Through the Eyes of an Orphanby SkyTCChaserChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourIntroductionChapter OneSilo and Tera had left their small farm and were headed for the nearest town to go to the store. Terra sat patiently in the cart while her husband Silo pulled it along. Wanting to get there quickly, they packed supplies to camp out on their trip home. Tera sighs. "Honey.. Why do I feel bad about this?" "Because he wanted to come? Instead we leave him with a foal sitter?" Silo said, turning his head to look at her. "I guess.. Do you think we made the right choice? I mean.. What would be wrong with letting him come along?" Tera asked with a pained expression as she thought of Chestnut. "I honestly don't know Tera. I feel like we're abandoning him but we need us time. Don't you agree?" Silo questioned, turning his full attention back to the road before him. Tera looks behind her with a sigh. "I guess.. But it's not like he usually bothers us that much.. And he's so young.. But then again.. If we both feel in the wrong about this, why are we still doing it?" "I don't know dear. It's a long journey and Chestnut doesn't need to be traveling this far. It would take us three times longer to get there with him." Silo said, his face furrowed as he thought of Chestnut at home. "It won't take us to long Tera. We'll get there and be back in no time. Just wait." He said, smiling back at her. "I don't understand how he could slow us down.. But okay. Whatever you say, honey.." Tera sighs again, looking down at her hooves as they travel. Silo was silent for a while, watching the scenes around them as he pulled their cart over the soft, rolling hills. "Don't you just love this area, Tera? It's beautiful." Silo said, speaking softly as he gazed into the distance. Staring down at her hooves for so long she had blanked out, Tera snaps out of it when her husband finally speaks. "Hm?" She takes a look around. "Ohhhh.. Yeah." Finally a change in emotion, a small smiles plays across the light mare's face. "Didn't you take me on one of our first dates here?" She asked grinning. "I remember that picnic so well.. We stayed up reeeally late that night. I loved the stargazing we did that night." She says dreamily. Silo let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. It was our second date if I remember correctly. The stars weren't the brightest thing out that night though." He said, smiling over his shoulder at Tera. "Awww, thanks dear." Tera keeps a smile on her face now, watching the stallion she had fallen in love with sweep her away even now. Worries and doubts behind her. Silo smiled when he saw Tera’s bright smile. Looking forward again, he spotted a shadow on the distant horizon. "Maybe we will at least get to meet somepony new today Tera. Look up there." He said, pointing ahead of them. "Hmm.. Maybe." She says, squinting. "That would be a pretty nice change. I've already lost track of time on this treacherous journey!" She says, chuckling. "What's so treacherous about a bunch of hills?" Silo asked, laughing as they continued on their way. Silo laughed, going quiet afterwards as he watched the road. Soon they neared another cart. "Hello?" Silo called out, trying to determine who this pony was that was before them. Tera looks at the stranger as well, offering them a smile. "Good afternoon sir! How are you on this fine, summers day?" Silo asked as they neared the cart, the strange pony coming fully into view. The mysterious pony, concealed by a cloak stops where he is and looks at Silo, Just staring. Tera shifts uncomfortably on her seat. "Um.. Hello?" "O-oh..erm-hello..uh- sir. How are you today?" Silo asked, moving between the stranger and Tera. The stranger clears his throat. Still looking at his two encounters creepily. When he finally speaks, he has an unexpectedly cheery voice. "Why hello there! My name is Pete! I'm a traveling Merchant. What brings you folks here?" He asks. "Oh, well me and my wife are heading to the town north of here." Silo said, shocked by the pony's cheery voice. "What about yourself?" "I told you, I'm a traveling merchant! I just run the roads all day long hoping to run into kind folk like yourselves. I didn't know there was.. Well.. Excuse me, but.. I didn't know there was civilization up in these hills. Where do y'all come from?" Tera was relieved but wishing to stay quiet as she watched the two stallions converse. “We come from a few miles south east of here. The town is several miles away. It's about a days travel north." Silo said, watching this cloaked pony closely. "Hmm.. Are there any paths leading there? I'm just surprised I've never found it.." He responds, looking to the horizon. "You haven't been to it? It should still be there." Silo asked, curious to the merchants words. "How long did you say you have traveled these roads?" he asks, worry momentarily crossing over his face. "All day.. This is a relatively new route for me though. I don't have any business up here yet, most of it's to the south." He answers, sounding a little nervous upon noticing Silo's expression. "Oh, Ok then. That might explain it. You should visit the town sometime soon. It's got a magnificent view." Silo said as relief washed over his face. "Well I've still been up this way a few times.. Is the path there very obvious? I honestly haven't seen one." Explains the anxious merchant. "It should be in plain sight." Silo said with a smile. "You couldn't have missed it." "Plain sight? Geez.. I must be really under observant up here. Thank you, kind ponies. I'll just be making my way then. Good luck on your trip!" Pete finally lifts his head to bow to the couple and maneuvers around them. "Thank you! And good luck with your own." Silo said, smiling as he walked away from the merchant. After they were out of hearing range, Silo turned to Tera. "That was a strange pony, don't you agree?" he asked her. "Well he turned out to be friendly at least.. I'm not sure how much I trust him though. Do you think Susan will be there in time to ensure Chestnut's safety?" Asks Tera, watching him disappear around the bend. "I’m sure she is there already." Silo said, his own worry about that evident in his voice. "Well let's just keep our minds off that. He'll be okay." Tera says with a sigh. "Hey, you brought food right? I'm kinda hungry.." She says as they bump over a rock. "Whoops. Sorry for a bumpy ride." Silo said as he felt the cart move. "Yes I packed food. It should be in a container right behind you." He said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Well I don't want to eat if you don't want to yet.. Isn't there a nice clearing around here we could go have a good ol' Picnic at? I know you want to be done with this as soon as possible, but we need to eat.." She says, sounding unsure herself. "Sure. There should be one right over this hill." Silo said with a smile. "Then we can set up a blanket and eat a nice little snack." He said. "Good." Tera smiles at her husband. "Thank you, honey." Silo nodded as they ascended the small hill. On the other side was a small plain, covered with rocks and dotted with small patches of trees which provided shade. "Where do you want to stop Tera?" Silo asked, looking at the wide expanse of land. "Hmm.. I think we should stay in the sun. Good for us, you know? And we can stay nearby the road too so we can move out as soon as possible when we're done." Tera suggests, smiling. "Sounds good. How about up ahead where the grass isn't as tall." Silo asked, pointing ahead to the small area. "Sure, that sounds good. I didn't think about the grass.." Tera walks on over to their destination. Silo followed closely behind her, pulling the cart to a stop next to the cleared grass. Unhooking the cart, Silo grabbed a blanket and the prepared food and laid it out. "There, almost like our first date!" He said as he proudly examined his work. "Almost." She repeats him, chuckling. "But it'll never be as good as the first time." She sighs lovingly and sits down before Silo. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Silo chuckled, sitting down with Tera. Tera sighs. "I still can't stop thinking of Chestnut.. How did this come up again?" She asks, practically whining. "He'll be fine. Susan is probably there now and they are getting along just fine. Trust me, dear, we won't be gone for long." Silo said, frowning at the thought. "Now come on, let's enjoy a quick lunch before we travel some more." "Well I'm trying to.. But I keep thinking and worrying about Chestnut.. I need your help again.. Just.. Making me think more positively helped before. And although assurance that he'll be fine is really nice, that's not what I need to get him off my mind." Tera responds. "Oh?" Silo questioned as he pulled out two sandwiches. "And what is it exactly that you need?" Silo asked her. ”Well we got talking about our first date which cheered me up last time.. Some more happy memories would probably do the trick." She says, smiling just at the thought of some. "Ahh..some reminiscing of the past always does good." Silo said chuckling. "How about the night I met your father. Yes! Those looks he gave me." Silo said, shivering at the memory. Tera chuckles right away. "Oh, my father. Do I ever remember that. What did he say to you again?" She asks, already smiling. "He said..oh darn! What did he say to me?" Silo thought aloud, smiling at the memory. "I think I had mentioned you before.. He said something like "Oh, look what the cat finally dragged in." I was like FATHER! This is my colt-friend! Be more respectful! He just laughed it off. His good ol' way of letting us know he was just joking. But he warmed up to you soon enough, didn't he?" "Yeah, he did. After he threatened me for an hour straight." Silo laughed. "Was it really only in the first day? I thought it would have taken longer with that old man." Tera says, chuckling. "Yeah. That was everyday for a week, dear, that he threatened me." Silo said, picking at the sandwich with his hoof. "Ah. First week. That explains it." She says, laughing again. My memory's always so fuzzy.. How long has it been now? Nine years? Gah! I feel like I should be able to remember that better.." "Almost ten,~" Silo said smiling at Tera, "In only two months it will be ten." He said happily. "Wow.. Only two months. And to really put it into