• Published 19th Oct 2012
  • 634 Views, 5 Comments

Salus - gmen15



Runaway pegasus comes to Ponyville, and tries to find peace as he's being hunted.

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Prologue: A Night at the Bar

Prologue: A Night at the Bar

It was approaching midnight; the streets outside the tiny village bar were desolate and uninviting to anyone without cider blocking their common sense. A lone dog ran down the street, barking at some unknown animal that kept constantly darting in and out of the shadows.

The bar itself was nothing to look twice at. The windows were covered in smut, the wood extremely aged to the point of cracking, and the strong smell of alcohol wafted from inside the bar, contaminating the atmosphere outside the building.

The inside was just a grim and bleak as the outside. It was the only thing making it more inviting than the drunken, laughing ponies that considered this place their “home away from home.” A thin, yellow mist lingered in the air; the smell of apple cider was concentrated and potent, ponies drinking away the troubles that had accumulated over the day.

Closing time was approaching, the place nearly empty save for a couple of stragglers that were finishing their drinks so they could "get their bits' worth". The bar keep pony, an old colt with a graying coat and a white beard, was using a damp, old rag to clean out some recently-used mugs that were stained with cider.

Two earth pony stallions sat at the bar. The rosy tint to their cheeks and eyes, and goofy smiles on their faces revealed their intoxication. And if none of that was convincing enough, their slurred voices were.

One of the stallions had a much burlier frame than the other. His red-orange fur and mean-looking face gave him the appearance of a pony to avoid unless you wanted to get into a brutal hoof-fight. He leaned against the counter, his baggy, blue eyes staring into the equally baggy, yellow eyes of his much leaner friend.

This thinner stallion had an orange-cream coat, and looked a lot less intimidating. He didn’t look feminine in the slightest, but between him and his friend, he was very much the “mare” of the group. Meaning he often didn’t get into fights while his friend seemed to make a living off of it.

Then again, many mares were like his burly friend, so it would be more accurate to call the thin pony the reserved one and the burly pony the impulsive one.

The thin pony seemed to be a bit more relaxed as he listened to his burly friend ramble on about recent events in his life.

"So as I was saying, I got some from work yesterday and I walked in, you know expecting to see my wife's happy, cheerful face greeting me."

"Yeah, I understand that. So what, your wife wasn't there or something?"

"No, when I got home I opened the door to see her standing there."

"So she was there waiting for you?"

"Yes, but the cheerful face was absent."

The thin pony grimaced, "Oh, that's never a good sign."

"Clearly, so at first I thought that…I don't know maybe I forgot to meet her someplace for dinner or I forgot our anniversary or something mundane like that."

"I forgot me and Cream’s anniversary once."

“Yeah, how'd that work out for ya?"

"With a frying pan across my face and a hoof upside my flank." The pony started to laugh a slurred, drunken laugh, his friend joining in. Both of their cheeks were blushing as the alcohol in the cider worked its way into their system. Their body movements further gave their drunkenness away. Their slower reflexes when moving even a little bit, such as to grab the mug of cider that was mere inches in front of them, was all anypony needed to see to know the two stallions were intoxicated.

A couple of stools away from the two drunken friends sat a stocky, black pegasus. His white mane and tail, and his green eyes glistened brightly in the otherwise murky bar. On his back he had a leather saddle-bag. His cutie mark of a circular shield within a gold star, a silver spear slashing through it, stood out even more than the colt's mane and tail did.

He was alone, sipping some cider with one ear pointed towards the duo, eavesdropping on the two stallions’ conversation. He tightened his grip around the mug as he took another hit of the cider, grimacing as it slid down his esophagus and into his waiting stomach, not entirely used to the burning sensation of alcohol running down it.

He wasn't used to drinking and one cider was often enough to make him more relaxed exiting the bar than he had been entering. Even after all of the pain he went through, even after all of the horrors he's seen, he actively avoided alcohol as a means to drown his sorrow. Sure he had some now and then to ease the pain, like he was tonight, but he would never get drunk. Not even with his life in shambles, not even as he lay at the true “rock bottom” of his life. Not even as he wandered the streets of Equestria aimlessly, hoping to find someplace, anyplace, to settle down and leave his past behind him.

