I ran around with glee as I played with my two best friends: friends Storm Chaser, a male pegasus, and Star Bright, a female unicorn. We were playing a game of tag, and I was unfortunately it. I couldn't find Star Bright, but I perked up my ears and could hear a subtle flapping. I looked up to see Storm Chaser flying above me.

"No fair, you're cheating!" I shouted, stomping my hoof on the ground.

"What are you gonna do about it?" he responded, sticking out his tongue.

My cheeks burned red. I turned my head up to make sure that Storm Chaser wasn't paying attention, then levitated a fallen branch into the blue sky. I swatted him out of the air, and he fell and hit the ground with a thud. My magic drained most of my energy, leaving me exhausted even though it was a fairly simple spell.

"Ow! Whatcha do that for?" He scowled at me.

"You were cheating!" I rushed towards him and planted my hoof on his head. "You're it!"

We played for another hour or two before I heard somepony called my name.

"Bowtie! Time to come in!" It was my mother, Blu Diamond, her voice like the beautiful sound of bluebirds. She was standing in the doorway, motioning for me to come in, since it was starting to get dark. I said goodbye to my friends and trotted over to my mom. She had curly golden mane and tail. Her tail was cut shorter than usual, but I didn't question it since it looked so nice on her. She was staring at me lovingly with her dark brown eyes. I hopped up onto her back and got comfortable. I noticed that she was wearing a perfume that I didn't like, probably because I was just a colt, but everypony else seemed to love it. Her sky-blue coat felt warm, and it took quite a bit of willpower to keep from falling asleep.

After a few moments, I was lifted off of my mom's back and placed on a couch close to the door. She went into the kitchen to check on dinner, and as she walked by I caught a glimpse of her cutie-mark: a chef hat with three golden stars surrounding it. She would compete in cooking contests and she'd always get first place.

I sat on the couch, waiting for my daddy to return home from work. After a few minutes, he walked in. I ran over and hugged his leg, feeling his jet-black fur on my face.

"Daddy! I missed you,” I said, letting go of his leg.

"I missed you too,” he responded with a smile. "Where's your mother?” he asked, rustling my hair.

"She's in the kitchen." He walked towards the kitchen and I followed. I looked up to see his cutie-mark. It was a red sphere being surrounded by three other spheres, two were white and the other was blue. He told me before that it was supposed to be an atom, but I had no clue what an atom was. His mane was a light brown and slicked back, like most of the professors' where he teaches.

"Star Specter, is that you?” my mom called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me, honey-boo.” I gagged at his response. I was still in the phase of girls being gross, with the exception of my friend Star Bright. Not that I liked her like that, I liked her as a friend. I started to blush a little out of embarrassment at the thought.

My mom finished cooking. She made lasagna, my favorite, but of course it was made without the meat. Eating meat was a major offense in Manehattan, and I'm pretty sure everywhere else. Just before we sat down, there was a vicious knock at the door. Both my mom and dad walked up to see who it was.

"I wonder who that could be at this time of night,” my dad pondered. When he opened the door, I could see a dirty gray stallion. It was raining outside, matting down his ragged brown mane. I couldn't see his face, though, as my parents were blocking the way. I tried to see what his cutie-mark was, but he had a scar over it so I couldn't make out what it was. I heard a blood-curdling scream from my mother. My dad fell to the floor with a thud, his neck pouring out blood. I looked up to see the mysterious pony had a knife in his mouth. My mother was still screaming. The pony sliced my mom's throat, for reasons only he would know. Blood splattered everywhere. They were both dead, but my mind refused to believe it. The killer turned and started to walk away. He must have not seen me. I rushed over to my parents’ bodies. The air filled with the scent of blood as large pool of it formed on the ground. Both of their eyes were closed, so I nudged them with my snout.

"Mommy? Daddy? Wake up.” I continued to nudge them. "You gotta wake up. Please! I need you.” They weren't moving, but I kept trying anyways. "P-please wake up.” My eyes were welling up with tears. The killer must of heard me and started to walk back in my direction. A single tear ran down my face and dropped onto my father’s cheek. My parents’ killer forcefully picked me up. I screamed and kicked, but to no avail.

