“When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right”

Night once again befalls the land of Equestria. As usual, the moon began to rise all on its own. By now, the fallen Equestria has grown used to this anomaly.

Princess Luna has not.

She knew her access to her magic was cut with the removal of her horn those years ago, but that only deepened the mystery of the moon’s state. Regardless of the centuries in which the moon had been Luna’s friend, and prison, it had ironically gained the one thing that everyone lost the day of the Fall; independence. Or so it seems. Luna wasn’t sure what to think about her moon anymore. The only thing she felt when watching it slowly cross the sky was betrayal.

Luna had entered Equestria’s eastern borders several hours ago under cover of darkness, accompanied by an elite team of noctrals, whom she called her Sentinels. Luna had personally hand-picked seven noctrals, skilled at guerrilla tactics and stealth, to directly support her in her mission. Among them are Night Seer and Lantern, who have grown close to their Princess in the months prior, ever since they rescued her. They are outfitted in light and flexible armor, coupled with dark cloaks used for camouflage. In terms of weapons, the noctrals carry stealthy daggers and short swords. Their primary weapons are katars, triangular blades held by a horizontal handgrip. These weapons are designed for thrusting, and can easily pierce heavy armor let alone flesh. The noctrals favor it among all other weapons as a heavy hitter that can be used easily in surprise attacks. Each of the party members has a single katar, as does Princess Luna.

Along the mountain path which Luna and her party of noctral Sentinels take, the sun begins to crack over the horizon. By instinct, Luna thought of her sister, Celestia. She wished that the Princess of the Sun still had some sanity remaining in her, but Luna was unsure. Celestia had turned in only months after the Fall, and for the following years took great pleasure in her own mistreatment, something which Luna despised her for. She remains conflicted on whether she hates her sister, or pities her. Regardless, Celestia’s sun was on its way, and the party needed a place to camp.

“Princess, there looks to be a few caves we can camp in.” says Night Seer pointing up to a slope which had the mouth of a cave above it. The party heads inside, taking a look around. Sunlight peers through the entrance, giving light to the inside of the cave. Other areas deeper inside light up as well, revealing a large and open chamber in the very center, along with many other entrances. The Noctrals marvel at the layout of the caves they have happened upon.

“We will camp here.” States Princess Luna. The noctrals comply, laying down their blankets and packs after using their camo-tarps to cover up the nearby entrances as best as they can, darkening the interior of the cave. A few candles are lit to supply some additional light.

As Luna sits down to unfurl a few maps and notes, she overlooks her party of noctrals, doing her best to remember the names of those she had picked. Crowe, Dew Drop, Star Glow, High Tide, and Spirit, along with Lantern and Night Seer. Though most of these noctrals hadn’t known each other prior to the mission, they got along almost instantly, forming friendships that reminded Luna of the friendliness Equestrians once had for others. She watches them with a smile, listening to High Tide tell stories of his travels, and to Dew Drop’s funny jokes, which spreads laughter among them.

The unofficial chef of the group, Star Glow, passes out loaves of bread, as well as her own home-made moon cakes, which excite the others. She gives one to Luna as well, bearing a grin as Luna gratefully accepts it. Star Glow returns to the others, complementing the sheen of Crowe’s katar as he sharpens it. He softly smiles, thanking her as he calls out to Spirit in order to ask her if she needs help with any sharpening. Spirit, who isn’t one much for words, becomes talkative with the group and politely declines Crowe’s offer. Luna can’t help but smile at their interactions, and is very happy to have them along.

After arranging the maps accordingly, and munching on her moon cake, Luna is rejoined by her second-in-commands, Night Seer and Lantern, who had just finished exploring further into the caves. They sit down around Luna’s maps after receiving moon cakes from Star Glow.

“This cave is amazing. It’s a lot bigger than it looks. There are other rooms and passages leading to more entrances. This whole place is like a natural fortress.” Remarks Lantern, expressing her joy.

Night Seer nods in agreement before turning to Princess Luna. “Where are we heading, Princess?”

“We are heading west, towards Whitetail Wood. It’s the closest and most likely place to find any remnants of the resistance.” States Luna. The map before her is really only a way to determine her current direction. Luna knows her homeland like the back of her hand.

"Do you think they will be willing to trust us?” Lantern asks.

“I don’t expect them to be openly accepting of us in the beginning. In all honesty I’m not sure what will happen. But it’s imperative we find them and lend them any aid we can.”

Luna’s lieutenants acknowledge her, overlooking the map. The closest town to Whitetail Wood is Ponyville, which is very close to the capital. Luna has memories of the quaint little town. It was once a backwater town, but it had become much more when Twilight Sparkle moved there under Celestia’s mandate. But now, it was like any other town in Equestria; dirty and depraved. Luna remembers how she was put on ‘display’ during the past Nightmare Nights in the center of Ponyville, where any male could have their way with her. She does her best to put aside those awful memories to focus on the present.

