Escape
“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Ruby Hearts screamed at the scene unfolding live on her screenpad.
She watched the march break apart into chaos and mass hysteria. The last thing Ruby was able to view, was the enormous black cloud bearing down on the parade. Before she could see what it was, her screen went blank.
She banged her screenpad on the kitchen table, hoping that it would somehow get the screen back. The screen did come back, but with nothing more than a green screen with a message displayed:
“All Alicorns are hereby ordered to remain in your homes. You and your family will be escorted to a detention facility. This is for your protection.”
Ruby couldn’t think. She wouldn’t think. She could only believe her husband got out before the violence erupted.
The girls raced down the stairs after hearing their mother’s scream. But the moment they appeared, she bellowed, “GET BACK IN YOUR ROOM!!! GET BACK IN YOUR ROOM AND LOCK YOUR DOORS THIS INSTANT!!!”
Her screaming voice caused the girls to panic and scramble on top of one another, as they ran back to their room and shut the door. However, Celestia was able catch sight of the message displayed on her mother’s screenpad, before she shouted at them.
Celestia grabbed her own screenpad from her desk, to check for herself what had happened. She had a feeling this must have something to do with her father. She knew he had gone to some big event today, but neither her mother nor her father would tell her what that event was. Turning on the pad, she saw the message for all Alicorns displayed. She tried to get around the message and access the network, but could not.
Carefully opening her bedroom door, so it would not make a sound, she stealthily crept to the edge of the steps, peering down. She listened intently for any information from her mother.
Luna had appeared next to her sister as curious as she was. Celestia wanted to try to stop her and get her back into the bedroom, in case something truly horrible had happened. But she couldn’t think of any reason that could have gotten her little sister to turn back. Instead, she tapped her hoof to her mouth, signaling her sister to be quiet. They both listened together in silence.
After thirty minutes, their mother’s sobs had started to dry out and now panic was setting in. Standing up from the table, she started to pace back and forth, trying to figure something out. Before she could think of anything, a large banging hit the door.
Ruby jolted in shock, shooting a beam of magic at the door as she let out a frightened shriek. The beam it was so weak, however, that it caused nothing more than a small black burn in the door, no bigger than a bit coin.
“Ruby it’s me! Star Swirl! Hurry! Let me in, quick!” Star Swirl whispered loudly.
Ruby recovered from the initial shock and rushed to the door. Star Swirl was leaning against the side of the doorway, panting. He obviously had been running, something he was not terribly good at. As soon as Ruby opened the door for him, he jumped inside, pushing her away from the door and shutting it again fast.
“Ruby, we got to get you and the girls out of here, right now!” he said, with such an intensity and sincerity that sent Ruby into stutters.
“N..No ..St-St-Star! We can’t! I have to wait for Sugar. When he gets back we can go, but-”
“No! We cannot wait even two minutes Ruby!” Star hastily cut in. “There are soldiers only a few blocks away! It will not take them long to get here! We must go now!”
“What about clothes? Food? Our possessions?” Ruby desperately pled, tears falling down her cheeks. “What about…Sugar…” She started sobbing again.
“Ruby, I promise I will try to find him. I will use every last contact I have, but for now, we need to get you and the girls into hiding. Now PLEASE!”
Ruby still stood still, frozen in place. Star took the initiative and called up the stairs. “Girls, come down right away! We need to go on a little field trip!”
Celestia and Luna, who had heard everything, listening from the top of the stairs, instantly came down. Luna ran to her mother crying.
“But what about Daddy?” she looked back and forth between her mother and Star Swirl. “When will Daddy get home?”
Star placed a hoof tenderly on Luna’s shoulder and knelt down. “I promise I will find your Daddy and bring him to you, but right now we need to go to a place where you’ll be safe.”
Celestia went to her mother’s side as well, but she was not crying. She stood upright and nudged her mother hard enough to push off balance.
“Let’s go mother. Let’s get out of danger.”
Ruby looked at her daughter. She had never seen her child act so mature and brave before. She looked so much like her father just then, except for her beautiful white coat. Her courage gave her mother the strength she needed.
She looked back at her daughters with determination and nodded. “Let’s go girls,” she said.
Star Swirl cracked open the door and peered down the street. The soldiers were only a few doors away now. He quickly closed the door and locked both locks.
“Too late!” he cried. “Ruby, there’s a window in your bedroom, looking out the back, right?” Star asked hopefully.
“Yes, but it’s two flights off the ground!” Ruby answered, getting nervous. Their building sat on a sloped ground, with the rear an extra story lower.
“That’s ok, we’ll throw some pillows and blankets down and I’ll jump, then you can toss the girls to me and I’ll catch them.”
Ruby really did not like this idea. Star Swirl was never an athlete, but her options were rapidly disappearing. She quickly nodded and ran up the stairs to get the pillows. Star went to the window, opened it as wide as it could go, which would be a tight squeeze for Ruby.
He quickly chucked all the bedding from the room out the window as Ruby came in with the girls. He quickly squirmed through the window frame. Looking up at the sky, he said a quick two-second prayer, before jumping out. He landed on his feet, which luckily were bent, and with the bedding, the fall caused no injury.
