Vance had some difficulty acclimating to civilian life, given all the crazy crap he’d been doing. For everypony’s well-being, he resumed his role of holing up in Fluttershy’s cottage for a good majority of the day. However, try as he might, he couldn't help but see strange things were happening. Despite the flourishing economy of Ponyville, thanks to it being a nexus point for many of the larger cities, the standard of living had hardly changed at all since Vance had first joined the Army. On the rare occasions he actually went into town (usually to look for more books), he frequently overheard complaints of the increasing taxation Canterlot was hammering down onto them. Agriculture and mining were hit the hardest, forcing many companies to hand over their operations to the government. Only the stubborn took a stand, and frequently their short-term futures were uncertain. Vance couldn't make out if this was the work of these 'Archaía Áloga' or if Celestia was letting the power she wielded go to her head, but after everything he'd been through, Vance decided enough was enough. It was time to make a stand.
Strings of Fate: Gathering Storm
"Do you see my point, though? Who was your friend... Applesomething? Didn't you say she was having trouble making enough money to keep her farm going?" Vance said, explaining what he was seeing to Fluttershy.
"Well... um... yes, but..." she replied, distracting herself by stirring her cup of tea for a short while. "Do we have any pickled ginger?"
Vance raised an eyebrow at this odd request, but paid it no mind.
"Sorry. I shouldn't burden you with this. It's not your domain. It's just... *inhales deeply* This town has done a lot for me, whether it realizes it or not. I'm just trying to help it out."
~
The shrouded six shuffled into the room and began their processions.
"Efforts against Krínos have been less than ideal, though the recent turn-up of Hermes has put our plans back on schedule." - Hyperion
"I still do not understand why we continue to let him live." - Iapetus
"Oh come now, Iapetus. Where's your hunter's instinct?" - Pony 6
"Settle down, Themis. Iapetus' concerns are well-founded." - Pony 4
"I must concur with Themis on this matter, Crius. The hunt is too much a pleasure for us to ignore, and unlike our prey, we can afford to be careless." - Hyperion
"And one day, those words will bear no fruit..." - Iapetus
"Enough. Agent Eosphorus is in place and is prepared to finally put an end to any threat Vance poses." - Hyperion
"Do we have our puppeteers ready to assume the empty mantle?" - Phoebe
"Despite their incompetence in virtually all other matters, they are as prepared as they can be to be the front of our rule. Continue to watch over the developing situation with Hermes and Eosphorus, and step up efforts to eliminate Krínos. Protogenoi watch over us." - Hyperion
"Protogenoi watch over us." - Selene, Iapetus, Crius, Phoebe, Themis
~
Vance went into town this chilly day. The fellow residents of Ponyville had begun acclimating to the winter climate. He walked past Applesomething's apple stand. She was desperately trying to sell off her remaining apples before the winter cold would claim them, haggling back and forth with several customers. Food prices had been steadily dropping. Vance made his way to Sugarcube Corner, ordered some generic coffeehouse-style food, grabbed a copy of Equestria Daily, and began reading, hoping the contents could pull him away from the turmoil for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure approaching him. Without lowering his paper, this figure sat down at his table.
"Rough times, aren't they?" this stranger said.
"Eeyup." Vance responded without diverting his attention.
"Say, don't I know you from somewhere?"
A single bead of sweat formed on the side of Vance's head. Black ops? Midday? In public? Had they gotten that desperate? He said nothing, pointlessly hoping this stranger would forget him and leave.
"Ah, I think I remember you. Army, right? Weren't you in one of the Phalanx regiments?" the stranger asked.
Vance quietly exhaled. Looked like this was just another veteran, despite Vance's short period of service.
"Yeah, I was in the 8th. You?" Vance said.
"6th Scout, but as I recall you mysteriously disappeared shortly after enlisting. Something about a 'higher echelon' or something?" he replied.
There was that bead of sweat again.
