//------------------------------//
// II. Statera 
// Story: Starship Ponyville: Mystic Acoustics 
// by Vylet Pony 
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A long time ago, far before the strifes of civil war and starships, Starlight’s Equality Village bred an age of terror that would resurface later on. Though Starlight and nearly everypony she enslaved later found solace in friendship, ‘Equality’ lived on in the minds of two pegasi brothers who were absent during the liberation and desertion of the village. In order to sustain what they believed Starlight wanted, they initiated the creation of a new, great city of Equality known as ‘The Unity of Statera’. It garnered a small population (attracted by the rouse of equal coexistence) which they quickly enslaved and brainwashed, echoing the processes by which the Equality Village came about. However, many years after Statera had been developed, the two pegasi were killed by a mysterious cloaked unicorn that called himself ‘Satellite’.

Upon murdering Statera’s founders, Satellite seized control of the city, bolstering the economic and technological advancements at his will. Nopony questioned it. They were numbed by a binding mindlessness that was created by Satellite’s dark magic. He developed a process for brainwashing the people of Statera using forbidden forms of Starswirl era sorcery, dubbing it ‘tradition’. Satellite fabricated Statera’s history and customs, which citizens were forced to believe in. Propaganda and rhetoric littered every wall and window of the city. Everypony would be referred to by the number stamped on their foreheads. 

The city was never seen by outsiders. It sat at the base of the Crystal Mountains, west of Starlight’s Equality village. However, in the winter of 2028, a filly was born and stamped with the number 327. From a young age, the girl acted differently from everypony else. She would sneak out on countless nights to watch the sky, risking a swift arrest. Occasionally she would explore what she could of Statera in an effort to discover if anything existed outside the city walls. Additionally, she was frightened by seeing murals of Satellite. He appeared cruel and scary to her, and rightly so. She never spoke about these things and kept them a secret from her designated household. Her state-issued guardians were nothing more than a couple of older pegasi who beat her day to day. She was distressed by everything around her. This caused 327 to hope that something had to exist beyond Statera. 

Year after year, she grew more curious and mischievous. Eventually, she bought a cloth to wear around her head in order to conceal her identity. The young pegasus would steal food for herself, since her guardians only provided one meal a day. After thiefing what she could from merchants, usually some sort of chase would ensue between her and well-equipped guards (but not well equipped for her). Though pegasi were prohibited from flying, that didn’t necessarily stop 327 from training herself to do so. But perhaps the most ‘traitorous’ actions she determined herself to accomplish involved helping other ponies. Public execution was an ordinary sight in Statera. Sometimes, the girl tried to save falsely accused convicts from their demise. It scared her to risk her own life, but horrified her even moreso watching innocent ponies being murdered in the streets. Ultimately her compassion turned to duty, but she failed every time. She could never save anypony and always ended up being pursued again. It fed her desire for the outside world.

When the girl turned seven, she decided to embrace her hopes and escape the city. She never believed what the government said about the perils that remained beyond their ‘safety’. On the night she had planned to leave, a Stateran Guard arrived at the house and instructed her to report to the Central State District for a mandatory ‘examination’. With all of her supplies prepared, 327 reluctantly complied with the guard and followed him to the State District. It was more of a curious endeavor than a necessary one. Before they reached their destination, the girl spotted two heavily armed guards waiting at the entrance of the building. Feeling suspicious, she felt the instinct to run. Immediately, she used her wings to sweep up dust from the ground to form a cloud that obscured the guards’ vision of her completely. The mare took off in a sprint towards the the city’s main gate. Once more, she blasted dust into the air to keep herself from being seen. Reaching the gate, she spread her wings and soared as high as she could manage, clearing the giant wooden doors. Landing back on the ground, she reached the government sector situated just outside the city gate. Then, she caught her first glimpse of the outside world. With all her strength, she pushed her hooves vigorously, darting away from the city entirely. Her ears perked as she heard loud blasts coming from behind her. The Stateran Guards were firing at her from the windows. Each projectile landed in the sand, leaving an even bigger cloud of dust in the fray.

After escaping the city, 327 wandered mountains and forests for some time until she saw a train coming in her direction. As it passed by, she jumped on and climbed onto the roof of one of the cars. As scared as she was triumphant, she cried herself to sleep in a place unknown to her.