"Hey Rainbow Dash!"
"What's up, Twi?"
"Have you see Starlight Glimmer anywhere? I was going to teach her Haycartes' Method today."
"Sorry, Twi. Haven't see her today, and if anyone would have seen her, it would be your friendly neighborhood eyes in the sky!"
"Huh. This is so weird. We were all making really good progress with her. Where could she be?"
Several Hours Earlier. . .
I had long since given up trying to get an explanation out of Luna's bat-winged Thestral guards. Now, given time to calm down and think, I couldn't help but admire their stealth skills. In the dead of night, the two guards had snuck into Twilight's castle and ambushed me as I slept. I vaguely recall waking up briefly just in time to have a damp cloth placed over my snout. Chloroform, I presumed.
Naturally, I was very vocal after I came to in the chariot, flying through the night nonstop in the direction of Canterlot. What with my. . . anger issues. . . it's a good thing the guards took a route that didn't fly over any major cities or towns, or somepony surely would've heard my ranting. It was also natural that my horn had been coated with a disabling spell to prevent my escape, unless of course I had wanted to jump off of the chariot and kill myself. And believe it or not, I am not that desperate. The end of the world did play a role in my change in ethics and values.
The chariot quickly landed behind the castle, and the two night guards, armed with spears and gruff facial expressions, marched me into the castle, and up a stairwell. Eventually, they came to the room at the top of the tower. I could scarcely contain my shock when the doors opened, and I found myself standing in the personal chamber of Princess Celestia.
I looked up at the Princess of the Sun in utter awe, and my awe was doubled when I noticed that standing to the side, next to the large window was Princess Luna.
Luna nodded to the two Thestrals and said, "Good work, my Elite Soldiers. You performed flawlessly."
The Thestrals each gave a wing salute and said as one, "We live to serve you, Your Majesty!"
Luna turned to her elder sister, who had a stern yet thoughtful facial expression. "Is there anything else you require, sister?"
Celestia shook her head, "No. You may go." Celestia then gave Luna and her guards a long, sweeping, authoritative glance, and said, "Hold fast to the oath you gave. Complete secrecy. This includes Princess Cadence, Prince Shining Armor, Princess Twilight, and the other bearers of the Tree of Harmony's power."
As the ponies of the night nodded and took their leave, I felt goosebumps cover my body. Was there some kind of conspiracy going on? If so, why was I being involved in it?
Celestia cast a spell that bathed the room in light, and it faded. "A Secrecy Spell," Celestia explained, "Nopony can see in through windows, cracks, or keyholes, and no sound can escape either."
I suddenly felt very vulnerable without the use of my magic. I was rather proud of my power, and being stripped of it put me in a really dark place. I don't think I've ever felt so. . .ugh, humbled. So, I promptly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, may I ask why you have brought me here, and what you require of me?"
I changed a quick glance upwards, and the look of disappointment and subtle loathing on Celestia's face burned my very soul. Celestia was so nurturing, like a mother, almost, and it hurt to see someone like that emanate such disappointment.
"Rise," Celestia said simply.
I quickly stood up, and I was beyond nervous. Of course I feared that Celestia had some kind of punishment in store for me.
"Twilight Sparkle told me everything about the two occasions you have. . . crossed paths with her," Celestia said, still wearing that unnerving facial expression.
Now in full panic mode, I frantically stammered out as I looked up at her with pleading eyes, "I'm sorry! Please, let me explain! I was so alone-!"
"I lost my sister for a thousand years," Celestia said calmly, "Believe me, I know how it is to feel alone."
I bit her lip, too afraid to say another word.
"But it appears that Twilight has begun to teach you what I had learned after Luna's banishment," Celestia continued as she approached me. I flinched as Celestia gently placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. It felt so nice and warm. The Princess of the Sun gave a small smile and said, "It's never too late to make new friends."
At that moment I finally began to calm down, and I gave a nervous smile in return as I breathed out as my tense body relaxed.
"However."
I felt her stomach churn at that word. I mentally berated herself for thinking Celestia had me literally kidnapped and brought me here for a pleasant reason. Of course, this was a serious matter, whatever it was.
Celestia took the comforting hoof away, and I felt my body grow colder. Celestia walked her dresser drawer next to her bed and used her magic to take out a piece of folded up, scorched, pale light, grayish aquamarine cloth. The color seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't put my hoof on where I've seen it before.
"All actions have consequences. . ." Celestia said.
I watched as Celestia just merely stared at the scorched cloth for what felt like several minutes. Then, the Princess turned to me and said, "Let me tell you about ideas."
I kept still and quiet as I gave Celestia my undivided attention.
Celestia breathed in and began her lecture, "Ideas are very powerful things, in that they cannot be hidden or destroyed. There are many power artifacts in the world, yet they can be hidden or destroyed. There are many powerful beings in the world, yet they can be sealed away or even killed. But ideas persist. I suppose you could hide or suppress an idea, but that usually does not last long, because you cannot silence every voice or control every mind. Even if you killed everypony who had a certain idea, the idea would still live on and find new hosts to carry it on. But of course, power, and therefore, ideas, can be dangerous in the wrong hands, even a good idea. And an idea that is fundamentally bad. . . well. . ."
Celestia closed her eyes and shuddered. Then she opened them and looked straight at me, saying, "Recently, the School for Gifted Unicorns was bombed."
I gasped as she recoiled in shock. A school full of little unicorn fillies? Why? Composing myself, I asked, "Who would do such a thing?"
Celestia didn't immediately react to the question. Instead, she looked back at the singed cloth and said, "No one was hurt, and at first I attributed it to luck. But it seems that the bombing wasn't intended to actively kill, although the bombers clearly wouldn't have minded. I did everything I could to keep it quiet. I had to pay so much to keep the nobles and any other witnesses quiet. I had to pay to keep the media quiet. It's going to be a nightmare to cover all this up in the paperwork. I might have to dig into my personal stipend. I-," Celestia cut herself off, and she cleared her throat before continuing, "Anyway, the intention was to send a message. And they didn't forget to sign it."
Celestia used her magic to unfold the cloth, and I was completely unprepared for what she saw. The black equal sign emblazoned on the flag was clear to see, and at that moment, I finally remembered where I had seen that unique aquamarine color before.
Trembling in fear, I fell down to the ground and sobbed out, "I didn't do it! I swear it! I had nothing to do with it! Please! Believe me!"
"Relax, my little pony! I know you didn't do it. I know you're not responsible," Celestia said quickly, holding a hoof out to me and switching to a more nurturing tone of voice.
I looked from the flag to Celestia, beyond nervous and confused. "But, but, I don't, I never. . ." she stammered, unable to gather my thoughts. Someone had attacked a school for young ponies in the name of equality? How did that make any sense?
"Here's the thing about ideas, Starlight," Celestia said in a chastising manner, but not in a way that came across as cold or judgmental, "They grow, and they don't care at all about the one who created them."
I went back to being still and paying attention to the wise Princess, waiting to be enlightened to how this had come to be.
"I had my best ponies on this," Celestia said in a professionally leveled tone, "It didn't take too long to piece together what has been occurring in the shadows. It seems that some of the ponies in the village you created had second thoughts about your ideology after you left. They were initially angry at you for secretly keeping your own Cutie Mark, but eventually, this small subgroup of individuals determined that it was simply a necessary evil on your part. In addition, they still believed in the order, structure, and stability that equality gave. Truth be told, they did probably miss their Cutie Marks and the talents they represented, but they still admired the strict structure of equality, and the strong control you possessed. I do not know how this first meeting went, but I can say, with good confidence, that they wanted play your part. They wanted to bring equality to the masses, with them as overseers, or 'more equal' ponies if you will."
My head was spinning from the revelation. 'More equal'? I felt legitimately dizzy, and perhaps a little sick. "But. . . they. . . they want to take over Equestria?!" I stammered out.
Celestia bowed her head gravely and said, "It's. . . complicated Starlight. I'm sure that they truly do believe that Eqeustrian society is riddled with inequality. They probably see unicorn nobles, wealthy earth pony Capitalists, and the pegasi that control the weather as the worst offenders. They look at their own lives, and the lives of other poor or struggling ponies, and resent those who have more wealth and privilege. In this light, their bombing of the School for Gifted Unicorns makes sense. They see the shcool as a way for some ponies to receive higher privileges than others, making them unequal."
At that moment, an image of Sunburst walking into the School for Gifted Unicorns and then getting blown up in a huge explosion flashed before my eyes. That did it. That's what pushed me over the edge. I fell down and wept. I wept for herself, for my horrid plans of revenge against Twilight, for all the years I've denied and scorned true friendship, and for my shattered beliefs in equality.
Celestia was by my side in an instant, draping a wing over my back as she said, her warm touch soothing me, "Now, now, my little pony. Let go of your tears and shame. All that matters is that you stand strong to face the future."
I wiped her eyes and sniffled, and I said, "I just didn't want anypony to change and leave me like Sunburst did. . ."
"So you tried to use equality as a form of control," Celestia said as she lifted her wing off of me. The tall alicorn looked down at me, and said in the voice of a teacher disciplining a student, "You learned the hard way that domination does not lead to friendship. And now, a group of ponies that does not care about friendship has taken your idea away from you and changed it into something even darker. Over a short time, relatively speaking, they have appealed to many ponies across Equestria; both rich and poor, laypony and genius, unknown and influential; in various sectors of our society. They liked the sound of equality, of no one being better or worse than everyone else, of every single pony living in relative comfort without any stressful competition. Many don't realize that in that world, some ponies will indeed be 'more equal' than others. Some actually do realize this, but don't care as long as the 'more equal' group will feed them. And others plan to be part of that 'more equal' group in the Totalitarian future they desire. You must face this, Starlight. YOU created the Equalist Party; a group that is brilliant, ruthless, and will not hesitate to kill anypony who gets in their way."
My eyes widened as she looked up at Celestia. I could see that the Princess was very serious about all this. "I. . . I. . ." I closed my eyes and said, "I had no. . . I just wanted. . . how could. . ." I took a deep breath and let it out, then I looked up at Celestia and asked with guilt in my eyes and voice, "What are you going to do with me?"
Celestia shook her head, "I'm not going to do anything to you. . . well, in a manner of speaking. Actually, you are the one who is going to something. You see, I have a task for you."
Celestia stood up and stood before me as she said, "Starlight Glimmer, you are going to get involved in this Equalist Party."
Filled with resolve and a desire to fix the damage I had caused, I stood up and said determinedly, "Yes, your Majesty! I put an end to them! I'll tell them how wrong they are! I'll-."
"No."
Celestia tone was strong and unyielding. I froze in mid-sentence a gazed at the stone faced Princess.
"I you speak out against them, they will kill you," Celestia said flatly.
I stared at her in shock, letting the severity of her words sink in.
"As I already said," Celestia continued, "Once an idea grows, it cares little about the pony that first created it. However, the Party will consider you as a dangerous threat if you speak out against them. Like it or not, you are the creator of Equalist ideology, and if you are revealed to have given it up, then I am quite sure many ponies will abandon it, or refuse to accept it. These ponies play for keeps, Starlight. The bombing at the school is just the tip of the mountaintop. My ponies have uncovered various plans. Caches of Poison Joke extract, crates filled with smuggled Twittermite eggs and Parasprites, heavy objects accidentally falling out of windows, and many more unnerving plots that we are still unaware of. I am positive that they will take steps to silence you if you oppose them, which is why you must join them."
"What!?" I gasped out, "But how. . . why. . ."
"You will be an agent," Celestia explained, "My eyes in ears within the Party. And as the Starlight Glimmer, you'll have an extra advantage over any other spies I've sent or plan to send in. You'll have greater trust and more access to their plans."
I was impressed, to the say the least. It made perfect sense. It was brilliant! Who would make a better spy than the very herald of Equality itself. My heart was pumping now, my body filled with excitement. "I see," I said, "I can do this. I'm willing to do this, Princess. All I wanted was friendship, and this Equalist Party could ruin everything. I'll do anything I can to help. I'd be willing." I frowned as I looked up sadly at the Princess and asked, "But. . . why did you decide to kidnap me in secret? Why didn't you tell me to come here?"
"Because we couldn't let the Party now that I had spoken to you," Celestia said, "Also, we've found that there were no Party members in Ponyville, at least not at the time of your reformation. We also couldn't allow Twilight and the others to know about this either."
"But Twilight's the Princess of Friendship," I questioned, "Shouldn't she be involved. I mean, she and her friends are really important. And they're my friends too."
"Not anymore. . ." Celestia said softly.
I was caught entirely off guard by this comment. "What?" I asked, "What do you mean?"
"Starlight," Celestia said in a sad tone, "Once you join the Party, they will surely publicize your endorsement freely and widely. Ponies far and wide will all know of you and your supposed ideology."
It all became clear an instant, and I stared up at Celestia in utter disbelief. She wanted me to pretend to betray the friends I had just made. Not just in Ponyville, but back in Our Town as well. I had just made amends with everypony, and now I was going to break their hearts and betray their trust. "You. . . you can't be serious! You want them to think. . . After all they . . . That's not fair!" I stammered out.
Celestia spread her wings wide and towered over me, glaring down harshly as she said, "Do you think it's fair to have to deal with the mess you've made! Do you have any idea how much time and effort it took bring peace to Equestria? The Equestria of today, or rather, the Equestria of several months ago, was a utopia compared to the time surrounding Luna's banishment. Yes, we've had Discord, Sombra, Tirek, and whatnot, but those were events that lasted a day at most. Centuries ago, Equestria was filled with civil unrest. The slogans and terrorist attacks of the New Lunar Republic still haunt my memories, not the mention the numerous other 'Master Race' obsessed sects that popped up, all begging to spawn a Wendigo or two. It took hundreds of years to purge society of those parasites, and now a new one, one many times more dangerous than those that came before, has arisen. And like it or not, you are responsible. You took something that was your problem and made it all of Equestria's problem. Millions will suffer if it is not fixed, so it is perfectly reasonable for you to make a few temporary sacrifices. It is also reasonable for me to give you this task not as a request, but as an order."
The guilt returned even stronger, and I realized how much I had hurt even the ruler of Equestria herself. At this moment, Celestia softened her gaze and said, "I know you regret your actions, and you want to make amends. This is the way in which you must do so. I care about all my little ponies so very dearly, yourself included. It pains me to have to force you into a role that is uncomfortable for you, but the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. I can only ask that you would take on this task willingly, and keep in mind that once the Equalist Party has been dismantled, your friends will surely understand your actions in light of truth, and welcome you back with great joy."
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I knew what saying yes would mean. My whole life would change yet again. I'd be walking a dark, shadowy path. I'd be all alone again. But it would not be forever. It could possibly take years, but it wouldn't be endless. I'd take down this Equalist Party from the inside out, and once they were gone, my friends would be told the truth, and all of them, especially Twilight, will understand how deep my resolve to change really went.
"I'll do it," I said, "Willingly. I figured I got of a bit easily after everything I did. And it only hit me harder when I stopped to think about how my tampering with time nearly put all of Equestria in jeopardy. I think I can handle this task, if only to keep innocent ponies from suffering because of me."
Celestia nodded, "Very good. Now, we won't be sending you out blind. You're going to need to learn many skills, techniques, and protocol for this job. You'll be training under Special Agent Sweetie Drops for several weeks, then you'll be making contact with the Equalist Party via our current spies. . ."
Several weeks later. . .
I stepped down the steps into the cellar of a Manehatten office building. A lone light-bulb hanging from the ceiling illuminated the room. It's light fell upon a table in the room, and behind the table stood a pony a recognized. He was a slightly overweight pony from Our Town. He had a light brown coat and a grey mane and tail both cut short. He was owner of a clothing shop back in Our Town, and right now he wore a long straw colored cloak that covered his Cutie Mark.
"Long time, no see, Starlight," he said with a thin grin that I found a bit unnerving.
I nodded to him, and then gazed around the dark room, "This isn't much of a base of operations. And I heard there was more than one of you in charge of the Party."
The stallion chuckled and closed his eyes, shaking his head as he said, "We're never all in the same place Starlight. Not unless we absolutely, positively have to. Not even your return is serious enough to gather us all together, no offense. But don't you worry. Things will run smoother than silk once our influence really starts to pick up. And no, this isn't our home base. It's just a temporary locale for us. It helps to keep those inequality protecting guards off our tails."
The stallion, now smiling a smile straight from my reign of Our Town, leaned closer to me and said, "Now, we finally have you Starlight, and your magnificent Cutie Mark removal spell."
I shook my head quickly and said, "Sorry, friend, but I it would be a bad idea to start using that now. It would be best to save it for when we've spread our influence far enough across Equestria. Our numbers are still small, so removing the Cutie Marks of our follows now would leave them weak and talent-less in the eyes of the massive, damaging our cause. We need to build our numbers up so that we're the majority, and then use our numbers to overthrow the oppressive 1%. Then, and only then, can we relieve our subjects of their pesky Cutie Marks."
Still smiling that smile, which I finally saw the creepiness off, the stallion raised his right fore hoof high and said, "Surely, you are of a superior mind to the less equal masses, Premier Glimmer."
A cold shudder ran down my back, as the title given to me only filled me with dread.
Two weeks later. . .
I pretended to blow my nose into a tissue, and then tossed the tissue into one of the numerous trashcans throughout Manehatten. However, this was a special trashcan, and I tossed a special tissue into it. Written on the tissue, in invisible ink, was the following message:
SASD. Sunk in bay. Crate of zap apple jam. In jars are plastics bags with folded up copies of gov docs. Watch for fishing boat. Intercept via coast guard ship at signal. You'll know it when you see it. 40°41'52.8"N+74°01'27.3"W
I was headed down to the bay right now, where I would meet the Party member on the boat, the boat that we would take to pick up the crate full of sensitive documents. This was a big moment, so I would be there to witness is personally. There had been several other smaller schemes that had occurred earlier on, during which I got a chance to meet the other higher ups in the party, but never all at the same time or place. I've been traveling far and wide, to say the least, making it impossible to tip the authorities off and have them all arrested at once. But I suppose it's not like Celestia could do that yet anyway. Thanks to freedom of speech and whatnot, we couldn't simply outlaw the Equalist Party. Sure, there was the bombing at the school, but so many citizens had already joined the Party that they could claim that the crime was committed by a smaller extreme minority group that didn't accurately represent the good, true, pure, honest message of Equality.
Therefore, I found myself forced to stick to the plan. I had already secretly foiled several of the Party's smaller schemes. A taxi driver 'accidentally' crashed into a Party truck loaded with Twittermite eggs, which were promptly confiscated and disposed of. Several cases of Poison Joke laden cider got 'lost' in the mail. I owe a lot to Special Agent Sweetie Drops, and old pro from the Monster Capturing Unit, now out of retirement to take down the Equalist Party. I'd imagine it must seem quite easy to her, as it didn't take any heavy work on her part. And yet, I think my role might be harder than her old one. I have to live a lie, always keeping a persona in front of the Party members, and hte public. It was torture, having to think about the friends I had gained and lost so quickly. Having to walk this road alone. And what made it worse was that in the end, I had no one to blame but myself.
I was suddenly wrenched out of my thoughts when someone grabbed roughly by the shoulder and turned me around. I could scarcely belief who it was.
"Howdy," she said with an expression of pure loathing on her face.
I swallowed hard and said, "What are you doing here?"
"Visitn' mah Aunt Orange," she replied coldly, still shooting a death glare at me, "Didn't expect to see you here, little miss traitor."
Those words hurt, but I forced myself not to show it. I turned to leave, but the irate farmpony grabbed my by both shoulders and shouted in my face, "Don't you run away from me! Ah never really trusted you! Ah told Twilight that we couldn't just turn ya loose! And here you are, trying ta turn all of Equestria into your creepy equal town!"
The training Sweetie Drops put me through also included how to stay calm under pressure, and how to always keep thinking in any situation. This helped a lot at this moment. In fact, I realized that I was still unsure of how to signal the coast guard ship, or how to keep suspicion off of myself. Lucky for me, the answer was right in front of me.
"I don't have time for this," I said curtly, "Thousands of ponies suffer under inequality EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES!" I made sure to shout with insane looking rage, which had the added effect of making Applejack back away. I was certain I looked just as unhinged as I did back during our first encounter in Our Town. I continued, "But once I get what's in the bay, it'll be-." I made my eyes go wide and shut my mouth tight.
"It'll be what?" Applejack questioned me with a suspicious look.
Hook, line, and sinker.
I used my Self Levitation spell to slip out of Applejack's grasp and took off at top speed. I felt a pang of regret as I recalled my flying lessons with Rainbow Dash. At any rate, the stage was set. I just hoped I had Applejack, as well as the timing, well figured out.
I was at the harbor in seconds, and I knew that enough time had passed for Sweetie Drops to have picked up and read the tissue message. That meant she was alerting the operatives in the coast guard right now. I landed on the docks and walked over to the fishing boat, where an aging, impatient looking pale, light grayish cerulean pegasus with a wavy gray mane and tail. He also wore a dark grayish blue jacket. For a Cutie Mark, he had a flight helmet with a pair of goggles.
I approached him with a smile and said, "Here I am, friend."
He frowned in my direction and said, "Took you long enough. Let's get this show on the road."
I winched a bit at his sharpness. I also knew that I needed to stall for time, which made his impatience a challenge.
"You don't seem very content," I said.
the pegasus tensed up further and said, "I won't be 'content' until we've ripped the Cutie Marks off of those idiotic Wonderbolts' incompetent flanks!"
"You don't like the Wonderbolts?" I pressed further.
"I'm bucking Wind Rider!" the stallion spat at me, scowling viciously at me, "I was the greatest Wonderbolt that ever was! Until that upstart Rainbow Dash came in a kicked me out of the picture! And what do those inferior Wonderbolts do when I try to defend my honor from her? They kick me out and spit on my legacy! Well, they'll regret doing that! I swear it! It's about time they learned that they aren't so good! That they're just as common and low as all the other ponies in Equestria! They'll all fade under obscurity and equality, while I stand out as the only one who was ever better than anyone else!"
I stared at Wind Rider with a straight face, although inside I was heart broken. Here was a pony who was using my ideology of Equality as a way to bring others down and bring himself up. And it hurt more still as I drew parallels between his hatred of Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts to my previous hatred of Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
"Why are you just standing there!?" Wind Rider barked at me, "Let's get moving already!"
I chanced a quick glance around, trying to think of a way to stall him further, as well as backup plan if Applejack didn't get here in time and do. . . something. . .
