War Horse

by Spartanfur06

1. A Pony Named Ares

It was a dark and stormy night in Ponyville. Lightning cracked across the sky as rain lashed the windows of the Ponyville library. Inside Twilight Sparkle watched the storm beneath a furrowed brow.

"How long did the pegasi say this storm was going to last, Spike?"

The purple dragon shook his head in silent unknowing as he cowered beneath her wing, a blanket wrapped tightly around his scaly body.

The purple mare frowned as another bolt of lightning split the sky causing her friend to whimper softly at her side. She didn't mind the storm but she hated to see Spike so discomforted.

Suddenly a loud bang sounded at the library's door sending Spike scurrying to his bed in alarm.

Twilight rose and trotted to the door.

"Who could that be at a time like this?"

Just before she reached the door knob she paused and listened. Maybe a tree branch had broken off and hit the door? Before she could turn away however a faint voice cried out over the raging storm.

"Hello? Is anypony there?"

Twilight threw open the door and was nearly bowled over as a figure dashed in like a burst of wind, raindrops following quickly in its wake. Slamming the door just as quickly Twilight turned her attention to the stranger in her home. It was covered in a soaking wet traveling cloak though two pairs of hooves poking out from underneath confirmed it as a fellow pony.

"Umm, are you okay?"

Turning ,the pony tossed back the hood of its cloak revealing a young charcoal grey colored stallion. His aquamarine colored eyes darted back and forth over his freckled cheeks as he took in his surroundings. Finally his gaze settled on the purple alicorn that had addressed him.

"What? Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I was hoping this was an Inn..." his cheeks colored as he spoke.

Twilight smiled reassuringly at him.

"That's quite alright. An easy mistake to make in this storm. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Between her smile and the kind, curious inflection in her voice the stallion visibly relaxed. Casting off his cloak and shaking the water from his body he responded, "Greetings Twilight Sparkle, I am Ares."

Twilight took a moment to surreptitiously examine this newcomer while ignoring the fact that he just shook water all over the library's floor. Of average height and with a physique showing the thin silver lines of scars through his fur, he cut an odd figure. His mane was a close cropped red with an ashen grey streak running through it. Where his mane was short and maintained his tail flowed free and wild, an interesting combination that lent him a sharp but untamed look.

"Ares? Just Ares?"

He nodded.

"Well welcome to the Ponyville library, Ares. I've never seen you before. Are you new in town?"

The stallion nodded, "I have, indeed, never been to this land before."

Twilight's head quirked to the side in curiosity.

"You certainly don't sound like you're from around here, Ares? You must have quite the story to tell. maybe you'd like to tell it over some hot chocolate?"

For the first time since his arrival Ares smiled and nodded his head.

*****

A short time later the two ponies sat comfortably in a pair of beanbags scattered around the library, sipping quietly on two mugs of hot coco as the storm started to abate in the night sky.

The silence was broken a few short moments later by the pitter patter of clawed feet on the wooden floor as Spike left his hiding place to investigate the rich smell of hot chocolate filling the air.

"Heya Twilight! I don't suppose you've got a cup for m-whoa...sorry I didn't know we had company. Hi I'm Spike!"

Ares stared wide eyed at Spike as he spoke.

"I-is that a d-dragon?"

Twilight giggled at his gawking as Spike rolled his eyes.

"Yes he is. Spike meet Ares. Ares meet Spike."

Slowly Ares brought his gaze back to the mare.

"Funny, I was always given to believe that dragons were bigger."

Spike huffed and turned quickly on his heel, marching off to find his own cup of hot chocolate. Twilight's giggle followed him out of the room.

"He's a baby dragon."

"Ah."

A moment passed as the two sipped their beverages. Twilight broke the silence before it became uncomfortable.

"So Mr. Ares, if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? You don't talk like any pony I know."

Ares considered his words before speaking.

"I hail from a very far off chain of islands called Xanthippos. Have you heard of it?"

