Revolution and Disillusion
It is pitch black outside and hundreds of armed ponies and griffons are hastily running and flying around. Some are carrying boxes full of munitions and other supplies while others are looking for their unit. Starry Night is in her tent going through the plan one final time. At dawn the communist resistance will begin the revolution by taking the city of Visaginas. The plan is simple, resistance forces have taken up positions around the city. When the signal to attack is given they will immediately begin their advance towards the city centre quickly overwhelming the local army garrison and police forces, they will take control of the train station, barracks, police station and radio station. Once the city is secured Starry Night will announce the succes of the revolution and rally the citizens of Longsword to the cause and all across the land ponies and griffons will join the cause and together they will defeat the fascist government.
Starry Night is ecstatic. For year’s she had to watch her fellow ponies get murdered in the street by Dusktalons knights. She thinks back to how even her father who was never involved in type of political movement was brutally taken from her house, never to be seen again. It was one of the major reasons for her to join the resistance. You would not expect it but Starry Night didn’t start out as a revolutionary she used to be content with helping her mother run the farm or her father locksmithing. Sure she had seen the brutality of the Reformisten but she didn’t think she could make a difference, she even was naive enough to think that the terror of Dusktalons regime wouldn’t affect her of her friends and family.
It started out as a beautiful summer day the sky was blue, the sun warm and the birds where singing lovely songs. Starry Night was helping her mother give food to all the animals and she could hear her father inside the house working the furnace. Starry Night loved days like this, she didn’t need fancy clothes or expansive diamonds to be happy, all she needed was to be with her family. She wasn’t deaf tho and she knew of the rising tensions between the Reformisten and the pony population of Longsword. But then again what could she possible do. And even if she could do something it would only provoke the Reformisten to use more violence, right? “yes it is better to do nothing and just keep your head low.” Starry Night thought.
She was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of trucks coming closer. Non of their neighbours owned a truck and the only creatures that owned one were the very rich farmers and… THE ARMY!!! A horrible sense of dread fell over Starry Night like a heavy blanket. It seemed her mother realised this too because she was galloping towards the farm as quick as the wind. Starry Night also ran fast as lightning. She knew this could only be bad, but when she saw her father being carried away it was like her heart stopped beating. This couldn’t be actually happening. HER father being taken away like some kind of horrible criminal. Starry Nights world slowly blacked out. She could see her mom screaming and crying but the sound just wasn’t reaching her, Starry Night felt like she was suffocating she couldn’t breath. “Why” she thought “Why would they do this to my father. He never hurt anyone.” She watched helplessly as the truck carrying her father drover away. It would be the last time they ever saw each other.
Back in the present Starry Night is fuming with anger inside her tent. “Never again shall Dusktalon and his ‘knights’ harm anypony or any other creature for that matter. My father shall be avenged.” She thinks. Starry Night calls one of her soldiers en tells him to assemble all soldiers outside her tent. Starry Night walks outside and she looks at her soldiers, everyone of them looks back at her with fierce determination. Starry Night loves her soldiers, they had followed her every step of the way, they had fought courageously and in some cases even laid down their own lives so that others may live and above all else they never left her side, they would follow her to tartarus if she told them to.
Starry Night takes a deep breath, every creature is silent and watching anxiously, wondering what Starry Night will say on the eve of this great undertaking. Starry Night takes a deep breath and begin to speak: “My fellow brothers and sisters in arms, griffons and ponies. We are about to begin the greatest journey of our lives. For far too long have Dusktalon and his knights of death terrorised us. We have all personally seen their brutality. But tomorrow that will finally end. Tomorrow we will take control of Visaginas and spread the revolution far and wide and we won’t stop until the entire country is liberated from the evil claws of Dusktalon. Our road has been long and though and we have all made sacrifices to get where we are now. But there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail. Let’s make sure that the sun has set on Dusktalons Longsword for the last time!” The crowd erupts in an ear deafening applause.
