Opening Upby ChironChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1Opening Up Chapter 1 Written by: Chiron Warning: The follow fanfic contains material that may be considered graphic to some readers. Contains material such as: rude language and violence. Discretion is advised. It was a quiet night in Ponyville. Stalwart had only been here a little less than a couple hours and had set up a small tent on the outskirts of town. He did a lot of traveling, never liked staying in one place to long. After the sun set and he had crawled into bed he just laid there tossing and turning not able to sleep. His mind going to more unpleasant experiences in the past. Deciding sleep was not gonna happen, he rummaged in his duffel bag and pulled out an MP3 player and sliding his headphones on he put the player on random. After slipping it into one of the pockets on his vest he set off for a stroll through town. He was tall and slightly built as many earth ponies are. His long mane and tail were an odd mix of dark blue & silver. Unlike most he noticed around this particular town, he wore clothes that covered him from his chest all the way to where his cutie mark would be. A durable jacket he picked up as a young colt and had kept it in good shape since one particularly bad day. “Quiet place,” he thought, “hell everypony must go to bed right after sunset.” After walking for a little while his music cut out mid-song and after pulling out the player he found out that the batteries had died. “Ah crap I forgot I hadn't changed these in a while,” he said sliding the headphones down his neck so they rested against his shoulders and sliding the dead MP3 player back into a pocket, “at least it's a nice night.” CRASH! “What the...,” he said wondering what was causing all the noise, “probably just somepony's pet knocking over a garbage can or something” AHHH! HELP! “That's definitely not a cat or dog!” he said running toward the yell and noise. Turning the corner into an alley he seen that two young stallions had a mare pinned down, one an earth pony with a knife in his mouth and the other a unicorn using his magic to levitate his weapon, pointed toward her and trying to rip her saddle bags off. “HEY! What do you think you're doing!?” Stalwart yelled. Everyone in the alley froze and turned to see him blocking the only exit except for the mare who was curled up and whimpering. “Well well look at what we got here.” said the unicorn who had a brown coat with some gold coins for a cutie mark. “Seems to me we get to make off with even more than just the loot this pretty little thing was gonna give us” the other one said with a nasty smirk. Stalwart knew where this was gonna go but had no intention of letting them hurt her. He'd never forgive himself if he did. “Set the bags down and leave, nobody has to get hurt tonight.” Stalwart said. They both started laughing. “You wish buddy, now how about you empty your pockets and scram,” the first pony said, “you got no business here”. “I won't repeat myself again,” Stalwart said this time putting more emphasis into his words, “put her stuff down and get out of here, I will not hesitate to put you both down.” “RARRGH!” roared the earth pony and ran at Stalwart with his knife. Seeing him charging Stalwart readied himself for when he got close enough. The earth pony with the knife ran straight at him and lunged the knife for Stalwart's face. In that moment Stalwart bent his head down and then slammed it as hard as he could into the under part of the pony's jaw. Doing so shattered that pony's teeth against the knife hilt and had him on the ground next to Stalwart writhing in pain and several of his teeth now broken and scattered around the alley. With the knife on the ground Stalwart used a fore-hoof to slide it to the other side of the alley away from them. “You gonna try something stupid like your friend just did or are you gonna go?” Stalwart asked the unicorn. “Nah I'm a much better fighter and a lot smarter than that idiot,” replied the unicorn still levitating his knife and now turning it toward Stalwart, “plus I don't have to get close to you like he did.” Using his magic he flung the knife and in the blink of and eye it pierced into Stalwart's left shoulder causing him to kneel down at the impact. “Hmph idiot” the unicorn said, “Should have just coughed up your stuff and instead I had to go and get my blade dirty”. “I'm an idiot?” said Stalwart with his head still down, blood flowing from the knife wound. After hearing that the unicorn could only turn his head quizzically. “You do realize you don't have a weapon now right?” Stalwart said looking up with a stern expression and into the unicorns eyes. He then turned his head town, grabbed the knife handle with his teeth and pulled the knife out of his bleeding shoulder. Seeing this caused the unicorn to panic. “Whoa, whoa, whoa t-take it easy man look I-I'm sorry p-please don't, we'll leave her alone see?,” said the unicorn floating the bags back over to the mare and setting them down gently. “Y-you can let us go now right, n-no need to cut me with my own knife right?” he finished with a nervous smile. Stalwart spit the knife out of his mouth. “Never said I was gonna use the knife on you.” Stalwart said then bolted right at the unicorn and in one fluid motion connected his right hoof with the unicorn's face and smashed it into the alley wall. After hitting the unicorn a couple more times in the face he fell limp. Stalwart looked back over to the other earth pony who was still in excruciating pain. Neither a threat anymore, he walked toward the mare who had grown quiet. He knelt down and gently prodded her with a hoof. “Hey, you okay?” he asked softly. She turned slowly and looked to the two ponies who had tried to mug her then to stallion kneeling beside her. She wanted to tell him thank you but the scare from the incident left her unable to speak. She nodded. “Alright, lets get you someplace safe. Okay?” he said with a soft smile and extended a hoof to help her up. Walking out of the alley Stalwart was able to get a better look at her. She was looking down at the ground but he was able to see she was an earth pony as well and had a white coat and pink mane that covered a bit of her face. Her mane had been disheveled from the mugging. “Is your house close by?” he said, “I want to make sure you make it home alright.” She looked around a minute and then with her hoof she pointed to which direction she lived. They started walking down the road a little bit in silence until they came upon a white house with blue trimming. She opened the gate then opened the front door and turned on the living room light. She turned around to look at Stalwart who was looking behind them to make sure the two muggers didn't follow. “Thank you,” she said with her voice finally returning and causing Stalwart to turn toward her, “I don't know how I'll ever be able to repa...” her words cut off with a gasp. “What!?” Stalwart asked. “Y-your shoulder,” she said pointing at where the knife got him and the large blood