“We should reach the beginning of Whitetail Wood if we leave at moonrise, and will arrive in the morning of the following day.” States Night Seer.

“You are correct, Night Seer,” Luna sighs with content, deciding their planned course of action is adequate, “All that is left is to get our rest. We will need all of our energy and strength for tomorrow.”

With the plan set, Luna and her Sentinel team get their sleep during the daylight hours of Equestria, waiting for the night to arrive once more to allow them passage through the Equestrian country side. Tomorrow, they will have a chance to re-ignite the sparks of a revolution.

After setting out at night and traveling silently under cover of darkness, Luna and her Sentinels reach Whitetail Wood by morning. Though it is the middle of autumn, and the leaves have been turning hues of orange and yellow, they remain attached to the trees. There hasn’t been a running of the leaves in three years, and the trees of Whitetail Wood have not adapted to the loss of their symbiotic relationship with the ponies who once ran through the woods. It was helpful though for Luna and her team, as the less leaves on the ground meant it was easier for the group to move unheard through the wood.

Luna gives the order to begin searching for the resistance and any possible headquarters they may have here. Only minutes pass before commotion is heard near them, in a forest clearing.

The noctral Sentinels follow Princess Luna into the brush surrounding the clearing, hiding from sight as they observe several large and imposing caribou round up a group of ponies. They are mostly mares, with a few fillies among them.

Lantern scoots closer to Luna, whispering. “Most likely resistance. Caribou wouldn’t have taken them all the way out here if they were from a town. They were just captured.”

Luna glances at Lantern and then back to the clearing, listening in.

“It’s no wonder mares are so stupid. You all keep forgetting your place!” bellows one of the caribou, who strikes down a mare with a brown coat and a light yellow mane. She has been stripped naked and bound with rope, and is continuously beaten by two of the caribou. The other ponies cower together on the grass, some being pulled away to be molested by a horny guard. The younger fillies bury their faces away, crying in fear.

“You good for nothing sluts will be blanked for this, but not before we have our fun first.”

The caribou in charge forces the brown mare on her knees and shoves his cock into her mouth, keeping her head firmly in place with his hand. The other caribou begin to rope up the remaining ponies.

“There’s eight of them. One for each of us. We move on your command.” Whispers Spirit.

Luna turns to her noctrals, giving the signal to move in. The Sentinels nod, slowly creeping around under the cover of the bushes and shrubs. They soon get into position, each within striking distance of their target.

In quick succession, the noctrals spring out of their concealed locations, daggers and katars drawn, and drive them into the backs of the caribou guards. In only a few seconds after the surprise attack, seven of the caribou lay dead on the ground. The eighth draws his broadsword, his eyes darting to each of the seven noctrals glaring at him with their deep yellow eyes.

Princess Luna approaches from behind, delivering a forceful kick to the final caribou’s back, toppling him to the ground. She impales him with her katar, ending his life quickly. She nods to her team, noting their excellent execution.

The freed mares and fillies, utterly shocked to have been rescued, smile and cheer in amazement at their luck. The brown mare, who is released of her bonds by Luna, looks in disbelief at the Princess of the Night before her.

“You... You’ve come back. We thought you left for good.”

Luna gazes at the bruised mare. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing I haven’t already been through.” She mutters, spitting at one of the corpses on the ground.

Luna’s noctrals help the frightened mares and fillies to their feet, receiving grateful hugs and thanks. Most of the newly freed mares are wary of the noctral stallions though, thanking them but keeping their distance and shying away. One of the younger fillies takes notice of the alicorn in their midst.

“Princess Luna!!”

Luna turns to the familiar squeaky voice, and is stunned to see Sweetie Belle before her. The white-coated and purple-pink haired filly tightly embraces Luna, her head only reaching up to Luna’s waist. Luna gently hugs her back in comfort.

“Thank you!! Thank you for coming for us! Everyone thought you left us, and that you weren’t coming back. But you're back! And you rescued us!!” Sweetie Belle exclaims, refusing to release Luna from her grip. Luna smiles and caresses her head, kneeling down to her level.

“It’s good to see you safe, Sweetie Belle.”

“Nobody believes me, Princess Luna. Rarity helped me get away. She has a red collar, but she isn’t one of them! She’s still good! We need to rescue her!”

Unsure of what to say, Princess Luna does her best to assure Sweetie Belle, and then rises to address the mare before her. “You’re a part of the resistance, yes?”

The brown mare nods. “I’m Mjolna, one of the leaders here. One of the last on this side of Equestria, actually. I’m afraid to say that ever since your escape, Princess Luna, the caribou have been searching for you relentlessly. They found and captured many of the resistance groups during their search.”

