The EGG and Highway Disaster
"There's places you can go to hide from the police Climber..." Night Shade said as her voice trailed off. This is where your story begins. You are Climber: a strong, blue earth pony who carried out his orders when asked of him. You were a team leader, a strong speaker, and a pony who would stand out in every class. This seems like a good thing right? Absolutely wrong!
You are currently living in a age where civil wars had to be made in order for laws to be placed. These laws would change any colt or fillies life forever. These laws were made by the Equestrian Governmental Group or the EGG for short. The EGG was established by the outcome of the Second Civil War. The Princess' had to give up their power to create laws in order for the rebels to allow harmony to flow once again. The Princesses reluctantly gave their law-making abilities to the EGG. This ushered in a new era of pain and suffering, however; it will not be visible to the society. Instead, it will be held in buildings, where young ponies will be 'unwound'. When the EGG was first created, they made a proclamation:
"Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, parents of said colt(s) or filly(-ies) may have their children unwound."
The proclamation didn't stop there. It went into detail on how the process would be dealt with...
"The Process of Unwinding:
-Step 1: Parents must send a letter proclaiming that their child(-ren) are at the stage of unwoundment. They must provide a list of reasons regarding their motives to having their child(-ren) unwound. Once the letter is sent; you will receive a reply in a matter of a few days to approximately thirty days.
-Step 2: You will receive the reply. Inside of the reply is a ninety-eight pages of paperwork you will have to fill out in order to allow us full responsibility of your child(-ren).
Sub-Clause 1: 'IF said Child or Children is caught fleeing the police / government orders; then said Child or Children will be sent to camps where they will work in order to compensate for the delay.'
Sub-Clause 2: 'IF said Child or Children is caught in the act of clapping, then said Child or Children will be killed on sight. No exceptions.'
-Step 3: Once your paperwork has been completed, you will send them back in the mail to the EGG Unwinding Services in Canterlot. You will be receiving one last reply regarding the whereabouts of your child. You must follow the instructions it gives you.
-Step 4: When instructions are completed, you have fully registered your child or children into the unwinding process. You will be notified when the deed is completed. You will also want to rename your child since they will not remember their true name. They will be cleaned and become normal once again."
You, Climber, are one of these 'unwounds'. You figured out this because of your parent's foolishness. They left tickets to Las Pegasus Resorts on the table one night. At first, you were excited; admiring the tickets with glee. You realized there were only two there. You began to eye the tickets, searching for any clues they may contain. Finding nothing, you continued your search by looking at a nearby desk. The desk had a stack of papers with signatures from both of your parents on it. At first glance, they seemed like plain old paperwork for taxes. You began to look at the stack with intense concentration. You gasped at what you saw; your name on a dotted line. You've never even seen the paperwork. Why was my name on something I haven't seen before? You realized that night; your parents abandoned you. The papers told you everything you needed to know...
Ever since that night; you've been planning to leave your 'home'. Your best friend, Night Shade, has been very reluctant to help you in this situation. She is a unicorn, has a lavender shaded coat, a black mane with a purple streak going down the middle; and she was a student at the EGG School of Normality. She wasn't a unwound; but she supported you for one reason: she hated the system. You never truly knew why she hated it so much, but it was probably because you were being harmed by it. As you two continued your conversation, you hear a sound of hooves approaching Night Shade's immediate sector. She says,
"Sorry Climber, I wish I could help you but I need to go. I can't let them discover you." She then surprises you with a peck on the cheek. You stare at her, eyes widened and blush appearing strong. She giggles at your inability to respond, but shoves you out of her midst and into the darkness. You begin to return to reality and wave back at her, embracing the shadows as you trotted away.
As the night proceeded on, you began to feel uneasy about your safety. Despite your ability to be a team leader, you were never a good lone wolf. This is one quality you lacked and boy was it biting you in the flanks tonight. As you continued to follow the shadows, you began to brainstorm of how you were going to survive and where you were going to hide for five years. There were several options of transportation to choose from: the trains, the carriages, the air-pegasus airliners, and the Ponyville Express Route. All of these seemed like good options, however; they were too obvious. You decided that covering up your trail and walking was the best option you had at the moment. If I take any faster transportation; I could risk getting caught and being unwound. There has to be another way besides trotting along the shadows...