stain on his vest, “You're hurt!” Stalwart looked down at his shoulder and noticed that it was covered in a large amount of blood and that his normally gray coat was wet all the way down to his hoof. “Uh oh,” he said, “guess I was so concerned about ya I forgot about that.” he said. “That doesn't hurt!?” she asked concern filling her eyes. “Just stings a little, I think I'll sit for a second though,” he said, “starting to feel a little bit light headed all of the sudden.” “You've lost a lot of blood we need to get to a hospital quick!” she said turning off the light and closing her door. “I-I'll be alright, I got some stuff back at my tent to patch this up and I'll be...,” he said with his words trailing off as he fell forward onto the sidewalk with a loud thump. She shook him with a hoof but he wasn't responding and after putting an ear to his chest she could tell he was still alive but needed help fast. Knowing she couldn't carry him to the hospital herself she ran to find anyone who could help drag him down the road to the ER. Chapter 2Opening Up Chapter 2 Written by: Chiron Warning: The follow fanfic contains material that may be considered graphic to some readers. Contains material such as: rude language and violence. Discretion is advised. The first things Stalwart realized when he started to wake up were that he wasn't laying in his tent, the soft bed and beeping from the EKG monitor gave that away, and that his shoulder had a dull ache in it. Opening his eyes he looked down and seen IV lines in his limbs and his normal vest and jacket were gone only to be replaced with gauze wrapping around his shoulder and a hospital gown. “Great...,” he thought, “I'm not even in this town a whole day and I'm in a hospital.” Looking out the window he seen it was light out now and began pondering how long he had been out. The hospital he was in was very quiet, a sharp contrast those he had seen before. The usual ringing of phones and the chatting of nurses & doctors was nonexistent. The silence really unsettled him. Seeing there was not much else to do but wait for someone to show up to check up on him he looked back out the window. After about an hour of sitting in his bed Stalwart here the slide of his room's door and looked over to see an older looking male unicorn with dark brown coat and graying mane wearing a set of scrubs. “Hello my name is Dr. Life Care,” he said with a smile, “how are you today?” “Fine.” replied Stalwart. “Good, good. Seeing how you were brought in last night in pretty bad shape I was expecting you to be a little more uncomfortable.” he said still smiling. Stalwart didn't say anything, just continuing to look toward the doctor. “Okay then since you seem to be holding up alright, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” asked the doctor. “Sure.” he replied. Stalwart answered various questions such as: his name, age, allergies, etc. The usual stuff you gotta deal with whenever you first enter hospital. “Okay then,” the doctor said and Stalwart could have sworn he seen that constant smile falter a little, “Any family in the area we can let know you're here?” “No.” said Stalwart flatly. “Okay, any phone numbers to call a friend?” asked the doctor. “No.” “You don't have anyone to call?” curiosity peaked he asked a little more, “Why?” “Next question please...” said Stalwart, his voice stern. “As you wish." said the doctor sensing the tension, "How about we switch for a moment and I answer some of your questions?” “Fine,” said Stalwart, “how long have I been out?” “Oh,” the doctor said scratching his chin with a hoof in contemplation, “about ten or so hours.” “What did you do to my shoulder?” asked Stalwart. “Well the knife went in pretty deep and caused quite a bit of damage. We had to go in and repair the damaged muscle and make sure nothing was nicked.” said the doctor. “When can I leave?” asked Stalwart after looking at his shoulder while listening to the procedures explanation. “Because of how badly your shoulder was damaged and the amount of blood you lost, I'd recommend you stay at least one more night to recover enough.” replied the doctor pony. “Fine, last question...” said Stalwart, “I helped stop a mare from being mugged last nite. I'm guessing she was the one who brought me in. Is she okay?” he asked. “Ah yes, that reminds me!,” the doctor replied beaming, “Ms. Redheart could you come here a moment please?” he called stepping out the door and yelling down the hall. A moment later the same mare Stalwart saved the night before stepped in the doorway wearing a nurses' cap and her pink mane in a bun. This was not something Stalwart had expected. His normal placid expression changed with a slight raising of his eyebrows. He had to admit seeing her in the light, she was kinda pretty. “Hello again.” she said with a soft smile. Stalwart simply nodded. “I do have a few more questions for you but they can be answered later on, I'm sure you two have somethings to discuss.” said the doctor as he left the room. They sat there looking at each other in silence for a moment before being broken. “Are you alri...” they said at the same time, both stopping mid-sentence to let the other finish. She was blushing quite visibly now. Stalwart felt his face growing a little warm as well. “Please you go first.” he said motioning toward her with his good leg. “Thank you and I'm fine, better now knowing that you are well enough to be awake now.” she said, “I was worried we wouldn't get you here before you got worse last night.” “We?” Stalwart asked raising an eyebrow. He couldn't remember seeing anyone else before he blacked out. “Oh well I had to find someone to help carry you here, I wouldn't have been able to do it myself so I had Big Mac help me.” she replied then quickly realizing that she had never seen this pony around town before she added. “He's one of the farmer ponies who lives on Sweet Apple Acres and I was able to find him just as he was heading home.” “Ah...” Stalwart said. He made a mental note to find this Big Mac character and thank him, it was the least he could do. At that moment there was a knock at the door that caused Nurse Redheart and Stalwart to look at the door. The doctor had returned. “Sorry to interrupt but there are a few other questions I would like to ask our quest.” said the doctor to Nurse Redheart. “Oh right, well I bett-” she said before Stalwart cut in. “Actually sir if it's not to much trouble I would like to get going.” he said causing both medical personnel to look at him; one eyed him quizzically while the other had more concern in her eyes. “Why?” the nurse and doctor said in unison. “Well for starters I've been through worse than this.” he said and with his good foreleg he pointed toward his shoulder. Nurse Redheart hadn't noticed it before now but as he pointed toward his shoulder she noticed he had several scars on his foreleg, this took her by surprise since several of them looked quite bad. “I noticed...” replied the doctor flatly, “I was the surgeon who fixed your shoulder. While we were operating we