Headspony

by Fluttersyke

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark
Length: 17461

For years, the Headspony has done her Duty. Never questioning. Never wondering why. Now her eyes will be opened, and her city will tremble.

Set around one hundred years after the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Headspony follows the path of one Liberty Stoneheart as she is brought face to face with the horrible deeds of her country and her own blackened soul.

Can she put a life of Duty behind her, and forge a new path for both herself and the city she cares for so much?
Or will the Darkness consume her, and leave nothing left but a husk. As it has done with so very, very many ponies in this day and age…

This is a tale of Duty and Order, Law and Justice, Good… and Evil.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-15 06:30:01 UTC

Headspony - Part I

Fluttersyke’s

Headspony

"What cause have I to feel glad?

I've built my life on judgement and causing pain.”

-H8_Seed & WoodenToaster - Awoken

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria....

I get a sick feeling inside everytime I hear those words. There is nothing ‘magical’ about today’s Equestria.

...There was peace and happiness between all races under the loving Princesses’ sun and moon...

Once there was harmony. Once there was happiness. Once there was more to a pony’s life than Duty.

Once.

But of course, that was long ago. Not here, not now.

Now there is no peace, no joy, and no freedom. Ponies live to serve the Celestial Empire. They obey their great Empress, or they are obliterated.

I should know, I am the one who deals with traitors. In the north of the Empire, within the walls of Stalliago, I am the law. I am the pony whose very presence quiets the room. The one who is hiding in the shadows, just out of sight.

Every time you have a rebellious thought, be sure you are prepared to face me.

I am the Headspony. The Executioner.

I am the Empress's will given physical form. My purpose is to preserve order in my city; my only goal in life is to serve my country.

Whenever a criminal is caught, a plot foiled, or a rebel arrested, I am there. Prepared to end the offending pony's life by my own hoof.

But it is nothing personal. I do not want to kill ponies. I am not a murder.

It's just my job.

***

[Excerpt from the diary of Liberty Stoneheart]

Dear Diary,

Manevember 5, 1519

I am writing this to get these... these goddess damned thoughts out of my head. Things are heating up, I can feel it. My city will not be content to obey for much longer.

And I am no longer certain which side I am on.

Perhaps I should back up a bit, after all, who knows how far into the future this account will be found? Maybe in a few years when things have quieted down.... maybe never.

In any event, what I must say demands a certain degree of  background knowledge to understand.

I shall begin with my home, the great nation I have served for over eighteen years.

The Celestial Empire.

The Empire was created to preserve ponykind in a changing world... but from what I have only just begun to see, I believe the only thing it has done is poison us; turning the once peaceful land of Equestria into a nation that oppresses the very people it once nurtured.

As far as I know, only one pony lived through the transition from Kingdom to Empire. The one that, most would say, caused said transition.

Our omnipotent and omniscient Empress governs the Empire from her throne in the ancient castle of Canterlot. Not that anypony has ever seen the Empress, she stays in her palace and has not been viewed in public for a long, long time. I have no idea what she is even supposed to be, I do not care. All I know is that she started this government and has failed to save us from it.

However, that is not my point.

In truth, the Empress, the Empire, the rest of the world... these mean little to me. I was born and raised in the north of what was once Equestria, in a larger settlement entitled 'Stalliago'.

Stalliago is a good city. Its people deserve justice; they deserve order. I have tried to provide such commodities for them ever since my tenth birth-day; the day I was chosen to become a part of the 'peacekeepers' who are tasked with doing whatever it takes to preserve the Empire's rule here.

Which means we are commanded to deal out punishment to those who disagree with our grand nation. It is our Duty to keep order and preserve peace. We arrest, rough up, torture, and execute troublemakers based on their level of infraction.

Or on the unicorn Overlord's mood that particular day. Depending on which one seems most likely to allow us to preserve our own heads.

You do not question the Overlord. Nor any other unicorn in the city.

Not if you wish to keep your life, and that of your family.

To the unicorns who set up this system all those years ago, it must have seemed far easier to enslave an entire race by setting up its own members to do the dirty work.

I say this here because the peacekeepers are almost exclusively earth ponies, aside from a few unicorn leaders. And the only ponies we have the power to prosecute are, of course, earth ponies.

We can do nothing against the small population of unicorns, or even smaller group of pegasi, without the City Overlord himself backing us.

Given that he is, and must always be, a unicorn, I have never experience a horned citizen's arrest. And more than a few times I have pondered taking some of those troublemakers into my own hooves. Of course, such foolish notions are almost always crushed beneath my logical mind... unfortunately, the desire usually persists long after the argument is closed.

But I digress, the purpose of this journal is to leave a written account of what truly happened within Stalliago's walls during the months following those troublesome events to the south. And that is what I intend to write. I hope that whoever discovers this preserves my words and ensures that this one, tiny piece of historical truth survives for generations to come.

With that in mind, let me provide you with the key events that have lead to Stalliago’s current situation.

[End of Excerpt]

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 1, 1519

The sun rose slowly over Stalliago's valley. Filtering through the ever-present cloud cover with what could be called practiced ease.

If one could believe sunlight capable of such things.

But either way, built at the base of an impossibly tall mountain with a sturdy wooden barrier surrounding the original settlement, the city was a sight to behold.

It was centered on a public square of shop fronts surrounding an elegant town hall. One with a rectangular wood-planked platform erected before it. The rest of the settlement spread out down an organized street grid; the near mathematical precision of the original plan slightly distorted by the winding side streets and alleys that came with building an obscene amount of extra houses wherever they could be slotted in.

Needless to say, the population wasn't too pleased about it.

In any event, the city managed to fit an impressive thousand or so residents within its walls; the vast majority of said people being earth ponies.

Of course, several unicorns resided there as well, with the higher purpose of running the city. And making sure their lesser kin stayed obedient.

But mostly the former...

Also present was a small team of pegasi kept for gathering water from the streams that ran down the steep mountain slopes on either side for use in The Capital.

Today, those pegasi were already hard at work; the slightly glowing green collars around their necks catching the light. It appeared almost as if a tiny swarm of fireflies was whirling around the southern reservoir in an effort to lift the massive amount of water within to the distant, gleaming Capital lying in the shadow of Canterlot Palace.

Given that each and every one of the flyers worked with the exact same amount of wing power in absolutely perfect sync, the water was swiftly rising up into the pegasi-driven hurricane.

The sight was rather beautiful... but to the one pony awake at this time of day, it was simply a part of the background.

The grey coated mare had turned her back on the spectacle, her black-as-night mane blowing sideways from the fierce windstorm brewing to the south. The amber eyes narrowed as she gazed across the city laid out before her, watching as the ponies of Stalliago slowly woke up to yet another day of work.

Not that they ever woke up to any other kind of day of course. Whether it was work fishing in the rivers that ran down from the mountains next to the town, work in the factories that produced the Empire’s most reliable machinery, or work in the kitchens to provide the food necessary to keep the city going, it was still work. It was always work.

And it was work a pony did nearly their entire life, from the day they turned ten, to the day they died.

After all, it was their Duty to labor for the betterment of the Empire. And no pony ever failed to do their Duty.

Not unless they wish to taste my blade... the mare thought, her eyes slowly and methodically scanning the quiet streets spread out before her.

Today was a rather unusual day for Liberty Stoneheart, but not because of the whirlwind quickly whipping up into a full blown cyclone behind her, nor for the utter stillness of the city’s population during the first hour of daylight. Both were rather common occurrences to a resident of Stalliago.

But for Liberty, it was the feel of the wind on her face and the intense brightness of the sunlight that seemed new and unusual. For what was most likely the fifth or sixth time since her tenth birth-day, the charcoal coated mare was outside without any clothing on whatsoever.

Gone was her black, silken cloak, her shrouded hood, and her reinforced barding. Gone was her ability to see the world yet remain unseen. And most troubling, gone was Justice, her single edged, razor-sharp waraxe.

This had better be worth it, she thought. Just because no pony would ever recognize her without the Executioner’s paraphernalia, didn’t mean she wanted to walk unarmed into an enemy’s den. But it had been decided that she was the only pony unknown enough to attempt this mission.

Thankfully, she did have a few friends.

With a slight tap of her hoof on the wooden platform beneath her, bunching up the muscles in her foreleg just so, she drew her secret weapon. The hoof-blade released with a barely audible hiss, sliding out of the sheath strapped to her inner left foreleg to its full two-and-a-half hoof length.

Okay, so it hadn’t exactly been from a friend, but calling in a favor from somepony whose life you had saved counted for something... right?

She shook her head and flexed her leg again; the blade withdrew into its sheath even more silently than it had come out, hidden in plain sight as a popular piece of jewelry known as a  hooflet. That and her small satchel completed her disguise, not that she would be fooling anypony who’d ever seen her before her apprenticeship as a peacekeeper. Her distinctive eyes ruined any chance of that, which was the reason she had risen so early... or at least, the reason she was walking the city this early. No matter, it was time to find her target.

Liberty set off at a swift trot, descending the stairs and entering the grid of streets, following the mental map of the city in her head with unerring accuracy.

Lazy idiots have used the same hideout for two months. How can they expect us to remain ignorant of their treachery? Liberty frowned as she continued on towards her destination.

After ten minutes or so she crossed the central square, giving the large, slightly blood stained wooden platform permanently erected in its center a cursory glance before heading towards the far side of the plaza. The square was only about five minutes’ walk from the structure that was, unfortunately for its proprietors, her current target.

She stopped just short of the turnoff for ‘Drewry Lane’. This was the place.

The street that housed Sunshine Tap, one of the... less reputable taverns in Stalliago, was certainly no beauty. It was riddled with the signs of unhappiness.

Her eyes darted about the deserted lane, scoping out the territory. She picked out several passed out drunks up and down the road; even if everypony received a small, standardized house by Law... that did not mean they could always make it back after a heavy night of drinking.

As easy as it would be to simply walk down the street and enter the taphouse, ‘twould be suspicious to appear out of the blue walking straight from the center of town. And even more out of the ordinary to head right into one of the least respectable businesses still standing within the city’s walls.

With a sigh of irritation she turned and began making her way through the back streets of Stalliago, determined to keep up her anonymity at all costs.