Twilight shook her head.

"Few in this area of the world are likely to have I'm sure."

Twilight nodded at this and tried to covertly sneak a glance at the cutie mark on his flank in the hope of determining more about him.

Noticing her glance, Ares turned his flank to give her a better view. The grey fur of his flank was broken by the black and red of a crested military style helmet.

"You see, Twilight," he began unprompted, "the land I come from does not often know the peace you enjoy here in Equestria."

"So you were in the military?"

Ares eyes fell to his hooves as he sighed. "Not exactly."

Seeing that Twilight was politely waiting for him to continue, he took a deep breath and began speaking in a soft voice.

******

"As I said, peace does not often come in Xanthippos. As such, maintaining a strong military force is necessary to survival. In such an environment serving one's country under arms is of the highest priority and carries with it great honor."

His eyes searched hers for a moment to make sure she was paying attention.

"From early on a young colt is enrolled in the Cadet Corps where he learns the ways of marching and fighting. Then, when he comes of age, he is inducted into the army."

Bitterness edged into Ares' voice as he spoke.

"I was a good cadet. Not the strongest or the fastest, but a solid cadet brimming with espirit for his country. My parents gave me a strong name, I trained hard, earned a fitting cutie mark... my future was laid out before me ripe for the conquest. At the end of his training in the Cadet Corps a colt is presented with a series of final tests. Upon completion he is given a scarlet cloak and officially inducted into the army. What a grand day that is! Families prepare for weeks for the occasion, a feast is prepared, fillies weave flowers into their manes and blow kisses to the colts as they march past."

Twilight frowned deeply as she sensed where this story was heading. Ares' eyes lifted to meet her own and she found them hollow with pain and shame.

" On the final march up Mount Hippe I fell behind. I wept as the tails of my friends grew further and further distant. A storm descended on the mountain. I grew more lost and more afraid every moment. By the time I made it back off the mountain and into town, all was lost. The feasts were over. The fillies gone. The detritus of other colts' triumph littered the streets. I had failed... I came from a long line of soldiers... my brothers... my father... his father before him! I failed them all."

Twilight's heart broke with every tremor in the stallion's voice.

"My hooves carried me home. When I arrived I found the gate barred and no one would answer my cries. I was dead to them. Better had I never found my way off the mountain."

Tears rolled freely down his freckled cheeks as he lost his composure for a moment. Without thinking, Twilight rose and wrapped her fore-legs around this stranger in a tight hug. Ares stiffened at the contact but after a moment relaxed and took comfort at this kind mare's embrace. After a few minutes she pulled away and looked at him.

"Shall I continue?"

She smiled softly at him.

"Only if you want to?"

He nodded and, staring out the window, resumed his tale.

"I could've stayed and found a trade in the city. I could have lived a quiet life among my people. But how could I face the shame? How could I watch my betters march past in parade, laurels of glory around their ears as they fulfilled the duty I could not? And what if I saw my parents!? The pain would be too much. So I left. I hopped on the first ship I could and sailed into the rising sun."

"What happened next?" Twilight asked.

"Well without a bit to my name I had to find a way to survive. I knew no trade. I was merely an untrained back for labor. Within a week I had secured day labor at an olive orchard for a rich farmer on a nearby island. It was hard work under the blistering sun, but it kept my belly full. A few weeks passed uneventfully until, one day, black sails appeared on the horizon. And in our islands black sails meant one thing, raiders. They descended on the farm like locusts. The workers scattered as the orchards burned. A few raiders sought to abscond with the farmer's young daughters. As fate would have it I was the only one in a position to stop them. When the dust cleared I was the only pony standing. The grateful farmer rewarded me with silver, a small amount in hindsight, but more specie than I'd ever beheld. From then on my course was 'clear'. I took my money and set off to see the world, sleeping under the stars and selling my 'skills' as a mercenary. I traveled the world for three years fighting other pony's battles. I've served kings and merchants, I've fought pirates and raiders of kinds I never knew existed, and now my travels have brought me here..."