had to make sure you hadn't suffered any other injuries.” “Then I already know what your next set of questions are likely to revolve around and all I can say is I do not want to discuss it.” Stalwart said staring at the surgeon. Nurse Redheart was confused by this, she wasn't there for the surgery so wasn't sure what these two were talking about. They had sent her straight home after bringing Stalwart into the hospital. “Very well I will hold off with the questions for now.” said the doctor lowering his head toward his patient. “Thank you, now would you please pass me my clothes? I would like to get back to my stuff on the edge of town.” said Stalwart. After asking the doctor went to the closet on the opposite side of the room as Stalwart and pulled out a white plastic bag which after the doctor came over and set on the bed was found to have his jacket, vest, scarf, and music player. As the two medical ponies left the room the doctor stopped and said to Stalwart. “By the way you do not have to worry about any kind of medical expenses.” smiling to Stalwart and then looking toward Nurse Redheart consider it a thank you for saving one of Ponyville's own without concern for yourself.” He then shut the door quietly leaving Stalwart to change into his clothes. “Huh, that was kind of him.” Stalwart thought to himself in the quiet room and proceeded to slip out of the hospital gown. Stepping out he noticed that Nurse Redheart was sitting at the desk where the sign out form was. “Was she the only one who works here?” Stalwart thought as he walked to the desk. As he approached she saw him and began to blush again. Reaching up he picked up the pen and began signing out. “So you really are taking off huh?” she asked sadly. “Ya I just got a little tent on the outskirt of town. I'll probably be back in town to get supplies after I make sure nobody has bothered my stuff.” he said. Looking up he seeing her again he just couldn't help but think of how pretty she was. Thinking this had caused him to blush and stammer out something he didn't intend to say. “But umm I'll probably be in town for a couple days..y-you know to make sure my shoulder isn't to hurt.” This only made his face feel ever warmer but seemed to cheer her up. “Great, maybe we'll run into each other again!” she said, “b-but hopefully neither of us will get hurt in the process.” she quickly added with a giggle. “Heh yeah, well thank you for bringing me in Ms. Redheart.” Stalwart said wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible before his face turned as red as an apple. “Take care.” he added and turned toward the door. “Y-you too and thank you for helping me.” she said back receiving a glance back and a nod from him as he walked out the door. Sitting at the desk and staring at the door Stalwart walked out of with a smile on her face and him on her mind. Chapter 3Opening Up Chapter 3 Written by: Chiron Warning: The follow fanfic contains material that may be considered graphic to some readers. Contains material such as: rude language and violence. Discretion is advised. Stalwart noticed two things after walking out of the hospital: first that it was very bright outside, causing him to wince at the sudden change in lighting and secondly; that there were more ponies in this small town than he originally suspected. It was roughly mid-afternoon and everyone was going about their business. Some were running errands, others chatting in front of stores or homes, and even some children running and playing. This brought a smile to Stalwarts face for a moment until he realized that he had no idea where he was in town or how to get to his camp. Not sure on how the locals would react to a new pony in town, Stalwart decided he should just try to blend into the crowd and avoid eye contact as best he could. Stalwart was a pony who could handle a lot of different situations, but one thing he didn't like was large crowds. There was something about being around large numbers that set his nerves on edge, almost like sensory overload, and make him want run in a full gallop to the nearest corner of Equestria that had a grand population of zero. Realizing that having a mental breakdown in a town he had just arrived at was not at the top of his list of things to do today, he forced himself to remain as calm as he could muster. Wandering through town he started hearing the various conversations going on throughout the town mostly talking of weather and other general topics. However passing one shop which looked to sell flowers Stalwart picked up a discussion that caught his attention. “You hear about what happened? Somepony was mugged by ruffians last night!” said a pink mare with a blond mane. “I did Lily, I also heard that the victim was Nurse Redheart.” replied a pink mare with an almost neon green mane. “Uh girls you may want to tone it down, you've caught somepony's attention” said a third mare, this time white with a very pale yellow coat with varying red streaks in her mane. In that moment, Stalwart had realized he had stopped and was unintentionally looking in their general direction. Instinctively his ears pinned back and he began to turn and walk away. As he wondered, he heard one of them speak again. “You think that was one of the muggers? I mean did you see his clothes and those scars!?” A scowl crossed his face at the gossiped accusation and he turned back toward them to tell them off when an orange blur whizzed past him, the stallion jumped back on instinct and blew a sigh of relief. Looking toward where the blur went he saw it was a small pegasus filly on a scooter towing a red wagon with a white unicorn and yellow earth pony with water buckets in tow. “Hurry up Scootaloo!” said the unicorn, “It may still be burning and maybe we can set out the fire...” “...And finally get our cutie marks!” finished the pegasus who began flapping her wings even faster and kicked up more dust in their wake. “Fire?” asked Stalwart wondering how nopony town was panicking if there was a fire...unless, “Oh no...” he thought before bolting in a full sprint after the three fillies. Ignoring the glances he was now getting, being the only pony in town that wasn't walking, and the dull pain that was in his shoulder, he kept running. Following the tracks left by the scooter and wagon until he saw a building he recognized as he walked into town last night that looked like and oversized carousel set. Looking down he saw the wheel tracks went past it out of town. He stopped running and just stood in in place for a moment, not out of exhaustion but to prepare what he was about to deal with. After a minute or so he walked the trail set by the three fillies toward his camp. A few minutes later he came upon a scene that had gathered the attention of several other ponies including the fillies he had been following. After walking around the group he saw what they were all watching, the smoldering remains of a small camp site. A slow pain stung Stalwart’s stomach as he absorbed the inferno that had befallen his home. He took a seat at the farthest