Renegade of United Equestria

“Sir Cherry Chaser, age 119, died today in his home at 52 Solaris Street, located in Clover Terrace, a suburb in Lower Canterlot, of natural causes at 10:45 AM. A decorated war veteran, Sir Chaser held a 55-year long career in the services of Her Majesty Princess Celestia during the tumultuous periods that were the Unicornicopian Regime and the subsequent Revolution, earning a knighthood and the title of ‘Hero of United Equestria’ (shortened to simply ‘Hero of Equestria’ after Grand Ruler Celesto was overthrown), with further services during the early years of the current Second Age of Friendship, before retiring from active services at the age of 74 and taking a brief stint as a teacher at the Canterlot Royal Guard Academy. The community had mixed opinions on Sir Chaser, such as one stallion who described him as a ‘raging old drunkard’. His neighbor Rainy Days, however, descrIbes him much differently:

‘Mr. Chaser was a drinker and rather crotchety, yes, but he was also a real softie, especially around foals. Sometimes I’d see him playing a game of hoofball with his great-great grandchildren whenever they’d visit, and sometimes I’d ask him to foalsit my daughter Puppysmiles when he wasn’t busy. He’d tell her all about his adventures, and it just brightened his day whenever we came over to give him and his wife freshly baked cookies or even muffins. It breaks my heart to know he’s with Faust now, but I hope he’s in a better place.’

Sir Chaser is succeeded by his wife Fizzlepop Berrytwist, and his great-great grandchildren, Fireball Cinnamon and Vanilla Bourbon. A memorial service is being held later this week at the Royal Veterans’ Cemetery, with a reading of Sir Chaser’s last will and testament beforehoof.

-Obituary for Sir Cherry “Renegade” Chaser, The Canterlot Times

The times leading up to the Second Age of Friendship are certainly the most eventful in regards to Equestria’s history, with such historical events such as the return of Twilight Sparkle, the sieges of Starfleet’s prison planets, and the public trial of Grand Ruler Celesto (and the subsequent execution) among them. What this writer has taken an interest in, however, are the contributions of Sir Cherry Chaser, bearer of the Solar and Lunar Medals of Honor, receiver of the Celestial Cross, and several other titles that, if written in full, would take up (at most) two full pages.

To say that Sir Chaser is a rather divisive figure in regards to the events of Starfleet’s overthrow is putting it mildly. Some say that he fully deserves his reputation as hero and an important factor in the Revolution, and others would say that his importance is absolutely undeserved, his title would be better off if it had gone to the Elements of Harmony, and that Sir Chaser was nothing but a cad with an overinflated ego.

I am highly inclined to believe that Sir Chaser would agree with the latter group.

But what, exactly, is meant by that? Well, in order to answer that question, we must go back to how I acquired what you hold in your hooves right now, dearest reader.

At the reading of the last will and testament of Sir Cherry Chaser, there were several items bequeathed to those in attendance, mostly the sort of things you would expect from the sort of nobility that the deceased (technically) belonged to: land, heirlooms, belongings, that sort of thing. I, a representative of Princess Trixie Lulamoon, as well as the Canterlot Historical Society, had come to the will reading at her request since she was an ally of Sir Chaser during the Revolution (both were members of Princess Luna’s Umbra Circle), as well as his professional (and, if one went by rumors, personal) liaison during said events. Accompanying me were two other ponies, also representing the Canterlot Historical Society, but also friends of the deceased in his later years: Legend Bringer, writer of Fall of Starfleet, Rebirth of Friendship (one of the foremost historical works on the Revolution, co-written with Princess Twilight Sparkle herself from primary sources written during the period) and Purple Patch, known for his works focusing on the pre-Hearth’s Warming period of Equestria’s history. Presiding over the whole affair was Sir Cherry Chaser’s lawyer, a stern and no-nonsense mare by the name of Nachurally Harmonik.

The will reading had been a fairly standard one, that was, until Miss Harmonik read out the following sentence:

“Unto Their Majesties Princess Trixie Lulamoon and Princess Twilight Sparkle, as well as the Canterlot Historical Society, I bequeath my personal memoirs which until now have been kept in my attic unperturbed.”