perspective, it won't just be years anymore. It will be our first decade together!" She exclaims happily. "Yeah! I..might have something planned..if I’m not busy." Silo said nonchalantly. "Oh reeally~?" She asks, intrigued. "I can't wait!" Suddenly snapping back into reality, Tera notices that Silo had started eating and helps herself. "Yes really~!" Silo said grinning now. "But unfortunately you will have to wait." He said with a smirk. "As soon as you finish we will be able to move again." Silo said as he took the last bites of his food. "Wow.. Sorry I got so sidetracked!" Tera eats quickly and smiles again at Silo when she finishes. "Ooh, I can't wait until our anniversary now!" She says excitedly. "I know~ Neither can I!" Silo grinned, helping her back up onto her perch in the cart. "Now, let's get going!" He said as he reattached the cart to himself and started towards the north once more. Tera sighs as she looks to the steep hill ahead. "I never understood this part.." She says to Silo, bracing herself for the inevitable speedy decline. "Understand? What is there to understand?" Silo asked as he struggled to keep the cart in control down the steep hill. "Well the way down is such a nice, smooth decline until here. Then it suddenly drops from like.. 50 degrees to practically 90! Can I get out of the cart, please? I really don't like this part.." Tera asks, concerned. "Sure honey. If you want to." Silo said, looking over his shoulder at her, strain on his face from the weight of the heavy cart. "And be careful.. That stuff’s really heavy.. I completely forgot about this part.. Why do I always forget?" Hopping off the cart, she was nearly crying. "It's ok. I will be careful. Nothing bad has happened before." Silo said with annoyance. "Don't worry dear, it's just a hill." He said. "It is not just a hill! It's a hill twice as steep for no logical reason!" She shouts, always so scared of this part when she remembers it. Tera hops off and walks alongside the cart. "Hate it so much.." She mutters to herself, watching her husband in mute terror. "Dear, don't worry about it. It's not that bad to be honest." Silo said, trying to calm Tera down to no avail. Tera doesn't respond. Just watches the cart's weight push more and more against her husband as they descend the steep hill. She could just imagine how painful that would be.. The leads digging into his sides and only getting worse with each step.. She covers her mouth to keep quiet as the tears inevitably start. Her eyes glide over to the rickety wooden fence that was this entire road's only safety measure. In one particularly bad spot, Silo is so weighed down by the cart that simply walking into a rock trips him. Tera watches in horror as the cart rolls forward, running over the only thing that was keeping it in place and being knocked off course by his body. "Silo!" She calls out, running after him as the cart drags him along. She dives down to catch him just as his hind legs drag over the edge. The old fence had been destroyed by their over packed cart. And her grip nor her weight were nowhere near enough. Slowly, she slides down with him. "No, Tera!! Let go!" Silo cried, the cart pulling on his body as it tried to fall with him attached. "Let go!" She lets the tears flow free now. "No.. I'm not leaving you to die!" She rolls over so that the remaining fence can catch her. "I'll find a way to get us out of this!" "You can't, Tera! This cart will take us both down over this cliff if you don't let go! Please!!" Silo begged, tears leaking from his eyes. "Shut up! Try hanging on with one hoof and undo the cart with your other! I'm sure we can do this!" Even her hind legs wrapped around the fence were not enough. The cart still pulled them down slowly, giving her slivers all along her haunches. "I can't! This cart has to go over my head to come off! It's not coming off unless I get on solid ground!! Now LET. GO!" Silo said as pain covered his tear stained face. The cart bounced against the cliff side, catching his hind leg between them. The only sound it made was a bone-shattering crunch as his leg was broken. "Gahh! Let me go! You will be fine!" Silo said once more, angry that Tera wasn't listening. Hearing the crunch, Tera just cringes and cries more. "No.. I won't do that!" Finally running out of fence to latch onto, the couple is left with nothing to keep them on the cliff and Tera comes whipping down behind Silo. She grabs onto him as she falls so they can die together. "I love you, Silo.." "I..I love you to Tera." Silo said, pulling her close into a hug. The cart fell, pulling Silo and Tera with it. The cold, hard ground awaited at the bottom for them as they plummeted down, dying together. Back at home.. Chestnut was already missing his parents. Chapter TwoOnce upon a time… But stories like that always end well. My name is Chestnut, and this is the story of my childhood. I was young when I found out my parents were killed. Not by anypony but by a rock. My father lost control of the cart and fell over the edge with himself still attached. My mother tried to save him, but she wasn’t strong enough. She never let him go. Sh-she.. always was a little hard-headed. Yes, but what made me mad is when I found out somepony watched them plummet to their deaths. A traveling merchant came by our house. What I didn’t realize that what he told my foal-sitter was bad until my parents didn’t return. When they never returned. Ponies came for me. I wasn’t going to let them take me though, so I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could. Celestia knows I didn’t get to far before they finally caught me. They took me and put me into an orphanage, but I wasn’t going to stay. Let me tell you a tale of how I ran away, and never looked back again. A day passed since Chestnut’s parents had left him at home. Chestnut, in his excitement that they were to return, rushed to get up and ready for the day. Running into the kitchen where Susan, his foal-sitter sat at the table, he exclaimed, “Yay! Mommy and Daddy will be back today!” Susan smiled at his antics. “Alright Chestnut, calm down and take a seat. You’re going to need your strength for today aren’t you?” She asked as she placed his breakfast down on the table. “Yes ma’am!” Chestnut said, jumping into his chair. “So what are we gonna do today?” “Well that all depends on you, don’t you have some chores that need do be done?” Susan asked, a playful smile across her face. “Aww! But chores aren’t fun! Let’s play a game or something!” Chestnut replied quickly as he ate his breakfast. “I know sweetie, but they need to be done.” Susan said smiling. “Now eat your breakfast.” The two ponies sat at the table, eating quietly when a loud knock punctuated their silence. “Now who could that be?” Susan said nervously. “Stay here Chestnut.” She commanded, walking slowly to the door. Another knock resounded through the house as Susan reached it. Opening it slowly revealed a cloaked pony standing outside. “Yes sir? May I help you?” She asked, standing in the doorway with Chestnut in view behind her. Chestnut stood in the doorway of the kitchen, trying to hear what was being said between Susan and the stranger. Chestnut ran to Susan when he heard her let out a small gasp. “Susan?” He asked, looking up at her with his innocent blue eyes. “Chestnut dear, can you go back into the kitchen please?” She asked him, blinking away a few tears from her eyes. Chestnut nodded and walked slowly back to the kitchen and waited for Susan to return. Minutes passed and Susan entered the kitchen again. “So what did that strange pony want?” Chestnut asked Susan, smiling as he colored on a blank page. “Nothing dear. He was just asking for directions.” She said, walking up behind him. “What are you drawing?” “I’m drawing a picture for mommy and daddy!” Chestnut exclaimed happily, looking up at Susan with a toothy grin. Susan faked a smile as she examined the new drawing. “Well I’m sure they’ll love it!” She lied, giving Chestnut a hug. “I hope so!” He said. “So what are we gonna do now Susan?” Chestnut asked, turning to look at her. “Hmm.. How about we play hide-and-seek?” Susan asked, picking Chestnut up from his perch on the chair. “You run and hide and I will seek. Ready, set, Go!” She said, covering her eyes as Chestnut ran off with a fit of giggles. The game-filled day passed swiftly, making Chestnut tired. With a yawn, Chestnut slowed his running to a stop. “Is it time for bed? I’m getting sleepy.” he said, yawning again as Susan approached. “Sure. Let’s head inside.” she said, picking up the tired colt and walking into the small home. Carrying him to his room, Susan laid him gently on the bed and tucked him under the covers. “Alright, goodnight Chestnut.” Susan said, kissing him on his forehead and flicking the light off. “I’ll see you in the morning.” “Goodnight Susan.” Chestnut said, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Susan walked from the dark room and into the small guest room. “I wish I didn’t have to do this now.” She said to herself quietly, “I don’t think I have the heart to tell the poor colt.” Climbing into her own bed, Susan drifted off to sleep herself.After a good night’s sleep, Chestnut woke up bright and early. “Yay! They’ll be home today!” Chestnut exclaimed, jumping out of bed and rushing to find Susan. Rushing through the house, Chestnut found Susan still asleep. “Come on Susan!!” He said, jumping on the bed of the sleeping mare, “Get up!!” Susan woke up with a start, smiling when she saw Chestnut beaming. “Okay, okay. I’m awake. Now what are we going to do today?” Susan asked, chuckling at the young colt’s enthusiasm. “Mommy and Daddy will be home today! We gotta make sure the house is perfect!” he said, jumping off the bed and rushing from the room. Susan frowned as she remembered the terrible news. Following Chestnut to the kitchen, Susan put on a fake smile. “Ok dear, let’s eat something first then.” she said, pulling two plates from a cabinet. Chestnut nodded and flew across the room and into a chair. “What’s for breakfast then?” he asked, smiling at Susan. “Anything you want.” she replied with a smile. “Great!” Chestnut said, “Pancakes!” He answered her. “Alright!” Susan said as she pulled the necessary materials from the cabinet. Susan fixed breakfast quickly, setting the tall stack