City Scape

by TigerSwirl448

Chapter 11: Welcome to the G.S.S.F.

Chapter 11
Welcome to the G.S.S.F.

---

Scootaloo was laying on the orphanage couch, still as a statue. Her only movement was of her arm, idly tossing her worn baseball into the air and snatching it when it came back down. All around her she could hear the other orphans playing, talking, or wrestling on the floor. She could hear Fluttershy trying to separate the wrestlers, telling them that they are siblings under her roof and they should be treating each other like siblings.

Scootaloo smirked at that age-old excuse. Poor Fluttershy, she thought to herself. She's a great caretaker but the way she enforced discipline was a bit of a laughing stock. That was why Cheerilee did the discipline. Which made her wonder where the second caretaker was.

Disgusting coughing coming from the staircase gave her a clue. Scootaloo caught her ball and sat up turning around to look at the staircase with worry. Cheerilee's mystery illness had taken a turn for the worse, and the young runner wasn't the only one thinking that she didn't have much time left. She made it this long without a doctor and she claimed she doesn't need it. Which the real reason was to save money for a doctor in case one of the orphans got ill or needed emergency treatment.

She shook her head then turned to the fuzzy screen of the barely working television and actually saw something interesting for a change. Scootaloo immediately recognized Equestria's rulers from the old, pre-attack textbooks Cheerilee kept around, but that was an image in black and white. She quickly grabbed the remote off of the coffee table – nearly knocking her drink over in the process – to turn up the volume and hear the news correspondent speak.

"It's officially over. The Princess Summit of Equestria has ended here in Cloudsdale. All three princesses at this moment are enjoying the farewell breakfast. We only heard wonderful things from the princesses telling us, and I quote-"

Scootaloo snorted at that. Typical.

"We have enjoyed our trip to this glorious city. Cloudsdale has truly became a beacon of hope in our troubling days. Thank you for the welcome and let us hope to work together in the future." Scootaloo watched the video of Celestia speaking while the correspondent's voice was dubbed over her.

Then she saw it. From an early age, Scootaloo had been told that if one wanted to know what was really going on, they had to read between the lines. Or, in this case, lips. Celestia's mouth was already out of sync with the report, but it kept moving even after the audio feed had ended. The phrase as Equestrians could barely be made out, but it was cut from the voice-over. The screen flashed, and the teen glared as the video returned to the Cloudsdale News Network desk, with the three anchors grinning like loons – plastic as ever.

"That sounds brilliant,” the male anchor in the middle began. “But now that the summit is over, a word from our righteous leader, Gilda Griffin. She says that now that the summit has been finished, the laws will return as they were. All security forces are now returning to their stations. Follow the laws like they were before the summit."

Scootaloo muted the television and ran a hand down her face. The tussle from earlier had ended, and an eerie silence befell the house. But a thunderous knock on the door ended the feeling. She sighed, tossing the remote on the cushion next to her to go get the door while Fluttershy was busy scolding the boys. Right as Scootaloo turned the knob, the door was shoved open, knocking her to the floor. Scootaloo was stunned to see a small squad of soldiers, dressed in black padded uniforms – barge headlong into the orphanage, screaming orders and banging on the walls.

Fluttershy gasped audibly as the booming sounds of other squads breaking through the back and rooftop entrances hit her ears. The boys from the earlier fight were now cowering behind her. Knowing that Fluttershy couldn't possibly defend herself, Scootaloo looked frantically around for some kind of weapon she could use, before a boot to the stomach ended the search. Forced to her back – with the barrel of an assault rifle pointed at her face – the teen raised up her hands in surrender, but still glared at the soldier, who was returning said glare with a fiery passion. The rest of the squad thudded past into deeper parts of the building.

Scootaloo blinked, and saw that this soldier didn't have a visor on like the others. This was a girl, about Scootaloo’s age. Her fierce amber eyes bore into hers watching for any sudden movement. Scootaloo's eyes shifted at the soldier’s chest to find a tag with a number on it. She blinked reading the numbers, "0098374" with a symbol for a sergeant major.

"Clear!" The soldier above her called out in a youthful voice.

"Clear!" Another voice called, a young man's.

"Clear down here!" A woman called pushing a girl out of the kitchen, holding her pistol to her back.

Scootaloo looked up towards the stairs and watched the orphans run down with their hands behind their heads, with another squad led by a shotgun wielding soldier hot on their heels. The other squad members grabbed these orphans by the arms and forced down to their knees on the floor.

"Keep your hands behind your heads!" A man barked, causing some of the younger children to whimper uncontrollably.

"Get up!" The girl above Scootaloo ordered. "Up!"

Scootaloo nodded sitting up, then went on her knees with her hands behind her head.

Cheerilee was the last to come down the stairs, struggling to stay up on her feet, and coughing into her handkerchief as a soldier hurried her on.

"Sergeant Smith!" The man behind Cheerilee called. Scootaloo heard the girl behind her walk past and saw her salute.

"Sir!"

"Gather them up." He ordered.

"Sir!" The girl said, saluting with her fist over her heart. She reached into her pocket to pull out a small device that looked like some kind of futuristic pen, and grabbed one of the older boys by his collar and forced him up to his feet. He tried to fight her off, but two guards ran over to grab his arms to keep him from struggling. Sergeant Smith grabbed the boy’s hand, then his ring finger.

