Prologue
I was dreaming a particularly lucid dream that day. As I noticed the wings on my back and the horn that protruded through my rough mottled mane, I struggled to hold in laughs of delight. I glanced at my surroundings as I soared through a lush expanse of land, seeing rivers of clear waters, blissfully clear waters unaffected by the future and what was to be. I saw valleys of lush green, mountains with crisp white caps of snow, and best of all, I saw trees. A huge expanse of great oak trees stood in front of me. I took a breath and nearly choked on it as I desperately tried to fill my lungs with the clean air. I was practically in heaven.
It was all so peaceful. I looked on as the sun began to set on the horizon, enveloping the beautiful sight in the shade of crimson and the skies in an elegant shade of violet. I longed for that pleasant world. I took more desperate gasps of air as I swooped downwards. Setting myself down on a tree branch, I looked upon the sky once more. I felt a sense of elation that I could only come across through intense medication in the real world. I stared into the sun as it went down, and when it finally completed its descent, I woke up.
Gone were the copious trees of green. No more were the lights of the fading sun and the chilling yet homely sights of the mountains. I took a glance at my surroundings and groaned.
This was to be my first mission away from the colony. I am to perform reconnaissance on the strange ponies living in the world above. From what I had seen so far, these ponies were nothing short from monsters, creatures of flesh and bone, yet abominations of nature and morality. They raped, murdered, and looted with no remorse, nothing driving them but their own greed and relentless urge to kill. I’d seen nothing more but savages living in a desolate wasteland unfit for any sort of civil population.
I shuddered at the recent memory of a raider as he, or more appropriately “it”, chopped the legs off of one of his fellow raiders to stake his claim on a hunk of meat from an unsuspecting and probably still suffering pony that had had the misfortune of wandering near the raider camp. I remembered the sound of the butcher ripping into the flesh of the pony with his cleaver and the sound of his slobbering as he bit straight into the leg of the pony without hesitation. My stomach made flips and threatened to release its contents all over the floor of the tent that I was laying in.
I quickly got up in hopes of getting a bit of fresh air or to relieve myself, whichever was faster. As I slipped through the flaps of my tent, I took a good look at my surroundings. My tent was situated at the back of a schoolhouse, images painted with blood across the walls that would make the hardest of stallions cringe. I took a quick look at the hills to make sure I was not being watched. Then, I sat down next to my tent, taking in the dead terrain and drawing parallels back to my dream. That’s where the forest would have been.
I sighed. I shuffled through my pockets until I found the item that I was looking for. I drew a small metal plate up from my pockets and into my vision. On it were small scratches and areas that had become lustrous due to constant abrasion. Words could be made out by minute etchings on the surface of one of the sides. A simple name, a birthdate, and a military position were on that nametag. I looked upon it with sadness and anger. This was all they had to know me by. When I died, I would be nothing more than that name, birthdate, and the unassuming title of reconnaissance.
If only they knew…
I got up and took out a crudely drawn map of the surrounding area and the path that I had taken to get here. I needed to retrace my steps to get back to the colony. First, I needed to head north for a short while, in the direction of the old diner in which I had encountered a particular nasty group of bandits.
I broke my concentration on the map to do a quick take of my surroundings once more. It didn’t hurt to be careful. I jumped at what I thought was a figure over the hill watching me. I was relieved to see that it was just a gnarled black tree, audacious enough to poke over the hill watching over my position. I silently cursed as I looked back onto the map once more. I needed to get back to command to report my discoveries, regardless of the fact that my discoveries were probably exactly the opposite of what they had wanted to hear. I silently chuckled. I was intrigued to hear what they would say when I told them that their heaven where all of the residents of the colony could reside in was nothing more than a nightmare, a very bleak, grey nightmare.
I packed up my goods, making sure I had not missed anything, I started to head out. I managed a quick double take on the schoolhouse as I crossed the vast expanse of the Altai Wasteland once more.
