Freedom Through Harmony

by Electricut

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Year 498, EverFree Forest; House of the Hylian
Rainbow Dash

By the time we had finished, Applejack and I were grinning ear to ear, both remembering vividly everything that had happened. “Vi took us both home when morning came. I think he stayed in contact with Creiddylad for a while after that with letters, but I never got a chance to see Fluttershy again, until the Lunar Festival.”

“My sister still lives in Manehattan.” Fluttershy explained quietly. “I moved here two years ago, to be closer to nature, and to just... see more of the world. A few nights after I got here, I found Angel in the woods near my house, all alone, barely alive. I couldn’t stand doing nothing for the poor thing, and I brought him back home, nursed him back to health. By that time he was too attached to me to leave, and he didn’t have anywhere to go... His whole family was lost that day in the woods, and the poor thing was the only one to survive. He’s stayed by my side every day since then, and I couldn’t ask for a better companion. Creiddylad used to visit a lot to make sure I was okay, but I haven’t seen much of her lately... I just got a letter from her the other day, though, and she’s doing fine.”

I took a deep breath, knowing what had to come next. I had to finish my story. They deserved to know the truth. I couldn’t help but wonder, at the back of my mind, how Twilight would take it. It didn’t matter now, though. “Alright.” I said finally. “Well... About a year later, after everything was said and done... I had just finished a combat lesson from Ultraviolet, and I was just kind of wandering around town...”
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Year 491, Town Square

I took a bite out of my sandwich idly, not having anything worth rushing for to do. I had just finished another training session with Vi, and the cool fall air was refreshing after an hour of sweating. I still wore the wooden practice sword- modeled in shape and weight after his katana- across my back, and a black cloth jacket underneath the sheath. A single red leaf wafted past on a stray breeze as I ate.

Maybe I’ll see if Applejack wants to practice today. I thought. I think harvest has slowed down by now, so she should be free. Finishing lunch, I stood up from the bench I had been sitting on, and set off lazily towards the Acres. As I walked through the street, I noticed someone in the official Eclipse-Soldier armor standing to the side, and that he had noticed me. I didn’t think much of it- there were soldiers around here from time to time, and there was never much reason to be alarmed by this. He approached me slowly, and I stopped, standing my ground.

“So, you’re the kid I’ve heard about.” He said, and I could detect a certain fake-ness to his words. “The one called Rainbow Dash?” I nodded. “You know, a lot of people were pretty impressed with what you did back at Manehattan last year, but no-one could find you after that. People are calling it the ‘Sonic Rainboom’, for lack of anything else.

“The point is, people have taken notice of your battle ability, and I’ll be honest- I think there’s a place in the royal army for someone like you, once you’ve been fully trained.”

Through all the praise he was sending, I could see his bluff clearly enough. A small warning signal flashed in my mind, but I allowed him to continue. “I’m glad I was able to find you here, though it was mostly luck that did it. Your training could be completed at Eclipse, and you could be one of the most powerful individuals in Equestria, if not the world.”

“I’m already training, and I’ve got an excellent teacher.” I said, trying to skirt around any specifics. “And why are you talking just to me, don’t you usually talk to kid’s parents too with stuff like this?”

“You seem like the kind of person who doesn’t like decisions made for you. I figured you were capable of weighing your own opinions.”

Screw that. He obviously hadn’t met my brother. “Yeah, I’ll think about it. But I’m going to talk to my brother about it, and see what he thinks. He’s awesome enough to know what he’s talking about. I’ll probably just stick to the training I’m getting here, though.”

I attempted to continue on my way, but he threw his arm forward quickly, catching me where I stood. His hand gripped my jacket, and I couldn’t get free. “I never said anything about you choosing anything, kid.” His voice had dropped it’s already weak barrier, and now was hard and venomous. I suddenly had the feeling that something else was behind me. More soldiers? Aw, man... I could maybe take this one, but if there’s more, there’s no way... “Don’t you want to serve Celestia as best you can? To put your skill to use and fight for the throne?”

I tried uselessly to break free. He leaned closer, still speaking, mostly to himself. “You’re a bit old, but I’m sure the Queen has room enough for a third apprentice. Now why don’t you just stay quiet, quit struggling, and-” He stopped suddenly, his grip on my jacket loosening (but not enough for me to break free, I noticed angrily). He let out a short noise of pain, and another voice spoke from behind him.