Mjolna gives Luna a rather cold stare. “I hope you aren’t planning to put yourself in charge of us now. I’m more than thankful for the rescue, don’t get me wrong, but the suffering that all of us have endured was because of your failure to protect us.”

Luna remains adamant in the face of Mjolna’s statement.

“I understand. I am the one who will have to live with the memory of that failure for eternity. But right now, none of that matters. What matters is getting you all to safety. Are there any more of you nearby?”

“We picked up some escapees before we were captured. The remainder of our group is still inside the forest. We have been using an abandoned storage cellar as a base. We’ll lead you there.”

Since the leader’s ragged clothes are now in tatters, Luna hands her cloak to Mjolna to give her some coverage, which she accepts for now.

In total, eleven mares and five fillies are still free, thanks to Luna’s intervention. Though deep in her mind, she wonders just how many ponies have made attempts at freedom, only to be re-captured and tortured for their disobedience. She shudders to think what they would do to fillies that would try to flee. Luna promises herself that she won’t let any more ponies fall to this corrupted form of living. This first victory, though small, will go a long way in her quest.

Mjolna leads the mixed group to a very dense part of the wood, stopping in a seemingly random spot. She lightly taps the ground with her foot, revealing a wooden plank below. The plank turns out to be a hidden trap door, which swings out to reveal a blue mare acting as a lookout. She welcomes them in, though looks quizzically at Luna’s noctral escort. Before Luna and her team enter, Mjolna stops them.

“The stallions of your team will have to wait outside.”

“Wait, seriously?” High Tide questions.

Crowe gives him a plain look. “You weren’t expecting this? These mares don’t need any more stress with us just walking in.”

Night Seer looks to Luna, assuring her. “We will remain out here, Princess, and keep watch. One camo tarp is enough for the three of us.”

Princess Luna nods as she, Mjolna and the mare noctrals enter into the trap door.

The storage cellar beneath the trap door is musty, and full of dust-laden furniture. The dirt on the ground is coarse and pocketed with rocks. Small strands of plant roots stick out of the gaps in the wooden walls, with some large tree roots sprouting at the back of the room. There are many mares in the underground space, all ranging in age. Most of the Ponies are scared citizens, while others are active in the resistance, armed with rudimentary weapons. They take sight of Luna but ignore her. Now that she thinks about it, Princess Luna realizes the only one actually happy to see her is Sweetie Belle.

Luna turns to the mares of her team. “Stay here, help where you can.”

They nod and turn away, as Mjolna takes Luna into the makeshift medical ward towards the back end of the old cellar, to meet with the only medical professional amongst the refugees; Nurse Redheart.

Removing herself from the embrace of a shaking patient, Nurse Redheart rises to meet Mjolna and Luna. Her eyes go wide upon seeing the Princess.

“Nurse Redheart has been helping ponies for a while in this hideout. We co-lead Whitetail Wood’s resistance.”

“Princess Luna. It’s a… privilege.”

Nurse Redheart bows her head slightly. Her hands and face are tinted with dust and grime, and her eyes bear the work of sleepless nights. Her current patient, a mare covered with harsh bruises and bandages, calls out.

“N-n-n-nurse…Nurse. Please, I’m…N-nurse.”

Nurse Redheart immediately returns to her, gently holding her extended arms and laying them down, humming sweetly to calm the mare.

“Breathe, Junebug. Close your eyes. Breathe. Push the memories away. Focus on nothing but your heartbeat.”

Nurse Redheart places her patient’s hand over her heart. Junebug’s rapid and heavy breathing diminishes as she calms down.

“There you go. Get some rest now.”

“T-thank you, Nurse Redheart.”

Redheart smiles at Junebug, rubbing her softly on the cheek before rising again to join Mjolna and Luna. The Princess gives her a look of admiration.

“It’s truly wonderful to see proper care being given to our fellow ponies.”

“You think this is proper care?!” Redheart suddenly snaps. Luna is taken aback as Mjolna remains silent.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“No, no, I’m sorry, I… That was rude of me," Nurse Redheart rubs her forehead, wiping away some grime, "But the truth still stands that this is not the proper care they deserve. They need a more comfortable environment, not a hole in the ground.”

“We’ve discussed this before, Redheart. There is nowhere else to go!” Mjolna makes her statement clear, though Redheart stubbornly continues.

“At the very least then, I need more medical supplies if I’m going to continue to treat these mares! Comforting words can only do so much.” Redheart retorts, though in a more hushed tone, remembering their vicinity to the patients.

Luna goes into her thoughts, getting an idea.

“There is another place to go.”

Nurse Redheart and Mjolna turn to Luna with curious faces.