You suddenly get a wonderful idea to counter the issue at hoof. At School, you heard of a place; where an unwound could be transported to the safe haven by an underground trail. There have been many stories regarding this place; both positive and negative. You didn't care about them that much because they didn't affect you at the time. Now, you wish you paid attention to the stories. The only story you remember was about a Pony named Captain GraveDigger. He, along with many other unwounds, broke out of the vicious camps and created a fortress that stood for decades after the Second Civil War. The place was called the Graveyard, named after GraveDigger himself. The story didn't end there. Apparently, the facility or place is still operational and functioning. You didn't know where to start looking for the place, but you needed to find it. I cannot become unwound. They say ones who are unwound are those who don't own their own body... You cringe at the thought and continue your journey through the shadows...
It's early morning now, and you are currently sitting at a lake. You've been trotting throughout the night and luckily, you packed a bag full of gear before you left your home. Inside your bag was:
- A first aid kit
- A bag of Sweet Apple Acres Apples
- Two boxes full of carrots
- A knife
- A pair of hoof pads
- A pair of pliers
- A pad of paper with two hoof pens
- Three pouches of bits (100 per pouch)
It didn't seem like much, but you knew you needed to have something to live on for a while. You sighed and prepared yourself for a long journey. To get to this 'Graveyard', you needed some help and you didn't know anypony else who could keep a secret. Where am I going to find unwounds? You grunt in frustration and smack your hoof to the ground.
When you did this, you heard a sound of ruffling behind you. You slowly turn to the noise, wondering where it came from. Suddenly you hear a growl and another ruffling of leaves. You begin to back away from the shrubs, avoiding them as much as possible. This is bad... You begin to gallop away from the bushes, hoping to gain some distance from them. Suddenly you hear more growls and more ruffling noises. As you continued your frantic galloping, you see a figure chasing after you. You weren't able to see the features of the figure, but you can tell from the large fangs it possessed. It was a timber wolf and when there's one timber wolf; there's a pack of them. You begin to panic and continuing your frantic gallop...
After a minute of galloping, you realize you lost the creature. You begin to sigh and catch your breath. Clearly the timberwolf is out of my reach; or he's tracking me. I got to make sure he doesn't find my tracks... You look around at your immediate surroundings. Fortunately for you, You spot a clearing. Yes! Maybe I can use this to my advantage. You begin to create a track of your hooves, leading to a nearby stream. The other track, would be covered by the high grass in front of you. As you trot through the grass, you begin to remember your friends you made and all the moments you shared...
2 Years Ago
It was a very dark night and your family was outside chatting with your next-door neighbors. Your next-door neighbors were nice; they had a son named Shooting Stars, who you would always hang out with. He was a tall unicorn who had a black mane and a yellow and white mix for a coat. The mixture made him stand out more in crowds, because most ponies would be a solid color for the coat. His parents told him he was special for this and he would someday rise to become great. You knew that this special case wouldn't go well with the EGG, but you didn't know about the EGG at the time.
Anyway, while your parents chatted with the next-door neighbors, you and Shooting Stars were walking to the Carousel Boutique. It was a shop that was owned by the fashionista, Rarity. You liked Rarity, she was nice, caring individual. Whenever you came over, you would always walk out with a new pair of clothing. Why was that? Because she thought you were dating her sister Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle was nice, but she wasn't your type. She was too cheery for you and you knew she was already dating another mare in secrecy. As you walked up the door, Shooting Stars turns to you and asks,
"Why are we here again Climber?"
You give him a glare and say,
"Because I wanted to ask her if Rarity could come hang out with us."
He gives you a glare in return. He then sighs and nods at you. You smile and turn the door once again. You then give the door two generous knocks. In less than a minute, you hear Rarity yell,
"Who is it?"
You nudge Shooting Stars playfully and start chuckling. Shooting Stars understands you and says in a regal tone,
"It is I, the one who admires you from afar. I say this is quite a night for a stroll out in the park!"
You hear a gasp from behind the door. In less than a few seconds, the door opens with might. When she realizes she was pranked, Rarity glares down at you. You and Shooting Stars both begin to chuckle. Rarity then says,
"You colts are here for Sweetie Belle?"
You both nod in unison. You say in a apologetic tone,
"Were sorry for pranking you Miss Rarity. We just wanted to make sure we had your attention."
She smiles at you and says,
"I'm glad you're sincere about apologizing. I will get Sweetie Belle for you."
You both chime,
"Thank you."
