The lonely Stallion

Intro Theme: Take Me Higher

It was a dark night in Ponyville, the streets were empty, and Princess Luna’s moon shined brightly in the sky. It was a late spring’s night, and the air was thick with moisture from the previous rain they had that day, but the clouds were gone now, leaving behind the moist folia that shined in the moonlight with water. Just outside of Ponyville, there was a noodle vendor, serving up a Colt a large bowl of Noodles. The Stallion sat there, enjoying his late night meal as the other prepared him a second bowl.

The Stallion pushed the second bowl towards the customer, “So, have you ever heard the legend of, Obiko?”

He took a hearty amount with his fork and shoveled it into his mouth, “Yeah, about the monster that used to guard these parts of Equestria. I’ve heard about it, but the story also says, that now he’s an evil creature who preys on Ponies. But that’s just an old legend.”

The Chef smiled, “So it is, so it is. Do you ever want to see this Obiko?”

“Nah, I scare pretty easily, heheh.”

The chef began to sharpen one of his knives, “You and me both, hm. I could take you too him, if you like.”

The customer got up from his seat, “I’m alright, and thanks for the food though, best noodles I’ve had in a while.”

When he turned around to leave, he heard what sounded like a child talking, “Come play… Come play with Obiko…” He inched his way towards the pot as it rattled slowly, making the Stallion feel extremely shaky. Slowly, he lifted up the lid, and that was when a gnarled five digit hand pulled him in. His screams were soon muffled as the chef covered up the lid, holding it down with his hooves, “Thank you for coming.”

XXX

“Heh, another one gone missing? Sheesh, this is one active kidnaper were dealing with, that’s the fifth one this past week.” Cory turned another page as he read through the extended Newspaper article.

The others sat around while Rainbow Dash napped on Twilights floor, “Apparently, they claim that the responsibility for these disappearances are from a monster called, Obiko? Heh, weird.”

“Obiko” Applejack said, “But that’s just a little ol’ story. I don’t see how all that could stir up a bunch of ruckus, besides, ain’t Obiko supposed to be good?”

“Supposedly” said Twilight as she paced back and forth, “But there’s quite a bit of stuff going on now, so it wouldn’t surprise me if its evil were dealing with…”

Rainbow turned over onto her side, “Come on guys, really? You’re not about to just go and believe in an old story. I mean, come on, it was kinda creepy to hear him become evil when we were Fillies, but seriously?”

Rarity sipped from her tea, “This seems fairly serious Rainbow, but I do see where you’re coming from. It probably is best that we do take a look around, as Twilight said we are responsible for making sure everypony around here is safe.”

“But why?” Pinkie asked, “Why would he want to abduct Ponies?”

Rainbow flew over to Pinkie, “Look Pinkie, were not even sure if this guy is real. We’re gonna go on a search tonight and see if we find anything, alright?”

XXX

“Alright, Everypony is here right?” asked Twilight, receiving nods from all six of her friends. Twilight crossed it off her check list as she rolled up the scroll and placed it in her satchel. “AppleJack, you patrol Meadow Street, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, you go ahead and get Main Street. Rarity, you go ahead and check Lily Boulevard, Rainbow, patrol around Lark Road, me and Cory will take a look around this area, now move out!” The others nodded in unison as they set out on their search.

The Apple bucker didn’t have to get far before she caught sight of a Chef stirring what appeared to be a pot of noodles, pouring some sort of Soup Broth over them as he set them to a boil, “Hello ma’am would a pretty Mare such as yourself care for a late night meal?”

AppleJack smiled but did not stop walking, “Thank yah kindly, but Ah’m just fine. Perhaps some other time.” AppleJack walked on by the Noodle stand the Chef stood next too, and she had to admit, the smell was amazing. If she had a few bits on her, she’d certainly stop and get herself a bowl, but at the same time she had a major responsibility. Walking by, Obiko stared at her with a smile as he slowly lifted the lid off of his Pot, letting the head of his only friend, shadow, peak out. As AppleJack walked further away, little did she know that the Obiko she was looking for was close by. From behind, she heard a child’s voice speak, “Come play, come play with me, Obiko!”

The Apple Bucker stopped dead in her tracks, “Whooaaa nelly, just keep walkin AJ, don’t be lookin back now…” Tried as she could, her senses got the best of her, and she slowly turned her head. Strangely, she saw nothing, nothing but an empty street. Sighing with relief, she trotted a bit faster down the street, “I wonder what the others are up to.” Tonight was getting way to spooky for her.