of pancakes down. “Chow down!” She said, smiling as Chestnut grabbed several and began eating. Eating quietly and quickly, the two ponies soon stood up. “Alright Chestnut, what do you wanna do first?” Susan asked, picking up the empty plates from the table. Chestnut jumped out of the chair and laughed, “Let’s play tag!” He said, tagging Susan on her leg and running off. “Oh it is on!” She replied, chasing after him. Chasing him outside, she stopped and looked for him. “Ok Chestnut, I thought we were playing tag, not hide-and-seek!” She called, still looking for him. Chestnut giggled as he floated above her. “We are! You’re just not looking hard enough!” He said, laughing as he flew off around the corner of the house. Susan laughed as she gawked at Chestnut. “Now that’s not fair!” She shouted, galloping around the house after him. Chestnut just laughed, enjoying himself as Susan tried to chase him. Susan and Chestnut chased each other until lunch, laughing and giggling as their chase constantly changed courses. Stopping for a breath, Susan examined the sun to see how late it was. “Oh wow! It’s lunch time already!” She said, looking for Chestnut. “Chestnut! Come on! It’s lunch time!” she called, walking towards the side of the house with the door. Chestnut suddenly called out for Susan, his voice filled with terror. Susan gasped and jolted around the house to see two ponies in suits holding Chestnut. “Who are you ponies and What do you think you’re doing with him?” she asked, rushing over and pulling Chestnut away from them. “I think you know Ma’am.” Said the stallion on the left. “We are here to take him. Is there somewhere we can discuss this in private?” He asked, looking straight at Chestnut. Chestnut’s ears lowered as he backed behind Susan, scared of the two, dark-dressed stallions. Susan looked at him and back to the pair. “No.. I… It’s time he knows what happened.” She said, turning to look at Chestnut. “Susan?” Chestnut asked, looking at Susan, fear covering his face. “What.. What do they mean take me?” he asked. “Chestnut.. This is hard to say.” She started, “But that pony that came by yesterday… he… he told me some bad news.” She said, tears stinging her eyes. “He.. He told me something about your parents.” Chestnut watched Susan, waiting for her to finish. “He told me he saw them.. S-saw them fall.” Susan said, her voice quivering. “F-fall?” Chestnut asked, “But mommy can fly.” He said, looking at Susan confused. “No dear. She didn’t fly away this time. This time… she.. She tried to save your father but the cart they had was to heavy.” Susan said, hugging Chestnut and crying onto his shoulder. “That pony said he tried to save them, but they had already fallen to the bottom of a cliff, the cart and rocks killing them.” She said, holding onto Chestnut. Chestnut’s eyes broke, tears falling quickly as he took in what Susan had said. “But.. But that means.” he started, looking at Susan who was crying on his shoulder. “They… aren’t coming… b-back?” Susan shook her head. “No.. they aren’t. I’m so sorry.” she said, holding Chestnut close. The two stallions stood by and watched as Susan explained what happened, waiting until she had finished to speak up. “And that, Chestnut, is why we are here. We need to take you to a new place.” “No.. you can’t take him!” Susan cried, placing Chestnut down behind her. “I’m sorry miss, but we must.” both stallions said, walking towards them. Susan shouted as they grabbed Chestnut, trying to stop them to no avail. Chestnut cried as he kicked at the stallion who held him, trying to fight his way away from him. Chestnut bit the stallion who held him, causing him to drop him with a cry of pain. “Ouch!! He bit me!” he cried as Chestnut ran off, away from the group of ponies. “Chestnut!!” Susan cried, falling to the ground as she cried and watched him run off. “Let’s go. We can find him.” said the stallion who stood over Susan. “He can’t get to far away from us.” The two stallions walked off, following behind Chestnut and leaving Susan behind in a puddle of her tears. Chapter Three“I traveled for miles… I don’t even want to think what might have happened if they wouldn’t have caught me. I ran from my home, which was to the north-east of the Everfree forest and the Royal Sister’s Castle, to the south.” Chestnut said, taking a deep, wheezing breath as he looked at his grandbabies. Smiling, he continued, “I ran as fast as I could… that is… until I ran into a stranger who was destined to be, so much more. The end.” “Aaawww!!” The two foals cried in unison. “But… but what happened before that? How did they catch you?! Where did they take you?!” begged a small yellow filly. “Come on!! Tell us!” demanded her brother, a small, purple colt. “Ok, ok.” Chestnut laughed, “I’ll tell you the rest of the story.” he said as his laugh turned to a coughing fit. “Well… after I ran, I ran to a city in the clouds. The great city of Cloudsdale.” Chestnut ran with closed eyes as he darted through the thick underbrush. “Why? Why would they come for me?” He asked himself out loud, fighting back tears as he slowed to a trot. “I… I mean… I-I… Oh what’s the use? They’ll catch up to me eventually. Maybe I should just go back.” he continued, looking back over his shoulder as he finally stopped. “No! I.. I can’t go back. I’ll just have… have to keep.. Keep going.” Chestnut sighed, sitting down under the shade of a large tree. Suddenly a rustling could be heard above him. “H-huh? Wh-who’s there?” He asked, looking up and backing away slowly. “Oh!! Oh hi!” Said a slick, black-coated mare as she peeked out from the tree’s thick leaves. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking at Chestnut with curious red eyes. “O-oh. H-hi.” he stammered. “I…I’m hiding from some ponies.” Chestnut said, looking up at her from the ground. “How did you get up there? Are you a Pegasus to?” he asked, flapping his wings in question. “Oh no dear. I’m not a Pegasus like you. In fact, I’m most likely somepony you will never forget.” Said the dark pony with a sinister voice as she sank back into the green foliage. “Wa-wait! Come back!” Chestnut called, flapping his wings and flying into the dark foliage of the tree. “What’s your name?!” He called as he flew into a large, web. “Eww! What is this?” he asked, squirming to try and escape the sticky web. “That my dear,” Said the black pony as she crawled back into view, her chest turning to a large black abdomen of a spider, “is my web… which you just so happened to fly right into!~” She cried happily. “Ahh!” Chestnut shouted, closing his eyes in fear as he saw his newest acquaintance. “Wh-what are you?!” he asked, flailing to try and escape from his webbed prison. “I, my dear, in your terms am a spider-pony.” She said. “And you can call me spinner.” She said, smiling as she crawled onto the thick web. “B-but… what are you gonna do to me?” Chestnut asked with a shaky voice. “Well.. First I’m going to wrap you up, then I’m going to suck you dry, and finally… Eat you!” Spinner said, laughing as she finished her sentence. Chestnut’s face grew paler and paler as Spinner spoke. As she laughed, Chestnut began to scream, “HELP!!” he shouted, over and over as Spinner got closer and closer. Spinner laughed as she hovered over Chestnut, smiling down at him as her fangs slowly appeared from her mouth. “Oh well.. Say goodbye to whomever you were running from dear.” She sang. “Stop right there!” Shouted a voice as a dark blue aura appeared around the spider, pulling her away as a quick, blue blur snatched Chestnut from the web. “Stay here, don’t move, don’t run.” Said the mysterious mare who had saved him. Chestnut nodded as he sat down to watch the mare take on the evil spider-pony. “You’ve eaten too many ponies Spinner. We warned you.” Said the mare, standing between Chestnut and Spinner in a threatening stance. Hissing at her, Spinner glared. “How else do you expect me to survive? You think I can live off of these accursed creatures that live in this stupid forest?!” she shouted as she lowered herself to the ground. “Yes! We do! Now leave before I send you away forever!” continued the mare. “That is our last and final warning for you.” she said, turning her back to Spinner and walking towards Chestnut. Spinner glared as she sank low to the ground, sneaking towards the newest arrival. Chestnut pointed at her, “Look out!” he cried as Spinner leapt towards the pair. Pivoting quickly, the mare grabbed Spinner in her dark-hued magic once again. “I warned you… now begone!” she said, her horn growing brighter as her magic quickly crushed Spinner. Chestnut cowered away from the mare as he watched her crush Spinner. Slowly backing away, he started to run when the mare grabbed him. “Ahh! No! Don’t hurt me!” He cried, covering his face with his hooves. “Hurt you? Why would I hurt you after I just saved you?” She asked, looking at Chestnut with her royal blue eyes. “Why did you run away?” she asked, setting down Chestnut as she laid in front of him. “They wanted to take me from my home.. B-but… my parents were killed.” He said, whimpering as his ears fell. “I didn’t want to leave.. But.. I had no choice.” “I see, but why run? The ponies who wanted to take you were friendly. They only wanted to take you to a safe home.” Said the mare. “Who are you? And… and how do you know what they wanted?” Chestnut asked, taking step back from the mare. The mare sighed as she stood up. “I shall explain on the way out of this forest. Hop on my back.” she said, lowering herself enough for Chestnut to hop on. Chestnut obeyed, jumping onto the mares back. Suddenly she took off flying, and Chestnut realized who she was. “Bu-but your…your highness!” he said, almost falling off of her back. “Shh… it’s ok Chestnut.” She said, smiling back at him. “I know what happened. We sent those ponies for you as soon as we heard.” She said. “B-but…Princess Luna.. Why?” he asked, staring at her with tears in his eyes. “Because Chestnut, we want all of our little ones safe.” She said. “Now… go and find those two stallions. They will take care of you. Trust me.” she said as she set him down and flew off. Chestnut stared after her, waiting until he could see her no more before he took off in search of the two stallions. Chapter FourA gasp resounded from the two young ponies as Chestnut continued to tell his harrowing tale. “Wow! What happened after the princess left?” asked the small colt. “Well Sapphire,” Chestnut said, “I had started to listen to her and go find the two old stallions that were looking for me. But I changed my mind after I watched her fly off.” “But why? What made you change your mind?” Asked the little purple filly. “I don’t know Velvet. She meant well, I know, but I just didn’t want to get put in a safe place. I found out I enjoyed the thrill of the adventure.” Chestnut said smiling. “It wasn’t my brightest idea, but it was fun while it lasted.” “What happened then?” They asked in unison, laughing as they looked at each other in surprise. “Weeellll,” Chestnut said, smiling as he looked at his grandponies. “I started to head for my home when all of a sudden, this thought occurred to me, ‘Why go home, when you can go to a new place?’” Chestnut sat back in his chair as he continued his little adventurous tale. Chestnut walked over a small hill to watch the princess fly off. “She’s so nice… but why would they send those ponies after me?” He asked himself aloud. “I know.. I’ll just go somewhere else. I don’t have to listen to her.” he said as he trotted off towards the east. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A day passed and no city was in site as Chestnut began to grow tired. Letting out a yawn, he looked around nervously. “It’s getting late, I haven’t slept.. I need to find somewhere *yawn* to sleep.” He said, his eyes already drooping as he continued to walk. As the sun began to fall, so did Chestnut as his legs began to give out. “I.. I need to find.. *yawn* somewhere to sleep.” Chestnut said, slowly collapsing to the ground, his eyes closing. His small body quickly went to sleep as the sun’s final rays hid themselves away. His eyes began to close as the last thing he saw before he slept, was a two pairs of legs walking towards him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chestnut woke up late the next evening, stretching his legs as he yawned. Opening his eyes he smiled as he looked out of a window at the beautiful city. Jumping out of bed, a sudden realization snapped in his mind. ‘Wasn’t I in a field before I fell asleep? Where am I?’ he thought as he looked around and absorbed his surroundings. A small room with a bed and a desk was all he could see in it. “Wh-where… what happened? Where am I?” he finally asked out loud. “Maybe.. I think I saw.. But… No, It couldn’t have been.” he said as he thought back to the night before. “No! They did find me.” he said as he realized that he saw the two stallions as he fell asleep. Quickly he ran to the door and pulled, only to find it locked from the outside with no way of opening it from inside. “No!” He shouted as he ran to the window and tried to open it. “Grrugh!” He said as he fell backwards onto his haunches, the window refusing to budge. “I’m. I’m trapped.” Chestnut said, tears swelling in his eyes as he looked around. “I.. I miss my mommy and daddy!!” he cried as the tears fell quickly. Covering his face, he crawled back into bed and cried into the pillow. “Come now dear. Come give me a hug.” Said a mare’s voice sweetly from the door. Chestnut looked up with a start to the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was none other than Susan. “Susan!!” Chestnut cried as he ran to the old brown mare’s legs. “I.. I’m sorry I ran off!” he cried, burying his face into her soft fur. “Shh. It’s ok Chestnut. It’s ok. I’m here for you.” She said as she held him close, petting his tan mane. The two ponies sat there for several minutes before a stallion cleared his throat. “I’m sorry but you can’t stay. We’re about to close for the evening.” he said, frowning slightly as he looked at the pair. Susan hugged Chestnut one last time before she stood up. “I’ll be back later Chestnut, I promise.” she said, walking out the door past the stallion. Chestnut sat on the floor, watching her leave with tears stinging his eyes. “What am I doing here?” He asked, looking to the stallion in the doorway. “I’m sorry son, I can’t tell you that.” said the stallion in a soft voice. “But don’t worry. You’re safe, we’ll keep you warm, fed, and dry. You’ll have a soft place to sleep.” he listed, smiling as he started to close the door. “Now get some rest, big day tomorrow.” he said as the door closed fully. “B-but…I…don’t want to be here.” he said whimpering as he laid on the floor, hoping the night would be over soon. The night passed slowly for Chestnut as he lay awake on the floor, waiting for the sun to rise. When it did, he found himself on the bed, the sun shining brightly against the wall. “Hmm…” he thought loud, wondering how he got on his bed. Getting up, he walked the short distance to the door and tried it. Surprised he found it unlocked, he opened it slowly to reveal a long dark hallway. Peeking out, he looked down both corridors, only able to see doors and a vast darkness. “I should see where this goes.” He thought aloud again, walking out and down the left corridor. Walking slowly, he tried to determine who lived behind each door. With nothing but numbers on the doors, he finally gave up until he reached the far end of the hall. “What’s this place?” he asked, looking for a sign on the wall. With no number and no indication of what it was, he opened the door slowly. With a slow creak of the door opening, he walked in. “Oh…it’s the cafeteria.” he said as he spotted the many rows of chairs in front of a serving line. The dim lights made it hard to tell if there was anypony in the kitchen, so he walked towards the small serving counter. “Hello? Anypony back there?” he called out into the black void of the kitchen. “Hello dearie.” A voice said from behind him, it’s cheerfulness oddly terrifying. Chestnut turned slowly, looking for the source of the voice. “H-hello?” he asked trembling. “Wh-who’s there?” “Oh it’s just little ole me.” Said the voice. “I’m up here.” “U-up?” Chestnut repeated, slowly tilting his head up. In the shadows, many eyes could be seen glowing in the dark. “Wh-who are you?” he asked. “Oh.. I’m just here as a guest. I came for dinner!” the sweet voice said as a giant, black spider descended in front of him. Screaming as he realized what he was talking to, he ran towards the door, only to find it gone. “N-no! G-get away from me!” he shouted, cowering in the corner. “Why, you’re so cute I could just eat you up!” The spider said, smiling as it walked towards him. “In fact, I think I might do just that!” it said in a sing-song voice. Chestnut screamed as he shot up from the floor, his eyes wide as he looked around, only to see he was back in his room. “Phew, it…it was only a dream.” he said with a sigh of relief. “That…that was terrifying.” he said as he walked towards his bed. Suddenly the door burst open, revealing the stallion from yesterday. “What?! What is it?!” He asked, looking at Chestnut with worry. “I-it’s.. it’s nothing.” Chestnut answered, his ears going flat as he backed away from the stallion. The stallion’s face lightened up as he realized Chestnut only had a bad dream. “So…a nightmare I presume?” he asked, smiling as he sat down in the doorway. “Yeah, that’s a usual thing for new ponies here.” He said as he continued to watch Chestnut. “N-no.. I just…I was…R-really?” he stammered, wanting to lie but failing. “Really. In fact, there was another young colt, such as yourself, who had one to.” The stallion continued. “Would you…like to meet him?” he asked, smiling at Chestnut as he stood up. Chestnut nodded and walked slowly towards the pony in his doorway. Sapphire and Velvet sat starring at Chestnut, waiting for him to continue. “Well?!” They asked in unison. “Well what?” Chestnut asked with a smirk. “What happened?! Who was the colt?! Where did you go?!” Sapphire asked, standing up wide-eyed. “Patience.” Chestnut said, “It’s getting late. And young fillies and colts need their sleep.” he said standing. “Awww!!” resounded when he said that. “But we don’t want to go to sleep yet!” Velvet said with a pout. “Can’t you tell us more?” “I can, and I will.. Tomorrow.” Chestnut said, smiling as he lead the pair inside. “But for now, you two need sleep. Now go get cleaned up for bed.” he said, pointing them to their bathrooms. Soft grumblings could be heard as the two young ponies walked to their rooms, sad to be missing out on the story. Chestnut smiled, wishing they could stay up later. “It’s ok.. You can finish the story tomorrow.” he said quietly to himself. “If only you were here with me, this would be an easier story to tell.” he said, looking at a picture of his beloved. “Oh Snowflake, I miss you.” he said, a single tear falling from his eye as he went to his own room, preparing himself for the next part of the story that he would tell tomorrow. Climbing in bed, he smiled one last time as he fell asleep with his memories of his foal hood sweetheart. IntroductionIt was a quiet summers day in northern Equestria. The birds sang in the sky, the bees were buzzing as they gathered honey, and a small family was packing a cart. Standing tall and wiping his brow, the stallion looked at his work with pride. "See honey! I told you I could pack it all into this cart." He said proudly as he gazed over to his wife who stood by the doorway. "Silo, that looks like it's going to collapse if we get in there." his wife replied, looking over his work, carefully examining the cart's contents. "Daddy!" Cried a little brown colt who came rushing out from the small cottage, "Do you really have to leave me?" he asked, gazing up into Silo's eyes sorrowfully. "Yes Chestnut," Silo said, getting down to his son's eye level, "Your mother and I need to go to town to buy the seeds we need. We won't be gone for more than two days." he said as he ruffled Chestnut's mane. "Awe!! But Susan isn't fun to play with. She's old and smells weird!" Chestnut cried, hugging Silo's leg tightly. "Let go Chestnut," Said the mare as she walked closer, "your father and I will only be gone for two days. Susan can take good care of you until then." "See? Like I said, two days." Silo said with grin as he leaned over to his wife. "Now let's go Tera, we need to go so we can get back in two days." He said, hugging Chestnut and setting him down. Chestnut frowned as he watched his beloved parents get into the cart and leave. Little did he know that would be the last time he saw them alive.