"I've come across some... interesting papers, some of which concern you. Care to take a look?" the stranger said with a sly grin. "Oh, and the name's Lucius, by the way."
Lucius passed Vance a folder with several documents in it. The newer pieces were indeed about his time in Merc, but the older ones had... distressing material.
~
The night of the Gala. The security guard was asleep. Why post a security checkpoint so far out of the way and so high up? Was there anything worthy of protecting here? That didn't matter to Lucius. He and his friends, Mephistopheles and Belial, had been given a tip that they could find incriminating evidence against Celestia, and events occurring during the Gala would ensure their infiltration would go unhindered. They nonchalantly crept by the snoring guard and proceeded down the hallway.
"This way. If this isn't a trap, this could really rally some major support for our cause." said Lucius.
"Who needs support? We should just burn this whole castle to ash!" Belial said maliciously.
"If we need underhanded methods to entice others to join us, it does not speak of the nobility of our cause, Lucius." Mephisto warned.
The three entered a darkened wing, calmly walking past several doors until they came to an unassuming one with an unusually strong lock on it. Lucius fumbled with a lock pick for a bit. It was only the second time he'd ever try to use it.
"It may be magically sealed, too, if what we're looking for is as valuable as we've been led to believe." said Mephisto.
Belial struck the lock with one mighty hoof, smashing it immediately. The guard made one loud snort, then resumed quietly napping.
"Shall we go, mares?" Belial teased.
With Lucius grumbling and Mephisto checking over his shoulder every two minutes, Belial led them down an unkempt stone staircase, barely a few barred windows providing moonlight. The stairs extended further below the surface until it finally opened up to a musty old repository.
"A broom closet? All that for a broom closet?!" Belial whined.
"So short-sighted, Belial! Have a little faith!" Lucius countered.
Lucius began poking around. It was a small room and had not been well-maintained, and it was likely Celestia had wanted to forget that room, along with everything in it. Lucius' eyes latched onto a small manila envelope, tucked away behind several broken Ancient artifacts.
"Oooh, what have we here?" Lucius said, a grin worming its way across his face.
Belial looked on with vicious delight, while Mephisto was merely disappointed.
~
"Where... where did you get... these..." Vance said, slowly sinking into the contents of the documents. "These papers, they're..."
"Incriminating? Yes, quite so. Now let me guess. 'How can I be sure they're real?' you say. Check that seal. It's magically infused into the paper itself, and there's only one pony old and powerful enough to place that complex of a seal on these rather aged papers. Would you like a guess as to whom, or should I just not bother wasting time?" Lucius said with a disturbing grin.
"So why show this to me, then?"
"Have you seen what's on those papers? You've traveled all over the continent, and you disappeared for a sum of time as well. You know the corruption that runs rampant in Canterlot's heart. You're quite the tantalizing asset and you need a place to hide. I propose an exchange. You render to use some of your... services, and in return we keep you hidden from... prying eyes..." Lucius said, dragging out the final consonant.
Vance considered this. He wasn't really trying to hide anymore, so maybe this wasn't such a bad offer? Priorities first, however.
"Extend that offer to Ponyville and it's a deal."
"Very well then." Lucius said, slightly disappointed. "The Nightingales shall watch over Ponyville in exchange for your service. Now if you'll just sign this..." Lucius said, extending a document.
Vance could barely make out any of the words on the document. He was a bit uneasy about signing what he couldn't read, but he decided that this Lucius was worthy of his trust. For now, at least.
~
Over the next several days, crime in Ponyville (or what passed for it) saw a rapid decline, as did the average well-being of any government officials. Vance was somewhat pleased at these results, though he feared he may have unintentionally brought more unwanted attention, as well as provoked his hunters to resume their search with renewed vigor. As per his arrangement, Vance had agreed to help out Lucius in whatever it is that he needed help with.
"A bank robbery? Are you insane?" Vance said, lacking excitement in his voice.
