Chapter 1: Cooling Energy
What an eventful day!
Just kidding. I'm just making sure the coolant engines for the generator's core are in check. They always are, though, so I'm basically doing filly's work. Either way, the job pays well enough, so maybe I shouldn't complain. My legs wished to collapse and force myself to take a nap, but I knew that was a stupid idea. A solid metal floor wouldn't be very physically healthy to snooze on (and getting caught sleeping on the job isn't great either).
Oh! I never introduced myself. I'm sorry, the name's Flash Powers, a Pegasus stallion. I work here in Cloudsdale's shield generator facility, one of six built around Equestria. Sounds like heavy work, but it usually isn't - most of the major parts that keep the shield alive run by themselves. If you're wondering how, the simplest way to explain it is magic and science. Seriously, if I went into detail we'd be here for hours, and I'd rather not bore you.
I was switching my attention from my clipboard to the vast machinery in front of me - an organized mess of lights, electronic displays of graphs, numeric temperatures, and many other little bits adorned the steel it sat in. Levers and highly-tempting buttons populated the lower half of it. It was sort of beautiful just how science fiction-y this design was, and that it was so readily adapted across each of the generator facilities. Hell, I could hear the little beep noises it made. The papers on my clipboard were laughably basic by comparison: just hourly recordings of temperatures (of which, all of them were in acceptable ranges).
That's not to say my job's without its difficulties, though. Going in line with my cutie mark, a screw layered over an open-end wrench, I do quite a bit of regular internal maintenance on these machines. Let me tell you, it is not easy. The spaghetti of wires in the unit in front of me alone is a headache. Thank Celestia they're color-coded. I'm honestly surprised I'm even able to do it; it's even earned me a bit of a rep in this building due to how fast I apparently am with it. On top of fixing and recording, I also refill the core's coolant canisters. With liquid Nitrogen. Yep, pure atomic number 7 in liquid form. Don't worry, we wear special equipment so we don't freeze our hooves (or claws or hands, depending on the species) off carrying the containers.
I took a dulled-out pencil into my wing and wrote an entry into the paper's chart: -197.9°C at 5:00 PM. I was nearing the bottom of it, just two rows left. Outside, the sun shone through several windows (which were all positioned in a satisfyingly circular pattern around the room), the sky proudly showing off its azure hues, contrasting the dull grey these metal walls had. I suppose in a time of panic focused saving as many lives as possible from a meteor impact, not much care was put into aesthetics.
A co-worker of mine swooped over to me. She donned a pair of goggles and a white lab coat exact to mine. "Hey, Flash. Everything alright over here?" She asked.
I turned to her, taking a glance at my clipboard briefly. "Yep, nothing's changed. So far, anyway." I replied, my tone particularly unenergetic.
"Sounds good to me," She looked at our paper-holding wood boards and then back to me. "Yknow, why can't they just make some device to record this stuff for us?"
I've been subject to hearing about that a couple times. "You mean a computer? I could see that working out. Partially."
My co-worker flopped onto her back while flying, as if she was laying on a cloud. "I mean, this part of our work's so simple. There's, like, nothin' to do! You just stare at a monitor for a few hours and write stuff on a piece of paper. Havin' something like that would be a blessing."
"Yeah..." I shrugged. "You aren't wrong, though. Guess they couldn't bother to put in some computers during the whole 'post-meteor economic boom' thing."
In the those who built the generator's defense(s), computers are still relatively new. Big rectangular boxes of circuits and whatnot. I just assume it's too early on in their development for their implementation. I know Twilight and the princesses in the Canterlot facility have ones of their own, though.
"Speaking of owning them... did you see the computer I got in our apartment this morning?"
"Oh, yeah I did. I didn't think you'd actually buy one, I assumed you were joking last week," A little instinctual chuckle escaped my mouth while I spoke. "They're like, 500 bits minimum, Solar."
Oh, I forgot again; her name's Solar Blaze.
"That's what saving up lets ya do," She replied with a hint of audible self-pride. "I can't wait to start messing with it, I finished setting it up last night."
"I don't think I'm buying one, for now at least," Solar made a face like she expected me to say that (because she did). "I've been trying to get, uh, let's say 'better' with my money."
