//------------------------------// // Prolouge- The world Turned // Story: Hooves Edge // by 1joemini //------------------------------// Prologue.... Once this city used to pulse with energy, dirty and dangerous, but alive and wonderful at the same time... Now it’s something else. The changes came slowly at first; Street Cameras, Police, and then Government taps on all forms of communication, even Strict Curfews and eventually Pegasus patrols... Most didn't relies it, or just didn't care... Most chose a comfortable life. And those who refused to conform to the new laws were pushed to the sidelines. Criminalized, They became our clients. We call ourselves Dashers. We exist on the edge. Between the gloss and grit of this world. We keep out of trouble, out of sight, working as middle men for people who want goods or information secretly delivered. Runners see the city in a different way. We see the flow; roof tops become conduits and pathways. Possibilities... and ways to escape the glaring eyes of normalcy The flow is what keeps us running, keeps us alive... My name? I haven’t used my name for years; but, I guess that’s an important detail. My real name is Scootaloo. I’ve been a Dasher since I was 13. That’s how old I was when Princess Celestial turned for the worse. Many people tried to riot and rebel against her, and well, that’s how I became the orphan I am today. Without parents to raise me, I was quickly taken into custody by the New Celestial Empire. With Princess Celestial's new laws, I was quickly apprehended and striped of all my Pegasus abilities. They clipped my wings before I even had a chance to use them. All my dreams and strives to fly all wasted. I stayed in custody for about a month. At least until Anderson came along. Anderson was a guard. An earth pony; strong, thin, and tall. He always look as if he was deep in thought, but very rarely did I hear him speak. In spite of being a guard, Anderson didn't follow the rules. He hummed and moves around while the other guards stood like giant statues of death waiting for you to step out of line. One day while the other guard was “correcting” a younger filly, Anderson walked over to my cell and peered down at me. He smiled and whispered "It’d be a mighty shame if that back window of yours happened to be rusty and easy to jump through, wouldn't it?" He winked and dropped something at my cell door. It was a small sketch pad. I reached out and pulled it into my cell, I sat on my bed, and read... They were my Documents! _____________________________________________________________________________________ Name: Scootaloo Gender, Race: F, Peg. Age: 13 Description: Base- Orange Mane- Purple Eye- Purple Crime: Curfew Violation, Driving an Unlicensed Vehicle Sentence: 15 years in Corrections Center. Scooter will be returned once fee’s and paper work has been filed and it has been properly licensed. _____________________________________________________________________________________ I didn't understand why Anderson had given this to me. I flipped the page and saw a hoofwritten note. "Lights off at 7:30, Exterior Spot lights warm up time is 15 minutes, you've got 15 minutes to get out... Once you’re out your name will become Yuri, and i will take you under my training. Scootaloo, I will find you, and I’m sorry i couldn't prepare you before now. ~Anderson" I was shocked! Was he actually breaking me out and taking me in? I looked at my window its hinges were rusting, threatening to fall off. I sat there in silence pondering how my life had reached this point. BONG! The alarms signaled and our cells opened. As I walked out I looked at the clock, was 6:00 and time for dinner. I looked at Anderson who was standing on watch duty in my cell block. He didn't even glance at me, he held quiet the poker-faced as he herded me and the other children into the line and sent us off. I ate, returned to my cell, and waited. BONG! "LIGHTS OUT!" A guard shouted after the alarm sounded. And with a loud thud all the doors locked and the lights were out. After silence overtook the compound, I lept out the window and slipped under the barbed wire fence, I did the only thing I could do... I dashed away...