Almost everywhere in the world there is somepony being oppressed in some way, being driven into depression, loneliness or just into making every other living being in their presence feel the same way as them. The crown never attempted to do anything for these suffering ponies, from being occupied by the return of that bastard Discord or the mutant known as Tirek. But is that the truth?
Was there really nothing they could have done?
Nothing at all?
Ever since then, all ponies that live on the streets have been discriminated against for the possibility of them being another Tirek incedent or because they are ‘filthy underlings that deserve to know their place.’
Second Moon of the Third Season – Darktime 15 Seasons after the Dark Shift
Walking through the freezing streets had become a bit more of a struggle these past few days for me, usually I would have gone from the fountain ten minutes ago if it wasn’t for these pains in my wing that spontaneously appeared on the second full moon of the season.
These pains occur when my right wing is moved in any way; it can’t be a break because the guards know better than to leave anything suspicious, a bruise is easier lied about to the higher ups than a break.
Anyway, because I am ten minutes later from the fountain than usual, it means that my blankets have been taken by Hopeful Rose, the one pony that understands all of us that live on the streets of the City on The Mountain.(Canterlot) She is the leader of the H.V.M (Homeless Veterans Movement) and all that my sleep buddy talks about.
Now, I must explain what I mean by a ‘sleep buddy’ before whomever reads this misunderstands; ‘sleep buddy’ is what my partner, Stout Sentry, and I call the night watch. With the night watch being whichever of us gets back from the fountain second has to stay awake to look out for the threat of the guards and the noble led ‘Neigh-bourhood Watch’ who are always trying to get us off the streets and into the dungeons. Like Tartarus with that idea.
Hope and Sentry were chatting secretively when I reached the alley that was home sweet home, almost certainly about how bad my wing was for me to lose the fountain run against sentry. If only I could talk with them.
Hopeful Rose or Hope to us, was a stunning unicorn with silver fur and a darker shade for her mane, her eyes were so blue that you could get lost in them for hours and mistake them for sky above and her voice was tenfold of any angel you could have ever imagined. In short she was beautiful.
Stout Sentry on the other hoof, was a Pegasus like myself but he only had one wing and a wicked scar where the opposite one should be, his explanation was that it got ‘caught in a machine and that is that.’ His fur is an earthy brown with his eyes being a dull brown to match, the kind of dull that only came with somepony being driven to the edge and not having the courage to ‘end it’. He was a broken stallion.
As for me, I’ve never seen myself in anything reflective before so I cannot describe myself.
It has been about five revolutions of the small line on my pocket watch, which means that it’s Sentry’s turn to keep watch. I turn to face where he usually sleeps and he is there softly crying in his sleep again, when he is like this it’s best to let him be if you have your best interests in mind.
Only three more revolutions until he will wake up anyway, I can survive...
I wake up to see only grey, bars and Sentry looking upset. It seems that we have been caught finally by the Neigh-bourhood watch as Hope sat on the other side looking at us sadly with tears in those gorgeous eyes.
“Sentry, you should be the one that tells him,” Silver whimpers as if she is trying to talk while holding back tears.
I look at the stallion in question waiting for answers to Hope’s ominous greeting.
“Look, son do you know what Hope is the head of?” Sentry asks, still not telling me what is happening.
Quietly, I ponder what he means before remembering she is the head of that organisation to get veterans off the street. With this information in mind, I cautiously nod.
“Well son, she can get me out of here and into an apartment in Manehatten within the hour” Sentry states all the while looking down as if the floor suddenly became interesting.
Not completely registering this, I nod and try to force him towards Hope as to show that I think that this is a great idea for us. After about fifteen seconds of me pestering him like this does he finally understand.
“Listen son, you don’t get what I’m telling you,” he barks “Hope can get me out of here but she can’t get you freedom, at most she has managed to get you a short sentence!”
The weight of what Sentry had said finally got to Hope and she burst out in tears and it dawned on me that it meant I would be alone again.
I don’t think I could stand to be alone again, and with that, they left. No emotions were let out from the two stallions having been brought up in the same style that the stallion was the rock for mares like Hope to cling to, as Sentry was being now towards her. We both silently agreed that there was no point in delaying the inevitable.
That didn’t mean that when they left I had to be a rock, and I think for the first time since the Dark Shift I completely lost a hold of myself and became an emotional mess for the neglectful guard to get annoyed at and eventually beat into silence.
The rope that I had ‘acquired’ after escaping the cell wasn’t the sturdiest but the escape is a story for another time. Let’s just say that Sentry would be ashamed and leave it at that...
The knot was fine; it would do the job I intended for it to do. The job was something that I didn’t want to talk about. However, I was grateful for what was to come. The spot that I decided to do the deed was the side of the castle that overlooked the kingdom, if you looked one way you could see a town near a forest and the other way you could see Manehatten in the distance.
I chose this spot for two reasons;
1, It was close to the dungeons so convenience.
2, Hope always loved this spot when she would talk about.
The rope was tight and sturdy and from my vantage point in the tree and all was at rest. This time was perfect and i wish it could have been eternal, because it was the time in between my departure from the branch and the afterlife.
As i fell, my minds eye brought forth all of the good times I had, before remembering like a dumb foal that i had none. Everything that wasn’t Hopeful Rose was bad and my ming instantly locked onto her beautiful face and how much I would have paid to have seen it one more time. I swear that i can see her while the rope slowly provides the sweet release of the darkness many before me had had. It’s as if she is calling to me.
But you know what ponies who have lost hope are like...