Chapter OneSilo and Tera had left their small farm and were headed for the nearest town to go to the store. Terra sat patiently in the cart while her husband Silo pulled it along. Wanting to get there quickly, they packed supplies to camp out on their trip home. Tera sighs. "Honey.. Why do I feel bad about this?" "Because he wanted to come? Instead we leave him with a foal sitter?" Silo said, turning his head to look at her. "I guess.. Do you think we made the right choice? I mean.. What would be wrong with letting him come along?" Tera asked with a pained expression as she thought of Chestnut. "I honestly don't know Tera. I feel like we're abandoning him but we need us time. Don't you agree?" Silo questioned, turning his full attention back to the road before him. Tera looks behind her with a sigh. "I guess.. But it's not like he usually bothers us that much.. And he's so young.. But then again.. If we both feel in the wrong about this, why are we still doing it?" "I don't know dear. It's a long journey and Chestnut doesn't need to be traveling this far. It would take us three times longer to get there with him." Silo said, his face furrowed as he thought of Chestnut at home. "It won't take us to long Tera. We'll get there and be back in no time. Just wait." He said, smiling back at her. "I don't understand how he could slow us down.. But okay. Whatever you say, honey.." Tera sighs again, looking down at her hooves as they travel. Silo was silent for a while, watching the scenes around them as he pulled their cart over the soft, rolling hills. "Don't you just love this area, Tera? It's beautiful." Silo said, speaking softly as he gazed into the distance. Staring down at her hooves for so long she had blanked out, Tera snaps out of it when her husband finally speaks. "Hm?" She takes a look around. "Ohhhh.. Yeah." Finally a change in emotion, a small smiles plays across the light mare's face. "Didn't you take me on one of our first dates here?" She asked grinning. "I remember that picnic so well.. We stayed up reeeally late that night. I loved the stargazing we did that night." She says dreamily. Silo let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. It was our second date if I remember correctly. The stars weren't the brightest thing out that night though." He said, smiling over his shoulder at Tera. "Awww, thanks dear." Tera keeps a smile on her face now, watching the stallion she had fallen in love with sweep her away even now. Worries and doubts behind her. Silo smiled when he saw Tera’s bright smile. Looking forward again, he spotted a shadow on the distant horizon. "Maybe we will at least get to meet somepony new today Tera. Look up there." He said, pointing ahead of them. "Hmm.. Maybe." She says, squinting. "That would be a pretty nice change. I've already lost track of time on this treacherous journey!" She says, chuckling. "What's so treacherous about a bunch of hills?" Silo asked, laughing as they continued on their way. Silo laughed, going quiet afterwards as he watched the road. Soon they neared another cart. "Hello?" Silo called out, trying to determine who this pony was that was before them. Tera looks at the stranger as well, offering them a smile. "Good afternoon sir! How are you on this fine, summers day?" Silo asked as they neared the cart, the strange pony coming fully into view. The mysterious pony, concealed by a cloak stops where he is and looks at Silo, Just staring. Tera shifts uncomfortably on her seat. "Um.. Hello?" "O-oh..erm-hello..uh- sir. How are you today?" Silo asked, moving between the stranger and Tera. The stranger clears his throat. Still looking at his two encounters creepily. When he finally speaks, he has an unexpectedly cheery voice. "Why hello there! My name is Pete! I'm a traveling Merchant. What brings you folks here?" He asks. "Oh, well me and my wife are heading to the town north of here." Silo said, shocked by the pony's cheery voice. "What about yourself?" "I told you, I'm a traveling merchant! I just run the roads all day long hoping to run into kind folk like yourselves. I didn't know there was.. Well.. Excuse me, but.. I didn't know there was civilization up in these hills. Where do y'all come from?" Tera was relieved but wishing to stay quiet as she watched the two stallions converse. “We come from a few miles south east of here. The town is several miles away. It's about a days travel north." Silo said, watching this cloaked pony closely. "Hmm.. Are there any paths leading there? I'm just surprised I've never found it.." He responds, looking to the horizon. "You haven't been to it? It should still be there." Silo asked, curious to the merchants words. "How long did you say you have traveled these roads?" he asks, worry momentarily crossing over his face. "All day.. This is a relatively new route for me though. I don't have any business up here yet, most of it's to the south." He answers, sounding a little nervous upon noticing Silo's expression. "Oh, Ok then. That might explain it. You should visit the town sometime soon. It's got a magnificent view." Silo said as relief washed over his face. "Well I've still been up this way a few times.. Is the path there very obvious? I honestly haven't seen one." Explains the anxious merchant. "It should be in plain sight." Silo said with a smile. "You couldn't have missed it." "Plain sight? Geez.. I must be really under observant up here. Thank you, kind ponies. I'll just be making my way then. Good luck on your trip!" Pete finally lifts his head to bow to the couple and maneuvers around them. "Thank you! And good luck with your own." Silo said, smiling as he walked away from the merchant. After they were out of hearing range, Silo turned to Tera. "That was a strange pony, don't you agree?" he asked her. "Well he turned out to be friendly at least.. I'm not sure how much I trust him though. Do you think Susan will be there in time to ensure Chestnut's safety?" Asks Tera, watching him disappear around the bend. "I’m sure she is there already." Silo said, his own worry about that evident in his voice. "Well let's just keep our minds off that. He'll be okay." Tera says with a sigh. "Hey, you brought food right? I'm kinda hungry.." She says as they bump over a rock. "Whoops. Sorry for a bumpy ride." Silo said as he felt the cart move. "Yes I packed food. It should be in a container right behind you." He said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Well I don't want to eat if you don't want to yet.. Isn't there a nice clearing around here we could go have a good ol' Picnic at? I know you want to be done with this as soon as possible, but we need to eat.." She says, sounding unsure herself. "Sure. There should be one right over this hill." Silo said with a smile. "Then we can set up a blanket and eat a nice little snack." He said. "Good." Tera smiles at her husband. "Thank you, honey." Silo nodded as they ascended the small hill. On the other side was a small plain, covered with rocks and dotted with small patches of trees which provided shade. "Where do you want to stop Tera?" Silo asked, looking at the wide expanse of land. "Hmm.. I think we should stay in the sun. Good for us, you know? And we can stay nearby the road too so we can move out as soon as possible when we're done." Tera suggests, smiling. "Sounds good. How about up ahead where the grass isn't as tall." Silo asked, pointing ahead to the small area. "Sure, that sounds good. I didn't think about the grass.." Tera walks on over to their destination. Silo followed closely behind her, pulling the cart to a stop next to the cleared grass. Unhooking the cart, Silo grabbed a blanket and the prepared food and laid it out. "There, almost like our first date!" He said as he proudly examined his work. "Almost." She repeats him, chuckling. "But it'll never be as good as the first time." She sighs lovingly and sits down before Silo. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Silo chuckled, sitting down with Tera. Tera sighs. "I still can't stop thinking of Chestnut.. How did this come up again?" She asks, practically whining. "He'll be fine. Susan is probably there now and they are getting along just fine. Trust me, dear, we won't be gone for long." Silo said, frowning at the thought. "Now come on, let's enjoy a quick lunch before we travel some more." "Well I'm trying to.. But I keep thinking and worrying about Chestnut.. I need your help again.. Just.. Making me think more positively helped before. And although assurance that he'll be fine is really nice, that's not what I need to get him off my mind." Tera responds. "Oh?" Silo questioned as he pulled out two sandwiches. "And what is it exactly that you need?" Silo asked her. ”Well we got talking about our first date which cheered me up last time.. Some more happy memories would probably do the trick." She says, smiling just at the thought of some. "Ahh..some reminiscing of the past always does good." Silo said chuckling. "How about the night I met your father. Yes! Those looks he gave me." Silo said, shivering at the memory. Tera chuckles right away. "Oh, my father. Do I ever remember that. What did he say to you again?" She asks, already smiling. "He said..oh darn! What did he say to me?" Silo thought aloud, smiling at the memory. "I think I had mentioned you before.. He said something like "Oh, look what the cat finally dragged in." I was like FATHER! This is my colt-friend! Be more respectful! He just laughed it off. His good ol' way of letting us know he was just joking. But he warmed up to you soon enough, didn't he?" "Yeah, he did. After he threatened me for an hour straight." Silo laughed. "Was it really only in the first day? I thought it would have taken longer with that old man." Tera says, chuckling. "Yeah. That was everyday for a week, dear, that he threatened me." Silo said, picking at the sandwich with his hoof. "Ah. First week. That explains it." She says, laughing again. My memory's always so fuzzy.. How long has it been now? Nine years? Gah! I feel like I should be able to remember that better.." "Almost ten,~" Silo said smiling at Tera, "In only two months it will be ten." He said happily. "Wow.. Only two months. And to really put it into perspective, it won't just be years anymore. It will