The incognito mare walked down a graffiti encrusted alleyway behind the establishment in an effort to make sure no pony knew where she’d come from. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her Duty to keep the streets, and walls, of the city clean... even if the slogans scrawled across some of these brick buildings made her flinch away in disgust.

Honestly, how did one go about ‘bucking’ an Empire?

Liberty shook her head and, with a flip of her dark mane, walked nonchalantly out into the main street. Her gaze swept over the ponies sleeping away a night of drinking on the side of the road, noticing with satisfaction several who gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. She trotted purposefully in through the swinging doors of the taphouse, taking in the empty space with a split second sweep of her amber eyes.

Empty that is, except for a small table in the back of the room.

Excellent, now all she had to do was keep up her act and... she remembered the casually laid out ‘plan’ back in the barracks. And well uh, once you’re in. Just... wait for something to happen.

Sometimes she hated whoever came up with these plans.

She couldn’t worry about it now however. Now was the time to act.

Literally.

She greatly exaggerated each stride as she advanced upon the dirty bar standing at the far end of the taphouse. Allowing a casual, carefree smile to slide over her normally dour demeanor.

Without even trying, she had the immediate interest of the party off to the left of the bar. They spoke quietly to each other as she strolled to the bar and chose one of the small, hoof high stools before the counter to plant her hooves on.

The stallion behind the bar looked at her in surprise, setting down the glass he’d been cleaning with both hooves as she sat down.

        “Well howdy miss, ain’t seen you ‘round these parts before,” He said, what appeared to be a genuine smile gracing his beige face.

Liberty kept a tight lid on her thoughts as she slipped into her carefully prepared accent, trying to rid herself of both doubt and disgust at what she must do.

“Yeah, friggin’ peas threw me outta Radiance yestaday. Figure’d I’d betta find a new place ta get the juice. I’ll have whateva ye’ve got on tap mista.”

Dear Goddess, why do ponies speak like this? She quickly stomped out the voice, knowing the three ponies in the corner would be listening to every word.

At least she was pretty sure she’d gotten all the ‘slang’ words correct. It was like these shady ponies created a code language just because they were too lazy to use proper Equestrian!

The bartender raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling up. “I take it you didn’t exactly agree with the peacekeepers’ commands?”

Liberty snickered, a very alien action, while getting some spare bits out of her satchel. “Turns out they don’ like ponies badmouthin’ tha Empire. How’m I s’posed ta know those plotholes c’n be outta uniform?”

The sight of money galvanized the stallion behind the bar to trot over to the tap and begin filling up the glass he’d been cleaning. She only hoped this business could be concluded before she actually had to ingest that putrid liquid.

        “Yeah, the peacekeepers don’t come ‘round here too much. Somethin’ ‘bout a ‘bad vibe’ they get from the locals... Say, what’s your job ‘round here? If yer lookin’ to become a regular, I’d like to get ta know ya,” the barstallion said, setting the glass before her and putting his hooves on the counter, staring at her with a curious expression.

Liberty was taken a bit aback by that, why on earth would this pony care about his customers? She’d never heard of such a thing in Stalliago... but it certainly made her job easier.

        “Well, ah... thank ye. I werk as a courier ‘round the city, deliverin’ all sortsa’ packages n’ mail n’ stuff,” she drawled, internally shuddering at the fact that she was capable of such an act.

She caught the sudden renewed interest from the table to her left, the three ponies were definitely giving her their full attention now.

        “Oh a courier! Right ‘ere in my tavern! Pleased ta meetchya, Miss...?” He gave her a questioning look.

        “Jus’ call me Erty, s’ what all my friends say,” she said, hoping against hope he wouldn’t ask what it was shortening.

The stallion raised an eyebrow at the strange name, but thankfully didn’t push it.

“Well then Miss Erty, I’m pleased to welcome ye to my humble bar! Sunshine Tap is one o’ the few business still standin’ independent of the Empire!”

The stallion spread his hooves out in an all encompassing gesture at the building. Liberty heard the sound of stools being pushed back and caught motion out of the corner of her eye.

        “That’s pretty ‘mpressive mista...” Liberty began, before trailing off as two ponies walked up right next to her and stood at the bar on either side.

        “I hope you’ll excuse us for interrupting, but it seems we share a lot of common interests Miss Erty,” came a silky voice from behind her.

Liberty closed her eyes, somehow managing to quell the sly smile that threatened to break out across her lips.

She turned slowly to face the blue stallion standing a few hooves away, the ‘drink’ completely forgotten upon the counter. Thank the Goddess.

The buck before her had a cool, casual look on his face. He was standing confidently, gazing at her with intelligent azure eyes.

She looked him over, sizing the pony up. “Oh really? An’ jus’ what interests ‘re we talkin’ ‘bout?” She asked, forcing herself to sound as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

It was almost as hard as sounding like the scum of the city, almost. She should have been an actress... except all those positions were abolished a hundred years ago.

The stallion had a faded sapphire blue coat with a dark brown and white mane; she paid no attention to the ponies on either side of her. She’d memorize their faces, but right now she needed proof that it would be necessary.

        “Well you see, my compatriots and I feel that the Empire is just a bit too... pushy, with us earth ponies. We’d like to try and expand our rights, and you might be just the pony to help us out!” He said with a grin, watching her every move.

Liberty smiled inwardly, she did love it when a plan came together. “You sayin’ yer one o’ them rebel thingies?”

His grin widened, “Oh no, we do not want to rebel against the Empire; we merely want to change it for the betterment of ponykind. We are just a few ponies who want to show the Overlord how much better life could be if we simply changed the laws a little bit and let earth ponies stand on equaling hoofing with unicorns.”

Hmmm, I suppose that makes sense...Wait, what? These ponies are supposed to be evil, despicable, rebellious... they should notbe reasonable. Liberty thought with confusion.

        “Well nao, that-that kinda’ makes sense...” she said, struggling to hold her act together.

The stallion nodded, “What would you say to helping us get our hooves on some of the more important correspondences between the higher ups of Stalliago? With such papers, we could find some things that the Overlord might be willing to get back, in return for a bit of change for our race...”

Liberty almost sighed with relief. Bribery, extortion, theft... all were things she was far more experienced with persecuting than ideals. These ponies might have the right idea, but their methods were criminal no matter the reason.

        “Oh jeez... sorry but stealin’ jus’ ain’t my thing. Tha’s jus’ not right, I don’ care why ya do it,” she said in an apologetic tone, keeping her eyes locked onto the stallion’s.

The grin died on his face, replaced by confusion, followed by annoyance. “What are you saying? You have to understand, they steal far more than we would. They steal our lives by forcing us to work, they steal our families by breaking us apart, they even steal our cutie marks! How can we not be justified with getting some dirt on the Overlord?”

The stallion was raising his voice, obviously being refused had not been a factor in his plan.

How unfortunate that ‘twas not his plan she was following.

        “Look mista, I got things ta do and places ta go. I don’ want none o’ yer scummy rebel crimes. Get outta my way,” she said, attempting to push past him.

The ponies on either side of her closed in, blocking any attempt of escape. I really hope these idiots don’t try to fight me... she thought with a mental sigh. The hoof blade was comforting against her foreleg.

The stallion shot an unreadable glance at each of his compatriots.

A glance which Liberty really, really, did not like.

The blue buck gave what he surely thought was a covert nod to the stallion on her left, but received only a shake of the head from the mare to her right.

He sighed, and turned his full attention back to the pony before him, “I’m afraid you’re making this far more difficult than it needs to be. It’s simple really, join us and everything will go just swimmingly.”

Liberty snorted, “Back off, I’m warnin’ ya! I won’ tell anypony about yer stupid gang, I don’ get involved in that kind o’ crap.”

        “That may be true, but should the Empire capture you for some other reason, you will tell them to save your own sorry plot. Either you swear your allegiance to us... or, well, accidents happen all the time behind closed doors.”

Cyan grinned sadly, “One less earth pony won’t really make a difference to the Overlord.”

There was a gasp from Liberty’s right.

“Cyan this is not what we stand for!” said the hooded mare vehemently.

The Headspony glanced at the speaker, a red mane and white coat peaked out from her heavy factory work-cloak. A rather familiar looking mare... Liberty mentally shook it off, turning away from the unknown pony and back to the blue stallion.

The buck silenced her with a glare, “But it is what we must do to preserve our anonymity, you of all ponies know this Affy”

She had everything she needed now. There was no longer a reason to keep up the charade.

It was time to show these foals what happened when you pitted yourself against Law and Order.

        “You will accept our order, or we will silence you. Make your choice you uneducated filly!” the stallion, Cyan, nearly shouted at her.

What a charming insult... Liberty thought.

A dangerous smile playing across the mares lips. Her eyes lost their glazed appearance as they narrowed, looking into the stallion’s face with a sharp focus. Her carefully slouched stance disappeared as she assumed a far more threatening posture.

She tapped the ground with her left hoof and flexed her leg muscles,  finally allowing her disguise to shatter in full as a soft hiss resounded throughout the room.

The blade slid out smoothly, gleaming lethally in the faint sunlight streaming in through the windows.

The very sight of such a deadly, and professional, weapon causing the stallion before her to leap back.

The ponies to either side stepped away from her in haste, surprise and shock written across their hoode faces. Cyan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared at the hoof-blade, “Wh-what is that? Who the hay are you?”

She wielded the tiny weapon with a practiced ease. Holding her left hoof  to the side with the business end of the steel pointing straight at the blue stallion. She was careful to keep her weight evenly distributed on the three remaining hooves.

She allowed her smile to widen, “That is strictly on a need to know basis. And sadly, you most definitely do not need to know.”

The charcoal mare kept a constant watch upon all three of her opponents, tensed and ready for the moment of attack, “You’ve used this place one too many times as a meeting grounds. The peacekeepers surround you, I simply made sure you are who we believed.”

She wasn’t sure which made him flinch more, the fact that he was surrounded, or the naturally perfect Equestrian accent she had slipped back into.

        “Th-the peacekeepers? Here!? How could they-YOU, have found us!?” He sputtered, wildly looking over his shoulder at the door.

Liberty gave a sharp whistle, the signal to her fellow guards. She never let her confident smile slip, “Twasn’t hard, all we had to do was follow the signs. I take it you have something to do with the wonderful paintings around the back alleys here?”

Cyan swore, shooting the pony to her left a furious glare.

