Twisted Fate

Intro – A Series of Unfortunate Events

“Oh come on!”

Running.

This part of my life, this one right here, is called running. Why was I running anyway, I’m a pegasus. Not just a pegasus, part of the most elite class of Vaporian fliers, the gods damned Archangels, yet my mind wouldn’t communicate with my wings. It was like being around my old mare friend, they had a mind of their own at the worst, and occasionally most awkward, times.

“Destiny Fate,” A loud pegasus clad in the traditional armor of the Aurora guard called out from above, damn it sucks to be on foot when there’s a number of angry guards chasing you, “Surrender yourself now to the guard.”

I did the only rational thing that came to mind when running from the authorities, shout obscenities at them, “Buck you!” What? I can’t fly; swearing is all I’ve got. While I’m running for my freedom, and probably, my life, we should review how I got stuck in this predicament.

It was a normal day just like any other really; I had just gotten off of working at my job guarding the armory in the lovely cloud kingdom city of Aurora. In retrospect that job was boring anyway, but I digress; the events happening today would make fighting a dragon look boring. The sun was setting in the west, and as it happens after every shift I have I go to grab a drink over at the local bar, which also happened to be a filly-foolers bar. Aurora was a pretty progressive city after all, but there was some sort of discrimination against ponies like me. It was a bit more prevalent in the military, but most ponies and gryphons were accepting none the less.

So I arrive at the bar, just like I do every day, and take a good long look at the local stock. I’d been single for a few months now, and maybe every now and then I wanted to try and find somepony else.

“Hey there, Destiny, what can I get ya’ today?” The bartender, who I knew personally as Notch, asked me. She was a nice mare really, and I was considered a regular here.

“Usual, Notch,” I replied with a small smile. No matter how bad spending 10 hours guarding a door is, I know I can always relax here. Well, most days.

The door opened with a loud bang as two hooded Ponies walked in, both mares, I could tell from their build, so I guess that doesn’t violate the rules of the whole ‘Mare Only’ bar, but still, those outfits just weren’t right. They casually strolled up to the bar and looked up at Notch. I did my best to get a glimpse at their faces, at least see what color coat they were but damn were those robes thick and concealing.

“Can I help you two? Need a drink?” Notch asked politely, she did love new customers.

“We would like to have a word with you privately,” One of them said, glancing at me, but still thoroughly concealed under the hood of the robe, “Perhaps in the back, alone.”

“Ladies, this is a bar, I’m sure you can say anything out loud here, half the patrons are too drunk to hear or remember what they heard anyway.

“Please, just come with us now, before we have to make a scene,” The second one replied.

“Make a scene, eh? I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave this place, I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, and that includes you two,” Notch then went back to cleaning a glass with a rag she held in her hooves.

Just then, one of the hooded mares lashed out and grabbed Notch at the throat, causing her to drop the glass and shatter it on the floor, gaining some looks from the other occupants of the bar. “You’re coming with us!”

“Let go of me!” Notch shouted back, struggling to break free of the grasp.

“Not a chance,” replied the second.

“She said, let go!” I yelled as I grabbed a hold of one of the mares and yanked her violently to the ground. This stirred panic amongst the occupants of the bar, and several ran out to grab the attention of the guard.

“Stay out of this, you whelp!” The second one turned on me. Okay, whelp? Oh, it, is, on.

Now, I’m normally a mare that avoids conflict, but I make exceptions when seeing friends of mine get pushed around by some strange ponies in hoods. I didn’t pull any punches that day, and went straight in to smacking down the robed harassers. The second one jumped me immediately after I lacked signs of backing down after throwing her friend down.

It turned out that the second hooded pony was a unicorn, as she drew a knife covered in a powder blue magical aura and slashed at me. Quick thinking and years of training allowed me to dodge to the side and land a devastating hoof strike to the attackers’ horn, severing her magical grasp on the stiletto. It clattered to the floor as I swept out the mares front legs, sending her onto the floor and allowing me to introduce the rest of her face to the bottom of my hoof.

By the time I had contended with one of the aggressors, her friend had recovered from my little knock down earlier and dove at me. I noticed the opening as she dove and sidestepped, rotating my body and landing a devastating buck to the mares’ side. I took the momentary lull in combat to turn to Notch and quickly check her over for serious injury.

“Feeling alright?” I asked her.

“I’ll manage, thanks,” She grabbed the hoof I extended to her as I helped her to her hooves. I felt a sudden pressure as the mare I had bucked in the side rose from her knock down and grabbed my back in an attempt to shake me to the ground. I quickly shook the attacker off of my flank and promptly slammed another hoof down on her face as well. The mare stopped moving after that.

