Ashes was dreaming. All he could see was a mask in a big U, the logo of Unity, chasing his father. He could only stand and watch, as the evil logo grown a long tentacle, grabbed a gun, and shot his innocent father. *Le alarm clock* Ashes woke, full of stain, on a mattress of hay. He lived poorly since he had been restricted from his fonctions at the police department. He felt so alone, no one had already answered his call. He looked at te alarm clock, still beeping, and pressed the large button to make it stop. Slowly, he sat on his bed. 'And what now? No more familly, no more friends, and me feeling like a total moron. What if Unit isn't what i think? What if it really is a good thing? There's nothing left for me.'
Raven shot straight up out of the bed he was using. It was bright outside, he'd overslept. He quickly grabbed his weapons and jumped out the window, landing on the rooftop. He'd heard of someone that was fighting Unity, and probably wouldn't try to drag him away for the reward on his head. Was it Coals? No, but it had something to do with fire. He started running towards when the rumors pointed that this pony would be. Apparently he had been removed from the police force for looking too deep into Unity's files, if anything, those would be useful.
Ashes took a moment to get prepared, before going out. He needed to find some 'rebels' against Unity, but where? It isn't like thieves, hanging in dark streets, or corrupted policemans, mostly hagging with thieves. This time, he had no idea where to go, neither any idea how to get his hands on any evidence. The only thing he had stayed at home, within his dad's office, now a crime scene. 'Crime scene?' He looked at his wallet, and realized that he still had his badge! 'I was so sure they took it when they gave me my ''break''! How is it possible?' Then he flashed. He had his badge took from him. Surprised, he removed the badge from it's case, and saw the logo of unity behind it. quickly, he smashed it on the ground, and crushed it with his hooves. The fancy mettalic design broke easily, revealing a complex electronic circuit. 'Probably a GPS or something to harm me... ' He then gazed at the high building of Unity, in the perfect middle of the city, and asked himself, 'Why?'
Steel heart walked into his lecture hall and went to the podium. "alright settle down, now let me continue from last time". 3 hours passed and after countless going on about the different types of government (communist, socialist, capitalist etc) and answering questions he then told a couple of his most trusted students to check the doors and shut down some camera's ( he managed to do that as the person in charge of unitys surveillance for canterlot university was a long term friend of steel hearts). "okay now that were sure everything's secret, let's get down to business..." steel continued on for an hour and talked about unity's corruption and the resistance. He then ended the lecture. "okay same time next week. LONG LIVE THE PRINCESSES, LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA". all the students stood up and did the resistance salute and shouted the resistance motto with passion. Steel then left and headed into canterlot to relax at a local cafe just outside the police station.
Having spent about two hours searching for the ex-cop, Raven was hungry and a little bored. He found his way down, finding his way to a cafe. It was too close to the police station for his comfort, but there were multiple escape routes if the situation called for it. He ordered a sandwich and sat down. Somehow, a dark blue pony caught his eye. It was probably nothing, but things that were 'probably nothing' had a record of being something, so Raven decided to keep an eye on this pony. He grabbed the sandwich carefully, being sure to thank the waiter, and chewed, thinking to himself. Where was this 'Ashes', or 'Coals', or whatever his name was, and why would he be going up against Unity? A vendetta, perhaps?
Steel also noticed the blueish grey pony that spotted him and then turned towards the waiter serving him and they both did the resistance handshake. They then proceeded to head down into the cafe backroom passing the pony who spotted steel and he left a little card on his table which read: Free equestria resistance, founded by steel heart. LONG LIVE THE PRINCESSES, LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA. Join today. Once in the backroom they headed through a secret panel down into a long forgotten war bunker. "so, remember that bluish grey pony, he had an eye on me and I don't know why, he might be working for unity but he might not. Just to check I gave him the resistance calling card and told him to meet at 133 kennel lane". He took a break listening to the others. "of course Ive planned for the likely hood of him being a undercover agent we'll just do what we did to the last 5 ones". He holsterd a small pistol under his coat and headed out.
Raven picked up the card that had been placed on the table by the dark blue pony. 'Free Equestria Resistance, founded by Steel Heart.' Well, that told the name of the pony, but not much else. 'Long live the Princesses, Long live Equestria.' That was probably the motto. 'Join today.' Well, if that wasn't an invitation, then what was? He flipped over the card. An address was written on it. 133 Kennel Lane. This was probably a trap, but if it got him any closer to this ex-cop, Raven was all in. He finished the sandwich, dropped some money on the table and headed out. A few minutes after he left the cafe, he flicked the bag on his back around, grabbing the cap, the bat and headset from inside. He fitted the cap and headset on routinely while spinning the bat around in the other hoof, continuing on to the meeting place.
Steel was waiting a the meeting place with another unicorn and a Pegasus. "so heard news from the ashes guy yet, I thought he said he would give us info. Anyway here he comes". The pony he saw at the cafe arrived on time and after observing the pony and thee street he spoke. "so I see your not part of unity, that's one good thing anyway give us info and we might just help you".