But he knew that was impossible. There was no way he could forget the pain he was put through, no way he could forgive himself for what he’s done, or what he blamed himself for causing.

He continued listening to the drunken blathering of the two obnoxious ponies, who were discussing their first-world relationship woes, further aggravating the pegasus and making him realize why he never got drunk off his flank. These two idiots wouldn’t have the tiniest idea of what true pain was if it smacked them in the face.

Once the duo of goofy stallions stopped laughing, the thinner pony cleared his throat to speak.

"So what happened then? Why was Bristol so angry anyway?" the thin stallion asked.

"Apparently she found out I've been seeing this other pony."

"Which one, was it Crystal Heart?"

"No; not her, she moved to Appleloosa, remember? I’m lucky if I get a bucking letter from her once a month."

"Oh yeah…she had a nice flank.”

“Oh I know.” the burly stallion laughed as he took another sip of cider.

“Was it Ice Wave?"

"No."

"Pine Breeze?"

"Bingo."

"Dang, that's rough man."

The burly pony let out a sigh; "Yep."

"So how did Bristol find out?" the thin pony took another chug of his drink, listening to his friend’s reply.

"Pine stopped by my house when I was a work, and Bristol was there...you can guess how well that went."

"Wow, that's just bad luck. But wait, why would she stop by your house uninvited? Didn't you tell her that you were married and Bristol was a stay-at-home mare?"

"No I didn't tell her any of that, and now she hates me too."

The thin pony whistled, "Ouch, double loss on that one, eh man?"

"Obviously, so she kicked me out and now I’m at a hotel until I find a permanent place to stay."

"Wow. So that’s it? It's over?"

The burly pony sighed and gave his friend a small nod, looking down at his half-empty mug apathetically. He didn’t look happy, but at the same time didn’t look necessarily upset either.

The thin pony, however, continued to play the role of the concerned friend.

"I'm…I'm sorry man."

The burly pony gave a small, nonchalant shrug. “Eh, things weren't working well with Bristol and I anyway. It was only a matter of time before one of us caught the other sleeping with somepony else."

As the burly pony took another long swig of his drink, the thin pony looked down at his hooves, trying to think about what to say. He clearly was uncomfortable being in the situation of conversation starter, especially given the circumstances. Once his friend had finished swallowing his brew, let out a small belch and wiped his mouth with the back-side of his hoof.

The thin colt finally spoke up. "So how is Clover taking it? I mean, being stuck in the middle of all this ‘adult drama’ must be rough for a filly like her."

"I’m not sure. I haven't spoken to her since yesterday morning, before I was kicked out."

"Think about stopping by to see her? Would Bristol let you? I mean, she is still your daughter."

"She probably would. But for now, I'll let Bristol take care of her. I’m pretty swamped right now anyway.”

"Swamped?"

"Yeah," the Burly stallion ran his hoof through his mane and turned to his friend, flashing him a smile filled with yellow teeth, "I'm going to see if I can find a pretty, young mare to start dating."

The black pegasus nearly choked on his drink. He looked over at the adulterous stallion, stunned that he could be so uncaring about his family, especially after what he just confessed to doing. Even if he did cheat on his wife with other mares, it was still surprising to hear him care so little about his daughter. It was like he didn't care at all that he had destroyed his family, something the pegasus could never forgive himself for doing, which is why he found himself at a bar in the middle of nowhere, a mug of cider in one hoof and his filled saddlebag over his back.

He turned his attention back to the conversation, which had just started up again.

"Oh yeah?" The thin pony asked as he took a sip of his drink.

The now bachelor pony grinned, giving his friend a nod that was a tad too friendly.

"Yep, now, I've got my hooves untied, and I'm going to make the most of it."

The black pegasus couldn’t contain his opinions anymore.

"By acting like an immature foal that can't commit to anything?"

Both ponies turned towards the black pegasus colt that was sitting alone at the end of the bar, his eyes staring down at his hooves as they rested atop the wooden counter. Slowly, his head turned towards burly pony he was addressing so that his vibrant green eyes landed on the confused pony.