"Well unless I'm mistaken, you're bound to serve in exchange for the Nightingales' protection, are you not?"
"But a bank robbery?"
"Hey, you're not physically taking the money out of the bank, you're just moving it from point A to point B. If everything goes smoothly, nopony will know what happened." Lucius said cooly.
Vance facehoofed. It was all he could do in this situation. From all Vance was told, a bank was robbed and he helped move the money along with several Nightingales. From the newspaper the next day, several thousand bits were lifted from Trottingham's city bank. Vance felt disgusted with himself. Trottingham had fallen on hard times recently, and now Vance had unwittingly helped compound their woes.
"Oh my, a bank was robbed! Oh those poor, poor ponies!" Fluttershy lamented.
"Yeah. Poor. Double entendre." Vance muttered to himself while staring out the window, leaning against the doorway from the kitchen to the living room.
"Vance, have you seen the paper? Oh, it's just awful!" Fluttershy said, extending the paper to Vance.
Reluctantly, he took it and read the whole article from start to finish. He was slightly relieved that neither he nor the Nightingales were identified, but that still didn't ease Vance's conscience by much. Lucius continued to have Vance assist in numerous "endeavors" of his.
"What do we do? What if they come here? Oh, that would be... *gulp* frightening..." Fluttershy worried.
"Shhhh... Everything will be fine, trust me on this one." Vance cooed as he moved in to hug Fluttershy and began stroking her mane.
Fluttershy instinctively grabbed onto Vance's still leg. She enjoyed having him as an anchor for when times got too rough for her. He enjoyed it, too.
"Oh, why can't it just be like this? None of this worrying or bad news, just us, here?" Fluttershy asked, her gaze fixated blankly forward.
Vance had no answer for this. Now, he couldn't even imagine a peaceful existence with just him and his Flutterlove. Everything was determined to drive a wedge through any chance of happiness the two could have together. Fluttershy suddenly cringed and leaned forward.
"Could you get me some more tea and a blanket, please?" she asked, covering her belly.
Fluttershy had been complaining of stomach pains recently, and occasionally she was getting uncharacteristically irritable. Vance thought it was just recent events causing her unneeded stress, and so did everything he could to keep her at ease. It was 1 of the few tasks he enjoyed doing implicitly, both taking care of Fluttershy and keeping his mind off everything going on. For the rest of the day they held on to each other and reclined. They wanted more days to be like this.
~
Vance found strange comfort in being amongst the Nightingales, as they were surprisingly sympathetic to Vance's situation, many of them having been hunted by somepony in Canterlot at some point. The Nightingales were a talented, yet humble group of shadow warriors, each of whom have shed their identity to fight against whatever they see as tyranny throughout Equestria and in some cases beyond.
"You should consider joining us, Vance. You've got the skill set and the motivation, and we'd be honored to have you in our ranks." said a Nightingale.
"R-really? You... really?" Vance said, somewhat stunned at the offer.
These were good stallions and mares, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was the closest thing to a family he felt he ever had.
"So wait, what do you call each other then? Don't you get rid of your names?" Vance asked.
"Well, some of us pick new names, like Subterfuge, Vulpes, or Eclipse..."
"...and some of us just go by 'brother' or 'sister.'"
Vance... couldn't. No. Even with all the danger he was putting her in... he couldn't let Fluttershy go. Not yet.
"I'll... have to pass this time, but maybe one day..."
Not... just... yet...
~
"I think it's time you made some new friends." Lucius said to Vance while they were having one of their public discussions.
Despite everything Vance had done for Lucius, nothing was getting better. The economy was still collapsing, civil unrest was increasing, and it became harder and harder to remain neutral. Several riots had occurred in the southern portion of Equestria, its main agricultural hub.
"Really? The ones you've given me aren't doing what I thought they would." Vance complained.