*o*o*o*o*
I was stuck. I stared down at the edge of the cliff and back onto the raiders who were galloping towards me, weapons poised to shoot. My heart was practically in my mouth as I contemplated what to do. It was either take a leap of faith or test my chances against a large group of heavily armed enemies. My mind was processing information at the speed of light as I calculated my chances of making it out of this alive. I took one last look at the murderous gaze of the ponies behind me, and jumped to what was likely my death. I closed my eyes as darkness embraced me.
I opened my eyes to see a ceiling made of rock. I thought I was back in the colony for a moment, only it was too damp and cold to be home. In a daze, I sat up, trying to take in my surroundings.
“You’re awake,” said a voice.
My head whirred in the direction of the voice to meet the eyes of a mare. I surveyed her quickly. She was a pegasus but strangely did not look anything like I had ever seen before. She was actually clean. The concept of anything clean in the wasteland had not dared to cross my mind, and thus I was utterly baffled at her appearance. I looked into her eyes and saw something that I had not yet seen in the wasteland, a small modicum of innocence. My mind whirred at the implications. Could there be a civilized society here? Of all places?
My brief surveillance over, I quickly took the moment to ask, “Where am I? And why am I not dead?”
“Hush, there is no time to go over frivolous details. I’m running out of time so all I can say is this… I saved you for one reason, and that is for you to make a promise. You must hide my foal. Take care of her. Don’t let them catch you and… Oh, I don’t know what I would do if my little girl came to any harm,” she let out in an exasperated breath.
This mare had just saved me, and she wanted me to protect her foal? I sat there dumbfounded by her pleads.
“I’ll do it,” I said blankly.
Hope instantly filled her eyes, and she practically shoved the little filly into my legs.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will never forget this! Please, take this, it’s just something that I feel will help both you and her both survive out here,” she said with a glint in her eye.
I took the strange device and put it in my bag, which was now lying next to me. I realized that I hadn’t really taken in my surroundings yet. I was in a cave of sorts. Actually, it seemed like more of a hole in the cliffside. I looked around and saw that there was no bed or place for her to sleep. I was struck with confusion before I realized that I must have been sleeping in her bed.
“Where have you been sleeping while I was out,” I asked.
“Oh, you weren’t out for long. You weren’t injured that severely because the cave floor broke your fall. I just patched you up, got potions into you, and you were fine,” she exclaimed jubilantly.
“But I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience to you! I was just running away from raiders and had to take a drop to save myself,” I apologized.
“Oh, but you weren’t a burden. If anything, I’m sorry for involving you in all of this. Also, how could my sweet foal’s savior be a burden,” she explained with a look of confusion.
I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but truth in those words. I stared incredulously at her for a moment as I tried to comprehend her apology. Why was SHE apologizing to ME? Surely it should be the other way around! She just saved me! I was instantly humbled by her attitude. I take back everything I said about the surface being a shit-hole. If the wasteland could produce a mare as kind and innocent as this, then it can’t be all bad right? I looked at the filly that was now in my arms.
“What’s her name,” I asked.
“Amber Lily” she pronounced each syllable out in a warm, almost playful manner.
“It’s a beautiful name,” I lamely said, but she seemed not to hear my tone and continued to ramble.
“I named her after her father,” she sighed.
After taking a moment to gaze into the eyes of her filly, she steeled herself up to face me. “Now I’m sorry but there is no time to waste. They are coming for me and you have to get her out before they get here. They want to take my daughter. Please, you can’t let them. Escape from here! Get my daughter out of here! And please hurry,” she exclaimed.
“Alright but before I go, who is it that is so intent on harming your foal,” I asked.
She stared at me with a look that could house a million words. “My husband, and the Enclave,” was all that she would say and quickly flew off. And with that, I hurried off, hoping that one day we would meet again. I couldn’t have known that we never would.
