The Badlands

“I got 20 on the big one!”

“Give me 15 on the slim one!”

“What about the young’en?!”

“3 bits!”

“5!”

“Oh you guys! Forget ya’ll!” I stormed away from the group of stallions. It was Wednesday: Fight Night. My first one, despite having lived there for 3 years. I came from this two bit town somewhere miles away. I didn’t know the name then and barely remember it now. But my first one. This one was pressure. 2 rules of Fight Night:

Go until submission, knockout, or deathFirst fight? You lose, you’re goneAnd it was my first fight. I went out to an alley, bucking a bag of hay, causing it to rip apart through my hooves after the first buck. And it was against two other stallions! Not one, but two! And they were STALLIONS! I’m just a colt at this point. Well, still am, but I was even younger then. I complained and yelled to the manager of the fights but he wouldn’t let p, because I wasn’t from there! I was brought there! Er… Wandered there. I was not ready. No way in a MILLION years. Especially not even coming from the place. What place? It’s deep in Equestria. So deep, it’s been called “The Last Stop Before Tartarus.” There was no official name for it. We just called in home. But now, we call it: The Badlands.

About 30 minutes later, the bets were called off and we were called on. There was a large stallion with a stone dark coat and mane. His eyes were red of fire and he was angry. Then, there was this small-ish kind of pony. He looked weak but he was agile and, surprisingly, had only lost one battle his whole life. That didn’t bode well for me. I was about half his size and never had ever fought another pony. But I was sure as hell not gonna leave. I had never been home, as far as I remember, so this was home. So, I gave it all I got.

*Ding Ding*

The bell sounded. It was on. The large one spared me some, charging for the slim one. Coal, I think his name was, which fit his dark shading. The slim one was named Speedy. Coal tackled Speedy down, sending strong hooves to his sides. Speedy quickly rolled away after the first few punches. He slid away some, causing Coal to charge him. He ran up the side of a building backflipping off the side, making Coal crash headfirst through the wall. He then turned his eyes to me. I was far from ready. But, I held my head high and stood in a ready position. I had one idea, but it was stupid. It was crazy, but so was fighting this dude anyway. Once he got close enough, I turned around and quickly went in a buck, smacking him right in the jaw. He quickly fell to the ground, blood gushing from his muzzle.

“No… Way! Did I just do that?!” I asked in shock. The crowd of naysayers cheering confirmed what I thought. I was ready to walk off, standing high until I remembered… It was a three pony fight. I must have just forgotten all about it if I didn’t feel a swift punch to my side with a ton of force. I got sent flying, right into a fruit cart. I was fine staying there. I was more concerned with a broken rib than any fight. Coal trotted up to me, smiling wide. He had broken a large piece of wood from the wall he was in and held it right over my head.

“This is MY turf, you got that, squirt? You don’t belong here! Go back home! Wait, you don’t have one!” He chuckled, ready to smash me to bits. He brought up something I hadn’t thought of in a while: My family. An Insult? To my family?! My face grew of rage and I kinda blanked out. But, according to sources, I kicked him square in the nethers. He fell to the ground as the crowd began to ‘boo’ me. And, I felt sick, but I enjoyed it. I took the wood and broke it over his head, effectively knocking him out. But I wasn’t done, not by a long shot. I took a bucket of water and threw it over him, waking him up. But, I kept him pinned.

“Ya’ll best take back what ya said ‘bout mah family!”

“F-F-F… Fuck… Off…” He said, in what would be his dying breath. I grew my fury more and jumped straight on his head, over and over again until it was over.The battle, and his life. The crowd went silent. I was left breathing hard with blood all over my hooves and body.

“Ya’ll hear that?! That’s the sound of death! Ah brought that upon ‘im! Anypony else want a piece?! Good! Now, this is mah turf now!” I yelled, facing the crowd. I stood defiant and I felt good, until I felt a piece of wood on the back of my head, I was out…

By the time I woke up, I was on a cart. Not like a fruit cart, but a cart for shipping animals.

“W-Where… Am...Ah?” I asked, rubbing the back of my head.