        “Hey it was a way to get some like minded ponies together! There’s no way they found us just off of the walls!” The tan coated, fully cloaked pony said with a note of irritation.

Liberty was careful to keep her hoof blade at the ready, she knew she had no chance against all three of them even with the weapon. Hopefully it would take these thugs a tad longer to figure that out.

She opened her mouth to give another withering comment when the pony to her right suddenly turned and bolted away, heading for a back door.

Liberty saw the five peacekeepers who had been loitering outside in disguise come charging in through the front door, that took care of the two stallions. She spun around and raced after the runaway mare, hooves scrambling for purchase as she ran around the bar and out the back door that had already been bucked open.

She emerged in the back alley she’d come through before, colorful language greeting her from every wall. The mare broke into a gallop the moment she caught sight of the fleeing rebel, putting as much focus as she could into catching up.

The figure sprinted with impressive speed down the narrow path. She literally slid around a corner and vanished from Liberty’s view.

The mare ran as fast as she could, mere seconds behind the rebel.

There was a bright flash of red light, flaring into exuberant life from the fleeing pony’s corner before blaring out of existence seconds later.

A strange Pop! sound echoed and reechoed bizarrely off the crazily angled buildings.

The mare finally reached the turn. She skidded around the corner, eyes alight with the thrill of the chase... and stopped.

Before her was a short alleyway, dead ending at a blank wall. There were no other exits.

And there was not a single soul to be found.

Liberty’s amber eyes darted around, trying to find the mare’s escape hole; there had to be something, some small getaway route she was overlooking... But there was nothing, all the doors were locked and showed no signs of having been opened in the past few days.

It was like she had just... vanished into thin air.

Just like magic... Liberty thought, and then it clicked. The red mane, the white coat, the name Cyan had called his mysterious acquaintance, each little memory pointed towards an impossible conclusion.

Affy? No, it couldn’t be...

Liberty turned away from the deserted alley with a deep frown on her face. She trotted back to the tavern lost in thought.

***

        “You can’t do this! We didn’t do anything wrong!” Cyan shouted as he was firmly hoof cuffed by two of the peacekeepers and led to the waiting wagon in the street.

Liberty shook her head, “We both know you’ve done far more wrong than anypony else here Cyan. Stop trying to fight us.”

The stallion stared at her in horror as he was loaded up and carted away next to the tan buck who’d been with him. No trace of the mare had been found.

Of course not, she was far too intelligent for that.

        “So that’s it then? Just because we want to make this city a better place, we die?” The blue stallion asked in a voice devoid of emotion. It seemed that realization had hit him harder than most.

Liberty hesitated for a split second, taking said time to crush the tiny voice in her mind that asked the very same question. Instead, she gave him a long, sad look.

“My apologies. I do not wish to kill you, but the law is the law. And you attempted to break it. You can feel sorry for yourself and fight us again, or submit. And accept the punishment for you crimes.”

        “What happens if we fight? What more can you do to us when we’re already dead anyway?” He said, his gaze boring into her.

Liberty sighed, and replied with absolute conviction, “Then you will die sooner, rather than later, and without a trial. Don’t be foalish Cyan... We are the good ponies. We always win.”

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 2, 1519

A little over a day later, their victory was nearly complete.

The mysterious ‘council’, which of course consisted entirely of the city’s horned population, had unanimously voted on the fate in store for Stalliago’s currently captive criminals.

Now all that remained was carrying out the sentences.

Given that every single one of said sentences fell into the ‘lethal’ category, the Headspony would certainly be busy.

The city was assembled, as usual, in the mane square before the town hall. The wooden platform, what was usually referred to as justice’s Stage, stood at about head height for the average pony, giving the citizens a clear view of the consequences for treason.

As well as the consequences for being a smart mouth around their betters.

At the moment, Liberty Stoneheart was slipping through the crowd with ease. No pony wanted to get close to her, for now she wore her true colors. The pitch black cloak concealed nearly all of her body, with hardened leather barding underneath it capable of flaunting almost any type of attack she was likely to encounter patrolling the streets and doing her Duty. She looked like an agent of Death itself, and that is exactly what she was; the shrouded hood hiding her entire face only added to her terrifying presence.

        “The first traitor of today, one Dart Mudblood, is hereby accused of thievery, assault, and murder! He is responsible for the deaths of three of our finest peacekeepers as well as the theft of several days’ worth of food. This council demands his death! What say the people!?” bellowed a deep, thundering voice across the square.

Liberty smiled inside her hood, feeling the reassuring weight of Justice strapped to her back. Corporal Devias, the unicorn whose amplified voice was being broadcast to the ponies of Stalliago, had a flare for putting on a show. The stallion's sea green coat shown in the afternoon sunlight drifting in through the clouds, he enjoyed it when the entire city roared their approval at him. Just as they were doing now to damn this pony for the wrongs he had committed.

The vast sea of ponies crowding close to the central platform of Stalliago’s Mane Square jostled with one another to get a better view of the dark green earth pony criminal tied down on said stage. He looked shocked, completely and utterly dumbfounded by the turn of fate that had brought him here. Clearly, he had never expected his crimes to catch up to him.

Now he had an entire city calling for his head.

And as they demand, so I execute... Liberty thought grimly as she solemnly mounted the steps to the raised platform.

The guards on either side of the prisoner forced the stallion’s head down upon the large wooden Block before him. A Block with a small basket beneath it, and covered in the ever present blood stains that were impossible to completely scrub out of the wood.

Liberty took her place beside the green earth pony, looking with a mixture of pity and indifference at the stallion. She carefully turned and bit into Justice’s handle, taking the fifteen hoof long weapon by the small handle sticking out perpendicular to the shaft.

She carefully lifted, pulling the shaft out of the small, nearly indestructible clasp attached to the barding on her back. With practiced ease, she raised the gilded steel axe above her head.

It might be an outdated weapon, what with new types projectile based 'guns' being manufactured day and night all over Empire, but there was no question that Justice suited Liberty's task perfectly.

The shouts and cries began to die down as the ponies saw her preparing. It was impolite to interrupt her line of work, not that that ever stopped the crowd. For some reason, they seemed to enjoy letting the oppressive silence grow as she prepared to do her Duty.

So of course, Devias shouted out in his own magically amplified voice for them, “The people have spoken! The thief shall die by Justice’s blade! Let us allow the Headspony to perform her sacred task!”

The crowd roared once more as Liberty carefully lifted the axe and lined up her swing perfectly.

It wasn’t like she wanted to kill anypony, she would have prefered locking him up in some prison for the rest of his life. But twould be a waste of resources to do so, as well as a hassle for whoever had to take care of him and the others like him every day. Death was perhaps a tad harsh for some crimes, but there was no doubt that a murderer did not deserve the joys of life whilst his victims rotted away.

It is not my fault I was chosen for this, I have no reason to be ashamed. Liberty thought calmly, as she always did when standing upon this stage.

        “P-please... I-I didn’t...” The stallion sputtered quietly, only barely audible over the noise of the crowd. His neck was horribly exposed upon the Block. Unfortunately, Devias chose that moment to shout once more.

        “Behold! The fate of all traitors to the Celestial Empire!” The unicorn buck shouted out, causing the crowd to begin stomping their hooves thunderously in applause, and anticipation.

Liberty slowly raised the axe for the final time, rearing up to bring Justice to its full height and put as much force as she could into the blow, trusting her instincts to guide her down with impeccable accuracy.

She closed her eyes as the crowd slowly faded away, to be replaced by the calm of her mind.

It’s just my job...

The weapon flashed in the afternoon sunlight as it struck downward.

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 3, 1519

Once again ponies gathered in Stalliago’s central square.

Once again the sea green unicorn stood before the crowd, calling the ponies of the city from their homes and Duties to witness the hoof of justice.

Once again Liberty moved silently through the crowd, clad in her normal attire. The shadow of the law gliding through the masses like a ghost.

The square, as always, was packed with the people of the city.  Filled with onlookers, observers, and a vast sea of innocents, each and every one simply glad of the fact that it was not themselves upon the stage.

It was a bit unusual to have two executions in the same number of days; normally they would all be taken care of at the same time. But in this case, the Headspony had had questions for one of the victims. Questions that eventually led to a tan stallion being freed, and a theory of her’s confirmed.

For the first time, Liberty was intimately acquainted with the case at hoof. Cyan stood defiantly upon the stage, gazing out at the crowd gathered to witness his execution with an unreadable expression upon his face.

        “Ladies and gentlecolts! Welcome once again to the distribution of Justice!” Devias exclaimed as Liberty made her way onto the platform.

The grey mare looked at Cyan with a mixture of sorrow and pity. Truly, she was sorry to have to kill him. But the law was the law. At least she was content to have given him his wish, and saved his friend in return for the answers she had sought.

Despite the questionable honor of letting the third rebel go free without a proper trial, Liberty had managed to convince the peacekeepers that he was innocent. It was necessary in order to secure Cyan's confidence. In all honesty, she'd been surprised her fellow guards had complied so readily.

But of course, she was honest, just, and blind. Deals such as hers occurred on a daily basis.

        “The traitor destined for the block this day is none other than Cyan Blueblood! This council accuses said stallion with treason of the highest degree...”

Liberty was determined to give Cyan some comfort, the least she could do was make his last moments as painless as possible. The guards had already tied him down with his head upon the Block, all that remained was the hearing, and the Execution.

“...along with many charges of assault when the peacekeepers attempted to apprehend him two days ago. But far worse, the stallion before you murdered more than five innocent ponies in cold blood! Some of them even your hard working peacekeepers!”

The crowd roared to life, the stomping of hooves shaking the very floor beneath the Headspony's hooves. Their righteous anger was exactly the reaction Devias had been told to elicit, as was his Duty.

The meaning behind his words came to the grey mare moments later.

...What?

Liberty actually turned to glance back at the unicorn, he possessed a small piece of parchment upon the lectern before him. His horn glowed an icy blue as he blasted out the charges leveled against the traitor with absolute conviction.

        “The people have spoken! Let this treasonous murderer rot in tartarus for all time!”

What foalishness is this? He is sentenced to death, what purpose is there in fabricating crimes?

Devias seemed to notice her staring his way; with a frown, he nodded to the blue coated pony kneeling before her.

