She had been bought.

Lightning Dust was glad her new owner couldn’t see her glare as she waited for her seller and buyer to finish talking.

“… I'm warning you, you have to be careful with this one. She’ll run first chance she gets. There’s a good reason that sign is on her cage.”

“Yeah, I saw that. Very funny,” her new master said drily. Lightning Dust glanced back to her cage in the back of the slave shop that only a week before had been a pet store. From where she stood, she could still see a bright red sign shouted: ‘WARNING: FLIGHT RISK.’

Yeah, real funny, she thought irritably. Her plucked wings twitched inside their hard black sheaths and she wondered again if she’d ever fly again.

“Trust me, I already own the worst mare in Equestria. I can handle this one,” her buyer said, a testy edge to his voice.

Finally the slave trader handed over her leash to Soarin, the new captain of the Wonderbolts, and her new owner. It had only been a week since Equestria had been invaded and conquered, but already there were terrible rumors about Soarin. Lightning Dust had heard from other pegasi how he had personally surrendered Spitfire to the caribou so he could take her position. In other words, a traitor. Just like every other stallion who decided they’d rather work with the invaders rather than try and protect the mares under attack. Lightning Dust knew that type all too well.

Soarin looked to her and gave a jerk on the leash towards the door. For a moment she held back, looking around at the other enslaved mares, and realized that there would be no goodbyes. Another yank on her neck nearly choked her, and she lurched forward before finding her feet again, head held low as she glared at him, biting down hard on the ball gag between her teeth.

Once outside she found it was already well past nightfall, the air cool on her fur. She looked around, blinking in the sudden darkness, when without warning a warm body slipped under her, and she immediately tried to jerk away as her heart leapt into her throat. Soarin pushed his head between her bound forelegs and lifted her up until she straddled his back. She squirmed against him, fighting against the familiar, sickening fear and wishing she could scream. He didn’t take any notice of her, just gripped her forelegs and spread his wings. After a few testing flaps he pushed off the ground and they were flying.

Flying... the cold rush of air on her face was so familiar, like an ache in her heart. So weightless, carefree… but wrong. Everything a reminder of just how wrong it was. Powerful blue wings beat on either side of her as she gazed down at the dark streets; no one had lit the street lamps yet, although it was already well past dusk. And yet, the moon wasn't even out. The sky they rose through was both strange and familiar, like a home that wasn't hers anymore.

Equestria had changed. There was no hope of things ever getting better, even the princesses defeated or traitors themselves.

She may never be free again.

It’ll be ok. Just stay still and everything will be fine. The rational part of her mind repeated over and over as they rose higher. Don’t struggle, don’t fight. It’ll be fine.

Buck that.

She reared back and slammed her head into Soarin’s, his wings faltering as they both tumbled forward into the whipping wind. They spun over and over as she struggled to slip off, only managing to push herself over his wings, sending them plummeting faster.

“Are you crazy!” he shouted, the words almost ripped away by the wind. “You’re going to get us both killed!”

Good.

But he still had the use of his hooves, and she felt something hard glance off her side and then catch her in the ribs. She gasped against the gag in her mouth, then lost what grip she had and slipped off, spinning blindly into the vast darkness.

It was cold.

The wind whipped through her mane, whistled in her ears and she was helpless, powerless. Not long ago she would have given anything to fly again- but not like this. The ground was already so close and she was falling so fast. Despite her racing heart, a calm spread through her as she closed her eyes, felt tears cooling fast on her fur, and thought desperately of flying…

“Hold on!”

Strong forelegs locked around her barrel, pulling her up and stunning her as they skimmed the ground, barely avoiding crashing into the dirt. She twisted around, kicking and rearing back, despite the tight hold around her.

This was her one chance- she had to do this! She wasn't going to be a slave for the rest of her life, she couldn’t get hurt again, she couldn’t go through that pain.

Please…

But it wasn't enough. Soarin kept his head low and out of her reach and then he flew, fast and frantic. Still she kept struggling, wrestling against him until her heart was about to burst and she couldn’t breathe. Soon all she could taste was the rubber of her gag and bitter bile rising in her throat.

Even so, she kept fighting. Twice more he almost dropped her before finally diving down to a cloud bank and a house half-hidden in it. This would be her new prison, she thought. She gave a sudden twisting jerk, hoping she might shock him into dropping her for real. He nearly did, before flying even faster towards the door as she squirmed and kicked. She slipped free- or perhaps he just let her go as she fell hard on the pathway. She lay stunned, barely able to move, her vision swimming. Unfortunately, it gave him enough time to open the open and half-drag her across the threshold.

The door slammed shut, and she was trapped. Again.