When Starry Night wakes up the following morning it is still dark outside. She stumbles sleepily to the tent that serves as the camps cantina to grab some coffee, she could hardly sleep last because of all the excitement she feels. “I can’t believe that today we will finally end the Reformisten once and for all.” She thinks. As Starry Night carefully sips her coffee she watches the camp slowly come to life. Everywhere ponies and griffons alike are leaving their tents, eating breakfast, talking with each other and grabbing their equipment. Suddenly Starry Night felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. She knew that some of them would have to pay the ultimate price today to achieve victory. Starry Night would never say it out loud but sometimes she wished that she was still living in ignorance back at the farm instead of leading her soldiers to their deaths.
When breakfast is done everyone begins to move to their starting positions. Starry Night walks to her command post on a hill overlooking Visaginas. Slowly the sun begin to rise behind her. “This is it. The time we have all been waiting for.” Starry Night thinks. She grabs her radio and takes one last look at her soldiers who are standing beside her and speaks into the radio. “This is Starry Night, all units commence the attack.” Immediately the soldiers standing beside her rush towards the city and it doesn’t take long before the sound of gunfire spreads throughout the city. Starry Night leads a group of soldiers into the city to take control of the radio station. After less than an hour of marching they reach their objective. Starry Night and her group swiftly capture the two soldiers guarding the entrance and run inside.
Once inside Starry Night is approached by one of her soldiers, “ma’m general Povner reports that he has taken control of the police station and army barracks but government forces continue hold on to the train station.” Starry Night can’t help but smile, not even in her wildest dreams could she imagine that her uprising would go so well, of course there was the matter of the train station but when she makes her speech and the whole country rises up that will hardly matter anymore. Starry Night slowly walks towards the microphone, she can barely contain er nervousness, her entire body is shaking.
Normally she wouldn’t have any trouble giving a speech but nothing about this occasion is normal. Starry Night takes a very deep breath and turns on the microphone and begins to speak. “Citizens of Longsword this morning forces of the resistance have liberated Visaginas from Dusktalon’s band of murdering knights. Government forces barely put up a fight, not even Dusktalons own soldiers are willing to die for him. I now call upon all citizens of Longsword, ponies and griffons alike to join our revolt to overthrow this evil and criminal government. We have nothing to lose anymore but we have so much to gain now. A future where ponies and griffons can live together in peace, a future in which we can sit safely in our home without the fear of the Reformisten storming in and taking our loved ones away, A future without Dusktalon!” Starry Night steps away from the microphone and listens and…. nothing, she hears nothing. No sounds of ponies and griffons marching in the street, no cheers for support, no applause, nothing except the sounds gunfire in the direction of the train station. Starry Night wasn’t sure what to expect but this definitely wasn’t it.
Before Starry Night even got a chance to figure out what to do one of her soldiers storms in, this one is so exhausted that she can barely stand up straight. “our soldiers near the train station report that government forces have just brought in two trains full of reinforcements and have started a counteroffensive. General Povner says he can’t hold the enemy back and requests permission to fall back to the barracks.” “Tell him to retreat to the barracks, I will have some of our forces at the police station and our position here diverted to the barracks. That should be enough for Povner to hold his position.” Starry Night replies. She is about to send a messenger to the police station when another soldier bursts through the door. Starry Night doesn’t know what she sees. The soldier looks more death than alive, his uniform is covered in blood and his breathing is laboured. “Ma’m the police station is overrun. Everyone is death.” After the soldier finished his sentence he immediately collapses on the ground. Starry Night just stares at the death messenger, it is like she is in a trance she just can’t take her eyes of him.
Starry Night doesn’t show it but inside she is stressing out, her heart rate increases and she begins to sweat heavily. This wasn’t supposed to happen, the citizens of Longsword where supposed to join the revolution not do nothing. And that poor soldier. Has she killed him? Starry Night wonders. Has she misunderstood the situation and where the citizens of Longsword not ready for a revolution?. Has she led her brave soldiers to the slaught- Starry Nights thoughts are interrupted by a yell “Ma’m!” Confused she looks around and sees that everyone is looking at her for answers. Starry Night realises that she can’t seem to look weak or hopeless or else everyone will loose hope “We will regroup with Povner at the barracks. There we will set up a defensive line and hold back Dusktalons forces.” She tried to say as calmly and confidently as she could. Her soldiers seemed to believe her and followed her without asking questions.
