Once upon a time there was a pony, an earthpony mare. She lived in Stable 54 and worked as babysitter in foalgarden. Her name was violet heart and she loved her job tending to all the foals. Even though the foals could be a lot to deal with. There was one foal in particular, that didn't get along with the rest. She liked to be alone, and kept to herself. I'm not going to lie - it's a tough jig, being a babysitter. Ponies don't give babysitters enough credit, if you ask me. Kids are pretty devious - especially if they're bored. In Stable 54, boredom rules. It's up to me, Violet Heart, to keep the peace. I'm like some kind of babysitting vigilante, that's what I am. Or was.
I was the corridor when it happened.

Some of the foals had escaped from the room and where currently sneaking into the security armory trying to get cool stuff that the lame adults said no to. I ran to the foals, I ran so fast. I had never ran so fast in my life. One last corner, oh Celestia, please let them be fine. I start to run faster my heart beating faster. Just one more corner I said to myself. As I come to the security armory I see the worst a foal had a baton in his mouth and was hitting another with it.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" I wasn't sure if he could hear me over the crunching of the other pony's skull.

"WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON HERE?" I roared. The foals stopped for a second and looked at me. "UGH. JUST. UGH. FULCRUM, PUT THE BATON DOWN. NOW."

"Aww..."

I lead the group of foals back to the room. But take the injured one to the medical clinic. After a while of explaining to the doctor what happened, I think about how to explain this the the two foals' parents. I shudder with the thought of what they might say, being screamed in the face was bad enough. When you get screamed at because you fucked up, it's much, much worse. Oh I was dreading knocking on the parents door. Because I know I'll get yelled at,but enough avoiding it. I knock on the door.

"WHo is ~iiiiiiiiiit?" Evergreen Megalicorn said in his usual, tone-deaf sing-talk. As the stable door swooshed open, I couldn't help but cringe. Why did that door have to be so loud? Honestly, I'd have thought a blast-proof door would have been properly oiled so that it could slide into place. What were those pre-war ponies thinking? But, my thoughts were digressing. I'd just need to find a way to sneak an extra pick-me-up later. It had been a long week... and it was only Monday. "Oh," Evergreen's eyes dropped to the floor, then gradually raised to make contact. "... it's just you. Well, what did that foal do this time?"

"Uh-um-- well, you see--" Hot blood flushed into my face, with each thump in my chest; sweat dripped from my forehead as my hoof wore out the elastic in my collar-- in an attempt to vent hot, stagnant air. I gulped. "Th-There was an accident..." Evergreen kept staring at me waiting to hear what the accident was, thinking that it was their foals fault when the blame was mine. "The foals ran off when I wasn't looking and got into the armory and were hitting each other with the batons and the other is in the clinic now and... and..." it came rushing out of me because I couldn't stand it. Now I couldn't find any other words to make a sorry excuse for myself.

"I dooo hope Fulcrum wasn't involved. The little scamp is always up to some mischief, but he doesn't mean it you know," Evergreen said.

"I would like to agree with you but Fulcrum has put another foal in the clinic. He its old enough to know better," Violet Heart sighs, "But the blame is mine. I failed. I tried so damn hard, when I noticed them missing I ran, I ran so fast. I... I wasn't fast enough. And now... Because of me, here I am. I'm sorry. I don't deserve to be forgiven, by you or the other foal's mother." She managed to squeeze out before bursting into tears. I ran back to my room before Evergreen even had a chance to reply, left to deal with Fulcrum. By the time I got back to my room I had left a trail of tears in my wake. How could I have been so careless? How could I have kept my eyes off them for so long? What will happen to me if I can't even do the only job that I have to do? The realization of my failure started to sink in. What place in the stable do I have if I can't do my part. I slammed the door to my room so hard it popped off a hinge. I catapulted myself up onto the bed and buried my face in a pillow. I drenched the pillow with my tears as the full realization (or my overblown, ultra-gory version, at least) hit me.

I actually cried myself to sleep that night, my real world worries following me into my dreams. I dreamt of the Overmare as a huge horned beast that could breathe fire yelling at me to "GET OUT" before punching open the stable door and throwing me outside. There was only a vast abyss out there. I fell, and fell, and fell. Forever. I woke up, screaming at the top of my lungs. I was safe, though the feeling of worry lingered in my gut. I swallowed and the door to my room flew open. There was a silhouette of somepony standing in the door frame. Not having expected somepony, and recently having such a horrid nightmare, I yelped and tumbled out of bed. My sheets followed and tangled themselves in my hooves. While expertly ~~flailing~~ untangling myself from the sheets the unknown figure rushes at me, horn lowered powering a spell. Panicked I through my hoof out in self defense, striking the malevolent shadow in the horn with ~~a lucky swing~~ my adept ninja skills. I connect solidly and hear a sickening crack as my strike breaks off the tip of it's horn. Finally taking the thin sheet off of my head I flip the light switch and reveal my attacker, I gasp! How could I? What have I done! On the floor lay. . .

Oh Celestia, and Luna's mammary glands, it's the Overmare.

