The Secret War

Everypony knows of the Church of Sol Invictus, a church dedicated to the princess of the sun, to Celestia. A church dedicated to doing what's right, dedicated to the light, it is very well known but there is a darker side to it. Like all religions it is taken too far by many, these "vigilantes" claim that they are stand against twisted ideals. Claiming that ponies who are into BDSM are bad and often times will oust them to the public, shaming that pony and their way of life. This has been going on for many years now, but now there is another group that is working to counter them. My name is Heather, a the leader of The Secret Flame, a group dedicated to helping and protecting those ousted ponies. We are part of a secret society that has offered shelter to ponies who's desires do not match up with the social norms. We call ourselves, The Clocktower Society. Though the society has been around for ages, our group is newer.

The Church of Sol Invictus and The Society have always been at odds, for as long as the both of us have been around, the tensions increased during the fall of Princess Luna. Sol Invictus saw Luna's followers as evil, as monsters that needed to be destroyed. It was at this time that the Society went under completely ground and took those followers with them. Among the ponies who were given refuge were many an alchemists who were experts in crafting and altering the natural materials of the world.  Their joining the society lead to advancements in many areas, prompting many discoveries that have benefited the Society, and Equestria, for the last 1000 years. This however is not their story, for this story you won't find in any of the Society or Sol Invictus history books, for this is the story of the secret war.

My own story is intertwined with this story, I lead The Secret Flame. Guiding our surface operations in everything from sabotage to collecting those who get ousted. We have waged this war for years and I expect that we will for years to come. I was practically born in the society, my mother is of the Hearthswaring Shrine and my father is one of the instructors that help with introducing new members to The Society. The two of them were together ten years before they had me. Being born in the society is an uncommon thing but not unheard of, those who are born here often learn many things faster than outside counterparts. Being denied the ability to partake in the activities of The society until we reach age can, and is, difficult. We often head out to work once we have our cutie marks. Since we can get apprenticeships we often times go live on the surface to learn what the normal world is like, we would of course be allowed back to see our families.

It was during my apprenticeship that I learned the true horrors of the Church of Sol Invictus. My mark signified that I was to be a planer and as such, I was assigned to one of our surface friends who was a lawyer. He would often take me back on the weekend when he visited Clocktower, this let me see my family and see the society a bit differently. After a couple of years an incident occurred, the specifics are still sketchy and the truth was lost to death. The Church of Sol Invictus found out about my mentor's kinks, nothing serious but none the less when he was ousted ponies began to protest and eventually I found him hanging from the balcony of his apartment. His practice was shut down just days before because no one would go to him anymore. On that day I swore to end this war and vanished into the night.

Three nights later the Manehatten branch of the Church of Sol Invictus was set ablaze and burned to the ground. Though they will never admit it, there was a message in the basement that was carved into the wall. "We're coming for you." This was the beginning of the Secret War. The beginning of my crusade for revenge and justice.