Privilegedby Andy GreyChaptersBirthday SecretsSunsetBehind Closed WallsBirthday SecretsMost clockmakers relied upon their magic to work the finer gears and mechanisms of the clock. They used their innate telekinetic abilities to construct the delicate devices. This clockmaker, however, was an earth pony. He didn't have the advantages or social standing given to others at birth. Nopony could deny, however, that he made the finest clockwork in the whole district, perhaps the finest in all of Canterlot. The nobility would fight, cheat, and bribe to advance their placement on the ever-growing list of hoofmade commissions that Cold Hoof kept in his desk at home. His fame came with many questions and a lot of attention. He had overheard many of the rumors the city held about him: How he makes designs like these with only his hooves, I will never understand Maybe he’s actually a unicorn who uses enchantments to hide his horn andgarner extra fame. I mean, we all know earth ponies aren’t capable of delicate labor, right? I heard that he has mages secretlyworking for him. Including a few of the wilder rumors as well: I heard that he has mages tiedup in his basement, forced to work for him! Is it true that he is actually an adolescent griffon in a pony costume? Cold Hoof found the rumors amusing at times. The truth was that he was simply a good clockmaker, with a few precision tools that he had developed himself specifically for earth pony use. Unlike others, Cold Hoof had to work day and night to earn the skills and reputation that he now possessed. He liked to believe that the adversity he had faced played a key component in the design and production of his clocks, making them different from anything you would find elsewhere. Today was a special day for Cold Hoof, or rather, a special day for his adoptive daughter, May Lily. Today was her seventh birthday, and Cold Hoof couldn't wait to get home to her and celebrate it. She was kept secret, of course; earth ponies weren't allowed to have unicorn children in their custody. Penalties for the crime of child abduction and earth pony parenthood of a unicorn or pegasus child could range from death by guillotine to death by firing squad, neither of which was particularly high on Cold Hoof’s list of priorities. Cold Hoof shook his head to rid himself of the grim thoughts. He had to look lively. there was only one more scheduled appointment for the day, and Lord Hackett didn't appreciate slouching. Humming a tune softly, he took to busying himself with another design while waiting for Lord Hackett. Just as he was engrossed in fitting a cog into place, he heard the tinkle of the shop’s bell. When Cold Hoof looked up, he saw the easily recognizable shape of a large white unicorn, a cutie mark depicting a golden scale depicted upon his flank. Cold Hoof had dealt with Lord Hackett often and held a great deal of respect for his patron as a result. Despite being a prominent figure within the peacekeepers, Hackett often came off as open minded and mild in judgment, the very opposite of his colleagues. Adding further to Lord Hackett’s importance for Cold Hoof was the fact that he was one of the only non-earth ponies that Cold Hoof had met, who had never done verbal or physical harm to him. Though he rarely spoke of his job, Cold Hoof got the distinct feeling that Hackett was the only reason that High Overseer Ruby Shard hadn't replaced every punishment in The Book of Law with execution or banishment. Hackett was, in a sense, the perfect balance for Ruby Shard’s ruthless dedication to justice. “It’s good to see you, Lord Hackett,” Cold Hoof said with a smile. “I have your design out back, would you like to pick it up today, or do you come with a different affair in mind?” “Just the watch, please,” Hackett said, bearing a neutral expression. “It will only be a moment, feel free to browse my stock.” Cold Hoof laid his tools aside, and turned to enter the workshop where he created his custom works. The room was darkened with curtains and held a great number of precision tools and unfinished projects. Cold Hoof quickly picked out the fine ivory pocket watch that was Lord Hackett’s commission. It had taken well over a week’s worth of work, but the result was well worth it; the watch itself had been engraved with the symbol of the peacemakers, a royal alicorn, wings spread wide and with rays spreading from its horn. The engraving, hoof-painted with black paint, served to remind anypony that might look upon it of the Lord’s standing within the community. When Cold Hoof returned from the workshop, he found Hackett staring at a grandfather clock with a very sad, almost strained expression on his face. “I've got your watch sir,” Cold Hoof said tentatively. “What? Oh yes, of course!” he exclaimed, shaken from his reverie. “I am afraid I haven’t been in my right state of mind lately; let me have a look at it.” “Is this a personal matter bothering you sir?” Cold Hoof asked, while handing him the watch. Lord Hackett didn't answer at first but took instead to looking at the item in question. After looking it over a few times and finding no apparent things to remark upon, he gave a heavy sigh. “Business matter, I am forbidden to indulge any information about it,” he stated, a frown crossing his face. “Least of all to somepony such as yourself, I am sure you understand.” Cold Hoof did understand. Canterlot was in pieces; Frequent earth pony uprisings all over the country had led to the application of martial law. Canterlot and Cloudsdale were the last “true” unicorn and pegasus settlements. They held the Equestrian Guard and Equestrian Air Force, respectively. If not for the respect that Cold Hoof carried with the nobility, he might have already been outcast from the city; the city peacekeepers had made this point very clear ever since about three years prior when the first uprisings had begun. Bearing this in mind, it was no surprise to Cold Hoof that the captain chose to keep state affairs from him. It did sting a little though. As an earth pony he was completely forbidden access to information from the outside world, and was forced to carry an identification document with him at all times. He had family outside the walls of the city, and a personal interest in the struggle as well, being denied information always left him with a bad taste in his mouth. Cold Hoof felt for the cause of racial equality, but he also knew that there was no way the nobility would give up its seat in power. The easiest way for him to survive was to stay right where he was; racial equality or not, life as a clockmaker suited him. “Of course. I understand sir. would you like an explanation of the watch’s operations?” Cold Hoof replied with a Once Lord Hackett left, Coldhoof closed down the shop, rushing through procedures as fast as he could. When he was satisfied with how it looked, he donned a thick wool jacket, locked the door and headed towards his home district. It was raining in Canterlot, not enough to soak through his coat, but Cold Hoof felt a distinct chill when he stepped out from under the shop’s awning. He shivered a little; overhead, contingents of pegasus guards were gliding through the sky, apparently unfazed by the chilly weather. Cold Hoof always felt out of his element on the streets. He didn't like the attention he received from the other races. In fact, one of the main reasons he even wore a coat was that the thick material covered the areas where pegasi would normally have their wings folded, making the ponies he passed assume he was a pegasus. The coat was his cover, his mask; leaving his home without it made him feel… naked. Perhaps it was weird to lay such trust in a coat. The few times that he had left home without it, whether intentionally or not though, had never ended well. It was a sad thing indeed to see a unicorn guard, one whose face had been stretched in smile from pleasant conversation, recoil and gasp, when he noticed that under the coat was absolutely nothing. This scene, and many more like it were etched in Cold Hoofs mind as constant reminders of the dangers that followed when he forgot his coat. It was with relief that Cold Hoof reached his apartment, hurrying through the door to escape the scrutinizing eyes of the city streets as well as the rain. He sighed, hanging his head. He let the sound of droplets, dripping from his mane to the floor, distract him for a moment. “Dad! I missed you so much!” He turned his head towards the voice, only to be tackled by a high speed fuzzy object by the name of May Lily and pinned to the door as it nuzzled into his chest. “You smell like rain,” she said with a giggle. Cold Hoof felt the frown he had subconsciously adopted while walking through the streets give way for a grin as he picked her up and gave her a squeeze. “Has Mrs. Branch been treating you alright?” he asked as he set her down and took off his jacket. “Oh yes,” she replied enthusiastically, “we ate cake, and made drawings, and read stories, and sang birthday songs, but you weren't here for the birthday songs.” She frowned a little at this last statement. “I know Lily, and I’m terribly sorry about that, but I had to work today. I think I have a way of making it up to you though.” “What do you mean?” she asked, her head tilting slightly. “It’s a surprise, we can talk about it in a second; right now, I need to go pay Mrs. Branch.” Cold Hoof walked into the living room, seeing Olive Branch, an elderly, olive colored earth pony mare sitting in his reading chair next to a small fireplace. Apparently, she had overheard their entire conversation. She had just set a children’s book aside on the table next to the chair when she spoke in a raspy voice: “I sure hope this something you have planned is good, Cold Hoof, she’s been talking about how much she wished you were here all day.” Cold Hoof felt a twinge of guilt. he hated leaving Lily alone, even if she were in capable hands. “Thanks for watching her, Olive; I really don’t know what I would do without you.” Cold Hoof smiled gratefully. “I hope she hasn't been too much of a bother” Olive Branch chuckled with amusement. “This little angel? Never.” Cold Hoof could remember a time not too long ago when she was eating wallpaper and stealing food from the elderly lady. It was an unfortunate habit she had from living in malnutrition for too