As Obiko ran up the street laughing, he was driven to a halt when he caught sight of both Twilight and Cory just several meters in front of them, “What’s so funny? You’re out here pretty late to be selling noodles, its best that you go back to your home immediately, Celestia’s orders.” said Twilight, examining Obiko with her large Lavender eyes. As Cory stood next to her, he could AppleJack galloping up the street, “Twilight! Cory! Get away from him, Obiko’s the noodle vendor!” Obiko smiled as he pulled out his wand, firing a small but quick laser blast from it as he made a quick getaway as he laughed.

Luckily, Cory managed to tackle Twilight out of harm’s way before the blast could strike either of them. Sitting up, he checked on Twilight to make sure she was ok, “You alright?”

“Yeah, a bit shocked is all. How’d you know that he was Obiko, Applejack?”

“I was trottin down the street when I saw his stand. It had to be him, nopony else was on that street… Things are getting mighty creepy Twilight; I sure hope the others will be ok…”

Rainbow trotted down the streets, turning her head every which way to find the small monster. Of course, she’d much rather be in bed, reading Daring Doo, but this was at least a bit more exciting. Her Magenta eyes caught something when she glanced to her left. Turning her head, she could see Obiko coming towards her with his Cart at great speed. Spooked, Rainbow took of flying down the street, trying to outrun Obiko who was still easily gaining on her. Within a matter of a few seconds, he was neck and neck with her, laughing mockingly as Rainbow Dash increased her speed, and he did as well. Having had enough, Rainbow Dash flew upwards above the houses, leaving Obiko to race down the street as he continued to laugh.

She scratched the back of her head before she flew away in search of the others, “Well, that was, weird..?”

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy trotted down the road, with Fluttershy barely keeping up as she shook. Pinkie Pie hummed herself a tune, but stopped when the smell of the noodles hit her nose. She salivated as she looked around, catching sight of Obiko stirring a large pot of them. Pinkie did not have much of a dinner, and the Noodles did sound good as much as they smelled. Her and Fluttershy trotted over to the vendor and took a seat on the bench that was kicked out from the wooden stand, “So, two bowls?”

Fluttershy shook her head, “No thank you sir, I’m alright.”

“Well, one it is then.”

While Obiko prepared the noodles, Fluttershy whispered into Pinkie’s ear, “Pinkie, I dunno about this. To have somepony selling noodles this late, don’t you think it’s a tad suspicious?”

Pinkie laughed, “It’s never too late to have some Noodles! Besides, they DO smell good!”

“Here you are, ma’am.” He pushed the bowl towards her, which Pinkie immediately devoured. Even for a monster, Obiko was taken back at her horrid manners. When she was done, the bowl rested on the top of her head and a stray noodle hung from her snout, “How much?”

Obiko laughed, “Don’t worry, it’s all free…. Heh, all free…” slowly he lifted up the kettle, placing his hoof on the lid. As he began to open it, a Rainbow colored blur tackled both Pinkie and Flutter from their seats. The two ponies regained their senses after a few seconds, shaking their head as they stood up, “Hey! What gives?” Pinkie said, clearly annoyed. Rainbow Dash shook the dirt from her coat, “Pinkie, that guys is Obiko! Get away from him!”

Soon after she said that, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight and Cory showed up. AppleJack and Rainbow helped Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy up as Cory and Twilight stepped closer to the noodle maker, “Who are you?”

“My name is Obiko, behold, my shadow. Come on out, Shadow!” He tapped the cart with his want, and from the front popped the shadow that was within it. The serpent like Shadow fired a stream of flames from its mouth, just barely missing the group of ponies and the human before it. “Do not underestimate the power of shadows, you ignorant Mares…” after that, both he and his cart vanished into thin air.

AppleJack readjusted her Stetson, “So that’s Obiko…”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, and by the looks of it, he’s not something to take lightly.”

“Then it looks like we’re gonna have to lay down a good old beating on him, right Cory?” Rainbow poked him with her elbow.

The Human kept his gaze where Obiko was just moments before, “I think that there’s a lot more to this guy than we think…”

XXX

“Here!” Twilight levitated a book from the shelf as she brought it over to both her and Cory. Spike was already well asleep, so it was just Twilight and Cory who were there to do some further studying, “Ah here we are, Shadow Monster Obiko… Obiko was an ancient guardian, “she paused for a second, “Guardian?” she read a bit further, “Of the ancient village that is now Ponyville. There he maintained his identity of being a stallion that way he could live peacefully in the village. Like Tiga and the other giants of light, he guarded Equestria, but mainly the village he lived in. But after 400 years of protecting his home, he was overpowered by Yapool, and was sent into a deep slumber that way Yapool’s Chouju could destroy his village…”

Cory plopped down into a chair, “So, I guess it makes sense…”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how it said that this village used to be his home right?”

