttershy figured it must belong to him.

“Levin,” Fluttershy called out, “I think I found-“ she started to say as she tried to lift the object. It was far heavier than she anticipated. Its weight was enough to keep Fluttershy grounded. Regardless, she kept trying to return Levin’s property to him.

Suddenly, Fluttershy and the heavy device started to rise up. She was surprised by this sudden strength she didn’t know she had. Looking around, she found herself face-to-face with Levin. He was the one picking up the object, waiting for Fluttershy to release her grip on it. She bashfully did so as Levin used the attached strap to secure it behind his back. In the time Fluttershy found Levin’s large device, she noticed that Levin found a smaller version of it and secured it in his hip holster.

“Alright then,” Fluttershy said after she regained her composure, “let’s go to my cottage and get you settled in.” Levin somehow understood this as an instruction to follow her.

“Goodbye, Big Mac! Bye Granny Smith!” Fluttershy called out as they left the farm.

“Take care y’all!” Granny called back. She was still skeptical about the whole situation with the strange creature, but she gave a wave back to see the two of them off.

Levin saw Fluttershy waving back and decided to imitate her behavior. Fluttershy took notice and chuckled to herself. She had a good feeling about him. With her help, she knew he would fit in alright here in Equestria.