The walk towards the barracks was a silent one. Whereas this morning everyone was smiling and hopeful towards the future now the realisation that they might be death before sundown had truly set in. Starry Night tries her best to appear strong and motivated but deep down even she knows that it is over and the only thing that is left to decide is how long it will take them to die. On the way they encounter several patrols of government forces. Earlier these kinds of troops wouldn’t pose any real danger, government forces where known to be badly motivated and would retreat very quickly. But now with victory within their grasps even these small patrols fight ferociously and the resistance loses a lot of soldiers getting past them. For Starry Night the worst part was that she can’t take the bodies with them, so they wouldn’t even get a proper burial.
After a couple of hours of walking and fighting, Starry Night and her soldiers finally reach the barracks. Inside chaos rule, soldiers are running in and out of the place carrying messages and supplies and wounded soldiers are laying around the place. Starry Night is looking for general Kovner, she finally finds him in a room frantically marking positions on a map. By the looks of it Dusktalons forces are gaining ground fast. “What’s the situation?” Starry Night asks. “Government forces have broken through the perimeter in multiple areas and are advancing towards our position. They should be here soon.” Povner replies.
This is the last straw for Starry Night she collapses on her haunches, it is just too much, all she ever wanted was to do good, to help her fellow ponies and griffons, to stop the oppression of Dusktalon and his knights and to avenge her father so he could finally rest in peace. She realised that the deaths of some of her soldiers accomplish this was inevitable but she always valued the lives of her soldiers above all. But none of this matters now. The revolution is lost and all of her brave soldiers that followed her without question, because they believed that she would lead them to victory, would die because of her. Tears appear in Starry Nights eyes as she turns to Povner. There is one thing that Starry Night wants the know before she dies, the only thing that matters to her now. “Am I a bad leader? Have I just led you all to your death’s?” She asks.
Povner turns to Starry Night. “You didn’t lead us here, we followed you, not because it is easy or because you promised us victory and glory but because this is a cause worth fighting regardless of outcome. I will follow you wherever you go and I know everyone here will do the same.” Starry Night looked around and to her surprise everyone in the room was nodding in agreement. “Knowing what happened today and with will most likely happen if I could go back in time I wouldn’t change a thing. So dry your tears and get up and be the leader we all know you are!” Starry Night stands up and looks around and notices that the depressed looks everyone was having where gone and replaced by a determination so fierce she could see it burning in their eyes.
“In that case all I ask of you is to fight besides me one last time and we’ll make sure that Dusktalon and his knight will never forget this day!” Starry Night said and the whole room erupted in cheers. Once the cheering died down everyone went to their positions to prepare for their final stand. Starry Night loads her rifle aimed it at the street in front of her and waited. Government forces will arrive any minute now. Normally she would be afraid when going into battle but now she wasn’t afraid anymore, she had fought for good and that is all that matters.
After waiting a bit Dusktalon’s forces finally arrive, about a hundred soldiers enter the street. Starry Night and the rest of her soldiers take aim but before she can give the order to fire a firebomb lands among the government troops and sets several of them on fire, rocks and firework bombs also start landing. Confused Starry Night turns to Povner but he looks just as clueless as she is. Suddenly one of her soldiers calls out “Look on the rooftops!” Starry Night looks and to her big surprise she sees ordinary citizens throw stuff down at the government soldiers. “This is our chance soldier, attack!’ Starry Night yells. All her soldiers open fire and Dusktalons forces are caught in a crossfire, being fired upon by the resistance in front of them and having stuff thrown at them from above and they quickly retreat.
Starry Night orders her soldiers to pursuit the retreating enemy. With the local population now on their side it doesn’t take long to drive the government forces back and once again take control of the city. When the battle is over Starry Night is approached by a mare “Thank you for showing us that it is possible to fight those monsters. When the uprising began I thought it was hopeless and that it was better to just remain silent but your continued resistance made me realise that doing nothing while other fight for your freedom is just as bad as those who fight for evil. So thank you again for showing me the right path.” After finishing she walks away and Starry Night can see her talking with one of her soldiers, no doubt wanting to join the resistance.
Starry Night looks towards the city their flag waving proudly on top of it. They had won this battle but Dusktalon still had control of the north, although it was very likely he would lose more territory soon considering that several of his own army officers under the leadership of Conrad Silvertalon have mutinied against him, so the war was just beginning.