The burly stallion stared for a moment, not quite sure what to make of the sudden interruption by this mysterious pegasus that had, apparently, been listening in on their conversation, and was now staring at him like he insulted his mother. After a few moments, the burly pony's expression of shock changed into a smile. He chuckled a little, a chuckle that was a blend of both genuine humor and disbelief at the current turn of events.

"I'm sorry; I don't remember asking for your input on the matter."

"I don't need it." The black pegasus snapped back almost immediately, though his voice showed no change in tone. It was still flat, yet stern and accusing. "When I hear somepony as stupid and ungrateful as you so ready to abandon his family because it's convenient to your wants and sick, lustful desires which, ironically, is the reason you lost them in the first place, I feel their ‘business’ is no longer immune from being criticized. "

The burly pony's smile was now gone, replaced by genuine anger. His comrade took a sip of his cider, not once taking his eyes off of the mysterious black pegasus.

"Do you think that you’re better than me?"

"Overall? No," the black pegasus said, turning his head back towards his drink. He started to raise the mug to his waiting lips, continuing to talk, "but I do think I have a much better understanding about taking things for granted than you."

The black pegasus tilted the mug towards his muzzle and began to drink. The burly pony could feel his heart-rate start to climb, his anger reaching the boiling point.

"And what makes you say that, stranger?"

The black pegasus finished taking his sip of cider and gently placed it back down onto the counter.

"Because I had a wife once; she was beautiful and kind and I loved with all my heart and soul. I also had two wonderful kids. And they were all taken from me.”

The pegasus sighed and rested his forehead against his hoof, his elbow resting against the counter. Memories of his family flash through his mind, making him smile.

“I often dream about seeing their smiling faces. The same smiling faces I saw when I walked through the front door of my house. It’s much like how you imagined your wife. The difference is that my joy came from seeing them happy, where if I were to guess, your joy came from a feeling of being worshiped."

The pegasus took another drink and continued, "Seeing my kids and wife reminded me that I had a purpose, and that others cared about me."

His smile faded as his family faded from his mind, “And I cared about them. I’d do anything to protect them."

The burly pony gritted his teeth, listening to the pegasus continue speaking.

"But I couldn't prevent them from being taken from me in the most gruesome, horrible way possible. Every night before I go to bed, I pray that someday we'll be reunited; that they aren't really gone. I continue to do this even after seeing their cold, lifeless bodies with my own eyes, sprawled out in front of our burnt home like victims of genocide."

The pegasus sniffled a little, the sad memory flashing into his mind. He then turned to the burly stallion, staring directly into his eyes.

"And then there are ponies like you, happily getting drunk with your friend while your family is very much alive. But what do you care, right? All that matters to you is sipping cider and fantasizing about finding some fresh, young mare you can sleep with one night only to never call back. So I apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation, but when I see somepony as unappreciative and thankless as you, I feel they need to be taught some humility."

The burly pony’s patience reached the breaking point. He stood up and strode over to the mysterious pegasus.

"Now look here you arrogant son of a…"

"I wouldn't do that." the pegasus said, looking directly into the stallion’s eyes. The stallion stopped moving and looked at his target in confusion.

"What?"

"I wouldn't threaten me; it's not a good idea."

The burly colt simply chuckled and shook his head before slowly making his way over, "Okay, listen here buddy. I'm a former, amateur buck-boxer so I know a thing or two about defending my honor against punks like you."

"You're an amateur boxer?" the black pegasus let out a few "tsk" and shook his head, "Dear King of Sutansia that's rich. You couldn't even give me the common courtesy of being an actual boxer; you think being second-rate makes you stronger than me. That’s an insult if I’ve ever heard one."

After shaking his head to clear his confusion as to the pegasus using the saying "Dear King of Sutansia" instead of "Dear Princess Celestia", the stallion reared his front, right hoof back and brought it forward, expecting to hit the side of the seemingly oblivious pegasus.

