Prologue: Life Above the Clouds
When I was a colt I asked my father, why do we build everything from cloud? I was just learning that some things weren’t made of cloud, funny right. It had never occurred to me before then, but at school we were learning of metal and stone. I had thought to myself walking home that day, so many clouds, the walls, the streets, the chairs, the tables, computers and even most toys, but some things where not, clothes, armour, old books. I didn't understand, all I knew was the world of clouds.
My father he told me, long ago our world was more than just clouds, but we pegasus became scared and used these clouds to make a new home. Away from the things we feared.
"Son your a honest pegasi. I’m so proud that you are, so I'm not going to lie to you now. Below us, the world we hide from is rotten, but one day it may heal and we can stop fearing to return to it." I remember well my father's words, along with the deep red sky as the sun set below the cloud cover. I'm not to sure, but as my father too looked out to the edge of the clouds, I think he was angry...
In the great war we were the first to take a major blow from the mega spells, losing our capital, Cloudsdale. So what do we do? We blanket the sky below, turn a blind eye to the surface. Sad really, a slapped together plan to protect ourselves from a war we had equal parts in. We cut ourselves off from our food and the means to grow it effectively, but we are a resourceful lot, us pegasus. Using the S.P.P towers we found a way to grow a new meagre supply of food in our precious clouds. Now food has become are currency. Using ration-coupons to pay are way, for things we need and want, unless your part of the Grand Pegasus Enclave of course. It makes me laugh, the military force known as the Enclave running the government and lore of us pegasus, distributing a scarce food supply, don't question it! and life can go on, what a joke.
History speaks of the day we averted are eyes from the world below as a necessary lost to save a race, a sociality, a way of life, but really, that's all it is, just turning a blind eye. I..I hate that... it was us running away and now its too late, the surface is no longer liveable. Enclave scouts tell us, the ponies that live there are nothing, but mad, diseased, unfortunate souls, unable to be saved. We must wait up in the clouds where it's safe. Some pegasus protest that we should aid the surface..., but I know that the Enclave would never let that happen.
Arrrr... yes I should mention this now. I was once part of the Enclave public security force, this was effectively a in house military force to make sure the pegasi kept order above cloud level, or I suppose you could call it a police force, but it doesn’t quite operate the same way. Yes despite propaganda would have the public believe, there is indeed crime above the clouds.
The Enclave public security, or the E.P.S, and I came to the conclusion, that my moral ethics sometimes got in the way of me doing my job. So I'm no longer employed by the Enclave, sadly this means I don't get rations in the job any more, with my skills I decided to go private. Cloudy Linings private investigations, sounds nice right. Well with the Enclave about I'm mostly getting dirty pictures or looking into sleazy lovers. Some times I get an interesting case, but the Enclave like to let me know where I stand.
I live in a little group of clouds on rout to and from two S.P.P towers. Its a nice stop between two larger cloud cities. I appreciate it, its not bad for work, not many private eye disassociated with the Enclave to ask for a bit of anonymous investigating here... or that could be true of anywhere in the clouds when I think about it. I would like to say, it's just another day in the life of the hard boiled detective Linings, but I'm not so sure about... today.... I took a pull from my cigarette as I looked out of my window... yeah, not so sure, about today.