Despite her burning lungs, despite her bound legs, she threw her body into Soarin as he stood panting beside her. He wasn’t expecting it, and she knocked him headfirst into the door and together they toppled into a heap. She had to get out. Maybe if she could manage to get the door open, or knock him out, or something... there had to be something! She couldn't just give up!

“Hey! What are you doing?” A mare’s voice shouted as Lightning tried to get her bound hooves under her. “Soarin, get off her!”

“She jumped me!” the stallion countered.

Lightning looked up and saw Spitfire running towards them. She wore the same black collar and sheaths as herself, except… Lightning’s stomach lurched, and she shook her head, hoping she was wrong, but no…

Spitfire’s left wing- it was gone. There was only a stump wrapped in thick bandages. They’d cut it off. She’d lost her wing, she’d never be able to fly ever again…

Spitfire was saying something, but she couldn’t understand through the sudden red fog in her mind. Would they do that to her? She backed up against the door, getting as far from him as she could. But he made no move to restrain her. Instead, he was sitting on his haunches and gasping for breath.

Spitfire was talking to Soarin, frowning but she looked unhurt. She wasn’t bound or chained, no bruises. She looked… almost ok. Lightning Dust shook her head again, and heard her say, “-couldn’t have been that bad.”

“No,” Soarin panted, “it really was. I see why you would want her. Ugh!” He gave a loud sigh and plopped on the ground, closing his eyes.

Lightning stared, and wondered just what in Equestria was going on. Spitfire turned to her again, frowning as her eyes took in the gag, the chains on her hooves, the black sheaths on her back.

“You all right?” Spitfire said, stepping towards her. Lightning shook her head, more to express confusion but also, no, she wasn’t all right.

“Let’s get this stuff off.” Spitfire grabbed the back of the gag with her teeth and pulled it over her head. As soon as her mouth was clear Lightning Dust started coughing and spat out the lingering taste of rubber.

“Should I help?” Soarin said, standing up.

“No just… just give us some space,” Spitfire said while studying the ties around her hooves. Soarin hesitated, then met Lightning Dust’s glare and left them alone in the open room.

Despite her many questions, all she could do was watch as Spitfire knelt before her and picked at the knots with her teeth, slowly freeing her. It was strange, watching her former captain kneel before her. For most of her life she had looked up to Spitfire, the captain of the legendary Wonderbolts, her role model. But ever since Lightning Dust had been kicked out she had despised this mare, had thought up all sorts of horrible things she would do if only she could. She looked at the stump on her back and felt sick.

“What’s going on?” Lightning finally managed to say, the words sticking in her throat like a sickness.

Spitfire waited to answer, instead pulling the last rope clear and allowing Lightning to gingerly stretch her legs. No ropes, no cages, no chains… and yet it still felt like a trap.

“We got you out,” Spitfire said evenly. “You’re going to be all right. You’re safe here. We, well Soarin actually, rescued you.”

“Rescued me?” Lightning Dust repeated numbly.

“As good as we can get right now.”

“What about him?“ She jerked her head towards the other room.

“He’s not going to hurt us.”

Lightning Dust stared at Spitfire, her face expressionless. She looked away with a snort. It didn’t matter what anyone said; she wasn’t going to trust that stallion.

“So, what now? Are we escaping?” Lightning asked in a low voice, hope rising in her chest. “How are we getting out?”

That small flame of hope sputtered at Spitfire’s deadpan look. “We’re not. There’s nowhere to go. We’re going to stay right here where it’s safe.”

“What? Stay here and just, just wait for some bucking stallion to come and take us? Are you kidding!” Lightning found that she was shouting, ignoring Spitfire’s attempts to quiet her. “How can you just pretend it’s all ok? It’s not okay! None of this is- we need to get out of here! We need to get out of Equestria! I won’t—“

“Enough!” Spitfire shouted, standing so tall that Lighting took a half step back. “I know this sucks. I know it’s hard. But if you go out there, you become a slave again.”

“I don’t care, I’m leaving.”

Lightning turned toward the door, but Spitfire jumped around and blocked her path.

“You’re not going anywhere. Besides, you can’t leave this cloud bank without flying. Just take it easy and tomorrow you can help me work on how to fight back against those caribou. Got it?”

Lightning Dust glared at her, but bit back her retort and forced herself to relax.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath and ignored the itch to run. In just a few hours, she could leave as they slept. Just a few hours. She turned away before Spitfire could read her thoughts, and instead took a better look at the house, gazing around.

“So… what? This Soarin’s place?” she asked with an air of nonchalance. It was a tidy, old-fashioned cloud home, more cloud than home with a winding staircase going to an upstairs loft. It wasn’t exactly militaristic, but orderly and plain.

“Actually, it’s mine,” Spitfire said mildly. “Or, it was my family’s. Since Soarin now owns me he laid claim to all of my property.”