Luna places her hands behind her. “I didn’t succeed in escaping Equestria. I made it down the aqueducts in Canterlot before falling unconscious in the forest. Noctral scouts from Umbra had found me and took me to safety in their homeland. I’ve been spending the past months preparing there, and only two nights ago I entered Equestria with the noctrals accompanying me. Along the way we camped in a mountain slope, a rocky place with many levels of caves. The area is ideal for a base of operations, and is close enough to Umbra to be able to defend, and to receive a line of supplies. My Sentinels and I can escort you all there in one night.”

Nurse Redheart crosses her arms approvingly. “Most of the patients can move easily, and we can carry those who can’t. That solves one issue, but they need urgent treatment before we can move. I need medical supplies.”

“Then I will find the medical supplies you require. Where must I go?” Luna states. A smile of hope appears on Mjolna.

“Ponyville Hospital. Collect anything you can carry. Bandages, syringes, medicine, clothes, books even. If you could do that for us… Then we would be in your debt, Princess Luna.”

“I’ll leave immediately for the hospital. You’ll have your supplies by tonight. I promise.”

Nurse Redheart smiles softly, expressing her gratitude as she returns to her patients. Luna and Mjolna exit the medical ward.

“Thank you for taking on this mission, Princess,” says Mjolna, “I have to ask a bit more of you though. The hospital… isn’t a hospital anymore. It hasn’t been for years. The caribou have gutted out the insides and changed it into a lab. They change mares in there. ‘Modify’ them to suit their needs.”

“What would you have me do?”

“Rescue any black collars you find there, and bring them back. Then destroy the building.”

Luna raises an eyebrow. “And how, exactly, am I supposed to bring down an entire building?”

“The machines that the caribou use. They must have a power source of some kind. Perhaps you could use them?”

Luna nods slowly. “I’ll return soon.”

“Good luck, Princess.” Mjolna calls out, watching Luna gather her Sentinels and exit the hideout.

Back outside, High Tide, Crowe, and Night Seer regroup with Luna and the others.

“Things go well?” asks Night Seer.

Princess Luna motions her noctrals to gather around her in a circle. “We have a mission. We are to infiltrate Ponyville Hospital. Gather any and all kinds of supplies needed by the resistance, and free any mares being held. Then we find a way to destroy the building. Once that is accomplished, we will return here and escort the resistance back to the mountain slope where we made camp the other day. Any questions?”

The noctrals look at each other, and then back to Luna. Not a single question is uttered.

“Good. We move at moon rise.”

As the night dominates the autumn sky, Luna and the Sentinels approach the Ponyville Hospital building. Cautiously creeping up to the stone walls, Luna takes point ahead of her team, leading them along the hospital’ exterior and towards the front entrance. Approaching the corner of the building, she peeks around, spying two caribou guards sound asleep around the front entrance. Among them is a red collared mare, sleeping like a lap dog next to her master’s feet.

Luna backs away from the corner, leading her team towards the back of the building, where they happen upon several balconies and windows. Using teamwork, the Sentinels climb up and onto the second floor balcony. Finding the glass doors unlocked, they slowly enter the building, carefully analyzing the poorly lit hall with their natural night vision. Daggers and katars drawn, The noctral Sentinels follow Luna inside.

“Spread out. Search the floor, then regroup here.” Whispers Luna. The Sentinels comply, fanning out into smaller groups. Lantern leads High Tide and Star Glow into one room, as Night Seer takes Crowe into another. Luna leads Spirit and Dew Drop into room labeled for medical files.

Opening the door with a small creak, they quickly survey the room, finding no threats. The room itself is a mess, with the surrounding file cabinets left open or tilted over. The files have been sloppily sorted into different stacks. The large desk in the center of the rectangular room has a few piles of notes, along with a host of nightmarish objects: plaques and stands with sheared-off unicorn horns on them. Dew Drop picks up one of the perverted trophies, looking at it with revulsion.

“This is disgusting.”

“That’s one of the least disgusting things you’ll see from the caribou,” says Spirit, picking up files and skimming through them, “They cut those horns off and shove them up the unicorn’s ass. One of the many things caribou like to do to their slaves.”

Dew Drop stares at the trophy angrily before tossing it away. Luna flashes back to her own horn, which is currently plastered onto Dainn’s throne back in Canterlot. She’s thankful in a way that it was made into a trophy instead of a giant toy. Though she can only imagine the pain and humiliation that some unicorns were forced to endure with their own horns.

Luna shakes those thoughts away and joins Spirit and Dew Drop in searching for anything of value. The notes on the desk are ledgers to keep track of the slaves that have been through the hospital’s labs. Many were once black collars, and are now mostly reds and purples according to the notes. They’ve been shipped out to various cities across Equestria, giving example to one of the last remaining forms of trade still existing in the land. The medical files around the desk reveal little of importance, consisting of personal records of patients from long ago, as well as an account of a pony attempting to steal slippers. Finding nothing more, Luna and her noctrals abandon the room and return to the hallway, where they regroup with the others.