He trailed off under her gaze, unsure as to how she would respond. Twilight took a moment to digest his words before speaking.

"That... is quite the story, Ares. However, I don't think Ponyville has much use for a mercenary. There hasn't been a war in Equestria since Nightmare Moon was banished a thousand years ago."

"That's just as well, Twilight," Ares nodded, "I have grown tired of fighting. Being in near constant peril gets old quickly."

"Tell me about it," grinned the mare.

******

When Celestia's dawn broke the next morning Twilight woke early and quietly slipped downstairs. She couldn't in good conscience send Ares back out into last night's storm, so she had happily allowed him to sleep on a pile of blankets on the library's floor. To her surprise the stallion was already awake and watching the Sun rise through a window. His ears swiveled at the gentle clop of her hooves.

"Good morning, Ares" she said with a smile.

He nodded with a smile of his own.

"I was thinking I could take you around town and introduce you to some of my friends, we might even find you some work?"

"I would greatly appreciate that, Twilight Sparkle."

A few hours later Twilight Sparkle led her new acquaintance to Sugar Cube Corner. Its gaily decorated facade rose to the sky like a giant example of the scrumptious delicacies contained within. Ares had never seen anything so festive in his life. Twilight paused at the open door to allow a trio of griffons to exit before leading Ares inside. The two were instantly greeted by the ever bubbly Pinkie Pie.

"Heya Twilight! Ohmygosh! Who's tall dark scarred and mysterious!? I'm Pinkie Pie!"

The bubble gum pink mare's poofy mane bounced as she dashed up to Ares, her blue eyes taking in every inch of the new pony in Ponyville. Ares maintained his composure in the face of a pony who seemed to have no concept of personal space by bowing deeply to her.

"Greetings Pinkie Pie. I am Ares."

Pinkie giggled and threw her fore-legs around Ares in a friendly hug.

"You are adorable! A little formal but still adorable! You know what this means right?"

Ares' eyebrow arched in incomprehension.

"We get to throw you a party, silly," Pinkie beamed.

Ares' powers of speech failed him as he looked to Twilight for help. She merely rolled her eyes and grinned before dragging the still speechless stallion off to their next destination.

Their next stop was Rarity's Boutique. Once again, Ares was struck by the towering example of suave sophistication and style. The door's bell jingled as the ponies stepped inside and Rarity's crystal clear tenor rang out to greet them.

"Be with you in a moment, darlings."

"It's Twilight, Rarity, and I brought a friend."

Stepping out from behind a red velvet curtain that led to her workroom. Instantly her sky blue eyes lit upon the gray stallion.

"Twilight, darling, who is this tall drink of water?" Rarity asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

Ares' cheeks colored a little and he leaned in to whisper in Twilight's ear.

"Tall? I'm only a couple inches taller than her."

The purple mare giggled before turning to Rarity.

"Rarity meet Ares. Ares meet Rarity."

Once again, Ares bowed deeply and Rarity swooned in response.

"Oh my, mysterious and a gentlecolt to boot." More fluttering eyelashes
.
Ares was spared further flirting as Twilight ushered him out the door, calling out an invitation to Ares' welcoming party at the library that evening.

Passing by a large group of griffins loitering outside the boutique, Twilight herded Ares onward to Sweet Apple Acres.

As they neared the farm, Ares seemed to finally relax. Being surrounded by acres upon acres of apple trees and the warm loamy scent of freshly turned earth seemed to refresh him and fill his lungs with soothing waves of days gone by. His eyes drifted over the hulking form of Big Mac as the red coated stallion pulled in the last harvest of the day before the final fingers of light disappeared from the horizon. His attention was quickly averted to the orange mare with a blonde mane who trotted up to greet them at the farm's gate.

"Well howdy, Twilight. Who's your friend?"

