The Forgotten Papers: A Short Love Story

by TheDoodlePony

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Slice of Life
Length: 2214

Argus Evander is just a normal pegasus, who makes his living at the Rainbow Factory. Day to day, he fixes the killer machines, being closely watched. Until one day he manages to escape from the factory and finds himself in a strange town.

Argus Evander is just a normal pegasus who had failed his Flight Test back when he was a small colt. Because of his disability, he had two choices; one, he could work at the Rainbow Factory and prove himself to be worth something or he could be used to help make rainbows in Cloudsdale by sacrificing his body. Because of his choice, he works at the Rainbow Factory, a place that killed innocent ponies just to make rainbows colorful and the sky pretty. Argus had worked as a mechanic for 10 years there, day by day, with little food and no sleep, fixing screws on a machine or cleaning up after an overabundance of rainbows. During that time, he developed a plan to escape, to get away from that dusty old factory. Will Argus ever escape from the clutches of the Rainbow Factory? Will he find a place to finally call home?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-28 00:21:28 UTC

Prologue

The Forgotten Papers: A Short Love Story

Prologue

A Dusty Old Factory

Lights buzzed around, combing the dusty factory. This place, this old and dusty factory, it was home. Well not exactly. It wasn't the kind of home that held a fireplace and a dining room with food set out across the table. Nor did it have cozy bedrooms that made you feel like you needed to belong there. Yet this place, it wasn't home. It was a prison. A killer house. This was the Rainbow Factory.

       A tall, white stallion pulled down a red lever that would make the killer machine flutter to life. The machine rocked to life, buzzing with pure energy. It could take somepony's life away in a split second. It was a deadly weapon, used to make the colorful rainbows that are widely-known in Cloudsdale today. The pegasus fixed his eyes on a screw that was coming loose. He grabbed his blue screwdriver that sat next to him and the stallion began to work. Sweat beaded his forehead after a few hours, going from machine to machine, checking on to see if any screws were falling off. Luckily, there had only been a few dozen or so, there were usually some around hundreds of screws that needed to be cared for. Yet it seemed like a lot, yet it wasn’t. The stallion was used to the hard work, day to day basis. He never slept and rarely ate, making him unpleasantly thin. All of the workers there were used to that, for they all signed a contract, stating that their needs will be fulfilled at any given time if necessary. The stallion’s hot pink eyes fluttered over to his left towards the mean coworker, Dex. Dex was that kind of pegasus who liked to bug other people with negative comments. He was just a pony who needed some love and toleration. Yet everyone tried to ignore him, but when they tried, they either failed or got into a gory fight. It wasn’t really his fault though, it was the time he had spent working at the Rainbow Factory. After a few years, you’ll get used to the screaming and blood that it will change you, from the mind onwards.

     Dex hovered towards the white pegasus, keeping a watchful eye over him. Slowly, the stallion crept up and spooked him. "Whoa! What did you do that for?" Dex grinned, showing off his rotten, yellow teeth. "Oh. I wanted to see you cry like a small little filly. I would love to see the strong and skillful Argus cry." The dull brown pegasus snickered. His deep blue eyes crept, they seemed to crept inside his soul. "Ok. You got me. I almost cried." Argus grunted and turned around as his back faced Dex. The brown pegasus snickered once more. "You're sooo weak. You know you don't deserve to be here. Besides, a cutie mark still cannot keep you tucked away in this dusty old trap. That cutie mark is nothing. It proves to be worthless. I mean seriously, two small gears? Stupid." The pegasus pushed Argus and then showed off by gracefully flying back to his former place. "Hey, every pony knows that I'm the best mechanic here." Dex narrowed his eyes from the far distance. "Actually, you are really soft and helpless like a filly. You don't even know you're way out of here." This drew Argus mad, not furiously mad, just mad. He stomped a hoof down and dramatically stared at the foolish pegasus. Argus shouted back as he stood in a silly position, his front hooves touching as his back hooves were bent back, making him look like he was trying to stretch.  "Hey! At least I don't have a dagger as a cutie mark!"

After fixing around 357 machines, Argus felt defeated and limp. It was more of a record for he often fixed around 353 machines per day and not four more extra. Feeling sick, the white pegasus vomited as he gripped onto the handlebars of the lower section of the factory. This would happen, following a nose bleed and then he would causally continue fixing up machines that were overloaded with rainbows or screws that were easily falling off. He staggered slowly towards an overloaded machine that was filled with pieces of gum. Disgusting. As Argus cleared off some of the tidbits of trash, he crept forward, peering through a vial of red color, a color that was sucked freshly out of a pony’s body. Dex was chewing on some gum as he looked around, hoping that nopony could find him up to no good. Of course Dex was responsible for all of the wrecks this past year, the overflowing of bubbles mixed in with pony guts, or the time he somehow unleashed a troop of spiders that clambered down and bit innocent ponies. But the worst one yet was when he replaced all of the rainbow colors with regular paint. Thus, when the pegasi put on the rainbows, instead of shimmering and sparkling like normal rainbows do, it filled Cloudsdale and Canterlot with a city full of paint. Everypony was covered in paint that day, along with a few pony guts and eyes.

The bold stallion ran towards Dex, hoping he could stop him until.. Commander Maverick's beady dark orange eyes stared down at him. Argus felt sick, along with a sense of fear. Commander Maverick was not a pony you could just happily agree with. No, he was a cold, hard and harsh stallion who could easily beat up a ton of metal. Maverick was that pony who looked like he belonged to an old battle up north. He had scars that stretched from his face to his waist, a black eye patch that covered up his ruined left eye, and frizzy, uncared and ungroomed mane and tail. He was a wreck yet managed to be that pony that could tell what you were thinking. He was feared by most ponies, for he was known for snapping off ponies’ heads, those who have tried to escape yet were caught in Commander Maverick’s fury. His eyes blazed as he stared at Argus, menacingly. “Argus Evander!!”