edge of the group and sat there watching his stuff turn to ash. Slowly the small crowd began to dissipate until it was just him and the three little ponies that had almost crashed into him. He was sure several minutes passed before he stepped forward and began looking through the remains before provoking a response. “Hey! What do y'all think you're doing?” he heard coming from one of the fillies. He said looking over to them with a placid expression before answering. “Finding whatever I can salvage from my home,” he replied simply, turning back to rummage through the pile. There was no response from the fillies. How could there be? That was the last thing they expected to hear. They watched with open jaws as this stranger dug with a hoof through the ash and not show any sign of emotion. That is until they saw a glint of shiny metal. A small twinge of hope crossed Stalwart as he found was he had hoped survived. The one possession he valued more than any other. After digging through the ash he saw the remains of his duffel bag, which was burnt almost beyond recognition, what gave it away was the top of the bag was still intact enough to be labeled. Brushing it away he saw a simple bronze frame poking out, he quickly bent down, pulled it from the ash and held it up with both fore-hooves and a desperate look upon his face. It was a picture frame but only the frame was intact. The glass had shattered from the heat and the picture beneath no was nothing more than burnt paper. Numb... That was all he felt if you could call it “feeling”. The discouraged stallion closed his eyes and dropped his head as he let the frame slip from his hooves and crash to the ground; shattering what little glass remained. He didn't even notice the three fillies jump back as it broke. “M-Mister are you okay?” asked one of them, he didn't bother to look at which one it was. “...” “Mister?” he heard them call out again, but this time he stood up and walked toward them. They stood there shaking as he approached them and looked toward their wagon and scooter. His unamused eyes glanced over saw that the water buckets were out of the wagon and emptied of their previous contents. Looking down in each one’s eyes he asked, “ Did you try to stop it burning?” All three nodded in unison. “Do you know who did it?” “We didn't s-see them, but were heard some ponies who were pretty beaten up did it.” answered the pegasus. He figured as much. “Thank you.” “W-What?” asked the earth filly. “You did more than anypony else to save this stuff, I didn't see anyone but you three move to stop the fire. So thank you.” “You’re welcome.” they said still slightly dumbfounded. They were sure that somepony would be mad about this or something, but to be thanked for not saving someone's home stunned them. He started to walk toward town before the unicorn reacted asking, “Where are you going?” “To find some place to stay.” he responded and walked away leaving the three fillies with very quizzical looks on their faces. The next couple hours for Stalwart felt like a blur and like he was detached from his own body, while it was on auto-pilot, he remembered finding a small apartment complex and renting a room out for a week. He remembered getting the keys, opening the door, and stepping into his temporary home. It was the definition of Spartan. Four rooms (bed, bath, kitchen, and living room). The walls were white, a bed with plain sheets, stove, sink, and small couch were all it contained. Closing the door he locked the doorknob and deadbolt then went to the bedroom and climbed on the bed facing the pillow. That's when it all hit him and he did the only thing he knew to do as he slammed his face into the pillow: scream. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” yelled into the pillow to suppress the noise. The only thing he owned that meant anything, the only picture he had of him and his parents was gone, destroyed because of him. He laid there yelling until he physically couldn't scream anymore. He was so mad at himself that he barely noticed that he had tears running down his face. Stalwart was in that bed for a couple hours breaking down before sitting up and trying to rebuild his composure. He was glad there was nothing in this room; otherwise he was sure he would have broken it all in his fit. He had a meltdown like this before a few years back It took him several moments before he could get up, fighting the exhaustion he now felt, and realize he hadn't eaten anything in almost two days. Looking out he noticed the sun sat low in the sky so he pulled himself together, turned off the lights as walked out, and locked the door. Stepping out he noticed several shops but one caught his eye and made him raise an eyebrow. It looked almost like a gingerbread house and after walking toward it he read a sign that said Sugarcube Corner. He could smell baked goods coming from the shop so he figured it had something to do with food. Stepping in he noticed that it was a bakery. There were doughnuts and cakes in the display case, all looking delicious, but he didn't see anyone at the counter. He walked up and looked through the case at some of the food. He heard a door open behind the counter and saw an adult mare, whose mane looked like it was made of cupcake icing, walk out. “Oh hello dear, I thought I heard someone walk in. Let me get someone to come take your order.” she said with a smile and turned back to the door and yelled, “Oh Pinkie we have a customer!” “On it Mrs. Cake!” said a pink pony that popped up from behind the counter saluting the older mare and startling both Stalwart and Mrs. Cake. The pink pony turned to Stalwart but didn't take his order. She just stared at him for a moment the gasped very loudly, jumped up above the counter, and then sped off mid-air leaving a fading pink streak across the room and out the door. “What the hell was that?” he asked still staring the door . “I'm not quite sure what got into Pinkie Pie all of the sudden, but since she took off how about I take your order?” replied the managing baker. Stalwart ordered his food and took a seat at one of the tables. He sat there eating the doughnuts he bought and stared through the window at the setting sun and watching the ponies close their shops and head home for the evening. He finished up his food quickly and took off back to the apartment. The sun was just about to set as he got to the building. After unlocking the door he stepped in and set the keys in the bowl just inside the living room. “What the...that wasn't here before.” He thought as he observed the new container. Just then the lights came on and he heard multiple voices yell “SURPRISE!” ***Authors Note***: I want to take a moment to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Multiple situations came up that kept me from being able to work on this as much as I wanted to. I do appreciate everyone patience in this and I am really hoping to get Chapter 4 out very soon which will add some additional depth to the story. Also a special thank you goes to Daxisle for helping proofread this chapter.
