I Do....Wait What?!

Huh, not exactly what Recurve was expecting from her. But that is true, you don't throw your flesh and blood away like that. You do that when they're 18. Hehe. Sweet seemed to be in real deep thought. Did she get bad memories too? Recurve scooted closer to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, thanks for coming along. To be honest, I would have just laughed over their graves, let alone see them. Thank you for being here with me."

The train came to a halt. They were in the Crystal Empire now. Recurve was having more second thoughts about even being here. He was hesitant to even leave his seat. Just looking at the place made him regret the whole trip

Sweets smiles up at him, giving him a gentle nuzzle "I told you i would never leave you i will always be here for you." She said as she steps of the train and shivers in the bitter cold.

Recurve stepped off the train with Sweet. It was a bit chilly. He forgot how cold the place was. That's what you get for living so far up north. Ah well, location location location. Recurve trotted through the streets with Sweet. The Crystal Pony welcomes were as cold as the weather.

They, or at least Recurve, wasn't greeted with open arms. Most of them gave him dirty looks. They also teased him and whispered things about a Shining Heart. One crystal stallion pushed Recurve's temper to the limit.

"Hey Shining! You gonna hurt that mare too?" Of course, he was referring to Sweet Dreams. Recurve charged towards him and pinned him up against a wall.

"Listen you bucking polished rock. That's not my name anymore. And what happened a thousand years ago, happened a thousand years ago. Let it the buck go or I'll shoot an arrow right through your bucking eye! UNDERSTAND?!" Recurve started choking him, and even made a crack in the stallion's crystal coat.

"I... Understand..." Recurve dropped him and went back to Sweet, taking deep breaths. Looks like he certainly wasn't forgotten.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes they don't know when to keep their mouths shut..."

Sweets gave a frown and huged him "You must try to control your temper love" She said softly then lead him away to a more quiet location. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Recurve didn't feel to great about hurting that stallion anymore. But it was amusing to see him scamper off terrified of him. It was his evil side being fed and entertained by his pain and fear. He felt tempted to do it more. Then Sweet hugged him.

Recurve was then led to a more quiet spot for her to talk to him. He felt a tad embarrassed about this. He felt ashamed. Why would he do this in front of her? Again? The hurting and revenge is just too tempting for him to resist.

"I'm... not alright..." Recurve turned around and looked away from Sweet. "I told you I didn't want to come here... And... I still feel like a monster... I feel like I need to hurt... I'm sorry you had to get caught up in my mess. A sweet and gentle mare like yourself doesn't deserve to deal with somepony like me..."

Sweets eyes widen "What...What are you saying...?" Sweets heart stooped,was he breaking up with her? Was he going to leave her here? Recurve didn't know it but Sweets need him as much as he needed her.

Recurve was having a hard time trying to gather his thoughts. He didn't know what he really wanted to say to her. He loved her, more than anypony he's ever known. But he couldn't keep putting her through his trouble. He also wanted to keep her same from him. In case he might snap on her one day...

"What I'm saying is... I don't think I'm the right stallion for you. I mean, you're kind, gentle, sweet, innocent... And then you have me. Hated, villain, short tempered, violent, emotional. I think it would have been better for you if we've never met."

Recurve didn't know if that's exactly what he wanted to say, or the exact opposite. He knew he couldn't live without her. But the thought of putting her through all of his troubles made him feel worse.

"I'm sorry Sweet Dreams... I still love you. It's better if you didn't know me." With that, Recurve trotted away. A little part of him hoped she would follow, while the other hoped she got the message an didn't

Sweets rushed after him, She wanted to scream out that she didn't care, that he needed her and she needed him that she was sorry and that they could leave at this very moment if he wished it but no sound came out and she quickly lost him in the crowd.

She called his name over and over again even though it was lost in the noise of the crowd,she called after him even after her voice was lost and then after hours of calling out to him, after hours of him hoping he would come back to her and promising to never leave her again.

Sweet Dreams's heart broke. She walked away silent and heart broken,leaving behind only her tears witch had frozen before they had hit the ground.

As Recurve was trotting away, he could faintly hear Sweet calling out his name. Clearly she didn't get the message. For the most part, he ignored her, still fixed on the idea that there were much better ponies than him for Sweet.

Recurve was going back for the train so he could head back home. Then the thought of breaking Sweet's heart popped into his mind. It made him feel even worse. If it wasn't bad enough what he already did, he broke poor Sweet Dreams's heart. He turned around and ran back to find her.

Recurve ran through the streets shouting her name. He still believed there were better than him. But he wasn't going to ruin his or her life over the idea. He knew he still needed her. Too bad he couldn't find her.

"Good job Recurve. You drove another pony away from you. You're like a broken magnet with how much you repel ponies. And worst of all, it was the one pony you actually liked..." Recurve sat in the middle of the street holding his face in his hooves. He was pathetic. Which only gave him more reason why Sweet shouldn't be with him

Sweets had checked into an inn "Its a good thing i brought bits..." She said as she made her way to the room. "I guess ill leave tomorrow..." she said dozing off.

