3 years earlier....
Solar Virtue. Adventurer, charmer, saviour, hero.
All things Solar Virtue almost gagged on upon thinking about.
Far from a bad pony, but far from a good one. This seemingly simple Earth Pony could have used his gifts for greatness, could have used his inspiring and challenging ‘starting from the bottom’ life to earn respect and praise, yet as he discovered long ago, this was far from the case.
Growing up alone was tough. An orphan’s life often was. No friends made it harder. No home, save temporary accommodation, never provided him with a place of belonging. He felt no connection to any land nor any community. Solar never regretted such a beginning however. He was indeed proud of his accomplishments and progress to escape poverty and the dirt he was. Such a journey made him strong.
Over the time he spent becoming a somepony, Solar Virtue acquired many skills which he still found useful. An initially promising career in the Royal Guard ensured he was physically and mentally tough enough to at least survive. In fact, such was his skill as both a soldier and commander he quickly found himself climbing through the ranks, the very real chance of ensuring the rank of Captain of the Guard soon became his.
Of course,now, as Solar now found himself in the wilderness, naught but a pack of simple supplies and no real purpose to accompany him, he had squandered his chance of achieving this. Something about total disrespect for the proud institution that was the Guards and un-guardsmanship like behaviour’ was the reason that all fell apart.
This was not the end of his direct servitude to the Princesses though. Were it not for one of his fellow Lieutenants, some hot head by the name of Shining Armour, if Solar could rememeber correctly, he’d have been thrown further into servitude than Luna had been exiled to the moon. Shining Armour, despite Solar’s faults, seemed to still see a chance and opportunity for Solar, just not in the front and centre which was the Royal Guards. As such, Solar was offered a place in the Night Guard, Luna’s own Guards.
He took it, thinking it would suit him more.
Surprise, it didn’t.
“Bunch of emo obsessed, Princess Luna butt kissers” though Solar, happy he had left that life behind.
Deciding to leave servitude was the best idea of his life. It gave him true freedom. With his guardsman skills, he was no longer that weak pathetic pony, ripe to exploit as he lay poor and dirty in the streets. Now he could get what he wanted, when he wanted. Never did he steal of course, but with his skills he had enabled himself to do what most ponies couldn’t even dream of doing. He hated the term ‘adventures’ but essentially, that was his primary lifestyle. Travelling around Equestria. Fulfilling jobs and requests that only he could do. Be that the beating of pesky changelings and acting as general muscle for hire, eliminating criminal gangs by any means necessary , or even helping them, Solar Virtue wasn’t picky on where he found his fortunes.
This attitude towards life had for the most part, aside from all his near death experiences, worked well for him. He had saved ponies and hurt them, but never did he feel his actions in anyway change or define him. He was always in work, often paid well and always had a purpose. Until now.
In such a line of work, Solar often found himself working with far more unsavoury characters than himself. He had no quarrel with this fact. On the contrary. Many favours had been earned from these ponies, paying dividends to him. Some of these ponies however, were far too wise than to trust Solar.
Effectively an information broker, appropriately named Blank Canvas, had hired Solar for a job a few weeks ago. It was a simple job, provide protection for Blank and his minions while they negotiate a deal with a smuggling operation. The job itself went smoothly, no trouble. It was only after, when Solar was due his pay when Blank Canvas confronted him. It was here and now Solar was called out for his selfish pursuit of power. Solar, instantly refuting this, claimed he cared little of the petty power plays others played. He knew this himself, and there was no one more of an expert than him.
Blank Canvas proved him wrong however. Solar had heard about that this pony was an excellent judge of character, somepony who could figure another pony out in the space of a single conversation. He hit back At Solar’s denial with the counter claim that Solar couldn’t stand being placed at the lower end of the power ladder, the crushing weight of other ponies power and influence placed on top of him. Solar had gone silent at this attack as he pondered on the words of the information broker. Furthermore, Blank Canvas quite correctly had picked up on Solar’s lack of any real connection to the world, a thing he thought and believed passionately brought true freedom. Solar had wondered why all this mattered, and the answer it seemed was all rather simple and appropriate. Power feared power, and although he did not state it, Solar could tell Blank Canvas saw something of a potential Rival in him. For what reason, Solar knew not. He never considered himself an enemy to any individual ponies. But at this stage, whether or not he even had any desire for power was irrelevant, for Black Canvas had his paranoid mind made up, and he could quite easily dispose of Solar should he desire, such was the difference in actual hard power and horsepower.
Solar remembered the tenseness of the situation. Not fear yet, but adrenalin flowing through his body in preparation. He didn’t know if Blank Canvas had secretly had him surrounded already with Hench ponies. He honestly didnt know if his end was near. It was with fortunate relief that his death did not come that day and instead, with relieving fortune, a deal was offered. Solar would go far from hear, never again to have any connection nor dealings with Blank’s world.
Curiously, the threat of death, had little swing on Solar’s decision. Blank Canvas’ correct analysis on him had provoked a deep trail of thought on what he actually wanted. The shady pony was right, the weight of servitude and foreign power was crushing to him and the idea of himself being the master of such influence truly enticed him.
For years now Solar carried a very care free attitude to life, his only criteria being that he maintained the ability to be the master of his own destiny, doing as he pleased. And so he did, as free, loose and destructive as a strong wind, but now, quite ironically, the threat of death against a participation in influence and power only served to intrigue him. Were Blank Canvas’ suspicions correct and valid, and Solar was a real threat to his position, Solar could quite easily imagine himself feeling quite fulfilled in a similar position to the broker. Below no pony and above all. The freedom to do whatever he pleased and whenever he pleased began to genuinely interest him. Sure, he would be restricted in a sense. He would have real responsibility, and many a pony would rely on him, but if he played his cards correctly, and didn’t piss off any pony off too much, without decent claim, the opportunities, the potential rewards would be more than he could ever dream of.
Never the less, as of that moment, Solar had no choice but to accept the deal. Were Blank Canvas to keep his word, a new “normal” life now awaited Solar. In this new life, he had received a few certain demands. Primarily, and perhaps understandably, given this apparent fear of Solar, these demands were made for the sole purpose of keeping him far away from any business of Blank Canvas’. Solar would stay low in quiet part of the world, take up a new identity and live as his fellow surrounding ponies lived. The place in question where his future now layed, whatever path he took, was a small town by the name of Ponyville. Solar had not heard much of it, bar a few strips of gossip he cared little for. All he knew of the location was that it was quiet, and quite possibly boring.
But here he was now, the journey to his new home already enroute. Solar kept an open mind however. It was a chance to reflect and plan on his next steps. Blank Canvas’ demands, disguised very poorly as threats, would not keep Solar content and quiet for long.
Whichever future Solar chose, power or peace, this next step would influence his life for years to come.
He may have been seriously entertaining any and all options he now had, but in the back of his head he knew one thing, and it would forever plague him.
Power was the real freedom in this world.