I boarded the fishing boat, one of the many vehicles built for hauling in fish for feeding animals and whatnot. I took another quick glance around and said, "Are you sure there aren't any loose lips or big ears around here?"
"Of course I'm sure," Wind Rider said impatiently.
"But-,"
"There's no time for this. Stop asking questions and let's get going!" he snapped.
I sighed and gave a nod. Putting on a confident face, I walked over into the cabin and started the small motor. As the sound of the machine filled the air, I wracked my brain for a plan B. If I used magic to cause a disturbance, Wind Rider would know it was me. Even if I had Wind Rider arrested, the rest of the Party would have suspicions about what could have happened. That's why I needed an outside source for the signal, like-
"Hold your horseshoes, ya'll!"
I smiled.
Of course, I wiped it off of my face as I turned and ran out to see Applejack standing on the deck, with Wind Rider staring her down.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Wind Rider shouted.
"My thoughts exactly!" I screamed as well, making sure to put a little extra volume in my voice.
Applejack lifted the brim of her hat as she gazed in my direction and said in a seriously low tone, "You've got a big mouth, Starlight. Ah don't know what you're doing here, but it don't matter what. All Ah know that it's here, and Ah ain't gonna let it happen. Your crooked equality scheme is gonna fail."
"You've got no right to trespass on our property!" I shouted, "The Equalist Party has a right to exist in this free nation! So leave!" I reared up on my hind legs and charged up my horn. I put all the power I had into making my Blinding Light spell as bright as possible. I slammed my hooves down hard and released the spell, and that spell had to have been my biggest and brightest, if I do say so myself.
When the light faded, Applejack had her hat over her eyes and Wind Rider was rubbing at his eyes. When Wind Rider regained his sight enough to see Applejack still standing there, he turned to me and said, "What are you doing!? Don't you know any forceful or painful spells?"
Applejack lifted the brim of her hat up again and pointed an accusing hoof at Wind Rider, "I know you. . . you're that ex-Wonderbolt crook who tried to frame Rainbow Dash!"
Wind Rider turned his head fast to look at Applejack with renewed anger and hate, and he said, "You know that little upstart?"
Applejack ignored the pegasus and said to me, "Ya know, it makes sense that a coward and traitor like you would be working with worthless waste of space like him."
"I'LL KILL YOU! YOU MUD PONY!" Wind Rider roared as he flew straight at Applejack, knocking her down to the deck.
I was actually frightened for my friend for a moment, but it passes quickly as I recalled my time at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was tough farmpony that could easily take on an aging pegasus stallion. I watched as Wind Rider landed several punches on Applejack's body, but she quickly rolled him over and punched right back. I stood there, ready to jump in a pull them apart with magic in case things got bad, but also making sure to act like I was struck by indecision and concern. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a white coast guard boat approaching.
Knowing that was my cue, I shouted in a loud voice, "You've ruined everything, Wind Rider, you FOOL!" I then used my Self Levitation spell to fly away from the area.
Even as I flew away, I knew what would happen. Thanks to the operatives on that coast guard boat, Wind Rider would be going to jail for a long time, especially with the Element of Honesty's account of him threatening her life, shouting a racial slur at her, and landing the first hit, or should I say hits, on her. Then they'd retrieve those valuable jars from the bottom of the bay. And I fixed it perfect enough to keep me out of suspicion. I knew that a Party member had been watching the whole scene, and from the outside looking in, this failure was clearly Wind Rider's fault. The loss of the documents could even be attributed to him spilling his secrets to the authorities. And for good measure, I'd even admit to letting it slip to the Element of Honesty due to my frustration.
And so, another mission completed. Another blow to the Equalist Party. Another day where the friends I had lost so recently still hate me. One day soon, I'll be free of this. One day, the Equalist Party will fall apart, and the values of the Tree of Harmony would take their rightful place as the way to govern, interact, and make friends.
But until then, I walk this lonely dark road, and I walk it alone.