Recurve still didn't know what to do. One half of him wanted Sweet Dreams back. The other was telling him to leave her and that she could find a much better stallion. Then he realized that moping about it wouldn't help, so he got up and trotted to a nearby inn.

Recurve got a room for the night and jumped into his bed. He was still conflicted. There was still a chance that Sweet wouldn't want him back. He did break up with her. It was very likely he was just wasting his time trying to get the relationship back together. He'll worry about it in the morning

Sweets sat up, she hadn't slept very well her dreams for the first time in weeks were once again plagued with nightmares. As she made her way down to a small cafe she rubbed her throat, it hurt even more then yesterday she could barely able to speak at all. Sitting down she straggle to ask the waiter for a simple cup of tea.

Recurve got out of bed that morning feeling like crap. He had nightmares haunting him over his breakup with Sweet, and the reasons why he did so. He was feeling thirsty, and decided to head to the cafe. The inn's food tasted terrible.

When Recurve was at the cafe, he saw Sweet sitting there. Out of all places for her to be... Recurve tried to keep his face hidden from her. He sat at a rather distant table and ordered some tea. He was also hoping she wouldn't recognize his voice. He was hoping Sweet would have moved on, not still try to get him back. But he could still feel a hollow part of himself when Sweet wasn't around

Shes sipped on her tea crying out in pain dropping her cup as the hot liquid hit her throat. The only thing that stopped the cup from shattering onto the floor was her magic. She put the cup back on the table and rubs her throat "Maybe i did more damage to it then i thought.." She thought "Great first I'm dumped and now ive damaged the only thing i have helping keep me alive.."

Recurve was sipping his tea then looked at Sweet again. She cried out in pain. He was feeling terrible for doing this to her. But he expected her to forget about him. He wasn't all that great. Then again, after that love potion incident, they were deeply in love. Recurve trotted over to her table.

"Hi Sweet... Look, I'm sorry about dumping you. I still love you, and you're a great mare and all. But, I'm not a great stallion. Somepony like you deserves much better than me. I'm a crook. A jerk. A bully. A sad sack. You shouldn't have to be stuck with my sorry flank. I know it hurts. But I know you'll find better..."

Recurve couldn't bring himself to leave her. He stayed standing next to her for a good while. He didn't know what was still keeping him from leaving her. Did he love her that much? He hoped she would take him back, or at least comfort him one last time...

Sweets stared at her tea for a while before grabbing Recurve and pulling him into a tight hug "P-Please dont go...I..I need you" She said with tears in them "I'll never ask anything ever again...if you just say...please" She bit her lip and kissed him, atlest if he was leaving she could get one last kiss...

Recurve was pulled into a tight hug and a kiss. Sweet really didn't want him to abandon her. Recurve didn't want to leave either. They both needed each other, and they both knew that. Recurve hugged and kissed her back.

"I love you, Sweet Dreams. I'll never leave you again. I'm sorry for putting you through this. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to leave you. And I'm not going to let this trip ruin our relationship."

Recurve kissed her again. He loved her more than anything in the world. He's never going to do the same thing again. He will always stay with her from now on.

"How about we go meet my parents?"

Sweets smiled and nuzzled him happily,he wasn't going to leave her after all. She looked up at him. "Are you sure...We dont have to if you dont want too you know..."

Recurve knew Sweet would try and talk him out of seeing his parents again. He really didn't want to see them. But, he felt like he had to. For his, Sweet's, and his parents sake.

"Sweet, my parents are the whole reason we're here. Of course we're gonna see them. Especially if you still want to. I'm not wasting this trip and everything we just went through."

Recurve led Sweet to his old house. He was sure his parents still lived there. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A middle aged mare was in the doorway when it opened. She took a glance at Recurve then shut the door. Recurve knocked on it harder. The shiny mare stepped out again.

"Shining? Why are you here? We told you we didn't want to see you again..."

"Well, mom, first of all, my name is Recurve. Second of all, my marefriend here, Sweet Dreams, convinced me to come here and see you guys again."

"A marefriend, huh? I never thought I'd see the day." She looked Sweet Dreams up and down. "She seems really nice. Come on in, you two." Recurve's mother kept a close eye on her son. Even with a marefriend, she still didn't trust him enough

Sweet Dreams nudged Recurve forward before stepping inside and seating herself onto a couch nearby. "You have a very lovely home." She said softly to Recurve's Mother. All those years learning to be apart of Manehattan's Elite and the rules of first impressions still remained hard-wired into Sweet Dreams mind. So much so that the words almost spoke themselves before she realized she said them.

Recurve sat next to Sweet on a couch in the living room of his former home. It was a rather big house. Especially for a mare, stallion, and colt. Well, now it was just a mare and a stallion. Recurve was getting good memories from just looking around the room. It was back when he was still loved by everypony. Then his mother spoke.