“You’re doing great, pal.” My brother said clear and loud. “Really playing the part of generic henchman. Kudos to your skill, sir. However, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to get the hell off my brother, or I’ll have to snap your neck.” I looked up, and I could just make out his unmistakable mane of hair whipping to the side in the wind, his hand gripped powerfully around the soldier’s shoulder. He wasn’t kidding- from where he stood, Vi could move his other hand and break his neck in half a second.

“What do you think you’re doing, punk?” The soldier barked. Then an evil smile crossed his face. “And what do you think is going to happen here, if you don’t let go of me? Kill me or not, the Queen will hear of this, and you’ll be destroyed. You’re doomed if you don’t release me. Tell you what- I’ll cut you a deal. Unhand me and let me take this kid to the Queen without any more problems, and I might fail to mention this.”

He grimaced, and I could tell Vi had just tightened his grip. “Here’s a counter proposal for you. Let him go, and I’ll let you live. Sound good? How do you suppose anyone else will know if I kill you now? Your body wouldn’t be that hard to hide. Then where would we be? I’m not giving up my brother to the Queen, not today.”

The two of them remained silent, each daring the other to make the first move. I didn’t dare try to break free again, for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. The tension in the air was palpable, and my head and heart pounded with fear. Then the soldier grimaced and moved his other hand, and I could hear a spell activating. A small light flashed from where my brother stood.

“You’re screwed now, buddy.” My captor spat. “That tracker spell ain’t going anywhere. Every soldier for miles will be on your ass a minute or so from now.” Any further jibes were cut short, along with his back. I stumbled to the ground as I was released, the body landing a foot away from me. I scrambled up just in time for Vi to throw his leather jacket over my head, effectively providing a better hood than the one on my jacket, but leaving me blinded in the process. I was then shoved firmly back behind him.

“Mac. Get him out of here, now. They only have a lock on me, so just get him somewhere safe.”

“And you?” I heard Mac’s voice ask. “You’re not going to just lie down and let them kill you.”

“‘Course not. But this soldier was a clever one- this spell is going off of my own energy, not his. It’s not going out until I drop anyway... Sooner or later, I’m screwed, and you know it. But it’s likely this guy was working solo right now, to try and win favor, so no-one else will know Dash was here. Just get him to safety, I’ll handle things here.”

I was picked up roughly, but didn’t try to resist much. “Don’t get yourself killed.” We began moving without another word, and I could just make out the sounds of combat starting as we rounded the next corner.
_______________

Time crawled by at a painfully slow pace as Applejack and I huddled close together, in the cellar beneath the house at the Acres. We were both scared to death, uncertain of what was going to happen next. Mac, possibly for the first time in his life, had a hard time sitting still, and came close to running outside and to the fight himself- only to stop himself, reassuring himself that he needed to stay and guard me. It took someone who had been around him all their life to tell, but he was really nervous. He had every right to be, though- He and Vi had been friends for most of their lives, and had stuck together after school by forming a two-man mercenary group together, and were a deadly pair on the battlefield.

It didn’t take me long to realize that Applejack had nothing to do with any of this, and didn’t have to hide down here with me. She could have left at any time and got along with her business- but she didn’t. She stayed by me the whole time, throughout the whole ordeal, doing anything she could to ease the burden on my shoulders. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how grateful I truly was for her presence.

Things began to calm down a bit after that afternoon- I still stayed at the house with the others, but I was able to move about the Acres freely now. There wasn’t much pretense going on- I knew that I was here partly just to be kept safe, but I could tell the real reason I wasn’t at my own home was because no-one else would be there. Something had happened to Ultraviolet. To try and take our minds off things, Applejack and I would go down to the old clubhouse as often as we could, and little Applebloom- only four years old at the time- tagged along once or twice. We killed time by ‘fortifying’ the hideaway with barriers of rocks, sticks- whatever we could find.

About a week passed like this. I had no way of knowing what was going on outside the Acres, and I was somewhat apprehensive to find out. I wanted to find out what had happened to my brother, sure, but I was inwardly terrified of what I would find. I remember clearly the night before the climax- Applejack and I stayed all night at the clubhouse, and no-one stopped us this time. It was a particularly cold night, and we huddled close together underneath a pile of blankets in the corner. As with the calm before the storm, I slept for once free of nightmares, her presence next to me seeming to ward them away.

