hargleblarg

This is totally unfinished and very rough, but I like to get feedback on what I'm writing so I'm leaving it for you guys to tear it to shreds ;D It is STRONGLY recommended that you read "My Little Dashie" before this (if you haven't read it already) as this story focuses (or is going to) on how such an event happened. I know there is a sequel to "MLD" but that has nothing to do with this. So for now, enjoy! The hill was idyllic. Lush green grass covered the mound of earth as the sun warmed the soil, fresh from the night’s rain. It provided a perfect view of the town, gazing softly at the curved roofs and roads. A bird chirped in a distant tree, the idle chatter of citizens going about their business drifted on the breeze. Then he appeared, in a flash of lightning and clap of thunder. The hill was instantly blackened and scorched, smoke curling up from the burnt grass. The sun glared harshly on the intruder, his form crouched on one knee. In his hand was a sword, bright white with a deep red hilt. His hair fell over his face as he stared at the ground. His very presence was offensive, he didn’t belong in this land. It felt like every inch of soil was trying to push him away, back to where he came from. He shook the feeling off and stood up. He was six feet tall, with sparkling blue eyes and brown hair that slanted across his brow, partially obscuring one eye. A scar traced across his cheek and curved towards his ear, a souvenir from a past journey. He looked around and smiled at the peaceful land he found himself in. It was a pleasant change for once. He saw the town and made his way there, sheathing his sword and checking his armour. It was thin but sturdy, and looked remarkably like leather, yet it was stronger, more resilient. It was a faded brown, worn down by constant use. He always liked to travel light, anything heavier felt clumsy and lopsided. He passed a group of birds in a tree and frowned slightly as they scattered as he came nearer, flying high into the branches and out of sight. This might be a problem. It didn’t take long to reach the town. He came in through a small path and made his way through, passing by the odd-looking houses (one looked like it was made of candy). His eyes picked up the movement ahead, of the citizens fleeing at the sight of him. He didn’t blame them, he was hardly a warm and friendly figure to approach right now considering he just burned an entire hill upon his arrival. It was then that he realised how threatening his weapon must be to these people, so he darted in-between some houses and held up the sword, sheathe and all. He then closed his eyes and concentrated. With a gentle hum the sword vanished from sight, though he still held it in his hands. Satisfied, he put it back in its place, then resumed his walk. Despite having never been here before, he knew where to go. He found the house in an instant, a giant tree shaped into a home. Windows protruded everywhere, some hidden between the leaves, others carved into the trunk itself. He even spotted a small balcony jutting out over one of the branches. The door was a little too small for him to fit in, so he crouched slightly and knocked. A few seconds passed, and then the door opened slowly, creaking gently as it swung inward. He stepped back slightly to allow the occupant out, which she did hesitantly. The first glaring feature was that she wasn’t human, which came as no surprise to him. Instead the man was staring at a unicorn, no bigger than three feet tall. Her coat was a light shade of purple, with her mane a dark velvet and a pink streak running through it. Her eyes were also purple, and they glistened with intelligence, though at this time they also held a hint of fear. She looked at this stranger, this intruder, and stuttered out a greeting. “H-Hello?” The man smiled softly and spoke in a calm, reassuring tone. “Do I have the honour of addressing Twilight Sparkle?” He felt her surprise as he spoke her name, and he also felt the added tension and fear. “What... What do you want?” She backed away slightly, a movement that the man noticed, so he backed away himself, giving her plenty of room. “I need to speak to you urgently, and Princess Celestia if it’s possible.” Twilight’s apprehension of this strange man faded slightly, if he knew the princess then surely he was safe to talk to? She nodded slowly and moved back into her house, looking back to see if the man was following her. He was, and Twilight wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not. Had she not met one of these creatures before then she wouldn’t have even opened the door. As the man crouched through the small doorway and entered the main room, a giant library full of shelves and books, Twilight turned and faced him. “Spike shouldn’t be back for a while, and he’s our quickest chance of getting Princess Celestia here. I hope you don’t mind waiting?” She relaxed slightly as the man nodded simply and sat down on the floor, apparently grabbing thin air by his hip and holding some imaginary object in front of him. With a small intake of air the sword appeared in his hands and he placed it on the floor next to him, gazing carefully up at Twilight to see if she would react. She seemed more curious than afraid, and she took a tentative step closer at the mans’ clear use of magic. He looked at her and motioned for her to sit in front of him. “I imagine you have a lot of questions for me already?” “Well, yes. It’s not often that a human appears in Ponyville asking to see Princess Celestia. In fact, you might be the only human to ever be seen here.” The mans’ smile faded and Twilight saw sadness flash across his face. She knows what I am. So it did happen... He quickly recovered and his smile reappeared as if nothing had changed and he held out a hand. “My name’s Aren. Well, it used to be something else but I forgot it a long time ago, so I just call myself Aren now.” Twilight reached her hoof out to meet Aren’s hand and he grasped it and shook firmly. “How do you know my name? How do you know the princess? She’s never mentioned you before...” He chuckled softly at her confusion. “That would be because she’s never met me before. Don’t worry, once I’ve explained everything then you’ll know why I’m here and what the problem is.” Her ears perked up at the word “problem” and worry began to creep across her face. “Relax Twilight, I’m here to fix the problem. It’s my job.” Something about him was reassuring and Twilight found herself relaxing around this complete stranger. “I felt something a moment ago, like a surge of magic, was that-” With sudden urgency the door opened and slammed against the inside of the house. Aren quickly rolled to his feet, his sword half-drawn while Twilight yelped and jumped back, her horn glowing faintly. Stepping briskly through the doorway was Princess Celestia. Her wings were twitching against