Scootaloo watched with rapt attention as the sergeant pressed the flat end to the boy’s finger and pressed a button at the top. He yelped, feeling a hard prick on his finger. His bloody fingertip was then pressed onto the screen of the small device. Smith stared at the screen, then after a moment, she nodded.

"Take him." She ordered. One of the guards grabbed the boy and took him out the door. "Separate the little ones from the elders!" More soldiers shoved the younger children out the back door into the fenced in yard while the older ones were in the room on their knees waiting to be checked. For what? None of them knew.

"What is that?" One of the boys asked curiously as Smith wiped down the screen of the device with a sanitary wipe, making sure all the blood was gone before finding her next victim.

"I don't know." Scootaloo answered silently, watching this Smith girl check another boy then frowned.

"Too young. Kick him." She ordered pointing her thumb over her shoulder to the back door.

Scootaloo was trying to piece together what was going on. Why were the Griffs here? What were they doing?"

"Next!" Smith called as a girl was shoved out the front door with the other chosen. Scootaloo was grabbed and forced up her feet and dragged to the girl. Scootaloo glared at her.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

The soldier didn't say anything. When one of the guards grabbed her arm, Scootaloo fought to pull her arm away. "I have a right to know what you're doing!" She cried out before being kicked in the gut for the second time that night. She fell forward wrapping her arms around her stomach groaning. She was hoisted back to her feet and Smith took her hand, pricked her finger, and then pressed the bloody finger on the screen. Scootaloo looked around her trying to think of any way to escape. But with two soldiers restraining her, and close to a dozen other heavily armed troopers watching the scene, getting away unscathed was out of the question. Smith’s eyes blinked once then she smirked looking to Scootaloo once more.

"Well this is my lucky day then." The girl said flipping the device over so Scootaloo could see the screen. Scootaloo blinked to see that the screen had a bunch of numbers but one number was blinking green on the screen. Fifteen. Whatever this meant, it couldn't be good. Judging by the grin on this Sergeant Smith's face, it was probably much worse than that.

"Looks like you're my bitch now. Take her to the others!"

"Sir!" The man said grabbing Scootaloo’s shirt and pushed her out.

"Stop it please!" Cheerilee cried. Scootaloo turned in time to watch as one of the soldiers slapped Cheerilee in the face and shoved her away.

"No!" Scootaloo cried out, fighting with some newfound strength to get away. To fight for her home. To fight... for her family! The soldier holding Scoots hands growled as he lost his grip. The freedom was short-lived as Smith herself pounced, tackling her “bitch” into the wall head first. The teen's vision swam, and her knees buckled. Whatever remaining strength she had in her body had been sapped in one instant. Every sense in her body had coalesced into one mindless blur. Strong arms were vividly felt, binding Scootaloo's arms behind her back and dragging her out the front door.

The crisp morning air hit Scootaloo's face and lungs, immediately snapping her back into wakefulness. But the sound of several large vehicles idling on the street assaulted her sensitive ears. The soldiers dragged their captive to the back of the largest machine, a sinister black semi with the GSF logo emblazoned on the side of its trailer. Several equally dark armored bank trucks were also there to transport the Griffs. They reached the back of the trailer where more soldiers grabbed the teen and pulled her up into the trailer. She was then shoved to the wall and her hands were held up high, where they was shackled to the cold metal. Scootaloo looked around to notice the other four orphans from her home, but balked at the sight of ten others she didn't recognize. This wasn't a nun of the mill GSF snatch and grab, this was something else entirely!

"What the hell's going on?" Scootaloo muttered, more to herself than to the people sharing the trailer with her.

"Don't say anything." Scootaloo turned to see another girl with blonde hair look to her. "Don’t or they will hurt you." Scootaloo gulped looking to the four to see them scared too.

"What’s your name?" Scootaloo asked.

The girl looked around seeing their guards distracted. "My name's Alula."

"Scootaloo." The girl, Alula nodded and smiled. Scootaloo smiled sadly in return.

Over the next few agonizing minutes, five more from her home were chained to the wall like her, before all the squads made for their respective vehicles.

The doors were slammed shut and locked, plunging the captives into near total darkness. There were three hard bangs, scaring them all before the truck surged forward.

"Where are they taking us?" Scootaloo asked the darkness surrounding her.

"I don’t know exactly." Alula answered with a sniff. Scootaloo could barely make out the girl's outline.

"Oh come on!" A boy cried out. "We all know what this is."

"Some of us don't." Another male voice said with a hint of venom.

"Well it's obvious. It's the Griffs picking up new soldiers."

"What?" Scootaloo gasped. “Really! Why us?"

"Why do you think?" A girl grouched. "We're all orphans. Easy pickings to grab foot soldiers for their dark agenda."

"But why us?" Another boy asked.

"It's because we're fifteen or something. How old are all you guys?" The girl asked, squinting at Alula first.

"Sixteen." She answered.

"Fifteen." Someone else piped up.

"Fifteen."

"Seventeen."

"Fifteen."

One by one they all said their ages, and each time they did, the air felt thicker and thicker. After a painful silence, Scootaloo realized that it was her turn.

"I just turned fifteen last month." She said softly.

"See." The girl said. "We are all between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. Why did they pick us and not the others? They need us for an army."