Twilight closed the book and placed it back on the shelf, “Yeah?”

“Well, wouldn’t it make sense that he’d try to scare us all out of Ponyville? He has to have a plan for all this…” Cory reclined back in the chair, “But how could he be a guardian if he’s causing so much trouble?”

Twilight flipped through another book, “You may be right, if that’s really the case then I understand why he’s doing all of this, I just wish we could talk with him…”

“Are you sure that’ll work?” Cory yawned, stretching himself and folding his arms over his chest.

Twilight sat down next to the chair, “I’m not sure… Tomorrow, we’ll meet up with the others, alright? Cory?” The human had fallen fast asleep in the recliner, his chest slowly rose and fell. Twilight giggled as she walked over towards her couch and grabbed a blanket, pulling it over the Teenage boy as he slept, “Goodnight, Cory” she whispered into his ear. She nuzzled him before making her way up the stairs for the night, she was gonna need all the rest she could get for tomorrow.

XXX

In the morning Twilight was awoken by Spike who was shaking her awake, “Spike, what are you doin?” she asked as she rubbed her left eye. The young dragon made his way over to the window and opened it, revealing a crowd of Ponies right in front of the library. She gasped loud enough that it woke up Cory, “Twilight, whats going on?” he asked, getting out of his bed. He looked out the window as well, and was equally as shocked to see such a large crowd there that early in the day.

The trio made their way down the stairs, already hearing Ponies banging on the front door. Cory slowly opened the door, barely dodging a few hooves that were meant to be pounded against the wood, “Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! What the heck is going on here!?”

“More Ponies have gone missing, and Obiko is still at large! You guys are supposed to be in charge of finding him!” shouted a Cherry red Mare in reaching distance. A few others began to yell as Twilight exited the tree, “Can everypony please calm down and allow us to explain?” Twilight could also see that AppleJack, Fluttershy , Rarity, and the others were also being questioned by some of the Towns Ponies.

As Cory made his way towards the center of the crowd, he stopped in front of two small fillies, which were even younger than AppleBloom, “Does Obiko really have a pot for a head?” asked the oldest one.

“Of course not, pots aren’t for wearing they’re for-“

“Scary.” Whimpered the smallest.

Outside of Ponyville, the stallion stood on top of a tree, a smile formed among his features, “Heh, well, it seems that my plan is all coming to completion, now.” He pulled out a wooden flute from his white Gei, “It’s time to make a pest of myself..”

“Hey, would you chill with the shoving!?” snapped Rainbow Dash, pushing away a Mare who stood in her way, “Were trying to find him too, if you guys would calm down and just let us explain so we could-” The sound of a flute and a saxophone mixed together echoed through the air, causing a large panic in the town as Ponies screamed and fled for their homes. This made it a bit easier for the Mane six and Cory to find each other, “Wait, if Obiko’s a night dweller, what’s he doing out in the daylight?” Rarity asked as she moved out of a fleeing Ponies way.

Twilight glanced around, but couldn’t see past the dust that was kicked up, “I dunno, but I got an idea, everypony check every dark place in all of Ponyville!”

“Huuhhh!?” the others said in unison.

Cory walked into a restaurant, opening up closed ovens and doors as he scooted past the busy Chefs, “Excuse me!” he said as he tried to make his way towards the source of the noise. He opened up a large cupboard, but only found a Jack in the Box that popped up. It had a note attached to its head that said, “Gotta be faster than that!” Not too far, Cheerilee opened her Mail Box, and out popped Pinkie Pie from the inside, “Nope, no Obiko in here! Oh and here’s your mail! She chirped. She squeezed her way out from the tin and sped down the street.

Rainbow Dash checked up in the shady tree tops, the only thing she saw was an enraged Squirrel toss a few Acorns at her while he shook his small fist. The Cyan Pegasus rolled her eyes and sped off to search somewhere else. AppleJack searched around a playground where she heard the Flute being played. Looking underneath the slide, she could see Obiko playing his flute, slowly stopping when he caught sight of the Apple Bucker, “Aha! Got you!” she dashed underneath the slide, but Obiko waved to her as he disappeared, making AppleJack collide with the tin slide. In another part of Town, Rarity saw Snips scream and run out of a photo booth at full speed. Looking inside, there was no one else in there, but the picture that it took showed Obiko covering his eyes from the blinding flash.

Fluttershy and Twilight were inside of a small wardrobe store where the same tune was being played. Opening up the largest one, Twilight felt the flute of Obiko tap her on the head, making her step back as Fluttershy whimpered and fell back with her. Obiko laughed at the two of them as he disappeared yet again. In front of the shop, Twilight met up with the others, all of them had no such luck. However, a cart that was being hauled by Big Macintosh sped by them, and the sound of the flute went with it, “Wait, wait up!” the shouted, chasing the cart down the street.