be our first decade together!" She exclaims happily. "Yeah! I..might have something planned..if I’m not busy." Silo said nonchalantly. "Oh reeally~?" She asks, intrigued. "I can't wait!" Suddenly snapping back into reality, Tera notices that Silo had started eating and helps herself. "Yes really~!" Silo said grinning now. "But unfortunately you will have to wait." He said with a smirk. "As soon as you finish we will be able to move again." Silo said as he took the last bites of his food. "Wow.. Sorry I got so sidetracked!" Tera eats quickly and smiles again at Silo when she finishes. "Ooh, I can't wait until our anniversary now!" She says excitedly. "I know~ Neither can I!" Silo grinned, helping her back up onto her perch in the cart. "Now, let's get going!" He said as he reattached the cart to himself and started towards the north once more. Tera sighs as she looks to the steep hill ahead. "I never understood this part.." She says to Silo, bracing herself for the inevitable speedy decline. "Understand? What is there to understand?" Silo asked as he struggled to keep the cart in control down the steep hill. "Well the way down is such a nice, smooth decline until here. Then it suddenly drops from like.. 50 degrees to practically 90! Can I get out of the cart, please? I really don't like this part.." Tera asks, concerned. "Sure honey. If you want to." Silo said, looking over his shoulder at her, strain on his face from the weight of the heavy cart. "And be careful.. That stuff’s really heavy.. I completely forgot about this part.. Why do I always forget?" Hopping off the cart, she was nearly crying. "It's ok. I will be careful. Nothing bad has happened before." Silo said with annoyance. "Don't worry dear, it's just a hill." He said. "It is not just a hill! It's a hill twice as steep for no logical reason!" She shouts, always so scared of this part when she remembers it. Tera hops off and walks alongside the cart. "Hate it so much.." She mutters to herself, watching her husband in mute terror. "Dear, don't worry about it. It's not that bad to be honest." Silo said, trying to calm Tera down to no avail. Tera doesn't respond. Just watches the cart's weight push more and more against her husband as they descend the steep hill. She could just imagine how painful that would be.. The leads digging into his sides and only getting worse with each step.. She covers her mouth to keep quiet as the tears inevitably start. Her eyes glide over to the rickety wooden fence that was this entire road's only safety measure. In one particularly bad spot, Silo is so weighed down by the cart that simply walking into a rock trips him. Tera watches in horror as the cart rolls forward, running over the only thing that was keeping it in place and being knocked off course by his body. "Silo!" She calls out, running after him as the cart drags him along. She dives down to catch him just as his hind legs drag over the edge. The old fence had been destroyed by their over packed cart. And her grip nor her weight were nowhere near enough. Slowly, she slides down with him. "No, Tera!! Let go!" Silo cried, the cart pulling on his body as it tried to fall with him attached. "Let go!" She lets the tears flow free now. "No.. I'm not leaving you to die!" She rolls over so that the remaining fence can catch her. "I'll find a way to get us out of this!" "You can't, Tera! This cart will take us both down over this cliff if you don't let go! Please!!" Silo begged, tears leaking from his eyes. "Shut up! Try hanging on with one hoof and undo the cart with your other! I'm sure we can do this!" Even her hind legs wrapped around the fence were not enough. The cart still pulled them down slowly, giving her slivers all along her haunches. "I can't! This cart has to go over my head to come off! It's not coming off unless I get on solid ground!! Now LET. GO!" Silo said as pain covered his tear stained face. The cart bounced against the cliff side, catching his hind leg between them. The only sound it made was a bone-shattering crunch as his leg was broken. "Gahh! Let me go! You will be fine!" Silo said once more, angry that Tera wasn't listening. Hearing the crunch, Tera just cringes and cries more. "No.. I won't do that!" Finally running out of fence to latch onto, the couple is left with nothing to keep them on the cliff and Tera comes whipping down behind Silo. She grabs onto him as she falls so they can die together. "I love you, Silo.." "I..I love you to Tera." Silo said, pulling her close into a hug. The cart fell, pulling Silo and Tera with it. The cold, hard ground awaited at the bottom for them as they plummeted down, dying together. Back at home.. Chestnut was already missing his parents.
Chapter TwoOnce upon a time… But stories like that always end well. My name is Chestnut, and this is the story of my childhood. I was young when I found out my parents were killed. Not by anypony but by a rock. My father lost control of the cart and fell over the edge with himself still attached. My mother tried to save him, but she wasn’t strong enough. She never let him go. Sh-she.. always was a little hard-headed. Yes, but what made me mad is when I found out somepony watched them plummet to their deaths. A traveling merchant came by our house. What I didn’t realize that what he told my foal-sitter was bad until my parents didn’t return. When they never returned. Ponies came for me. I wasn’t going to let them take me though, so I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could. Celestia knows I didn’t get to far before they finally caught me. They took me and put me into an orphanage, but I wasn’t going to stay. Let me tell you a tale of how I ran away, and never looked back again. A day passed since Chestnut’s parents had left him at home. Chestnut, in his excitement that they were to return, rushed to get up and ready for the day. Running into the kitchen where Susan, his foal-sitter sat at the table, he exclaimed, “Yay! Mommy and Daddy will be back today!” Susan smiled at his antics. “Alright Chestnut, calm down and take a seat. You’re going to need your strength for today aren’t you?” She asked as she placed his breakfast down on the table. “Yes ma’am!” Chestnut said, jumping into his chair. “So what are we gonna do today?” “Well that all depends on you, don’t you have some chores that need do be done?” Susan asked, a playful smile across her face. “Aww! But chores aren’t fun! Let’s play a game or something!” Chestnut replied quickly as he ate his breakfast. “I know sweetie, but they need to be done.” Susan said smiling. “Now eat your breakfast.” The two ponies sat at the table, eating quietly when a loud knock punctuated their silence. “Now who could that be?” Susan said nervously. “Stay here Chestnut.” She commanded, walking slowly to the door. Another knock resounded through the house as Susan reached it. Opening it slowly revealed a cloaked pony standing outside. “Yes sir? May I help you?” She asked, standing in the doorway with Chestnut in view behind her. Chestnut stood in the doorway of the kitchen, trying to hear what was being said between Susan and the stranger. Chestnut ran to Susan when he heard her let out a small gasp. “Susan?” He asked, looking up at her with his innocent blue eyes. “Chestnut dear, can you go back into the kitchen please?” She asked him, blinking away a few tears from her eyes. Chestnut nodded and walked slowly back to the kitchen and waited for Susan to return. Minutes passed and Susan entered the kitchen again. “So what did that strange pony want?” Chestnut asked Susan, smiling as he colored on a blank page. “Nothing dear. He was just asking for directions.” She said, walking up behind him. “What are you drawing?” “I’m drawing a picture for mommy and daddy!” Chestnut exclaimed happily, looking up at Susan with a toothy grin. Susan faked a smile as she examined the new drawing. “Well I’m sure they’ll love it!” She lied, giving Chestnut a hug. “I hope so!” He said. “So what are we gonna do now Susan?” Chestnut asked, turning to look at her. “Hmm.. How about we play hide-and-seek?” Susan asked, picking Chestnut up from his perch on the chair. “You run and hide and I will seek. Ready, set, Go!” She said, covering her eyes as Chestnut ran off with a fit of giggles. The game-filled day passed swiftly, making Chestnut tired. With a yawn, Chestnut slowed his running to a stop. “Is it time for bed? I’m getting sleepy.” he said, yawning again as Susan approached. “Sure. Let’s head inside.” she said, picking up the tired colt and walking into the small home. Carrying him to his room, Susan laid him gently on the bed and tucked him under the covers. “Alright, goodnight Chestnut.” Susan said, kissing him on his forehead and flicking the light off. “I’ll see you in the morning.” “Goodnight Susan.” Chestnut said, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Susan walked from the dark room and into the small guest room. “I wish I didn’t have to do this now.” She said to herself quietly, “I don’t think I have the heart to tell the poor colt.” Climbing into her own bed, Susan drifted off to sleep herself.After a good night’s sleep, Chestnut woke up bright and early. “Yay! They’ll be home today!” Chestnut exclaimed, jumping out of bed and rushing to find Susan. Rushing through the house, Chestnut found Susan still asleep. “Come on Susan!!” He said, jumping on the bed of the sleeping mare, “Get up!!” Susan woke up with a start, smiling when she saw Chestnut beaming. “Okay, okay. I’m awake. Now what are we going to do today?” Susan asked, chuckling at the young colt’s enthusiasm. “Mommy and Daddy will be home today! We gotta make sure the house is perfect!” he said, jumping off the bed and rushing from the room. Susan frowned as she remembered the terrible news. Following Chestnut to the kitchen, Susan put on a fake smile. “Ok dear, let’s eat something first then.” she said, pulling two plates from a cabinet. Chestnut nodded and flew across the room and into a chair. “What’s for breakfast then?” he asked, smiling at Susan. “Anything you want.” she replied with a smile. “Great!” Chestnut said, “Pancakes!” He answered her. “Alright!” Susan said as she pulled the necessary materials from the cabinet. Susan fixed breakfast quickly, setting the tall stack of pancakes down. “Chow down!” She said, smiling as