Alone… alone is how I felt. I did not have enough time with anypony to make friends. My master was watching all the time. If I did get too close to a pony, they were sent to the mines. Smiling was not something I did each day anymore. My will to fight for my freedom was gone, completely gone.

I was walking toward the kitchen to get my breakfast for the day with my head down, knowing that my master was on the floor above watching me make my way solemnly through the entrance hall. Once I was through the door to the hallway connecting the kitchen to the rest of the first floor rooms around. I almost smiled knowing my master can’t watch me here, my own personal safe space.

I ran into somepony about halfway to the kitchen. Must be someone new, everypony here knows what my route is and avoids it because of the eyes watching me, I thought to myself, Might as well introduce myself.

“Hi, I’m Bright Cloud. Sorry about bumping into you like that, I guess I forgot to pay attention to where I was going.”, I said while looking up with a forced smile that was becoming more real as I realized who I had bumped into.

“Nice to see you again Cloudy”, I hated that nickname, “Been awhile, where is your master? Shouldn’t he be here with you when he visits?”, He doesn’t know? Well, better late than never I suppose.

“Sorry you never had the chance to hear about it, Jack, my master traded me to Royal Rug.”

“Oh, well, at least you have a friend here, right?”

“Well, my only friend I have seen around here is you. I have not had much time to make friends with eyes always watching my every move. That and if I seem to be making one they get sent away,”

“Wow, that is why so many ponies were showing up in the mines.” We talked for a good ten minutes about what the mines were like and what I had been put through by Royal. I told him the I should leave and that our master would be getting curious why I have not shown up for breakfast.

After I had my fill I left to have some “free time” in the garden. Flying away was not going to happen, my master had I think twenty or so guards with tranq ready for an escape attempt (I learned that the hard way). I was planning to enjoy the sight of the outside while waiting for my master to give me some stupid command that I might fail, just so he can “play” with me some more.

Before anything could happen, an explosion destroyed a portion of the wall to my left. Another explosion destroyed another portion, this time to my right. Gunfire erupted from outside and inside the compound. Some of the guards were shouting orders from balconies to their fellow ponies while others were taking cover to shoot back from behind. The slaves were running around in either panic, confusion, or running for freedom. Among the ponies running for the blasted parts of the wall, I saw Jack.

I was actually almost surprised that he was there running from here instead of defending the place he had told me “is probably the best place in the wasteland for us”. I recognized some of my “friends” that had disappeared to the mines, according to Jack.

“Jack!”, I yelled hoping to get the attention of the green stallion. He skidded to a stop twenty feet from the hole he was going to before turning around and looking to see where my voice came from.

“Cloudy! Come on! Fly!”, He called out. I almost forgot I could, being so used to my master’s treatment of me flying I had been acting like an earth pony for the last two weeks. I opened my wings, feeling the muscles grown from disuse, and began my attempt to take flight once again. Only to see a familiar sight, an enclave pony in armor, they seemed to be looking for something or somepony.

“I can’t! My wings won’t work.” I called to the stallion that was now on the ground below the garden.

“Come down here, let’s go before Royal finds you and chains you somewhere”, He called up. I began to make my way through the house trying to find the door out. There were so many ponies running through the halls and bumping into me that I could feel my wings trying tear away from my body.

Eventually, I made it to the entryway. I stopped my escape in horror at what I saw. The chandelier was now on the ground and shattered, All the guards were lying dead, and a group of what must be the invaders were dead. The thing that had me truly afraid was the enclave armored ponies in the room, two were dead, three were standing by the door with their weapons aimed at me.”Halt!”, Shouted one. “You seem familiar, wasteland scum”, called another. Good thing I have lived here long enough for me to look like a local.

“Please, let me leave. I am a slave in this house, I just want to escape.”, I called out with wide eyes.

“No, you are the scum of this land. Die”, That was when I noticed the red tinted ash in a sort of fan shape expanding out from the hallway I just came from.

“I am one of you!”, I yelled before their weapons could fully ready-up.

“How can you be one of us wastelander? We are members of the mighty Enclave.” Called out the third with a snarl.

“Wait, can it be?”, called the middle one, the one that thought I was familiar.

“My name is Bright Cloud, I was knocked unconscious by a blast that came up through the cloud layer when I woke up a pegasus had saved me and told me to scavenge. Before I could I was captured by a group of slavers and sold on the slave market. I would love to return to my home, please let me leave this building.”, I was not telling the whole truth. I just hoped that they would believe it and lower their weapons.

“How can we trust what you just told us?”, Called the first.

“How do you know that name?”, Middle questioned, he might be my only hope.

“You can’t seriously think that we might believe you”, number three, he is really cutting my chances. Where is Jack?

“I speak the truth if you do not believe me. Ask me a question only an Enclave pony would know.”

“Okay, what is the name of Bright Cloud’s friend that she never saw the day she disappeared?”, Two asked a question that only Bright Cloud(me) would know, clever.

Simple, I have thought about them for the week wondering what they would think of me in my current state? I will use their nickname. “Four-eye boy”, I called out. One and Three began to whisper among themselves. Two did not move, it was almost as if they were frozen. I caught snippets of the conversation about how that is not the right name.

“You are wrong, wastelander, now prepare to die”, Three was charging his weapon.

“Stop!”, Two shouted, “It is her.”

“Wait, what? She said the wrong name. It was not even close.” barked Three back. He was locking on, I was about ready to

“She said the nickname she gave him, the nickname she gave me.”, He started to remove his helmet, “Everyone back home has been worried about you ever since your disappearance.”, Oh, how I missed that glasses covered face. He actually had been so obsessed with the stables that he wanted to check out the inside of one. The nickname I gave him comes from the little cartoon pony used to advertise the stables; Stable boy.

I breathed a sigh of relief, I was going home.”You cannot return with us to the Enclave, Bright Cloud. You have been found, yes. However, you are now a wastelander and wasteland dwellers are not permitted in the Enclave. We will not report you if you leave us to our duty.”, One said with a hint of care in his voice.

“Thank you”, was my weak reply

“Now, Go! Before we decide killing you would be merciful.”, Three stated before jumping to the side leaving me with an opening. I took it as fast as I could. Outside, Jack was waiting for me. He asked me what had taken so long and I told him a lie about how I fell from the first floor to the basement three times trying to cross the room, at least there had been leaves under the floor where I fell.

The fighting had died down, we made our way through one of the holes in the wall. I turned looking back at my life of slavery and remembering my old life with the enclave.

Author's Note

This new chapter was a trick for me to write, personally, I think it is better than any of the other chapters.

I wonder if anyone will find a reference or two in this chapter...