This was troubling. It was one thing to say what Cyan had done was ‘high’ treason, since he hadn’t actually done anything... but to lay a whole slew of non existent crimes and atrocities at his hooves just made him into a monster.

For some odd reason, that struck Liberty as wrong.

Come to think of it... had there ever been a convicted pony who wasn’t charged with enough crimes to make them out as a murderous demon?

Liberty had trouble focusing as several choice memories made themselves heard in her mind.

“P-please... I-I didn’t...”

The stallion from the previous day... and now that she thought about it, dozens before him. Goddess, how had she not realized this before?

But... despite the lies, they are still criminals. It is my Duty to remove them from this world....

Her mind in turmoil, she once again bit onto Justice and wielded the weapon.

Cyan shifted in his restraints, looking straight into her eyes. His own widened in recognition as he saw the amber pupils, full of confusion and turmoil, gazing back him.

Clearly wishing to get the ball rolling once more, the Corporal shouted out to the quieted crowd, “Ponies of Stalliago! Once again bear witness to the fate in store for any who dare to oppose the might of the Empire!”

Cyan seemed to read her thoughts. He rested his head on the block, but before he broke off Liberty’s stare he mouthed one simple sentence: I only wanted to make it better...

He closed his eyes then, turning away from her in utter defeat.

What madness is this? Liberty thought, attempting to hold herself together as she slowly raised the axe, as she had done countless times before.

What purpose is there in slandering the names of the dead, before they even reach that state?

And what did that make her, the one tasked with carrying out the sentence no matter her opinion on the matter?

This is my Duty. This is what I am meant to do... She wished that actually eased her mind now; the argument had once given her strength. Now it tasted bitter in her mouth, right beside Justice's handle.

She struggled to keep the weapon, and the desire to wield it as she was meant to, steady as she lined up her swing.

I Am Not A Murderer. She told herself, almost firmly.

She reached the apex of her arc and closed her eyes, sending out a silent prayer to whatever deity would accept her victim's soul.

...Then Why Do I Feel Like One?

Once again, Justice flashed in the waning sunlight as it began its deadly downward stroke.

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 5, 1519

In truth, the Headspony was troubled by the events of that day for the rest of her life.

And it began the very next morning as she meticulously conducted her own little private investigation, trying to understand the strange, alien thoughts and desires running through her mind.

Never before had she spared a second with thoughts of the ponies she had killed. It had always been her Duty, a job... it had never been her fault.

Now there was a desire, no, a need, to figure out one simple mystery... Why?

Why did these things matter now, when she had never thought of them before?

Why did she suddenly feel guilt for doing what she had been raised to do?

And most troubling, why did she feel... uneasy, about voicing her opinion to her fellow peacekeepers, or even the Overlord himself?

Two days later, the questions had been driving her to the brink of insanity. She needed answers, she needed closure.

And she knew just where to get them.

***

The cloaked pony glided silently through the moonlit streets of Stalliago, her hoofsteps muffled by years of practice in stealth.

The figure’s destination was like a beacon in her mind’s eye. Blazing with the hope of discovery, closure, and above all, answers.

It took her mere moments to reach the address of one of the more impressive homes within Stalliago. While the earth ponies each had a regulated living space given to them by the government, the unicorns had no such limitations. As one can imagine, that meant they tended to live in the rather lavish houses found in the north of the city.

Liberty sighed as she gazed at the artfully carved exterior of the place, she was at her wit's end with questions of Duty and guilt. The pony living here was perhaps her last hope of finding some reason, she had nowhere else to turn.

But even this would have to be an act.

Walking silently to the front door, she rapped upon it with a heavy hoof; the sound reverberated throughout the building.

She heard the sound of hoofsteps from within and ceased her pounding, waiting calmly outside.

        “I’m comin’ I’m comin’! Who is it?” came a bleary voice from the other side of the heavy wooden door.

Liberty carefully disguised her voice, “I jus’ wanna talk to ye’ ‘bout somethin’, Miss Affinity.”

There was a pause, she thought she heard a sigh from the other side. And then the bolt slid back and the door was opened inward.

A white coated, scarlet maned unicorn stood in the doorway, looking at Liberty with a sad, yet accepting, expression.

        “I see running away did nothing but delay the inevitable, Miss Erty.”

...So much for subtlety.

The shrouded pony frowned, and then tossed back her hood, allowing her black mane to flow freely.

        “I cannot abide by ponies who evade the law, Lieutenant. Surely you must have known this when you began meeting with traitors.” Liberty said softly.

The white mare sighed, “Of course I knew the risks. But you have to understand, Liberty, that I cannot abide by the Empire’s oppression.”

The sound of hooffalls came to them from further down the street, approaching the two mares.

Affinity opened the door further, “Come inside, if you’re going to confront me, you may as well do it where no pony sees you.”

Liberty's  frown deepened, but she walked into the house nonetheless, entering the mansion-like building as the white unicorn shut the door and slid the bolt home once more.

Just inside the entrance was a wide hallway, with a staircase at the end spiraling up to the next level and several doors off to either side.

Her host came to stand next to Liberty, “It’s not where I would have chosen to live, but it’s what I was given.”

Liberty snorted, and turned to the mare, “You are a unicorn, you live an easy life. Why meet with traitors? What can you possibly gain from hurting the Empire?”

The unicorn looked taken aback by that, “Why would I need to gain anything? I only want to help ponies make this world a better place. From what I have see, the Empire only hurts us. We need to change things.”

        “But why? I have lived my entire life to serve the Empire. Never have I encountered a unicorn who did not believe in her country. What could possibly make you care about earth ponies?” Her eyes bored into the unicorn’s, almost pleadingly.

The Lieutenant, one of the most prestigious ranks within the Empire, looked at her sadly. “Liberty, your Duty is to preserve the law, but above that, you must preserve Order. Is what you did two days ago something you are proud of? Do you enjoy killing ponies for crimes they did not commit?”

The mare’s amber eyes shone with inner turmoil. She blinked, and looked away. “My purpose is to serve the Empire... How can I possibly accomplish that if I begin to doubt my nation?”

Affinity shook her head, “If you cannot bear to go beyond your Duty, Liberty, then I understand why you do not believe me. Think what you will of me, maybe I do have some hidden agenda to take down the Empress and claim her throne.”

Liberty gazed around as she pondered the unicorn’s words. She saw bare walls, unembellished with decorations or other frivolous materials. The hall was devoid of anything personal that could connect with the pony beside her. It was as if the unicorn had made every effort to live as simply and humbly as possible.

The Headspony turned back to the Lieutenant, “Perhaps you do not want to destroy the Empire. But why meet with rebels such as Cyan? Why support thievery and petty hatred?”

Affinity sighed, “Cyan was only the latest of many ponies I have met with in secret. I wanted to find good ponies, ones who were already disillusioned with our nation. Unfortunately, as you saw, most of the ones eager to act against the Empire... would not be much better if given the power to rule in its stead. I do not support thievery or murder, but I saw the wisdom of getting some leverage against the Overlord. He is too powerful within these walls to take on with simple protests and rallies.”

Liberty nodded, “That makes some sense I suppose... You will not stop this, will you? Even if, inevitably, you will be caught at some point in the future?”

Affinity smiled, “I cannot stop. I could not live with myself if I gave up and allowed this oppression to continue. If I must die by your hoof for that... At least I respect my executioner. Contradictory as she may be."

        "You would allow me to arrest you here and now, without a fight?" Liberty asked skeptically.

        "I would advise against that, you of all ponies must know that the Overlord would prefer to deny everything and kill me himself, rather than reveal a rebellious unicorn. And you would then be a liability, a removable liability. It's his job, after all, to keep you non magical citizens in awe of our race... If you are determined to end me, I would recommend doing the deed here, where no pony will ever suspect the Headspony."

Affinity was standing next to her guest, head held high. She gazed upon the cloaked figure defiantly.

Testing a theory.

Contrary to her expectation, Liberty looked even more upset.

Her face betraying the uncertainty that had been accumulating in her mind for days, Liberty swallowed.

        "I did not come here to take your life, Affinity. I have taken too many... far too many. I am here for answers. To try and understand why you feel the way you do, and figure out why my Duty is no longer an acceptable excuse for my actions."

The white mare took a few ponderous steps down the hall. As if to distance herself from the Headspony, and gain some space to think.

        "Well, Miss Stoneheart, you are just full of surprises. I think I've already given you your first answer; I fight because I know what I do is right, I could not stand idle while this city suffered. Especially now with the events in the south. But as for giving you the closure you seek... I'm afraid the only pony capable of such reasoning is yourself. I can do nothing but present you with my own beliefs."

        “I didn't expect that from you, I only wish to understand why you did what you did... But what is this about the south? What happened?” Liberty asked, confused. Stalliago did not usually get news of the rest of the Empire.

        “Of course you do not know. It isn’t exactly something the Empire is eager to advertise...” Affinity said, before walking over to one of the doors on the right side of the hall. She opened it and beckoned Liberty inside.

Uncertain, the mare followed her, entering the smaller space. Within this chamber was a large table with a piece of parchment firmly stretched across it. Painted onto the parchment was a huge mix of dots, colors, and lines. Just like every other painting Liberty had ever seen.

Yet this one possessed a bit more meaning to her. She instantly recognized its purpose, before her was a map of the Empire.... one of the largest and most detailed that Liberty had ever laid eyes upon. It had every city within the Borders, as well as many in territories beyond, all labelled in a small, neat hoofscript.

The unicorn walked around to the bottom of the map and looked it over. “I had this commissioned from a young friend in the Capital who was only too happy to help. It’s only a small sketch of the Empire. I’ve seen far more detailed representations of this nation, but I thought it might help you visualize what I’m talking about.”

Liberty had never before laid eyes upon the lands beyond the Empire; it had never occurred to her that there might be places outside her country where others lived.

“A week or so ago, several ponies rose up and made quite an escape from Ponyville, causing a lot of problems for the unicorns there with keeping the rest of the population in check. Then, a day or two later, one of the pegasi Swarms had some sort of a crisis, I never found out what happened exactly but it sounded like one or two ponies managed to break free of the Empire's control. Caused a lot of issues with handling the rest of those pegasi, not that I’m too upset about that. The things we’ve done to our flying cousins...” Affinity shuddered, she’d pointed out the places of trouble on the map with a hoof, making sure Liberty saw what she was talking about.