Scootaloo gulped feeling her hands going numb as she twitched her fingers to get them to move. "So now the next question is, where is this truck going?" She whispered.

"Let's just pray that it's not our doom." One of the boys said, followed by sniffles as he began to cry again.

Scootaloo gulped hard, looking to Alula the most. The two girls met eye to eye. Alula nodded once and Scootaloo nodded in return. A silent confirmation as friends.

Half an hour later, the jarring, high-speed ride in the trailer finally came to an end. Everyone went silent, wondering if they were even in Cloudsdale anymore. The doors swung open, and a bright floodlight blinded the teenagers. Shadows jumped into the trailer and they grabbed a prisoner and dragged him or her out of the trailer.

With adjusting eyes, all the captives watched as Alula was taken out of the trailer. The next in line, Scootaloo was yanked and forced out the trailer into what appeared to be a brightly lit warehouse. She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the bright light after being in the dark trailer for so long. She was shoved into the rapidly growing group of orphans and vagabonds, and gasped audibly. It wasn't just one trailer full of kids. There were five other trucks being unloaded of their human cargo. There were dozens upon dozens of terrified souls being dragged into this deplorable situation.

"Scoots!" Scootaloo turned to see the other nine orphans from her orphanage and gathered with them. She noticed that other teens were doing that also. She also saw that Alula didn't stay with her group, and was pushing through the crowd towards Scootaloo's group.

In front of the captives was a makeshift stage. For what? They didn't know.

"Attention!" A man screamed out causing the teens to all stop in place.

"Attention!" Another soldier cried causing the teens to turn to him. Then another cry of attention was called.

“Atten-shun!”

Scootaloo had been coming to know Sergeant Smith's eager-to-please yell over the past few minutes, and didn't care for it in the slightest. She could see her grin turn into a smile as someone took the stage.

“At ease!”

At this, all the uniformed soldiers dropped their stiff postures, and the orphans all looked nervously at the stage. There was an absolute giant of a man on the stage, dressed in a black uniform, an unfamiliar uniform to the teens.

"I am your leader." The man said, stroking his light blue beard. "I am your future." He paused, looking at them all with a couple of soldiers standing by him on his makeshift stage. "I am called the Iron Will. Always have. I was just like you. An orphan of the worst streets of this city. Then, I was given a new purpose. To fight! Fight for this great government!"

The assembled group began murmuring amongst themselves, a few even scoffed openly. They were all old enough to know the score, and knew that their government was anything but great.

“It looks like a few of our number don't have their heads out of their asses!” Iron Will took charge of the situation once more, completely crushing any other competing sounds. “If some of you aren't completely committed to protect your city, committed to your future..! Then, by all means-.” He spread his muscular arms wide, gesturing at the open warehouse doors. "You can leave, right now. Go on, nobody’s stopping you."

Everyone turned around to see the open loading docks, with cool, inviting night air streaming in. At the mere sight of an escape, many captives began to run in that direction. Scootaloo saw one of the boys from the orphanage ready to go and join them, and grabbed his sleeve.

“Cut it out, Scootaloo!” The orange haired teen tried to pull away.

“Can't you see?” Scoot tried to reason with him. “The Griffs didn't haul us here to just let us go!”

He fiercely jabbed his finger towards the stage. “They killed our parents, Scootaloo! I sure as hell won't fight for them!” He shoved her away and began his march to the doors. Several others from the orphanage shared the same views, and followed suit.

She wanted to shout, wanted her siblings to really see what was going to happen. But the words couldn't make it beyond her vocal chords – and their sentiments rang true. There was a high probability that many of their friends and relatives had met their end at the Griffs hands. The ones leaving were clearly the minority though, with most staying put, either too smart to fall for an obvious trick – or simply too terrified to move. A glance towards the stage revealed Iron Will, hands clasped behind his back, and keeping a straight face. Wow, is he really gonna let them go like that? Scootaloo thought curious.

But the faintest twitch of his brow and a glance to his right uncovered something. Scootaloo's blood ran cold as three soldiers, including Smith, peered down the sights of their assault rifles at those fleeing. The constriction on her voice vanished, and adrenaline coursed through her veins!

"Run!" She screamed out, scaring everyone in the group. But the warning had an adverse effect. Those that were walking to the doors stopped in their tracks to see who shouted, but scattered at the sight of the danger. The soldiers opened up at the scattering targets, and the explosive rat-a-tat-tat of automatic rifle fire boomed through the warehouse. Those that fled to the door were gunned down outright, to the horror of the others. The few that were senselessly running around got taken out in an even crueler fashion. Controlled bursts were ringing out now as they were picked off, one by one. Apart from Smith's maniacal look, the expressions on the soldiers’ faces were cold and professional, and looked no different than if they were practicing at the shooting range.

Scootaloo could stand for this no longer, and ran for Sergeant Smith at a forty-five degree angle, tackling her to the floor. Completely surprised, Smith was unable to fully remove her finger from the trigger, and the rifle went wild. An arching, full auto spray of lead snapped and zinged over everybody's heads, until its magazine ran dry. Scootaloo began punching the girl silly as the other teens came out of their stupor, attacking the other soldiers, fighting for their lost friends. Smith struggled under the repeated barrage, trying to free her pistol from its stubborn holster.