Chapter 1Opening Up Chapter 1 Written by: Chiron Warning: The follow fanfic contains material that may be considered graphic to some readers. Contains material such as: rude language and violence. Discretion is advised. It was a quiet night in Ponyville. Stalwart had only been here a little less than a couple hours and had set up a small tent on the outskirts of town. He did a lot of traveling, never liked staying in one place to long. After the sun set and he had crawled into bed he just laid there tossing and turning not able to sleep. His mind going to more unpleasant experiences in the past. Deciding sleep was not gonna happen, he rummaged in his duffel bag and pulled out an MP3 player and sliding his headphones on he put the player on random. After slipping it into one of the pockets on his vest he set off for a stroll through town. He was tall and slightly built as many earth ponies are. His long mane and tail were an odd mix of dark blue & silver. Unlike most he noticed around this particular town, he wore clothes that covered him from his chest all the way to where his cutie mark would be. A durable jacket he picked up as a young colt and had kept it in good shape since one particularly bad day. “Quiet place,” he thought, “hell everypony must go to bed right after sunset.” After walking for a little while his music cut out mid-song and after pulling out the player he found out that the batteries had died. “Ah crap I forgot I hadn't changed these in a while,” he said sliding the headphones down his neck so they rested against his shoulders and sliding the dead MP3 player back into a pocket, “at least it's a nice night.” CRASH! “What the...,” he said wondering what was causing all the noise, “probably just somepony's pet knocking over a garbage can or something” AHHH! HELP! “That's definitely not a cat or dog!” he said running toward the yell and noise. Turning the corner into an alley he seen that two young stallions had a mare pinned down, one an earth pony with a knife in his mouth and the other a unicorn using his magic to levitate his weapon, pointed toward her and trying to rip her saddle bags off. “HEY! What do you think you're doing!?” Stalwart yelled. Everyone in the alley froze and turned to see him blocking the only exit except for the mare who was curled up and whimpering. “Well well look at what we got here.” said the unicorn who had a brown coat with some gold coins for a cutie mark. “Seems to me we get to make off with even more than just the loot this pretty little thing was gonna give us” the other one said with a nasty smirk. Stalwart knew where this was gonna go but had no intention of letting them hurt her. He'd never forgive himself if he did. “Set the bags down and leave, nobody has to get hurt tonight.” Stalwart said. They both started laughing. “You wish buddy, now how about you empty your pockets and scram,” the first pony said, “you got no business here”. “I won't repeat myself again,” Stalwart said this time putting more emphasis into his words, “put her stuff down and get out of here, I will not hesitate to put you both down.” “RARRGH!” roared the earth pony and ran at Stalwart with his knife. Seeing him charging Stalwart readied himself for when he got close enough. The earth pony with the knife ran straight at him and lunged the knife for Stalwart's face. In that moment Stalwart bent his head down and then slammed it as hard as he could into the under part of the pony's jaw. Doing so shattered that pony's teeth against the knife hilt and had him on the ground next to Stalwart writhing in pain and several of his teeth now broken and scattered around the alley. With the knife on the ground Stalwart used a fore-hoof to slide it to the other side of the alley away from them. “You gonna try something stupid like your friend just did or are you gonna go?” Stalwart asked the unicorn. “Nah I'm a much better fighter and a lot smarter than that idiot,” replied the unicorn still levitating his knife and now turning it toward Stalwart, “plus I don't have to get close to you like he did.” Using his magic he flung the knife and in the blink of and eye it pierced into Stalwart's left shoulder causing him to kneel down at the impact. “Hmph idiot” the unicorn said, “Should have just coughed up your stuff and instead I had to go and get my blade dirty”. “I'm an idiot?” said Stalwart with his head still down, blood flowing from the knife wound. After hearing that the unicorn could only turn his head quizzically. “You do realize you don't have a weapon now right?” Stalwart said looking up with a stern expression and into the unicorns eyes. He then turned his head town, grabbed the knife handle with his teeth and pulled the knife out of his bleeding shoulder. Seeing this caused the unicorn to panic. “Whoa, whoa, whoa t-take it easy man look I-I'm sorry p-please don't, we'll leave her alone see?,” said the unicorn floating the bags back over to the mare and setting them down gently. “Y-you can let us go now right, n-no need to cut me with my own knife right?” he finished with a nervous smile. Stalwart spit the knife out of his mouth. “Never said I was gonna use the knife on you.” Stalwart said then bolted right at the unicorn and in one fluid motion connected his right hoof with the unicorn's face and smashed it into the alley wall. After hitting the unicorn a couple more times in the face he fell limp. Stalwart looked back over to the other earth pony who was still in excruciating pain. Neither a threat anymore, he walked toward the mare who had grown quiet. He knelt down and gently prodded her with a hoof. “Hey, you okay?” he asked softly. She turned slowly and looked to the two ponies who had tried to mug her then to stallion kneeling beside her. She wanted to tell him thank you but the scare from the incident left her unable to speak. She nodded. “Alright, lets get you someplace safe. Okay?” he said with a soft smile and extended a hoof to help her up. Walking out of the alley Stalwart was able to get a better look at her. She was looking down at the ground but he was able to see she was an earth pony as well and had a white coat and pink mane that covered a bit of her face. Her mane had been disheveled from the mugging. “Is your house close by?” he said, “I want to make sure you make it home alright.” She looked around a minute and then with her hoof she pointed to which direction she lived. They started walking down the road a little bit in silence until they came upon a white house with blue trimming. She opened the gate then opened the front door and turned on the living room light. She turned around to look at Stalwart who was looking behind them to make sure the two muggers didn't follow. “Thank you,” she said with her voice finally returning and causing Stalwart to turn toward her, “I don't know how I'll ever be able to repa...” her words cut off with a gasp. “What!?” Stalwart asked. “Y-your shoulder,” she said pointing at where the knife got him and the large blood stain on his vest, “You're hurt!” Stalwart looked down at his shoulder and noticed that it was covered in a large amount of blood and that his normally gray coat was wet all the way down to his hoof. “Uh oh,” he said, “guess I was so concerned about ya I forgot about that.” he said. “That doesn't hurt!?” she asked concern filling her eyes. “Just stings a little, I think I'll sit for a second though,” he said, “starting to feel a little bit light headed all of the sudden.” “You've lost a lot of blood we need to get to a hospital quick!” she said turning off the light and closing her door. “I-I'll be alright, I got some stuff back at my tent to patch this up and I'll be...,” he said with his words trailing off as he fell forward onto the sidewalk with a loud thump. She shook him with a hoof but he wasn't responding and after putting an ear to his chest she could tell he was still alive but needed help fast. Knowing she couldn't carry him to the hospital herself she ran to find anyone who could help drag him down the road to the ER.