"They are fulfilling their end of the bargain, as are you. However, these new associates are a bit more... feisty, shall we say."
"How feisty?"
"They may or may not have derailed that train carrying weapons and soldiers last week."
Vance's eye twitched several times. NOTHING was going the way he hoped it would. Vance had to start prematurely destroying Fluttershy's newspaper to prevent the headlines from causing her panic attacks. Unfortunately, Vance could see no way back. Not anymore. There was something big under all these trivialities, but he just couldn't piece it together yet. He needed more time, more information before he could take any action. Much as he hated it, he now needed Lucius.
"My close friend Belial leads a group of militant opposition against Canterlot's tyranny. Those papers I showed you also had some insight of protesters and oppositions groups that 'mysteriously' vanished without warning. Belial's stallions demand Canterlot answer for their crimes, and are met with silence."
"So terrorism is a justified response?"
"You're labeled as one, though your intentions were for a higher purpose. I think if you look at it, you'll see they're not so different from you..."
Lucius dug around in his pouch for a bit before throwing several folders on the table.
"Here. Everything you need to help us avenge those who dared oppose tyranny." Lucius said.
Vance perused through them. Time schedules, train tickets, guard rotations and locations. Whens and wheres, but no whats.
"You mind telling me what these are all for?" Vance asked, a bit confused on what Lucius was planning.
*facehoof* "They're plans to help us infiltrate the Royal Palace in Canterlot! All our efforts have been met with silence, so we will march in there and force them to listen to us!" Lucius boldly declared, making grand gestures. "No more of this cat-and-mouse. They will listen to our demands and then... we will change everything, make Equestria into a better place, fix everything they've broken!"
Lucius had started to go off on a tangent, possibly no longer aware Vance was even there with him. Vance reclined roughly, nearly tipping his chair backwards. What Lucius was talking about was a coup. Vance reread everything given to him. Lucius' intel was very thorough. He mulled the plan over in his head a couple of times. He wanted no part in this ridiculous attempt at usurping Celestia. Regardless of how well Lucius may have planned, there was no way he could force the entire governing body of Equestria to submit to his demands. Still, perhaps this could be an opportunity for Vance to get more information. After all, his former employers were supposedly headquartered in Canterlot as well, and even if Lucius was on a collision course with disaster, maybe Vance could reason with Celestia to figure out why all this was happening. He still felt queasy about technically being part of a coup, but the potential gain was too tantalizing to ignore.
"I'm in."
~
The infiltration had gone smoothly enough. Large numbers of Rebels disguised as civilians had been steadily leaking into Canterlot through the train system over a short period of time. The day Vance arrived was the night everything would commence. Vance met with Lucius in the same park he met Cameroon's sister. He hoped Octavia wouldn't see him like this, a traitor, a Rebel. Lucius introduced the several teams also responsible for the operation. Belial would distract the Royal Guards by staging a riot in the Palace courtyard, Mephisto would secure a means of exit, and Lucius, along with Vance and the Nightingales, would infiltrate the Royal Palace and confront the Celestial Council, and hopefully Celestia herself. The Nightingales proved to be quite adept at creating distractions, taking care of what meager security forces were left behind. Finally they were there. The Royal Throne room. Oddly, nopony was present.
"They may be discussing legislation. Stay here while I go search for the Council." Lucius said, unsheathing his rapier.
After Lucius left, Vance walked around the massive, well-lit room in awe. Stained glass portraits of heroes and legends of old. Moments of great triumph and reminders of great loss. Vance was starting to eye a particular piece closely, as he thought he saw a pony that resembled Fluttershy. Fluttershy? A hero? That... didn't seem likely.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" an angry voice called out as it entered the room.
Princess Celestia.
"There's a riot in my courtyard and the Council dares have the nerve to tell me everything's all right? Who are you? Speak!" she demanded.
"Princess Celestia, I am Vance. Although this probably does look incriminating, I'm not part of this Rebellion. I'm here looking for answers."