*o*o*o*o*
The hatch opened as the machine recognized my voice and hoof print that had been registered to authorize access to the outside when I was assigned my reconnaissance mission by my higher ups. I climbed down the seemingly endless staircase until I could see the vast city below me. I gazed in amazement at the lights adorning the huge cavern like fireflies, as well as the buildings and the ponies below the foundries seemed to be working overtime today, with the little lights of the capital building and the Academy still on, beautiful in its own special way. There was a dark explosion proof glass wall between them and me at the moment, but soon I would finally be back home, granted with a bit of luggage as well as invaluable information about the world above.
I descended down into the administration room where they had seen me off exactly a month ago and sighed deeply. What are they going to say about her? I walked up to the large marble desk, where a stout unicorn mare sat, typing deftly on her computer while she simultaneously lifted a cup of coffee up to her muzzle. I coughed loudly and tried to get her attention.
“Lieutenant Winter Hills reporting back from reconnaissance,” I said with a slight twinge of frustration in my voice.
She glanced up at me with an annoyed look. “You and all the others,” she let out with a snort. Hmm, so other members of reconnaissance made it back as well? Well then my news that everything up there has gone to complete shit will not be a surprise. Lucky me. I looked to her with a sly grin.
“Well have any of them actually brought back some good news,” I asked.
“Mmm, no. They mostly complained about how it was so horrible outside, and that it was unfit for the colony,” she stared blankly as she uttered the words.
Haha...score.
“Well then, what if I say that I have good news for once,” I was grinning like a mad pony.
She looked up at me again with one eyebrow arched as if she had just witnessed something completely ridiculous unfold in front of her. “And what, pray tell to Celestia, is this good news you bring,” she asked, intrigued.
“I found someone civilized up there. Not to mention she also entrusted me with her foal,” I explained.
With a look of confusion, she looked over the marble counter with more interest. Seeing the foal perched on my back, she widened her eyes in surprise. “Well then, you should probably check in with the General to make sure that is authorized,” she said with a look.
“Will do, now would you please open the door so I can go back home,” I asked with a smirk on my face never quite leaving.
She nodded as she typed in a passcode into her computer, opening the door that led back into the city. I walked through the doorway and instantly felt a feeling of euphoria. I’m back. I glanced back to see the administrator mare typing furiously into her computer, no doubt telling the General of what I found. I looked upon the city and sighed. My mood now in the skies, or more appropriately, ceiling, I walked through the haughty streets of Uptown.
However, I needed a place to drop the filly off first. Fortunately, I knew just the place. Unfortunately, as i neared my destination, I remembered after the fourth attempt at my saddlebags that my street was no longer the peaceful place it used to be.
I glanced around hoping to recognize the house. Walking around through thieves and pickpockets with a foal is not something I want to try. Defending myself in the city was not something I was unused to, but defending myself and a foal was out of the question. Darting glances at every passerby, making sure they weren't intent on taking anything from me, all now valuable pieces of information about the world above, I trudged onward until I found what I had been looking for.
I walked onto the door steps and knocked on the rickety door with my hooves. The door opened to a jubilant couple who, despite the poverty, found happiness in their lives through each other. I smiled as I greeted the mare and stallion, utilizing the once easy to use, low town accent, that I had come to suppress after a couple years in the military.
“It’s great to see you again bro, what brings ya’ down here,” my sister asked.
“Oh it’s not much. I just need you to hold on to this little filly for a little while. I need to report to the general about a mission I just came back from, and I don’t want to chance taking a filly through the streets of the low town, if you know what I mean,” I explained.
“All too well, Winter, now come in! Make yusself at home before ya’ go. I want to introduce ya’ to somepony very special,” she said ecstatically.
“Is that so, and who might that be,” I said with a look of confusion and slight apprehension. I knew my sister all too well.
“Winter… I’m pregnant,” she said with huge grin stretching to both sides of her muzzle. Ah my brotherly intuition never fails me. I looked at her with a feigned look of surprise.