long. Coldhoof held his tongue about those incidents however. “Was it fifteen bits we agreed upon?” Cold Hoof reached for his wallet, retrieving the sum in question. “Yes, and don’t worry, dear, I’ll show myself out.” The elderly lady took the money from his hoof and walked towards the door. Before she could get very far though, Cold Hoof stopped her, holding out his hoof. “This… really means a lot to me, Olive, I hope you know that.” He smiled a little, all too conscious of the signs of stress evident in his face: the bags under his eyes, his matted mane and unkept coat. “You know, with all the work I've had to do lately… Well, if it wasn't for you May Lily would have no one, and the stars know, she doesn't have a whole—.” Olive Branch silenced him by knocking him lightly in the back of the head. “You just make sure that surprise is something special Cold, I’m sure you’ll both be fine.” She gave him a pat on the shoulder and left for the door. May Lily, who had been silent so far, gave a snort of indignation. “Of course we’ll be fine! Right, dad?” Cold Hoof looked contemplatively at the door, some water still dripping from his mane, though a little less than before. “Of course, Lil’.” He looked down at her and smiled. “We’ll be safe.” SunsetThe streets of Canterlot. Normally filled with unicorns and pegasi, were emptying quickly as curfew approached. The steep angle of the sun, the tall buildings, and the narrow streets of Canterlot all combined blanket the city in shadow. Here and there small beams of sunlight snuck through and illuminated the dirt-covered streets, casting reflective spots on the road whenever they met a shop window. It was a sad sight to see the bustling city streets reduced to an empty vessel, although not an entirely unattractive vision. Shopkeepers rolled down aluminum shutters to protect their shops for the night. City bums curled up under archways with sleeping bags or sought out local homeless shelters. Not everypony was packing up, though. Two ponies, one adult earth pony and a unicorn foal, hurried along the streets. They took care to walk at hurried pace, as if they had somewhere to be, while making sure not to look like they were running from anything. May Lily looked up at her father and spoke, tripping a little as she worked to keep up with his longer strides. “You told me never to go out after the sun goes down, right? So why are we going now?” She waited a few seconds, giving a frustrated huff when no immediate answer came from the older stallion. “Aren’t the guards going to notice us?” Cold Hoof frowned, his eyes darkening a notch, but he kept on trotting all the same. He didn’t dare take his attention off of the streets and skies long enough to come up with an answer. Tough is the stallion that can resist a seven-year-old’s questions on her birthday, though. Certainly tougher than Cold Hoof, so after a little while he managed to take his eyes from the path ahead long enough to give an answer: “They might, but only if we aren’t careful.” He resumed his trotting for a while before speaking again. “Do you remember what I taught you?” “About the guards?” “Yes.” “Don’t speak unless spoken to, act like normal, especially if they are paying attention to me, and never look them in the eyes.” She listed the rules without hesitating, as if they had been rehearsed. Which, in fact, they had. Cold Hoof smiled at her. “Good girl. We’ll be there soon.” With that, the pair kept on walking in silence. They stuck to the sides of the buildings and walked through alleys when possible. If one were to look from the air, you would notice, that the pair were almost impossible to see from the sky. As they traversed one of the darker alleys behind a bar, Cold Hoof noticed the many ponies forced to sleep out on the streets. They had undoubtedly been refused entry to the homeless shelters because of lack of space, or for lack of a horn or a pair of wings. A few of the ponies were pegasi and unicorns, but the vast majority were earth ponies. Their eyes spoke of anger and contempt as the pair passed them by. To them, the pair looked like a pegasus wearing a wool vest with his unicorn daughter trailing behind. Luckily, May Lily didn’t notice the angry glares sent their way. Cold Hoof didn’t want to have to explain to her why total strangers hated her. Cold Hoof was struck by how bad of an idea what he was doing actually was.Taking May Lily through all of this, just for a birthday present. Was the risk really worth it? The real question, he thought, is whether or not I can live with myself ifI don’t give her this opportunity. Cold Hoof took the time to properly study her. She wasn’t very large for a filly her age. She had a light pink coat, amber eyes, and a yellow, pink, and orange mane and tail. She had always reminded him of the colors of a sunset. This, he rationalized, was one of the reasons that he needed to show her this.If only to show her the beauty that always inspires me. The beauty that only she and the horizon possess. Cold Hoof smiled, inwardly praying to no one in particular, that no one would notice them tonight. The pair arrived at an open area at the edge of the city. The ground was tiled with white marble that shone even in the faint evening light. A large peacekeeper symbol, an alicorn with its wings spread wide and rays of magic radiating from its horn, was painted upon the space. A low, crenelated wall enclosed the tiled clearing in a half circle, leaving the view of Equestria open for anypony who might want to view it. Cold Hoof had come here often to think, but he had never been around to see the sunset for fear of being caught out after curfew. In Canterlot, nopony was allowed outside after sunset except for the royal guards and the Peacekeepers. This is it, I will have to make this quick, so that both me and May Lily can get home safe. The moment they stepped out into the clearing they would be visible to pegasus guard patrols. “Ooh! Ooh! I’ve heard of this place!” May Lily took an excited, bouncing step onto the viewing platform. “Olive Branch told me that there is a wall around Canterlot that keeps all the bad ponies out. This is it, right?” Cold Hoof ushered her along towards the edge of the wall while frowning slightly. “Olive told you that?” He asked. Olive Branch was one of the main reasons that the peacekeepers hadn’t suspected Cold Hoof of raising a privileged foal without permission. Whenever Cold Hoof had to go to work, or when the peacekeepers decided to inspect his home, he could count on Olive to hide May Lily in her house for a while and take care of her. The elderly mare, one of the few earth ponies in Cold Hoof’s vicinity that actually owned a house, had even taken it upon herself to school May Lily. Though he was eternally grateful for her hospitality and discretion, Cold Hoof wasn’t entirely sure how happy he was that Olive Branch had taught his daughter about the wall that kept all of the earth ponies in Canterlot under lock. He reasoned, however, that she would have found out sooner or later anyway. It is probably better that she think of it as a safety precaution, as opposed to a prison. “Yeah, is that bad?” She asked, as her face took on a worried expression, her ears drooping a little. “Don’t worry too much about it,” Coldhoof answered as looked out over the wall. “It just surprised me a little, is all.” He smiled as he saw that the sun hadn’t set entirely yet. “Here, get on my back, I want to show you something.” He knelt down, so that the knees of his front legs touched the ground, allowing May Lily to clamber up on his back. As soon as she had settled herself he stood up, allowing her a full view of what lay behind the wall. “Whoa!” Cold Hoof felt her hooves dig into his back and scalp as she pulled herself onto her hind legs, using his mane and head for support. “It’s so… colorful!” Beyond the wall stretched the Equestrian landscape. Fields of green grass and woods could be seen off in the distance, with the sun barely peeking out behind a tall mountain at the edge of Canterlot Valley. Cold Hoof had to admit, It was quite the sight. He knew that this was May Lily’s first time seeing a sunset, but he hadn’t actually seen a whole lot of them himself either. I almost forgot how it looks. He took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then exhaled with the words: “You should make sure to memorize all of this Lil’, we won’t be seeing another one of these for quite a while.” He knew he would remember it, the sight was glorious. The descending sun cast deep red light on the trees and low hanging clouds, leaving the entire horizon an image of pure yellow and red, with a little bit of blue sky and white cloud mixed in. “It’s amazing.” Cold Hoof said, when he didn’t get any response. He nudged May Lily a little with his head. “Are you seeing this, Lil’?” Again, no immediate response came. Looking up at her, Cold Hoof was able to trace her vision straight down to the base of Mt. Canterlot. “What’s that down there, dad?” “Looks like a large dumping ground.” Cold Hoof frowned a little. “I didn’t even know that we had that much trash lying down there, I guess every city has its problems, huh?” The words had barely left his mouth before Cold Hoof realised that Canterlot had far worse problems than the heaps of trash at the bottom of the mountain. Racism and martial law, to name two. May Lily turned her gaze upwards again. “You’re right, dad.” Her face gained a wistful expression, and her tone shifted a little, she sounded a little older all of the sudden. “It really is amazing.” “Happy birthday sweetheart, enjoy it while it lasts.” By the time the sun had set behind the mountain, Cold Hoof knew that they should be leaving but he couldn’t make himself move. The moment was just too perfect! May Lily had begun to drift off to sleep on his back, the toll of a long day finally setting in. Cold Hoof was fairly certain that she wasn’t asleep yet, but she would be soon if he didn’t do something. He sighed, shifting a little, moving his back in a feeble attempt to rustle her. “Come on Lily, we need to get home before the guards see us.” “I’m too tired to walk, can’t you carry me home?” May Lily mumbled, her words slurred by a rather impressive yawn. It had been a problem lately with May Lily; she would try to get Cold Hoof to do her chores or carry her around by