“There’s hardly anything here, Princess. Everything seems to have been moved.” States Crowe.

“We found a map of the building,” says Lantern as she unfolds a torn and dusty piece of paper, “There are secure storage rooms in the basement. Our best chance of finding what we need is there.”

“Then we go down.”

Descending stealthily and bypassing a large congregation of caribou guards near the first floor entrance, Luna and the Sentinels arrive in the basement’s main room. Following the knowledge gleaned from Lantern’s map, Luna takes her team down a hallway and towards what used to be the boiler room. It seems as though the caribou have shut down the basement for the night, as not a single guard is around and there are no sources of light whatsoever. Luckily for Luna and the noctrals, they don’t need any light to guide their vision.

Stopping right before the boiler entrance, Luna raises a hand for the group to listen. Small muffling noises can be heard from the other side. Luna looks back at her team, motioning to the door. Night Seer takes the lead and utilizes his lock picking kit, cautiously removing the disabled lock and swinging the door open.

The old boiler room has had most of its appliances and pipes removed, save for one that hangs low across the center of the room. Along both sides of this pipe are a dozen black collared mares, each with their hands strung by chain to the pipe above their heads while their legs are bound in a kneeling position. They’re gagged and blindfolded, and have all kinds of demeaning and shameful words written on their coats.

The captive mares become startled as they hear the intruders before them, especially Princess Luna’s voice. “Free them as quickly as you can. Crowe, Spirit. Those machines should be nearby. Find them and see what you can make from them. Lantern, High Tide. Find the storage rooms.”

The noctrals get to work, exploring the nearby rooms as those with Luna tend to the black collars, using their daggers to cut away their restraints and to remove their collars. As they’re freed one by one, the mares immediately help their rescuers in freeing their fellow ponies, doing their best despite the darkness of the room.

One of the mares goes to Princess Luna, shaking her hand vigorously. “Thank you, thank you Princess! We never thought this would happen!”

Princess Luna comforts the mare, advising her and the others to be silent and careful where they step. She moves into an adjacent room to check up on Crowe and Spirit’s findings. They had found a large room, cleared out of its original contents to accommodate three ‘blankee’ devices, which consist of large, circular frames dotted with restraining clamps. Strange tools and a kind of laser device are facing the circle frame from above, and the control panel has a host of buttons and levers for altering the features of a mare when strapped to the machine.

Crowe drove his katar into the maintenance board below the control panel, tearing open the flimsy steel plate. Spirit watched from behind as Crowe stuck his hands inside the wiring and metal, fumbling with something.

“I almost feel dirty for sticking my hands inside this thing.” Mutters Crowe.

Spirit re-assures him. “It’s just metal. Focus on what we need.”

“Right.”

Luna approaches them. “Is there anything of use?”

Spirit looks up at her. “Yes, Princess. These things have power batteries of some kind. Crowe is trying to get at one now. It’s taking time though, and once we have it we need to figure out how to modify it into something we can use.”

“Ok,” says Luna, “Do the best you can. I’ll inform the others.”

Leaving the blankee room, Princess Luna looks for Lantern and High Tide. She finds them past a lock picked door, inside the medicine storage room, packing their bags to the brim with supplies. They give Luna a joyful look.

“There’s more than enough supplies here for Nurse Redheart here! High Tide, go get more satchels.”

“I’m on it-“

High Tide turns to exit, but smacks straight into one of the freed mares, who accidently stumbled in the dark towards him. Like dominos, their fall causes several of the nearby shelves of medicine to fall to the floor with a resounding thud, the sound bouncing along the walls.

Muffled voices and footsteps emanate from the floor above. Everyone freezes, their eyes glued nervously to the ceiling.

High Tide helps up the fallen mare as Luna addresses him and Lantern.

“We’ve been discovered. Get all of the mares in this room, and stay with them,” Luna commands as she briskly moves within earshot of the others, “Star Glow, I need you and Night Seer to cover the door. Spirit and Crowe, keep working on those machines. Everyone else, take a position in the room. Prepare yourselves!”

The noctrals draw their katars and find hiding places as Lantern and High Tide gather the freed mares into the medicine storage room. Star Glow and Night Seer lean against the right side of the entrance to the boiler room, leaving the door wide open. Everyone remains as quiet as a mouse as the heavy footsteps of the caribou get closer, their voices traveling along the walls.

“What the fuck was that noise??”

“You think maybe one of the sluts got loose?”

“Hey, we made sure those chains were good. C’mon, let’s just check it out. Might’ve been something we left hanging.”

