//------------------------------// // 122 - The Promised Day, The Promised Pain // Story: Re:Harmony // by starcross7 //------------------------------// Chapter 122 – The Promised Day, The Promised Pain More than a thousand years ago, famine and governmental collapse forced her ancestors to migrate from far off lands to eventually settle to where Gaeaopolis now stood. It was a strategic decision to build their new home precariously at on the mountainside, for it allowed them an advantage to thwart earth pony revolt from below and anticipate pegasi aerial attacks. The unicorns who settled into the new world believed themselves to be at the top because they were the ones who prayed for the sun and moon to rise. Their sense of superiority was what earned the ire of the other two pony tribes. The earth ponies, though lacking in magic, overwhelmed them with their numbers and their technological inventions. The pegasi, fearful of the Aether manipulation arts, abandoned them as the Great Pony War started. Minuette was not sure if their banishment into near-extinction was a good thing. It was sad that many of her kind had been wiped out in their holocaust, but living underground rendered them humble. Her race could have stopped praying and left the sun and moon hanging in the sky in perpetual twilight. Despite their current isolation and suspicions of the outside world, they completely understood the value of life. Here in Sewer Town, there was life. Minuette had witnessed bar fights, beatings, drugs, larceny, and prostitution, the likes of which she did not expect. However, she found numerous pockets of joy and happiness. Ponies sang, danced, and laughed with one another in packed bars and dance halls. Poor children found a way to have fun on the cramped streets and cramped alleyways. A few mares had the courage and strength to create life in this stinkhole, whether out of wedlock or not. Meeting Golden Harvest in Sewer Town was a blessing. Through the yellowish, orange-maned earth mare, she introduced and vouched for Minuette and fellow Magisister Twinkleshine before Mr. and Mrs. Cake. The Cakes provided a large sum of bits for them start off, and then gave Minuette a job as a clerk in Sugarcube Corner. Twinkleshine got a job as a helper at a zebra-only restaurant. How she had done it, Minuette could only guess, and Twinkleshine's story that a well-known patron pulled some strings for the white unicorn's hiring seemed unbelievable. On the other hoof, Minuette worked with the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner from the get-go. Since then, Minuette sent reports of the goings-on in the surface back to Unicornia, which at times became stressful whenever Twilight Velvet sent demanding inquires back, such as the number of ponies, zebras, donkeys, and Diamond Dogs residing in Sewer Town as well as the combat capabilities of the local police and the patrolling Clone Soldiers. Every time these inquires came to her, she imagined that her Chieftain would send back a curse for not providing her with an answer. So far, she received more questions, and no semblance of a thank you. Sparkle must have had it hard growing up. At least working in the Sugarcube on a regular basis brought her a sense of calm and satisfaction. It was a mundane job as a clerk or an assistant. She could not use her magic, but she loved it all the same. Plus, she had access to any unsold stock of pastries despite being a week old or so. It has always been bustling until now. Since the Gaea’s declaration of war against Pegasopolis, the stream of customers dwindled. Nearby homes and businesses started boarding up, and before long, no customer came in today. Minuette still did not waver from her assistant duties. She cleaned the tables, mopped the floor, and stood by the cash register waiting for at least one pony to sample the baked goods. She even wished they would just stop by and say hello. She could understand why Twilight would want to come here. The world was such a great place, and now it was on a verge of being destroyed. “Minuette, you can go home for today,” said Carrot Cake. He walked in apron-less with a plastic bag full of baked goods in two boxes. He was out of uniform, and had donned upon him a shirt and a brown overcoat. “In fact,” he continued, “you don’t have come in tomorrow.” “Boss!” cried Minuette. “I’m sorry I didn’t sell a single cupcake today! Please don’t fire me!” “I’m not. Unfortunately, we have to close shop until further notice. I need to escort my wife to the shelters before the rush.” “Isn’t Sewer Town underground?” “Yes, but we risk being flooded out if the pegasi attack Ponyville Slums. Here, you can take this bag back to your apartment for your friend. If you need more, feel free to come back here. You don’t have to give back the key, but I do urge you and Twinkleshine to seek shelter.” “With all due respect sir, I am the First Magisister of Unicornia.” “I know, but I still want to pray for your safety.” Pray. The notion of a higher power had not completely vanished in an atheist society, although they substituted the god of magic with the god of science. Minuette accepted Mr. Cake’s gift and waved goodbye. Sugarcube Corner was perhaps the last business to be open until now, and right as she stepped out, the lights of that wonderfully happy shop had turned off. Maybe for good. Sewer Town was almost deserted. Minuette missed the daily rough-and-tumble annoyances that she faced every day, though she could do with a littles less drunk stallions leering and whistling at her every time she walked the streets. She and Twinkleshine had acquired a small, one-room apartment for themselves in the center of Sewer Town, and that was considered luxurious despite the regular occurrence of cockroaches scuttling across the floor. It was on the third story, and getting up was risk for each metallic step on the stairs looked