A huge crack of lightning (followed by thunder) loudly protested the melee, and everyone stopped to see Iron Will with a gigantic silver revolver in hand, and a snarl on his face.

"Get them back in line!" He shouted.

Scootaloo, who was still hammering away, felt a pair of arms haul her off of Sergeant Smith.

"You alright, Apple Bloom?" The soldier holding Scootaloo asked.

The woman in question spat out a glob of blood from her mouth and rolled to her feet. "Oh yeah, I'm fine.” Apple Bloom's furiously gritted teeth held a promise of pain. “Hold her would you?" Scootaloo struggled in the soldiers’ grip and glared daggers at the bleeding sergeant. She promptly delivered a stinging blow to Scootaloo's face, then a low haymaker to her gut.

"Sergeant Smith!" Iron Will echoed. She was either too smitten by the moment to listen to her C.O., or too enraged to care as her assault was ceaseless. "Smith!" He cried again as Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo one last hard punch in the jaw before stopping. The other soldier dropped the beaten orphan to the floor as she coughed and spat out blood from her mouth.

"Smith!" Apple Bloom finally stood at attention.

"Just teaching this insubordinate a lesson sir!" She called, standing straight and tall as two of the orphans helped Scootaloo up to her feet. One of her helpers was Alula.

"It's a bit early for that." Iron Will said with a smirk on his face. "Good work."

"A pleasure sir." Apple Bloom said happily as Scootaloo was pulled back into the throng of teens, grunting and groaning.

"Now, before we were interrupted." Iron Will continued, business as usual. "Those children had decided their fate. Here, this is your home. No one leaves this place ... alive. It’s good that most of you stayed put, that must mean we have a very bright bunch here." He laughed, and those under his command joined in as well.

"Bastards!" Scootaloo snarled. Alula hushed her harshly to keep her silent.

"Now, sergeants, grab your new subordinates." Iron Will ordered. The sergeants called out names and several foot soldiers ran out and started grabbing teens and shoving them to different parts of the warehouse. Scootaloo was grabbed by Apple Bloom, no surprise there.

"I will love to see you break." She whispered. Scootaloo glared back at her.

"I don’t break easily."

Apple Bloom chuckled. "We'll see about that." She shoved Scootaloo to another soldier, and she was shoved to the ground. All of Scootaloo's siblings from the orphanage were with her. Scootaloo watched Alula sneak away from the soldiers, and sat down with her group.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your own group?" Scootaloo asked, confused.

Alula gulped. "I'm the only one."

Scootaloo had assumed that the other orphans in the trailer were with Alula. But was genuinely surprised that they weren't. Just how many orphanages did they knock over!?

"I'm the only one older than thirteen where I'm from."

Scootaloo nodded, taking her new friend's shoulder, then glanced at their new “commander”.

When all of the teens were gathered and separated with the sergeants, there were twenty different groups in all.

"Stand up!" Apple Bloom barked, pulling out a rod and released the button to reveal that it was a skinny metal baton. "Come on!" she screamed out, slapping one of the boys as if they were cattle. "Get up!"

Slowly everyone in Scootaloo’s group stood up. So were the others as their sergeants yelled at them.

"Stand in three lines! Now!" Apple Bloom screamed into Scootaloo’s ear. She stood ramrod straight, doing everything in her power to not deck her abuser right then and there. Alula stood next to her, and soon the whole group stood side by side in three lines.

"From now on!" Iron Will boomed as Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo and smirked. She glared back at her. "You are now members of the GSSF. Which stands for the Griffin Security Special Forces. Look around you, these will be your brothers and sisters in arms. You will work side by side, fight tooth and nail, and if necessary, fight for your life to be one of us.

"By the end of the year, there will be a quarter of you that will survive the training. And by that time, you will become what those cesspool scapegoats call a Griff." Scootaloo looked down to her shaking feet, and realized the rest of her body was doing the same. Her whole life had been spent running and hiding from the Griffs. Now she was going to be indoctrinated into their ranks. This can't be my future. It can't be!

"The higher up GSF members might not care for the moniker, but we use that name with honor!" Iron Will roared again. "We are the worst of the worst! We are the strongest! And soon, we will be fighting for our leaders!"

"What leaders?" A boy whispered behind Scootaloo.

"Now, the sergeants next to you are your senior officers. They will train you, and by the ancestors, they will choose if you succeed or fail."

"Crap." Scootaloo heard one of the girls say as Apple Bloom grinned evilly at their group.

"Now that we are done for the evening, sergeants dismissed!"

Everyone jumped hearing the soldiers all around them stomp their feet and slam their fists to their hearts and spoke in some strange language, as either a farewell or a confirmation. It terrified Scootaloo to no end.

Apple Bloom turned to her squad and slapped her baton behind one of the boy's legs, causing him to fall over.

"Get moving!" She ordered. "All of you!" The squad began to run until Apple Bloom grabbed Alula by her shirt and pulled her back. "Not like that. Stay in your lines! Hup-two-hup!" She screamed. Everyone stayed in their lines and ran forward following everyone else.

Scootaloo followed with the others down some steel stairs deeper into the earth. When they reached the bottom everyone was stopped and were separated by gender. The boys were shoved through one door while the girls were shoved through another. Scootaloo entered the room, and gaped when she saw that several female soldiers were yelling at the girls to strip off their clothes, and then shove them into a steaming room.