"DADDY! MOMMA! PLEASE! WAKE UP!" I yelled, but they didn't move. They never would again.

~~*~~

I jolted up breathing heavily. I wiped my forehead. I was sweating, a lot. Just a nightmare, I thought, just a terrible, terrible nightmare.

I suddenly remembered what happened before I fainted. I immediately touched my face where I was struck. It was swollen and bleeding. I looked around to see my surroundings. I was below the city of Canterlot, which meant I was right above The Pit. Shit. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I spat out some blood. I'm going to need some medical care for this. I was almost certain that my jaw was broken, or at least had an alveolar fracture. So if north is that way... then south is that way. I got up and started to head south. I feel like I'm forgetting something, I thought, oh yeah! I turned around to see my sword accompanied by a saddlebag. I immediately opened it, dumping out its contents. There was a decent amount of food and herbs, some of which I recognized, a map of Equestria and... a baldric! It was much better than my old belt. I strapped the baldric around my waist, pulling it tight, and then I attached my sword to it.

It was getting dark, how long have I been out? I'm fairly sure it was close to noon before I was knocked out. It didn't matter now. I had to find a place to camp out till morning. I put everything back into my saddlebag, and then I went to collect some branches for a fire. Once I got the fire started, I sorted through the herbs. I found one that should slow down, if not stop the bleeding and swelling in my mouth. I popped it into my mouth, and it was sour like a lemon. It was also extremely dry and hard to swallow, but I managed to eat it.

I didn't want to sleep, especially not after that nightmare, so I laid by the fire and planned out what to do at sunrise. I pulled out the map out with my magic, the flickering light from the fire illuminating it. I noticed that I could go to Ponyville and get some more supplies. Who knows, maybe somepony will help me. Wait, Ponyville?! I could go see Sundance and Ember! I was giddy at the thought of seeing my wife and daughter again. But what if Fancy Pants was lying? Of course he was, he wouldn't risk me getting to my family and then going into hiding again. Well, that just burst my bubble. I guess I still have to do this stupid mission for him. I sighed.

Now then, after Ponyville I could take a shortcut through the Everfree Forest, but it would be risky. I could try getting a train ride to Dodge City, but I don't have any money. Maybe if I explain my situation... no they'd never believe that Fancy Pants is holding my family hostage. I guess I could try to sneak onto one of the trains. I think I'll do that. If I get caught though... I haven't been near other ponies in a while. I wouldn't know how they would react. For all I know the punishment for not paying for a train ticket is getting my heart torn out and eaten. I was sure that wasn't true, but I couldn't prove or disprove this.

Since I got some of that planned out, I think I should get some rest. I didn't want to sleep in fear of having another horrific dream, but I was too tired to argue with myself, even though I had fallen asleep for hours and woke up only about twenty minutes ago. My fractured jaw and bleeding probably took out a lot of my energy. I closed my eyes and let the fire's warmth calm my senses.

~~*~~

It was a nice sunny day, the sky clear, the wind calm, and everything was at peace. Well, except for me. I had just lost my bet against Fancy Pants. All my possessions were taken from me and I ran away like a coward. I couldn't pay Fancy Pants and I didn't want to face the consequences. I was only nineteen years old. I had managed to get myself out of Canterlot, but I was in desperate need of food and a bath.

It had been about a day and a half since I escaped. I had gotten lost, but I could see a settlement in the distance. I had guessed I walked about thirty miles from Canterlot. The settlement was a beacon of hope. Hopefully I could find somepony willing to help me. Luckily I never showed my face when I was the Tyrant, so nopony should know who I am except Fancy Pants. I was just reaching the village before I collapsed from exhaustion. I woke up later and felt something cool on my head. I opened my eyes to see I was inside somepony's house. I looked around the room. It had two windows with sparkling blue curtains. Sunlight shone through the thin curtains, so I knew it was still daytime. The room was painted like a little filly's room, so it was pink. I didn't really mind. There were a few bookshelves half full of storybooks for little foals. The door was hoof crafted with intricate designs carved into it. The bed I was in was comfy, but small. The bed sheets were made of silk and they, just like the walls, were pink.