“You’re on this cart.” A voice said from in front of me. He was walking, leading me towards somewhere. We were nowhere, not even the Badlands anymore.

“B-But… Where are we?”

“We’re heading to some town. Whatever we find first. When we get there, you’re getting off.”

“Thanks for the introduction asshole.” I said, slowly rising to my hooves.

“Oh, my bad. I’m Silverstone.”

“Mah name is Blaze. Ah think. Never really got a name.”

“Really? I woulda thought you had some sorta country name.”

“Mah mom was obsessed with fashion ‘n stuff. Look, why are you takin’ me from home?”

“You lost the fight.”

“What?! Ah dropped that stallion! How did ah lose?!”

“The second one smashed you over the head with a piece of wood.”

“Shit.”

“Yep. I know. It sucks. It wasn’t really fair but you signed up for it, mate.”

“Where are you even takin’ me?”

“I don’t fucking know. I was told to just walk. Just walk until I reach a town. Then leave you there.”

“But Ah’m a colt!”

“So?” He just snickered in reply, taking a bite from a candy bar he had. I didn’t realize until then that I was starving.

“Hey, ya’ll got an extra one of those things?”

“This?” He held up his candy bar, making me drool slightly.

“Yeah, I got another. But it ain’t for you, mate.”

“Hey! That ain’t real nice! Ya’ll best give me some!” I began to grow defiant.

“Sit down. You got a good 3 days ahead of you going like this. I’d hate to just be carrying dead weight.” I hated to admit it but he was right. Even if I could buck the cage down, I wouldn’t know where to go. I was out in a barren wasteland and wouldn’t have enough food, because I’m sure he’d run back home with all his. So, I just had to sit and wait to find a new home.

His 3 days message wasn’t an exaggeration, neither. No food, no water for 3 days straight. Finally, we reached salvation. A small town called ‘Ponyville.’ I figured I heard the name somewhere but I couldn’t remember. Lucky for me, they scheduled a rain that day, so I gulped up all the rain water I could, thanks to the slits in the top of the cage.

“Alright little guy, here you go.” He threw me out like a piece of trash but I sure enough repaid him. Soon as I got out, I bucked with all my might, breaking his jaw, then his leg, then his cart.

“Sharin’ is carin’... Mate.” I snickered to his face before trotting into town. Unfortunately, water was the least of my concern now. I bucked him and lost all my energy, leaving me crawling soon as I got 15 feet in. I just laid on the concrete, hoping some sleep would save my flank. But then, some sorta weird twist of fate happened and a group of fillies stumbled by me.

“And then he was all like ‘OF course’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m awesome.’” An orange one said.

“Scootaloo, for the last time, you can’t just start a story mid-sentence and expect us to know what’s going on!” The little white one replied. I didn’t understand most of what she said and based off the look of the orange one, she didn’t either.

“Fine… Whatever. You just gotta keep up.”

“Hey, look at that! It’s a homeless pony.” A yellow looking one pointed to me. She had a country accent to rival mine, which meant she was from The Badlands! I could get home after all.

“But… He’s a colt.”

“So what Sweetie Belle? That just means we gotta help ‘em even more!”

“I don’t know.. He looks kinda… Dead.”

“Ah’m alive asshole!” I yelled to the orange one, trying to stand.

“Woah! Sorry dude.” The orange one said backing off.

“Why are ya layin on the side of the road?” The yellow one asked.

“Ah passed out because ah ain’t ate in days. It’s a long story. Can ya’ll help me er not?”

“Ah don’t think I can take ya to mah house. We got too many ponies.” The yellow one sighed.

“I live in the clouds.” The orange asshole shrugged.

“What about ya?’ I asked to some little white unicorn.

“I can ask… My sister is the element of Generosity… “

“Whatever. I need food. Let’s just go eat and let me out of there.” I spat at the ground, not wanting to lose any ideas from where I lived before.

“Okay then. I can ask.” She smiled. All 3 of them helped up me to this big building that looked like a tailoring place. I didn’t like it. Was too bright and fancy. But food is food and I had every intent to get back home. The only home I knew. But they had some different ideas.