acting like she was tired. This time, though, he didn’t mind that much. “Sure thing Lil’, try not to slip off, okay?” He turned away from the wall, trotting towards the alley that they came from. That wasn’t all that bad, he thought to himself, we didn’t even see a single guard. Barely had he thought the words before a trio of dark, winged shadows passed across the marble straight below his feet. Cold Hoof froze in place, acutely aware of how obvious their presence was. May Lily hadn’t noticed anything, but he could feel his legs trembling a little bit as he contemplated bolting for the alley. No! That would be stupid. They’ll notice me for sure! I’ll just wait here until they to pass.Daring to look up, Cold Hoof scanned the sky for the pegasus guards, after a few seconds of looking Cold Hoof assumed that they must have already passed. That was way too close, they could have easily noticed me, he thought to himself as he hurried across the last part of the platform, not daring to look back even once. “See, I told you I saw something! You! Over there! Stop for a second!” Cold Hoof felt his heart sink, as he turned to see two pegasus guards. They must have broken off from the other one. The pegasus that had spoken was light maroon and wore a brown, lightly armored vest meant for flying. He had a menacing smirk spread across his face, and eyes that shone with malice. Cold Hoof knew the facial expression very well. It was the look that always preceded punishment. “So,” he said, floating closer to Cold Hoof. “What petty excuse do you have for staying out after curfew, hmm? Go ahead, take as long as you want to think, I’ve heard every single one of them anyway.” His smirk broadened as he took in Cold Hoof’s shocked expression. Cold Hoof quickly drove his eyes to the ground, afraid of meeting the pegasus’ stare. He was worried that May Lily would be scared, but she seemed to have really fallen asleep this time. This is it, it’s over! I’ll go to jail for sure! “For goodness’ sake Scarlet, can’t you see he isn’t a criminal?” the other pegasus guard said as he pushed the menacing guard aside. Cold Hoof managed to sneak a glance. This one was a powder blue with slightly more ornate armor. Likelysuperior in rank, Cold Hoof thought to himself, already liking this one a lot more. “You weren’t consorting against High Overseer Ruby Shard’s government out here, were you, civilian? That filly on your back there, that wouldn’t happen to be an accomplice?” He paused for a second, punching Cold Hoof lightly on the shoulder when no answer came. “I’m kidding, buddy.” Cold Hoof raised his eyes and to his surprise looked straight into a powder blue, smiling pegasus face. He seemed slightly nervous about his own joke, almost as if he was afraid that he had offended Cold Hoof. They think that I am a pegasus, Cold Hoof thought, more grateful now, than ever, that he had bought the jacket in a popular clothes store for pegasi. If I am going to get out of this one I better come up with a pretty good lie, he thought to himself. Quickly a plan formed in his mind, a rather devious one, actually. He would have smiled at his own ingenuity if the situation hadn’t been so dire. “I am so sorry officer, it’s just that—” He took a deep breath as if the next part pained him to say: “Well… my daughter, she ran away from home and I have been out here looking for her all night. I knew that curfew was approaching but I just couldn’t—” The officer looked thoroughly convinced, so Cold Hoof stopped speaking and just looked at him with what he hoped was a regretful expression. At this point Scarlet spoke up. “I can tell that you are already falling for this schlob’s story, Skyguard, but I’m telling you, I don’t trust this guy one bit. If you ask me, he is one hundred percent guilty!” Scarlet paused for a second, looking Cold Hoof over. Cold Hoof took great care to look anywhere but his face. Scarlet snorted before continuing: “At least ask him to show us his papers so we can take note of the incident in the watchbook.” At this point, Cold Hoof was practically bathing in his own sweat. He did in fact have his papers, but it wouldn’t be the best idea to present them. There is no way they will let me go once they find out that I’m an earth pony. I already told them that she’s my daughter. “Uhh, you see—” he fumbled, trying to think up an excuse for why he couldn’t display his ID. “I left my house in a hurry, I must have left my papers behind.” At this, Skyguard frowned a little while Scarlet’s face showed an ecstasy that Cold Hoof hadn’t been aware could be obtained from watching another pony’s misery. “I’m afraid you will have to come with us to the castle. We can’t revoke a request for identification once it has been made. I hope this won’t be too much trouble, Mr…?” “Cold Hoof, and it should be fine,” Cold Hoof said, in a voice that sounded far more secure than he felt. “Well that’s great, we’ll have this cleared up in no time,” Skyguard said, smiling. “Don’t worry about this one, Scarlet, I can take care of him, and his little lady, from here.” Skyguard winked at Cold Hoof with the last statement. The maroon pegasus grumbled a little before taking off, but otherwise didn’t say a word. Skyguard and Cold Hoof, with Lily on his back, set off towards the center of the city, with Cold Hoof uncomfortably aware of the lack of wings under his jacket. Behind Closed WallsRough. The floor felt rough, and cold. Cold Hoof tried to stand up, but a chain collar locked onto his neck kept him in place. He yanked on it experimentally. It seemed to have been fitted into a wall a few feet from where he laid. What happened? It was dark in the room. He could hardly make out the walls. There were bars in one end of the cell, presumably to hold him in. Behind the bars he could make out what looked like a corridor filled with other cells, though it was too dark to be certain. The last thing Cold Hoof could remember was… nothing. He couldn’t remember anything about how he got here! He scrambled around a little bit, trying to stand up. His legs felt sluggish and numb, but he eventually managed to drag himself to his hooves using one of the walls. A few limping steps later he discovered that he was unable to reach the cell door. The chain seemed to be made just short enough to keep him from touching the bars. The edge of his hoof hovered just inches from the metal if he lifted it from the floor. For some reason this made Cold Hoof extremely nervous. A quick search of the dark cell gave no indication of where he was. The walls were smooth, and with the exception of a blood smear near where the shackle connected to the wall, pristine white, washed clean. Cold Hoof turned and walked back into the cell, the chain doubling back and clinking against the whitewashed floor. He needed to know where he was.Think Cold Hoof, what is the last thing you can remember? Initially, nothing came to him. He strained to grasp onto something, anything at all really, but the memories in his head were all shards and pieces that made no sense on their own. Cold Hoof felt his breathing quicken and grow shallow as the search failed to give any yield. Pacing around the cell seemed to help. Cold Hoof could feel the numbness and pain in his limbs that had accumulated while he slept slowly seep from his form with each step. It felt good to be walking. After a while of this, finding scarce purchase on his lost memories, Cold Hoof shifted his focus to the chain around his neck, noticing the way it would restrict airflow to his lungs when he got too close to the cell door. He nickered and gave it a tug, feeling a strong, primal desire to break the restrictive bonds. The chains rattled, and his hooves slipped across the floor, finding no purchase on the white stone. He kept on tugging until small white dots obscured his vision. Only then did he stop to heave for air. “Nghh… stupid chain.” Cold Hoof coughed a few times, feeling days of old phlegm working their way out of his throat. He felt as if he hadn’t spoken for days. “Hello, is anybody there? Why am I locked up?” Cold Hoof shouted, painfully aware of how dry his throat was. “I could really use some water and… and I don’t even know why I'm here. Please, someone answer me.” He sighed and walked to the back of the cell. GoddessI could use some water. He felt like he had been sitting there for hours. He had managed to entertain himself for a little while by counting the cracks in the walls, but after he got into a mental argument with himself about whether or not a particularly small fissure was deep enough to be considered a crack, he decided that the game was no good for his sanity and tried to get some sleep instead. Rough. The floor was way too rough for sleeping, cold too. He stared at the wall. I still can’t remember anything from before. There were small memories floating around in his head, wanting to be explored, screaming at him, and imploring him to view them. Every time he focused on any one in particular they would all fade into the background, leaving only the cell wall in front of him to occupy his thoughts. Each time he grasped for one he would feel some emotion, or sense the outline of a vision before the memory faded away. The conflicting imagery and feelings made him feel like he was going to throw up at any moment. His vision was spinning and contracting slightly from concentrating too hard. Frustrated, slightly nauseated and disoriented, Cold Hoof tried to quiet his mind. With the strain of concentration gone, Cold Hoof felt sensations tugging at his awareness, begging him again to explore his own memory. There is no use in trying now; they will just keep slipping from my grasp. A particular imploring feeling pushed at the edge of his awareness, a feeling of happiness, order and peace. Instead of focusing on it like he had done before, Cold Hoof let the memory invade his awareness. Bits and pieces of sensations collected, giving him a clear impression. Cold Hoof was working in his shop, before the deportations and restrictions had overtaken the city. Everything had been perfect then, why hadn't it stayed that way? Another memory surfaced. It had been afternoon. May Lily was laughing, running around inside the house, trying to get his attention. He was working on a commissioned design, reprimanding her halfheartedly for running in the house. The