The three caribou, one with a magic torch to light their way in the dark basement, make their way directly to the old boiler room. The one with the torch sees past the open door, noticing that all of their slaves have disappeared.

“What?! They’re gone!”

He moves with haste towards the doorway, and just as he sets a foot inside, Star Glow swings in front of the caribou and thrusts her katar straight into his stomach. Using all of her force, the Noctral pulls him inside the boiler room, throwing him to the floor before darting into cover. The second caribou draws his axe, going through the doorway and turning to the left to go after Star Glow. However, Night Seer lunges forward from Star Glow’s previous position, stabbing the second caribou squarely in the nape of his neck and knocking him down.

The third caribou hesitates and turns tail, attempting to flee. However, Princess Luna steps into the doorway and hurls a dagger at him, which finds its mark in his back, stopping him in his tracks.

Night Seer stands beside Luna. “That can’t be all of them. We’ll have to find a way around the other caribou.”

Luna nods, turning to him. “Night Seer, take Dew Drop and Star Glow, and setup an ambush in the tree line at the front of the hospital. I’ll push the caribou in your direction.”

“We’ll be ready, Princess.”

As her lieutenant sneaks out of the building with Dew Drop and Star Glow, Luna returns back to the medicine storage, giving the all clear for Lantern and High Tide to allow the mares out. In order to prevent any more collision mishaps, Lantern had advised the mares keep a hand on each other’s shoulder, creating a line of ponies connected to Lantern at the head, with High Tide taking the rear. The liberated mares eagerly help carry additional bags full of all of the supplies gleaned from the storage room. Luna tells them to use an exit on the first floor for their escape, and then proceeds to check on Crowe’s progress.

In the blankee room, Crowe and Spirit finish tweaking with the blue power battery ripped from the last of the three machines. Crowe turns to Luna as she enters.

“Princess Luna, I was able to modify the batteries into explosive charges. If placed correctly, they should cause a big enough explosion to take out the building’s support. To be entirely honest, I don’t know how effective these things will be. This combination of magic and technology isn’t very common.” Crowe explains, as Spirit helps place the batteries in a bag.

“We can only hope they will be enough. Excellent work, you two. I will create a diversion to allow you to place the batteries accordingly. Once you have, follow Lantern and High Tide back to the resistance hideout. The rest of us will be there shortly.”

Crowe and Spirit nod in compliance, exiting the room ahead of Luna. Luna scans the basement one last time before preparing herself for the encounter ahead. She channels her strength, purging all thoughts from her mind.

“I will give them reason to fear the night.”

Princess Luna walks unwaveringly down the main hallway on the first floor, short sword drawn to her side. The caribou guarding the front turns to her.

“Hey!! You stupid cunt, what are you doing here?!”

The large and muscular, though hardly clothed caribou marches towards Luna, unaware of her identity in the dimly lit hall. Just as he attempts to grab her arm, Luna brings her blade down upon him, slicing across his chest. The strike instantly fells the caribou, his limp body hitting the floor with a thud.

The other caribou guards become alert to Luna’s presence. They begin to draw their weapons, but one stops them as he recognizes the Princess.

“No! Do you have any idea what Dainn will do to us if he finds out we killed his property? We take her alive.”
With that, the guards pull out their shock batons. They crackle with small electric charges as they are activated, and cast blue light into the dark hall.

Though the caribou are larger and stronger, their speed is not something to be admired. Luna takes full advantage of this, evading the first caribou’s baton. She swings her sword up against his arm, exposing his bare chest to a forceful thrust from her katar. The caribou staggers from the fatal blow and is kicked down by Luna, just as another guard lunges at her. Not stopping for a second, Luna counters his assault with a speedy block, knocking his shock baton away with her katar and swinging her blade into the caribou’s side. As he spins from the strike, Luna cuts diagonally into his spine. With another down, Luna picks up some speed and dives forward, somersaulting underneath the swing of the third caribou. Her blade finds its mark along the back of his leg, forcing him to his knees. Luna takes both her short sword and a dagger in a reverse grip and drives them with all her might into the caribou’s upper back, yelling out as the caribou’s life ends.

Luna turns to the remaining caribou and slowly walks towards them, her menacing and vengeful eyes stab at her enemies’ souls as her once-silver weapons ooze blood. Her appearance is enough to thoroughly intimidate the three caribou, causing them to flee out the front doors of the hospital. They violently push aside the red collared mare off of the front steps in sheer panic, and make their way towards to the closest tree line, only to be ambushed by Luna’s Sentinels lying in wait. Dew Drop leaps from a tree branch and drives her katar into one of the fleeing caribou as Night Seer and Star Glow pounce from behind two trees, bringing down the other two in only seconds.

