Gulp... Gulp... Gulp... Clunk

"Bartender... Another... Please," pleaded Herbal Dusts, "I'm not having a great day 'sides that party..." Herbal ruffles through his black and blue mane as he looks down at the empty cup in his hooves, remembering the day he had, he worked especially hard on a new trick he came up with for taking apples off the tree. He had a decent wage job working on the apple family orchard, alongside his gardens of spices and herbs, some of which ponies a hundred bits for just a few clippings. It wasn't a bad living, not enough to call him self rich but enough bits to at least go to one of the more pleasant taverns in the area. The tables were always cleaned, almost twice every time someone used them, the burgundy and white vertical striped walls also gave it a retro feel, along with the small copper chandeliers.

"This is your third one tonight Herbal, don't forget the house limit is five, we don't need a reapeat of that incident with the... Erm... toy,that crazy green stallion had." The the bartender noted for him. He continued to scrub out the mug he was holding, and took the one Herbal was holding. And shuddered remembering that horrible day, "Look Herbal, I know your upset that Rainbow Flash...er... Dash, dumped you, it was almost a month ago now, you can't dwell on it" He carries a tray of mugs to the back, probably to be cleaned. "look, your birthday is in what, two months? Cheer up!"

"Yea I guess you're right, but do you have an umbrella I could borrow tonight? I forgot to bring mine." the rain starts pattering on the window, signifying the start of a storm. The rain continued on for hours, since everyone in the bar was on a five drink limit, it was a fairly fast night, stallions and mares coming in, getting their fill and leaving with less than a word. The tavern itself isn't a half bad place to just sit and read or talk with friends,the music they play isn't half bad either, it's a mix of old rock and newer music. It wasn't untill about Ten o'clock did anything interesting happen.

"Herbal?" Rainbow Dash calls out almost as soon as she enters, calling the attention of almost the whole bar, "oops," she walks over and tries to be a bit more humble. "Sorry to call you out..." She grins nervously, "soooo... How've ya been since we Ah... Split?" Herbal gave her a small smile.

"It's not that bad, don't worry about me," he says, a small amount of courage that it might be true, or maybe it's just the alcohol kicking in I'll be fine, c'mon go find a stallion for yourself Rainbow, I'll be fine!" Herbal states with gusto "I bet there's a special somepony for you in here right now," He says with a devious smile "go on, be that party girl I know, and go meet new ponies!" Herbal starts to shove Rainbow out of the seat "besides, I've got some thinking I wanna get done" He practically throws her into a bunch of stallions that look like they totaly weren't eyeballing up Dash when they were talking.

"Alright, alright Herbal," she giggles as she's being pulled away by the mob of stallions who fought over her like school colts would for the pretty girl at the school house. "Just promise you won't Let AJ over work you Ya hear?" She snorts as she starts flirting with the pile of stallion grovelling for her attention. "Boy I hope he's ok, I was pretty hard on him..."

"sigh... single life isn't that bad, at least my meals only cost half as much" Herbal starts muttering to himself "I hope she finds a nice colt to be with" he starts drinking his fourth drink of the night, one to go before he would get going. He ordered and drank his last cider and headed to the door.

Smash Herbal turns from the door to see the commotion of a broken glass, to see two burly stallions beating up a rather tall, lanky stallion. Herbal runs up and slam Himself against the first stallion, rendering no movement, the second looks at him and bucks Herbal in the face. It was nothing to serious, just a bloody nose, suddenly, a magic beam crosses the large, and certainly drunk stallions paths, they look at the pony who cast it, the bartender.

"AND... STAY OUT!" the bartender shouts as he throws the stallions out, "huh, some ponies..." Herbal helps up the stallion carfully, and helps him up.

"You ok bud?" Herbal says, examining the poor pony, he nods and trots off into the night. Herbal sits down on his stool. taking a breather, something catches his eye, he looks over at a rather large griffon, he has brown fur and a pair of goggles around his neck, as well as a satchel at his side, the griffon turns away right as Herbal sees him. "Naw... Must just be my imagination." The rain had let up too. It was almost midnight. He decided he would just go home and call it a night. "I guess I won't need that umbrella." the barkeep nods in acknowledgement.

Herbal sets down his saddle bags, and flops down into his bed. "I wonder... If I see that griffon at the bar again', maybe I will talk to him" he clears his mind of the day. "I just want the day to be over..." He moans as he drifts into sleep.

"Where am I-am I? Herbal didn't quite say or think, he was dreaming, and he could hear echoing all around him "who are you-are you?" he sees a dark figure in the distance, he goes toward the figure. "Dad-dad?" thse almost spectral form of his father, Herbal Harvest, turned to him, it seems like a memory but less familiar, his parent spoke in a distorted voice.

"Y-yoU bETraYE-d mE H-Erbal, YoU beTr-ayD y-yOur Wh-oLe FaM-Iy..." Herbal was taken aback, not knowing what he meant,

"Dad I don't-" he suddenly fell back, he felt like he was just kicked in the chest "groan... dad-dad... What are you-"

"i-I aM nO-T A faTH-ER tO tHe LIkEs o-Of You... aLl I wA-ntEd waS f-Or mY oNly sO-n tO iNheRIt tHe f-AmilY BuSi-NesS" his father growled out. "BUtYoU dId-n'T wAn-t aNy pa-Rt oF ThAt legACy" Harvest started to circle his son. "Wh-En yOu mAde YoUR ChOIce..."

"Dad, I don't know what you meanmean"

BZZT... BZZT... BZZT... Herbals alarm went off "GAH! That was a really bad dream... I better get to the orchard before they cut my pay..." Herbal gets out of bed, he cooks up some oatmeal with cinnamon, his personal favorite food. That no one needs to ask about thank you very much. He is almost running to the farm, hoping not to be late. As he arrives he shouts "sorry I'm late AJ" he doesn't always see her, she's usualy deep in her little forest of apple trees, he hears some sort of response, it was her voice, he just assumed it was that he had to get to work.

Author's Note

-crawls out from under a rock-

Is it over? Did I survive? Yuss, One chapter down, don't be to mean
Also tell me
Gryphon ?
Or
Griffon ?
Or
Griffin ?