memory was accompanied by a sense of stress and urgency, mixed with a feeling of contentment. I don’t think I realized it then, but I enjoyed having her around, even when she made trouble. Cold Hoof smiled a little to himself, cherishing the memory. He felt the pieces of his identity and mind return to their rightful places within his head. The images and sensations continued to flow. Most of them passed through his awareness in almost no time at all, but a few would invade his senses. These felt almost as vivid as the floor beneath his hooves, and there seemed to be no way of interrupting the stream of emotion. It was a dark winter’s day, almost immediately after the deportations started. Cold Hoof was walking down the street. The snow had recently fallen, and had yet to be cleared. It was soft, and It made crunching sounds every time he took a step. He remembered being drunk. He had been frustrated with the way the earth pony rebellions were being handled. All of his friends were either being deported or had stopped seeing him, based on which race they belonged to. It didn't pay to be seen with an earth pony if you were a unicorn or pegasus. It wasn't long beforeeverypony left me. Everypony but olive, she had too many kids, so the Peacekeepers made an exception.Bless Hackett’s soul. He heard screams from an alley; Screams from a little filly. Cold Hoof squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hooves against his temples, hard enough to make small spots spring forth beneath his closed eyelids. Still the images kept flowing. He stumbled while he walked past the alley.Itsjust another rape victim, another victim of civil unrest. It it’s not my problem. He dug his hooves harder into the side of his head. A warm liquid started trickling down from the base beneath his left ear. Something compelled him to investigate. Maybe it was the booze. Maybe he was tired of not being able to do anything. He wanted to make an impact, Even if that impact happened to be his hoof against someone’s flesh… someone’s skull. Cold Hoof knew what came next, but he didn’t want to see it. He screamed as loud as he could, but the images kept flashing, unbidden, before his eyes. “Worthless, good-for-nothing, shitheads.” Trashcans toppled over. “I’m being deported, and you get to stay here? For what? So you can continue your stupid violin lessons? So you can be with your other privileged friends? You couldn’t play an instrument if you were knocked in the head with it!” May Lily sobbed, cowering up against a brick wall. Garbage piled on both sides. Her uncle towered over her, drunk. There was no way out. She didn’t understand, of course. She was only six, how could she? They were all gone, and the only one that was still here was her uncle, Blue Moon. It wasn’t fair at all. All he wanted was to hurt her, to feel better than someone. As if the best way to feel better than your niece was to make her feel worse. She was done, it wouldn’t matter if she died here, cowering against this wall. It wouldn’t matter if she sunk through the ground and was never seen again. “Just, l-leave already! Leave me alone!” A sharp kick connected with her side. She gasped, her sides rising and falling, heaving for air. There was nothing more to say, they both knew that no one would benefit from their conversation. They both knew what the other wanted, and were equally reluctant to give it. Blue Moon sat down, patiently watching her. He was wobbling slightly from intoxication. They sat like this for another couple of minutes, the only sound being May Lily’s shallow breaths, barely enough air passed by her lips to disturb the particles of dust floating there. “I hope you die.” Thwack! Another blow connected, this time from a forehoof. “Manners, young lady.” He said, leaning over her. “You’ll never get what you want if you don’t ask nicely.” Despite her now-swelling eye, she managed a look of heavy defiance. “I won’t beg,” she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I won’t beg for you,” she repeated, this time with more volume. Blue Moon smiled, standing up again. “It’s a pity you won’t give me what I want, filly. It’s okay, though. You have other things that I want, things that I can take from you.” He smirked. “You know, you’re not entirely unattrac--” He didn’t get any farther. A surprised gargling sound made its way out of his throat as a hoof grabbed a hold of his tail from behind and tugged him away from the frightened filly. As it happened, Blue Moon was no stranger to ‘disputes,’ but taken by surprise he was quickly brought to the ground and held down by the newcomer. May Lily stared, frightened. His hooves were a grey blur as they fell upon her uncle; his breathing filled the cold night air between them with puffs of white steam. His watch cutie mark got quickly spattered with small droplets of crimson. At first, her uncle fought back, bringing hooves to protect his face, but Cold Hoof had brought his onslaught to the unprotected belly-flesh instead, winding him, and driving all energy from his system. There was a frightening sneer upon his face as he pounded away at Blue Moon, as if he was enjoying it. There was nothing else in the world for Cold Hoof at this moment. He had needed to hit something, hard. Now that he had started, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to stop. Something compelled him — when he had landed a blow — to immediately follow it up with the next. He wanted to yell. He wanted to yell about everything that wasn’t fair. He wanted to tell the world exactly what he thought about it. Each word forced past his lips with rage was punctuated by the fall of a hoof. “You. Deshpicable. Bashtard. Why. Would. You. shcare. A. Litt-” Cold Hoof’s rant was cut abruptly short as a tooth lodged itself in his fetlock, at the point where hoof and flesh connect. The pain was sudden enough that he fell from his perch upon the stallion as he gripped the injured hoof. He landed head first. “Aaugh, buck" Now he really felt the alcohol in his system. The universe spun a few times before his eyes, ringing angry bells inside his head, before his vision cleared up. With the ringing of the bells gone Cold Hoof became quickly concerned with how quiet it was. He picked a few times at the tooth lodged in his fetlock, before deciding that it was lodged deep enough that it would be easier to leave it there for now. Everything was quiet in the alley except for a small creature sobbing somewhere off to his right, on the other side of the body. Body is the right term in this situation, right? Was he even still alive? Cold Hoof stood up and brought his ear close to the stallion’s mouth. He was breathing, faintly. May Lily, who had been sitting relatively quietly in the corner ‘till now, whimpered. It was loud enough to make Cold Hoof look, surprised, up at her. A rush of paternal hormones filled his system as he noticed the state she was in. Cold Hoof stood up and stepped over the body towards her. He managed to force a fairly coherent sentence past the haze of adrenaline and alcohol: “Whoa, kiddo, it’sh alright. He’s unconscious now.” “Stay away from me!” she screeched, standing up. Her hooves planted in a defensive stance, ready to run at a moment’s notice. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She was hurt already. Small bruises and scrapes littered her skin, like the map of some strange new world, drawn in hurt and abuse. Her tears rolled from her face, indicating wounds that would never go away. This filly needs me. The thought had entered his mind unbidden, and if he hadn’t been so drunk he would have probably wondered if the pony that just beat her uncle half to death was really worthy of raising her, but he was, so he didn’t. “Really. I won’t.” “I don’t believe you!” she sobbed, her eyes displaying the wild fear of an animal, forced up against a wall. “You should. I can help you.” “I don’t believe you!” This time she bolted, aiming to circumvent Cold Hoof and get out of the alley. He grabbed a hold of her with his hoof. “Whoa, it’s ok. Really. Just let me explain.” May Lily thrashed wildly in his grip, screaming and fighting to be released. “Let me go, let me go, let me go!” Seeing the young creature upset was too much for Cold Hoof. Her screams hurt his ears, and any second a guard could have come by and had him arrested for beating her uncle. There would be nothing he could say in his defense. So he removed his hooves. He watched her race for her freedom. She looked back once before she darted to the left, her hooves leaving small tracks in the snow. Cold Hoof waited for a few seconds after she was gone before he let go of the breath he had been holding, and looked up at the stars. He felt good. She might not have appreciated it, but he had saved a possible rape victim this day. He was a hero, really. Really a hero…. He reminded himself that there was still a blue stallion lying next to him. Looking over, he noticed that he was conscious. His eyes wide open in fear. Cold Hoof walked over to him, situating himself over Blue Moon. He lifted a hoof, his muscles tensing up as he sized up the stallion below him. Then he brought it down, softly meeting Blue Moon’s shoulder, his mind felt strangely clear. “I know what you were doing to that girl,” he said. “At least I know enough about what you did to say one thing for certain. You are going to be deported soon. The guards will find your house. An anonymous pegasus will leave a note at the guard station explaining how you assaulted your unicorn niece. Her bruises will be proof enough.” Cold Hoof gave him another knock in the abdomen before he walked away from the wheezing stallion, not bothering to look how his words had affected him. As he stood outside of the alley way he was faced with a crossroad. To the right was his home, and clear, unspoiled snow and safety. To the left he could see where small hoof prints had marred the newly settled snow, leading a ways down before they turned away from sight. Uncertainty. He trotted to the left. The hoof-prints were easy enough to distinguish from the occasional deviant, easy enough to follow. In the cell, Cold Hoof’s entire mind was now in place. He was curled up in the corner. The tiny blood smear on his left hoof, from when he pushed his hoof against his temple, might as well have been an ocean of blood. He would have felt equally bad about himself.