"Don't worry, I'll let you use it, too," Her expression became playfully mischievous. Oh, Celestia, please don't mention it agai- "Remember when you accidentally wasted, like, one grand last year 'cause you thought you lost your lab coat?" She chortled.
Man, she likes reminding me of that, huh? I know she meant well, but it's getting tiring remembering the one-grand-coat incident so often.
"And I realized I left it in my bedroom closet." We simultaneously said. I'll never forget that damned day, I felt like an idiot for weeks. At least Solar didn't humor me too hard at the time.
"Look, in the end, I returned the coat I ordered and got a refund. Let's just be glad I got some bits back."
Solar leaned forward out of her laying position. "Just enough of a refund," Flying towards me, she gave my mane a ruffle with her hoof (I may or may have not slightly enjoyed it). "Next time, make sure you need what you're buyin'."
"I will, I will, I promise."
Solar finished up her affectionate mane-rubbing. The other pegasi, griffons, and dragons in the room took fleeting ganders at our interactions.
Soon after, the doors behind Solar - large, glass-covered double-doors with white metallic outlines that acted as the entrance and exit - swung open. Because of how the door's knobs always hit the wall, a loud bang reverberated when it fully opened. Me, Solar's, and everyone else's attentions instantly shifted towards them. A trio of higher-ups moved in, all adorned with black suits (with a rainbow collar similar to ours) and earpieces, though the classic sunglasses were missing. They were two pegasi, and one griffon in front, who spoke with a deep, booming voice, showing gentle authority.
"Good evening, everycreature! Rainbow Dash, the head of our facility, wanted us to spread an announcement."
Well, that doesn't happen very often.
"Tomorrow, at 10 AM, report to the main meeting room. Dash'll be discussing future operations, and how we'll go about them. That's all for now."
Then, they promptly left. That was short.
"Future operations?" Solar landed on the ground next to me. "The Tartarus do they mean by that?" I saw her face: genuinely puzzled. Couldn't say I didn't share the same amount of confusion.
"Maybe they're introducing computers." I joked with a smirk.
"Ha, I hope so," She started trotting back to her station. "Anyway, I gotta go. I don't want them seein' me where I shouldn't be." She explained, her voice echoing more as she went. I can't say I didn't want to lose her company, even though I'd likely be talking to her again in just around half an hour. I exchanged goodbyes with her, and was back to watching the machine. Remember the internal maintenance stuff I mentioned earlier? Yeah, I really wanted to do that to break the monotony of it.
I looked over at one of the many windows around me, observing the sky, which began to have oranges of early sunset. While my eyes followed the clouds, my mind wandered freely, focusing on the meeting tomorrow. Of course, I had the same questions everyone else had: Why are we doing this out of nowhere? Why so early? What are these "future operations"?
I chose not to dwell too deep on it.
The sun's light radiated on my coat - making its pastel yellow look even more pale, like the white stripe that ran from my neck along my belly. Trying to distract myself from boredom, my eyes gravitated toward a group photograph I was in a few years ago. I squinted. Sure enough, I could see 4-years-younger Flash with the same dark blue irises. My mane turquoise with three, evenly-spaced darker strips. Same story with my tail. I could make out my wings - seeing the light-blue primaries. My nervous, trying-too-hard smile has since remained identical to how I smile today in photos. I cringed a little.
Moving on, the sounds of the employees chattering with each other were pleasant to listen to. The hummmmm of the machinery was nice as well. I looked at the clock: 5:25 PM.
35 more minutes, then me and Solar are home free.
As we flew through the facility's various hallways and the elevator, I was looking forward to two things: Home, and some food. I was HUNGRY. Normally, this is slightly so in the morning, however, reality decided that was the opposite today. I've only had lunch, so I was as ready as ever to fill my stomach with more sustenance. I could hear it growling.
"Good day, you say?" Solar asked, a common question she likes to bring up at the end of the day. I thought it was kinda corny at first when we got the job, but I've grown to appreciate her checking in on me. All the side conversation around me mixed up into an inaudible mess around me, but I was able to hear her fine.
"If anything, it was average. Just glad to be going home, I'm absolutely starving." I replied. Solar tilted her head.
"Oh yeah, you didn't eat breakfast, did ya? That's right, you left earlier than you generally do this morning."