With all of the caribou in the hospital eliminated, Princess Luna makes her way down the steps, sheathing her sword. She grabs hold of the red collared mare by the arm and drags her to the grass beyond the stone steps. Night Seer, Dew Drop and Star Glow join Luna, encircling the frightened mare. The green pony shivers from being naked in the autumn night air.

“P-please, don’t kill me! You don’t have to kill me, I-I won’t tell anyone what happened here, I promise!”

The noctrals look to Luna to make a decision. Before she can however, an eruption of sounds come from within the hospital, causing the ground to rumble.

“Into the forest, now!!” yells Luna as she grabs the green mare and dashes with her towards the woods, followed closely by her Sentinels.

The hospital’s windows and doors shatter and burst as the whole building is rattled violently with explosions. The improvised batteries prove to be more than effective, and Crowe and Spirit had placed them expertly to ensure the building’s destruction. Ducking into the safety of the trees, Luna and the others witness the entirety of the former hospital collapse into a mound of rubble and ruins, followed by a cloud of dust which blankets the area.

As the dust settles, Luna directs her attention to the red collared mare, who looks even more frightened than before, due to the explosions. Luna lifts her to her feet, and looks her in the eye.

“…You’re coming with us. We’ll bring you someplace safe.”

Despite Luna’s intimidating stare, the green mare manages to suppress her fear and muster her courage.

“No! You don’t understand. What you’re doing is wrong! You’re disrupting the peace, bringing nothing but disorder! Things don’t need to change. Things are as they should be!”

The red collared mare receives nothing but scowls from her rescuers. Luna, however, continues to listen.

“I did have a black collar before. But I was blind then. I choose to obey willingly because that’s all that is left for us! They’re the ones in charge now. And if we want to survive, we have to learn our place.”

Dew Drop gave a very disturbed look upon hearing the mare’s reasoning.

“You must have a horrible self-esteem.”

Luna holds a hand at Dew Drop to silence her. The Princess of the Night approaches the mare, who does her best to stand her ground. Luna realizes in that moment that she is staring at her perverse reflection. The mare she would have become if she had given in to the corruption of the new Equestria. It sickened her on the inside, but in a way made her relate to the red collared mare before her. They had both been through the same ordeal. And yet she realized how ironic the situation was. Here they were, taking prisoner an unwilling mare, who would rather be a slave to those who would treat her as nothing but dirt.

This deluded mare is not like Luna. She is different. And Luna knows which path her heart has chosen.

“…No. If we want to survive, we have to fight back.”

A dreaded silence fills the surrounding air. Luna’s gaze pierces into the green mare for a few more seconds, before she turns back to her Sentinels.

“Keep a dagger on her. We’re returning home.”

Princess Luna arrives back at the Whitetail Wood hideout, with Night Seer, Star Glow, Dew Drop, and their unwilling prisoner in tow. They gain entry into the hideout, and almost instantaneously several resistance members point their swords and spears at the red collared mare. She cringes from the startling sight as Mjolna appears and looks to Luna for an explanation, who supplies one with haste.

“We’ve taken this mare prisoner. She’s harmless.”

“Harmless. And yet how many resistance groups have been rooted out due to mares like this one, coming in and claiming to change sides, only to betray her people!” Mjolna’s voice grows in fury. Her eyes speak her intentions of violence.

Luna steps before her. “This one isn’t looking to join. She’s your prisoner.”

Mjolna, her expression softening slightly, swiftly turns to the green mare, ordering the resistance ponies to lower their weapons. Mjolna takes the mare and throws her to the dusty ground, casting a scowl at her. Luna and her noctrals watch, as do the other ponies in the hideout.

“Do you have any family?” Mjolna questions.

The green mare remains on the ground, terrified. “Y-yes. Two sisters, and my parents.”

“Tell me something then,” Mjolna quickly continues, “Did you feel anything when you were all separated? When all marriages became void and families were torn apart? Or did you brush it off, content with seeing them all go away and getting a cock shoved into you instead?!”

“W-w-what? N-no, I-”

“Look around! You see these ponies here? All of them have lost their families to this sick life we’re trapped in! And ponies like you only make their suffering worse!”

Mjolna’s voice raises even higher, her anger along with it.

“N-no… Stop…Please!” The green mare flinches from her words, crawling to the nearby wall. Tears start to well in her eyes.

“Mares like you aren’t trying to survive or to serve your masters. You’re just being selfish. You’re choosing your own pleasure over those who cared about you. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. And just like your masters, you’re heartless.”

The hideout falls utterly silent, except for the now bawling mare. She curls up against the wall, tears now streaming down her face.