We had stared silently at the mare, certainly surprised. Although Sir Chaser had written an autobiography shortly before the Revolution had begun, that had been merely propaganda commissioned by the Grand Ruler, and as such had to go by the state’s strict media standards resulting in a work that was, especially in the eyes of its author, absolute trite. But personal memoirs? This was an excellent find, seeing as the Historical Society had already been wanting to document Cherry Chaser’s efforts but had no primary sources aside from said autobiography. So, once the reading was finished, Legend Bringer, myself, and Purple Patch all made our way towards Sir Chaser’s home and more specifically to the attic, where the memoirs were held according to Fizzlepop Berrytwist.

The attic itself was a cluttered, filthy, and musty sort of place; a dust cloud hung over it like the sort of fog one might have seen in the swamps. It appeared to not have been cleaned out in a good long while, perhaps months at best and years at worst. Among the trinkets, old foalhood toys that had belonged to Sir Cherry’s children and their offspring, comic books that seemed to still be in mint condition, and emptied bottles of liquors and spirits, there sat a rather large chest, almost several feet long and several feet wide, with figures in positions from the Caramel Sutra (both male and female) carved at the top and sides of the lid. Within, we found several more comics (these being much more raunchy and pornographic affairs starring Princesses Celestia and Luna), a half-drunk bottle of Wild Pegasus whiskey, and most importantly, an untold number of yellowed papers, disorganized and ineligible in some places from spilled drinks and more...unsavory fluids. Heaving the chest back to Canterlot, the three of us promptly got to work analyzing and organizing the papers in order to see if these were indeed written by Sir Cherry and not by a forger. After some weeks with assistance from both Princesses Lulamoon and Sparkle, we were able to confirm that not only were these written by Sir Chaser over the three decades after his retirement (concluding when he was 104 years old, only 15 years before his death), but were chronologically organized according to the three periods of his career. Initially only intended for the CHS’ benefit and not for public viewing, these papers have been collected according to whatever adventure Sir Chaser had undertaken, with explanatory footnotes and cross-references to events and other works of the corresponding period. It is only because of the preface that was pinned above the first page in the chest, written by the author himself, that these volumes have begun publication.

So I say to you, dear reader, to decide for yourself: was Renegade a true hero, or just a pony who ended up with that title through sheer luck and cunning?

-Yours truly,

Tseresa Lei

Head of the Chaser Archives, Canterlot Historical Society

To Whomever It May Concern:

I am a rather old pony, I must admit. Although you may not consider the ripe old age of 74 to be “rather” old, it is for me, given my extraordinarily fruitful life. In my line of work, death is a certainty. If you’re not careful, one wrong move or slip up of the tongue can mean your demise. And yet, through my sheer luck and determination to save my own skin, it’s a miracle that I was even able to survive my first mission with the walking bullseye known as Starfleet. Even less so, I somehow usurped the title of “Hero of United Equestria” from its most celebrated representative Lightning Dawn, of whom became my fiercest rival and later on my greatest friend during the uprising and destruction of Grand Ruler Celesto’s government. In fact, it was thanks to the efforts of both himself and his wife Her Majesty Twilight Sparkle that I even began setting quill to parchment in order to write down what you see before your very eyes.

I have written of my military career once before, and that was during the months that led up to the clusterfuck-yes, that what it was, there is no doubt about it-known as the Revolution. I believe I was approaching my late twenties, or maybe it was my early-to-mid thirties, I cannot remember. But anyways, I was approached by the propaganda department of Celesto’s fascistic autocracy to write what was, in essence, a childish, almost comic book-like diatribe on my various adventures that seemed to take more inspiration from the episodic dramas based on them rather than my actual experiences. For that, it has only contributed to my divisive reputation among military and history experts, and I do not blame them for it. In fact, I feel the only reason I was not executed or even imprisoned was because doing so might have caused the population to revolt against the government much sooner than they actually did. In any case, I absolutely hated it.

And this brings us to the sole reason as to why I started writing these memoirs in the first place: in order to expose the truth behind the myth. During my long career in the services of Celestia Herself, I built up a reputation as a brave, dashing hero; one who could easily vanquish enemies with a single glare if some rumors were to be taken at face value. This was only helped by the aforementioned propaganda, of which my opinions have already been stated.

I only offer the truth, and the truth is that I am an alcoholic, a cheat, a thief, a lecher of both genders, a liar, and most importantly a coward. My career is one large falsehood, earned through my quick wit, exploitation of those around me, and my incredibly useful skill of running away from one situation and into the clutches of another.

I also had a lot of sex, and regret none of it.

So, dear reader, if you are brave or foolish enough to continue onwards, then read on as I tell you of my adventures.

-Sir Cherry “Renegade” Chaser