“What do you mean they ‘escaped’? How can they go against the Celestial Empire and survive? Where are the peacekeepers down there? Where did these ponies go?” the black maned mare asked in confusion.

“I mean they up and left, and made quite a show of it too. They stood against the Empire because they rose up and did what they thought was right... At least, that’s what I’d like to believe. Details are pretty much nonexistent. As for peacekeepers down there... well that’s pretty much just a city thing. There’s no need for guards when the entire population is part of the Military, as is the case in Ponyville and all pegasi cities,” Affinity said with a shrug.

Liberty was still staring at the map, now noticing the medium sized dot marked ‘Stalliago’. It was to the northwest of the Capital, as she knew from simple observation atop the wall. What she hadn’t known was the proximity of her city to the edge of the Empire. It looked to be about three days' trot away from the western border. If she was reading this right, that is...

A faint red glow joined the torchlight in the small room. Liberty barely even notice.

        “That’s right, Stalliago is well within galloping distance of the Border,” Affinity said next to her.

Liberty blinked... had she said something?

There was a short, surprised gasp.

And strangely enough, the red light Liberty had been reading the map by seemed to have winked out.

The grey mare turned to stare at Affinity, a look of utter confusion on her face, “Pardon me?”

The scarlet maned unicorn was just removing her hoof from her face, a visible, U-shaped red mark now shone on her forehead. “Erm, uh, well... you were just looking at it so... closely that I just thought you were judging its... position...”

She trailed off as Liberty raised an eyebrow, completely unconvinced.

With a sigh, she looked away, “Just, forget I said anything. Alright?”

Did unicorn magic extend to mind reading? Liberty thought, and then cursed herself, would Affinity know she was on to her now? And then would she not also be seeing this internal debate about her knowing?

Gaah! I loath magic! It makes no sense! The black-maned mare thought angrily.

She glanced at Affinity, who was doing her best to studiously memorize every detail of some region on the map... the part that had a large expanse of blue and showed the author’s signature, FS.

Liberty was pretty sure there wasn’t anything that interesting about the letters.

She shook her head, clearing it of those broken paths of logic. Now was not the time to contemplate such things. There were more important matters to attend to, it must have been a random guess on the Lieutenant’s part.

        “Right, well Lieutenant Affinity, thank you for your hospitality, and your... correct assumption on my thoughts. I am very grateful that you’ve showed me this. And explained the reasons for your betrayal to me,” the cloaked pony said.

The white unicorn sighed with what seemed a rather excessive amount of relief than the situation warranted.

        “You’re quite welcome Liberty... but I do not believe I have betrayed anyone. I decided long ago where my Duty ended, and my Compassion began.” Affinity said with certainty.

She walked around the map table and exited the door, once more setting hoof in the main hall.

Liberty followed her, “Perhaps... you have given me a lot to think about.”

They stood before the door, neither quite prepared to leave the other.  Affinity coughed, “Ahem, would you stay here for a moment, Liberty? I need to go fetch something from upstairs.”

The mare nodded her head in acquiescence. She stood off to the side of the large entryway as the Lieutenant trotted up the stairs towards the end of the hall.

Liberty waited patiently, thoughts going through her mind of all the good she had seen in Stalliago over the years... and all the bad. She had always tried to do what was right, hadn’t she?

If only there were other ponies within the peacekeepers who cared for the city as she did....

Within minutes came the sound of returning hoofbeats upon the spiral stairs, the scarlet maned unicorn trotted back down the hall, a brown satchel slung about her neck.

Before the mare could speak however, Liberty opened her own mouth. “Affinity, you strike me as a good pony... Would you consider, perhaps, joining the peacekeepers? Together we can attempt to make the changes you seek peacefully, yet still preserve order.”

Affinity stared at her, a sad smile upon her face. “My apologies Liberty... but I am afraid I am in far too deep now to quit.”

Liberty’s ears perked towards her sharply, “What do you mean? Cyan is dead. I killed him myself. His friend is under close watch day and night now, and shall be for at least a few months. The rebels are shattered.”

Affinity never lost the pitying look in her eyes, the satchel seemed forgotten at her side. “I’m sorry Liberty, but Cyan was nothing. He had been a possible candidate for joining the true rebellion, but as you saw, he did not possess the right morals.”

Liberty was silent, her amber eyes holding the Lieutenant’s in a piercing stare. “You mean to tell me there is even a larger faction determined to fight the Empire?”

Affinity nodded, “Of course, you may not know me well, but I am not one to back a cause lightly. I firmly believe in my compatriots, they want the best for all of ponykind. We work in shadows, to serve the light. And by the very stars above we shall bring Order to this city.”

The cloaked mare took a step away from her, “You serve rebels! It matters not what fancy slogans you’ve come up with. How can you support murderers? Ponies who kill merely to serve their own purposes?”

The Lieutenant chuckled, “Liberty you must understand, you have nothing to fear of us. Our goals are the very same as your own; to bring Order to Stalliago. It is simply the methods that differ, the lot of us have very different view points on just how we should go about saving ponykind from the oppression of the Empire. I cannot say who is involved, for that would be sharing secrets which are not mine to keep.”

Liberty had an expression of disbelief upon her face, “How can you claim to want Order when you are the very ones who disrupt it?”

        “Easily, for what Stalliago has now is not Order. We live in a state of barely suppressed turmoil, constantly dousing fires that are kept burning just below the surface. It is the state of society that comes when one race is oppressed by another. We must free that race, with as little bloodshed as possible; then we can preserve Order,” Affinity said calmly.

Liberty scowled, “I hope you come to your senses at some point, Affinity. When you do, seek me out, I shall help you hide what you have done, and set about signing you up for the peacekeepers.”

But Affinity would have none of it. She smiled, “Should that ever come to pass, I can guarantee that I will meet with you Liberty. But please promise me, when you have had your fill of the Deceit and Lies of the Empire, you will come find me. I shall help you find purpose once more.”

The white mare’s horn lit up in a soft red aura, the satchel at her side matched the glow as it opened of its own accord. A small, rolled up piece of parchment floated out to levitate up near Liberty’s face. “And should it already be too late by then, come to this house and bring this diagram to the map room. I think you’ll figure out what to do then.”

She offered the paper to Liberty, giving it a little shake in her telekinetic grip. The grey mare frowned deeply at her, but nevertheless took the paper and stowed it inside one of the many pockets within her cloak.

With nothing more to speak of to each other until one allowed their prejudice to fall, Affinity unlocked the front door and showed the Headspony out. They said their goodbyes cautiously like wary old friends, rather than two ponies on opposite sides of the law.

Unfortunately, it would not be the last time they saw each other.

***

[Excerpt from the diary of Liberty Stoneheart]

Dear Diary,

Manevember 10, 1519

Goddess... so much has transpired since my meeting with Lieutenant Affinity... I hardly know where to begin.

My city has gone to hell.

All tartarus has broken loose in Stalliago. I have never seen my city in such a state of chaos. I had believed Affinity’s band of rebels to be a serious problem... but never did I imagine that trouble of this magnitude could arise from an even less foreseeable source.

It all began the night after I left the Lieutenant’s. Some say it started as a simple bar fight in the tavern of Radiance, located in the southern section of the city. Others believe it was all a carefully orchestrated plan, though they differ on the identity of the conductor.

No matter the ponies behind it, most agree that it was caused by a single black unicorn stallion, a rebel in his own right who was already fleeing the Capital. Ridiculous, of course. If anypony went against the Empire, they would most certainly notcome from the richest, and on all accounts happiest, city in the Empire.

Regardless, the Rebellion began in the southern slums of Stalliago. It ignited a fire within the hearts of the ponies in my city that refused to burn out. The fighting spilled into the streets, and quickly spread to all corners of the city. It lasted for two whole days.

Of course, it was doomed from the beginning. The peacekeepers were outnumbered, but they possessed far superior equipment and training than the sickly, exhausted earth ponies they were fighting.

I was tasked with defending the Overlord’s palace to the north, a position that, fortunately, took me away from the main fighting. It was fairly clear this was not organized, the fighters were simply fighting; they had no goal and no objective other than to give the Empire a piece of their minds.

And a large amount of bullets and blades for good measure.

Surprisingly, Affinity, along with the rest of the twenty or so unicorns within Stalliago, was with me the entire time. I had no chance to speak with her privately, but either she truly despised these murderous rebels... or she is quite the actor.

Unfortunately, the Rebellion pushed the Overlord’s temper well past the breaking point. Instead of letting them burn themselves out and then calling for a cleanup, he ordered in the northwestern Swarm.

Either that, or the wild rumors that the Swarm was already on its way to find some runaway unicorn are true. I highly doubt it, however.

The Swarm is essentially our local air force tasked with keeping this quarter of the Empire protected from any and all threats. That does not include making certain that said threats are dealt with fairly. The pegasi wiped out nearly a quarter of the city’s population in one fell swoop, massacring anypony outside without Empire barding on. The scary part is, I am not entirely sure that was an accident.

The pegasi follow their orders to the letter; their glowing green collars ensure complete obedience or some such. Most likely, the unicorn guiding them strictly forbid them from harming those in the guise of the Empire... but I am unsure what the orders were for officers out fighting off duty, or the children running for their lives in the streets...

Within an hour after the Swarm arrived, the Rebellion was finished. Another hour and the pegasi withdrew, their mission completed successfully.

Another hour... and the death count began shooting skyward as more and more ponies were reported in dead to the Overlord’s Palace.

Even the hard core unicorn General, who was technically in charge of the small branch of the Battalion that resided in Stalliago, had blanched when the number reached two hundred... and kept going.

It’s been a day since the fighting finally ceased. Tomorrow the Overlord has decreed a city-wide assembly in the Mane Square. Unusual in the extreme, to say the least. He absolutely apalls hosting events that stop production in the city completely. I suppose either his anger is still raging, or he wants to make an example of the ones responsible for this tragedy.

Either way, I have a feeling the count will rise on ‘morrow, and that my services will be required. I only hope that we can undo the damage without murdering anypony else.

Yours in Order,

Liberty

[End of Excerpt]

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 11, 1519

The city was silent. In fact, the large majority of it was deserted, save for the Mane Square and the surrounded streets. There, everypony still able to stand had gathered in preparation to hear their Overlord’s words.