"Well, right now I'm probably not the best person to ask for information about Unity, apart from the fact that if you seem to be a big enough problem, they'll try everything to get rid of you." Raven pointed at the recently healed scar on his left eye as proof. "We all have our reasons for wanting them gone. I'll help you, if you can help me find 'Ashes' or 'Coals', whatever his name is. The ex-cop." Spotting the slight bulge under the coat Steel Heart was wearing, Raven scanned the area for any particular escape routes. There weren't any. "You pick your streets well. I'm guessing that the two friends you have here are for dumping the body if I turned out to be a Unity agent, yes?"
"yes, you are correct but you seem to want unity gone so catch". Throws the luger style pistol still in it's holster to the pony. "welcome to the resistance, as for the ex cop his names ashes grey our source of information on unity but ever since he got kicked out of the force he's gone dark. So your not the only one looking for him. Anyway I didn't get your name rookie".
"I'm Raven." He catches the pistol and gives it a quick check-over. "A Luger? Haven't seen one of these in ages. But..." He threw it back towards Steel Heart, finishing the rest of the sentance while it was in the air, "... I bring my own toys to the party." He smiled, something he hadn't done in a while. "Have you tried looking around recent crime scenes for Ashes? I spent two hours looking for him." Bringing down Unity was something Raven longed to do, not just for the lack of backing for his mercenary competition, but for revenge of one of his friends. "Nowhere to be found."
As Ashes walked in the street, he realized he hadn't ate since yesterday morning. His 'stomach' growling, he decided to eat at the first restaurant he spoted. He turned the street, and saw a sympatic cafe. He walked on the terrasse, sitted at a table, and opened the menu. Beeing an ex-cop, he always had the habitude of stalking conversations. At the table next to his, he heard his name. ''-crime scenes for Ashes? i spent to hours...'' His heart stopped pounding. Maybe it was Unity? No, Sure it was Unity! His ashes discretly molded into two small knives, and in the blink of an eye, the knives where on the two ponie's throats. ''Think you can spy me, and have my life, just like you did to my father?''
"wait Ashes, it's me steel heart you used to provided info on unity for me and the free equestria resistance and then you went dark." The knife slowly moved and dropped to the ground reforming into ashes. "remember me now" hands the same card given to raven to ashes. Now follow me both of you let me show you our main base. They walked through the cafe into the the back room and through a hidden passage through the wall and down the stairs into a forgotten bunker and cave system. "welcome to bunker alpha a high tech bunker once used by unity but taken over and forgotten about it's also connected to the caves that twilight sparkle got trapped in by the changeling queen, speaking of twilight I wander what happened to her and her friends".
''Oh, sorry. I.. just learned to watch my back twice, with the years... And there's too much people talking about Untity theses days. I think i'm becoming paranoiac.'' Ashes followed Steel heart and Raven to the dark bunker. ''I see that you got well prepared. As for Twillight and her friends, the last news i had about them, about a month ago, are that they went to Canterlot for a week, and i never saw them after that. Anyways, i'd like to show you two something i found on Unity.''
"If you start to watch it three times, I'll worry. Twilight's missing? That's not good..." Raven had to admit to himself, if Twilight Sparkle, of all ponies, was missing, then times were going to get grimmer and grimmer. "A'ight, what do you want to show us?" Raven shook off the thoughts of laughter echoing through the caves nearby. It had to be nothing. "Any weaknesses we can use?"
"okay, ashes what news have you got any info on the unity high council yet". He turned to a lever pulled it and a bunch of lights and computers turned on. "don't worry we disconnected this base from the unity system ages ago. Anyway let me introduce myself fully, my name is steel heart founder of the free equestria resistance to take down unity and also the head of politics at the canterlot university. To be honest quite alot of the resistance is either ex-cops or my students". All of a sudden a pink mare Pegasus came flying in handing steel a letter and he read over it. "seems like ponyville is the first to finally escape unity's rule got to head there sometime".
"Wait, most of the resistance are ex-cops or students? I can deal with ex-cops, but students? Do any of them know how to use guns properly?" Slightly infuriated at the thought of this, Raven span the bat around on his hoof. "Sorry, just... I have a bounty on my head, and I don't know if who I'm fighting alongside are able to shoot." Ponyville was already free from Unity? That was good for him. He had some weapons stored there, going to waste.
"Dont worry raven, every single resistance member goes through a advanced weapon handling course so everyone in the resistance ranging from the ex-cops to the students, royal guards to average civilians gets proper training and to be honest the students honestly are the most tech savvy of the resistance so there mostly in charge of surveillance and recon".
"A'ight." Knowing that he had dependable ponies on his side, Raven stopped spinning the bat. "Tech-savvy, eh? I wonder if they could reproduce my 'Scattergun' as I like to call it."