Birthday SecretsMost clockmakers relied upon their magic to work the finer gears and mechanisms of the clock. They used their innate telekinetic abilities to construct the delicate devices. This clockmaker, however, was an earth pony. He didn't have the advantages or social standing given to others at birth. Nopony could deny, however, that he made the finest clockwork in the whole district, perhaps the finest in all of Canterlot. The nobility would fight, cheat, and bribe to advance their placement on the ever-growing list of hoofmade commissions that Cold Hoof kept in his desk at home. His fame came with many questions and a lot of attention. He had overheard many of the rumors the city held about him: How he makes designs like these with only his hooves, I will never understand Maybe he’s actually a unicorn who uses enchantments to hide his horn andgarner extra fame. I mean, we all know earth ponies aren’t capable of delicate labor, right? I heard that he has mages secretlyworking for him. Including a few of the wilder rumors as well: I heard that he has mages tiedup in his basement, forced to work for him! Is it true that he is actually an adolescent griffon in a pony costume? Cold Hoof found the rumors amusing at times. The truth was that he was simply a good clockmaker, with a few precision tools that he had developed himself specifically for earth pony use. Unlike others, Cold Hoof had to work day and night to earn the skills and reputation that he now possessed. He liked to believe that the adversity he had faced played a key component in the design and production of his clocks, making them different from anything you would find elsewhere. Today was a special day for Cold Hoof, or rather, a special day for his adoptive daughter, May Lily. Today was her seventh birthday, and Cold Hoof couldn't wait to get home to her and celebrate it. She was kept secret, of course; earth ponies weren't allowed to have unicorn children in their custody. Penalties for the crime of child abduction and earth pony parenthood of a unicorn or pegasus child could range from death by guillotine to death by firing squad, neither of which was particularly high on Cold Hoof’s list of priorities. Cold Hoof shook his head to rid himself of the grim thoughts. He had to look lively. there was only one more scheduled appointment for the day, and Lord Hackett didn't appreciate slouching. Humming a tune softly, he took to busying himself with another design while waiting for Lord Hackett. Just as he was engrossed in fitting a cog into place, he heard the tinkle of the shop’s bell. When Cold Hoof looked up, he saw the easily recognizable shape of a large white unicorn, a cutie mark depicting a golden scale depicted upon his flank. Cold Hoof had dealt with Lord Hackett often and held a great deal of respect for his patron as a result. Despite being a prominent figure within the peacekeepers, Hackett often came off as open minded and mild in judgment, the very opposite of his colleagues. Adding further to Lord Hackett’s importance for Cold Hoof was the fact that he was one of the only non-earth ponies that Cold Hoof had met, who had never done verbal or physical harm to him. Though he rarely spoke of his job, Cold Hoof got the distinct feeling that Hackett was the only reason that High Overseer Ruby Shard hadn't replaced every punishment in The Book of Law with execution or banishment. Hackett was, in a sense, the perfect balance for Ruby Shard’s ruthless dedication to justice. “It’s good to see you, Lord Hackett,” Cold Hoof said with a smile. “I have your design out back, would you like to pick it up today, or do you come with a different affair in mind?” “Just the watch, please,” Hackett said, bearing a neutral expression. “It will only be a moment, feel free to browse my stock.” Cold Hoof laid his tools aside, and turned to enter the workshop where he created his custom works. The room was darkened with curtains and held a great number of precision tools and unfinished projects. Cold Hoof quickly picked out the fine ivory pocket watch that was Lord Hackett’s commission. It had taken well over a week’s worth of work, but the result was well worth it; the watch itself had been engraved with the symbol of the peacemakers, a royal alicorn, wings spread wide and with rays spreading from its horn. The engraving, hoof-painted with black paint, served to remind anypony that might look upon it of the Lord’s standing within the community. When Cold Hoof returned from the workshop, he found Hackett staring at a grandfather clock with a very sad, almost strained expression on his face. “I've got your watch sir,” Cold Hoof said tentatively. “What? Oh yes, of course!” he exclaimed, shaken from his reverie. “I am afraid I haven’t been in my right state of mind lately; let me have a look at it.” “Is this a personal matter bothering you sir?” Cold Hoof asked, while handing him the watch. Lord Hackett didn't answer at first but took instead to looking at the item in question. After looking it over a few times and finding no apparent things to remark upon, he gave a heavy sigh. “Business matter, I am forbidden to indulge any information about it,” he stated, a frown crossing his face. “Least of all to somepony such as yourself, I am sure you understand.” Cold Hoof did understand. Canterlot was in pieces; Frequent earth pony uprisings all over the country had led to the application of martial law. Canterlot and Cloudsdale were the last “true” unicorn and pegasus settlements. They held the Equestrian Guard and Equestrian Air Force, respectively. If not for the respect that Cold Hoof carried with the nobility, he might have already been outcast from the city; the city peacekeepers had made this point very clear ever since about three years prior when the first uprisings had begun. Bearing this in mind, it was no surprise to Cold Hoof that the captain chose to keep state affairs from him. It did sting a little though. As an earth pony he was completely forbidden access to information from the outside world, and was forced to carry an identification document with him at all times. He had family outside the walls of the city, and a personal interest in the struggle as well, being denied information always left him with a bad taste in his mouth. Cold Hoof felt for the cause of racial equality, but he also knew that there was no way the nobility would give up its seat in power. The easiest way for him to survive was to stay right where he was; racial equality or not, life as a clockmaker suited him. “Of course. I understand sir. would you like an explanation of the watch’s operations?” Cold Hoof replied with a Once Lord Hackett left, Coldhoof closed down the shop, rushing through procedures as fast as he could. When he was satisfied with how it looked, he donned a thick wool jacket, locked the door and headed towards his home district. It was raining in Canterlot, not enough to soak through his coat, but Cold Hoof felt a distinct chill when he stepped out from under the shop’s awning. He shivered a little; overhead, contingents of pegasus guards were gliding through the sky, apparently unfazed by the chilly weather. Cold Hoof always felt out of his element on the streets. He didn't like the attention he received from the other races. In fact, one of the main reasons he even wore a coat was that the thick material covered the areas where pegasi would normally have their wings folded, making the ponies he passed assume he was a pegasus. The coat was his cover, his mask; leaving his home without it made him feel… naked. Perhaps it was weird to lay such trust in a coat. The few times that he had left home without it, whether intentionally or not though, had never ended well. It was a sad thing indeed to see a unicorn guard, one whose face had been stretched in smile from pleasant conversation, recoil and gasp, when he noticed that under the coat was absolutely nothing. This scene, and many more like it were etched in Cold Hoofs mind as constant reminders of the dangers that followed when he forgot his coat. It was with relief that Cold Hoof reached his apartment, hurrying through the door to escape the scrutinizing eyes of the city streets as well as the rain. He sighed, hanging his head. He let the sound of droplets, dripping from his mane to the floor, distract him for a moment. “Dad! I missed you so much!” He turned his head towards the voice, only to be tackled by a high speed fuzzy object by the name of May Lily and pinned to the door as it nuzzled into his chest. “You smell like rain,” she said with a giggle. Cold Hoof felt the frown he had subconsciously adopted while walking through the streets give way for a grin as he picked her up and gave her a squeeze. “Has Mrs. Branch been treating you alright?” he asked as he set her down and took off his jacket. “Oh yes,” she replied enthusiastically, “we ate cake, and made drawings, and read stories, and sang birthday songs, but you weren't here for the birthday songs.” She frowned a little at this last statement. “I know Lily, and I’m terribly sorry about that, but I had to work today. I think I have a way of making it up to you though.” “What do you mean?” she asked, her head tilting slightly. “It’s a surprise, we can talk about it in a second; right now, I need to go pay Mrs. Branch.” Cold Hoof walked into the living room, seeing Olive Branch, an elderly, olive colored earth pony mare sitting in his reading chair next to a small fireplace. Apparently, she had overheard their entire conversation. She had just set a children’s book aside on the table next to the chair when she spoke in a raspy voice: “I sure hope this something you have planned is good, Cold Hoof, she’s been talking about how much she wished you were here all day.” Cold Hoof felt a twinge of guilt. he hated leaving Lily alone, even if she were in capable hands. “Thanks for watching her, Olive; I really don’t know what I would do without you.” Cold Hoof smiled gratefully. “I hope she hasn't been too much of a bother” Olive Branch chuckled with amusement. “This little angel? Never.” Cold Hoof could remember a time not too long ago when she was eating wallpaper and stealing food from the elderly lady. It was an unfortunate habit she had from living in malnutrition for too long. Coldhoof held his tongue about those incidents however. “Was it fifteen bits we agreed upon?” Cold Hoof reached for his wallet, retrieving the sum in question. “Yes, and don’t worry, dear, I’ll show myself out.” The elderly lady took the money from his hoof and walked towards the door. Before she could get very far though, Cold Hoof stopped her, holding out his hoof. “This… really means a lot to me, Olive, I hope you know that.” He smiled a little, all too conscious of the signs of stress evident in his face: the bags under his eyes, his matted mane and unkept coat. “You know, with all the work I've had to do lately… Well, if it wasn't for you May Lily would have no one, and the stars know, she doesn't have a whole—.” Olive Branch silenced him by knocking him lightly in the back of the head. “You just make sure that surprise is something special Cold, I’m sure you’ll both be fine.” She gave him a pat on the shoulder and left for the door. May Lily, who had been silent so far, gave a snort of indignation. “Of course we’ll be fine! Right, dad?” Cold Hoof looked contemplatively at the door, some water still dripping from his mane, though a little less than before. “Of course, Lil’.” He looked down at her and smiled. “We’ll be safe.”