XXX

In a park, AppleJack greedily drank from a drinking fountain while Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, “Alright, seriously, why does this guy like spooking Ponies so much?”

Cory sat next to Rarity as they looked over the picture she found of Obiko, “Look! He can’t take bright lights, that flash must have really hurt him…” Cory pointed out.

Twilight hopped off of the bench she sat on, “Right, which is why it’s so strange that he would be running around during the day… He hates light, mostly because he can die from it.”

Cory placed his fist under his chin, “There must be a reason…”

“A reason?” Rarity questioned.

“There must be a reason why he must want to scare everypony so bad…” he stood up from the edge of the slide, “Looks like we’re gonna have to find out what exactly it is.”

XXX

Obiko sat upon a hill that overlooked the town of Ponyville. The sun was starting to set, making the sky turn a goldish orange on the Horizon, “Well, Shadow, the sunset is the only thing that never changes, right? I suppose were gonna have to leave this place, old friend…” The Shadow poked its head through the lid, “Why on earth would we do that? We can easily get rid of this place, and have them move somewhere else.”

Obiko kept his eyes on the town below, “I can hardly believe it, the old village just seemed to have disappeared… Do you remember the village lookout, and over there were the Lotus fields… I can still remember my Wife Clover Spring and our children… Your right, Shadow, this is our last night, let’s make it count!”

“Right!”

Back in the small town, Ponies immediately closed their shops, boarded their windows, and shut off street lamps and signs with lights were also turned out, “Run, get into your homes!Obiko is coming!” yelled one Stallion as he packed his Satchel full of food from the unmanned street vendors. The whole town was shut in entirely in less than 10 minutes as darkness finally settled in, however, all except for 6 ponies and one human. Twilight horn churned with a small amount of magical aura as it directed her towards where Obiko supposedly was, “With this new spell, I just might be able to track him, and then we could try and settle a few things.” She turned back towards Rainbow Dash, “Peacefully…”

Soon her horn slowly died down to a dimming glow when they could see the back of Obiko, they could notice that he kept his gaze on the dark town of Ponyville that was bathed with Moonlight. His eyes widened as tears of joy welled within them, “Look, I can see it! The old village! Over there look, there’s the watch tower, and beyond that, the Lotus fields! Come my friends; let us celebrate in the Lotus fields! We’ll have a grand time! A feast, the eight of us! And my wife, with my children. Yes, my Wife Clover Spring, I’m back! The old village has returned, the old village has returned!” he chanted, patting the top of his pot.

“Obiko!” Cory interrupted, “That not the village… That’s Ponyville.”

“What are you talking about, I see it, with my own two eyes it’s the-“

“We see it too, and that’s not the village you once knew…” Cory took a step closer to the confused Stallion, “Your village was destroyed long ago by Yapool…”

“That’s a lie… That’s a lie… My village, I can see-“

“Obiko…” Cory said sternly, “That’s not your village… I’m sorry… You can live with us in Ponyville, we’ll welcome you, and the seven of us already do.” He extended his hand towards the Stallion.

“But, I, I can see it.. I can..See…” Obiko looked at Ponyville, feeling tears well in his eyes as he could feel his heart break, “No, that’s, that’s not fair… My home, my village, my, my family…” he covered his face with his hooves, “My family…!” he wept. The others even found it hard not to cry at the depressing scene.

Cory stepped closer to the crying pony, “Obiko, come on, we’ll take you to the-“

“Get away from me! All of you!” he said between gritted teeth, feeling his eyes burn and his face grow hot.

It was a minute of nothing but the sound of Obiko’s sobs and the wind through the trees before Rarity stepped in, “I’m so sorry dear, we, we can find you a new home. One just as peaceful and beautiful as the one you used to know. It has to be out there.”

“I don’t need a new home…” Obiko retorted, looking up again towards the small village with salty eyes, “Ponyville, whatever this place is, I’ll be sure to destroy with my own two hooves…!”

This time Twilight intervened, “ Obiko, wait!”

But there was no stopping him now. His body went through its transformation as he grew into a giant biped monster, becoming the once guardian of the village that was his home, Obiko roared as he made his way towards Ponyville. The Mane six and Cory split up, all forming a type of semi-circle around Obiko. Cory stayed close with Twilight, the two of them finally making eye contact for a few seconds. She placed a hoof onto his chest, “You know what to do, but you mustn’t kill him, convince him to stop.” Cory nodded in response as he pulled out his relic. Twilight hugged as she then galloped away, stopping to give him a reassuring smile. Raising his hand into the air, he pressed the switch on the side of the device, coating his body with light as he grew to a size slightly taller than the medium sized monster.

