//------------------------------// // Daughter of War - (Prologue) // Story: From the Ashes // by Cryptech //------------------------------// Daughter of War This world lies shattered; a bleeding carcass of its former glory. Dust sweeps through the flattened homes, the wind screams at the top of its lungs, and a single filly lies on the scorched earth, awaiting her inevitable demise. “Not long now”, she whispers to herself, fighting back tears. “I'll soon join them in Eden”. The filly curls into a tight ball, humming herself a bitter-sweet lullaby. She closes her eyes and lets out a deep, long sigh. She feels firm hooves gripping under her fore-legs and lifting her up. She allows a brief smile to spread across her battered face before she loses consciousness. She will see her parents again. “Is this it? Am I in Eden?”, wonders the filly. “It's so bright!”, “Mum, dad; are you there?”. Suddenly darkness closes in once more. She is falling. “No, you can't send me back!”, she screams, “Somebody help me!”. There is a loud thud, as pain rockets up the filly's spine. She lets out a high-pitched cry. She feels something warm and rough brush against her fore-arm, instinctively opening her eyes in response. Where was she? A light swung from the ceiling, casting lengthy shadows across the darkened room. She looked down to her right side so that she could identify the culprit who had torn her from her parents. A masked figure stared back, causing her to recoil in shock. However, her attempts proved futile as she was held down by four metal cuffs, greatly restricting her movement. “What are you?”, squealed the filly, eyes cast with terror. The beast answered with a deep rumbling sound. The mask lit up from inside, causing every orifice to glow a deep red. She could only imagine what horrors lay beneath that mask. A monster? A demon? Even Satan himself? Her mind ran astray, concocting a series of terrifying abominations. But it didn't matter which of these knelt before her, because she was just as helpless either way. She was simply a pawn in this fiend's twisted game. “Just let me die!”, screamed the filly. She was so scared she couldn't even cry, she just lay there whimpering. How feeble she felt – how insignificant. Once again the mask lit up, but this time a cool blue and a sharp 'click!' came from the bottom of it. The creature raised its gloved limb toward the mask, and much to the filly's amazement and horror, began to remove it. However, the filly need not have feared, for what lay beneath was no monster. She was greeted by a smiling face. As the mask was lifted fully from the face she saw that this was a mare, seemingly not much older than herself. She had a worn, but welcoming face with a wide grin and deep hazel eyes, which seemed to sparkle with a mysterious radiance under the oscillating light. To the side of her right eye hung her jagged blue mane, scruffy in appearance, yet clearly well cared for. It swept the length of her head in an arching fringe and contrasted perfectly with her pale coat. “You made it”, said a crisp feminine voice, “There may yet be hope”. The young pony's terror subsided, if only a little, at the sound of this comforting voice. “H-h-who are you?”, asked the filly nervously. “Where am I?”, “What have you done to me?”. “Calm there, all will be answered in time; or what little of it we have left”, replied the mare in a soothing tone. “You are alive and safe, and that is all that matters right now”. “You've been through quite the ordeal, so take it slowly”. The filly appeared shocked. “Ordeal?”, she asked. “What do you mean?”. The mare's vibrant mane shook from side to side as her hazel eyes rolled slightly in their sockets. “All in time my child”, “At least allow us to get properly acquainted first!”, she exclaimed. “I am doctor Alexia Hope, but you may call me Alex”, announced the doctor. “And who may you be?”. Her eyes met the filly's blank gaze. “Your name, my child”, “How are you known?”, enquired Alex. The filly continued to stare into space. “I, I-uh umm...”, “I don't know”, she replied, the confusion evident in her expression. “But you must have a name”, Alex persisted; “Everybody has a name”. “Everybody but me, I guess”, said the filly, looking slightly down-trodden. “Cheer up!”, said the doctor. “It isn't the end of the world; well, not quite yet at least”. “I will just have to give you a name then! I'm not sure 'patient 23' will quite cut it”. The filly looked at her once again in confusion. Alex gestured toward the filly's chest with her fore-hoof, and sure enough there was a clinical white badge pinned to her gown. It read, “PATIENT 23”, in bold printed text. She hadn't realised that she was even wearing a gown until she had looked down. Now, slowly she began to notice other things which she had overlooked. A clock hung in the far left corner of the room, just above a thin wooden door. It looked the part with its ghastly white rim, but its hands didn't move. It was clearly broken. As she looked further over her left shoulder she noticed a metal trolley, laden with boxes containing various surgical implements. She could smell the sterile, anaesthetised aroma of the hospital and she didn't like it one bit. It all just added to her growing confusion. This place felt like purgatory to her. Time stood still, trapped mid-way between the light above and the darkness below. Yet, she decided; this place felt more akin to the light, with its white-washed walls and cheery-faced doctor. This thought comforted her a little. It may not be heaven, but it certainly wasn't hell. “So”, said Alex, interrupting this train of thought; “What should we call you?”