He quckly got back up and looked up at the window. Ruby took Luna in her hooves and rested her on the windowsill.
“Mommy, I’m scared!” Luna cried looking down at Star Swirl and shuddering.
“I know dear, but it’ll be alright. Star will catch you. You’ll be fine.” She quickly held Luna out the window and let her fall between her hooves. She went straight into Star’s hooves, with no trouble.
“Okay Celestia, your turn. You can do it!” her mother told her. Celestia climbed onto the window sill and peered out. As she readied herself, a loud banging hit the front door.
“Open this door at once! You are to be evacuated to a detention facility for your protection! Do not resist! Open this door!”
The bang startled Celestia, causing her to slip. She fell headfirst out the window. Star saw her falling and used his magic to slow her descent. He had to use every last drop of magic he had. Celestia landed softly on the bedding. Star was a little dizzy from using his magic, but shook it off.
Magic was never one of Star Swirl’s strong suits, but it never stopped him from trying ridiculous spells over and over as a kid, which would never work the way he intended. His cutie mark eventually came to match his namesake: a star, swirling around into a rainbow colored vortex in the center. Such a cutie mark normally suggested a strong aptitude for magic, but he failed test after test in school, until he finally gave up and became a salespony.
As the three ponies on the ground looked up at the window, Ruby readied herself to jump. From down the stairs she could hear more loud angry bangs coming from the door. She jumped, just as the front door was blasted apart. She fell to her side landing on the bedding hard. She felt like she may have cracked a rib, but tried to hide the pain and discomfort it caused.
Star started to grab the pillows and blankets. “Quickly! Get the bedding around the corner, so they don’t know we were here!”
They all grabbed something quick and ran around the corner, just as a Pegasus soldier peered out the window, looking to see if anypony tried to run. He saw the hard concrete below and knew no pony could’ve simply jumped out the window without injuring themselves. If so, they should be that much easier to catch. He hadn’t noticed the missing pillows and blankets.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, they caught their breaths, before getting ready to run.
“Where are we going?” Ruby asked, her heart banging inside her chest. Her broken ribs were sending untold amounts of pain, but none of it was reflected on her face.
“My place first. There are no Alicorns living on my block, so it should be safe temporarily. Once we’re safe there, I’ll try to make arrangements to keep you safe.
“Star why are you doing this? You’re not an Alicorn. You’re putting yourself at terrible risk!”
“Before the parade, I promised your husband: If anything should happen to him, I would keep you and the girls safe. And even if he hadn’t asked, I would’ve done so anyway. We’ve been friends since before any of us had cutie marks. You’re my family! Now if you’ve caught your breath, let’s go! I’ve got a van near here. You’ll need to ride in the trunk to hide yourself.”
“Oh Star,” was all Ruby could say. Another tear fell down her cheeks in deep appreciation. She quickly wiped it away and nodded.
They hastily made their way along the alleys and back roads, trying to avoid the Pegasus patrols, both on the ground and in the sky, until they reached the van.
The sun would not be setting for another few hours, and despite the cloud cover, there would still be enough light to make them easy to spot from above. Every few feet, they had to stop and duck behind a garbage can or crawl into a narrow gap between buildings, to hide from the aerial patrols circling overhead, like buzzards looking for their prey.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they spotted the van. It was across the street and right next to a patrol car. Two cops were chatting nearby, in plain sight of the van.
“Wait here,” Star whispered. “I’m going to grab the van and back it into the alley. Since the cops aren’t looking for Unicorns, I should be alright.”
“Be careful, Star,” Ruby said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. She looked into his eyes, deep with concern.
He smiled and nodded, before turning and making his way over to the van.
As he approached the van he walked directly across the path of the cops, listening carefully.
“…mess it’s become. The army has no business storming the city like this. It’s like a damned invasion!” The Earth pony cop said to his partner.
The other cop was a Unicorn, who looked more at ease with the situation. “Yeah, well, needs to be done, so far as I’m concerned. Just wish they weren’t setting up all these bloody checkpoints now. I told my family…”
Star nearly stopped in his tracks. “Checkpoints!?” He recovered himself quickly enough, turning to the cops.
“Um excuse me,” he spoke to them. They stopped talking and stared at this gangly, sad excuse for a Unicorn, wearing a very cheesy work uniform. “I’m trying to get back to Mane street over by Coltshead. What would be the easiest route now?”
The Unicorn officer looked at him warily. “Trying to dodge checkpoints now?”
Star could feel the cop’s penetrating gaze, but held strong. “Nothing like that. I don’t mind hitting a checkpoint or two. You could search my van now. It’s empty. I just rather not take six hours to get back home, with all that’s been going on.”
The cop’s gaze softened. “Let me check for you.” He pulled his mini-pad from his belt and brought up a map. You could take Nelly Road up to Reign Avenue. Hang a right straight to Mane and you’ll hit a checkpoint there. But after that, you should be good.”