Scootaloo did as she was told and pulled off her hoodie and cargo pants. Alula did the same, blushing mad – so were the other girls for being naked. Scootaloo felt heat in her face as well as she pulled off the rest of her clothes and followed the others into the steaming shower room.

"Hurry it up!" A woman cried out, slapping her baton on the stone wall. "Get moving!" Scootaloo followed the line while trying to keep herself covered and wash herself off simultaneously.

"This is humiliating." Alula muttered, but loud enough for friend to hear.

"I think they’re enjoying it the sick pricks." Scootaloo growled, seeing some of the female officers checking out the teens like they were fresh meat off the racks.

Soon, Scootaloo was able to leave the room with Alula behind her into a long hall. Fans were blowing from the walls and ceiling to dry them off. The girls all shivered as they walked through the blowing hall until they reached the corner where another soldier was waiting with a stack of black bundles. The neatly folded clothes were individually distributed to the girls, and the line continued moving. Scootaloo got her clothes shoved into her chest, and was told to keep moving to the next station.

The next station was a large, gray locker room with benches where girls were getting dressed in their black uniforms. Scootaloo found an open bench by a wall and looked at her clothes. She found a pair of very plain underwear and a plain sports bra. Eager for warmth and modesty, she pulled those on first, happy to have at least covered herself.

She looked at a pair of black trousers and a black long sleeve, button up shirt made of a generic, scratchy material. Wait? Is this all I get? She looked around to see that her compatriots were in the same boat. Black slacks, black shirt, but socks and shoes were missing from the ensembles. Scootaloo helped Alula button her shirt up since she was shaking so bad. Alula wrapped her arms around herself shaking and on the verge of crying. Scootaloo wrapped her arm around her, hugging her.

A soldier slammed her baton on the wall causing everyone to be herded out of the dressing room then out into a large room that resembled a gymnasium. A giant gymnasium, as big as four basketball courts put together.

The women were screaming for the girls to stand at attention in rows. Next to the gathering girls were the gathering boys, dressed just like them. Button up shirts and trousers, but no socks or shoes on their feet. By the look of their heads they went through the same bath procedure as well.

Suddenly the sergeants all came out grabbing their teens and marked them with arm bands in different colors. Scootaloo felt Apple Bloom grab her, slipping a bright red band around her arm. She looked around to notice some sergeants had other colors, all of them bright to the eye and could be easily distinguished for different squads. Apple Bloom grabbed Scootaloo again and pulled her out of line, and then grabbed Alula behind her. Scootaloo caught Alula before she fell over as more of the bright red band orphans were pushed towards her.

When everyone was separated again by arm band color, they were all ordered back in line. Scootaloo looked around then noticed there were doors with brightly colored flags next to them. Scootaloo saw a bright red flag and looked back at her arm band. Her guess was that the red flag door was where she was headed next.

"Alright, you piss pots!" Apple Bloom shouted with a grin bordering on maniacal. “Go to your barracks, this will be your home from now on." Scootaloo glared at her, which was followed by the other orphans. "Get going!" She cried pulling out her baton and attacked one of the boys.

"Alright!" Scootaloo called stopping her. "We'll do it." Apple Bloom blinked a few times bewildered as Scootaloo backed up. "Let's get to the red flag." She said silently. The others followed behind her even the boy who was attacked.

"You!" Apple Bloom called out. Scootaloo kept walking until she felt someone grab her shirt and pull her back, purposely tripping her to the floor in the process. Alula gasped so did the other orphans. Scootaloo looked up to see a pistol pointed at her face.

"I give the orders bitch." Apple Bloom growled. "And if you dare speak up without my authorization, I will shoot you." Scootaloo glared up at her. "Is that clear?"

Scootaloo remained silent. She looked over at Alula and her siblings. Apple Bloom turned to see the others look at them. She smirked and reached at random to one of the girls, and pulled her out of the group by her hair – with pistol barrel grinding into her scalp.

"Don’t!" Scootaloo yelled out, stopping the sergeant. "Don't hurt them!"

Apple Bloom cackled as she looked to the whimpering teen. "Don’t hurt them she says." She said in a mock whining voice then laughed. "You all better listen and listen well. This is not Equestria, not anymore." She shoved the girl to the ground then pulled the trigger three times, painting the gym floor red with each shot. Everyone jumped at the resonating bangs. Once the brass casings stopped plinking on the floor, silence reigned supreme. The girl laid still, dead, and everyone nervously shied away from the rapidly growing puddle of blood. Scootaloo looked to the sergeant with trepidation, and saw her usual smug grin.

"Are we clear now?" She asked.

"Crystal." Scootaloo snarled, standing up.

"Good. Now, to your barracks." Apple Bloom ordered.

Scootaloo got up and ran after the others as they beelined to the door with the red flag. As soon as she entered, the door automatically slid shut. There were a series of whirs and clanks as the door's locking mechanism activated. The barracks that they had been locked inside had twenty beds set up as bunks. Black footlockers with a griffon stenciled on the side were set up at the foot of each bed. The rest of the room was literally four dull walls and a ceiling.