What he didn't expect was for the pegasus to quickly stop his hoof from making contact with his own face before slamming the stunned pony down onto the counter. The black pegasus pulled a dagger out of his saddle-bag and pressed it to the defenseless colt's cheek. The handle looked to be solid gold, shining in the otherwise dull bar, small engravings and markings covered it. One feature that stood out was the engraving of the word "SALUS" down the side of the handle.

But the trapped stallion was too dazed and confused to understand any of his surroundings, let alone a tiny word engraved on the handle of the blade pressing against his cheek.

"August Breeze!" shouted the thinner stallion, leaping to his hooves, ready to charge the black pegasus that held his friend down against the bar.

Noticing this, the pegasus placed both of his hooves firmly onto the bar, keeping the burly colt, August Breeze, in-between his chest and the counter as he was too dazed to do anything but watch the scene play out. The pegasus pushed himself up and use both of his rear hooves to buck the thin pony across the bar and into the wall at the other end of the room. The black pegasus stared at what he did, neither a look of joy or guilt on his face. He just looked angry.

"Apricot Flair!" the August Breeze shouted after regaining his composure. His face was then pressed back into the counter by the pegasus, who held a shining, silver blade against his cheek threateningly.

"Apricot Flair and August Breeze, huh? Those are interesting names for a couple of macho stallions like you two. What’s next, are you going to spray me with mace and try to kick me in the crotch?" The black pegasus said rather humorously, while having not the slightest bit of humor in his voice. Not a snicker or a sneer, rather his tone was one of both annoyance and anger.

Then the pegasus slowly lifted the knife away from the trapped colt's cheek and flashed it to him, "You see this?"

August nodded weakly.

"This is a blade given to the Captain of the Sutansia Royal Guard."

"Sutansia?" the colt mumbled only to have his face further pressed into the counter, effectively restricting his speech to mumbles and grunts as his cheeks squished together.

"And you know why I have a blade only a Captain of the Royal Guard would have?"

The stallion didn't answer, he just kept up his futile attempt at struggling as he watched his thin friend, Apricot Flair, slowly get to his hooves, his eyes narrowed in on the black pegasus that held down his friend. He scraped his front hoof against the wooden floor like an angry bull ready to charge. He then charged at full-speed at the black pegasus.

Right before Apricot made contact with his target, the pegasus reached for his still half-full mug of cider, grabbed it and brought it across Apricot's face. Apricot was sent back to the floor. His hoof covered his bloody nose. He lay on the ground groaning and spitting blood from his injured mouth.

August Breeze looked at his downed friend in horror as his oppressor leaned in close to his face so their eyes were mere millimeters apart.

"Because I was Captain of the Royal Guard."

With that, the black pegasus released the terrified August from his hold. He stared him down for a minute before trotting over to the counter, where the bartender was standing. The bartender's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open at the sight before him; two of his tougher customers effectively beaten down by a single pony, who didn't even seem to break a sweat.

The black pegasus reached out in front of the bar-keep, grabbing the cloth that was normally used to clean used mugs. He turned towards the still grounded Apricot Flair. Apricot looked up at the pegasus. The front of his muzzle was covered in blood. His swollen eye and cheek a sickening black-and-blue color.

"Here, your face is pretty bloody, might want to clean yourself up," the pegasus tossed the rag at Apricot, who caught it. The pegasus then turned to August, "and then ask yourself if a colt that can't remain loyal to his family deserves to have your loyalty."

Apricot's expression was shock. He kept staring at the pegasus, as did the few ponies still left in the bar whose evening was interrupted by the bizarre turn of events involving the odd bar-room fight. The black pegasus put his dagger back into his saddle-bag, tossed a few bits onto the counter for the bar-keep, and started to make his way to the door.

It was at this point that August mustered enough courage to speak up.

"Who in the hay are you?"

The black pegasus stopped and slightly turned around so he was still facing the exit while he managed to see August in his peripheral vision.

"I told you, I used to be Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Yeah, then what are you now?”

The pegasus sighed, fighting back the tears as images of his family started to flash into his head. Finally, he replied.

“Nothing."

With that, he walked out, leaving a group of very confused, and two very beaten-up, ponies in his wake. The bar was silent as everypony, especially Apricot Breeze and August Flair, tried to make sense of what just happened.