Chapter 2Opening Up Chapter 2 Written by: Chiron Warning: The follow fanfic contains material that may be considered graphic to some readers. Contains material such as: rude language and violence. Discretion is advised. The first things Stalwart realized when he started to wake up were that he wasn't laying in his tent, the soft bed and beeping from the EKG monitor gave that away, and that his shoulder had a dull ache in it. Opening his eyes he looked down and seen IV lines in his limbs and his normal vest and jacket were gone only to be replaced with gauze wrapping around his shoulder and a hospital gown. “Great...,” he thought, “I'm not even in this town a whole day and I'm in a hospital.” Looking out the window he seen it was light out now and began pondering how long he had been out. The hospital he was in was very quiet, a sharp contrast those he had seen before. The usual ringing of phones and the chatting of nurses & doctors was nonexistent. The silence really unsettled him. Seeing there was not much else to do but wait for someone to show up to check up on him he looked back out the window. After about an hour of sitting in his bed Stalwart here the slide of his room's door and looked over to see an older looking male unicorn with dark brown coat and graying mane wearing a set of scrubs. “Hello my name is Dr. Life Care,” he said with a smile, “how are you today?” “Fine.” replied Stalwart. “Good, good. Seeing how you were brought in last night in pretty bad shape I was expecting you to be a little more uncomfortable.” he said still smiling. Stalwart didn't say anything, just continuing to look toward the doctor. “Okay then since you seem to be holding up alright, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” asked the doctor. “Sure.” he replied. Stalwart answered various questions such as: his name, age, allergies, etc. The usual stuff you gotta deal with whenever you first enter hospital. “Okay then,” the doctor said and Stalwart could have sworn he seen that constant smile falter a little, “Any family in the area we can let know you're here?” “No.” said Stalwart flatly. “Okay, any phone numbers to call a friend?” asked the doctor. “No.” “You don't have anyone to call?” curiosity peaked he asked a little more, “Why?” “Next question please...” said Stalwart, his voice stern. “As you wish." said the doctor sensing the tension, "How about we switch for a moment and I answer some of your questions?” “Fine,” said Stalwart, “how long have I been out?” “Oh,” the doctor said scratching his chin with a hoof in contemplation, “about ten or so hours.” “What did you do to my shoulder?” asked Stalwart. “Well the knife went in pretty deep and caused quite a bit of damage. We had to go in and repair the damaged muscle and make sure nothing was nicked.” said the doctor. “When can I leave?” asked Stalwart after looking at his shoulder while listening to the procedures explanation. “Because of how badly your shoulder was damaged and the amount of blood you lost, I'd recommend you stay at least one more night to recover enough.” replied the doctor pony. “Fine, last question...” said Stalwart, “I helped stop a mare from being mugged last nite. I'm guessing she was the one who brought me in. Is she okay?” he asked. “Ah yes, that reminds me!,” the doctor replied beaming, “Ms. Redheart could you come here a moment please?” he called stepping out the door and yelling down the hall. A moment later the same mare Stalwart saved the night before stepped in the doorway wearing a nurses' cap and her pink mane in a bun. This was not something Stalwart had expected. His normal placid expression changed with a slight raising of his eyebrows. He had to admit seeing her in the light, she was kinda pretty. “Hello again.” she said with a soft smile. Stalwart simply nodded. “I do have a few more questions for you but they can be answered later on, I'm sure you two have somethings to discuss.” said the doctor as he left the room. They sat there looking at each other in silence for a moment before being broken. “Are you alri...” they said at the same time, both stopping mid-sentence to let the other finish. She was blushing quite visibly now. Stalwart felt his face growing a little warm as well. “Please you go first.” he said motioning toward her with his good leg. “Thank you and I'm fine, better now knowing that you are well enough to be awake now.” she said, “I was worried we wouldn't get you here before you got worse last night.” “We?” Stalwart asked raising an eyebrow. He couldn't remember seeing anyone else before he blacked out. “Oh well I had to find someone to help carry you here, I wouldn't have been able to do it myself so I had Big Mac help me.” she replied then quickly realizing that she had never seen this pony around town before she added. “He's one of the farmer ponies who lives on Sweet Apple Acres and I was able to find him just as he was heading home.” “Ah...” Stalwart said. He made a mental note to find this Big Mac character and thank him, it was the least he could do. At that moment there was a knock at the door that caused Nurse Redheart and Stalwart to look at the door. The doctor had returned. “Sorry to interrupt but there are a few other questions I would like to ask our quest.” said the doctor to Nurse Redheart. “Oh right, well I bett-” she said before Stalwart cut in. “Actually sir if it's not to much trouble I would like to get going.” he said causing both medical personnel to look at him; one eyed him quizzically while the other had more concern in her eyes. “Why?” the nurse and doctor said in unison. “Well for starters I've been through worse than this.” he said and with his good foreleg he pointed toward his shoulder. Nurse Redheart hadn't noticed it before now but as he pointed toward his shoulder she noticed he had several scars on his foreleg, this took her by surprise since several of them looked quite bad. “I noticed...” replied the doctor flatly, “I was the surgeon who fixed your shoulder. While we were operating we had to make sure you hadn't suffered