“That’s amazing! My little Summer is pregnant,” I stated with awe and elation. The celebration of new life was always taken as of great importance in our family. It didn't matter if times were hard and all we could do was celebrate to the stale bread and dirty water that came with our everyday meal. It was the moment and the intimacy of family that truly made the experience.
I took a look at her husband, who was smiling proudly and poking her wife’s belly with a childish grin on his face. Oh family, what would I do without you. I looked back onto the little filly taking up space between my saddlebags. Summer seemed to notice my gaze as well.
“So, who’s the lucky mare,” she said with a sly grin.
I stared back at her. “She’s not mine. I found her on my way back from a mission. I was just going over to Central so I could report her to the general,” I explained quickly.
Understanding dawned on her as she looked back at the filly. “Well I hope that whoever her mother is, will find her in the future,” she said as she nuzzled the little foal.
“Right and I think I’m going to go back and try to find her once I've informed the General of the foal. I just need you to look after her until I come back. Is that alright,” I asked.
“Of course, Winter. You know you can always count on family,” she said with another smile.
“Why do I even ask anymore,” I said with a grin. “Oh and one more thing, I picked this up when I found her, I think her mother would have wanted it to stay with her foal,” I lied. I handed her the mysterious device before I started to leave.
“Y’re just too kind for ya’ own good Winter. Be sure to be back for dinner! And try not to do anything dangerous,” she called out as I walked out the door and back onto the streets of low town.
“We aren't kids anymore little sis,” I yelled back right before I turned a corner, eyes set on the large central dome that was Central.
The door to control was large and imposing. There were guards who stood outside and patrolled the streets of the upper city, and security seemed to tighten as one traveled closer to the central domed building that was Control. I looked at the guards and presented my name plate up to them.
“Lieutenant Winter Hills, reconnaissance,” I said with a hint of exhaustion in my words. The amount of times I've said that…
“You may go in lieutenant,” the guard said as he looked me over.
“Thank you,” I muttered as I walked through the doors that led into the architectural glory that was Central. Rows and rows of computers with ponies manning each of them stood on each side of the walls. The sight never ceased to amaze me. But my goal wasn't to sight-see on the lower level. I briskly made my way to the elevator that put me on the third floor, the smallest of the three, naturally. However, as I walked in, the room still seemed gargantuan.
I looked upon the rather spartan room with slight fear. There were bare walls adorned with nothing but plaques and various medals of all sizes. The clank of the elevator doors opening fully revealed the desk at which the General sat, reading over what were no doubt very important files concerning the city and maybe even the world above. I noticed the multitude of security turrets stationed all around the room, the metal glistening to the candlelight coming from the General’s desk. A meeting with the General was a meeting best forgotten, or nightmares would haunt you for the rest of your life. Or at least, that is what the word around boot camp was. I was about to find out first-hand.
“General Slyte, sir! Lieutenant Winter Hills of reconnaissance reporting from mission,” I explained nervously.
“Ah yes, I’ve already heard of your little trip on to the surface. I’ve also heard from multiple sources that the land on the outside is nothing but a disgusting land unfit for settlement. Am I correct to assume that you think so as well,” asked the General.
“Y-y-yes, sir… It was horrifying up there. I saw ponies eating ponies, rampant murder and a desolate plant-less wasteland. I-I-I don’t think that we should really think about colonizing s-s-sir,” I managed to stutter through.
He glanced up at me from his files. “Did I say I wanted your opinion, lieutenant,” he said with a cold stare.
I resisted the urge to shudder and flee.
“I did, however, hear something very interesting recently”, he said with the same hard stare. “I’ve gotten word of a soldier who was stupid enough to bring one of these foul creatures down from the surface,” he said.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. “B-but sir! It’s merely a foal! I don’t think that there can be anything more dangerous about a foal from the outside then from a foal from the city itself,” I tried to reason.