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Making Changes

Argus looked away from the eyes of the commander. Maverick glared at him with a cold stare. “What exactly have you been doing? You think you can run around like a silly mare huh? Well you can’t, so that’s why I might strip your rank of expert mechanic. You know you’ve been trying to do your job but seriously, these filly games have to end.” The brick red pegasus continued with the scary glares and then stood up straight and tall, looking proud. “I think I know what you will be doing for a week, cleaning up the dead bodies. That should teach you not to scamper around like a crazy carrot head.” Argus nodded in response, his eyes unflinching. He was used to this kind of scolding. But it was after all, Dex’s fault. He was the one who put gum all over the machines and gears. It wasn’t Argus who put it down. Gosh, he dare didn’t wanted to be treated that way, he was just curious for Celestia’s sake!

  Nearing the side of a dumpster, the pegasus leapt towards the pile of dead, gray bodies. He had one on him and carried it to the exit, where he would enter to see the beautiful blue sky and the frenzy of Cloudsdale below. As Argus carried one dull gray mare towards the furnace, he passed by the exit, where he saw the wonder and beauty of it all. The sky looked amazing, as it always did whenever he had to carry the dead bodies to the furnace. He would sometimes pass the exit and would peek through the door, just to see the magical world below. The clouds looked really fluffy and cozy to just take a nap on.. Right. He had to deposit the dead body into the furnace. Not to safely exit.. Yet Argus always longed to fly again, to feel the wind between his feathers and to soar above Cloudsdale, maybe meet new friends, attend a couple of parties..

  After depositing a few dead bodies, he quickly looked back at the entrancing exit, for that was his only way to freedom. He longed to live in a nice house, with a nice and loving family that Argus looked away from the eyes of the commander. Maverick glared at him with a cold stare. “What exactly have you been doing? You think you can run around like a silly mare huh? Well you can’t, so that’s why I might strip your rank of expert mechanic. You know you’ve been trying to do your job but seriously, these filly games have to end.” The brick red pegasus continued with the scary glares and then stood up straight and tall, looking proud. “I think I know what you will be doing for a week, cleaning up the dead bodies. That should teach you not to scamper around like a crazy carrot head.” Argus nodded in response, his eyes unflinching. He was used to this kind of scolding. But it was after all, Dex’s fault. He was the one who put gum all over the machines and gears. It wasn’t Argus who put it down. Gosh, he dare didn’t wanted to be treated that way, would greet him at the door. But maybe he couldn't escape, maybe he didn't even have a chance to try to fly again. It was a tight risk, but you have to try. He thought it through, if the factory guards went on lunch break and some ponies got a promotion..Great. The only way to make that happen was to get the lowest of the low jobs..To be part of the killer pony jobs, the ones who controlled the slick, silver knives that cut through a pony’s heart, blood spurting everywhere, filling your mouth with nickel, rich and red blood. He dare not crave it, it was rather disgusting to taste. Yet it was worth a try to get into trouble again, to step down from this rank and into the killer ponies. Thus, if he kept on being stripped of rank, more ponies would be promoted. That would give him a slim chance of escaping. There were tons of guards there, to make sure nopony escaped and spread the word of this killing program, this killing Rainbow Factory. This factory was against the law anyways. Argus then planned to escape at the right moment, when nopony was around.

The hair on the pegasus's body stood up. His gleaming white mane with streaks of black covered his neck. He thought about trying to cut it, yet never really got the time to. Besides, escaping was way more important that cutting your hair. Argus stepped towards the big cylinder that contained all of the white color. It was an idea that popped into his head before he was done delivering all of the light sacks of bodies into the furnace. He had a plan, one, to make a fool out of himself, and two, to jump in at the right moment. His hooves lightly touched the cement ground as he quietly brought himself up to the top of the gigantic cylinder. He had jumped in and then came back up, covered in all white. He had looked like a ghost and had hoped to scare several of his coworkers. After tiptoeing towards one green mare, he straightened himself up and shouted. "Boo!" The mare collapsed from her seat and backed away. She was too stupid to notice that it was just Argus being silly. He laughed for a moment and then tiptoed to the commander. Boy, was he going to be one of the killer ponies!

    Maverick spun around and huffed. “I cannot believe you did this again. Being a fool. You have got to grow up!” The pegasus spun around in his slick, black swivel chair, courtesy of the leader of the Rainbow Factory. Argus acted to look like he was really upset. He actually was proud of himself to end up in the commander’s office. One such of a bad attitude or stupidity would end up in here. Yet that was the way to go get him to escape. “Argus, Argus, Argus..Ugh. You always have to end up in trouble huh? Well, if you really want to be a bother to us, to the whole society, go ahead. Soon you’ll see yourself along with those dull corpses.” Argus was smiling. He was going to become a killer pony! “So that’s why I promote you back to mechanic expert. Dex was sick lately, so I have decided to fill you in for him. Only for a few days of course.” He suddenly let his jaw drop. “Yes I know, you’re really happy about this offer. And I know, I shouldn't care so much for Dex since he is just my son..” Argus grunted. His plan now wouldn’t work unless he actually could get into the exit without any pony around.. “Oh ok thanks.” The white pegasus turned around and went back to work.