She nods and walks away from the door, you both stay outside; patiently waiting for Sweetie Belle. As you wait, you begin to brainstorm ideas on what to do.
Let's see...We could go over to...No that won't work... We could see Twilight and Spike and...eh boring isn't in the stack of cards for tonight...
You smack your hoof in the ground, feeling frustrated by the inability to come up with an idea.
Why is it so hard to come up with...an idea?
You begin to grin from ear to ear because of the idea you came up with. Shooting Stars see's your grin and asks,
"What's got you so happy?"
You respond with a obnoxious evil voice,
"My plan!" You twiddle your hooves around, looking mischievous.
Shooting Stars immediately facehoofs and pretends to not look at you. He then asks,
"Why am I hanging out with you?"
You immediately shoot back,
"Because were best buds and you have nothing else better to do."
He then averts your gaze and puts his hoof out saying,
"Touché my friend."
You bump hooves with his and smile. While you do this, you see hear Sweetie Belle screaming,
"YAY, CLIMBER AND SHOOTING ARE HERE!"
You begin to count down the time it takes for her to arrive at the door...
Three...
Two...
One...
Sweetie opens the door and says with a crack in her voice,
"Hi GuysS!!"
You both smile and respond with your own greetings. You then ask,
"Sweetie Belle, we were wondering if you wanted to hang out with us?"
Sweetie Belle smiles gains size. If she smiles any larger, we might have to escort her to the hospital... She responds to your invitation saying,
"Oh Celestia, YES! Where are we going?"
Shooting Stars then glares at you and asks,
"Yeah Climber where are we going?"
You begin to think of a way to say your 'plan' without disclosing the location...
Let's see...I could say that follow me and I'll show you the way. Nah that sounds too generic. Let's go with this...
You respond to their question with a adventurous tone,
"Follow me and we will explore the very depths of this world!"
Shooting Stars facehoofs harder than the first time. That one has to hurt... Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, smiles from ear to ear and screams,
"ADVENTURE TIME!"
You smile and motion for the two of them to follow you. They both follow close as you begin to adventure into the depths of the...
Your daydreaming was voided when you saw what was in front of you. You were standing in front of the Equestrian Highway, a man thoroughfare for many carriages across Equestria. To your left was the a few buildings such as a carriage station, a general store, and a couple of antique shops. You began to move towards the general store when you heard a voice from the store shout,
"HALT UNWIND!"
You froze in fear for a second before you began to sprint in the opposite direction. You continued galloping, away from the store and towards the highway. The police officer behind you began shooting rays of tranquilizer magic at you. You dodge them and jump off the platform and onto the highway. You began to gallop faster, trying to survive without being crushed. A red carriage in front of you almost hits you, but it swerves right into the median. It collides; making all of its passengers fly into the air. You continue your gallop, despite the accident you caused.
You continue your away across the highway, jumping over the median with haste. As you try to get past the last four lanes you spot a bus approaching. It spots you but instead of dodging you; it careens straight for your direction. You gasp and with great haste, you dodge it. The bus immediately collides with the median, toppling over on its side. The bus driver was thrown out of his seat and plunged right into oncoming traffic. A carriage runs over him and continues its way down the road. The driver was dead. You cringe at the sight and gallop to see if anypony in the bus survived. You gasp at the sight you saw, everypony on the bus was dead except for two ponies and these two ponies you knew. You shout their names,
"Sweetie Belle! Shooting Stars!"
They both turn to see you, gasping at you. They ask,
"What happened and why are you here?"
You immediately respond,
"No time to explain, run as fast as you can out of here. We have to GO!"
They nod and follow you out. You continue to run across the highway with them close behind. Together, the three of you make it to the other side. You look back at the damage you caused and let out a stray tear. I killed all those poor innocent ponies... You are snapped out of your depressed mind by a voice shouting,
"LOOK OUT CLIMBER!"
You try and turn to the voice, but your leg's fail you. The spell from the police's horn hits you right in your fore-leg. You start to feel dizzy, but you shrug off the symptom and walk clumsily towards the voice. The voice states,
"Come on buddy, let's get out of here."
You nod while in your hazy state. As the voice puts you on its back, you begin to slowly drift. Before you embrace the darkness, you hear a voice say,
"Let's sit him down over by the tree-line, he will be safe ther...whi....go..."
That's all you heard before you hugged the shadows...