Aegis

by AIRS

Leaving 'Home'

Aegis sat in her room and laid back on her bed staring at the ceiling. This was the day she marked off to leave home for the best. She kept a bag hidden under the bed which was full of knickknacks and anything that could be of value, as well as the only sentimentally valuable item she could take with her, being the scarf she was knitted oh-so-long ago. The ponies here didn't use Bits as currency. Instead, they traded and bartered. Aegis had only learnt about bits last year when a stray traveler came by and tried to get supplies. Asking the pony questions, she came to learn that bits were used everywhere and looked like small pieces of yellow/gold metal. She didn't see the value in it, but the traveler thought they had great value.

This is where she ended up. She looked under the bed and pulled out the bag, which was definitely NOT lightweight, and placed it gently on the bed. The pressure had been slowly getting to her. Could she do this? Could she really leave home? A tear rolled from her eye and onto the bag. She bit her lower lip and levitated a piece of scrap paper and a pencil, and stared to write on it:

‘To Guardian Heart,
Mom, I have decided to leave home. This is not the place for me, and nobody wants me here either. Please do not worry about me as I can take care of myself. I have taken Dad's travel pack and put some food and valuables in it. I honestly don't want to leave home and I am scared but I am better off gone. I also know magic. I never told you but I learnt magic by myself. It is nothing much but it will help me. I miss I am so I wish promise me I'll miss you, Mom. Promise me you will stay strong and don't let Dad do anything bad to you.
- From Aegis’

Aegis put the note on her bedside table, then hugged a pillow smothering her face in it. She couldn't go through with this. No way could she do it, but she had to. Aegis went around the house, grabbing a few more things: A diary, some pencils, a map, and a compass. She tucked all but the compass into the bag. She put that around her neck.

Both her parents were out working. Her Mom had to take up a job to support them, as her father took up drinking, making him particularly violent. She felt so bad leaving her mother with him, but Aegis could not ruin her own life like this. She strapped the saddle bag onto herself and let out a loud sigh trying to calm down. It took her a good 20 minutes but she was calmer now and she put on a brave face, though the tears that had run down her face had made their mark. She exited her room and turned to face it. This would be the last time she would see her room. Though it was pretty plain and empty, it was where she spent most her time. It was her home within the home.

Aegis walked and sighed once more. It was sharp and upset. She backed away from her room and turned to walk towards the front door. There was no way could she psych herself out, as this was the only chance she had or she was stuck here. The ponies in town were planning to remove her horn tomorrow so she could be one of them. Aegis could not let this happen. She needed her horn because she was a Unicorn, had nowhere near the physical ability of an Earthpony, and would be heavily incapable when it came to working. She got to the front door as she thought about the next day.

She opened the door slowly. Even though it was the middle of the day and no one was nearby, she opened the door slowly and quietly, as if she were sneaking out in the middle of the night. The air around her was cold. The winter would arrive in another 2 months and it would be purely bone chilling then. She stepped outside and looked at the house in all of its "Less-Than-Great" glory. Things had gotten worse for the house, as nothing ever got repaired. It was pitiful to look at. The paint was flaking, there were a few small holes in the roof from hail, and one of the front windows was broken. She never saw the entirety of the outside of her house, because she just never got the chance.

"Goodbye, Mom..." She closed the door gently with her magic and clenched her jaw trying not to gasp as another tear went down her face.

Aegis would slowly back away from the house. It was still morning, roughly 10am. It was the time everyone was out working and there was the slim chance she could get caught. To leave though she would have to make her way through the residential section of town. She just begged nobody was home.
Nopony should be unless they were taking care of foals. She turned and began walking slowly, unsure of anyone was watching. She didn't want to move too quickly as that would only bring over attention. However, moving slowly would yield the same problem, so she had to find a balance.

Aegis couldn't find that balance, so she just walked at a speed that felt right, which was just a mild trot. A few housewives saw her, but she pressed. There was not much that they could do, as they were stuck inside with their children. A few made the attempt to shout at her from the window, though that only sped Aegis up.

When she was nearing the edge of what would be considered as the town, she turned to take one last look. It wasn't as bad as one would think it is. It was nowhere near colorful, though. Everything was more or less painted a shade of grey.

While Aegis was turned, a stallion snuck up behind her. One of the housewives must've gotten his attention. The only hint that Aegis ever got of an approaching pony, was a mild crunch of stones moving under the weight of the stallion's hooves. He had grabbed her and did not show any sign of letting go. She twisted about in efforts to break loose, but she couldn't move quick enough as her saddle bag was too heavy. The stallion was dragging her back down the street while Aegis was struggling and pulling back.

It was then, that Aegis had a light-bulb moment. Her horn! She gave the stallion a jab in the side, forcing him to let go. Aegis hadn’t looked fight-ready, so the stallion had not been expecting that to happen. Aegis took the brief moment of freedom to sprint as fast as the heavy saddle bag would allow her. The stallion had initially made the attempt to chase her, but she made too much distance, and by then the stallion had given up.

Aegis had been walking for about an hour since the incident back in town. She was not the fittest pony but that was definitely about to change. The thriving natural surrounding quickly thinned away, and she was left surrounded by a vast, grey emptiness filled with countless rocks and a few distant mountains. At the same time, however, the eerie lifelessness of the never ending desert was strangely welcoming. It almost said something, like it was a new beginning, a fresh start. A sly smile slipped onto Aegis' face as she moved forwards toward a new fate.