SunsetThe streets of Canterlot. Normally filled with unicorns and pegasi, were emptying quickly as curfew approached. The steep angle of the sun, the tall buildings, and the narrow streets of Canterlot all combined blanket the city in shadow. Here and there small beams of sunlight snuck through and illuminated the dirt-covered streets, casting reflective spots on the road whenever they met a shop window. It was a sad sight to see the bustling city streets reduced to an empty vessel, although not an entirely unattractive vision. Shopkeepers rolled down aluminum shutters to protect their shops for the night. City bums curled up under archways with sleeping bags or sought out local homeless shelters. Not everypony was packing up, though. Two ponies, one adult earth pony and a unicorn foal, hurried along the streets. They took care to walk at hurried pace, as if they had somewhere to be, while making sure not to look like they were running from anything. May Lily looked up at her father and spoke, tripping a little as she worked to keep up with his longer strides. “You told me never to go out after the sun goes down, right? So why are we going now?” She waited a few seconds, giving a frustrated huff when no immediate answer came from the older stallion. “Aren’t the guards going to notice us?” Cold Hoof frowned, his eyes darkening a notch, but he kept on trotting all the same. He didn’t dare take his attention off of the streets and skies long enough to come up with an answer. Tough is the stallion that can resist a seven-year-old’s questions on her birthday, though. Certainly tougher than Cold Hoof, so after a little while he managed to take his eyes from the path ahead long enough to give an answer: “They might, but only if we aren’t careful.” He resumed his trotting for a while before speaking again. “Do you remember what I taught you?” “About the guards?” “Yes.” “Don’t speak unless spoken to, act like normal, especially if they are paying attention to me, and never look them in the eyes.” She listed the rules without hesitating, as if they had been rehearsed. Which, in fact, they had. Cold Hoof smiled at her. “Good girl. We’ll be there soon.” With that, the pair kept on walking in silence. They stuck to the sides of the buildings and walked through alleys when possible. If one were to look from the air, you would notice, that the pair were almost impossible to see from the sky. As they traversed one of the darker alleys behind a bar, Cold Hoof noticed the many ponies forced to sleep out on the streets. They had undoubtedly been refused entry to the homeless shelters because of lack of space, or for lack of a horn or a pair of wings. A few of the ponies were pegasi and unicorns, but the vast majority were earth ponies. Their eyes spoke of anger and contempt as the pair passed them by. To them, the pair looked like a pegasus wearing a wool vest with his unicorn daughter trailing behind. Luckily, May Lily didn’t notice the angry glares sent their way. Cold Hoof didn’t want to have to explain to her why total strangers hated her. Cold Hoof was struck by how bad of an idea what he was doing actually was.Taking May Lily through all of this, just for a birthday present. Was the risk really worth it? The real question, he thought, is whether or not I can live with myself ifI don’t give her this opportunity. Cold Hoof took the time to properly study her. She wasn’t very large for a filly her age. She had a light pink coat, amber eyes, and a yellow, pink, and orange mane and tail. She had always reminded him of the colors of a sunset. This, he rationalized, was one of the reasons that he needed to show her this.If only to show her the beauty that always inspires me. The beauty that only she and the horizon possess. Cold Hoof smiled, inwardly praying to no one in particular, that no one would notice them tonight. The pair arrived at an open area at the edge of the city. The ground was tiled with white marble that shone even in the faint evening light. A large peacekeeper symbol, an alicorn with its wings spread wide and rays of magic radiating from its horn, was painted upon the space. A low, crenelated wall enclosed the tiled clearing in a half circle, leaving the view of Equestria open for anypony who might want to view it. Cold Hoof had come here often to think, but he had never been around to see the sunset for fear of being caught out after curfew. In Canterlot, nopony was allowed outside after sunset except for the royal guards and the Peacekeepers. This is it, I will have to make this quick, so that both me and May Lily can get home safe. The moment they stepped out into the clearing they would be visible to pegasus guard patrols. “Ooh! Ooh! I’ve heard of this place!” May Lily took an excited, bouncing step onto the viewing platform. “Olive Branch told me that there is a wall around Canterlot that keeps all the bad ponies out. This is it, right?” Cold Hoof ushered her along towards the edge of the wall while frowning slightly. “Olive told you that?” He asked. Olive Branch was one of the main reasons that the peacekeepers hadn’t suspected Cold Hoof of raising a privileged foal without permission. Whenever Cold Hoof had to go to work, or when the peacekeepers decided to inspect his home, he could count on Olive to hide May Lily in her house for a while and take care of her. The elderly mare, one of the few earth ponies in Cold Hoof’s vicinity that actually owned a house, had even taken it upon herself to school May Lily. Though he was eternally grateful for her hospitality and discretion, Cold Hoof wasn’t entirely sure how happy he was that Olive Branch had taught his daughter about the wall that kept all of the earth ponies in Canterlot under lock. He reasoned, however, that she would have found out sooner or later anyway. It is probably better that she think of it as a safety precaution, as opposed to a prison. “Yeah, is that bad?” She asked, as her face took on a worried expression, her ears drooping a little. “Don’t worry too much about it,” Coldhoof answered as looked out over the wall. “It just surprised me a little, is all.” He smiled as he saw that the sun hadn’t set entirely yet. “Here, get on my back, I want to show you something.” He knelt down, so that the knees of his front legs touched the ground, allowing May Lily to clamber up on his back. As soon as she had settled herself he stood up, allowing her a full view of what lay behind the wall. “Whoa!” Cold Hoof felt her hooves dig into his back and scalp as she pulled herself onto her hind legs, using his mane and head for support. “It’s so… colorful!” Beyond the wall stretched the Equestrian landscape. Fields of green grass and woods could be seen off in the distance, with the sun barely peeking out behind a tall mountain at the edge of Canterlot Valley. Cold Hoof had to admit, It was quite the sight. He knew that this was May Lily’s first time seeing a sunset, but he hadn’t actually seen a whole lot of them himself either. I almost forgot how it looks. He took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then exhaled with the words: “You should make sure to memorize all of this Lil’, we won’t be seeing another one of these for quite a while.” He knew he would remember it, the sight was glorious. The descending sun cast deep red light on the trees and low hanging clouds, leaving the entire horizon an image of pure yellow and red, with a little bit of blue sky and white cloud mixed in. “It’s amazing.” Cold Hoof said, when he didn’t get any response. He nudged May Lily a little with his head. “Are you seeing this, Lil’?” Again, no immediate response came. Looking up at her, Cold Hoof was able to trace her vision straight down to the base of Mt. Canterlot. “What’s that down there, dad?” “Looks like a large dumping ground.” Cold Hoof frowned a little. “I didn’t even know that we had that much trash lying down there, I guess every city has its problems, huh?” The words had barely left his mouth before Cold Hoof realised that Canterlot had far worse problems than the heaps of trash at the bottom of the mountain. Racism and martial law, to name two. May Lily turned her gaze upwards again. “You’re right, dad.” Her face gained a wistful expression, and her tone shifted a little, she sounded a little older all of the sudden. “It really is amazing.” “Happy birthday sweetheart, enjoy it while it lasts.” By the time the sun had set behind the mountain, Cold Hoof knew that they should be leaving but he couldn’t make himself move. The moment was just too perfect! May Lily had begun to drift off to sleep on his back, the toll of a long day finally setting in. Cold Hoof was fairly certain that she wasn’t asleep yet, but she would be soon if he didn’t do something. He sighed, shifting a little, moving his back in a feeble attempt to rustle her. “Come on Lily, we need to get home before the guards see us.” “I’m too tired to walk, can’t you carry me home?” May Lily mumbled, her words slurred by a rather impressive yawn. It had been a problem lately with May Lily; she would try to get Cold Hoof to do her chores or carry her around by acting like she was tired. This