“And then what will we come to,” he said. My ears perked as I looked at him in a new light. “If we continue to bring in these monsters as I’ve so often heard them called, then when will we start bringing in adults who we have sympathized with on the surface? When will we start to jeopardize our colony because lone little heroes like you think that they can save the damned? Your sense of morality getting in the way of the mission and the good of the colony is not allowed, private. I could order a public execution right now for treason if I so desired,” he seethed as he spoke.
I was shaking now. Tears came to my eyes as I tried to suppress the inner torrent of emotions that I could feel. But these were not tears of sorrow or happiness, these were tears of hate. Pure hatred for this shell of a pony seared through me.
“Yes sir,” I said with a blank expression. I will rip your black twisted heart out.
“Now, I want you to dispose of it,” he said.
I stared in shock. I will bucking murder you in your sleep and hang your body for all to see. “It will be done, sir,” I stated, surprising myself with the calm nature of my voice.
“Make sure that it is done in secrecy as well, we wouldn't want anyone to hear of a soldier gone rogue, killing innocent civilians now would we,” he stated smugly.
“Yes sir, I will dispose of her,” I said.
“Her? Lieutenant that thing is not a her. A her is mare of our great city. A her is someone who has been blessed by Celestia and promised glorious return to the surface. A her is somepony who is not one of those, as your fellow recon scouts have so aptly called, monsters on the surface. No… A her is somepony that contributes to society, a her is somepony that descended from the first, the pioneers who decided to live in this great city because they were chosen. Chosen by the ones who built this great city in the ground because they had the bucking know-how to realize that the mega spells were dangerous enough to warrant mass evacuation. This creature that you have so foolishly brought back is not a her private. And I want you to remember that when you are cutting its throat,” he sneered as he finished.
“Yes sir,” I murmured.
“What was that lieutenant,” he smirked.
“Yes sir,” I said more confidently.
“Good, now leave and do the deed,” he stated, once again staring coldly, looking as if he was staring straight into my soul. I turned and left.
Silence persisted for a moment. Out of the shadows, two guards appeared.
“Guards, I want you to follow him. Make sure he performs the job,” General Style said icily.
“Yes sir,” came two voices from the direction of the elevator. As the door closed, the general took one final look outside his window before going back to his paperwork.
*o*o*o*o*
I walked through the streets, brooding about what had just transpired. I was now apparently supposed to kill the little foal that I had brought back with me. I can’t do it. I made a promise to her. I needed a plan. I needed to escape. Once I was on the surface I can find her mother. I can tell her that her child is safe in the city, and that they would never find her. I owed it to her for saving me. I owed it to myself for being such an idiot and telling the world about my predicament.
I now strode with intention in my steps. However, that didn't stop me from being wary. They don’t just put anyone in recon. I quickly took a glance behind me as I turned a corner and saw two ponies in guard armor silently turning the corner and coming in my direction. I took that moment to run.
I galloped through the streets of the upper district, bumping into pony after pony, until I came to the all too familiar scenery of low town. I made a dash towards my sister’s house one last time.
I banged on the door loudly before turning around and taking in my surroundings. There was no one on the little side street that my sister’s house had occupied. I quietly praised Celestia before I swiveled around to the now opening door, creaking on its old hinges.
“Ah, it’s good to see you. We were just preparing dinner,” my brother-in-law said with a smile.
“Look, there’s no time. I‘m being followed. Please take care of the filly. You must not let the General find out that you are housing her. Please, I will come back for her if I am able but now you must keep her safe,” I gasped as I tried to formulate the words.
“Winter, it’s great to see ya again, but why are ya in such a hurry,” my sister asked as she trotted up beside her husband.
“It is of utmost importance,” I said in my upper district accent, “that you keep her safe until I can come back for her. You mustn’t let the General find her. Please, you have to protect her sis!”