“Seriously? And you’re ok with that?”

“It works,” she said with a shrug. “At least this way it wasn’t vandalized or destroyed like others. We’re still getting things setup. My plan is to buy as many mares as we can and bring them here.”

“Sounds like you just want to form your own harem,” she muttered, pretending to look at a landscape painting on the wall.

She could almost hear Spitfire roll her eyes. “Look, if you want to help, we could use a fighter like you. I know you’re frustrated, but we are working on a plan. I remember you, Lighting Dust. At the Academy, you were a fighter. You showed courage, ingenuity, and guts.”

“Remember how you kicked me out,” she spat, surprised how much that thought still stung.

“You were reckless,” Spitfire said, her mouth a tight line. “Your actions put other ponies in danger. But you were also fearless. And we need all the help we can get.”

“I’ll think about it,” Lightning said slowly, careful to not meet her eyes. Thankfully Spitfire didn’t push it, and for a time there was a tentative peace.

But as the hours passed, Lightning was reminded that she had never been one for patience. She had to forcibly stop her hoof from tapping as they sat through an agonizing dinner as Soarin tried to hold a conversation with them like any of it was normal, while Spitfire watched her when she thought she wasn’t looking.

When she excused herself for bed- or, rather, a cushion on the floor- she didn’t need to pretend how exhausted she was, that was genuine. Soon after the lights went off in the main room and she heard Spitfire walk past her to the far corner of the room and settle on her own cushion.

Then she waited.

It may have been hours, although it dragged on and on like perpetual night. Spitfire shifted every so often, but that was it. When it seemed to be well into the early morning, Lightning Dust stood and crept towards the door and pulled it open just enough to slip through. The entire house was dark, but she kept her eyes wide open and could make out the darker outlines of furniture, the charcoal gray of a doorway, and straight ahead- freedom. She snuck towards it, sure that her beating heart was far louder than her hoofsteps.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Lightning Dust spun around to the pony standing in the bedroom doorway, the darkness muting her bright orange coat.

“I’m leaving,” Lightning Dust said.

“I don’t think so.”

“They won’t catch me. It’ll be hours- days even- before they know I’m gone.”

“And where exactly would you go? All of Equestria is under their control, and it’s only growing. If you leave, they’ll capture you and torture you or worse, and then they’ll find us and do the same. You’d put us all in danger.”

“You mean I’d put you in danger.”

“Me, Soarin, and who knows how many other mares we could save. I know you don’t want to be here, but listen to me, Lightning Dust: there is nothing out there for you. How do you not get that? Even if we could get to the ground, there’s nowhere that we could go.”

“I don’t care- I’m not going to just sit around and be someone’s slave.”

“You’ll be a slave out there, too.”

“Then I’ll jump,” Lightning said.

Time seemed to stand still if it weren’t for the frantic beating of her heart as silence stretched between them.

“I won’t let you.”

The words were so quiet and cold Lightning might have imagined them. Then Lightning turned and yanked the door open and saw bright moonlight on clouds. Before she could get one hoof through the door Spitfire tackled her, heaving her backward.

Lightning screamed as Spitfire’s weight fell on her wings, crushing them against the jagged lining. “Get off me! Augh! Get! Off!” Lightning yelled through the searing pain, trying to move her foreleg but Spitfire had it pinned.

“Soarin- I need help!” Spitfire yelled out, and soon Lightning heard frantic wingbeats.

“No! No, let me go!”

It wasn’t enough. In a matter of minutes, Spitfire and Soarin had wrestled her away from the door and dragged her into the bedroom and clapped a chain to her collar.

“You can’t do this!” she yelled, her whole body shaking.

“Can somepony tell me what’s going on?” Soarin asked between gasps, focusing on Spitfire.

For a moment she didn’t answer, just glared at Lightning Dust.

“It’s for her own safety,” she finally said through gritted teeth. “Don’t let that off until I give the order." Spitfire looked back at her, and Lightning Dust saw a bruise on her cheek. And saw the fierce disappointment in her eyes.

“Guess I was right about you, Lightning Dust. You really aren’t meant to be a Wonderbolt.”

Lightning Dust said nothing, but the itch to run was still there, thrumming beneath her skin. One day she would find a way to escape.

She wasn't going to give up.

Author's Note

I’ve been meaning to get this story up for… wow, years?
I stumbled on this AU, despised it and wanted to try writing a story that addresses this world in a more realistic way, treating Fall of Equestria as a horrific, tragic situation rather than, you know… clop.
Speaking of, there will be sex in the fic but this is not a clop fic.
This is a story about various characters struggling through a horrific world- it’s complex, it’s messy, it’s dark… but it’s also hopeful.
I know a lot of people will look at the universe and hate it right off the bat, but my hope is that you'll be surprised and enjoy