her bright white sides and her horn hummed with magic. Her eyes were alert and staring and her nostrils flared with panic. Her usual gentle voice was etched with panic and fear. “Twilight, what happened? I felt it just a second ago, has something gone wrong? Is anypony hurt? I-” She stopped as she saw Aren calmly sheathing his sword and kneeling before her. Confusion flashed across her face as he spoke to her in a calm voice. “Princess Celestia, my name is Aren and I’m afraid I was the one who caused the disturbance. I never was very good at teleporting and it gets even worse when you don’t know exactly where to go.” Celestia looked at Twilight as if she would reveal some secret she had yet to be told of, but Twilight stared back just as confused. Aren stepped back to allow Celestia in and then resumed his seat on the floor, beckoning for both to do the same. “What is the meaning of this Aren? You know my name and evidently you have managed to convince Twilight that your intentions are good. I had half of the unicorns in Canterlot begging for an explanation to the surge of magic we all just felt.” Aren took a steadying breath, his expression grim. He stared into Celestia’s eyes as he began, his voice low and serious. “Before I tell you why I’m here, you need to know who I am. From what Twilight told me just a second ago you know about other worlds, correct?” Princess Celestia nodded elegantly, her regal composure returning after the shock of seeing a human. “Right, well the problem is that these worlds are never meant to intersect. They are all meant to exist independantly of each other, never touching and, for the most part, never knowing. However sometimes incidents occur when these worlds manage to connect, I believe you’ve already encountered this with the... the Rainbow Dash incident.” He glanced down as sadness crossed his face once more, something that both Twilight and Celestia noticed. He looked back up and coughed. “I’m part of a group, well a society really, that guards these worlds and stops these things from happening. If two worlds collide then we go in and fix it, hopefully before anything drastic happens. Sometimes we’re too late and parts of the two worlds intermingle with each other, which causes a bit more of an issue but we fix it all the same. We’re often known as the Guardians of Worlds.” Celestia’s eyes widened slightly, the only change in her stoney gaze. Aren hesitated, explaining what he did was easy, explaining why he was here was going to be more difficult. “Unfortunately we have an issue with your world. It seems to be experiencing more breaks than anybody else. We-” Twilight looked quizzically at Aren “Hold on a second. Breaks?” He hit his head with the palm of his hand. “Sorry. A break is when there’s a hole in a world. Imagine the barrier between worlds as a strip of cloth. At some point there’s going to be a rip or a tear in the cloth and whatever is on the other side will come through that tear. In this case we’re talking about elements of those worlds filtering in through the break. What we do is come in and fix the cloth, patch it up so to speak. Is that a bit clearer?” He glanced at both Twilight and Celestia, Twilight seeming more content with his answer. Celestia just nodded gracefully, retaining her royal stature. “Right, well like I said, your world is experiencing more breaks than any other world we’ve encountered. Too many, in fact. So instead of constantly reacting to whatever break happens next the people in charge have deemed it neccesary to permanently station someone here. Normally we don’t do this, we don’t get involved in the affairs of different worlds, but we just can’t keep up with the breaks being caused here.” Princess Celestia leaned forward and Aren looked at her. “Do you know why these... breaks... are happening?” “It’s a topic of debate for many of us. Some think it’s the heavy use of magic in your world that keeps affecting the barrier. Others say that your barrier is just naturally weaker than others. Nobody knows for sure, but the issue isn’t what’s causing the problem, it’s how we’re going to deal with it.” Twilight stood up, her voice questioning. “But surely you can stop it quicker by discovering what the problem is?” “Look, I don’t believe that our approach to this matter is the best, I agree with you. but I don’t make the decisions, I just do what I’m told.” Twilight and Celestia were disappointed with this answer, but they both resumed their seats and continued to listen. “So as you’ve already guessed, I’m the one they’ve sent to guard your world. I’ll essentially be Equestria’s bodyguard. I’m hoping you can understand that if it weren’t absolutely neccessary then I wouldn’t be here right now.” There was a long pause, during which Aren looked uncomfortably at Celestia, who stared back, her multicoloured mane shimmering behind her. After what felt like an age she finally spoke. “Aren, thank you for making some things clear. I knew of other worlds from the incident with Rainbow Dash, and I was never sure of how it had happened. From what you have just told me it seems like one of these... breaks...?” He nodded “...Had somehow thrown Rainbow into another world. Are you saying you could have fixed that?” Aren’s face darkened. He knew the question would eventually be asked. Better now than never. “Not that particular break, no. The break happened simultaneously with the incident that sent Rainbow Dash through to that world. However, we... could have brought Rainbow Dash back instantly.” Twilight and Celestia stood up in shock, Celestia’s nostrils flaring. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she pawed the ground. Aren raised his hands defensively as he begged them to listen. “Please it wasn’t my fault! I was somewhere else, dealing with a major problem in a different world. It’s where I got this.” He gestured to the scar on his cheek. “The person who was meant to deal with that break couldn’t bear to tear Rainbow Dash away from him. He could see the good it did for both of them, how happy they both were, and he didn’t want to take that away from them. He got punished of course, but before anything could be done you all found Rainbow Dash and resolved the situation on your own, which was a much better conclusion than to what was originally going to happen.” Celestia’s voice was low and threatening. “And just what was going to happen had we not rescued her?” “We would have simply taken Rainbow Dash out of that world and brought her back here, memories wiped for both of them as if nothing had ever happened, eradicating fifteen years of love and happiness in an instant. What you did was better and worse in many ways” Celestia’s nostrils flared once again “But I intend to fix it. It’s too late to rectify what happened, but I can make it easier on both of them. While not quite allowed by my superiors, I doubt they’d object