any other injuries.” “Then I already know what your next set of questions are likely to revolve around and all I can say is I do not want to discuss it.” Stalwart said staring at the surgeon. Nurse Redheart was confused by this, she wasn't there for the surgery so wasn't sure what these two were talking about. They had sent her straight home after bringing Stalwart into the hospital. “Very well I will hold off with the questions for now.” said the doctor lowering his head toward his patient. “Thank you, now would you please pass me my clothes? I would like to get back to my stuff on the edge of town.” said Stalwart. After asking the doctor went to the closet on the opposite side of the room as Stalwart and pulled out a white plastic bag which after the doctor came over and set on the bed was found to have his jacket, vest, scarf, and music player. As the two medical ponies left the room the doctor stopped and said to Stalwart. “By the way you do not have to worry about any kind of medical expenses.” smiling to Stalwart and then looking toward Nurse Redheart consider it a thank you for saving one of Ponyville's own without concern for yourself.” He then shut the door quietly leaving Stalwart to change into his clothes. “Huh, that was kind of him.” Stalwart thought to himself in the quiet room and proceeded to slip out of the hospital gown. Stepping out he noticed that Nurse Redheart was sitting at the desk where the sign out form was. “Was she the only one who works here?” Stalwart thought as he walked to the desk. As he approached she saw him and began to blush again. Reaching up he picked up the pen and began signing out. “So you really are taking off huh?” she asked sadly. “Ya I just got a little tent on the outskirt of town. I'll probably be back in town to get supplies after I make sure nobody has bothered my stuff.” he said. Looking up he seeing her again he just couldn't help but think of how pretty she was. Thinking this had caused him to blush and stammer out something he didn't intend to say. “But umm I'll probably be in town for a couple days..y-you know to make sure my shoulder isn't to hurt.” This only made his face feel ever warmer but seemed to cheer her up. “Great, maybe we'll run into each other again!” she said, “b-but hopefully neither of us will get hurt in the process.” she quickly added with a giggle. “Heh yeah, well thank you for bringing me in Ms. Redheart.” Stalwart said wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible before his face turned as red as an apple. “Take care.” he added and turned toward the door. “Y-you too and thank you for helping me.” she said back receiving a glance back and a nod from him as he walked out the door. Sitting at the desk and staring at the door Stalwart walked out of with a smile on her face and him on her mind.
Chapter 3Opening Up Chapter 3 Written by: Chiron Warning: The follow fanfic contains material that may be considered graphic to some readers. Contains material such as: rude language and violence. Discretion is advised. Stalwart noticed two things after walking out of the hospital: first that it was very bright outside, causing him to wince at the sudden change in lighting and secondly; that there were more ponies in this small town than he originally suspected. It was roughly mid-afternoon and everyone was going about their business. Some were running errands, others chatting in front of stores or homes, and even some children running and playing. This brought a smile to Stalwarts face for a moment until he realized that he had no idea where he was in town or how to get to his camp. Not sure on how the locals would react to a new pony in town, Stalwart decided he should just try to blend into the crowd and avoid eye contact as best he could. Stalwart was a pony who could handle a lot of different situations, but one thing he didn't like was large crowds. There was something about being around large numbers that set his nerves on edge, almost like sensory overload, and make him want run in a full gallop to the nearest corner of Equestria that had a grand population of zero. Realizing that having a mental breakdown in a town he had just arrived at was not at the top of his list of things to do today, he forced himself to remain as calm as he could muster. Wandering through town he started hearing the various conversations going on throughout the town mostly talking of weather and other general topics. However passing one shop which looked to sell flowers Stalwart picked up a discussion that caught his attention. “You hear about what happened? Somepony was mugged by ruffians last night!” said a pink mare with a blond mane. “I did Lily, I also heard that the victim was Nurse Redheart.” replied a pink mare with an almost neon green mane. “Uh girls you may want to tone it down, you've caught somepony's attention” said a third mare, this time white with a very pale yellow coat with varying red streaks in her mane. In that moment, Stalwart had realized he had stopped and was unintentionally looking in their general direction. Instinctively his ears pinned back and he began to turn and walk away. As he wondered, he heard one of them speak again. “You think that was one of the muggers? I mean did you see his clothes and those scars!?” A scowl crossed his face at the gossiped accusation and he turned back toward them to tell them off when an orange blur whizzed past him, the stallion jumped back on instinct and blew a sigh of relief. Looking toward where the blur went he saw it was a small pegasus filly on a scooter towing a red wagon with a white unicorn and yellow earth pony with water buckets in tow. “Hurry up Scootaloo!” said the unicorn, “It may still be burning and maybe we can set out the fire...” “...And finally get our cutie marks!” finished the pegasus who began flapping her wings even faster and kicked up more dust in their wake. “Fire?” asked Stalwart wondering how nopony town was panicking if there was a fire...unless, “Oh no...” he thought before bolting in a full sprint after the three fillies. Ignoring the glances he was now getting, being the only pony in town that wasn't walking, and the dull pain that was in his shoulder, he kept running. Following the tracks left by the scooter and wagon until he saw a building he recognized as he walked into town last night that looked like and oversized carousel set. Looking down he saw the wheel tracks went past it out of town. He stopped running and just stood in in place for a moment, not out of exhaustion but to prepare what he was about to deal with. After a minute or so he walked the trail set by the three fillies toward his camp. A few minutes later he came upon a scene that had gathered the attention of several other ponies including the fillies he had been following. After walking around the group he saw what they were all watching, the smoldering remains of a small camp site. A slow pain stung Stalwart’s stomach as he absorbed the inferno that had befallen his home. He took a seat at the farthest edge of the group and sat