“Thanks officers. My wife will also thank you dearly. She’s been calling every fifteen minutes today!”
Star walked up to his van, and just to give the cops less of a reason for worry, he opened the back of the van, showing its vast emptiness. He smiled at the cops, who smiled back. Shutting the doors, he climbed inside the van and drove it around the corner.
He had to circle around the block so the cops wouldn’t see him again. He backed it up right into the alley and got out. Making his way back to the area where the girls were anxiously waiting, he said, “We’ve got a problem…”
“What’s wrong?” Ruby asked, fear building inside her.
He looked at her very seriously. “Ruby, I’m going to ask for a favor. I need you to promise me you will do as I ask, BEFORE I tell you what it is!”
“What? No! I can’t make a promise like that!” Ruby said, with a horrified look on her face.
“Relax! It’s not something that will involve any of us dying. But it is something that will be difficult for you to do. But I need you to promise me, NOW!”
“Okay, okay! I promise!” Ruby swore. She still was extremely scared of what he might ask of her.
“Good. Follow me. I moved the van back the way we came.”
Star led them back to the van and helped them inside. Once everypony was situated in the trunk, Star started the van and pulled out into the street. The van was nothing more than an old gray van with no windows in the back. It had minimal hoverability, but mostly just drove on its old wheels.
As the van rolled down Nelly Road, he could see the lights in most of the houses were out. Some houses had doors that were busted off their hinges and broken windows. These obviously must have been Alicorn residences.
As he turned onto Reign Avenue, he could see the checkpoint a half a mile ahead. He looked for a good spot to get off the road. He pulled into a shopping center that had been shut down because of all that had been happening. The parking lot was deserted. Circling around to the back, he stopped near the delivery area.
He turned behind him and opened a little window to look in the back. Ruby, Luna, and Celestia were sitting as comfortably as they could with no seats.
“Ok. There’s a military checkpoint ahead,” Star explained. “What we’re going to do is this: You three are going get out here and make a run for my house. It’s about four blocks from here. You can make it!”
“But what about the check-,” Ruby started.
“Leave that to me. Remember your promise?”
“Yes, but–” she tried to speak.
“No buts. Here is the key to my house,” he said handing them to her. “Now, I need you to use your magic to bore a hole through my shoulder.”
The three of them gasped at this horrid idea. “What!? No!! I will not–” Ruby started, again being cut off.
“You will! You promised. It needs to be deep enough to be serious, but not so deep it leaves me unconscious. Are we clear?” Star Swirl stared down at Ruby digging into her turmoil with a knife.
“Bu- Bu- I can’t…I…” Ruby finally caved to Star’s gaze. She sighed and nodded.
“Do it now, then make your way around the checkpoint. Wait for my signal. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Star took his hat and bit it hard. He looked at Ruby and in a muffled voice said, “DO IT!” Ruby’s horn started to glow. She let it build and focused it, so as to be quick and painless as possible.
At once, the beam shot into Star’s shoulder, who nearly swallowed his hat from the pain. He started crying as he fell over in pain. He was no warrior pony, but he took the pain as best he could. He spat out the hat and sputtered out, “G…G-Go, NOW!”
Ruby opened the back door to the van and clamored out, before helping her daughters. Closing the door, they quickly ran off behind the delivery area of the shopping center, hiding behind the dumpsters.
Star recovered as quickly as possible. His eyesight was already starting to blur. He drove the van back out into the street and made for the checkpoint. He swirved the van intentionally and unintentionally, speeding up as got closer. The Pegasus soldiers tried to wave the van to stop, but when he didn’t comply, they started shooting at him.
His swerving helped avoid getting hit, before bashing straight through the checkpoint. He kept swerving for a half a block, before crashing into a building.
Off to the side, Ruby watched in horror as the scene played out. She froze. Celestia took the lead and yelled, “MOTHER, NOW! RUN!”
Ruby snapped back and, together, they ran across the side of the checkpoint and back into the shadows behind buildings. The swarming soldiers were so focused on the van, they took no notice of the three Alicorns running across the street.
The first soldier to reach the van aimed the gun at Star screaming. “PUT YOUR HOOVES WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!!! GET OUT OF THE VAN!!! SLOWLY!!!”
Star put his hooves up slowly and pushed the door partially open. In a weakened voice he said, “H-H-Help! P-Please! B-B-Bastard Alicorns…shot me!...Hosp-p-pital…please…help.”
The soldier pushed open the door. He saw Star was unarmed and the wound in his shoulder. Other soldiers checked the van, which was empty. Finally the soldiers relaxed their guns and called for an ambulance. Star pointed the soldiers away from Ruby and the girls. Several soldiers went off to investigate, and the others returned to their posts. Star was taken to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Ruby and the girls were able to walk the four blocks to his house successfully, without being noticed. They opened the door and rushed inside, closing it behind them. They left the lights off, so it would appear that no pony was home. They sat in silence together, in the dark, as the sun finished setting behind the never ending clouds. Outside, more sirens and sounds of patrols could be continuously heard throughout the night.