As Obiko made his way closer to the village, Tiga stepped in front of him, landing a karate chop to Obiko’s head and then pushing back the sad beast with a quick shove. Obiko flailed his arms as he tried to land a few hits on Tiga, but Ultraman simply stiff armed him, keeping the monster back with ease. Obiko grabbed hold of the arm, biting into it as he growled in fury. Tiga pulled back his arm as he grabbed one of the horns on Obiko’s head, lifting the guardian from his feet and tossing him a small distance away. He roared in anger as he got back to his feet, attempting to swat Tiga with his hand, only to have it blocked and his side round house kicked.

Obiko roared in anger as he tried kicking Tiga in the stomach, put his foot was easily caught, and Tiga twisted Obiko’s ankle slightly, and then pushed him back. Obiko roared in pain and anger as he returned to his feet, firing a quick ball of flames from his face that Tiga swiftly side stepped, dodging it. Tiga cracked his knuckles as he waited for the Kaiju to make his next move.

Twilight fired a small beam from her horn at Obiko, gaining his attention, “Please Obiko, you must stop this! Destroying the village won’t do you any good, it won’t bring back the Old village! You’re not supposed to be a destroyer; you’re supposed to be a guardian!”

Obiko pretended he didn’t hear her, firing a weak fire ball at Tiga. The Ultra moved his head to the side, easily dodging the shoddy attack. Obiko raised his hands up to his face once again to charge up an even stronger blast. As he did so, he heard a soothing, relaxing voice in his mind.

“You were always a stubborn one, Obiko” she said.

“Clover Spring…” the monster thought to himself.

“Obiko, please, do not harm their village; don’t destroy it, as you would not want ours to be either.” As he looked on beyond the giant before him, he could see PonyVille in a new light. Now, he realized that it was not his home, but it could be one as welcoming, and just as loving as the one he once knew. These Ponies were right; he could live there peacefully, with them. For himself, and for Clover Spring…

He quickly brought down his fists as a sign of a truce, but it was too late. Tiga fired a bolt of blue energy from his hand, striking Obiko in his chest. The Mane six gasped as did Tiga while the Guardian fell to his side, mortally wounded from the piercing bolt of energy. Tiga ran over to him, holding the monster up while supporting his head with his hand. Cory felt his heart grow heavy as he looked down to the pitiful, lonely monster. Obiko nodded to Tiga, “I forgive you, Ultraman…Tiga…” with those final words of goodbye, Obiko’s body slowly went limp, signaling his passing to Tiga and the six Ponies. As he died, both he and Tiga turned to light as they dissolved, becoming nothing but a few stray light particles.

On the ground, the Mane six looked up in wonder, “But why?” Applejack asked, “Why would he try to attack Ponyville, if it was his home…”

“He just wanted to live again.” Rarity added, “He wanted to live again, with his family in his village. A good home with a loving family and friends is not replaceable. He must have wanted to live with them again so much; it drew him to the edge.”

“He just wanted his home back, and the happiness that came with it…” Fluttershy said.

“What do you think is gonna happen to him?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up towards the stars.

“I’m sure Tiga took care of it.” From the bushes, Cory met up with his friends once more, “He did him a special favor, one that I’m sure he’ll appreciate.” He stood next to Fluttershy as he joined them in star gazing. It was truly a beautiful and now peaceful night.

"How're yah so sure?" Asked the AppleBucker.

"I'm sure he has his ways."

And in fact, he did do Obiko a small favor. The spirit of Obiko traveled alone in the abyss of stars and moonlight. The sad spirit then heard a feminine voice call his name, “Obiko, Obiko…” He turned to see the spirit of his wife, Clover Spring, join him in the starlit night sky, “Clover Spring, your still here.” He stayed close to her, looking into her emerald eyes, “Clover, I’m so sorry, my mind just went foggy and I-“

She placed a hoof on his lips, “Shhh, it’s alright. Come Obiko, join the rest of us, and live a beautiful life of peace. It is what you always wanted for us.” He smiled as he followed her beyond the stars, and it is stars they soon became that twinkled in the night sky. From the ground, Cory smiled as he looked up towards the shining diamonds, “No hard feelings, Obiko.” He thought to himself.

And from then on, the lonely guardian lived an afterlife of peace with the spirits of his village... And it was one, that he had always wanted.

Ending Theme: Brave Love Tiga

Next Chapter: Chapter 20: The Dawn will never rise Again Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour