Aftermath of a Fallen Star

by Rated Ponystar

Prison Escape (Fastlane)

I could feel the iron taste of blood in my mouth as they dragged me down the moss ruins of the old castle halls. I had seen the decaying structure before during my scouting runs, but I never imagined that the Princess’s Royal Guards were using them as a base. They weren’t gentle as they dragged me by my forelegs, chains and everything. I think I cracked a rib, and my wings hurt felt like they had been pummeled into paste.

I had to have been through about three or four hours of physical punishment from the guards before they decided to give up and try again tomorrow. They could try all they want. I wasn’t going to tell them anything about me or The Equestrian’s First.

They claimed I was a traitor and a terrorist, but I knew what I was. A patriot. A pony fighting to restore honor, and dignity, to this once great nation. I wasn’t one of the princess’s sheep who were following the laws of a long dead pony. I was a true Equestrian.

The two guards halted in their movements as I heard the unlocking of a door, followed by the sound of somepony else getting hit with a few bronze horseshoes. My eyes opened with hope that another of my scouting squad had survived the ambush, but it was some earth pony I never saw before. He was as black as the night sky, with a dirty brown mane that covered his eyes. There were quite a few scars on his barrel, and not from the recent beating. I didn’t know who this guy was, but I guessed the Royal Guards will beat up anypony these days. Even the innocent.

My attention broke from the other prisoner as I was hoisted up and chained to another chain. This time I was hung in the air, looking down at my captors. Their hatred for me was quite clear in their eyes, but I felt the same feeling right back at them. I couldn’t wait ‘till the day our dream was fulfilled all those so called “moderates” and “sparkheads” got what was coming to them. I didn’t care if it was going to be in this life or the next, I would be hailed a hero among the other fallen upon victory day.

“I’m going to ask you one more time, scumbag,” growled the unicorn guard as he got in my face. “Tell us the headquarters of the Equestrian’s First base, and we just might have you keep your head.”

My response was to spit in his face to which he punched me in the stomach in return. “Let’s go. Maybe he’ll think it over after a night in jail,” said the other guard. The guards hurting the other prisoner also stopped and followed their fellow guards out of the cell.

Taking a good look of my surroundings I could tell that this was almost as old as the castle ruins. The metal was rusty, but still strong enough to hold me and my fellow captor. There were open windows I could fly out from, but my wings were roped together. It was just me and my unconscious fellow prisoner.

I grit my teeth and started praying to Faust. I knew I wouldn’t live to see freedom. I knew the risks that came with signing up with the Equestrian’s First. My father would have been proud of me if he was still here. I wondered if Skye Swipe would be proud of me. She told me to not join, but I had to do it. I had to fix this country from the direction it was going. For Dad. For Mom. For Her. For all of us ponies who were trapped in this bucking mess that Twilight Sparkle-may she rot in tartarus-gave us when she died.

Maybe I should have blamed Princess Celestia and Luna for enforcing those reforms of hers onto us-which I did-but it was Twilight Sparkle who I blamed the most. She started those changes that lead to my life being ruined. To so many lives being ruined. She claimed it was for a better age, but it was nothing but manure. We were fine living our lives as they were! What right did she have to change what we already proved to the world was the best way of living?

I sighed as I tried to get some shut eye. I figured it was best to face death well rested.

I woke up to the sound of our cell door opening. Looking at the windows I could tell it was time for the sun to be setting. A long guard with a water bucket and spoon walked into our cell, whistling a tune. He went to the black earth pony first, nudging him to see if he was awake. When he got no response he shrugged and turned around to make for me.

Then, just as quick as lighting, the earth pony’s rear legs wrapped around the guards and started choking him. My eyes widen as I held my breath in sight of the display. The guard struggled as the life was choked out of him. Eventually, his eyes closed and he went limp.

I did my best to hold in my lunch. Despite being part of the Equestrian First for about a year, I had never seen a dead body before now. I was just a scout. I was never sent on missions where raids and assaults were conducted, although I wished I was. I heard the bombing of the Princess Celestia’s School of Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot was our biggest feat yet. It was done during the fifteenth anniversary of that bucking mare’s death.

You may think I am a monster for being happy that ponies were killed, but they are killing our Equestrian spirit. They are killing us all with their laws. There are plenty of us who have suffered, and just as many who will not “conform” like the rest of the ponies in Equestria. They are not Equestrian. I am.

The pony who killed the guard didn’t let go, he used his long tail to grab the keys from the dead guard’s waist before dropping him. Lifting his lower body up, he used his tail like an expert to reach the lock with the keys and used them to free himself.

“H-hey!” I whispered, shaking my chains in an attempt to get his attention. “Let me out too! Please!”

“And why should I?” he asked with a gruff voice, glaring at me from behind his long mane with cold eyes.

I gulped but kept my calm. “Because I know these woods. I know the area of the land. Plus, there is a safe shelter that I can take us to rest until the coast is clear.”

He stared at me for a good long while. I was afraid that he was going to ditch me or that another guard would come in and see us. However, my fears were set aside as he walked over and used the keys to free me from all my chains. Including my wings.

I wanted to sing in praise while flapping the feeling back into them, but I knew the most important thing was to get out of here. “Okay, let me wrap my legs around you. I can fly us out.”

“Okay, name is Black Lightning by the way,” he said as I saw that his cutie mark showed three lightning bolts pointed at the ground.

“I’m Fastlane” I replied with a smile. I didn’t know who he was or why he was in prison with me, but I was just glad I had an ally.

Grabbing him by the waist, I grunted at the size of the stranger who rescued me before dragging us out through the window. I flew as carefully as I could towards the forest floor, hoping that a sentry wouldn’t spot us. When we reached the ground, we tumbled a bit, but were quick on our hooves.

“Move it kid. Before we get arrows fired at our flanks,” growled Black Lightning, which I quickly nodded in agreement.

Thus, with my new friend, we made our way into the forest.

We traveled non-stop until night came, making sure to be as quick yet quiet as possible. More than once we had to stop just in case we were being followed, but we soon arrived at one of the safe locations us scouts could use if we were ever in danger. It was a dark cave, hidden by some tall plants, where the stored food, water, and fire equipment was left for use.

Black Lightning whistled a bit before he sat down. “Have to hoof it to ya, kid. You knew what you were doing.”

“Us Equestrian’s First ponies know how to deal with any situation that comes our way,” I said with pride.

“Equestrian’s First, huh?” said Black Lightning, with little interest. “Aren’t you one of those terrorist cells that’s been around ever since Princess Twilight’s death?”

“We are not terrorists! We are the last defenders of the true Equestria! Believes of the path we once held before Princess Celestia decided to take every last damn reform of her dead apprentice and force it on us!” I shouted, growling.

“Others say differently,” replied Black Lighting.

I stomped my hoof, “We are patriots who want our nation to go back to the way it was. The way its suppose to be. We’ll force the princesses to give us back our way of life, and we’ll target only those who we deem a threat to our great nation and cause. The politicians, military, even the Elements of Harmony if we must. We will drive away the invaders, restore our old ways, and show the world that Twilight Sparkle wasn’t a hero but a traitor who brought only ruin and despair to our nation.”

I took a few deep breaths as Black Lightning looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Well, you're quite the believer.”

“And what about you?” I asked, glaring.

“Me? I don’t care about politics. I just work for whoever pays me the most,” he replied as he grabbed the fire starter kit and got to work.

“I see,” I said, relaxing a bit. “You’re a mercenary?”

“Yup,” muttered Black Lightning. “I work for whoever pays me. Reason I got caught was because those guards recognized me in the village nearby as a wanted stallion.”

While I wished he was a believer in the cause like me, a mercenary as fine to deal with. We hired some of them at times with our raids anyway.

After we got the fire started, we started to eat and drink. All the torture they put us through made me work up an appetite. When we finished, we just stare at the fire in silence. I tried to think about what to do when morning came and alert the others about the guards in the area. But all I could think about was Black Lightning. Seeing him kill that guard made me think he had some skills we could use.

“Hey,” I said, getting his attention. “Would you like to work with us? You don’t have to join, but we have a few rich patrons who support us and they can pay you.”

His eyebrow rose, but he didn’t answer me yet. “Maybe. Answer me this. Why did ya join up with such a group in the first place?”

I bit my lip as I stared into the fire with such hatred that not even the intensity of the flames could match. “My family... they worked in the Weather Factory for years. Since it was first built. My father, grandfather, and great grandmother all worked hard at the factory.  My sister and I were going to work there when were old enough.”

I could remember how proud my father was when I showed him my school essay on how I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. My father was everything to me. He was a proud family pony, one who always had your back if you were friends with him. And he was never ashamed to fight for his beliefs.

“My father worked in the cloud making department. Had some of the best hooves in pounding the clouds that you ever saw,” I said with a smile. It soon faded when I thought about what happened two years after the death of Twilight Sparkle. “Then things changed. Princess Celestia started putting into effect those... those work laws!” I spat at the ground in disgust. “Now anypony could get a job regardless of their cutie mark. My father said it was the worst thing ever. How could you trust somepony to do their job if they’re not naturally talented in it? Accidents could happen. Lives could be at risk. Would you trust somepony who had a cutie mark with a heart for a heart problem? Or one who’s cutie mark was a mop and a bucket?”

“You’re dad was very vocal I, take it?” asked Black Lightning.

“Hay yeah he was. He wasn’t the only one either. We had earth ponies, unicorns, and even those bloody griffins of all things working at what used to be a pure pegasus job. The weather factory was founded by pegasi, and it was one of our biggest prides! Why should we share it with ponies who know nothing of the skies, and murderous predators like the griffins?!”

“They must have gone on strike if they were that angry, right?”

“They did, but it didn’t work. They hired replacements with the wages and benefits of those who deserve it!” I shouted, wishing I could take those heads of every job stealer their was and burn them in that fire we had. “Some of the strikers eventually went to work-cowards they are-but my father stayed strong. He never let up and continued to fight. He even challenged one of the unicorns, whose cutie mark was a fire hydrant of all things, to see who could make a better cloud...” I folded my arms and growled. “...he... he lost...”

“Ouch, that had to hurt,” whispered Black Lightning.

“My dad... wasn’t the same after that. He refused to get another job, said it would be dishonoring the family tradition. We got poorer, he started drinking. Mom eventually got sick and we couldn't even afford the medical bills until my sister gave in and started working for the factory. I understood her reasoning, Mom was ill and all, but my dad...” To this day I still remember holding my sister as she cried when Dad disowned her. My mother all but had it at that point. She claimed my father’s pride was killing our family, but she couldn’t see it was those thieves who stole my dad’s job that did. “ My parents divorced. My mother taking my sister... and me staying with my dad.”

“I never knew my parents,” whispered Black Lighting. “I was an orphan raised in the deserts. Had to learn how to fight and survive. You’re father proud of you being a member of the Equestrian’s First?”

“I... I think he would be... if he was still alive...” I whispered, a tear flowing down my cheek. “Years passed. I took a few part time jobs to support us, but eventually my father couldn't take it anymore... I came home one night... and he hung himself with a note that said... that he was sorry...” I covered my eyes with my hooves, doing my best not to sob like a baby in front of my friend. I can still see his pitiful face. The hopelessness he had as he hung there on the ceiling, swinging back and forth. It took me five hours to finally get the courage to get him down and call for help.

“I couldn’t even have a cremation for him,” I whispered in anger. “I couldn’t afford it, and my mother refused to pay a single bit to him. I had to bury my dad. Bury him! A disgrace for a pegasus!” I took a few deep breaths, calming myself. “My dad didn’t kill himself. He was murdered. Murdered by those thieves who are taking our jobs, and don’t deserve it. Murdered by those laws Princess Celestia and Luna are enforcing. Murdered by the ideology of Twilight bucking Sparkle. I hate her. I hate everything about her. She murdered my father and I only wish I murdered her with those five guards!” I pounded the floor and glared at Black Lighting. “That’s why I fight. To restore Equestria to its former glory. We will bring back our way of life before Twilight Sparkle even was born and my father will rest in peace then.”

Black Lightning stared at me for a long time, I felt exhaustion finally overcome me but I was glad to finally get my full story out. I didn’t care if he was a stranger, we were both escapees and I guess I had to trust him.

“You do know that chances are you’ll die fighting, right?” asked Black Lighting. “I mean you’re only six hundred or so members from what I hear..”

“Actually, we’re just four hundred,” I admitted, shrugging. “But it doesn’t matter. Once we get to the home base, we’ll tell about how Celestia’s so called guards roughed us up and expose them. Then we’ll get our revenge. Maybe they’ll even let me in on the raids.”

“As long as I get paid, I don’t care,” whispered Black Lighting, leaning against the wall of the cave. “Where is this base anyway?”

“I guess since you’re going to be one of us, I can tell ya. It’s inside the Foal Mountains,” I replied as I yawned and smacked my lips. “We just need to take Highstone Hill Path, turn west at the red bark trees, and go under a secret tunnel hidden by an illusion spell. Follow the path, and you get to the base where we live. It’s a secret clearing hidden by the clouds of the mountains, right between the two biggest ones.” I smiled thinking about home and all my friends there who would be welcoming me back with open hooves.

“And that’s all I needed to know.”

My eyes opened. “Wait. Wha-”

Before I could say anything else I felt something shock me and I fell unconsciousness.

I felt like half of my body was completely numb. I groaned as I woke up from whatever it was that shocked me, but I soon wished I didn’t. I was back in my cell, chained again, but this time Black Lightning was smiling at me with such a grin my spine shivered.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” I shouted, struggling to free myself from my bonds. I looked out the window and saw that it was daytime. “It’s... morning?”

“Actually, it;s two mornings since you last woke up. Stunned ya a bit too hard there and ya went nighty night for about two whole days. Too bad you missed all the fun!” Black Lighting said to me happily.

“Fun?”

He pointed downward, and when I looked down I screamed. Bile rose from my throat as I puked all over the decapitated head of Creed, the now dead leader of Equestrian’s First. I felt my heart race as tears began to fall from my eyes. How could this have happened?! How could he be dead?! He.. He... I looked at Black Lightning with realization and horror. “You... you set me up...”

“Bingo! Give the ponya prize! He finally figured out that he, in one single night, gave the most vital information to a friend who happens to have been hired by Princess Luna,” said Black Lightning as he clapped his hooves. “That information lead to the utter destruction of the Equestrian’s First group, where I think maybe eighty or ninety percent of them are dead. With the rest awaiting trial for treason, terrorism, murder, theft, assault, and whatever other laws that will surely send them to the gas chambers or life imprisonment. Not to mention the added bonus of finding out that your now dead leader here was in contact with other terrorist groups, and we have more information to help take them out too.”

He leaned forward and bopped me on the nose. “And it was all thanks to you. You stupid, native, pathetic idiot.”

“But.. but I saw you kill that guard!”

“He was playing dead kid. Really good at it too,” said Black Lightning as he turned around and made his way towards the gate.

“You... you bucking bastard!” I screamed as I shook even harder on the chains. “I trusted you! We could have paid you twice as much as they were!”

“Seriously? Do you know how much the princesses pay me to deal with guys like you? If I didn’t enjoy my job so much I’d retire,” he said looking at me with a snort. “Also, that sob story you told me? I’m soooo going to use that in the future.”

I snarled at him. “Yeah right. Like anypony is gonna believe an earth pony worked at the factory.”

“Hmm, true. Maybe then I should make myself somepony believable then,” he said before his entire body began to glow in green flames. I gasped as they surrounded his entire body, and in a split second I was looking at myself.

The copy of me was grinning as he put up a mocking face of sorrow. “Oh woe is me! I’m angry at the world because my dad was a stubborn racist idiot who believes that pride is more important than family or supporting them. He could have kept his job, but he decided to be a moron and lose it just because a few new ponies were going to come in and live out their dreams. And then he decides to not get any other job because he’s a useless pack of manure, my mother leaves him, and he realizes the world is better off without him so he kills himself.”

“Shut up!” I shouted, but he continued on, moving closer and closer.

“And then I decided to make my dad proud by joining a group of killers who are responsible for innocent pony deaths and refuse to go along with a world that is adjusting to change. Woe is me! Woe is me!”

“Buck you changeling!” I shouted, tears in my eyes. I didn’t want to listen to this. I wanted nothing more than to just fly away and never stop. My dad wasn’t pathetic! He was a hero! My cause wasn’t wrong! It was right! We were trying to restore our harmony damnit! To protect Equestria from those evil cockroach invaders like him!

The changeling turned into his sick insect-like form and smiled at me. “The name is Stag, loser. And I hope you enjoy that performance because its the last one you’ll get before the executioner comes and takes your head. Then your body will be buried-like your loser of a dad-and you can join him in death. Oh, and don’t worry about your sister and mother. We’ll reassure them that you died like the crying little wimp that you are.”

“... I hate you... I hate you...” I whimpered as everything I had fell apart. Our cause... our great cause... dead. The Equestria I had dreamed to restore was gone. All because of me... I.... I ruined it... I ruined everything.

“Whatever, kid. See ya in the obituaries,” said the changeling known as Stag as he whistled a tune and left me alone to rot.

All I could do was cry and await my death.