to it, but for now we need to discuss what’s going to happen with me. I can easily stay out of sight and out of mind, away from everybody, coming to help only when needed.” Twilight and Celestia had settled down on the floor again, both calm. Twilight was finding this discussion a little too much for her to deal with in one sitting. Celestia was as regal as ever, her face as if it was carved in iron. She looked at Aren, studying him carefully. Then she spoke, her voice kind and welcoming. “No. If you are to protect Equestria from these breaks, then I think you should be involved in this world. You have been sent here to be a part of this world, to protect us from whatever worlds are out there. To simply isolate yourself from us and only come out when needed doesn’t seem like a kind gesture from us when you are trying help. We can find you a home wherever you wish to live, you can even stay in Canterlot if you want.” Aren smiled awkwardly at their generosity. He wasn’t used to people being so open towards him. “Thank you, but I think a major city like Canterlot will be a bit too much for me to handle. I’m used to being alone or in a small group, so throwing me into a city where I know barely anybody wouldn’t be best. However I’d need to be somewhere that lets me contact you in a hurry if there’s a problem, teleporting isn’t my best talent...” His mind flashed back to the charred hill overlooking the town and he grimaced as he imagined appearing in the middle of a crowded city. Twilight stepped forward hesitantly, her head hanging slightly lower as she crept between the two taller beings. “Well, I have Spike who can send messages to you, princess, why not stay here in Ponyville?” Aren glanced at Celestia, trying to see what she was thinking. Her face creased into a smile as she nodded. “I think that would be best for all of us. Aren, would you like to live here? We can find an available house for you to have.” Aren shook his head, Celestia raising her ears slightly at the gesture. “Thanks for offering me a house, but I can make my own home. I’d like to live here though, the town seems small enough for me to be able to live in and the ability to communicate with you instantly is invaluable.” Twilight smiled softly at Aren, glad to have a new friend to get to know. He could use magic, so maybe they could compare notes? Oh! I could help him with his teleporting! She couldn’t help but grin at the thought of teaching him. Aren saw her smile and grinned himself, glad that things worked out as well as they did. Princess Celestia nodded once and rose. “Well that’s settled then. While I’m sure you’ve not told us everything, I think that we have enough to try and work our heads around for now. I’ll stop by tomorrow so that we can talk properly. I still have many questions Aren, and I’m sure my student here will want to be present too.” Twilight nodded twice. “Princess Celestia, would it be possible for my friends to be present as well? This seems like something they should know about, especially Rainbow Dash...” Aren turned his head away at the mention of her name. Celestia nodded to Twilight and encouraged her to bring them all along tomorrow, then left through the door, leaving Twilight and Aren in peace. “So, Aren. Would you like a tour of Ponyville?” “Sure, would we be able to meet your friends along the way?” Twilight grinned at his eagerness to meet them. She chuckled and headed out the door, Aren trailing behind as he placed his sword and sheathe back next to his hip, the familiar weight comforting him in this odd world. He stepped outside into the sun’s rays. He closed his eyes briefly and basked in the warmth. The last world he’d visited was cold and desolate, a stark contrast to the environment he was in now. He saw Twilight waiting for him a few meters down the path and hurried to catch up with her. His smile faltered as he saw ponies hiding from him, obviously scared of this stranger who had materialised out of nowhere. Twilight saw his smile disappear and a frown flickered across her face. She jumped onto the nearest box and, before Aren could stop her, shouted out. “Listen up everypony! This is Aren, and he’s been hired by Princess Celestia for royal business! You don’t have to be afraid, he’s a friend!” She looked at Aren and grinned, obviously pleased with her tactic. Aren was secretly pleased too, the less who knew about his true role, the better. A small crowd of ponies began to form, all of them cautious despite Twilight’s reassurances. Aren crouched down so that he was level with them and held his hand out to the nearest pony. “Hi there!” The pony jumped back at the movement. Her mane was a dark pink, but her coat was a much lighter shade. The pony looked up at Twilight who nodded, then the strange pony took a deep breath. Aren looked at her, confused. “HimynameisPinkiePieandohboyamIgladtomeetyou!IhopewebecomegoodfriendsbecauseIjustLOVEmakingnewfriendsothisisgonnabesoawesome!” Aren stared. This pony (Pinkie Pie did she say her name was?) seemed totally insane. During her barrage of speech she had hopped around him, jumped onto his back and run crazily amongst the group of bystanders. She’d even managed to pull a cupcake out of nowhere and handed it to him. “Anyway I have to go! Enjoy the cupcake and I hope to see you soo-oon!” She then hopped away down the road to the building that seemed to be made of candy. Aren just stood rooted to the spot, his eyes staring after Pinkie Pie in shock. His mouth was agape and he glanced at Twilight, who could barely contain her laughter. he looked at the other ponies and saw that they too were on the verge of laughing. His eyes swung back to where Pinkie Pie had bounced off to as he said in a distant voice “Friend of yours Twilight?” She couldn’t contain it anymore. Twilight burst out laughing and rolled on the floor, her chest heaving with laughter. The other ponies followed suit and began to laugh all around him. Aren began to chuckle softly and took a bite out of the cupcake (which had a hint of apple). The two walked on through Ponyville, Twilight pointing out different places and ponies as they went. Aren relaxed more and more as their walk progressed. He could see himself settling in nicely here, there were open spaces for him to practice magic and the ponies were kind and welcoming once they overcame the shock of a human walking around town. He could see Twilight looking at him quizzically and he suppressed a grin. “I’m guessing you have more questions for me?” Twilight looked away nervously, but quickly brought her eyes back up to meet his. “Well, this is all so sudden. In an instant you’ve come into this world to protect us from something we didn’t even know about. I barely know anything about you, so naturally I have a lot of questions.” Aren smiled and bowed his head towards her. “Ask as many questions as you like, but I might not be