"Then that makes two of us." she said. "The Council continuously updates me and says there aren't any issues I need be concerned with, and then my sister approaches me and tells me ships are being burned at port and officials are being foalnapped!"
"Wait... you haven't been seeing what's been going on out there?"
"Apparently not. I'm getting conflicting reports and I'm not sure who to trust, yet when I press for information all I get is ambiguity!"
"Well the economy's collapsing, hostile opposition groups are forming, and your government may be only a puppet regime."
"Ah, I suspected as mu... wait, what? What do you mean 'puppet regime?'"
"Long ago, I signed on as a recruit into the army, then shortly after was contacted by a higher echelon, claiming to be working for Equestria. They sent me and my team all over the map to resolve crises, secure resources, and eliminate important characters. Later, we found out they were completely detached from Equestria, pursuing their own agenda instead, which I now believe is to overthrow you and establish their own rule."
"Hm... I see. And do you have any idea who this group may be?"
"They call themselves the Archaía Áloga."
Princess Celestia froze for a moment and her pupils dilated.
"Are you sure that was their name?" she asked earnestly.
"Yes. Why? What do you know of them?"
Celestia gave a heavy sigh and composed herself, her face taking on a look of grimness and severity.
"During the first several decades of our reign, my sister and I waged a secret war with a group of the same name, and with similar goals. We thought we had stamped them out, but they rose up again after my sister had been corrupted into Nightmare Moon. Again, I thought they were eradicated down to the last pony, but it appears I don't give my foe enough credit. No doubt, they're the ones responsible for deafening me to the brewing rebellion." *long inhale* "I thank you for your honest with me, Vance. You were quite courageous in confronting me, but tell me... did you come here alone?"
"DEATH TO TYRANTS!!!" Lucius screamed, lunging from his hiding place.
Time slowed down for Vance as he watched Lucius' rapier plunge into Princess Celestia's neck. Vance watched in horror as Celestia fell, a triumphant Lucius looming over her with a twisted visage. Mephisto chimed in on the radio to inform them that Belial's rioters had been eradicated with maximum prejudice and with no survivors, but Vance heard nothing. Lucius declared to them all that Celestia, the Great Tyrant, was now dead by his hooves. Rebel operatives, many of whom also were uninterested in a full-on coup, were now in disarray, struggling with what they should do now that their leader had finally lost his mind. The result was a catastrophe, as many of them were caught off guard by the prowling Royal Guards. The Nightingales that had come along returned to the Throne room just in time to see Vance knock Lucius out cold with a vengeful hoof to the face.
~
Fluttershy was out tending to her animals, when suddenly Twilight Sparkle arrived, clearly in a panic and out of breath.
"Oh, hello Twilight! What brings-"
"No time to talk! Pack your things, NOW. I've got to get you out of here before it's too late..."
"What? What are you- *cringe* ... talking about?"
"No talk. MOVE. I'll explain everything once we're safe."
~
All Vance’s planning had just been thrown out the window. This was never supposed to happen. In the ensuing panic, Vance rallied all Rebels loyal to him retreated outside the city, dragging Lucius' sorry flank with him. Lucius was bound by rope, and Vance had decided that for Lucius' treason, there was only one suitable punishment.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this.” Vance said somberly and on the edge of tears, looking down at his former friend.
Lucius looked up past what was his rapier, the spark in his eyes extinguished.
“I’m not.” Lucius said heartlessly.
With that, all remorse left Vance, as he quickly brought down the rapier on its former owner. No emotion to be felt. Vance then boarded the airship Mephisto had stolen for them all and they escaped the city.
~
“This is all Lucius’ fault! That stupid foal!” Vance raged.
Vance and what remained of the Rebel leadership had regrouped just outside of Ponyville. Thanks to Lucius, they were now all labeled as terrorists.
“What now?” said a Nightingale.
