Aftermath of A Fallen Star
By Rated Ponystar
Edited by The Unnamed Pawn and Commander X5
Pre-Read by: Magic Man and Chaotic Note
Prison Escape (Fastlane’s POV)
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.
***
He didn’t stop crying
Not until the axe separated his head
He was buried in a shallow grave
Alone and forgotten
perhaps a moron?
about halfway into the dream/confession/killing of the guard
Well I saw that the breakout was staged. Didn't see that it was Stag though. Probably should have, with what little backstory he gave.
Sometimes this website needs the ability to like a story more than once. Great job and keep up the amazing work
*counter-terrorists win.wav*
Nope, didn't see Stag making a comeback at all, but hot damn did he ever! Nice!
Seriously though, one of the things I love about this whole story is your great knack for mixing in bits and pieces of world building as you go. And this chapter did that in spades. Well done!
YES! STAG IS AWESOME! :D
Can we see moar of him in the future, please?
Well, I feel a bit sorry for the guy
.......
.......
.......
Yes I said that, problem?
Stag, you magnificent bastard. And honestly, I cannot pity Fastlane. His fathers own actions destroyed his family, but the two of them were too stubborn to see it and blamed others for their own damn problems. "Oh Boo hoo, ponies who aren't my race or share my Cutie Mark are doing the same work as me now, I'm gonna go on strike. Oh Woe is me, a pony with a fire hydrant cutie mark made better clouds than me, I might as well stew in my own misery and let my family suffer because of it until the point I completely wreck it." and Fastlane is even worse for supporting that kind of stupidity. "Oh, I'm going to blame everyone except my father for his own actions. I'm gonna support terrorists who bomb schools with children in them and murder innocents all in the name of the 'Original Equestria'."
Fastlane, a stupid kid that got what he deserves in the end. At least they got rid of their ku klux klan instead of continuing on like our evil.
Though I do wonder if there will be terrorist groups that formed that call for a new way to be the ultimate progressives. A group that is trying to get rid of the nobility in areas not affected by Equestria's progress moments (outside of the country). It be a interesting twist in deal with a problem Celestia or most don't want to deal with especially if ponies that are dying are some of the kind Equestria is glad to be rid of.
Also, are we going to see Twilight's sister or not.
6119456
Pretty sure it is implied that the fic that will be sequel to this will heavily feature her.
This took forever.
That was Stag? This story just keeps on getting better.
I like how, in the final legacy poem, he didn't get a title. Fastlane was just 'he.' Generic and quickly forgotten.
In other news...
"Captain, Hype Levels are reaching critical!"
To me, the worst kind of evil is the kind that thinks they're in the right.
So Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and everyone else are just going to continue to spit on Twilight's grave, huh? They're going to keep killing people they don't need to kill, just to satisfy their own bloodlust. They're not doing this for her anymore, they're doing this to make themselves feel better. And for just a moment they proved Twilight's killers right to everyone who isn't %100 loyal to Celestia and Luna.
I really hope that's what you were going for, because that's what it seems like.
Not bad. I figured it was all a ruse the moment "Black Lightning" started getting really chatty about wanting to know the location of the base.
Poor Fastlane. I feel just a little sorry for him. Still, it's not his fault his whole family situation went south. No, Stag summed it up pretty well: his dad let his pride get in the way, and it outweighed his responsibilities to his family.
And it's Fastlane's fault for further twisting the situation and joining up with the Equestrian's First.
Damn...this was pretty far along the timeline.
Missing a space there.
6119497 YES FINALLY WE GET TO SEE HIM!
6119514
They are killing terrorists. Terrorists who it is confirmed by Fastlanes thoughts BOMBED Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Remember who goes there? Colts and Fillies. Children. They killed children. The ones not facing trial likely put up an amount of resistance that equaled the old cliche' "You'll never take me alive" While the ones awaiting trial are the ones who probably didn't fight that hard or just flat out surrendered. And turns out the leader had ties to OTHER Terrorist groups. And Fastlane was so far gone in his fanatical hate he was better off dead.
6119514 So . . . then they should've let the terrorists go with a slap on the wrist and a stern warning then? They've killed ponies from old to young with absolutely no remorse and would continue to do so with a smile on their faces because they are the worst kind of beings: fanatics. They believe, without a doubt in their heart, that what they do is right. You can hit them with facts, ethics, and morality but they won't care so as long as they get what they want. And what they want? An end to the reforms Twilight tried to start, and they'll kill as many ponies as they need to make sure it happens. So the only solution is killing them. Locking them up just gives them a chance to break out at a later date.
6119514 What's wrong with you? Who have they not be killing that don't deserve to die?
We have groups that take pride in killing foals to prove a point, racist bigitts that don't understand what they spew, and murders that killed because they are afraid of change. The only innocent that died was Twilight Sparkle and the foal bullied into suicide by ignorant bullies so far.
(Sigh) You don't understand. This is sadly a part of change when the old who have been in power doesn't want to lose said power. Because if we didn't change, we still be under primitive kingdoms, were the average lifespan was 25 and had to have dozens of children just to insure their family lived to see the next generation. We would never knew words like equality, liberty, choice (unless your king), democracy. Chances are the human race would've died long ago if we didn't constantly change.
So yes, I support the destruction of the group and wish we had the balls to do that with racist groups that promote violence against others because their different.
Damn. I know he was specist and raised by a prideful father who she saw as a hero, but harsh. Just go to show, no one thinks they're the bad guy.
I was betting it was Stag (though I couldn't remember his name)
6119514
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/829/955/c5c.gif
6119616
Never revealed it
6119514 um did you miss the part about the bombing of celestia's school for gifted unicorns ?
imagine all the foals that must have died in that attack. are you saying that bringing them to justice is wrong? that they should let them continue to kill pony after pony?
if so then...well thats one screwed up opinion you have there but hey ill respect it
6119439 no not at all i feel i bit sorry for him to though he did choose to follow his fathers racist pride so in a way he brought this on himself
Ah yeah, Stag's back baby. I love this character, please bring him back again, if you can.
6119571 Oh I get they. I'm not saying they didn't deserve to die. I'm just commenting on how ironic the whole thing is.
Twilight was all about friendship and reformations, but as soon as she's dead, Celestia is killing people in the most painful ways she can, even overlooking her guards committing clearly illegal actions against those responsible and those related to the responsible.
Now that Twilight is dead, Celestia has been dragged down to their level. She's become like them.
6119514
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
stgeorges.co.uk/sites/default/files/blog_uploads/2012/07/Unbelievable-word-of-the-day.png
I can't believe you missed the entire point of this chapter.
6119514
Allow me to point up a couple little details...
That's not killing people who disagree, that's killing people who have murdered a lot of innocent ponies.
6119684 Dude... I hate to say it, really I do, but the guy who's head we just spent this chapter inside of would never have accepted the friendship lessons we take as common sense. He is someone who was willing to KILL CHILDREN and support that cause to its fullest extent. He was a racist and a plague on society, not to mention he went to the grave still believing he was in the right. So tell me, can you honestly sit there and believe that what Luna did to protect Equestria was wrong? Was there another way? Maybe, but she and Celestia protected their friends, students, and all of Equestria. I won't fault them for that, ever.
6119514 dude you are screwed up. WHat happened hear was complacency. Fastlane's family has done the same style job for generations. They may have a talent for it but never pushed the limits. Look at Rainbow Dash. Her talent is speed. She has always claimed to be the fastest flyer of all Equestria. However the one thing she does do that Fast Lane's father NEVER did was push those limits. When she wasn't working, saving the day, hanging out with friends, or napping she was improving herself. That's not what Fastlane's father did. Thus he was beaten by a pony that worked hard to be able to do that while his dad's comfort allowed the loss.