able to tell you some things as they’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Twilight's ears perked up in eagerness as she launched into her stockpile of questions. “You mentioned the Guardians of Worlds and that you were a part of them. What makes you a guardian? Are you born into it or is it like a job you have to apply for?” “Well it’s neither really. You aren’t born into it and you don’t go around asking to be one. You get chosen by other guardians, but once you become a Guardian of Worlds then you’re in it for life. You can’t just walk away from something like this and you don’t get paid, so it isn’t a job really. I don’t know what you would call it to be honest.” They had slowed to a stop as he spoke. Aren found himself in a park full of ponies enjoying the sun, all glad of the good weather. Twilight sat down on a patch of grass and Aren did the same, taking care to remove his sword from his hip. “So, how do you get chosen then? It seems like a lot of responsibility to just give to somepo- sorry, somebody.” “Well it varies with each person. Sometimes it’s when someone acts with distinction during a break in their world, and other times it’s due to some hidden talent that nobody but the council can see.” “And how did you get chosen?” Aren grimaced as screams and pain echoed in his head, the dull ring of swords clashing. Aren shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry, I’d rather not talk about it right now, another time.” Twilight was concerned by his drop in tone, so she steered the conversation away in an effort to cheer him up. “You said you could make your own home, how?” His face brightened and Twilight was secretly pleased. “Oh it’s easy, I can show you now if you like?” She nodded eagerly as Aren rose to his knees and placed his hand flat against the soil. He closed his eyes gently and a slight hum filled the air. The soil began to twitch and shift, tearing in two like a parting sea. A small hole began to widen between Twilight and Aren, tunneling into the ground. Before the hole became too noticeable Aren opened his eyes, and with a rush of air the soil washed back into place, leaving it exactly as it had been. “I can make a home underground by using magic. I just tunnel out whatever space I need, fortify it with some permanant enchantments so that it doesn’t collapse and there we go, one house!” “Why make your home underground?” “Well when dealing with a break we sometimes have to make a temporary shelter for ourselves. Usually the land isn’t very accommodating for us so we just tunnel underground and fill it back up with soil as if we’d never been there.” Twilight glanced at him as he leaned his head back and stared at the birds in a tree overhead. She could see him adapting quickly to this new environment, he already felt like part of the landscape. This strange man had been in Equestria for a few hours yet right now he looked like he’d been here his entire life. “You like to stay hidden don’t you?” He looked back at her, a light breeze blowing his hair to the side. “Yeah, I guess I do. We never try to interfere with the people in different worlds, so we do things secretly, and if anybody sees us we just wipe their memory as if we’d never been there. If everybody in each world knew of other worlds then the consequences would be... horrific.” His face began to look downcast again, so Twilight stood up, motioning for him to follow her. “Where are we going Twi?” A huge grin spread across her face. Twi... She liked it. “I thought I’d take you to meet Fluttershy, she doesn’t live far from here.” The cottage was overgrown with plants. Bushes covered the entire house, with enough bird houses to look after the entire population of winged animals in Equestria. Burrows lay pockmarked all around the small slope leading to the cottage, with rabbits hopping to and fro as they chased each other. Chipmunks and squirrels raced around Aren’s feet as he tried carefully not to step on any of them. A stone bridge overgrown with grass spanned across a small pond where frogs and turtles swam lazily in the midday heat. Twilight and Aren crossed the small bridge and stepped up to the cottage, then knocked on the door. A squeal and a crash from inside caused Aren to look at Twilight curiously. She sighed and called out to whoever was inside the house. “Fluttershy! It’s me, Twilight! I want to introduce you to someone!” The kindest and most placid voice Aren had ever heard floated out from inside the house, and he couldn’t help but smile broadly. “Oh Twilight, you scared me! I was just feeding Angel when you knocked on the door and-” Fluttershy had opened the door and spotted Aren instantly. Aren caught a glimpse of a bright yellow pegasus pony with a flowing pink mane before she squealed and dashed back inside. Twilight sighed again and made her way inside. “Wait here Aren. It’s probably best if I bring her out here myself, she’s a very shy pony.” Aren nodded and walked over to a patch of grass near the door, sitting down carefully and gazing at the different birds flying overhead. He could hear Twilight talking from inside the cottage, and a hurried response from Fluttershy, but his attention wandered and he instead found himself watching two squirrels chasing each other up a tree. A small bump against his foot brought his gaze down to a small bunny that had edged close to him. It was bright white and had one ear larger than the other. It nuzzled against his foot and Aren couldn’t help but smile. He leaned forward and gently scooped up the bunny in his arms and cradled it softly. The white rabbit curled against his chest and closed its eyes, falling asleep instantly. He rocked it slowly, humming a song he’d heard in his travels. It was slow and calm, and while the words had been lost for many years the tune had been stuck in his head for as long as he could remember. “Trust me Fluttershy, he’s a nice person. Just give him a cha-” Twilight stopped mid-sentence as she left the cottage and saw him. She began to grin uncontrollably and hurried back inside, pushing Fluttershy out and pointing at him. If this doesn’t convince her then I don’t know what will. Fluttershy stared at Aren as he cradled the bunny as gently as if it were a newborn filly. Her pink mane obscured most of her face, but the one eye that was visible was wide and staring. A smile played across her lips and she looked at Twilight, neither of them daring to intrude upon the peaceful scene. Aren was oblivious to the two, he just gazed at the bunny and continued humming the song. The rabbit suddenly leaped out of his arms and bolted towards a bush. Aren was startled by the sudden movement and the song died in his throat. He looked around carefully, searching for whatever had scared the bunny off. Then he heard it. A rush of wind, the sound of raw speed piercing through the sky, followed quickly by a “Look out below!”