Twilight Sparkle smiled at her friend and inclined her head towards the stallion in her tow.

"Applejack this is Ares. He's new in town and looking for a little work."

Applejack smiled as Ares nodded his assent.

"Well gosh we're always lookin' for help around the farm. Do ya have any experience?"

Ares smiled confidently, "I have worked many an hour on an olive plantation, but that was a few years past."

"Well ah'm sure we can at least give ya a shot, sugercube," replied Applejack with a wink.

Ares smiled in return.

"Wonderful, but that can be for tomorrow," Twilight interrupted, "Tonight we need to welcome Ares to Ponyville the proper way. I'm sure if we head back now everything will be ready."

And with that the three ponies turned back towards Ponyville and headed towards the library.

*****

Less than an hour later, as Celestia's sun sank into the horizon, Ares found himself deeply ensconced in the whirling dervish of merriment and laughter that was a Pinkie Pie party. Balloons and streamers decorated the ceiling and periodically confetti fell like rain. Joyful music filled the air from an unidentifiable source and competed only with the laughter of the guests in volume. A long table of refreshments sat next another, equally long, table of sweets that Ares could never seem to get close to before another new face was introduced to him.

Between introductions Ares caught a snippet of conversation from Pinkie Pie and Twilight.

"Pinkie, have you noticed all the Griffins in town lately?"

"I have, Twilight! They've been in and out of Sugar Cube Corner all week."

"It's kind of strange don't you think? We never see griffins in Ponyville until a couple weeks ago. Now there's dozens in town."

"I know what you mean, Twilight! And the worst part is... none of them came to this party!"

For a moment, Ares' eyes narrowed before his concentration was destroyed as another face and another hoof to be shook was thrust his way.

*****

Over the next couple of hours Luna's moon rose into the sky and the party began to slowly break up. All of Ares' new friends bade him farewell with more smiles and hugs than he could count. Ares found that his cheeks hurt from all the smiling and he could not remember when he last had this much fun. Still, his eyes drooped and he was glad to see the last of the guests gone so that he could find a respite. At long last only he, Twilight and Spike remained in the library. Twilight loosed a wide yawn and blinked her bleary eyes. Turning for the stairs she ushered her dragon friend off to bed.

"Goodnight, Ares. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy. I'm sure we'll see them tomorrow."

Ares met her tired smile with his own.

"Goodnight, Twilight Sparkle. And thank you so much... for all of this."

Twilight went to bed that night happy and content.

****

Twilight woke to the sound of screaming. At first her sleep addled brain didn't quite register what had disturbed her. Blinking in the dark she tried rubbing away the sleep from her eyes with her hooves. For a moment she sat in her bed listening to silence. Then another scream rent the air. Leaping from her bed she ran downstairs. A hellish orange glow illumined all the windows of the library. Dashing out the door her eyes widened in horror.

Rarity's boutique was in flames.

Smoke filled the air and burning embers rained down like the tears of falling stars. Dark shadows flitted about in the chaos, some appeared to be chasing others, and all around screams and cries of distress filled the air. For a moment, Twilight Sparkle was paralyzed with fear. Her mind spun in a thousand different directions at once.

"What is going on!?" she cried.

The urge to lend a hoof and help those in need reared within her breast and she took a step toward the chaos.

Then a pair of hooves wrapped around her from behind, muffling her screams and dragging her into the darkness.

Author's Note:

I know I didn't put much effort into introducing the rest of the Mane Six, but seeing as how they play almost no role in the story I'll allow myself a pass.

Comments

[Dragon of Shadows]

"Pinkie, have you noticed all the Griffins in town lately?"

"I have, Twilight! They've been in and out of Sugar Cube Corner all week."

"It's kind of strange don't you think? We never see griffins in Ponyville until a couple weeks ago. Now there's dozens in town."

i think tall dark and mysterious might have attracted some unwanted attention with a pinch of trouble