"Thank you, Sweet Dreams. Oh, I never told you my name. Silly me. I'm Heartbeat. An odd name, sure. But I'm a doctor. You have no idea how hard it is to succeed in the medical field. Recurve here took a bit of my name when he was born. Guess that's in the past now. Speaking of which, when can I expect some grandfoals?" Heartbeat laughed, while Recurve chuckled very nervously. He still wasn't all that fond of foals. Nor did he want one in the near future.

While these three were chatting, Recurve could hear heavy hoofsteps coming from the stairs. He looked at them to find his father, Iron Lung. As soon as he saw Recurve, he ran back upstairs and came back with a baseball bat. Heartbeat immediately stopped him and took the bat away.

"Iron, honey, it's okay. Recurve's just here to talk and show us his marefriend. Calm down..." Iron took deep breaths and looked at Recurve, who was sitting very close to Sweet now, in fear of his father. Then his dad spoke.

"I'm sorry about that you three. I'm just a little on edge... The name's Iron Lung, by the way. If you can't tell, I'm a singer. I know. Big tough stallion who's special talent is singing." He shook Recurve and Sweet's hooves and sat next to Heartbeat. "So, how have you been Recurve? You seem different. Did you do something with your mane?"

"Yeah... Listen, I'm about as uneasy as you two are. Being kicked out didn't exactly help. But, I guess I'm glad to see you guys again. And Sweet is glad to see you guys." He looked over to Sweet. "What do you think, Sweets?"

Sweets blushed at the mention of having foals "Maybe someday" she thought as she nuzzled Recurve before looking at all three of the crystal ponies in the room. "I think...I think you two are very kind and I thank you for having me in your home. But.." Sweets eyes soddenly turn very serious "I also believe you owe your son an apology..." She said, her voice strong and never failing.

Recurve sat and looked at his parents. They really did owe him an apology. But Iron and Heart weren't really going to give it to him. They still believed he loved harming other ponies. Recurve nodded at Sweet's command, and Iron spoke.

"Well, why do we need to apologize? He hurt other ponies, and we kicked him out. He almost killed two innocent ponies. And why? Just because. Forgive me if I'm not so trusting." Recurve got up from the couch and responded with an angry tone.

"I never meant to hurt anypony! You knew I would never do such a thing! They stepped in the way of my shot! It was their own fault! I had no intention of hurting anything! You know what... I don't think I care anymore. I don't care what you two think. I know I did nothing wrong. Yes, I did wound two ponies. But I had no intention to. Now, we can make this better for us all if you could just understand that and apologize for shunning me."

Iron Lung stepped back from his son. He was a bit shocked to see him talk like that to him. He was still having a hard time believing he didn't want to harm anypony. Then Heartbeat got up and hugged Recurve with tears in her eyes.


"I knew you would never do such a thing... I'm sorry, son. It's just, I didn't know what to think. And you're father insisted that we avoid contact with you. I just wanted my baby boy back." She squeezed Recurve, still crying, and Recurve hugged back. Iron Lung stood back, still wary of his son. He wanted him out. He really didn't trust him or anything he did. Then he looked at Sweet.


"What do you see in him?"

Sweets blinked her eyes turning soft and a smile graced her lips. "I see a pony who stood up for me when nopony else would a pony who offered me a place to stay when I needed it most. But I also see the pain and hurt he has to go thought everyday because of his past but still try's his best to be kind and helpful...But most of all..." She turned and smiled at Recurve "I see the pony I would gladly spend the rest of my life with..."

Recurve overheard Sweet explaining the reasons why she loved him so much. Was he really that important to her? He never would have guessed it. He never thought he would ever matter to anypony. He let go of his mother to look at Sweet.

"You... You would really spend the rest of your life with me? I... I don't know what to say... I love you Sweet. I love you more than life itself. I would give my life to you. You were there when I needed you most, and you've stuck with me through everything. From when I first saw you at the Tavern, to the love potion incident, to right now, you've stayed by my side. And I love you for that." Recurve kissed Sweet and hugged her, almost latching onto her. Heartbeat cried even more tears of joy from this moment, while Iron rolled his eyes.


"You two are ridiculous. 'Oh, I wuv woo Wecurve.' 'I wuv woo too Sweet. Let's get mawwied.' Why would you even want him? He's a reject. A screw up. An accident."
"IRON! How could you?! He's our son!"
"I wish he wasn't. We could have had a much better one. One who didn't waste his time fiddling with a bow and becoming a lovey dovey sissy."
Recurve was filled with rage, and almost attacked his own father. "You know what dad? I don't care! I honestly do not care what you think anymore! It's like you're non-existent to me. I found the mare I love, and she convinces me to try and patch things up between you, me, and mom, and you treat me like trash. I've had it! And you know what else? This reject will be carrying on your legacy, whether you like it or not. Come on Sweet, we should go. Don't want to accidentally hurt any more ponies." 


Recurve stormed out of the house, while Iron just glared and watched him. Heartbeat swung towards him, almost yelling.

"Do you see what you did?! You drove our only son out and made him hate you! How does that make you feel to turn your own flesh and blood against you like that?!"
"He's certainly not my flesh and blood if he acts like that..."