Voluntary : Friendship is a Light in the Darkness

“Voluntary : Friendship is a Light in the Darkness

Show Plot : In the  land of “Nullasocii” or “Earth”,  inhabited by hairless monkeys, named “humans”, the “Ilio Nation” is falling apart : after a long war between this nation and another one, named “Achrean League”, lost by Ilio, an uprising exploded, and succeeded to pass the command staff passed from the old but wise “Secretary” to the hands of the “Premier”, a tyrant with a big ego and speech skill but very small ruling ability; and thus, letting the nation falling in a “Tech Middle Age”; where the only way to survive without begin an high-class citizen is rob and kill who has money... and maybe even rack the supplies up from the poor.

But in a city, named “Anchisea”, a group of friends, tired of seeing the world shattering under the deeds of incompetent bureaucrats and miscellaneous crimes,  rounds up, and decided to create the “Silver Shield”, a self-sustaining organization with the goal of improving the life of the inhabitants of the city and the nation :composed by volunteers, the group is seek ed by the criminals for meddling with their business, and they struggle for surviving almost everyday.

The main characters are :

Marika Yesbrat : a 24-years old woman who works as architect on her own : she was the one that gave the impulse to the whole project, and works in the Silver Shield as leader and architect for the civil infrastructures : in fact, she is the only architect that gave projects for hospitals, schools and other, while the other architects just gave blueprints for luxury houses and stuffs like that; her personality is the one of an energetic and yet  rational one, but her pride causes some problem about how to act correctly in some situations.

Simon Patern : a 25 years old man working as medic in the only  hospital in the range of 50km: his work in the organization is of Medical Trainer : basically, he gives the base medical training at every person above the age of 18 that wanted to be a medic but could not afford study in the University and didn't  had the (scarce) “Statal Bonuses”; his personality is very cold the most of the times, but he is capable of melting sometimes.

Roger Hamilton : the oldest element, 30 years old, is a businessman owning a food chain that organize Soup Kitchens once in a month : he supplies the organization with his money and supplies; he is very lazy, but is also diplomatic, and this made him the “Face of the Silver Shield”, and their finest diplomatic.

Mark Grevi: A 26 years old with a big textile industry, not long before one of the favorite factories of the greatest fashion designers, before that Mark passed his production in more cheaper but more moral basic shirts and pants; His personality is eccentric and he is a drama king, however, he is always ready to offer some help.

Victor Yesbrat, a 17-years old, brother of Marika : he study in the one few schools that were still standing after ten years of continued raze. He isn't propley a member, considering that he doesn’t gives an handful skill to the community, but because still wanted to do his part in the sister's group, he does some hours a week of work in the hospital in the Pediatrics sector as Group Consuler : he comes in the rooms, and pass bed to bed, trying to make the children relax and maybe forgetting how they got that injuries; his personality isn't something that someone could grasp, however, it was never seen depressed or furious, and his tendency to pull pranks cheer the elements up.

History of the show : at first only a dark subversion of Equestria, where the war and the serious crimes are an everyday thing; the show got off from the target audience, the young adult stallions, for moving on to a bigger target : the constant bloodshed of every episode was changed to a more hope-filled show and with an  aesop in every episode, sometimes quite controversial, like :

“Sometimes the violence is the only way to act without begin crushed”, “If the opportunity is given, the oppressed can be more cruel than the oppressor” and “Peer pressure is good because makes you try new things.”

At first the hardcore fans complained, but when the creators started to show some “winks” about this, they got along with it and now the fans, called “Humares” are growing  in number day to day more.....”

Sweetie Belle launched away the pamphlet  given by Scootaloo about the new show aired on television : she could believe that such a bloody thing could be liked by the fillies, or to a pony in general for that matter :she felt the whole thing quite wrong, but after all, trying wasn't going to hurt, so she simply headed for the Applebloom's house, knocked the door and waited an answer.