The unicorn master of Stalliago was a normal sized, dark orange coated stallion. His eyes shone a burning yellow while his short, stylized black mane gleamed in the setting sunlight. He stood upon the large platform, gazing out at his subjects with a permanent scowl etched into his face.

Corporal Devias and Liberty Stoneheart stood respectfully behind him; their part would come. But now, now was the Overlord’s time to shine.

His horn glowed a deathly red, magnifying his voice into a terrifying bellow, nothing at all like Devias’s own playful showman’s shout.

“PONIES OF STALLIAGO! HEAR ME NOW AND LISTEN WELL! FOR I HAVE DECIDED THAT MY CITY WILL NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, EXPERIENCE AN ATROCITY SUCH AS THIS EVER AGAIN.”

He paced the platform as he spoke, his voice shaking the very planks beneath Liberty’s hooves.

“I AM HEREBY INSTITUTING A BAN UPON ALL DEVICES OF BATTLE! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, ALL PONIES ARE TO SUBMIT TO WEAPON CHECKS FROM ANY MEMBER OF THE PEACEKEEPERS AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON. THOSE FOUND IN POSSESSION OF ANY AND ALL WEAPONS WILL BE CHARGED WITH TREASON OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE!”

Most of the ponies in the crowd cowered in fear when he turned their way, their manes and tails blowing in the wind created by his volume and fury.

“ADDITIONALLY, EVERY SINGLE PONY WITHIN THIS CITY WILL REPORT TO THE PEACEKEEPERS ANY AND ALL SUSPICIONS THEY HAVE OF POSSIBLE REBELS STILL LURKING AMONG US. THOSE THAT TESTIFY AGAINST TRAITORS WITH REASONABLE EVIDENCE WILL BE REWARDED IMMENSELY, AND WILL HAVE MY PERSONAL GRATITUDE FOR KEEPING STALLIAGO SAFE AND SECURE.”

That sent a ripple through the crowd caused by something other than the powerful voice, gossip. Liberty frowned as ponies began to whisper quietly in the short pause as the Overlord drew breath; there would be many accusations tonight... She casually glanced around, but there was no sign of Lieutenant Affinity in the crowd before her.

Good, she should lie low for a while...

“AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET US EXTRACT JUSTICE FROM THE DEMONS THAT HAVE SO CARELESSLY MURDERED OUR FRIENDS, FAMILIES, AND LOVED ONES! BRING THE PRISONERS FORWARD!” The Overlord bellowed, this announcement sending a ripple of applause that quickly spread into a roar of anticipation.

The burnt orange stallion trotted down off of the stage, relinquishing the assembly to Corporal Devias. Liberty waited, dressed, of course, in the garb of the Headspony, for the leaders and rebels who had been captured alive the day before to be brought forward.

She was calm, despite the panic of the last three days. Now that the Rebellion had run its course, perhaps things would be looking up for Stalliago at last. She was expecting a few hard core rebels who would spit in her face and be defiant and proud to till very end.

What she was not expecting, however, was a long line of ponies, shackled together at the hooves and necks. She was not expecting so many young and scared faces staring up at her, looking upon the terrifying presence of the Headspony with dread. And she had not expected, had not even considered, a scarlet maned, white coated unicorn could possibly be leading this horrifying, desperate train of the soon-to-be-dead.

Lieutenant Affinity walked with her head held high, despite the chains trying to drag her down. She met Liberty's gaze head on, unfazed by the crowd jeering at her on either side.

The cloaked mare tilted her head in a clear question, the need for an answer burning a hole in her heart.

Did you do it?

Affinity shook her head firmly, and looked behind her at the younger, teen-aged ponies behind her with an affectionate expression.

Liberty would later learn that these were her comrades; these were the ponies who had believed in themselves enough to help her attempt to save as many ponies as she could from the Swarm. She had opened the doors to her mansion to any and all who could make it, directly against the Overlord's command.

And now, it was Liberty’s Duty to murder her for it.

N-no! I-I’m not a murderer! I don’t k-kill...ponies...

She took a step back as the line of Traitors slowly made its way through the crowd, coming towards the stage.

It is my Duty... But these ponies do not deserve death!

Images flashed through the Headspony’s mind. Images from eight years of performing her Duty. She had brought Justice up over and over again. Sometimes with a touch of sadness, sometimes with a bit of pity, but always, always following through. Never had she questioned her Duty. Never had she questioned if what she did was right.

And now, in those five minutes of waiting for her next victims to march to their dooms, she began to doubt that part of her which had always pushed her to obey without question. She could no longer continue the charade, before her was unquestionable proof of the Empire's cruelty. And as her consciousness reformed itself... she relived every single one of her kills.

Her mind’s eye watched as pony after pony knelt before her: stallions and mares, rich and poor, spiteful and silent, young and old....

Every single one of them about to die by her hoof.

Each one slammed into her with a brutal awakening that cannot be described with mere words, only felt. And the Headspony suddenly felt them all. She was suddenly privy to all the blame, the regret, and the terrible, despairing sadness of each and every one of the ponies she had slaughtered. Piling atop their predecessors as they formed a staggering mountain of emotion inside the grey mare. A behemoth of Hatred, Blame, and Fear that had one target, and one target only: herself.

What kind of a pony could kill, and keep killing, without feeling remorse? Without caring for more than a few seconds? What had she become? What was she?

She could no longer hide behind the mask that was her Duty. Her eyes had been opened to the wrongness of her crimes, and the guilt of eight years’ worth of murder came crashing down upon her.

Affinity was mounting the steps now, taking one last look around her beloved city, her beloved people, before dying by the hoof one who had called her friend.

I am a Monster.

But no, that wasn’t quite right, Monsters deserved death. And she deserved so very much more than death. Death would be a release, an escape; the unfeeling and unforgiving sea of swirling, violent hatred she found herself drowning in refused to allow her to even consider it.

How is it that I have lived, when my crimes so far exceed those of the ponies I have massacred?

How is it that I have lived this long... and yet been corrupted so deeply?

How is it that I once thought myself Good?

Liberty nearly lost it then. She nearly turned and ran, ran away from the crowd, away from the stage, away from her atrocities, both past, and future.

But then... then she learned exactly why no pony disobeys the Empire.

A darkness uncoiled within her, a shadow that had been present in the back of mind and the bottom of her heart since birth.

A shadow that, up until now, had lain dormant in her soul. Watching.

You will do your Duty. You will do what is right for the Empire. You are not bound by the laws of others, you are the Law. It is by your hoof that others must be made to Obey.

The shadow spoke into her mind, slicing through the roiling storm of doubt and hatred.

The shadow used the very same arguments she had once utilize to force herself to believe, and they had carried her this far. If she believed in them again... could all this pain, all this suffering be taken away? Could she learn to believe in her Duty once more?

No. I am a Monster. I cannot go back, I cannot forgive what I have done. I do not deserve forgiveness. I deserve hatred, I deserve suffering.

And she absolutely could not kill Affinity. The unicorn was probably the best example of a good pony she had ever seen; a Monster like herself should be the one on the Block readying to die by the righteous hoof of Justice, not the other way around.

She could not bring herself to move forward, to follow as the two guards dragged Affinity between them towards the Block while the rest of the traitors were made to wait and watch, chained up in the first row of the crowd down below.

She could not bear to do anything. She was done with this nonsense, what right did she have to decide who lives and who dies?

What right did she have to murder the only rational pony in this city?

None.

It was time to go, to let somepony else take the blame, the guilt, the-

Not this time, Little Pony. The Three have already chosen. They cannot protect you.

You are nothing.

The terrible whisper refused to leave her be. She nearly stomped a hoof in rage.

I have no idea what you speak of! Begone! I do not need you in my head!

A deep chuckle resonated throughout the corridors of her thoughts.

But my dear Liberty, your Duty is far from complete. Time for you to finish your life’s work before your untimely demise.

Liberty could no longer take it. She sprang forward, trying to lash out, to let the ponies around her know that something was in her head. Tried to do something, anything, to rid herself of this beast in her mind.

But she did not move. Her hooves refused to budge, a lethargic darkness spread from her heart to engulf every part of her body.

And then Liberty was walking forwards, to the Block. Her hooves moving of their own accord.

Affinity was already tied down to it. The ropes encircling her entire body anchored on either side to the wooden floor, crushing her head cruelly against the unforgiving surface.

With a wince, the late Lieutenant managed to turn until she was able to look up into Liberty’s face. Affinity’s rapid breath was the only visible testament to her terrifying predicament.

The shadow had complete control of the Headspony now. It lifted her lips in a snarl of triumph, a wheezing laugh escaped from somewhere deep inside herself, the place from which the darkness had come.

Liberty was paralyzed, unable to control any part of her body; unable to try. Her mind was barraged on all sides by self loathing. She hated herself for being helpless, hated being at this creature’s mercy.

Hated that Affinity would die because of her own weakness.

Yet she was a monster. This is what she deserved.

No pony could forgive her for the things she had done...

No pony could forgive her for the things she was about to do.

Her mouth tightened on Justice’s handle. She raised the axe skyward. Just as she had done so many times before.

And just as you will continue to do. This is your purpose. This is your only reason to live.

Affinity’s horn glowed a faint, almost imperceptible red. She frowned, closing her eyes in concentration. Yet there was no discernible object for her magic.

And then her eyes shot open, widening in the horror of understanding.

She stared straight into Liberty’s own useless amber gaze. Even the shadow appeared unable to break contact. The unicorn seemed to be trying to speak with her Executioner.

But the grey mare was not looking. She was drowning under the guilt of hundreds of crimes. Each and every one an unforgivable sin.

Murderer. Killer. Criminal.

Corrupt. Damned. Worthless.

Monster.

The thoughts slammed against Liberty’s very soul, tearing her apart from the inside, while the shadow surrounding her consciousness drew her ever deeper into madness.

She was a Monster, the atrocities she had committed could not be undone.

She could not go on like this.  She deserved to bear this pain... but it was too much.

It was far too much.

She was done. It was time to give up. Time to stop caring. To stop living.

And then...

Then the beaten and captured unicorn, the mare quickly approaching death, whose killer would be the one she looked upon with such horror, gave a shout.