"How long have I been out?" I said to myself.

"You've been asleep for about an hour,” a sweet feminine voice said to me. I turned to see a female unicorn standing in the doorway. She had a beautifully styled ruby red mane that complimented her sapphire eyes. Her coat was a lighter shade of her eyes, it looked recently groomed.

"What happened?”I asked.

"I found you unconscious outside of town, so I brought you to my home and... um... cleaned you up.” She was for some reason.

"What do you mean, 'cleaned me up'?” I was still tired and hungry, so I couldn't think very well.

"Well, I noticed how dirty you were...” Her whole face was turning red. "And... um... I bathed you...”

"You... bathed me?” I wasn't angry, just a little embarrassed. "You know I can bathe myself right?” I chuckled a little bit at her blushing.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone.” She sounded ashamed of what she did and started to leave.

"Wait!” I didn't want her to leave. "Don't be sorry.” Now I was blushing. "I really don't mind, but may I ask why?"

"Well, seeing you collapsed outside, I just felt like I should be responsible for you, I guess.”

"I'm grateful for you taking me in your home and caring for me,” I said. “So, is this your room?”

"No... well, it was. This was my parents’ house, and this was my room when I was little. My parents moved out to go live in Las Pegasus, so they gave me the house when I was old enough.”

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you like the color pink.”

"What gave it away?" She smiled. "What's your name?”

"My name is The Ty-" I suddenly caught myself and fake coughed. "Sorry 'bout that, my name is Handsome Bowtie.”

"That's a handsome name.” She chuckled at her bad joke, but I laughed with her. "My name is Sundance.” She was now sitting by the bed I was in. We stared into each others eyes for a long time until my stomach made a rumbling sound. I blushed and Sundance giggled.

"Hungry?” she asked.

"Yeah. Haven't eaten for a day and a half.” My stomach growled again, making me blush more.
She left the room and returned moments later with an assortment of foods. She had apples, bananas, corn, and many other delicious looking fruits and vegetables. I tried my best to be polite while I ate, but I couldn't help myself. I practically inhaled all of my food. I felt somewhat ashamed after eating it all, as I didn't have anything to give her in return.

"How can I repay somepony of your kindness and beauty?” I liked to see her blush. She was cute when she did, and of course she began to blush almost immediately.

"Well, there is one thing...” She hesitated, brushing the floor with her hoof. She seemed nervous to ask. I had a feeling I knew what it was that she was going to ask. I leaned over to her and gave her a kiss. I felt stupid, but I didn't pull away. She didn't seem to mind, but she could of just been confused and stunned by my abrupt action. I pulled away, feeling even more stupid than before.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.” I muttered.

"Don't be, it was nice,” she replied bashfully.

"Aww, it was only nice?” I responded jokingly. She suddenly became flustered.

"Nonono that's not what I meant. You just seemed like a really nice stallion and I never really got along with others and I-” I kissed her again. Truth is, I liked her too.

"Don't work yourself up,” I said lovingly, "I like you to, even though we just met.” I smiled and coughed a little.

"Oops!” She abruptly left the room for a few minutes. She returned with a wet cloth. She placed the cloth she had brought in on my head, and it was warm. I felt the coolness on my head disappear.

"Sorry I forgot to switch out the cloths.” She placed the cool cloth on a table near the bed. "You're running a fever.” I was? I felt fine. Maybe it was an excuse to keep me here longer. I could tell by her grin that I was right.

"If you want me to stay, you could just ask. I've got nowhere to go.” To that I nodded. This appeared to make her extremely happy. I swear her eyes were sparkling.

"You would!?” She looked surprised.

"Of course I would.” She leaped on top of the bed and gave me a hug. I hugged her back.

"Tell me about yourself?" I asked. I wanted to know more about her before I fell asleep.

"Whaddya want to know?”

"How about your parents?”

"Well, both my mother and father are unicorns, and they are experienced carpenters. They were always busy, so they barely had time for me. What about your parents?”

"I don't like to talk about my parents.” I could feel the tears swelling up in my eyes. Sundance noticed that something was wrong.

"Why not?” I sighed and decided to tell her.