A minute later, Applebloom and Scootaloo opened : Appelbloom had a shirt with this phrase written on :

“Every time a step ahead...”, while Scootaloo had a disguise composed by a fake beard resembling the one of a goat and a flamboyant shirt, Sweetie Belle sighed and sat down on the coach of Applebloom's house and relaxed : after two minutes, the opening started

An organ started to play slowly, on the screen the imagine of a building full of colored windows showed up, and a male chorus sung

“The Hope Light is lit up

and we,

the Silver Shield,

are going to

protect this Light

until it will be

so wide that will engulf

in its flames the wrongs

and purify them....”

A fast tune of electric guitar broke the solemn tune, the location changed to a green park in the middle of an under construction area and the chorus went faster

“The  way of spreading  ? It doesn’t matter.

Whatever if

it's placing a band aid on a wound

or fend off an aggressor,

feeding someone

or helping a soul

to reach higher planes

we are here to help

and see the Hope brighting up

for a more just world

for a better life...

a more just world

a better life...” the chorus stopped, and a jocking  voice said

“Be satisfied or be refund !”.

Then the episode started : the initial situation  showed Victor going to the hospital volunteering by his signature three-wheeled vehicle with a platform for carrying objects behind the driver's seat.

When he arrived and went down his vehicle, he greeted Simon Patern exiting from the hospital  by bowing and saying :

“Good morning Simon, what's going on up there ? From your face I can tell that something of strange happened !”

Simon said in an unusual playful tone : “Nothing of too much special: just operated a talking horse”

Victor laughed and said “Ahah, you are so funny Simon! Come on, what happened next ? Did you found in his guts some explosive confetti ?”

“Well kind of.. anyway, time to go: see you later, assistant”, then Simon took a “car” and went away.

Later, Victor was showed while he was a hospital room while doing his “job” : hearing the kid's concerns and try to get them relaxed.

While he was sitting near a kid called Rinaldo, who was wounded on the lip, Victor asked “So, Rinaldo, do you have something to talk about with me ? I'm all for you in this twenty minutes”

Rinaldo watched Victor like a savior, and this was exaggerated by a sound effect of a brief trumpet, he said “Well, Victor... I am quite angry about what that mean doctor did to me...”

“What ?”

“He closed my lip wound while I was fully aware, without the possibility of  countering or having some pain pills”

Victor sweated cold, and flashbacks of his past appeared on the screen : Victor when was a one year old, with his lip reduced to pulp, and a group of surgeons sewing the mess with Victor trying to flee from the operators bed.

Applebloom said while the imagines passed on screen : “So far, what do you think about it, Sweetie Belle ?”

“Mmmm, I'm starting to like it, however, I feel strange about seeing it...”

“It's normal : after all, it was designed for young colts, not fillies, and thinking about it have its shock value”

“Yes, yes, but now could you stop please ?” said Scootaloo

Sweetie Belle passed her attention on the TV again : this time, the ambient was the Victor's room at night : the scene depicted Victor while he tried to sleep, thinking about the encounter with the lip-damaged kid.

Victor was shown trying the impossible to sleep, passing from taking some chamomile tea to banging his head on the wall : nothing worked, the flashbacks of the operation still tormented him, until.. he broke the fourth wall :

“God, someone could help me ? Like... erasing this memoir ? It's embarrassing begin depicted as a nostalgic grandpa or a psychopath instead of a quite cheerful but tormented boy !”

Then Sweetie Belle didn't felt anymore the coach: thinking that she was sitting for too much time, she tried to stand up, but nothing happened : she felt nailed to the coach, she said :

“Applebloom ? Scootaloo ? Do you feel nailed to the coach ? “

Applebloom answered “Yes... and it seems that the room is shattering : what's going on?”

“I have no idea!” said Scootaloo

“Well, then it's better find out how to go away fr... OH MY CELESTIA THE SKY IS TURNING IN  TO THE COSMIC NOTHING!” said Sweetie Belle before losing awareness

“SWEETIE BELLE! SCOOTALOO!” : that were the last words that were heard before all the three fillies went down.