Once they were able to somewhat settle down, the gravity of their situation had set in. Alula and several others were crying, while the rest were thinking, and thinking hard on their situation. Scootaloo leaned against the corner and slid to the cement floor arms wrapping around her knees. Tears stung her eyes, but that was as far as she would allow. I-I'm not gonna break. N-not for this city, and not for the Griffs. I have to be like Dash. I have to live!

"What are we going to do?" One of the boys asked the million dollar question.

Everyone turned to him, but no answers could be given.

Scootaloo remained silent rubbing her face. She didn’t know what to do or say. She never once thought that the day would come when she donned a GSF uniform. Cheerilee, Fluttershy, Dash, what would they think of her now. Would she even see them again as a scared orphan, or would she only see them as a soldier, on the far end of her assault rifle. No! I can't think like that. Gotta think like dash, she always dupes the Griffs. She always...

In an instant, her mind had been made up. It wouldn't happen right then – not with the steel door in the way. It wouldn't happen tomorrow, Sergeant Smith would be watching them like a hawk, and she had already demonstrated what would be the end result of insubordination. But she was going to see Dash, and everyone that mattered again, but not as an aggressor.

One day, she would escape.

They all would.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Twilight stood at the platform, watching Cadence's personal train depart Cloudsdale for the Crystal Empire, when a creeping dread filled the young scientist's body. She had forgotten something! But a quick mental check derailed that thought. She would have double checked her checklist, but apparently, reaching into ones pocket was a cause for concern in the city. So what was it? She had covered everything important with Cadence before departure, and the Princess of Love had promised to give Shining Armor his sister's regards, so that wasn't it. She tried to put her finger on the feeling, but something was definitely wrong.

Then Twilight took a deep breath, and released it. Just like her babysitter had taught her. In, then out. After repeating the mantra several times, she took stock of the situation. While the Summit had made no inroads politically, the trip had at least opened Twilight's eyes to the world outside Canterlot. And she had her research position. Of course it would take her away from home for some time, but she was too stubbornly committed to even think about quitting. Overall, things were going just right. The feeling had only begun to pass when the sound of multiple footfalls caught her attention.

“Good afternoon, Twilight.” Princess Celestia greeted her star pupil as the rest of her entourage carried luggage into the waiting royal train, leaving her and Princess Luna on the platform.

“It looks like you're gonna be here for some time,” Luna began. “The first time on your own outside Canterlot's walls, I believe.”

“I know, Luna. It feels like just yesterday when Twilight first enrolled in my school. How time flies.”

“Indeed.”

The diarchs returned their attention back to a now blushing Twilight.

"Keep me up to date on your research." Celestia said with a wink. "I would love to learn more about you findings."

Luna chuckled. "Or she wants to hear from you more than your experiments."

Celestia glared playfully at her. "You are no fun, LuLu."

Luna shrugged, then hugged Twilight in a tight embrace. "If you are in need of help, contact us immediately." Luna said sternly.

"I will." Twilight nodded. "I promise."

Celestia sighed, giving Twilight one last hug. "Be careful."

"I will." Twilight whispered before pulling away. "I'll write every night and send the letters the next day."

"I will be expecting them." Celestia called walking to the train. "Good luck."

Twilight waved her hand as the doors to the train slid shut with a hiss of air. She rubbed her arm with nervousness while watching the train swiftly roll out of the station, without her. "Good bye." She whispered faintly, feeling all alone for the first time since she was very small.

Twilight heard the sound of dress shoes slapping against concrete, and turned to see Gilda Griffin approach her, with a disarming smile on her face. Twilight returned the gesture and sighed.

"Ready to go?" Gilda asked, holding out her hand. Twilight nodded, taking the offered hand and following its owner to the street.

"So,” Gilda started as they approached her personal limo. "First time by yourself?"

Twilight nodded. "For a very long time. I'm a bit scared." She admitted truthfully. Gilda opened the door and helped Twilight into the limo.

"Everyone is scared of being alone for their first time. We’ll arrive at your residence shortly." Gilda said sliding in next to her.

"Thank you for the ride." Twilight said politely.

"No thanks necessary, Miss Sparkle." Gilda said smiling. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see the number and smirked. "Excuse me for a second.” The white haired woman gave a what-can-you-do shrug to her company. “Important call."

Twilight nodded knowingly. "Of course. Go on ahead."

Gilda smirked as she answered the call. "Griffin here."

Twilight looked out the heavily tinted window. She could make out some buildings through the window, enough to know where she was. The wide, arterial boulevard that led to the hotel had become somewhat well-known to the student during her stay. Judging by landmarks, it would only take a few minutes to reach the inn, depending on traffic.

"Good, you got everything done?" Gilda asked on the phone with a grin. "Very good." Twilight sighed seeing the hotel in her sights, until they suddenly made a turn away from the hotel. Twilight blinked in surprise as they were driving away from it. While she was preoccupied with the hotel, the purple haired student failed to notice that the limo was now following a large black SUV. Twilight opened her mouth to speak but found Gilda still on the phone. Should she tell her that the hotel was the opposite direction? It would be very rude to ask suddenly while her guide was still on the phone, since she was considered a guest in this situation.

"Alright, we're on our way. Very good. Carry on." Gilda hung up and smiled.

"Gilda." Twilight started.

"Yes?" She answered.

"Aren’t we returning to the hotel?" Twilight asked pointing out the window.