Luna looks around. Not a single pony tries to show any compassion or care to the red collared mare. They simply glower in contempt at her before going back to their business. Mjolna orders two resistance guards to bind the mare’s hands and to tie her collar to a wooden pole along the wall. They leave her in an uncomfortable position, and no one bothers to give her any water or food, or any kind of clothing. Contrary to what some would expect, the green mare takes no pleasure from being restrained here. Mjolna’s words had struck something inside the poor mare, as evidence from her sobbing. Luna pitied her, but dared not to offer her aid. She didn’t want to get on Mjolna’s bad side after coming this far. And despite her best efforts, Luna harbored a hatred for the green mare, and those like her. A hatred that had been growing inside Luna since the day of the Fall.

Afterwards, Princess Luna reunites with the rest of her Sentinels, congratulating them on a job well done. The supplies gathered from the hospital are given to Nurse Redheart, who is overjoyed to be able to finally give her patients the care they need. She is also happy to gain some new assistants in some of the newly liberated mares.

Soon Princess Luna is visited by Mjolna, who has calmed down after her outburst before. Mjolna hugs Luna with sincerity and gratitude, pulling away shortly after.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you pulled off, Princess. The supplies we have now will help us greatly, and the knowledge on how to make explosives from those power batteries is invaluable. The elimination of the former hospital will go a long way to inspire others, and to let them know that hope still exists.”

“No thanks are necessary. This is why I came back to my home. But there is still much more to do. And I can’t do it alone.”

“You’re absolutely right. And that is why, from now on, the resistance will follow you every step of the way, Princess Luna.”

Luna and Mjolna shake hands, a smile of trust on each other’s face.

“I’ll be sending out our carrier pigeons to spread the word to any other resistance groups to join us at this stronghold of yours.”

“Good. If you’re able, I need this message sent out to Umbra as well.” Says Princess Luna as she hands Mjolna a small, folded note.

“Not a problem, Princess. The pigeons are more than willing to help.” Mjolna states confidently as she parts from Luna.

As her newfound allies prepare for the journey to a new base, Princess Luna sits for a moment to take a breather. With the resistance now her friends, Luna is beginning to feel confident about her odds. As time goes on, more ponies will flock to the resistance and to Luna’s forces. Hopefully she will have as much success with the other nations she wishes to contact. Even then, there is still a lot that could happen. The caribou are still in firm control of Equestria. So many things could go wrong, and despite her confidence, Luna realizes that there is a chance she may fail again, and the chance to restore freedom would be lost forever…

“Princess Luna?”

Luna’s thoughts dissipate as she turns to see Sweetie Belle standing behind her. The filly takes a seat next to the alicorn.

“Hello, Sweetie Belle. How are you doing?”

“I’m ok.”

Luna can easily see the sorrow in Sweetie Belle. The young pony carries an air of loneliness around her, despite being with ponies who care for her. Luna does her best to think of ways to comfort the filly.

“I believe you, Sweetie Belle. That your sister Rarity helped you to escape. I would expect no less from a bearer of one of the Elements.”

A soft and grateful smile appears on Sweetie Belle’s face. She looks at the ground, twiddling her thumbs.

“Thank you, Princess Luna. I may be sad, but… I’m not worried as much as I was before.”

“Why is that?” asks Luna.

Sweetie Belle raises her eyes to Luna, suddenly acquiring her own confidence. “Because we have THE Princess of the Night on our side! We have a chance to save everyone if we work hard and keep fighting!”

“…I’m not the same Princess I used to be.”

“But you’re still you. The fact that you came back, and that you’re here with us shows that you are still Princess Luna.”

Luna’s eyes mist a little before she extends an arm and hugs Sweetie Belle, who returns the hug with both arms. An idea pops into Luna's mind.

“I have a special job for you, Sweetie Belle. I want you to go to everyone, those you know and those you do not, and spread as much hope as you can. Spread it far and wide to all those you see. Get them to smile, laugh, and believe in a better future. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes! Of course! I…I could get my cutie mark in… in…”

“In bringing harmony, to those who need it most.”

“Yes!! You can count on me, Princess Luna!”

Sweetie Belle gives Luna one last hug before jumping to her feet and running off.

Luna turns to watch Sweetie look around for a moment. A mixed look of awe and surprise crosses her face as she sees Sweetie Belle go straight over to the green mare, who is still tied to her pole by the collar. Luna sees her talk to the mare, smiling the whole time and doing what she can to comfort her. Though she is still shaken from her treatment, the green mare begins to lighten up as she talks with Sweetie Belle. Princess Luna is amazed at the filly, and suddenly realizes that her example is what is needed to bring back unity to Equestria. Though it won’t be enough to extricate the caribou from their home, showing love and friendship to the ponies who have strayed from it might just help to bring Equestria’s salvation.

Princess Luna smiles softly to herself. She’ll remember to be a bit more like Sweetie Belle in the future.

Author's Note

The path to freedom goes on!
Thank you kindly for reading. =]