His name was Maddock. If that seems to be a strange name for a pony, then you understand the problems he had. His name and his cutie mark, a work tool, all seemed to come from the most mundane of tasks. He had no friends. He had no family. Orphaned at a young age, he was left to walk the streets of Canterlot alone. His mother and father had died in a magic related accident, when a certain unicorn showing off had accidentally dropped an entire wagon on them.

Ever since that day, he had loathed magic and unicorns. He was a simple earth pony, and in his current state, he thought that the only ponies worth doing anything for were his own kind. Call it pony racism, call it simple backlash from a tragedy, but whatever it was, he felt it…and lots of it.

So now he found himself once again wandering the streets of Canterlot looking for something. What he was looking for, he didn't know. Was it shelter? A job? Hospitality of any sort? Yes…that would be nice, he thought, just to have a warm place to spend the night. His mind shifted back to a cozy picture that would not be unlike something humans might see in a fire lit living room in the middle of winter. A simple room, with only a small sofa and carpet adorning it, yet it was warmer than any room in Equestria because this was his old living room.

This was the room where his parents would read him stories about old Equestria before he would be sent off to bed. He vividly remembered the tales of Star Swirl the Bearded, Mist Mane, and other famous ponies, and how excited he'd be by them. He remembered acting them out in his spare time, impressing his schoolmates with his knowledge of the legends.

But then his mind turned to the darkest day of his life. The day that had made him hate all unicorns, and burn his books on Star Swirl, Mist Mane, and other famous horned ponies. His parents were simply watering their garden when an entire wagon fell on them magically, crushing them to death. He was walking back from school when the incident occurred, and he rushed to his parents' side. But it was too late. Their broken bodies and bleeding mouths told the entire story.

His face turned to intense anger as he walked along. How?! He screamed inside his mind, how could that stupid unicorn have done such a thing?! HOW?! At this point, he stopped and turned his head towards the castle of Princesses Celestia and Luna. Them? Them he didn't mind. They weren't pure bred unicorn. They were unfortunately stuck with unicorn powers, but they did have elements of both Pegasus ponies and Earth ponies in them, so he didn't mind them. He just wished they would give up magic. After all, he had survived on his own for years without it, so he didn't really see the necessity.

Something that's unnecessary at best and lethal at worst should be banned from Equestria, he thought viciously, after all, why the heck do the unicorns get all the magic power?! He stared angrily at the castle for a few minutes. The reflection of the sun going down and evening beginning seemed to tantalize his eyes as it bounced off the roof of the building. His stare softened. Well…at least they have somewhere warm to sleep tonight, he thought.

He turned and began walking back towards the castle, hoping somepony somewhere might help him…as long as they weren't unicorns, of course. He didn't think he could ever accept a favor from a unicorn. But as he walked along, his hopes of finding somewhere warm to stay the night waned as the moon waxed.

Suddenly, he found himself walking right up beside the castle. At this point, he didn't have anything to lose, so he nudged one of the windows open and jumped inside. Hiding behind a suit of pony armor, he began to adjust to his new surroundings. The hallway he was in was gigantic. But, to his delight, it was warm. The chills of the wintry weather outside couldn't penetrate the stone walls, so he thought it would be a perfect place to spend the night…