time, though, he didn’t mind that much. “Sure thing Lil’, try not to slip off, okay?” He turned away from the wall, trotting towards the alley that they came from. That wasn’t all that bad, he thought to himself, we didn’t even see a single guard. Barely had he thought the words before a trio of dark, winged shadows passed across the marble straight below his feet. Cold Hoof froze in place, acutely aware of how obvious their presence was. May Lily hadn’t noticed anything, but he could feel his legs trembling a little bit as he contemplated bolting for the alley. No! That would be stupid. They’ll notice me for sure! I’ll just wait here until they to pass.Daring to look up, Cold Hoof scanned the sky for the pegasus guards, after a few seconds of looking Cold Hoof assumed that they must have already passed. That was way too close, they could have easily noticed me, he thought to himself as he hurried across the last part of the platform, not daring to look back even once. “See, I told you I saw something! You! Over there! Stop for a second!” Cold Hoof felt his heart sink, as he turned to see two pegasus guards. They must have broken off from the other one. The pegasus that had spoken was light maroon and wore a brown, lightly armored vest meant for flying. He had a menacing smirk spread across his face, and eyes that shone with malice. Cold Hoof knew the facial expression very well. It was the look that always preceded punishment. “So,” he said, floating closer to Cold Hoof. “What petty excuse do you have for staying out after curfew, hmm? Go ahead, take as long as you want to think, I’ve heard every single one of them anyway.” His smirk broadened as he took in Cold Hoof’s shocked expression. Cold Hoof quickly drove his eyes to the ground, afraid of meeting the pegasus’ stare. He was worried that May Lily would be scared, but she seemed to have really fallen asleep this time. This is it, it’s over! I’ll go to jail for sure! “For goodness’ sake Scarlet, can’t you see he isn’t a criminal?” the other pegasus guard said as he pushed the menacing guard aside. Cold Hoof managed to sneak a glance. This one was a powder blue with slightly more ornate armor. Likelysuperior in rank, Cold Hoof thought to himself, already liking this one a lot more. “You weren’t consorting against High Overseer Ruby Shard’s government out here, were you, civilian? That filly on your back there, that wouldn’t happen to be an accomplice?” He paused for a second, punching Cold Hoof lightly on the shoulder when no answer came. “I’m kidding, buddy.” Cold Hoof raised his eyes and to his surprise looked straight into a powder blue, smiling pegasus face. He seemed slightly nervous about his own joke, almost as if he was afraid that he had offended Cold Hoof. They think that I am a pegasus, Cold Hoof thought, more grateful now, than ever, that he had bought the jacket in a popular clothes store for pegasi. If I am going to get out of this one I better come up with a pretty good lie, he thought to himself. Quickly a plan formed in his mind, a rather devious one, actually. He would have smiled at his own ingenuity if the situation hadn’t been so dire. “I am so sorry officer, it’s just that—” He took a deep breath as if the next part pained him to say: “Well… my daughter, she ran away from home and I have been out here looking for her all night. I knew that curfew was approaching but I just couldn’t—” The officer looked thoroughly convinced, so Cold Hoof stopped speaking and just looked at him with what he hoped was a regretful expression. At this point Scarlet spoke up. “I can tell that you are already falling for this schlob’s story, Skyguard, but I’m telling you, I don’t trust this guy one bit. If you ask me, he is one hundred percent guilty!” Scarlet paused for a second, looking Cold Hoof over. Cold Hoof took great care to look anywhere but his face. Scarlet snorted before continuing: “At least ask him to show us his papers so we can take note of the incident in the watchbook.” At this point, Cold Hoof was practically bathing in his own sweat. He did in fact have his papers, but it wouldn’t be the best idea to present them. There is no way they will let me go once they find out that I’m an earth pony. I already told them that she’s my daughter. “Uhh, you see—” he fumbled, trying to think up an excuse for why he couldn’t display his ID. “I left my house in a hurry, I must have left my papers behind.” At this, Skyguard frowned a little while Scarlet’s face showed an ecstasy that Cold Hoof hadn’t been aware could be obtained from watching another pony’s misery. “I’m afraid you will have to come with us to the castle. We can’t revoke a request for identification once it has been made. I hope this won’t be too much trouble, Mr…?” “Cold Hoof, and it should be fine,” Cold Hoof said, in a voice that sounded far more secure than he felt. “Well that’s great, we’ll have this cleared up in no time,” Skyguard said, smiling. “Don’t worry about this one, Scarlet, I can take care of him, and his little lady, from here.” Skyguard winked at Cold Hoof with the last statement. The maroon pegasus grumbled a little before taking off, but otherwise didn’t say a word. Skyguard and Cold Hoof, with Lily on his back, set off towards the center of the city, with Cold Hoof uncomfortably aware of the lack of wings under his jacket.
Behind Closed WallsRough. The floor felt rough, and cold. Cold Hoof tried to stand up, but a chain collar locked onto his neck kept him in place. He yanked on it experimentally. It seemed to have been fitted into a wall a few feet from where he laid. What happened? It was dark in the room. He could hardly make out the walls. There were bars in one end of the cell, presumably to hold him in. Behind the bars he could make out what looked like a corridor filled with other cells, though it was too dark to be certain. The last thing Cold Hoof could remember was… nothing. He couldn’t remember anything about how he got here! He scrambled around a little bit, trying to stand up. His legs felt sluggish and numb, but he eventually managed to drag himself to his hooves using one of the walls. A few limping steps later he discovered that he was unable to reach the cell door. The chain seemed to be made just short enough to keep him from touching the bars. The edge of his hoof hovered just inches from the metal if he lifted it from the floor. For some reason this made Cold Hoof extremely nervous. A quick search of the dark cell gave no indication of where he was. The walls were smooth, and with the exception of a blood smear near where the shackle connected to the wall, pristine white, washed clean. Cold Hoof turned and walked back into the cell, the chain doubling back and clinking against the whitewashed floor. He needed to know where he was.Think Cold Hoof, what is the last thing you can remember? Initially, nothing came to him. He strained to grasp onto something, anything at all really, but the memories in his head were all shards and pieces that made no sense on their own. Cold Hoof felt his breathing quicken and grow shallow as the search failed to give any yield. Pacing around the cell seemed to help. Cold Hoof could feel the numbness and pain in his limbs that had accumulated while he slept slowly seep from his form with each step. It felt good to be walking. After a while of this, finding scarce purchase on his lost memories, Cold Hoof shifted his focus to the chain around his neck, noticing the way it would restrict airflow to his lungs when he got too close to the cell door. He nickered and gave it a tug, feeling a strong, primal desire to break the restrictive bonds. The chains rattled, and his hooves slipped across the floor, finding no purchase on the white stone. He kept on tugging until small white dots obscured his vision. Only then did he stop to heave for air. “Nghh… stupid chain.” Cold Hoof coughed a few times, feeling days of old phlegm working their way out of his throat. He felt as if he hadn’t spoken for days. “Hello, is anybody there? Why am I locked up?” Cold Hoof shouted, painfully aware of how dry his throat was. “I could really use some water and… and I don’t even know why I'm here. Please, someone answer me.” He sighed and walked to the back of the cell. GoddessI could use some water. He felt like he had been sitting there for hours. He had managed to entertain himself for a little while by counting the cracks in the walls, but after he got into a mental argument with himself about whether or not a particularly small fissure was deep enough to be considered a crack, he decided that the game was no good for his sanity and tried to get some sleep instead. Rough. The floor was way too rough for sleeping, cold too. He stared at the wall. I still can’t remember anything from before. There were small memories floating around in his head, wanting to be explored, screaming at him, and imploring him to view them. Every time he focused on any one in particular they would all fade into the background, leaving only the cell wall in front of him to occupy his thoughts. Each time he grasped for one he would feel some emotion, or sense the outline of a vision before the memory faded away. The conflicting imagery and feelings made him feel like he was going to throw up at any moment. His vision was spinning and contracting slightly from concentrating too hard. Frustrated, slightly nauseated and disoriented, Cold Hoof tried to quiet his mind. With the strain of concentration gone, Cold Hoof felt sensations tugging at his awareness, begging him again to explore his own memory. There is no use in trying now; they will just keep slipping from my grasp. A particular imploring feeling pushed at the edge of his awareness, a feeling of happiness, order and peace. Instead of focusing on it like he had done before, Cold Hoof let the memory invade his awareness. Bits and pieces of sensations collected, giving him a clear impression. Cold Hoof was working in his shop, before the deportations and restrictions had overtaken the city. Everything had been perfect then, why hadn't it stayed that way? Another memory surfaced. It had been afternoon. May Lily was laughing, running around inside the house, trying to get his attention. He was working on a commissioned design, reprimanding her halfheartedly for running in the house. The memory was accompanied by a sense