. The filly fumbled for her words, but found none. “Don't worry my child”, laughed the doctor, “I will find you a suitable name in time, but for now I shall call you Elpis, as I believe this name is rather fitting”. “Now tell me Elpis, have you heard the tale of Pandora's Box?”, questioned Alex as she leaned forward. She shook her head slowly, puzzled by this turn of events. Why was the doctor telling her this? All she cared about right now was what had happened to her. “In that case I will quickly summarise it for you, as I feel it's only right that you know where your name came from”, said Alex. She began: “Long ago our world was a great haven, free of pain and suffering. Even death was held at bay by the will of the gods. But alas, this peace could not last forever. One day the gods decided that they would create the perfect (and only) mare. They gave her gifts a plenty; beauty, intelligence, speech, and curiosity. They named her Pandora. Pandora was perfect in every way – and she would have gone on living happily if it weren't for Prometheus; the vagabond stallion who stole the secret of fire from the gods.”, the mare paused for breath and looked down at Elpis, whose eyes now stared intently back. If she hadn't cared for the story earlier, she certainly did now. Alex continued: “The gods chose to punish Prometheus by sending Pandora to live with his brother. They then presented them with a jar. They refused to tell them what lay within the jar; simply that they should never open it. Unfortunately the gods had given Pandora the gift of curiosity, which soon brought her to open the jar, despite the warnings given to her by the gods. Pandora lifted the lid, and by doing so unleashed evil upon the world. War, famine, plagues, and death spread across the land, destroying paradise. When Pandora finally brought herself to look down into the jar in search of redemption, there was only one thing left. A small shining light which began to fade even as she looked at it.”, Alex paused. She looked down at the filly once more, holding her gaze. “That light is you Elpis. The spirit of hope and redemption against all odds”, she said. “The world is a bleak place today Elpis, but you are the one shining light that will pull us through. You are my final shot at redemption. Elpis simply stared back in disbelief. “B-but-”, she protested. “-Believe me Elpis”, interrupted Alex; “I am a doctor by trade, I cannot lie to my patient. So believe me when I tell you that you really are special. Just how special, you will quickly discover”. “But for now let me get those cuffs off of you”, Alex offered. Elpis lay back against the cold metal table, her head resting lightly on the red padding. She inhaled deeply, trying to process everything that the doctor had just said. She was just a little filly. A little filly who was lost and shaken. How could this be all the hope left in the world, and more to the point; what kind of world was it where a filly was forced to take this role. The steel cuffs snapped open, sending vibrations right up Elpis' hind-legs and into her spine, causing a rapid convulsion which threw her into a sitting position. “Be careful”, warned Alex; “We had to do a lot of work on you and you are still recovering, so I'd take it slowly for a few weeks”. What did she mean 'a lot of work'? The last thing she remembered was her fall from Eden, and it scared her beyond anything. She must have hit the ground so hard that it shattered her spine. That was a memory she would much rather forget, but she was sure that this would not be the case. “How bad was it?”, enquired Elpis, now fearing what the doctor may reveal. “Pretty bad”, replied a grim-faced Alex. “It was hit or miss for a long time, but thankfully we managed to pull you through, as I'm sure you're now aware”, she stated. “All thanks to my excellent team who found you on the verge of death and brought you straight to me – and not forgetting our revolutionary new procedure, of which you are the first subject. Normally I'd ask for your consent before testing such a risky procedure, but I'm afraid it was our only option”, Alex told Elpis. “I'm afraid that you were the only one who made it, and as such it is vital that you survive. Like it or not; by a cruel twist of fate a heavy burden now rests upon your shoulders Elpis. You are now the flag-ship for our uprising.”, said the doctor gravely. “Your uprising?”, asked a shocked Elpis. “Indeed”, replied Alex; “Our uprising”. “In the weeks you have been asleep war has broken out across our nation – in fact, across the entire globe!”, Alex explained. “The population have divided themselves into four main factions; with a plethora of smaller groups ranging from radical extremists, to those who refuse to believe that the war is even real. You are the sole survivor of the first strike, our symbol of hope”. Weeks? She had been unconscious for weeks and in that time the world as she knew it had been erased, just like her friends and parents. She really had lost it all and she knew there was no going back. This thought brought a violent wave of tears to her eyes. She had tried not to think about it, knowing that this was how she would react; but she also knew that she could not push it to the back of her mind any longer. She recalled once more how she lay on the battered earth, crunched up into a ball and sobbing. She had prayed that she would once again be re-united with her parents, but that prayer had not been answered. She still had a duty on this earth. She was resolute. She would right this world's wrongs or die trying. Alex gave her a comforting look before hoisting herself up onto the table next to Elpis and swinging her arm over her shoulder. She placed her fore-head against Elpis' and looked deeply into her eyes. Unblinking, she told her; “You are our light in the dark Elpis – you must guide us into battle against our oppressors and claim victory in the name of the down-trodden. We will ride under your banner, for You are our Daughter of War, and we are your subjects”.