there watching his stuff turn to ash. Slowly the small crowd began to dissipate until it was just him and the three little ponies that had almost crashed into him. He was sure several minutes passed before he stepped forward and began looking through the remains before provoking a response. “Hey! What do y'all think you're doing?” he heard coming from one of the fillies. He said looking over to them with a placid expression before answering. “Finding whatever I can salvage from my home,” he replied simply, turning back to rummage through the pile. There was no response from the fillies. How could there be? That was the last thing they expected to hear. They watched with open jaws as this stranger dug with a hoof through the ash and not show any sign of emotion. That is until they saw a glint of shiny metal. A small twinge of hope crossed Stalwart as he found was he had hoped survived. The one possession he valued more than any other. After digging through the ash he saw the remains of his duffel bag, which was burnt almost beyond recognition, what gave it away was the top of the bag was still intact enough to be labeled. Brushing it away he saw a simple bronze frame poking out, he quickly bent down, pulled it from the ash and held it up with both fore-hooves and a desperate look upon his face. It was a picture frame but only the frame was intact. The glass had shattered from the heat and the picture beneath no was nothing more than burnt paper. Numb... That was all he felt if you could call it “feeling”. The discouraged stallion closed his eyes and dropped his head as he let the frame slip from his hooves and crash to the ground; shattering what little glass remained. He didn't even notice the three fillies jump back as it broke. “M-Mister are you okay?” asked one of them, he didn't bother to look at which one it was. “...” “Mister?” he heard them call out again, but this time he stood up and walked toward them. They stood there shaking as he approached them and looked toward their wagon and scooter. His unamused eyes glanced over saw that the water buckets were out of the wagon and emptied of their previous contents. Looking down in each one’s eyes he asked, “ Did you try to stop it burning?” All three nodded in unison. “Do you know who did it?” “We didn't s-see them, but were heard some ponies who were pretty beaten up did it.” answered the pegasus. He figured as much. “Thank you.” “W-What?” asked the earth filly. “You did more than anypony else to save this stuff, I didn't see anyone but you three move to stop the fire. So thank you.” “You’re welcome.” they said still slightly dumbfounded. They were sure that somepony would be mad about this or something, but to be thanked for not saving someone's home stunned them. He started to walk toward town before the unicorn reacted asking, “Where are you going?” “To find some place to stay.” he responded and walked away leaving the three fillies with very quizzical looks on their faces. The next couple hours for Stalwart felt like a blur and like he was detached from his own body, while it was on auto-pilot, he remembered finding a small apartment complex and renting a room out for a week. He remembered getting the keys, opening the door, and stepping into his temporary home. It was the definition of Spartan. Four rooms (bed, bath, kitchen, and living room). The walls were white, a bed with plain sheets, stove, sink, and small couch were all it contained. Closing the door he locked the doorknob and deadbolt then went to the bedroom and climbed on the bed facing the pillow. That's when it all hit him and he did the only thing he knew to do as he slammed his face into the pillow: scream. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” yelled into the pillow to suppress the noise. The only thing he owned that meant anything, the only picture he had of him and his parents was gone, destroyed because of him. He laid there yelling until he physically couldn't scream anymore. He was so mad at himself that he barely noticed that he had tears running down his face. Stalwart was in that bed for a couple hours breaking down before sitting up and trying to rebuild his composure. He was glad there was nothing in this room; otherwise he was sure he would have broken it all in his fit. He had a meltdown like this before a few years back It took him several moments before he could get up, fighting the exhaustion he now felt, and realize he hadn't eaten anything in almost two days. Looking out he noticed the sun sat low in the sky so he pulled himself together, turned off the lights as walked out, and locked the door. Stepping out he noticed several shops but one caught his eye and made him raise an eyebrow. It looked almost like a gingerbread house and after walking toward it he read a sign that said Sugarcube Corner. He could smell baked goods coming from the shop so he figured it had something to do with food. Stepping in he noticed that it was a bakery. There were doughnuts and cakes in the display case, all looking delicious, but he didn't see anyone at the counter. He walked up and looked through the case at some of the food. He heard a door open behind the counter and saw an adult mare, whose mane looked like it was made of cupcake icing, walk out. “Oh hello dear, I thought I heard someone walk in. Let me get someone to come take your order.” she said with a smile and turned back to the door and yelled, “Oh Pinkie we have a customer!” “On it Mrs. Cake!” said a pink pony that popped up from behind the counter saluting the older mare and startling both Stalwart and Mrs. Cake. The pink pony turned to Stalwart but didn't take his order. She just stared at him for a moment the gasped very loudly, jumped up above the counter, and then sped off mid-air leaving a fading pink streak across the room and out the door. “What the hell was that?” he asked still staring the door . “I'm not quite sure what got into Pinkie Pie all of the sudden, but since she took off how about I take your order?” replied the managing baker. Stalwart ordered his food and took a seat at one of the tables. He sat there eating the doughnuts he bought and stared through the window at the setting sun and watching the ponies close their shops and head home for the evening. He finished up his food quickly and took off back to the apartment. The sun was just about to set as he got to the building. After unlocking the door he stepped in and set the keys in the bowl just inside the living room. “What the...that wasn't here before.” He thought as he observed the new container. Just then the lights came on and he heard multiple voices yell “SURPRISE!” ***Authors Note***: I want to take a moment to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Multiple situations came up that kept me from being able to work on this as much as I wanted to. I do appreciate everyone patience in this and I am really hoping to get Chapter 4 out very soon which will add some additional depth to the story. Also a special thank you goes to Daxisle for helping proofread this chapter.