. Aren turned his gaze upward and saw something bright blue hurtling towards him. He raised his hand up, palm facing the bright blue cannonball, and a magical hum filled the air. The air in front of his palm began to shimmer and the blue shape began to slow down dramatically. As it slowed it began to take shape in the form of a pegasus pony, with a short mane of every colour in the rainbow. Aren’s stomach lurched as he recognised her, and the hum of magic paused briefly, but then he regained control and brought the pony safely to the ground. Twilight and Fluttershy came running over, concern etched on their faces. Aren stood up and stepped back, allowing them to see their friend. he began to shrink away from the group, moving as far away as possible without being seen. He dimly heard Twilight talking to the cyan pony. “Rainbow Dash! Are you OK? What happened, you never lose control like that..” The pegasus stood up, her body quivering slightly. “I was trying a new move to show the Wonderbolts and I got knocked off-course by Derpy! She’s made a lightning storm over Sweet Apple Acres that isn’t due for another two weeks!” Aren was almost across the small bridge when Rainbow Dash spotted him. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped in shock. Twilight looked back and saw him trying to sneak off. A sly grin crept across her face and she walked over to him, Fluttershy gingerly following her. Rainbow Dash stood rooted to the spot, either unable or unwilling to move. Twilight nudged Aren’s leg and gave him a “Don’t-try-to-sneak-off” look. “Rainbow Dash, this is Aren. He’s here to stay a while and-” She broke off. Rainbow Dash was crying. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as her body trembled. Her wings twitched and she blinked furiously, trying to wipe away the tears. Aren looked away, this was hardly the best introduction. Fluttershy had flown back to Rainbow Dash instantly and had wrapped a hoof around her friend. She could feel tears rising herself, after all she had been there... They’d all been there. Aren backed away more, trying desperately to resist the urge to teleport away from the situation. Twilight put a hoof on his knee to stop him and looked into his eyes pleadingly. “Talk to her.” He gulped and nodded, then took slow steps back across the bridge. He crouched low so that he didn’t look as intimidating, his hair falling partially over one eye. He stopped a few feet away from Rainbow and sat down, his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees. Then he waited. Rainbow Dash was still crying, fresh tears mixing with the ones already dripping down her face. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him, another human. All the memories were flooding back to her, memories she hid during the day and wallowed in at night. The pain was still fresh in her heart and stabbed away at her, each time feeling more hurtful than the last. Aren raised his hand and turned his palm to face Rainbow Dash. With a meaningful look to her, he got Fluttershy to move out of the way. His eyes closed and the hum of magic once more coursed through the air. Rainbow Dash turned her head away slightly, her eyes still locked on him, as a wave of emotion flowed over her. It was warm and inviting, relaxed and kind. It drew her out of her sadness, and while the pain was still there it felt lessened, dulled. Whatever this man was doing it was drawing her out of this unexpected misery, bringing her back from the pain. With a gasp Aren opened his eyes and he fell back, breathing heavily. Twilight rushed forwards and tried to help him up, and Rainbow noticed how he smiled and thanked her. They clearly knew each other already, and Twilight had been halfway through introducing him earlier. Aren took a moment to catch his breath, then went towards Rainbow Dash. he knelt down and looked into her eyes and spoke in a calm yet mournful tone. “Rainbow Dash. I know how much pain seeing me has caused you. I’m sure you never thought to see another human again, and all the memories resurfaced as I know they have done every time you go to sleep at night. I know the torture you endure, having something so dear to you taken away, and all I can say is that I’m sorry.” She glanced away, the warmth and comfort of the spell fading slightly as the memories of her departure flooded back. “You... You know about it then?” He nodded solemnly. “It’s my job to know. Don’t worry though, while it hurts now, I intend to make it better. Tomorrow I’m going to fix what should never have happened.” Alarm shot across her face at those words. “You can’t! I don’t want to forget! He means so much to me! I don’t want to forget my dad...” A fresh tear rolled down her face as her mind was filled with images of this strange man ripping out her memories and leaving nothing but an empty husk behind. Aren smiled and his warm, caring voice returned. “I wont make you forget, don’t worry. I’ll just make it easier for both of you. It’ll be a big job, and I’m hoping that Twilight here will actually help me with it.” Twilight blinked and stared. This was new to her, Aren hadn’t mentioned anything about her helping with whatever he had planned. Rainbow Dash smiled slightly, her eyes still watering. Aren’s spell was wearing off, and she could feel the sadness creeping up, but a small spark of hope remained alight. If this man could come here... Fluttershy crept back into view and Twilight ran over to her. They walked over to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy still concerned about her friend, and Twilight began to introduce them. “Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, this is Aren. He’s going to be living here, and he’s on a mission for the princess.” Aren smiled at her reluctance to tell them why he was really here. It was like she wanted to keep it a secret between just them. He pushed the thought aside as he held out a hand to Fluttershy and then Rainbow Dash. “Hello Fluttershy, I think Twilight was going to introduce us until our unexpected visitor arrived.” He gave a sly wink as Rainbow Dash piped up. “Hey! I’m not the unexpected visitor here, you are!” Aren laughed at this sudden flare of confidence from the blue pony. Fluttershy flinched at the noise. “Hello Aren, it’s a pleasure to meet you...” As she spoke her head sank lower and lower to the ground and her voice grew quieter. Aren looked quizzically at the two ponies standing before him, both completely different to the other. Rainbow Dash was clearly headstrong and outgoing, whereas Fluttershy was timid and nervous. The thought that two such drastic personalities could find friendship together intrigued Aren. “I assume you like animals Fluttershy?” Her ears rose at the question and her head rose slightly. “Y-yes I do like animals...” “I’ve seen lots of animals in my travels, perhaps I could tell you about them someday?”