A choking sound escaped my throat as my haunches fell to the cold steel floor. The world around me swung drunkenly as I stared at the unconscious--or is it dead? I don't know-- body of the Overmare. "Oh sweet Celestia... What have I done?" In any other situations, I would've questioned why she was here in my room, but alas, I did not. Nobody questions the Overmare, after all. "Come on Violet, take control of yourself," I murmured, before my face fell as I stared at the Overmare's body. "Oh I'm going to die," I couldn't help myself. I was a teacher, an adult, and I couldn't help myself but to let tears fell down to my cheeks. Granted, I just knocked--or killed?-- the Overmare, so that's a justification.

"I... I have to leave!" I, unwittingly, say out loud. "Th-they will kill me if I don't." Mumbling incoherently to myself as I rummage my room for anything that might help me survive outside of the Stable. Flashlight? Nay, the halls are always lit. Pajamas! I'm going to need those to sleep and a blanket and a pillow. Oh, and soap, don't want to be dirty. Batteries! No, that's ridiculous, I'm sure they have plenty of batteries out there. Typewriter, yeah, I like writing, maybe I'll be a writer out there! No, I don't deserve that, Bad ponies don't deserve to be happy. No, I'm a bad pony, I need something to remind me of how bad I am. I'll take a pacifier, I can look on that and know how evil I have been. I tie a shoe string to the pacifier so I can wear it like a necklace. With that done, I trot to the Stable door, halfway there I realize, the Overmare is still lying dead in my room, I have to hide the body! I quickly turn and gallop back to my room, around the last corner I plow into somepony.

I bounced. I groaned and shook my head. When I looked up, I screamed. Eleven. Frakking. Ponies. Eleven ponies with glocks. All drawn. All aimed at me. One knelt down and smirked. He opened his mouth and said...

"Behind you!" I shouted suddenly, cutting of what the pony was going to say. In reflex, the eleven ponies jumped behind in surprise. I blinked. That worked?!. Not wasting the chance Lady Luck had given me, I quickly stood to four hooves and galloped away from room's direction. How the eleven ponies were there was a mystery I didn't intend on answering as a shout of anger and surprise went out behind me.
Quickening my pace, I skidded to the left corner, barely missing the shot that grazed the metallic wall. "What the hay is going on?!" I murmured in panic, not once slowing my pace. I knew the hallways like it was my own home, just like it was to the owners of the thundering hooves behind me. But I knew better. I had traveled the maze-stable from a foal, I had taught my students as well. Gritting my teeth, I took a turn to the left. I knew where I was going. The ponies behind me don't. Or at least, I thought they don't.
Another straight corridor, I took another left, then right, then left again.

Finally, I reached to where I wanted to go. I could hear blood pumping through my ears as I stopped, taking a deep breath. The thundering hooves behind me didn't stop. Never stopped. Like a mare from a consensual sex, I stumbled to the button-boards--whatever they're called. I didn't know which button should I press, but I didn't need to. In the center of the button, was a large red blinking button.
I pressed it. Nothing. I pressed it again. Still nothing. So I kept pressing it over and over again. Somewhere around thirty or forty presses, an alarm began to blare. A big drill...thing, came down from the ceiling and made contact with the Stable door ahead of me. A metallic screech overpowered the alarm, making me cover my ears, as the...drill key? Yeah; as the drill key pulled the Stable door back and allowed it to roll out of the way.

It was amazing, this titanic gear rolled out of the way, no bullets flew as this awe inspiring event took place. After the gear door thing moved, I had to move. I heard a shout from behind me.
"Hey, if you want to live, leave now. This stable is mine now." I sputtered a little but a few bullets a little to close for comfort quickly snapped me back to action. For the fourth time today, I ran. Seeing the outside world for the first time gave me pause, dirty browns and the multitude of skeletons at the door were a bit too much for me to handle. I stopped, I was so close, two more steps and I'd be outside, I just couldn't make myself cross it. A bullets to the cutie mark, however is good motivation. Oh, it was agony, I forced myself to trot over the dusty skeletons as my flank bled, then with a terrible grinding sound, the gear moved back into place. I was stuck outside.

I trudged away on heavy hooves, wishing for my Stable back. Then I wondered why. Other than the fact that I was born there, I had few friends. I had few attachments. In fact, that Stable seemed to be designed to be little more than a giant death race.
But... It was my home! The depression returned briefly. However, it wasn't long after the door closed that I stepped on something, my downtrodden mood buffeted by curiosity.

*CRUNCH* "Ow, my frakking FORELEG! Ya dun gone an' broke my foreleg, you zebra-infested maggot!"
When I looked down, that something turned into a someone. The depression evaporated entirely. Replaced by confusion. What is this creature? It had hooves, but unlike any I had ever seen. They were split in two, this. . . Thing had legs longer then I was tall, this thing had a neck many times longer then mine and had odd knobs atop it's head. This beast was at least four times my height, And I had broken its leg. Even in exile I hurt others. Why, why can't I do things right? Why do I hurt others? Why can't I stop getting in trouble? I can't stand it, can't stand myself, I just break down and cry.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." That's all I can say, the guilt crushes any other thought.

Author's Note

Special thanks to:
OozeLock
DJ_Neon_Lights
cookiechip
The Infinity Doctor
The Wadapan
ChurchNW
Boop007
sophos
TundraStanza
Silver Lighnen
Zytharros
Black Spring
Sketch Notes
SoothingCoffee
Without whom this story would have never been made.