Also look at this group. They went after innocents, kids. That is not a target of a noble cause that is EVIL. And if they went after the government officals, well that goes under treason. Treason is an automatic death sentence.
Tartarus
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Cap.
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Stag is awesome.
6119628
Really? I could have sworn I'd heard him called Stag beforehand. I'll have to go and reread the last chapter he was in.
6119684
How... how can he be redeemed? He wined about the guards ruffing him up while taking pride they bomb a school that fillies go to. He is beyond saving in the middle of a war with fanatics. And yes, it was war no matter how you sugar coat it and in a war their is only surrender or death, and he never surrendered, even in the end.
Also Twilight not approving, lets look at her track record from the series, movie and comics. She killed/brainwash a part of Luna to save Equestria and her mentor, first to charge into battle with magic blazing against all forms of beasts, orchestrate the death of Sombra, turned Discord into stone, planned to keep Discard and when forced to set him free prepared to brainwash him to insure he wouldn't harm her friends, almost killed Chrysalis in the first comics, almost killed the evil version of Celestia and Luna (only stopped when the two were in danger), sent Tirek to tartarus (hell) and quickly adapted to be a omnivore when made human. There is a reason why some of the best survival fanfics star her and some consider her the 'Warrior Princess' for she is likely the one to kill to survive/save others. I think its likely she would lead the hunt for those that hurt foals and would take no prisoners for a trial.
Y'know, I really love that changeling. I think you should make him a story.
Well, this was an unexpected surprise. You know, I wonder if there are ponies who don't like the changes Twilight proposed, but still think Blueblood and his followers were worng to murder the alicorn?
6119684
From the prequel to this story, Celestia own words ...
If heads have to roll, so be it, you can't change the world without getting your hands dirty.
6119942
That would make for an interesting, thought provoking story. Somepony who wasn't a supporter of Twilight and her reforms yet was saddened and horrified by her assassination. Or even better a noble who resented and bad mouthed her at every opportunity(even likely cursing her to her face) but after her death had a "My God what have I done." moment and realized what all that hatred had contributed to.
6119375 i21.photobucket.com/albums/b296/forester1/Junk/moran.jpg
damn..... it hurts........ the feels are already being felt and it hurts I don't I WANT to read this, cuz I can take zombie apocalypse feels cuz I understand, but life-changing-influential-ruler-and-princess-of-friendship-is-assassinated feels I can understand but are too emotional for me to handle, then It makes me question my own feelings whether or not I have a heart, or soul, whether I feel anything, if im numb, or just a soulless being, as in the story, she changed so many lives, but she was killed for doing what she was born to do, for the better, just thinking of it gives me the chills, I read "Where The Red Fern Grows" in class, everyone around me was crying, everyone but me then I question myself again, I keep falling in the dark, being so lost, or just forgetting
just filling you in on a reason for not reading + got mood swings
but seriously, just reading the chapter names makes me sad
Loved this! Though I feel it came strong with the death of hundreds, it still felt... satisfying. Along with that I actually think that Stag, should have like his own... background story or something! I would love to see it.
A small correction: "fellow captor" should be "fellow captive".
Good old Stag. As Twilight said, everyone should have a job he or she really enjoys.
6119514 Man I'm getting a lot of angry replies to this comment. So that's it, huh? These are completely one-dimensional bad guys?
So you guys support burning people alive just to watch them suffer? I'm just saying Celestia was dragged down to their level. I'm not saying they were right.
Jesus Christ, say one thing not entirely in agreement with everyone else and people are trying to play it off as me supporting them.
6119594 You want to burn racist people alive? Really?
I wonder how many unicorns have died now? both sides included, of course.
I do believe that Stag is in the running for best changeling OC, ever.
6119514 That, I suppose, is the real tragedy of this story. Ponies fighting and killing each other over the death of somepony who would never have wanted them to fight at all.