like it could collapse from decades’ worth of rust. Inside, it was homely, lighted, but messy. Minuette’s side of the room was relatively well-ordered, with labeled stacks of documents, newspapers, and photos of her survey of the outside world. Twinkleshine’s side had more new clothes strewn all over. It’s now almost as high as the cheap bed they purchased, and Minuette worried that today might be the day it would collapse on the floor below. She heard the shower running and a mare singing inside of it. Ever since Twinkleshine had been let go from her zebra restaurant job, she had been lazing around reading magazines and trying on new clothes. When she wasn’t inside, she would gossip with the other mares living in the same apartment complex. Twilight Velvet would be furious if she saw her student succumb to the frivolities of Gaean society. Before she could give Twinkleshine a piece of her mind, Minuette spotted from the corner of her eye on the coffee table her old nemesis: toothpaste. Toothpaste was there to remind her of the stomach pumping procedure she suffered through for accidentally ingesting it. Toothpaste was there as a not-so-subtle reminder that Minuette’s breath stinks. Toothpaste was there to attempt to scare Minuette about the dangers of tooth decay. Minuette had magic and water. That’s all she needed. “Minuette, you’re home!” spoke Twinkleshine as she stepped out of the shower naked save for a towel wrapped around her neck. “You could not believe the haul I got today! I spotted an old mare pushing a shopping cart of nice clothes in the tram station. We talked, and she said she was unable to take them with her to the shelter. I might have met her before, but she took a liking to me and gave it all away. I offered to pay for it, but she refused, and she already boarded the tram. Why don’t we don’t we try these on tonight?” The blue Magisister almost forgot what she was about to tell her. “It’s time, Twinkleshine,” said Minuette. “Time for what?” “We need to bring our tribe to the surface in accordance to the Starswirl Prophecy. Please teleport to point ST3 and send a signal to Magister Pokey.” “Why don’t you do it?” “You’re faster at teleporting than I am.” “Fine,” Twinkleshine said as she rolled her eyes. The off-white unicorn vanished in a flash, leaving her towel and the water behind on the cracked tile floor. Minuette let out a relaxing sigh as she began her preparation for the meeting tomorrow. Toothpaste was there on the table again. The remaining rooster somewhere in Sewer Town woke her up. Twinkleshine wasn’t back yet, but Minuette supposed she was leading the rest of the unicorns from their home for the first time in over 1000 years. It was unusually cold in the morning. While she would like to expose her Destiny Glyph, she had to keep herself warm with a dark overcoat, scarf, and earmuffs. She packed a few remaining fruitcakes into her pockets along with a small first aid kit, and a knife. She did not bother to cast her horn-hiding spell today. Who would be here to accost her? She left the apartment and, by force of habit, locked it. In a medium pace, she walked down the streets towards the meeting point at the tram station. It would not be surprising that nopony would be here to operate the trams, given that an evacuation deadline had been scheduled for midnight hours ago. Minuette had acquired manuals on its operation ahead of time if she needed to use it. Plus, she had some help. “Morning Minuette,” said Golden Harvest. “Morning,” greeted Minuette. Golden Harvest was also dressed warmly in an overcoat and earmuffs. Unlike Minuette, she had to be armed with an assault rifle as a means of defense. “Today’s the day, right?” asked Harvest. “According to the Prophecy, yes,” replied Minuette. “I expected an all-out war to be declared sooner than later. Al lot of ponies, mares included, have been drafted. They also allowed prisoners to join the ranks in the promise of reduced sentences." "I heard." "The government expects the recruits to die in the first wave, but with crazies on the front lines, they'll probably outlast a good number of good ponies. Other than that, how are you doing? Minuette distinctly noticed Harvest wrinkling her nose during their conversation. It was a painful reminder of the unicorn's never-ending resistance against toothpaste. She had an excuse. She got up late and had quickly eat her breakfast before heading out. "Doing fine," replied Minuette as she lowered her head to direct the gust of her breath downward. "I'm a little nervous as well," added Harvest. "I woke up in Ponyville thinking that it was still dark out, but realized I was late. The sun wasn't up." “We have been falling short of our prayers.” “You really do raise the moon and the sun, don’t you?” “I guess we do.” “But if you become wiped out by this war, it would stop completely.” “Don’t worry. Wherever Sparkle is, she’ll find a way to end the war before it begins.” “How long do we wait for your tribe?” Minuette was no pegasus, but she felt a change in the winds. The blue unicorn had been cautiously looking behind her on her trek to the station, which was a routine she developed since her arrival in Sewer Town. She had checked her behind before she met Golden Harvest, and nopony was there. She looked back one more time, and it surprised her. Befitting of their kind, her tribe had emerged from shadows and mist dressed in hooded cloaks. Every unicorn was here standing on the roads or on the buildings. Though she herself was a unicorn in earth pony clothes, Minuette felt overwhelmed by the show of force. Twilight Velvet was identified with an ornate dark cloak with a rectangular design pattern on its edges. Her eyepatch had also been adorned with the same tribal pattern, which was probably stitched by the filly Magisisters. Velvet looked just as intimidating as ever. Accompanied by a well-behaved Twinkleshine, she approached both Minuette and Golden Harvest. Out of fear and respect, Minuette bowed low to her Chieftain. The Chieftain however, trotted past her student and sized up Golden Harvest with her remaining eye for almost a minute. The earth pony stood her ground as she was scrutinized by who was essentially the sole leader of all the unicorns in the planet. “You are not surprised by our appearance, earthian,” Velvet noted. “Golden Harvest, I presume?” “I met your daughter,” said Golden Harvest, “and I’ve seen so much that nothing surprises me anymore.” “So, the final battle has begun, and Gaea and Pegasopolis have decided to settle their millennium-old grudge once and for and all. Minuette, what of my daughter’s progress?” “The last letter from their dragon stated that they have infiltrated Pegasopolis to retrieve the Fifth Element,” replied Minuette. That was the gist of it, but she did not want to unnecessarily worry Twilight Velvet by telling her that they were about to take on the Empress Commander herself. “She should have acquired the Sixth Element by now. No matter. We will need to breach to surface and buy her time for her arrival. The world might be a miserable place, but we unicorns have a divine duty to ensure its continuous cycle.” “Chieftain,” said Golden Harvest, “if you’ll so please, we can use the trams to bring you up to the Ponyville Slums. Minuette and I will need to run up and bring them down.” The lights in the station flashed on unexpectedly. No magic was in play, and only she and Golden Harvest were aware of this plan. The sound of heavy gears and screeching metal echoed from the other end of the tunnel. Minuette expected at least one or two trams to come down from the surface. Instead, it was a continuous line. These weren’t the rusty civilian types painted in red and white. These gunmetal trams were heavily armored with slits in place of large windows. The armored trams made their stop, and out came a small number of colonel-type Clone Soldiers in their red accented armor. Marching behind them were the cold, whirring machinations known as Roboponies, which carried on their metallic backs large caliber guns. About a hundred of them filed out and stood in formation in front of the gas-masked Clone Colonels, who themselves stood in a line. They announced their presence with a sharp salute into the air, and one of the Clones stepped forth. “You are in violation of our High Chancellor’s Evacuation Order,” he said. “Surrender now and prepare to be processed.” “They haven’t suspected that we’re unicorns,” whispered Minuette. “There’s no need to down here,” Harvest whispered. “All their magic detection equipment is being shipped over to the front lines.” “You have ten seconds to comply,” said the Clone Colonel. “Gather in a single file line for processing, or you will be executed for disobeying the Chancellor’s orders.” “The last time our kind marched in a single line, our ancestors nearly went extinct,” said Minuette. “I’m not going to let that happen again.” “I guess we have no choice then,” said Harvest, as she cocked her assault rifle. A single sniper shot pierced through the helmet of the Clone Colonel that had been speaking. Several more from high angles picked off the remainder of the Clones before the Roboponies started to turn their cycloptic eyes towards their attackers. By then, it was too late for the machines. A shower of rocket-powered grenades and grenades fell upon them and destroyed half their forces. Velvet had cast a powerful shield to protect herself and her tribe from shrapnel and debris. There were still many straggling Roboponies ready to counterattack, so the unicorns and Golden Harvest took it upon themselves to blast the rest of them to metal pieces. Dust and smoke had built up in the lull of battle, and everypony waited until the whir of the last of the Roboponies fizzled and collapsed. Velvet then cast a wind spell to clear out the dust and smoke to reveal dead clones and the entire Robopony regiment reduced to smoldering debris. Whatever happened, Minuette appreciated the help. Their assistance rappelled from unused sewer pipes and rusty air ducts in the ceiling above in fashionable hairstyles and mink-like coats. She did not know about much fashion, but Minuette felt that their guns clashed with their clothing. They were a small group, about ten or so, but they were effective. Unlike other earth ponies, they willfully exposed their Nature’s Call, as earth ponies liked to call them. To everypony’s surprise, they had Twilight’s Destiny Glyph painted on top of theirs in black ink. A certain blue pony in a white mane and tail with magenta sunglasses and a black and white striped mink coat did not need her alter hers. She had Twilight’s star-shaped glyph, but also had the image of a professional film camera burned on top of it. “Who is she?” asked Twilight Velvet. “Somepony I regret knowing,” groaned Harvest. “Sister Harvest!” cried their earth pony in the black and white mink coat. “You have redeemed yourself by summoning our unicorn brethren! Mein Gott, there are so many!” “And you are?” asked Velvet. “Photo Finish of the Cult of Twilight, at your service! The filthy pegasi and our corrupt government are going to destroy the world and themselves. We, however, are going to remake it in a blaze of fire! Sister Harvest, assist our unicorn brethren while we secure their opening to the surface. And now… we go!” It was almost like magic when they disappeared, and yet it was possible that their latent Geosense abilities were awakening within Photo Finish’s group. Their heavy coats and their heavy guns did little to weigh them down when they zipped away from tram station. Cult of Twilight, huh? Minuette smirked at the idea of her fellow Magisister having her own fan club. “Those earth ponies strike me as odd,” said Velvet. “Unfortunately,” said Minuette, “they are the saner ones.”