"Oh I'm afraid I had to change your living arrangements. I mean, you don't want to live in that suite all by yourself, do you?”

Twilight was confused. "But what about my things?”

"Don’t worry, I took care of everything. You'll be staying at one of our one room apartments. And don't worry, I'll be paying for your stay since you are here as a guest and working for your council."

Twilight didn't like not being told beforehand that she would have to be moved to another place, but she bit back any remarks. It would have been nice to be given the heads up and not have to worry. The city was changing, going from wide, well thought out boulevards to incredibly narrow, single lane streets that felt more like canyons with all the buildings bunched together and looming over the convoy. The streets themselves were barely maintained, and the limo bounced and lunged over large cracks and potholes.

"Where are these apartments?" She asked as the driver threaded the limo around other cars parked on the shoulders.

"It's near the area where you're studying."

How did she know where I chose to do my experiments? Twilight thought to herself as Gilda continued to speak.

"It's on the edge of the middle district near the gate. Ah, here we are." The limo stopped. Gilda stepped out first and held open the door for Twilight. The scientist crawled out the opened door, but fell weary when she saw the people gawking. Some were well dressed, some not so much, but it was the usual dull tones. And just like at the GSF headquarters, their reactions were a mixed bag. There were glares, curious stares, and the occasional person in awe. The doors of the SUV that Twilight had just become aware of slammed shut, and two officers that were younger than the appropriate age for the Equestrian Guards walked over to the limo. Twilight swallowed nervously and followed Gilda into the apartment complex.

"Now the door requires a key to enter. You'll be given your information once you are situated." Gilda said sternly as she walked up the stairs. Twilight followed and noticed the windows surrounding the stairs showing off the outside street. The street reminded her of an anime she saw once. She got into a bet by Luna to do something she would never do, and it was watching television. Luna picked a random show and told Twilight to watch it. Twilight liked it, but didn’t continue the series. She remembered how the streets had small shops stacked atop each other, or had a shop with apartments above it.

Gilda lead her through a door on the top floor and to the fourth door down the hall.

"Here you are." Gilda said opening the door. Twilight stepped inside and went bug-eyed at how tiny the place was. This is unreal!

"Amazing, isn't it?" Gilda asked with a sense of pride. "Since the city is growing, we have been getting our ideas from the Neighpanese from across the oceans to help accommodate shelter for our citizens. They have thousands, no, millions of people, so they create these tiny apartments. What a marvel."

Twilight nodded still trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing.

A long room that barely qualified as a broom closet stood ahead of her. Somehow, a decent sized bed had been crammed inside, along with a nightstand and a tiny office space on the far end. Twilight did the mental math and guessed that that if she was counting by her own feet it would take her around seventeen steps – heel to toe -- to reach the far window from the entrance. And about eight steps were between each wall. She stepped into the room and looked down at the freshly made bed with a dark blanket covering it. True to Commander Griffon's word, all her luggage was sitting on the bed, safe and sound.

Even so, Twilight eagerly dived into the pile, opening the briefcases and making sure all her effects were present. While rooting around in a case full of clothes, the scientist swore she saw a sour scowl adorning her host's features.

“And just what are you doing?”

Twilight straightened up with a start at the dangerously guttural hiss coming from behind. She turned around nervously to see that her liaison's cool, collected composure had vacated the premisses. It was replaced by a lip gnawing, glowering visage with a glare that could melt icebergs.

“Eep! I-I-I was j-just...,” Twilight stammered. Realizing that she wasn't getting anywhere, the student fell back to the book on political speech making she had read on the train ride to Cloudsdale.

I have to be assertive here, I can't be a stammering wreck. Not this late in the game.

“Ahem.” Twilight began with renewed vigor, even making eye contact with the fuming Griffon. “I was just checking my belongings to make sure they're all accounted for. I'd hate to see you have to make a second trip.”

A vein was visibly throbbing on the taller woman's forehead, but just when it looked like she was going to pull out her baton, all the fury vanished, leaving a neutral and unreadable expression on her face.

“Now Twilight,” Gilda thoughtfully spoke. “I laud your concern, but my constituents are very good at what they do.”

Then that same unsettling grin from earlier returned. But this time, it looked genuine. “Good save though, you almost lost it there.”

“T-thanks. I read an entire series of books about political speeches on the way here and-”

“C'mere.”

Twilight followed the beckoning finger over to a sliding door. She didn't have to go far. "Heh, you thought the apartment was small.” Gilda slid the door open. “Well, feast your eyes.”

Twilight dreaded what she would see. To her shock the bathroom was barely even a fraction of the apartment's size. A toilet and a tiny shower stall were the only things in there. She looked for a source of a sink and realized that she'd have to improvise with the brushing of her teeth while taking her showers.

"This is ..." Twilight stopped herself when she noticed Gilda's grin. "Great." She chuckled nervously. "Something new. And perfectly fit for one person."

Gilda nodded. "I hoped as much.” She said reaching into her suit jacket. "Here you are." She said holding up an envelope. "This holds your keys. One for the apartment, one for the entrance of the whole building, and one for the laundry room." Twilight nodded. "Also, a reminder; I’ll take care of the payments during your stay."

"Thank you, Gilda." Twilight said smiling. "I won't forget this."