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I've stopped at this part for now as it's my first ever fan-fic and I wanted to see if it was worth writing more. Considering you want to see more I'll continue writing right away!

So I wrote this in the small hours of the morning when I should have been sleeping. It's an idea that I've had for a while but I've never really tried to write it. I need some opinions on it and I'm too terrified to ask my friends XD [uNFINISHED] Guardian of Worlds The hill was idyllic. Lush green grass covered the mound of earth as the sun warmed the soil, fresh from the night’s rain. It provided a perfect view of the town, gazing softly at the curved roofs and roads. A bird chirped in a distant tree, the idle chatter of citizens going about their business drifted on the breeze. Then he appeared, in a flash of lightning and clap of thunder. The hill was instantly blackened and scorched, smoke curling up from the burnt grass. The sun glared harshly on the intruder, his form crouched on one knee. In his hand was a sword, bright white with a deep red hilt. His hair fell over his face as he stared at the ground. His very presence was offensive, he didn’t belong in this land. It felt like every inch of soil was trying to push him away, back to where he came from. He shook the feeling off and stood up. He was six feet tall, with sparkling blue eyes and brown hair that slanted across his brow, partially obscuring one eye. A scar traced across his cheek and curved towards his ear, a souvenir from a past journey. He looked around and smiled at the peaceful land he found himself in. It was a pleasant change for once. He saw the town and made his way there, sheathing his sword and checking his armour. It was thin but sturdy, and looked remarkably like leather, yet it was stronger, more resilient. It was a faded brown, worn down by constant use. He always liked to travel light, anything heavier felt clumsy and lopsided. He passed a group of birds in a tree and frowned slightly as they scattered as he came nearer, flying high into the branches and out of sight. This might be a problem. It didn’t take long to reach the town. He came in through a small path and made his way through, passing by the odd-looking houses (one looked like it was made of candy). His eyes picked up the movement ahead, of the citizens fleeing at the sight of him. He didn’t blame them, he was hardly a warm and friendly figure to approach right now considering he just burned an entire hill upon his arrival. It was then that he realised how threatening his weapon must be to these people, so he darted in-between some houses and held up the sword, sheathe and all. He then closed his eyes and concentrated. With a gentle hum the sword vanished from sight, though he still held it in his hands. Satisfied, he put it back in its place, then resumed his walk. Despite having never been here before, he knew where to go. He found the house in an instant, a giant tree shaped into a home. Windows protruded everywhere, some hidden between the leaves, others carved into the trunk itself. He even spotted a small balcony jutting out over one of the branches. The door was a little too small for him to fit in, so he crouched slightly and knocked. A few seconds passed, and then the door opened slowly, creaking gently as it swung inward. He stepped back slightly to allow the occupant out, which she did hesitantly. The first glaring feature was that she wasn’t human, which came as no surprise to him. Instead the man was staring at a unicorn, no bigger than three feet tall. Her coat was a light shade of purple, with her mane a dark velvet and a pink streak running through it. Her eyes were also purple, and they glistened with intelligence, though at this time they also held a hint of fear. She looked at this stranger, this intruder, and stuttered out a greeting. “H-Hello?” The man smiled softly and spoke in a calm, reassuring tone. “Do I have the honour of addressing Twilight Sparkle?” He felt her surprise as he spoke her name, and he also felt the added tension and fear. “What... What do you want?” She backed away slightly, a movement that the man noticed, so he backed away himself, giving her plenty of room. “I need to speak to you urgently, and Princess Celestia if it’s possible.” Twilight’s apprehension of this strange man faded slightly, if he knew the princess then surely he was safe to talk to? She nodded slowly and moved back into her house, looking back to see if the man was following her. He was, and Twilight wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not. Had she not met one of these creatures before then she wouldn’t have even opened the door. As the man crouched through the small doorway and entered the main room, a giant library full of shelves and books, Twilight turned and faced him. “Spike shouldn’t be back for a while, and he’s our quickest chance of getting Princess Celestia here. I hope you don’t mind waiting?” She relaxed slightly as the man nodded simply and sat down on the floor, apparently grabbing thin air by his hip and holding some imaginary object in front of him. With a small intake of air the sword appeared in his hands and he placed it on the floor next to him, gazing carefully up at Twilight to see if she would react. She seemed more curious than afraid, and she took a tentative step closer at the mans’ clear use of magic. He looked at her and motioned for her to sit in front of him. “I imagine you have a lot of questions for me already?” “Well, yes. It’s not often that a human appears in Ponyville asking to see Princess Celestia. In fact, you might be the only human to ever be seen here.” The mans’ smile faded and Twilight saw sadness flash across his face. She knows what I am. So it did happen... He quickly recovered and his smile reappeared as if nothing had changed and he held out a hand. “My name’s Aren. Well, it used to be something else but I forgot it a long time ago, so I just call myself Aren now.” Twilight reached her hoof out to meet Aren’s hand and he grasped it and shook firmly. “How do you know my name? How do you know the princess? She’s never mentioned you before...” He chuckled softly at her confusion. “That would be because she’s never met me before. Don’t worry, once I’ve explained everything then you’ll know why I’m here and what the problem is.” Her ears perked up at the word “problem” and worry began to creep across her face. “Relax Twilight, I’m here to fix the problem. It’s my job.” Something about him was reassuring and Twilight found herself relaxing around this complete stranger. “I felt something a moment ago, like a surge of magic, was that-” With sudden