Chestnut grabbed several and began eating. Eating quietly and quickly, the two ponies soon stood up. “Alright Chestnut, what do you wanna do first?” Susan asked, picking up the empty plates from the table. Chestnut jumped out of the chair and laughed, “Let’s play tag!” He said, tagging Susan on her leg and running off. “Oh it is on!” She replied, chasing after him. Chasing him outside, she stopped and looked for him. “Ok Chestnut, I thought we were playing tag, not hide-and-seek!” She called, still looking for him. Chestnut giggled as he floated above her. “We are! You’re just not looking hard enough!” He said, laughing as he flew off around the corner of the house. Susan laughed as she gawked at Chestnut. “Now that’s not fair!” She shouted, galloping around the house after him. Chestnut just laughed, enjoying himself as Susan tried to chase him. Susan and Chestnut chased each other until lunch, laughing and giggling as their chase constantly changed courses. Stopping for a breath, Susan examined the sun to see how late it was. “Oh wow! It’s lunch time already!” She said, looking for Chestnut. “Chestnut! Come on! It’s lunch time!” she called, walking towards the side of the house with the door. Chestnut suddenly called out for Susan, his voice filled with terror. Susan gasped and jolted around the house to see two ponies in suits holding Chestnut. “Who are you ponies and What do you think you’re doing with him?” she asked, rushing over and pulling Chestnut away from them. “I think you know Ma’am.” Said the stallion on the left. “We are here to take him. Is there somewhere we can discuss this in private?” He asked, looking straight at Chestnut. Chestnut’s ears lowered as he backed behind Susan, scared of the two, dark-dressed stallions. Susan looked at him and back to the pair. “No.. I… It’s time he knows what happened.” She said, turning to look at Chestnut. “Susan?” Chestnut asked, looking at Susan, fear covering his face. “What.. What do they mean take me?” he asked. “Chestnut.. This is hard to say.” She started, “But that pony that came by yesterday… he… he told me some bad news.” She said, tears stinging her eyes. “He.. He told me something about your parents.” Chestnut watched Susan, waiting for her to finish. “He told me he saw them.. S-saw them fall.” Susan said, her voice quivering. “F-fall?” Chestnut asked, “But mommy can fly.” He said, looking at Susan confused. “No dear. She didn’t fly away this time. This time… she.. She tried to save your father but the cart they had was to heavy.” Susan said, hugging Chestnut and crying onto his shoulder. “That pony said he tried to save them, but they had already fallen to the bottom of a cliff, the cart and rocks killing them.” She said, holding onto Chestnut. Chestnut’s eyes broke, tears falling quickly as he took in what Susan had said. “But.. But that means.” he started, looking at Susan who was crying on his shoulder. “They… aren’t coming… b-back?” Susan shook her head. “No.. they aren’t. I’m so sorry.” she said, holding Chestnut close. The two stallions stood by and watched as Susan explained what happened, waiting until she had finished to speak up. “And that, Chestnut, is why we are here. We need to take you to a new place.” “No.. you can’t take him!” Susan cried, placing Chestnut down behind her. “I’m sorry miss, but we must.” both stallions said, walking towards them. Susan shouted as they grabbed Chestnut, trying to stop them to no avail. Chestnut cried as he kicked at the stallion who held him, trying to fight his way away from him. Chestnut bit the stallion who held him, causing him to drop him with a cry of pain. “Ouch!! He bit me!” he cried as Chestnut ran off, away from the group of ponies. “Chestnut!!” Susan cried, falling to the ground as she cried and watched him run off. “Let’s go. We can find him.” said the stallion who stood over Susan. “He can’t get to far away from us.” The two stallions walked off, following behind Chestnut and leaving Susan behind in a puddle of her tears.
Chapter Three“I traveled for miles… I don’t even want to think what might have happened if they wouldn’t have caught me. I ran from my home, which was to the north-east of the Everfree forest and the Royal Sister’s Castle, to the south.” Chestnut said, taking a deep, wheezing breath as he looked at his grandbabies. Smiling, he continued, “I ran as fast as I could… that is… until I ran into a stranger who was destined to be, so much more. The end.” “Aaawww!!” The two foals cried in unison. “But… but what happened before that? How did they catch you?! Where did they take you?!” begged a small yellow filly. “Come on!! Tell us!” demanded her brother, a small, purple colt. “Ok, ok.” Chestnut laughed, “I’ll tell you the rest of the story.” he said as his laugh turned to a coughing fit. “Well… after I ran, I ran to a city in the clouds. The great city of Cloudsdale.” Chestnut ran with closed eyes as he darted through the thick underbrush. “Why? Why would they come for me?” He asked himself out loud, fighting back tears as he slowed to a trot. “I… I mean… I-I… Oh what’s the use? They’ll catch up to me eventually. Maybe I should just go back.” he continued, looking back over his shoulder as he finally stopped. “No! I.. I can’t go back. I’ll just have… have to keep.. Keep going.” Chestnut sighed, sitting down under the shade of a large tree. Suddenly a rustling could be heard above him. “H-huh? Wh-who’s there?” He asked, looking up and backing away slowly. “Oh!! Oh hi!” Said a slick, black-coated mare as she peeked out from the tree’s thick leaves. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking at Chestnut with curious red eyes. “O-oh. H-hi.” he stammered. “I…I’m hiding from some ponies.” Chestnut said, looking up at her from the ground. “How did you get up there? Are you a Pegasus to?” he asked, flapping his wings in question. “Oh no dear. I’m not a Pegasus like you. In fact, I’m most likely somepony you will never forget.” Said the dark pony with a sinister voice as she sank back into the green foliage. “Wa-wait! Come back!” Chestnut called, flapping his wings and flying into the dark foliage of the tree. “What’s your name?!” He called as he flew into a large, web. “Eww! What is this?” he asked, squirming to try and escape the sticky web. “That my dear,” Said the black pony as she crawled back into view, her chest turning to a large black abdomen of a spider, “is my web… which you just so happened to fly right into!~” She cried happily. “Ahh!” Chestnut shouted, closing his eyes in fear as he saw his newest acquaintance. “Wh-what are you?!” he asked, flailing to try and escape from his webbed prison. “I, my dear, in your terms am a spider-pony.” She said. “And you can call me spinner.” She said, smiling as she crawled onto the thick web. “B-but… what are you gonna do to me?” Chestnut asked with a shaky voice. “Well.. First I’m going to wrap you up, then I’m going to suck you dry, and finally… Eat you!” Spinner said, laughing as she finished her sentence. Chestnut’s face grew paler and paler as Spinner spoke. As she laughed, Chestnut began to scream, “HELP!!” he shouted, over and over as Spinner got closer and closer. Spinner laughed as she hovered over Chestnut, smiling down at him as her fangs slowly appeared from her mouth. “Oh well.. Say goodbye to whomever you were running from dear.” She sang. “Stop right there!” Shouted a voice as a dark blue aura appeared around the spider, pulling her away as a quick, blue blur snatched Chestnut from the web. “Stay here, don’t move, don’t run.” Said the mysterious mare who had saved him. Chestnut nodded as he sat down to watch the mare take on the evil spider-pony. “You’ve eaten too many ponies Spinner. We warned you.” Said the mare, standing between Chestnut and Spinner in a threatening stance. Hissing at her, Spinner glared. “How else do you expect me to survive? You think I can live off of these accursed creatures that live in this stupid forest?!” she shouted as she lowered herself to the ground. “Yes! We do! Now leave before I send you away forever!” continued the mare. “That is our last and final warning for you.” she said, turning her back to Spinner and walking towards Chestnut. Spinner glared as she sank low to the ground, sneaking towards the newest arrival. Chestnut pointed at her, “Look out!” he cried as Spinner leapt towards the pair. Pivoting quickly, the mare grabbed Spinner in her dark-hued magic once again. “I warned you… now begone!” she said, her horn growing brighter as her magic quickly crushed Spinner. Chestnut cowered away from the mare as he watched her crush Spinner. Slowly backing away, he started to run when the mare grabbed him. “Ahh! No! Don’t hurt me!” He cried, covering his face with his hooves. “Hurt you? Why would I hurt you after I just saved you?” She asked, looking at Chestnut with her royal blue eyes. “Why did you run away?” she asked, setting down Chestnut as she laid in front of him. “They wanted to take me from my home.. B-but… my parents were killed.” He said, whimpering as his ears fell. “I didn’t want to leave.. But.. I had no choice.” “I see, but why run? The ponies who wanted to take you were friendly. They only wanted to take you to a safe home.” Said the mare. “Who are you? And… and how do you know what they wanted?” Chestnut asked, taking step back from the mare. The mare sighed as she stood up. “I shall explain on the way out of this forest. Hop on my back.” she said, lowering herself enough for Chestnut to hop on. Chestnut obeyed, jumping onto the mares back. Suddenly she took off flying, and Chestnut realized who she was. “Bu-but your…your highness!” he said, almost falling off of her back. “Shh… it’s ok Chestnut.” She said, smiling back at him. “I know what happened. We sent those ponies for you as soon as we heard.” She said. “B-but…Princess Luna.. Why?” he asked, staring at her with tears in his eyes. “Because Chestnut, we want all of our little ones safe.” She said. “Now… go and find those two stallions. They will take care of you. Trust me.” she said as she set him down and flew off. Chestnut stared after her, waiting until he could see her no more before he took off in search of the two stallions.
