"Come on, go outside with me!" A white filly said to her sister. Her older sibling wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Outside?" She snorted. "Angel Cake, we haven't gone outside for four years now, why would you suddenly want to now?"
"Because I miss the outside!" Angel Cake whined, tugging on her sister's tail. "Come on, pleeeeaaaase? Just for a few minutes? I miss the birds and the sky!"
Angel Cake's big sister, Cocoa Cake, tossed her mane and pushed her sister away. "We can't go outside, it's against the rules, remember? We'll get in huge trouble if we go outside…you can go ahead and get in trouble, but I'm staying here in my comfortable, warm room. Now get lost, Cake shake."
"Hmph! You're just scared!" Angel Cake said angrily, trotting huffily out of her big sister's room. She hated it when her sister called her "Cake shake". Cocoa could lie around and grow fat and lazy all she wanted, but Angel was going to go outside. As she trotted through the metal corridors and rooms, she grew more and more bold and angry. Her parents didn't have a right to lock her into a metal box away from the world…they didn't have a right to lock her away from the sunshine, the trees, or the beautiful blue sky. As young as she was, a mere five years old, she knew well enough that if they planned to live in this box for the rest of their lives, they would run out of food, and soon afterwards, water. What would they do then?
Angel Cake wasn't alive when the New Future came, the unforgettable day when technology was introduced to Equestria for the first time. It was the beginning of a whole new generation, a new life for all the ponies. At first, everypony was terrified. Then they grew curious. Most ponies hated the technology, especially the hard-working ponies like in Appaloosa and the Apple Family Farm. But a lot grew to love the new computers and scanners. Eventually, cars were invented. Then airplanes and helicopters. Year after year, more and more new technology was introduced. Until the fateful day called the Parting, when everything went wrong.
Equestria was at war…with itself. The griffins were jealous of the new technological advancements that the ponies had made, and went to war with them to steal the technology for themselves. The dragons disappeared and were never seen again. Unicorns resented the technology, as magic used to be the main power in that land, before electricity was really and popularly used as a main power source. So all the unicorns grouped together and ganged up against the unknown and mysterious creators of technology, and started fighting against and destroying as much technology as they could get their hooves and magic on.
Now Equestria was divided against itself, and most innocent ponies locked themselves in these metal homes underground called Boxes. Angel Cake was too young to remember when they first locked themselves in their personal Box, but she remember before that, when she lived under the sun, among the trees, in the grass and clear skies. She remembered at night, she would stare out at the beautiful bright, twinkling stars and glowing moon. She was sick of living in a metal prison underground, and she decided that no matter what, she would see those stars and that sun once again, even if she died trying.
Angel reached the small, mechanical door that led to the tunnel and ladder that led up to the outside. When the small filly laid eyes on the door, she felt a sharp pang of guilt, fear and excitement. She was disobeying her parents, but she was desperate. She was afraid of forgetting what the outdoors looked like. Sucking in a deep breath, she took the metal wheel of the door and turned it, unlocking the door and sliding it open.