"I just wasn't hungry. I'm definitely cooking a Hay Casserole later."
I heard Solar agree to that idea. "You better gimme some of that, Flash."
"Heh. Will do."
I knew well that my cooking wasn't quality. Solar likes it, though, so I guess I'm just too hard on myself. That's what she tells me, anyhow.
We got to the entrance hall - a semicircular dome that sticks out from the facility itself. Two long, round cherrywood desks with granite tops were at each side, receptionists sitting behind them. Plants stood beside the desks, lush and green with youthful health. Curved paintings of various kinds ornamented the smooth, white walls. Behind me and Solar were three elevators, each of them bustling with exiting critters; some walked, some trotted and ran, some impatiently flew. Long, yellow-white fluorescent lights granted powerful visibility, making the carpet below us a dark grey.
Our way of accessing the outside were two pairs of sliding, rainbow-striped doors (one set behind another). They were already open for us; Solar and I took off to the skies soon as we stepped out. We headed for Cloudsdale - our workplace was about a 10-15 minutes flight from it. From the facility, the city looked like a huge cloud leaking rainbows. The city's gone under some major renovations compared to the one I saw in history books as a colt. Nowadays, the city sports a few skyscrapers, high-rise apartments, a "bigger-and-better" weather factory, and looks more akin to an actual city. Griffons also lived here now, which I think is actually pretty neat. To be blunt, I do kind of wish they kept the old aesthetic from the pre-meteor days, but what can you do.
Everything whizzed by us while we flapped our wings, our hooves outstretched and bodies streamlined. It was unusually trafficky today; the roads (just long sections between buildings) filled with other pegasi and griffons. I switched my height pretty often in order to avoid crashing. Unlike with cars, crashing in Cloudsdale often meant you had a bit of head trauma and were sore, but could continue your day. I've been victim to a couple before.
Solar's lab coat was barely hanging on, being held only by her forehoove sleeves. It exposed more of her coat; a light-ish maroon with darker spots on her legs and back. I sometimes mistake them for genuine burns... it's a running joke between the two of us now. Her mane was strikingly similar to fire - a yellow outline with an increasingly orange center. I suppose that's where the "Blaze" part comes from. A cutie mark consisting of two wrenches crossed with flames at each side helped prove her name.
I suddenly shifted my direction to the left when Solar nearly impacted somepony. I heard them yell a curse at her, she just acted like nothing happened. Not because she didn't care, though.
We reached our destination of the apartment block, which blended in with the others around it. A bright, sky-blue construct topped with darker roofs, the entrance shaded by a platform held up from marble pillars.
Finally, we were back home.
...I mean, it's not the best home, but it suffices. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a main area that acts as a living room and a kitchen. The one bathroom thing is kind of annoying, though. A familiar homey scent hit me, giving us some comfort as we readjusted. Solar trotted tiredly to her room to take off her goggles and coat, placing them on a hanger. I did the same.
I went over to the television - a simple CRT TV with cable - and turned it on. I'm a bit of a couch potato, and thankfully so is my roommate. Something of our liking (dubbed Unicorn With No Horn) showed on the screen immediately, which was a neat surprise. Gotta love a crime show with drama and mystery, right?
While I went into the kitchen unit, Solar entered back into the main room and hopped onto the couch. I dug through cabinets to match the ingredients my recipe sheet had. Salt, pepper, chopped hay of course, colored peppers, an onion, seasonings, et cetera et cetera.
"What do you think of that whole 'meeting' thing tomorrow, Flash?" Solar queried, half-watching TV. "I thought it was a little unexpected. We don't have meetings very often anyway, last one was like, 14 months ago or somethin'."
I focused on chopping the onion. "Can't say I'd really know. Maybe she's putting in a new thing to do for our jobs?"
Chhhop. Chhhop. Chhhop.
"Eh, I doubt that, we already do enough to keep the whole thing running. Besides, Dash isn't the type to overwork us." I think she turned her head to the side, judging on how she sounded. "Thankfully."
"For the most-" Oh Celestia, here come the onion eyes. "Ugh- Part." Tears began to well up, I wiped them with my wings. I hate cutting this vegetable. I spun my head around, seeing Solar peeking over at me with a smile akin to holding in a giggle.