Vance paced back and forth, bitterly grumbling to himself.
~
“Is the Helios Cannon ready?” - Themis
“Almost. We just need to ensure its safe to operate. We don’t want a misfire disintegrating half the palace.” - Iapetus
“It’s ready enough to use. Grow a pair, Iapetus.” - Hyperion
Iapetus scowled at Hyperion’s lack of concern for their safety. Who would lead Equestria if they all died? Protogenoi know Luna’s not capable at the moment.
“Have we acquired our target?” - Hyperion
“Yessir. The Catalyst is at full power, the mirrors are adjusted. You’re free to fire when ready.” - Oculus
Suspended in the middle of the room was the Iliaki Krystallo, glowing brightly from all the solar energy it had been collecting. The shrouded six each took up a predesignated position so they formed a perfect hexagon around the Catalyst. Each of their horns began glowing intensely.
~
As Vance continued to try to think up a plan for how he was going to fix this, a small glimmer of light caught the corner of his eye. He turned his head and slowly began to walk towards it.
“What the *squee* is-” *BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!*
Before Vance could finish, the glimmer from Canterlot had become a giant orange laser that blasted dangerously close to his head. He was not the intended target, though. Fluttershy’s cottage was. When Vance determined it was safe to lift himself from the ground, he looked behind him to see his former home had become a raging inferno. Without speaking, Vance just stood there, looking on to the fire that had consumed the mare that gave him purpose. The mare that was always there for him. The mare he loved. The Rebel remnants tried to stir Vance out of his stupor, all unsuccessful, so they left him to his own accord for the remainder of the day. When the sun was finally setting, he took to the air.
And just like that, Vance was gone.
~
Without Vance’s willpower to hold the Rebel ranks together, tensions quickly escalated out of control. Using this cover, the Celestial Council publicly declared that Luna, having sympathized with the Rebel plight out of genuine concern for their pleas, was an enemy of the new Solar Empire. Martial law would be instituted “for the general welfare of all ponies loyal to Celestia and Equestria.” Soon, the Rebels found themselves facing an organized military, and quickly repurposed themselves into the New Lunar Republic, with the goal of destroying the Solar Empire and fixing Princess Luna as rightful heir to Celestia’s throne. The opening stages of the war went disastrously for the NLR. They were at a numerical and technological disadvantage, and nopony could get near Canterlot with the Helios Cannon guarding it. Not only that, but the Solar Empire had the best elite infantry, better officers, and a relentless propaganda machine to indoctrinate the ponies of their territories into conscription. They also enjoyed employing mercenary armies to bolster their already swelling ranks. It seemed as though the NLR was inevitably doomed until, ostensibly out of nowhere, General Trotton, formerly of the Solar Empire and commander of a vast majority of pegasi troops, took all forces loyal to him, captured Cloudsdale and a great number of pegasi outposts, and promptly seceded the northwestern portion of Equestria. This was the saving grace of the NLR, drawing the attention of the Imperial armies off of them long enough for them to regroup and rearm. Firmly entrenched in the southern portions of Equestria, though still fighting a losing battle, the NLR struggles to hang on long enough for two of their best officers to retrieve what could be their last hope.
==========
Bonus points to:
Keystroke: for being my pre-reader
Author’s notes:
Hello, everypony! Dissoriented here with a few post-script items to add:
The 5th in the Strings of Fate series, this piece was a look at the political mindsets of the rulers vs. the rebels, as well as a chance for me to deepen the conspiracy and begin setting up the finale. To be honest, this one was a toughie. Still, for the sake of plot cohesion, it had to be done.
Your Nightingale, faceless writer,
Dissoriented
Disclaimer:
“My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and its derivatives are the intellectual property of Hasbro©. I do not, nor claim to, have the rights to any and all intellectual property this story uses and is partly based on. Steve tried claiming the rights once, and now he can never take part in Doughnut Tuesday again. Shame.