She spoke no words, her mouth did not move. But Liberty heard her as clearly as if they’d been sitting across from one another in the Lieutenant’s giant, silent mansion.

She heard the words, but she could not believe them. She could not believe they’d been spoken to her. She could not believe this mare could possibly mean them.

Liberty! Hold yourself together! You have always done the right thing, don’t let yourself be blinded by this bastard!

You've killed a lot of ponies, but you did so because you believed you were helping others. You did the wrong thing from the right reasons, that's far better than most ponies can say.

You are not a Monster.

Please... Don't give up, my actions would have caught up to me eventually. This is notyour fault.

And .. for what it’s worth,

I forgive you.

The words forged a path through the sea of shadow surrounding her mind. For all the blame, all the guilt, all the hatred... there was now Hope.

If this pony can forgive me, can believe in me... what right do I have to give up on myself?

What right do I have to let her die?

How can I give up Hope, when not all Hope is lost?

But of course, it was no longer Liberty's choice.

Justice was still rising, her mouth was twisted into a sneer around the handle.

You have no hope of saving this traitor. This is out of your hooves now.

I refuse to let another pony escape my Empire.

Your soul is mine.

The shadow gathered, smothering Liberty within her own mind. It fought to block her out, to end the mare that had once been the Headspony of Stalliago.

But it was no longer facing that pony.

For that pony had been destroyed the moment she realized...

Affinity is MY FRIEND!

I am Liberty Stoneheart, and I will not allow you to control me!

The mare lashed out at the shadows surrounding her, remembering each and every time she had saved a pony from the executioner's Block by proving them innocent.

Reliving each and every moment she had witnessed the good she had done for her city, be it through a kind word from a passerby or a reformed pony thanking her for kindness.

The happy memories and good feelings washed over her crippled conscious in a wave that gave her strength. Strength to push back against her aggressor.

She was filled with a light of her own making, the light of Friendship, of Compassion, of Order.

The shadow tried to gather itself. It tried to keep her suppressed, to smother her in fear and despair. But it was over extended.

The Darkness was fighting many battles at once, each in a different part of its sick little world. But its determination to win each and every fight was infinite.

And so for several breathtaking seconds, Light fought Dark; Good fought Evil. An age old war took place inside the mare’s mind, a battle from which there was only one possible victor.

Both sides threw all they could muster at the other. Thoughts, obscenities, morals, and judgments all passed between the dueling entities within the realm of the mare’s imagination.

It was a brutal clash.

The embodiment of Justice fought the spirit of Corruption, both with swords and shields fashioned from ideas and emotions, raised in a contest of determination, belief, and hatred.

It seemed they fought for decades. Centuries.

But it could have been no time at all. Theirs was not a fight in which time was a factor, for the speed at which they fought far surpassed the normal capability of mortals.

It could have stretched on for eons.

But then, in one fell swoop, it was decided.

No!

NO!

Justice struck downwards towards the helpless pony upon the Block with a terrifying momentum.

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 11, 1519

THWA-CRUNCH!

Lieutenant Affinity screamed, knowing no pony could hear.

She was dead, as she should be.

...She had expected pain, or at least an endless void of nothing.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was a deafening roar that filled her consciousness and overwhelmed her mind.

A roar overlayed by the sound of steel ringing on steel.

“LIBERTY STONEHEART! YOU HAVE TAKEN UP ARMS AGAINST THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE! YOU HAVE DISREGARDED THE VERY LAW YOU ARE MEANT TO KEEP! PREPARE TO MEET DEATH IN THE MOST PAINFUL MANNER IMAGINABLE!”

The all-too-familiar shout carried clearly over the background chorus of shouts.

Impossible... The Lieutenant thought.

        “Liberty! What the buck do you think you’re” -CLANG- ”DOING!?”

        “Fighting for my friend, you bastard!” CLASH

        “You are the Headspony! You shou” -CLACK- “ld be doing your Duty! You should be helping us keep order dammit!”

This is- Thi-this can’t.... Affinity was at a loss for words, and thoughts. How on earth could Liberty have stood against that... Darkness, within her!?

The Lieutenant struggled to get to her hooves, but it took a superpony effort just to crack open her eyelids. An effort which was hastily followed by a stabbing pain as the afternoon sunlight glared at her full in the face.

Affinity gasped, but managed look around long enough to make sense of what she saw.

Unfortunately, what she saw made no sense.

The giant blade of Justice stuck out from the floor boards a hairsbreadth from her flank, it had sliced clean through her restraints.

Liberty Stoneheart, Stalliago’s kindhearted and clearheaded Headspony, the mare Affinity believed to be the greatest paradox of ponykind in existence, was wielding a short, two and half hoof long blade attached to her inner left foreleg.

And she was wielding it against the three Empire ponies who stood against her.

Corporal Devias, one of Affinity’s friendlier unicorn acquaintances, stood flanked by the two guards who’d escorted her to this hellish stage. Given that the stage only gave them room to face each other one on one, it was mainly Devias and Liberty closing and breaking apart with their implements of death. Again and again. Shouting insult, obscenity, and reasoning at one another each time they met head on.

Liberty was clearly skilled with her little hoof blade, she swept it up into brutal overhead cuts which were immediately followed by quick kicks in the stomach or an attempt to sweep the stallion’s legs out from under him. Of course, given the size of her weapon, she had great difficulty blocking the unicorn’s swings without getting cut on the leg or flank.

The Corporal floated an elegant long sword beside him, jabbing at the grey mare who dared to ruin his show. He parried and attacked with great skill, but he was slowly being driven back, losing ground to the cold certainty of the mare before him.

It would not last though. Lieutenant Affinity hadn’t risen to her position without some combat experience; her trained eyes picked out several guards from elsewhere in the crowd moving forward. They would surround Liberty, and from then on the game was over, it would merely be a contest of the mare’s endurance for pain.

No pony can stand against the might of the Celestial Empire...  She thought. But then she shifted, turning her head to look at the row of ponies front and center within the crowd below.

Perhaps that wasn’t quite right... after all, she’d been standing against the Empire for years.

No pony can fight... Alone.

Each of the ponies before her had proven their worth a thousand times over by helping her save lives during the Swarm crisis. Most were nothing more than young idealists who had figured out on their own that the Empire wasn’t interested in the well being of ponykind. They had been eager to aid her... but would their eagerness extend to fighting real ponies with real weapons?

Would freeing be the same as killing them herself? Could they truly make a difference?

Of course... the real question is, can we afford not to try?

But with the kind of power it would take to do what she had to do... Affinity doubted that she’d even last long enough to die by the Empire’s hoof.

But nevertheless, she had to try.

Taking a deep breath, she withdrew deep within herself, to the dark recesses of her mind. There she felt the power pulsing against the barrier that held it in check, just waiting to be unleashed.

What she was attempting was incredibly dangerous... even lethally so.

Then again, she was already sentenced to death. What did she have to lose?

With supreme focus, she breached the wall fully for the first time in her life. Allowing her magic to come surging forth in a tide of energy.

She resisted the urge to let the glorious sensation run its course, instead keeping her mind narrowed to one thought and one thought only:

Freedom.

She allowed the power to continue to build for several seconds, until at last she had to let go. With a blast that left her reeling, the unformed spell shot out of her horn and into the ponies held captive before her.

It was magic at its crudest. A filly's spell in truth. It did not have the limitations and restrictions of true unicorn spells.

But then, Freedom rarely followed the guided path.

The scarlet bolt flashed into the chains that held her allies captive. It performed its Duty almost gleefully fast.

Lieutenant Affinity did not even have time to scream as the force of the spell’s backlash threw her deep into the chasm of unconsciousness.

***

The City of Stalliago, Northwestern Celestial Empire

Manevember 11, 1519

A strange WHOOSH-ing sound.

A sudden cry of pain.

A great roar of renewed spirit.

These things went in one of Liberty Stoneheart’s ears and out the other. Her mind was focussed down to a single, tiny space around her, and the movement of her opponent's limbs, as well as her own, within that space.

A sweeping side swipe at her head.

A raised blade intercepting the long sword while the other hoof lashed out, striking the unicorn full in the face.

Step back, recover.

Close again, hoof blade prepared to strike straight into the snarling face of the Enemy.

And a flying grey blur tackled said enemy, shattering the mare’s concentration.

        “Get off of me you little twi- OOF!” Shouted Corporal Devias, as the small earth pony atop him slammed another hoof into his face.

Four more ponies jumped onto the stage behind the other Empire guards, overwhelming them by sheer body weight before their swords could do anything.

Liberty turned and looked out at the crowd. It had never stopped its cheering and jeering, only increasing in volume when she had severed Affinity’s bonds. Now things were getting serious, she saw many more guards and peacekeepers trying to push through the mass of innocent ponies. She’d known many of these ponies for years... what was she doing?

Fighting for what I believe in.

She could still feel the darkness in her heart, but it was as much a part of her as the light now. Now was not the time to question herself, now was the time to act. To make use of this chaos.

She saw that the long line of traitors, the ponies she should have been beheading right now, had been freed somehow, and each and every one of them were taking on the guards in the crowd. They were fighting against the Empire to protect the ponies on the stage. Fighting to help her.

But there were only about twenty or so, not nearly enough to combat the vast ranks of ponies who fully supported the Empire. The ones who cheered when a pony lost their head to the Law.

But... I changed when I saw the evils of the Empire...

Liberty looked around for some answer to this crisis, some way to fix this before more ponies died for nothing.

Instead, she caught sight of an orange cyclone of motion, hurtling towards her.

The former Headspony dodged to the left as a unicorn stallion charged past. He stopped and turned to face her, his face the very image of unbound fury.

“LIBERTY STONEHEART! YOU DARE TO STAND AGAINST THE VERY NATION YOU ARE SWORN TO PROTECT!?”

The City Overlord’s volume nearly threw the grey mare off her hooves. But she stood her ground, narrowing her eyes to amber slits and holding her head high.

The crowd had been silenced by the unicorn’s amplified bellow, and so Liberty’s reply carried clear across the square.

        “Yes. Yes I do! The Empire has no right to murder innocents! I refuse to take part in this sick game any longer!”

If it was possible for a pony to catch fire with anger, Liberty was fairly sure the Overlord was dangerously close to doing so.