Gilda smiled, nodding. "Well I'll leave you to be situated. I have to return to work. Good day, Miss Sparkle." She went to the door, but stopped short of leaving.

“You know, Twilight. You may think you're small and insignificant. But in time, you're gonna go places. Big places. I can feel it.” And with that, Gilda walked out, gently shutting the door on the way out.

After a long moment Twilight let out a sigh, staring at the envelope, then at the room around her.

"Wow." She whispered. "Wow, wow, wow." She collapsed into a groaning heap on the bed, whimpering when her head hit the wall with a thud. Sentiments for the miniscule lodgings joined in with her feelings about Cloudsdale as a whole. It was such a cultural shock, compared to what the sheltered student had been accustomed to for most of her life. This will definitely take some getting used to.

She looked at her bags, then to the room around her. "Let’s get started, then after I'll go check on my experiments." She paused hearing her stomach growl loudly. "Lunch sounds good right now too." She thought for a moment then began to open her envelope. "Unpack first, then," She paused feeling a piece of paper in the envelope and pulled it out. She set the envelope on the dresser and unfolded it to read a letter from Gilda herself.

Twilight quirked her brow, bewildered. The letter from Gilda had to be a joke, it was the only logical explanation. Twilight understood security – her brother was a royal guard – but the extensive list of commands and curfews she held in her hand was beyond invasive. Off the streets by nine. No bright colors. No drinking or smoking of any kind outside home or designated zones. No running..., and those are just the ones Gilda highlighted! It was absolutely insane, yet she didn’t want to break any of the rules. She was a guest, a representative from the Canterlot Council, she couldn't afford to break the rules, lest she make Canterlot look bad.

"Well I guess my list will go as follows." She said to herself. "Unpack, change my clothes to a more ... plain color, figure out where to find the grocery store, then if the sun is still up, go and check on my equipment. Yeah that sounds good."

Twilight unpacked her bags and set her clothes into her dresser, found the books Luna forced her to pack and set them on top of the dresser by a small television and radio. Her feminine and bath products went into the tiny bathroom, and lastly, she slid her suitcases under her bed, happy that they were able to fit under there. She got herself dressed into a plain white blouse and pulled on her beige slacks and then her shoes. She checked her envelope to find four keys. Two of them were marked 28 which was the number outside her door. Another key had the letter L for the laundry room and one had nothing on it, it must be the building key.

She took the building key and apartment key with her out the door. It was time to explore her new surroundings.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait, well I got a new editor to help out with the rest of City Scape, big thanks to An-Twan Star for the editing job.

Were you guys surprised? I hope so.

This chapter had a huge influence with World history. To some of you WWII buffs you might see the reference, but to those that don't, this chapter was influenced by the politics in Germany after the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. During the Olympics, the Nazis wanted to keep their world image spotless so they ordered everyone to act like nothing was going on. I mean nothing, even the Jewish population was given free rein during this time. But when the Olympics were over, the German people were ordered to return back to normal Nazi routine. And the world was oblivious to the Nazi's agenda for a couple more years.

There's your history lesson today, until next time.

Comments

[BronyPonyMan]

when i read scootaloos part, i broke my phone when i clenched my hand. the only reason i'm tolerating this kind of writer to reader mental torture is that i know that every fucking griff will die. i'm particularly eager for the traitor AJ and her sick psycho little sister to die a horrible death. traitors beget betrayal.

[TigerSwirl448]

5899943 Oh dear. I always wondered how far I or my editor can go in writing and wow, I guess we went a little far. oops.

AJ's no traitor, she's just .... in a hard place. I have something planned for her, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac later in the story. And I hope people will be pleased with it once it's written.

[BronyPonyMan]

5901085 maybe it was just me, but i've been in a very similar situation to scoots', and reading that brought back some very dark memories. i'm not saying got drafted into an army. but i did get forced into some bad situations by people just like that, and i kind of lost it for a second. i guess that says just how well you guys write your story!

[TigerSwirl448]

5901774 Oh ... I'm sorry about that. I just wrote what I saw in my head and some of this was inspired after seeing some movies a while ago. Along with the wicked add-ons by my editor that made it more dark.

Oh and don't worry, I always give the bad guys a run for their money. And I got something in the works for Scootaloo to get payback.

[BronyPonyMan]

5902140 I enjoy payback. especially the bloody kind. i just hope AB get's what's coming to her. i don't care if she is forced to do what she does or not; she's taking far to much enjoyment in it. and i know you said that AJ isn't a traitor, but she really is. yeah, she's in a tough spot now, but she put herself there. 'you reap what you sow' and all that jazz. she chose to join the very organization that she knew was causing all the hardship in the city, and even mistreats people for shitty reasons, so she has no right to complain when they fuck her over.

[Misty Horse]

If only I were better with history...

I so hate you... I hate Apple bloom..

Oh my god this story!

Serioously not even sure what to say about it...

[TigerSwirl448]

5902169 Yeah that is true. And you just gave me an idea.

[BronyPonyMan]

5904779 really? well your welcome! hope it's a good one!

[Cyclone]

Well, all kill Gila

[redsopine]

awsome and wat the hay both ab abd big mac are bad guys cant wait for the reuinion for all three apples

[Sr Face Tear]

You know, you don't have to make your villans Nazis to make people hate them, it's a copy out and not very creative, but that's just a nit pick.