“Who were they?” I asked as I turned to Notch.

“No idea, they seemed like they were after something though,” She replied, dusting herself off before glancing at me to see if I was injured. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if it weren’t for you Destiny, the guard can be really slow at times.”

“I try,” I smirked, thankful for the praise of saving somepony else.

“You did just beat up two ponies though, isn’t this like your third strike with the guard?” A concerned face looked to me. Shit, she was right. I had had previous run-ins with the law before, and three strikes and you’re out, like literally you’re out of the country. Seeing my blank expression, Notch spoke up. “You could go out the back,” the bartender suggested.

Oh, right. The back, of the bar, that’ll make for the perfect escape. “You better hurry,” she suggested; and so I ran. Halfway out the door I turned around back to the bartender pony.

“Thanks for covering for me, Notch,” I smiled.

“No problem, dear. Now go, get out before you’re put before the tribunal.”

I kept running for a while, the guards chasing me as I furiously tried to get my wings to work. Maybe I was just so nervous, and as much as I hate to admit it, scared at being imprisoned, or worse, exiled.

“Stop now or we will be forced to use lethal force!” One of the stallions overhead shouted down, a sharp wing blade extending from his left wing. I knew from experience I’d never escape getting cut down by one of those things on foot; and a quick survey of my surroundings showed I didn’t have much options for cover from a diving pegasus.

“Ah, to Tartarus with you!” I screamed back, deciding it best to give up and keep my life, despite knowing the consequences suffered by repeat offenders of Vaporian laws. I slowed to a stop, begrudgingly waiting to be taken into custody by ponies considered to be my co-workers. No one was above the law, I knew that, but it didn’t make it any less annoying.

Repeat offenders were always tried before a tribunal of the pegasus leaders that presided over the city of Aurora. There was no court system for them. The same seven pegasi were judge, jury, and rarely, executioner.

“Do you know why you are here, Miss Fate?” One of the stallions on the stand spoke to me, snapping my attention up to him and away from my thoughts.

“Yeah, I beat the crap out of two ponies harassing my friend and the owner of Cloud Nine, because the guard on the night shift are ridiculously slow,” I replied, a hint of both annoyance and anger in my voice.

“You, decided to take matters into your own hoof and become a so-called ‘vigilante’ instead of doing what the other responsible Aurora citizens did and quickly contact the guard,” He replied back.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” I said, the anger in my voice rising, “But the guard on the night shift is piss poor slow, and by the time they would have gotten there there’s no telling what those two hooded creeps would have done to her!”

A mare in the council spoke up, “I realize that your heart was in the right place, Miss Fate-”

“Call me Destiny,” I interrupted, tired of hearing myself referred to as ‘Miss Fate.’ What am I, 80?

“Miss Destiny,” The mare continued, “But laws are laws, and consequences must be enforced in order to see to it that those laws are upheld and respected by the general public. You as a member of the Archangels would surely know of these laws as well, as we cannot exempt anyone from their punishment for violating them. As such, for repeatedly breaking Vaporian law three times over, I motion the tribunal for the excommunication and exile of one Miss Destiny Fate.”

The ultimatum was spoken, and now I knew the council had to immediately reach a decision. 5 votes and I’m done, 4 gets me life in prison, a nice alternative, 3 and I could be pending further investigation, and if I managed to be charismatic enough to only land two votes, I could be let off Scott-free; so to speak. The mare spoke up again, “All in favor?” She asked and turned to the other council members, quickly five other hooves and the speaker’s own hoof shot up; so much for charismatic.

“The I’s have it, and so, Miss Destiny, you shall be excommunicated and thoroughly removed from all Vaporian affairs. Your membership of the Archangels shall be revoked, and your citizenship shall be rendered void. Guards, seize her.”

Wait, what? This time I had no time to react, being grabbed and cuffed on my fore hooves. They wrapped my wings to, for good measure, and forcefully escorted me to my house to pack just two saddle bags, forbidding me to take any of my weapons with me. Then they gently tossed me into the back of a chariot and blindfolded me. This day just keeps getting better.

We had been flying for what felt like hours, the air getting noticeable drier. My guess is they were dropping me off in Heliopolis. I had read about this place back when I was just a filly, but never actually visited the nation myself. I really wished to have seen this place under different circumstances.

“Drop her off here,” One of the chariot drivers spoke to the other. I felt myself being lifted up and dropped onto the sand. Somewhere on the way down my head hit a rock jutting out from the sand. That’s the last thing I remember before blacking out. What I wouldn’t give for a better destiny.