//------------------------------//
// Forge your own path, 
// Story: Pony-Me™ 
// by TheMajorTechie 
//------------------------------//

A new day had begun. The girl sat dumbfounded, the red outline of a pencil still pressed on her cheek. Shakily, she glanced down to her hands, once again wrapped by a medical wristband that only served to remind her of her false reality. A knock sounded at the door. 

"C-come in..." Lisa stammered weakly, her nightmare still repeating in her mind.

The heavy-coated man entered the room, a steaming plate of... stuff in his hands. He stood silently at the girl's side, his eyes scanning over the mess of papers scattered across the desk. Finally, he turned back to the girl, setting the plate on the desk.

"Breakfast is served." he murmured as he lumbered sleepily to the door, "We have a mandatory meeting at noon."

With an ear-piercing screech of hinges, Lisa was alone once more.

Glancing about, the girl recalled yesterday's liveliness of the place, with people crisscrossing the room constantly as various inane tasks were planned and carried out.

Now the room lay barren; the charts had been unpinned, the white boards erased. Lisa had naturally spent her time organizing the place after the commotion settled down, and now material for every topic and task were neatly sorted in a nearby cabinet.

The girl smiled to herself for her accomplishment, and turned back to face the mess that was her desk. A whiff of whatever it was on the plate was enough to kill her appetite at the moment, so she instead took the time to finish what she had started the night prior.

One of the nearby cities had recently agreed to a temporary trade of skills; they would send qualified volunteers to assist in repairing aging infrastructure, in exchange for a Societal Management Officer. While they, at the moment, were able to get by with a single volunteer assisting their local Sustenance Sector officials, they had already run into multiple difficulties in keeping the community pacified, and were rapidly spiraling towards a state of anarchy.

Lisa had initially planned on volunteering in the volunteer exchange, but with her recent nightmare, she wasn't quite sure anymore.

What if I can't come back? she thought with a frown, placing a hand over the unsigned contract she had taken in order to exit the city, What would happen to Twilight Sparkle?

The girl spent the next couple minutes poking her breakfast unenthusiastically as her thoughts brewed in her mind, watching with mild disgust as the yellow-brown mush jiggled with every touch.

The sound of footsteps approaching the door broke her from the daze.

"Twilight?" Timothy's voice sounded from behind the door, "You awake?"

"Yeah." Lisa sounded in return, delighted to see a familiar face... even if said face wasn't quite so familiar.

Timothy opened the door to the room, accompanied by Andrew. The man had volunteered as a local police officer, given his in-simulation training and experience, and as of now, served as Timothy's escort into and out of City Hall.

The girl glanced down to the mess of papers on her desk, then back to her friends with a nervous smirk.

"Spike," she began slowly, "would you mind if I left the city for awhile?"

Timothy raised a brow. "Already?" he deadpanned, "Is it possible at least for me to tag along then?"

Lisa stared back down at the papers, shaking her head a moment later.

"Unfortunately, no." she replied, "I don't think I'm allowed to bring anybody else unless they're also a volunteer being traded."

The boy let out a deep sigh, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Andrew followed after a few brief moments of silence.

As for Lisa, she once again sat alone in the silence of the room, staring blankly at the paperwork before her.





The girl opened the door timidly, a neatly-signed contract in hand. There was nobody in the hallway, though she could hear the sounds of conversation further up, within the meeting room that the populace had grown accustomed to gathering in.





"Ah, Miss Garnet." Melina welcomed as Lisa entered the room, "I noticed earlier this morning that you had spent what I'd assume was a great portion of the night reorganizing one of our workrooms."

A smile formed on the girl's lips. "I did." she confirmed as she held up her contract, "And I believe that I'm ready to take my own path."

The aging woman reverted to her professional stature as she took the contract from Lisa.

"Very well then." Melina answered quietly, "You will leave in the afternoon with the others."