“You are sure about this? There is no doubt on the matter?”

“I’m afraid not, your majesty. In fact, ten years is a rather… optimistic assumption.”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, deep in thought. Equestria had gone through unprecedented breakthroughs in the medical and industrial fields. New, more advanced hospitals meant more foals and mothers surviving birth. The increasing number of ponies would need more land, and more resources. The lumbar and construction industries had risen to the challenge, and, after only three years, hundreds of thousands of new houses had been built, and dozens of new settlements had sprung up seemingly overnight.

In retrospect, she should have seen this coming years before. Part of her probably did. But to hear it confirmed by her top scientist…

“Princess,” he said, interrupting her train of thought, “What… What are we going to do? If word of this gets out, why, I- I can scarcely even imagine the panic this would cause! If we don’t do something, this could be the end of-”

“Don’t!” Celestia said, more harshly then she had meant to. “Don’t even think about it! I will not allow that to happen, not as long as I live!”

“Bu-but your majesty, something must be done. It wont go away if we just ignore it, and it’s not like we can just pack our saddlebags and go somewhere else. Equestria simply cannot survive with things the way they are.”

Celestia wanted to argue, but she knew that he was right. They had grown too much, too fast. The planet was dying, and, for once in her immortal life, she was unable to do anything to fix it. She racked her brain, but she could not think of anything that could work. She cursed herself for not seeing this sooner, cursed herself for not being able to do anything, cursed the scientist for telling her this, cursed the scientist for not having any idea on how to fix this, cursed the world for-

Wait-

What did he say?

“… Just pack our saddlebags and go somewhere else…”

Maybe… Just maybe…

“Maybe we could…” She silently whispered to herself.

Earth. 2190.

Humanity has nearly destroyed everything.

Peak Oil was the least of their troubles. Overpopulation drove mankind to deplete the earth’s resources. Once the last of the woods and jungles were cut down, the ecosystem suffered total collapse, as countless species died virtually overnight. When the freshwater lakes and rivers ran dry to sate man’s thirst, they soon found themselves converting the oceans into massive saltwater converters. 99% of all life on the planet died off.

Humanity nearly went with them. But the only thing more powerful then man’s hunger was his will to survive. To save themselves, they founded the city-state of Last Hope. A totalitarian government established a rigorous recycling program that some would have said went too far, if there were any alternative. They controlled all the food and water in the city, and would only give so much to people each week.

Of course, wherever there is scarcity, there are people that can’t get it. Only established households were given food: orphans and homeless were left to die. Most died quickly. A few managed to steal what they needed to live, but they were constantly hunted for disrupting the fragile balance that kept their entire race alive. Only the strongest, swiftest, and most intelligent lived for long.

Meet Victus. His parents were killed in an uprising. He lived in the expansive sewers of Last Hope, which allowed him to travel anywhere in the city-state unseen. More then a few others tried their luck down there, but between the rats, the occasional probe by the soldiers to route them out, and the twisting tunnel ways, they rarely lasted long.

Victus knew the sewers like the back of his hand. He carved his mark into the walls to tell him where he was at any given moment. With them, he could raid stores and food deposits without anyone seeing him. He may not be the most notorious “Sewer Rats”, as the government called them, but he was certainly one of the best.

The life Victus leads means he had to grow cold. He looked out for himself before anyone else, and he never really trusted anyone. However, he still has a warm heart, as his best and only friend Aaron will testify. Aaron was another orphan from the uprising, but, unlike Victus, he did not have the strength to look after himself. He would have been long dead if Victus hadn’t taken him under his care. And while Aaron might not have the strength or speed necessary for food runs, his knowledge of the underworld proved invaluable.

Life for them was hard. They knew that if they were caught, they would be put to death. Disease was a constant threat, and if they grew sick, they stood a very good chance of dying. Even their fellow Sewer Rats were a threat, as they all competed for what food they could steal and what shelter the could find. But it was the only life they knew.