Chapter FourA gasp resounded from the two young ponies as Chestnut continued to tell his harrowing tale. “Wow! What happened after the princess left?” asked the small colt. “Well Sapphire,” Chestnut said, “I had started to listen to her and go find the two old stallions that were looking for me. But I changed my mind after I watched her fly off.” “But why? What made you change your mind?” Asked the little purple filly. “I don’t know Velvet. She meant well, I know, but I just didn’t want to get put in a safe place. I found out I enjoyed the thrill of the adventure.” Chestnut said smiling. “It wasn’t my brightest idea, but it was fun while it lasted.” “What happened then?” They asked in unison, laughing as they looked at each other in surprise. “Weeellll,” Chestnut said, smiling as he looked at his grandponies. “I started to head for my home when all of a sudden, this thought occurred to me, ‘Why go home, when you can go to a new place?’” Chestnut sat back in his chair as he continued his little adventurous tale. Chestnut walked over a small hill to watch the princess fly off. “She’s so nice… but why would they send those ponies after me?” He asked himself aloud. “I know.. I’ll just go somewhere else. I don’t have to listen to her.” he said as he trotted off towards the east. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A day passed and no city was in site as Chestnut began to grow tired. Letting out a yawn, he looked around nervously. “It’s getting late, I haven’t slept.. I need to find somewhere *yawn* to sleep.” He said, his eyes already drooping as he continued to walk. As the sun began to fall, so did Chestnut as his legs began to give out. “I.. I need to find.. *yawn* somewhere to sleep.” Chestnut said, slowly collapsing to the ground, his eyes closing. His small body quickly went to sleep as the sun’s final rays hid themselves away. His eyes began to close as the last thing he saw before he slept, was a two pairs of legs walking towards him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chestnut woke up late the next evening, stretching his legs as he yawned. Opening his eyes he smiled as he looked out of a window at the beautiful city. Jumping out of bed, a sudden realization snapped in his mind. ‘Wasn’t I in a field before I fell asleep? Where am I?’ he thought as he looked around and absorbed his surroundings. A small room with a bed and a desk was all he could see in it. “Wh-where… what happened? Where am I?” he finally asked out loud. “Maybe.. I think I saw.. But… No, It couldn’t have been.” he said as he thought back to the night before. “No! They did find me.” he said as he realized that he saw the two stallions as he fell asleep. Quickly he ran to the door and pulled, only to find it locked from the outside with no way of opening it from inside. “No!” He shouted as he ran to the window and tried to open it. “Grrugh!” He said as he fell backwards onto his haunches, the window refusing to budge. “I’m. I’m trapped.” Chestnut said, tears swelling in his eyes as he looked around. “I.. I miss my mommy and daddy!!” he cried as the tears fell quickly. Covering his face, he crawled back into bed and cried into the pillow. “Come now dear. Come give me a hug.” Said a mare’s voice sweetly from the door. Chestnut looked up with a start to the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was none other than Susan. “Susan!!” Chestnut cried as he ran to the old brown mare’s legs. “I.. I’m sorry I ran off!” he cried, burying his face into her soft fur. “Shh. It’s ok Chestnut. It’s ok. I’m here for you.” She said as she held him close, petting his tan mane. The two ponies sat there for several minutes before a stallion cleared his throat. “I’m sorry but you can’t stay. We’re about to close for the evening.” he said, frowning slightly as he looked at the pair. Susan hugged Chestnut one last time before she stood up. “I’ll be back later Chestnut, I promise.” she said, walking out the door past the stallion. Chestnut sat on the floor, watching her leave with tears stinging his eyes. “What am I doing here?” He asked, looking to the stallion in the doorway. “I’m sorry son, I can’t tell you that.” said the stallion in a soft voice. “But don’t worry. You’re safe, we’ll keep you warm, fed, and dry. You’ll have a soft place to sleep.” he listed, smiling as he started to close the door. “Now get some rest, big day tomorrow.” he said as the door closed fully. “B-but…I…don’t want to be here.” he said whimpering as he laid on the floor, hoping the night would be over soon. The night passed slowly for Chestnut as he lay awake on the floor, waiting for the sun to rise. When it did, he found himself on the bed, the sun shining brightly against the wall. “Hmm…” he thought loud, wondering how he got on his bed. Getting up, he walked the short distance to the door and tried it. Surprised he found it unlocked, he opened it slowly to reveal a long dark hallway. Peeking out, he looked down both corridors, only able to see doors and a vast darkness. “I should see where this goes.” He thought aloud again, walking out and down the left corridor. Walking slowly, he tried to determine who lived behind each door. With nothing but numbers on the doors, he finally gave up until he reached the far end of the hall. “What’s this place?” he asked, looking for a sign on the wall. With no number and no indication of what it was, he opened the door slowly. With a slow creak of the door opening, he walked in. “Oh…it’s the cafeteria.” he said as he spotted the many rows of chairs in front of a serving line. The dim lights made it hard to tell if there was anypony in the kitchen, so he walked towards the small serving counter. “Hello? Anypony back there?” he called out into the black void of the kitchen. “Hello dearie.” A voice said from behind him, it’s cheerfulness oddly terrifying. Chestnut turned slowly, looking for the source of the voice. “H-hello?” he asked trembling. “Wh-who’s there?” “Oh it’s just little ole me.” Said the voice. “I’m up here.” “U-up?” Chestnut repeated, slowly tilting his head up. In the shadows, many eyes could be seen glowing in the dark. “Wh-who are you?” he asked. “Oh.. I’m just here as a guest. I came for dinner!” the sweet voice said as a giant, black spider descended in front of him. Screaming as he realized what he was talking to, he ran towards the door, only to find it gone. “N-no! G-get away from me!” he shouted, cowering in the corner. “Why, you’re so cute I could just eat you up!” The spider said, smiling as it walked towards him. “In fact, I think I might do just that!” it said in a sing-song voice. Chestnut screamed as he shot up from the floor, his eyes wide as he looked around, only to see he was back in his room. “Phew, it…it was only a dream.” he said with a sigh of relief. “That…that was terrifying.” he said as he walked towards his bed. Suddenly the door burst open, revealing the stallion from yesterday. “What?! What is it?!” He asked, looking at Chestnut with worry. “I-it’s.. it’s nothing.” Chestnut answered, his ears going flat as he backed away from the stallion. The stallion’s face lightened up as he realized Chestnut only had a bad dream. “So…a nightmare I presume?” he asked, smiling as he sat down in the doorway. “Yeah, that’s a usual thing for new ponies here.” He said as he continued to watch Chestnut. “N-no.. I just…I was…R-really?” he stammered, wanting to lie but failing. “Really. In fact, there was another young colt, such as yourself, who had one to.” The stallion continued. “Would you…like to meet him?” he asked, smiling at Chestnut as he stood up. Chestnut nodded and walked slowly towards the pony in his doorway. Sapphire and Velvet sat starring at Chestnut, waiting for him to continue. “Well?!” They asked in unison. “Well what?” Chestnut asked with a smirk. “What happened?! Who was the colt?! Where did you go?!” Sapphire asked, standing up wide-eyed. “Patience.” Chestnut said, “It’s getting late. And young fillies and colts need their sleep.” he said standing. “Awww!!” resounded when he said that. “But we don’t want to go to sleep yet!” Velvet said with a pout. “Can’t you tell us more?” “I can, and I will.. Tomorrow.” Chestnut said, smiling as he lead the pair inside. “But for now, you two need sleep. Now go get cleaned up for bed.” he said, pointing them to their bathrooms. Soft grumblings could be heard as the two young ponies walked to their rooms, sad to be missing out on the story. Chestnut smiled, wishing they could stay up later. “It’s ok.. You can finish the story tomorrow.” he said quietly to himself. “If only you were here with me, this would be an easier story to tell.” he said, looking at a picture of his beloved. “Oh Snowflake, I miss you.” he said, a single tear falling from his eye as he went to his own room, preparing himself for the next part of the story that he would tell tomorrow. Climbing in bed, he smiled one last time as he fell asleep with his memories of his foal hood sweetheart.
IntroductionIt was a quiet summers day in northern Equestria. The birds sang in the sky, the bees were buzzing as they gathered honey, and a small family was packing a cart. Standing tall and wiping his brow, the stallion looked at his work with pride. "See honey! I told you I could pack it all into this cart." He said proudly as he gazed over to his wife who stood by the doorway. "Silo, that looks like it's going to collapse if we get in there." his wife replied, looking over his work, carefully examining the cart's contents. "Daddy!" Cried a little brown colt who came rushing out from the small cottage, "Do you really have to leave me?" he asked, gazing up into Silo's eyes sorrowfully. "Yes Chestnut," Silo said, getting down to his son's eye level, "Your mother and I need to go to town to buy the seeds we need. We won't be gone for more than two days." he said as he ruffled Chestnut's mane. "Awe!! But Susan isn't fun to play with. She's old and smells weird!" Chestnut cried, hugging Silo's leg tightly. "Let go Chestnut," Said the mare as she walked closer, "your father and I will only be gone for two days. Susan can take good care of you until then." "See? Like I said, two days." Silo said with grin as he leaned over to his wife. "Now let's go Tera, we need to go so we can get back in two days." He said, hugging Chestnut and setting him down. Chestnut frowned as he watched his beloved parents get into the cart and leave. Little did he know that would be the last time he saw them alive.
