Galaxy Guard was truly at her lowest point.
 
She was cold. She was tired. She was hungry. She was sick, weak, and all-around miserable. And to make things worse, she had nobody. Everyone she loved had turned her backs on her, and there was nothing she could do to win them back.
 
And what for? Spite? Galaxy had believed so strongly she was in the right, yet she lost anyway. And now her wife was sleeping around with the killer. Her daughters were both married now. She had grandchildren. Everyone’s lives were continuing without her. Was it really worth it?
 
Galaxy curled up under her old, threadbare cloak, trying her best to keep warm and ignore the pangs of hunger in her stomach. This was her life now. This was what it all came down to. She’d come to sorely regret how she’d treated her family and friends, yet she couldn’t go back. She might was well just curl up and die.
 
Yet even at rock bottom, even through the regret of losing all she held dear, a hot flame still burned deep within: hatred and anger. She couldn’t forget what got her into this mess in the first place: That damned Turquoise Edge killed her father and got away with it. Her whore mother cheated on her father—and then moved on to another mare like he meant nothing—and acted like it was him that was tearing their family apart. Her daughter disobeyed her and went off to marry into a killer’s family—even Firefly started sleeping with the bitch!
 
Galaxy was locked in a constant battle with herself, of both crippling regret and loathing of everyone else who’d wronged her—or she’d wronged. Yet no matter how much she regretted what she did, no matter how badly she longed to go back and undo everything, the flame of hatred never stopped burning her up inside. It was still there, telling her it was all their fault, not hers. And a part of her still believed it, no matter how much the rest of her knew the truth. Her pride still had the best of her.
 
She wasn’t even thinking straight at this point. It was probably the hunger and fatigue getting to her, but her thoughts were really nothing but a muddle of mixed regret and hatred, with no clear rationale or vision of the future. As far as Galaxy knew, this was her life.
 
“Fuck off, rodent!”
 
Galaxy kicked at the rat nibbling at the moldy hayburger she’d been saving, not a satisfactory meal by any means but better than nothing. She couldn’t let a bunch of dirty animals deprive her of what little she still had.
 
“How is it, living with so much hatred?”
 
”Wha—who goes there!” Galaxy jumped up defensively, if pretty weak and wobbly, eyes darting around for the source of the voice.
 
”Turn around, Galaxy.”
 
She followed the voice’s instruction, turning to see what was there. The sight that met her caused her knees to immediately go weak as she fell back in surprise.
 
”Dad!?”
 
The blue mane and orange coat of the figure she saw before her were unmistakable; this really was her dad. Yet the chains hanging from his body and the scowl on his face made him almost unrecognizable.
 
”Dad, I—how—what happened to you?”
 
”Are you happy?” He asked, as if he didn’t hear her question. “Look at you. Homeless, cold, starving, and all by your own doing. You’ve been nothing but hostile and selfish towards your loved ones and this is where you’ve ended up. Are you proud of yourself?”
 
”Wha—“ Galaxy backed up against into the corner as she faced the menacing figure. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
 
”You know what you’ve done. Antagonizing Turquoise Edge, disowning your daughter, insulting your mother, cutting off everyone you cared about because they dared to tell you you were wrong. You’ve hurt yourself AND others by your actions. Tell me, are you proud?”
 
”E-excuse me!” Galaxy sat up defensively. “Turquoise Edge MURDERED you! Mom CHEATED on you! I was doing this all for you, I…I was being honorable! Like you would have wanted!”
 
The vision closed his eyes and sighed with a scowl. “You don’t know me at all.”
 
”Huh?”
 
”You heard it from your mother and brother. I was a terrible husband and father. I never looked past my own selfish pride to try to improve our marriage. To raise a foal that wasn’t mine and love him like I did my own foal. To communicate. That’s why I’ve been doomed to carry these weights, Galaxy, and now you’re repeating my mistakes.”
 
“Wha—how!?”
 
”Are you dense!?” The vision shouted, causing Galaxy to reel back against the wall, trying to keep herself from tearing up in fear. “Turning on a friend for her mistakes? Rejecting your child for your own selfish satisfaction? Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you were WRONG all along? Or has your petty hatred blinded you too much to ever change?”
 
”No! Daddy, I—“ Galaxy tried to get up and defend herself but found herself too weak to do so. She cowered on the floor as her vision started to blur and fade before her.
 
“It’s too late. You’ve caused too much damage to make things right. Galaxy, I am very disappointed in you.”