"Could be about somethin' with the shield itself." She suggested. I wasn't initially sure how to feel about that. "Like, finally expanding it, or something."
"Yeah, maybe-" Ugh, damn! I was cut off mid-sentence for a second due to the eye burning. "I know that's something we're wanting to do soon, anyway. Yknow, protecting all the other creatures countries' and bringing their native lands back." I explained.
"I hope we do it sometime." Solar continued.
"Me too. We'll have to expand kinda far, though. We're a peninsula, after all."
"What if we went north? Ever since everything happened, we've only gotten messages from the Crystal Empire."
Oh! My ears perked up as I transferred the finally chopped onions to a plate.
The Crystal Empire. That strange place up in the arctic where everypony's living crystal. Literally, I've seen surviving pictures of them in books. We know that it still exists due to its own (pure) magical barrier (and the messages), but we have basically no way of getting there. It reappeared just before the meteor struck Equus, so we didn't have enough time to bring our shield there. Fortunately, from my knowledge, its 'crystal heart' thing was retrieved only a few days after its reappearance. Nowadays, the Empire has relayed to the princesses again and again to only expand the shield when we feel we're ready. We don't exactly know what would go down because of the conditions outside.
Going to the Crystal Empire... I wondered. A unique proposal, but I could see the reasons. "That'd be the first time we tried that in around 4 decades."
"That only makes me more curious, Flash."
The rest of the day aged. I had finished and served dinner - the aforementioned casserole - about 40 minutes later, the bright star of Celestia outside nearly set. I found this particular attempt to be actually good, much to Solar's liking. We sat in her room, surfing about on her computer. I examined it some - a rectangular, thick white box with a screen in the front. We were both in wonderous awe at this whole internet thing. Being able to type a question into a bar and get an answer right away was amazing.
Concerning the food, it brought a cozy satisfaction to myself, accomplishing something I feel I usually don't. Aside from that, I still couldn't shake today's event out of my head. Call it excessive, but I really don't get what to make of it. Solar's ideas were reasonable, and not out of the ordinary among the population either. Why wouldn't we try to expand the generators' area of protection? Especially to somewhere historically important to us, and to other creatures' lands? We could expand the shield, and reinforce it using that crystal heart the Empire has fueling its own barrier.
Either way, we'll find out about all that tomorrow.
The darkness of night now enshrouded Cloudsdale, the busy streets now sparsely dotted with other pegasi. If you looked hard enough, you could see the sparkle of the shield around the kingdom. There were times I'd sit by a window and just look out at it, pondering things. It sounds cliché, I know, but it's a calming thing to do. Think of it as meditation.
I was in my bed, warm, very tired, showered and clean. Solar had fallen fast asleep in the other side of the apartment. In the window, I watched the clouds, illuminated by the moonlight, slowly move along once more. Before I knew it, my vision was black, and my brain began imagining its own images and worlds.
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So.....
Griffons, dragons, Hippogriffs, Zebras etc
are now all dead
This will be explored later! Probably in chapter 2.
They left out the Crystal Empire to die!?
Nah. It reappeared only a short time before the meteor hit - and due to the wasteland between it and Equestria, they aren't easily able to reach it (currently, anyway).
Eh...not really a fan of this premise. Not hating or anything, just not a fan.
There's way too much focus on the ponies of Equestria. So the other races are screwed just because they don't have 'princesses' or technology? Equestria is also kind of a dick for leaving them all out to die like that--so much for harmony.
11589706
I completely understand your critiques - to be perfectly honest, I was really hard-focused on the two main characters themselves rather than the outside world. I'll definitely give explanations for this in the next chapter and beyond; thank you for your opinion, though!
11589706
i guess its a last resort, they have no other choices, the shield is only big enough to shield Equestria I guess
remember, the story is told by equestrian view, so other countries might survive in other ways
I hope we would see another civilization in here, whenever apocalypse-style ones or not.
I would like to see some countries, maybe on the other side of the planet survive, or everything survive by another method and equestrians thought they are the only one left, like Attack on Titans LMAO
11589772
I could see them surviving in different ways, I didn't actually think about that in full. The different species are 100% living in Equestria with the ponies, though, I'll make that entirely clear. It is not a pony-only kingdom.