of stress and urgency, mixed with a feeling of contentment. I don’t think I realized it then, but I enjoyed having her around, even when she made trouble. Cold Hoof smiled a little to himself, cherishing the memory. He felt the pieces of his identity and mind return to their rightful places within his head. The images and sensations continued to flow. Most of them passed through his awareness in almost no time at all, but a few would invade his senses. These felt almost as vivid as the floor beneath his hooves, and there seemed to be no way of interrupting the stream of emotion. It was a dark winter’s day, almost immediately after the deportations started. Cold Hoof was walking down the street. The snow had recently fallen, and had yet to be cleared. It was soft, and It made crunching sounds every time he took a step. He remembered being drunk. He had been frustrated with the way the earth pony rebellions were being handled. All of his friends were either being deported or had stopped seeing him, based on which race they belonged to. It didn't pay to be seen with an earth pony if you were a unicorn or pegasus. It wasn't long beforeeverypony left me. Everypony but olive, she had too many kids, so the Peacekeepers made an exception.Bless Hackett’s soul. He heard screams from an alley; Screams from a little filly. Cold Hoof squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hooves against his temples, hard enough to make small spots spring forth beneath his closed eyelids. Still the images kept flowing. He stumbled while he walked past the alley.Itsjust another rape victim, another victim of civil unrest. It it’s not my problem. He dug his hooves harder into the side of his head. A warm liquid started trickling down from the base beneath his left ear. Something compelled him to investigate. Maybe it was the booze. Maybe he was tired of not being able to do anything. He wanted to make an impact, Even if that impact happened to be his hoof against someone’s flesh… someone’s skull. Cold Hoof knew what came next, but he didn’t want to see it. He screamed as loud as he could, but the images kept flashing, unbidden, before his eyes. “Worthless, good-for-nothing, shitheads.” Trashcans toppled over. “I’m being deported, and you get to stay here? For what? So you can continue your stupid violin lessons? So you can be with your other privileged friends? You couldn’t play an instrument if you were knocked in the head with it!” May Lily sobbed, cowering up against a brick wall. Garbage piled on both sides. Her uncle towered over her, drunk. There was no way out. She didn’t understand, of course. She was only six, how could she? They were all gone, and the only one that was still here was her uncle, Blue Moon. It wasn’t fair at all. All he wanted was to hurt her, to feel better than someone. As if the best way to feel better than your niece was to make her feel worse. She was done, it wouldn’t matter if she died here, cowering against this wall. It wouldn’t matter if she sunk through the ground and was never seen again. “Just, l-leave already! Leave me alone!” A sharp kick connected with her side. She gasped, her sides rising and falling, heaving for air. There was nothing more to say, they both knew that no one would benefit from their conversation. They both knew what the other wanted, and were equally reluctant to give it. Blue Moon sat down, patiently watching her. He was wobbling slightly from intoxication. They sat like this for another couple of minutes, the only sound being May Lily’s shallow breaths, barely enough air passed by her lips to disturb the particles of dust floating there. “I hope you die.” Thwack! Another blow connected, this time from a forehoof. “Manners, young lady.” He said, leaning over her. “You’ll never get what you want if you don’t ask nicely.” Despite her now-swelling eye, she managed a look of heavy defiance. “I won’t beg,” she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I won’t beg for you,” she repeated, this time with more volume. Blue Moon smiled, standing up again. “It’s a pity you won’t give me what I want, filly. It’s okay, though. You have other things that I want, things that I can take from you.” He smirked. “You know, you’re not entirely unattrac--” He didn’t get any farther. A surprised gargling sound made its way out of his throat as a hoof grabbed a hold of his tail from behind and tugged him away from the frightened filly. As it happened, Blue Moon was no stranger to ‘disputes,’ but taken by surprise he was quickly brought to the ground and held down by the newcomer. May Lily stared, frightened. His hooves were a grey blur as they fell upon her uncle; his breathing filled the cold night air between them with puffs of white steam. His watch cutie mark got quickly spattered with small droplets of crimson. At first, her uncle fought back, bringing hooves to protect his face, but Cold Hoof had brought his onslaught to the unprotected belly-flesh instead, winding him, and driving all energy from his system. There was a frightening sneer upon his face as he pounded away at Blue Moon, as if he was enjoying it. There was nothing else in the world for Cold Hoof at this moment. He had needed to hit something, hard. Now that he had started, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to stop. Something compelled him — when he had landed a blow — to immediately follow it up with the next. He wanted to yell. He wanted to yell about everything that wasn’t fair. He wanted to tell the world exactly what he thought about it. Each word forced past his lips with rage was punctuated by the fall of a hoof. “You. Deshpicable. Bashtard. Why. Would. You. shcare. A. Litt-” Cold Hoof’s rant was cut abruptly short as a tooth lodged itself in his fetlock, at the point where hoof and flesh connect. The pain was sudden enough that he fell from his perch upon the stallion as he gripped the injured hoof. He landed head first. “Aaugh, buck" Now he really felt the alcohol in his system. The universe spun a few times before his eyes, ringing angry bells inside his head, before his vision cleared up. With the ringing of the bells gone Cold Hoof became quickly concerned with how quiet it was. He picked a few times at the tooth lodged in his fetlock, before deciding that it was lodged deep enough that it would be easier to leave it there for now. Everything was quiet in the alley except for a small creature sobbing somewhere off to his right, on the other side of the body. Body is the right term in this situation, right? Was he even still alive? Cold Hoof stood up and brought his ear close to the stallion’s mouth. He was breathing, faintly. May Lily, who had been sitting relatively quietly in the corner ‘till now, whimpered. It was loud enough to make Cold Hoof look, surprised, up at her. A rush of paternal hormones filled his system as he noticed the state she was in. Cold Hoof stood up and stepped over the body towards her. He managed to force a fairly coherent sentence past the haze of adrenaline and alcohol: “Whoa, kiddo, it’sh alright. He’s unconscious now.” “Stay away from me!” she screeched, standing up. Her hooves planted in a defensive stance, ready to run at a moment’s notice. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She was hurt already. Small bruises and scrapes littered her skin, like the map of some strange new world, drawn in hurt and abuse. Her tears rolled from her face, indicating wounds that would never go away. This filly needs me. The thought had entered his mind unbidden, and if he hadn’t been so drunk he would have probably wondered if the pony that just beat her uncle half to death was really worthy of raising her, but he was, so he didn’t. “Really. I won’t.” “I don’t believe you!” she sobbed, her eyes displaying the wild fear of an animal, forced up against a wall. “You should. I can help you.” “I don’t believe you!” This time she bolted, aiming to circumvent Cold Hoof and get out of the alley. He grabbed a hold of her with his hoof. “Whoa, it’s ok. Really. Just let me explain.” May Lily thrashed wildly in his grip, screaming and fighting to be released. “Let me go, let me go, let me go!” Seeing the young creature upset was too much for Cold Hoof. Her screams hurt his ears, and any second a guard could have come by and had him arrested for beating her uncle. There would be nothing he could say in his defense. So he removed his hooves. He watched her race for her freedom. She looked back once before she darted to the left, her hooves leaving small tracks in the snow. Cold Hoof waited for a few seconds after she was gone before he let go of the breath he had been holding, and looked up at the stars. He felt good. She might not have appreciated it, but he had saved a possible rape victim this day. He was a hero, really. Really a hero…. He reminded himself that there was still a blue stallion lying next to him. Looking over, he noticed that he was conscious. His eyes wide open in fear. Cold Hoof walked over to him, situating himself over Blue Moon. He lifted a hoof, his muscles tensing up as he sized up the stallion below him. Then he brought it down, softly meeting Blue Moon’s shoulder, his mind felt strangely clear. “I know what you were doing to that girl,” he said. “At least I know enough about what you did to say one thing for certain. You are going to be deported soon. The guards will find your house. An anonymous pegasus will leave a note at the guard station explaining how you assaulted your unicorn niece. Her bruises will be proof enough.” Cold Hoof gave him another knock in the abdomen before he walked away from the wheezing stallion, not bothering to look how his words had affected him. As he stood outside of the alley way he was faced with a crossroad. To the right was his home, and clear, unspoiled snow and safety. To the left he could see where small hoof prints had marred the newly settled snow, leading a ways down before they turned away from sight. Uncertainty. He trotted to the left. The hoof-prints were easy enough to distinguish from the occasional deviant, easy enough to follow. In the cell, Cold Hoof’s entire mind was now in place. He was curled up in the corner. The tiny blood smear on his left hoof, from when he pushed his hoof against his temple, might as well have been an ocean of blood. He would have felt equally bad about himself.