Her gaze quickly hardened with determination. “Of course Winter, but please tell us, where are you going?”
“I’m leaving. I’m going to the surface, sis. I have to find her mother,” I said in a hurry.
“The surface? But I though your mission was in the caves,” she asked with an honest look of confusion.
“It was all a lie. I’m sorry but it was all confidential. I wasn’t doing reconnaissance in the caves. I was scouting out the surface. And don’t believe his lies, sis. The outside world isn’t that bad! I found somepony who was actually innocent up there! There has to be civilization up there! It’s my job to find her. I need to tell her that her filly is safe in good hands,” I breathed deeply as I finished.
She thought about this for a moment. “Alright then, go. There are important things you should be doing right now brother. You don’t need to waste your time explaining this to us,” she said with a look of apprehension.
I nodded and took off, galloping down the street until I found the landmark that marked off the distinct little hole, where if shifted correctly revealed a ladder up through the wall of the cave, overlooking the city below. I took one last look behind me before I started climbing.
I made it half way up before I looked below and saw that the guards were on to me, and they were fast! I struggled to hold on to reason as my mind wanted to break down from the adrenaline and excitement. I focused my attention on the task ahead and kept on climbing.
As I climbed the last rung of the ladder, I was faced with a wall, literally. The door was locked. I face-hoofed in my stupidity. Please work, please work, please work. I slammed my hoof down on the sensor pad and spoke the password into the microphone. The door opened. YES!!!
I took a leap through the opening door and was blinded by the whiteness of the lobby room. As my vision cleared I made my way to where I knew the exit was but I met resistance. I looked around. I was surrounded by guards.
They quickly pinned me down and hoofcuffed me. I looked up as a large stallion brought his hoof down onto my skull. And then… blackness…
*o*o*o*o*
I came to in a prison cell. I saw a guard leave when he saw that I had awoken. As he came back, however, my least favorite pony in the world accompanied him.
“So, you thought you could escape through one of the only two exits to the surface when I knew you were bothered by the fact that you had to kill that filly? You were audacious enough to think that I wouldn’t know that you would try to escape? I am disappointed if this is the best that my reconnaissance team has to offer,” he said with a menacing tone.
I didn’t speak. I couldn’t speak. I had failed. I had broken two promises in the space of a single day. I would never be able to protect the little foal as I had promised her mother. I would never be able to take her back or see my sister ever again. I was to die, probably executed publically for insubordination. I looked up at him and spat. He seemed amused at this.
“ Lieutenant Winter Hills, you are tried and found guilty of treason, insubordination, and assault of a military officer. You will be held before a crowd this afternoon, where you will be hanged for your crimes. You’re not worth a bullet. ” he said with a bemused look.
“By what jury,” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“By me. Enjoy your last meal, private,” he stated, that amused look never leaving his face as he motioned the guard to throw what amounted to a dog bowl with meager slop in it. What an ass.
I sighed as he left. I had a lot of time to think to myself as I sat in that cell. It was there that I had an epiphany. The wasteland was not what the General thought it was. There was good in that place somewhere. That good would come down and try to find the little seed that I’d planted down in the colony. The seed would grow and would bring about change. I just knew it. I had set something in motion. I wouldn’t be remembered as just a name anymore. I had done something. I had brought change, change that would end the corruption of General Slyte and his military dictatorship.
As a guard unshackled me to march me into the city plaza, I quietly prayed to Celestia that I would be remembered, that my flame would not die without leaving at least a little puff of smoke. As the rope was wrapped around my neck, as the executioner took the handle of the lever, I saw a face one last time. It felt so real. I wanted to reach out and touch her. I could see the face of the young mare that had saved me in the caves. I saw the face of my savior, and silently I prayed for my forgiveness.
Author's Note
Well... here you go guys! This was a really fun prologue. I usually end up scrapping most of my work, but something clicked with this one. I'd enjoy any feedback you can provide. Thanks for reading. ^^