"Both my parents were killed when I was four. They were stabbed in the throat right in front of me.” I started to cry, holding her tight.

"T-that's terrible.” She began to stroke my mane. I decided to tell her about how I was foalnapped and forced to fight to the death in The Pit. I didn't tell her anything about Fancy Pants saving me; I changed the subject before I got to that part.

"So, where am I?" I was still crying a little. Sundance kiss the tip of my snout, which helped comfort me a bit.

"You're still in my house, silly,” she giggled.

"I meant this village,” I sighed.

"Oh, the town is called Ponyville.”

"What do you do for a living?” I asked.

"I work for Ms. Cheerilee at the school.”

"So you like working with foals?” I could never deal with foals.

"I just adore them!”

"I don't think I could stand working with foals," I said, "I wouldn't know what to do.”

"It's not too hard,” she said, nuzzling my cheek, "Just have to keep 'em entertained.”
It started to get dark outside, and I was getting tired. We held each other close until we both fell into a blissful sleep.

~~*~~

I awoke from my wonderful dream. That dream was of my favorite memory, when Sundance and I met. Oh, how I missed her and Ember. The fire I started had recently died. It was still dark, but I wasn't tired anymore. I stood up and stretched out my legs. Gathering up my things, I was ready to head out.

As I walked south towards Ponyville, I listened to the sounds of the forest I was in. I could hear many birds singing songs and little woodland creatures scurrying around. Forests were wonderful places to be, besides the Everfree Forest.

I continued trotting my way south. It slowly got brighter as I got closer to Ponyville. I was still a long ways away from the town. I sighed. Damn that Fancy Pants. If I hadn't made the decision to move, none of this would of happened.

As I walked, I heard rushing water, I followed the sound and found a river. I hadn't realized how thirsty and dirty I was. I unequipped my baldric and saddlebag and placed them a few hooves away from the river. I dove into the river, feeling the cool water soak my body. The water helped wash off the grime and blood on my body. The water was calm and no deeper than my knees in some parts. I hopped out of the river after a few minutes, shaking myself dry. Afterwords I drank some of the river water. Not the best, but it'd do. I levitated my baldric and saddlebag over to me and equipped both of them.

I checked the sun and guessed it was about eight in the morning. I could see Ponyville from where I was. It was pretty big. There were numerous houses and a tall red building that seemed to be the school. I remembered when Sundance took me there during her work time. I was pretty shy around all those foals. I barely knew what to do if one of them said hi to me.

I turned to see a large apple orchard and another bright red building. I couldn't quite remember the name of the orchard. Sundance and I didn't live in Ponyville for long before we moved into the forest. I did remember how long it took to convince her to agree. She was pretty fussy about it at first, but she got use to it, or at least I always thought so. She was always good at hiding things from me.

I followed the river down towards Ponyville. I reached a large open area full of roses, Sundance's favorite flower. I continued to walk through the barrage of flowers. This place felt like the most peaceful place on the world.

I was thinking about irrelevent things when something struck me, How the fuck am I supposed to kill an adult dragon?! I felt nervous, no, I felt downright terrified. I can do this, I thought, I'm smart enough when it comes to fighting, except this won't be a pony. I couldn't help but doubt myself. I have to do this. For Sundance and Ember. I continued towards Ponyville, thinking about how I could fight Xorthaul. I did know a hoofful of spells. Maybe I could find some new spells in Ponyville, and hopefully somepony who will accompany me on my mission.

I felt like I'd been walking for ages. At least I was fairly close to the town, probably just less than two miles. I went into a light gallop, wanting to get there as soon as possible.

I reached the edge of Ponyville in a manner of minutes. I stopped just before entering the town. I was kind of nervous. I could see that the town was full of ponies going about their daily activities. There were ponies of every color, shape, and size. There were cutie-marks of every variety. It was rather fascinating to me, but I couldn't stay there staring at every pony’s flanks all day. I started to blush once I realized what it looked like I was doing.

There were many stands selling items from food to gardening tools. Maybe there's a stand that sells spell books? Oh yeah, no money. Well, I better get started. Just as I put one hoof forward, something erupted out of the ground.

Author's Note

Edited by FlanChan