In the morning, the world seemed still, the wind dead, the crunch of leaves the only sound to break the deafening silence. We snuck out of the clubhouse, the farm altogether, and followed Mac into town. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to stop me from doing that.
__________________

“... For the crimes of high treason, multiple charges of murder, opposition of royal forces, and conspiring against the Queen, the prisoner stands sentenced to death.”

The large crowd was silent, but I could feel emotion overwhelming- rage and sorrow chief among them. The only sound that reached their ears was the echoes of a single drummer- playing his simple, cursed melody. Everyone stood facing the troop of soldiers assembled at the fringe of the town square, backs to the wooden platform assembled the day before. Atop it stood three figures- two tall, grey suited warriors, ornamental spears to their sides, taciturn as things proceeded.

Between them, clad in her unmistakable gleaming white armor, standing enigmatically with blade drawn before her, stood Celestia.

As I watched in horror, unable to wrench my gaze away from what was happening, a fourth person was led up the wooden steps begrudgingly, guided by another royal soldier. His long hair was too tangled and messy to flow elegantly in the nonexistent breeze, and only the blindfold now tied tightly around his eyes was as black as his shirt once was. Obvious bruises and scars could be seen on his arms and face, but even now he walked upright, striding slowly but purposefully towards his fate. His arms were tied behind him, and wings tied to his back.

Mac’s powerful grip stopped me and Applejack from running to him, but one look at his face showed that he was barely restraining himself. I almost started- neither of us had seen Mac get behind us, and we thought he hadn’t seen us either. I was a bit preoccupied to care much, however.

Ultraviolet turned slowly to face the crowd, though he was blind to their silent expressions. He stared ahead calmly, showing no sings of fear or regret, only calm resignation to his fate.

Celestia moved forward slightly, her sword reflecting the weak rays of the sun. “Have you any last words?” She said clearly, addressing my brother.

He looked up slightly, seeming to think for a moment, then gave a long, broken laugh. His voice cracked slightly, as he recovered himself and began to speak. “You think this’ll be it, Celestia? You think killing me is going to solve anything? Is it so much of a stretch to think that maybe killing me isn’t going to make everyone see their place, but rather fan the flames of hatred against you?”

Then things got crazy (as though they weren’t before). Celestia swung her weapon hard, clearly meaning to finish him, but with a powerful leap, he cleared the blade completely, coming to a rough landing on the stage. “You’re finished, Celestia! The people have long been awakening to the truth of your tyranny, and with this last action, the whole world will be ready to see you dead! Whatever you used to be is gone, and we’re sick of working under your iron grip! Your reign is coming to its end, you see, and it won’t be long before you see it for yourself!”

Then her sword was behind her, began arcing over her head in slow motion, and...
_______________
Year 498
EverFree Forest; House of the Hylian

I finally choked, unable to continue. Tears rose to the surface unbidden, and I was forced to fall back to my seat. Applejack was next to me, arm around me sympathetically, and it was all I could do not to throw myself at her and just bawl my eyes out. I was still in public, and had still retained some of my dignity. I couldn’t bring myself to finish, but I don’t think it was necessary anyway. Their silence told me they all got the message.

Comments

[ElectricDream]

AH, I'll have to save this for later, to much to read all at once me thinks

[Electricut]

To everyone, I say thank you for your support so far. Yeah, this is going to be a big one, and I've got plenty more chapters already written and waiting for release. I'm not even quite done with it yet, so there's still room for input later.

204156 Well, to be honest, the thought had crossed my mind to keep Rainbow Dash a girl throughout, but eventually I decided that I was leaning more the other way. I don't want to say too much about why I decided this, but let me say that there is a reason. One of them was just because I felt as though I were seriously lacking in male protagonists in the first place.

And you're not the first person to point out the 'twenty seconds' bit, either. I've been writing this for quite a while now, so my writing and characterization may have improved since I wrote that first chapter. Looking back, I do agree that some bits are a little rushed.

[CosmicAfro]

206809

I can see where you'd come from needing a lot more male protagonists than female. Most of Equestria seems populated with females so this is an added balance, and I can respect that. For that, I shall track and read for as long as this story keeps my interest. Huzzah!