Chapter 1
My dad screams in the living room. I can't understand what he is saying. I hide under my sheets. I hear dishes breaking. My mom screams. A glass crashes against my door and breaks into a hundred pieces. A strong cider essence fills my room. I hear a slap. A chair falls to the floor. I can sense fear in her screams. I hear the sound of a hoof hitting flesh. She cries. I hear him screaming louder. I can almost feel when one of her bones snaps. A howl of pain reaches my ears. My bed feels wet. Now I hear a crunch alongside the muffled sound of the blows. I can barely hear my mom anymore. I feel myself screaming. I try to untangle myself from my sheets, but I only grab the cold air of an Equestrian winter.
Another nightmare.
I slowly try to get up from the cold grass, but it’s a hard task. I’ve barely eaten. Once I clean my fur and mane of the dirt, I start walking toward the path I took yesterday. The air is cold and a gentle breeze tries to shake my mane with no luck. The few rays of sunlight that manage to pierce the tangle of clouds are barely enough to keep me from freezing. I can't spot a single soul as far as my eyes can see. My hoofsteps resonate loudly against the harsh dirt, disturbing the silence that surrounds me. The ghost of the nightmare is still fresh in my memory. I can almost taste the cider and blood in my mouth. I feel sick. I fall to my knees and purge out what little remains in my stomach. Tears start forming in my eyes. I lie on the dirt, the tears slowly dropping to the ground. I can't break now, I need to keep walking. He could find me at any moment. After a few minutes of lying on the ground I can finally regain enough strength to stand upright.
Slowly, I start walking again. Each step draining the energy that's left in me. It doesn't matter; I need to keep walking.
I need to get away.
When I look back, I can no longer see the trees that were my shelter the previous night. Or maybe i do. All the trees are similar. I keep walking.
I hear something. I turn around. A shadow moves between the trees. I start to back off, trying to get away from it. I am terrified. It keeps moving, and it’s coming closer. He found me. I react out of pure fear. I start galloping, and for a second, I am able to leave him behind. But he moves faster. He’s coming out of the woods. I close my eyes, waiting for my end.
Nothing happens.
After a few seconds, I open my eyes.
It's just a squirrel.
I find a puddle ahead. The water doesn’t seem potable, but it serves as a mirror. I’m a mess. My coat is dirty. Its usual orange tone resembles the brown of the dirt, and my purple mane is so greasy that it sticks to my forehead like glue. I need to clean myself.
I’ve been walking for hours. The landscape has barely changed. A cloud catches my attention on the horizon. No, it isn't a cloud; it's far too low to be one.
It's smoke. A sign of life? The hope of finding another pony gives me renewed strength. I think I can reach that place before the sunset. Another pony? I might find some help. Maybe I can find a warm place to stay. What if it is a small village? I could even find something to eat. My lips curl up. It has been forever since the last time I smiled. My imagination slowly wins the battle against the dark thoughts that reside in my mind, so I am able to enjoy some peace while I walk. The monotony of my surroundings helps my mind. I am hungry, but I can't see any edible grass. Most of it is dry and dead.
I hate winter.
When I realize, the sun is hiding on the horizon and now I clearly see what's ahead; it's a small village. I see about ten houses with a similar structure, all of them are made of a light wood with a straw roof. I can't make out more details from this distance, but I can clearly see the chimneys emitting a thick white smoke.
I start galloping toward the village. I can't wait any longer. I start leaving the leafless trees behind with ease. The cold air is making my lungs hurt, but it doesn't matter, I am getting closer and closer. I step on a branch and I hear the noise of a bone snapping and a scream filled with pain reaches my ears while I wet my bed and my dad keeps hitting her and she begs for mercy but he doesn't listen and a chrunch fills the air while the voice of my mom gets weaker and weaker until I can only hear my dad screaming and…
”Hello?”
my mom is dead he killed her killed her with his hooves...
”Is there anybody out there?”
and now he is crying why he is crying he just killed my mom he hated her...
The touch of a pair of hooves snaps me back into reality. A cream colored earth pony with a blonde mane is looking at me. The sky behind him has a dark blue tone, and it’s filled with stars. I am in his forelegs. He’s cradling me like my mom used to do when I was a foal. I am soaked in tears. My eyes are red and puffy. I can see that he is really worried. I see him opening his mouth but his voice sounds distant, I can barely understand his words.
”What's your name, kid?”
I try to answer but my mouth refuses to open. I can't move my limbs. Tears are rolling out of my eyes, but I can barely feel them. My whole body refuses to work. I am too tired, I just want to sleep. The last thing I hear before I pass out is the distant voice of the stallion.
”Don't worry, kid, you are safe now.”
================================================
A warm sensation wakes me up from my slumber. I’m not cold anymore. I hear a fire crackling near me. I can also hear somepony throwing logs into the fire. After that, his hoofsteps go away.
I open my eyes slowly. I am lying on a soft brown couch at the side of a chimney, its glow tinting the walls with a bright orange. There are paintings on the walls: a lagoon surrounded by a thick green forest with mountains in the horizon; an old mare weaving in a dark room; and what seems to be the forest I came from, but full of life and green leaves.
Above the chimney there’s a picture of the stallion that found me in the forest, alongside a mare with a grey coat and mane. They look happy together. I assume she’s his wife. She looks like a nice mare, there’s a gentle expression on her face. It inspires calmness.
I haven’t rested at all. I know it because it’s still dark outside. My whole body is sore. My eyelids close by themselves. Before I notice it, i fall asleep.
I don’t dream that night.