urgency the door opened and slammed against the inside of the house. Aren quickly rolled to his feet, his sword half-drawn while Twilight yelped and jumped back, her horn glowing faintly. Stepping briskly through the doorway was Princess Celestia. Her wings were twitching against her bright white sides and her horn hummed with magic. Her eyes were alert and staring and her nostrils flared with panic. Her usual gentle voice was etched with panic and fear. “Twilight, what happened? I felt it just a second ago, has something gone wrong? Is anypony hurt? I-” She stopped as she saw Aren calmly sheathing his sword and kneeling before her. Confusion flashed across her face as he spoke to her in a calm voice. “Princess Celestia, my name is Aren and I’m afraid I was the one who caused the disturbance. I never was very good at teleporting and it gets even worse when you don’t know exactly where to go.” Celestia looked at Twilight as if she would reveal some secret she had yet to be told of, but Twilight stared back just as confused. Aren stepped back to allow Celestia in and then resumed his seat on the floor, beckoning for both to do the same. “What is the meaning of this Aren? You know my name and evidently you have managed to convince Twilight that your intentions are good. I had half of the unicorns in Canterlot begging for an explanation to the surge of magic we all just felt.” Aren took a steadying breath, his expression grim. He stared into Celestia’s eyes as he began, his voice low and serious. “Before I tell you why I’m here, you need to know who I am. From what Twilight told me just a second ago you know about other worlds, correct?” Princess Celestia nodded elegantly, her regal composure returning after the shock of seeing a human. “Right, well the problem is that these worlds are never meant to intersect. They are all meant to exist independantly of each other, never touching and, for the most part, never knowing. However sometimes incidents occur when these worlds manage to connect, I believe you’ve already encountered this with the... the Rainbow Dash incident.” He glanced down as sadness crossed his face once more, something that both Twilight and Celestia noticed. He looked back up and coughed. “I’m part of a group, well a society really, that guards these worlds and stops these things from happening. If two worlds collide then we go in and fix it, hopefully before anything drastic happens. Sometimes we’re too late and parts of the two worlds intermingle with each other, which causes a bit more of an issue but we fix it all the same. We’re often known as the Guardians of Worlds.” Celestia’s eyes widened slightly, the only change in her stoney gaze. Aren hesitated, explaining what he did was easy, explaining why he was here was going to be more difficult. “Unfortunately we have an issue with your world. It seems to be experiencing more breaks than anybody else. We-” Twilight looked quizzically at Aren “Hold on a second. Breaks?” He hit his head with the palm of his hand. “Sorry. A break is when there’s a hole in a world. Imagine the barrier between worlds as a strip of cloth. At some point there’s going to be a rip or a tear in the cloth and whatever is on the other side will come through that tear. In this case we’re talking about elements of those worlds filtering in through the break. What we do is come in and fix the cloth, patch it up so to speak. Is that a bit clearer?” He glanced at both Twilight and Celestia, Twilight seeming more content with his answer. Celestia just nodded gracefully, retaining her royal stature. “Right, well like I said, your world is experiencing more breaks than any other world we’ve encountered. Too many, in fact. So instead of constantly reacting to whatever break happens next the people in charge have deemed it neccesary to permanently station someone here. Normally we don’t do this, we don’t get involved in the affairs of different worlds, but we just can’t keep up with the breaks being caused here.” Princess Celestia leaned forward and Aren looked at her. “Do you know why these... breaks... are happening?” “It’s a topic of debate for many of us. Some think it’s the heavy use of magic in your world that keeps affecting the barrier. Others say that your barrier is just naturally weaker than others. Nobody knows for sure, but the issue isn’t what’s causing the problem, it’s how we’re going to deal with it.” Twilight stood up, her voice questioning. “But surely you can stop it quicker by discovering what the problem is?” “Look, I don’t believe that our approach to this matter is the best, I agree with you. but I don’t make the decisions, I just do what I’m told.” Twilight and Celestia were disappointed with this answer, but they both resumed their seats and continued to listen. “So as you’ve already guessed, I’m the one they’ve sent to guard your world. I’ll essentially be Equestria’s bodyguard. I’m hoping you can understand that if it weren’t absolutely neccessary then I wouldn’t be here right now.” There was a long pause, during which Aren looked uncomfortably at Celestia, who stared back, her multicoloured mane shimmering behind her. After what felt like an age she finally spoke. “Aren, thank you for making some things clear. I knew of other worlds from the incident with Rainbow Dash, and I was never sure of how it had happened. From what you have just told me it seems like one of these... breaks...?” He nodded “...Had somehow thrown Rainbow into another world. Are you saying you could have fixed that?” Aren’s face darkened. He knew the question would eventually be asked. Better now than never. “Not that particular break, no. The break happened simultaneously with the incident that sent Rainbow Dash through to that world. However, we... could have brought Rainbow Dash back instantly.” Twilight and Celestia stood up in shock, Celestia’s nostrils flaring. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she pawed the ground. Aren raised his hands defensively as he begged them to listen. “Please it wasn’t my fault! I was somewhere else, dealing with a major problem in a different world. It’s where I got this.” He gestured to the scar on his cheek. “The person who was meant to deal with that break couldn’t bear to tear Rainbow Dash away from him. He could see the good it did for both of them, how happy they both were, and he didn’t want to take that away from them. He got punished of course, but before anything could be done you all found Rainbow Dash and resolved the situation on your own, which was a much better conclusion than to what was originally going to happen.” Celestia’s voice was low and threatening. “And just what was going to happen had we not rescued her?” “We would have simply taken Rainbow Dash out of that world and brought her back here, memories wiped for both of them as if nothing had ever happened, eradicating fifteen years of love and happiness in an instant. What you did was better and worse in many ways” Celestia’s nostrils flared once again “But I intend to fix it. It’s too late to rectify what happened, but I can make it easier on both of them. While not quite allowed by my superiors, I doubt they’d object to it, but for now we need to discuss what’s going to happen with me. I can easily stay out of sight and out of mind, away from everybody, coming to help only when needed.” Twilight and Celestia had settled down on the floor again, both calm. Twilight was finding this discussion a little too much for her to deal with in one sitting. Celestia was as regal as ever, her face as if it was carved in iron. She looked at Aren, studying him carefully. Then she spoke, her voice kind and welcoming. “No. If you are to protect Equestria from these breaks, then I think you should be involved in this world. You have been sent here to be a part of this world, to protect us from whatever worlds are out there. To simply isolate yourself from us and only come out when needed doesn’t seem like a kind gesture from us when you are trying help. We can find you a home wherever you wish to live, you can even stay in Canterlot if you want.” Aren smiled awkwardly at their generosity. He wasn’t used to people being so open towards him. “Thank you, but I think a major city like Canterlot will be a bit too much for me to handle. I’m used to being alone or in a small group, so throwing me into a city where I know barely anybody wouldn’t be best. However I’d need to be somewhere that lets me contact you in a hurry if there’s a problem, teleporting isn’t my best talent...” His mind flashed back to the charred hill overlooking the town and he grimaced as he imagined appearing in the middle of a crowded city. Twilight stepped forward hesitantly, her head hanging slightly lower as she crept between the two taller beings. “Well, I have Spike who can send messages to you, princess, why not stay here in Ponyville?” Aren glanced at Celestia, trying to see what she was thinking. Her face creased into a smile as she nodded. “I think that would be best for all of us. Aren, would you like to live here? We can find an available house for you to have.” Aren shook his head, Celestia raising her ears slightly at the gesture. “Thanks for offering me a house, but I can make my own home. I’d like to live here though, the town seems small enough for me to be able to live in and the ability to communicate with you instantly is invaluable.” Twilight smiled softly at Aren, glad to have a new friend to get to know. He could use magic, so maybe they could compare notes? Oh! I could help him with his teleporting! She couldn’t help but grin at the thought of teaching him. Aren saw her smile and grinned himself, glad that things worked out as well as they did. Princess Celestia nodded once and rose. “Well that’s settled then. While I’m sure you’ve not told us everything, I think that we have enough to try and work our heads around for now. I’ll stop by tomorrow so that we can talk properly. I still have many questions Aren, and I’m sure my student here will want to be present too.” Twilight nodded twice. “Princess Celestia, would it be possible for my friends to be present as well? This seems like something they should know about, especially Rainbow Dash...” Aren turned his head away at the mention of her name. Celestia nodded to Twilight and encouraged her to bring them all along tomorrow, then left through the door, leaving Twilight and Aren in peace. “So, Aren. Would you like a tour of Ponyville?” “Sure, would we be able to meet your friends along the way?” Twilight grinned at his eagerness to meet them. She chuckled and headed out the door, Aren trailing behind as he placed his sword and sheathe back next to his hip, the familiar weight comforting him in this odd world. He stepped outside into the sun’s rays. He closed his eyes briefly and basked in the warmth. The last world he’d visited was cold and desolate, a stark contrast to the environment he was in now. He saw Twilight waiting for him a few meters down the path and hurried to catch up with her. His smile faltered as he saw ponies hiding from him, obviously scared of this stranger who had materialised out of nowhere. Twilight saw his smile disappear and a frown flickered across her face. She jumped onto the nearest box and, before Aren could stop her, shouted out. “Listen up everypony! This is Aren, and he’s been hired by Princess Celestia for royal business! You don’t have to be afraid, he’s a friend!” She looked at Aren and grinned, obviously pleased with her tactic. Aren was secretly pleased too, the less who knew about his true role, the better. A small crowd of ponies began to form, all of them cautious despite Twilight’s reassurances. Aren crouched down so that he was level with them and held his hand out to the nearest pony. “Hi there!” The pony jumped back at the movement. Her mane was a dark pink, but her coat was a much lighter shade. The pony looked up at Twilight who nodded, then the strange pony took a deep breath. Aren looked at her, confused. “HimynameisPinkiePieandohboyamIgladtomeetyou!IhopewebecomegoodfriendsbecauseIjustLOVEmakingnewfriendsothisisgonnabesoawesome!” Aren stared. This pony (Pinkie Pie did she say her name was?) seemed totally insane. During her barrage of speech she had hopped around him, jumped onto his back and run crazily amongst the group of bystanders. She’d even managed to pull a cupcake out of nowhere and hand it to him. “Anyway I have to go! Enjoy the cupcake and I hope to see you soo-oon!” She then hopped away down the road to the building that seemed to be made of candy. Aren just stood rooted to the spot, his eyes staring after Pinkie Pie in shock. His mouth was agape and he glanced at Twilight, who could barely contain her laughter. he looked at the other ponies and saw that they too were on the verge of laughing. His eyes swung back to where Pinkie Pie had bounced off to as he said in a distant voice “Friend of yours Twilight?” She couldn’t contain it anymore. Twilight burst out laughing and rolled on the floor, her chest heaving with laughter. The other ponies followed suit and began to laugh all around him. Aren began to chuckle softly, then took a bite out of the cupcake (which had a hint of apple in it).

Hi everybody(pony)! The name's hargleblarg and I'm here to say hello. I hope to make some friends and to possibly contribute to the forums! (insert obligatory brohoof here)