“HOW DARE YOU! THE EMPIRE EXISTS TO PROTECT PONYKIND! YOU ARE CAUSING EVEN MORE NEEDLESS DEATH WITH THIS PITIFUL DISPLAY!”

Liberty saw several of the ponies in the crowd watching her closely. Would they truly believe the words of a traitor?

Of course, I have been the symbol of obedience for eight long years...

        “The Empire exists to serve itself! If it wanted to help ponies it would leave some of them alive! How many innocents died in these last three days!? How many die on this stage for doing nothing more than following their hearts?”

She knew that her words would have had no effect on the city a week ago... but with the memory of the Swarm's assault still fresh in everypony’s mind the truth of the Empire’s cruelty began to surface on many of the faces turned towards them.

“IT MATTERS NOT HOW MANY DIE, ONLY THAT THOSE WHO SURVIVE DO SO IN A BETTER WORLD! WHAT IS THE USE OF LIVING IF YOU CANNOT LIVE IN HAPPINESS!? THE EMPIRE WILL CRUSH ANY WHO DARE OPPOSE IT! WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN WITH THIS IDIOCY!? MORE DEATH? FURTHER SUFFERING!? ”

There was a heavy silence over the crowd. He was, of course, correct. How could they think that standing up to the Empire a second time, after so many had died, would be any different from the first?

Liberty frowned at the stallion facing off with her. She didn’t even know his name. She didn’t even care.

        “I will tell you what I hope to gain from this.” Liberty said, walking to the fore of the stage.

        “I hope to end the needless suffering of ponies in this city. I hope to show the Empire that they can no longer spread their lies here. I hope that together, we can change the way our nation works.”

Liberty’s words echoed around the square, many nodded in agreement, but now none dared to support her. They may believe in her goals, but they could not face the Empire’s fury again.

So she was surprised when a single, loud stomping started up somewhere deep within the crowd. And then another pony picked it up, and another... until a great rumbling thunder arose from the wordless mass. The ponies below were giving her words the only form of support they could: applause.

"YOU FOALS! DO YOU WANT THE PEGASI TO RETURN!? YOU LIVE IN THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE! IT IS THE ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD WHERE YOU CAN RESIDE IN PEACE!"

Liberty Stoneheart took a deep breath, narrowing her amber eyes as she advance to the fore of the stage. It was now, or never.

She flipped back her hood, showing her face for the first time. No more would she hide behind a mask; no more would she be afraid of the things she did, for now her deeds would ring with truth.

The mare faced the crowd fully, an ordinary pony just like them.

        “How many of you live here happily? Truly happily? How many of you have been ripped away from your families? Forced apart from your loved ones?”

She looked out across the crowd, it was deathly silent in the square now. Her quiet, cultured voice carried clearly to the entirety of Stalliago.

“What would you give to live in happiness, peace, and freedom?”

Not a single soul spoke out. Not even the peacekeepers, the ones who looked to her with the most uncertainty.

Was this truly the same mare who had condemned so many?

The Overlord drew breath to speak, to denounce her and her idiocy... but then there was a single, defiant shout from within the crowd.

        “Anything.”

Another call went out from elsewhere in the square, “Everything.”

And then another, and another... until once more the crowd was roaring. They were roaring one thing and one thing only. It was unclear who began the chant, but soon it was being taken up by the entire mass of innocent souls.

        “Freedom!”

A great cacophony of voices rose up. What did it matter if they would be forced to fight once more? What would be the point of submitting in order live, if the life they lived wasn't life at all?

And just like that, the Overlord snapped. It wasn’t so much the screaming ponies, the unloyal guards, or the rebels who had so blatantly ruined his spectacle... It was the one mare who had dared challenge him face to face.

With an inarticulate bellow of rage, the stallion lunged forward. He did not think, he did not question his desire to end this mare, his ability to question the Empire had been lost long ago.

Liberty Stoneheart reacted on instinct alone, bringing her hoof up just as the Overlord crashed into her.

She felt the impact, but stood her ground firmly, even as her mind cried out in disbelief.

There was a collective gasp from the ponies before them, but the mare’s world had contracted to the simple fact that the Overlord had attacked her with the express intent of tearing her apart.... and now her hoof blade was lodged in his chest.

        “You... Monster....” The Overlord breathed into her ear, before the life left him, and he went limp on the blade.

No! I-I didn’t mean to kill him...

But you did. And you would do it again.

Murderer.

The voice was less alien now, Liberty hadn't gotten rid of it, of course. Now it even seemed... natural. A part of her.

She closed her eyes, and gently drew the blade from the orange body, laying it down upon the stage.

The square was quiet, but it was more like a calm before the storm, than a stunned silence. Murmurs were already spreading, was this the kind of pony that anypony should know?

Liberty retracted her blade, and stood before her city.

        "People of Stalliago. I swear to you, that I did not wish to kill us stallion. Nor did I ever desire the deaths of the criminals that have faced me on this very square."

Silence.

Anger shown in some faces, confusion in others.

It mattered little to these ponies what one did and did not want. They all wanted things, very few of them were ever granted such wishes.

And the mare knew this far better than most. She grabbed their attention once again.

        "But I did. I killed every single one of them. And there is no power on this earth that can absolve me of that.”

Another silence. But this one seemed... more accepting of the mare upon the stage.

Liberty paused, meeting the eyes of her city unflinchingly.

“What we must do now is to forgive ourselves for what we have done in the name of the Empire. We must vow to make this city better. Make all this pain, all this suffering, worth something more than the deaths of so many. We must rise up against the Empire. Show it that the ponies of Stalliago will no longer tolerate its oppression!”

She allowed her voice to rise with the last sentence. Stomping her hoof near the body of the Overlord for emphasis.

And then a stallion called out, one of the peacekeepers Liberty had known for years, his eyes were narrowed as he gazed up at the mare.

        “And just how do you expect to break free of the Empire? Will you sacrifice every pony in this square, just to prove a point?”

The ponies before her seemed to wait with baited as Liberty met his eyes. She smiled at him sadly. She had had time to think during all her years as the Headspony... even if she had not been thinking of anything even remotely against her nation, she had always believed there were many things that could be made better.

        “I understand what you ask, Claudias. But now I ask you something in return, if you could save a filly from being torn from her family, if you could give everypony here a chance to live as they wished, to follow their dreams, to earn their cutie marks, as the ponies of old once did.... what cost would you be willing to pay?”

She then let her gaze roam out to the crowd once more. She may not have Devias’s flare for presentation. But there was a certain... gravity, to her words.

        “And I ask that question of each and everyone of you. If you had a chance to change the world, would you be willing to pay with your life? For make no mistake, that is what I ask of you this day.”

With her cloak around her neck, the blood of their leader on her hooves, and the view of Justice, stuck into the floorboards mere millihooves from an innocent pony’s head, the impact of her words was heightened ten fold.

At first, there was a silence.... but make no mistake, this silence was indeed a prelude.

A calm before one of the most ferocious storms that would ever hit the City of Stalliago.

It was clear who started the great roar of the city this time. The old peacekeeper who had challenged the shadow of Justice took a step forward, breaking the deathly stillness in the square.

“Aye. I’d give my life for the picture you paint, Liberty Stoneheart. I’ll fight by your side, and Goddess damn those who stand in our way!”

His weathered, beaten voice now held a strange note in it, one seldom heard within the city’s walls.

Some might call it Hope.

Others the fervor of belief.

But mostly... it was simply the exuberance he experienced at finally feeling as if the things he was about to do would mean something.

It was a dangerously powerful force this mare had unleashed upon her city, something its residents had not possessed for generations...

Purpose.

And by the Goddess above, did they revel in its presence.

No more would they labor in silence.

The cry burst from a thousand throats, rising in volume until it echoed and rebounded off the great stone face of the mountain behind their city.

“FREEDOM!!!”

The sound was heard almost clear across the Empire. Those who heard it were either inspired... or terrified. Change was coming.

No longer would they wear the chains of the Celestial Empire.

The ponies in the square, be they rebel or peacekeeper, citizen or soldier, earth pony or unicorn... All allowed the strict rules and decrees of the nation they had lived under for over a century slowly crumble to dust.

They were finished with segregation. They were done with discrimination. Decades of hatred, each layer built upon the last, crumbled into meaningless history beneath  their hooves.

They embraced each other. They embraced their future.

No longer did they fear death.

For the first time in a hundred years, the ponies of Stalliago knew what it meant to live.

***

Some would say this was a tremendous turning point in the City's history.

Those few did not read on to the next few pages

The citizens were busy rejoicing in their new found freedom; their new Purpose in life.

None saw the small group of pegasi swiftly fleeing the city; the collars around their necks glowing an angry, poisonous emerald.

None witnessed the events occurring at that very moment in the gleaming Capital directly beneath Canterlot Palace.

None could have predicted the magnitude their actions would have upon the world. Nor the ferocity of the repercussions looming on the horizon.

And truth be told, at that moment, none would have cared.

It was time to see just how far ponies could go against the nation that had for so long held them captive.

***

An ancient, timeless presence loomed over the city, disgusted by what it saw.

Clearly, the situation was deteriorating far faster than anticipated.

Not that it particularly mattered. The solution would be winging its way west within days.

Relish your freedom while you can, little ponies.

You will not live long enough to enjoy it.

***

Liberty Stoneheart did not hear the whisper, but her eyes turned skyward all the same, burning with the fire of Hope.

A slow, dangerous smile spread itself across her face.

The cloaked mare's determination would be essential in the days to come, her compassion and morality would become the stuff legend.

She would go far beyond her Duty. She would fight back; she would do everything within her power to atone for the hundreds of ponies she had killed in the Empire's name. Despite the fact that she knew very well nothing would ever cleanse her blackened soul.

She may not be chosen. But she would fight for all she was worth.

It was time to change things; time to give the Empire a reality check.

Ponies like her would no longer stand for it. Upheaval, anarchy, and general chaos were spreading all around the nation as more and more ponies took it upon themselves to correct the course of history.

But History is written by the victors, and these courageous little ponies would not be enough in the long run. They needed true heroes.

Ponies who would not buckle under the weight of the world. Ponies who could gather an army capable of combating Evil itself.

And it just so happens that three such people have already been Chosen.

“Pushed by desire, to change the way my stream will flow

Now I've awoken, and I'm taking back control”

End of Part I