//------------------------------// // 4-4 // Story: Heroes Never Die // by Shimmerist Ari //------------------------------// They found the next person at a playground, an older black man who had to be at least forty. He had two young daughters with him, whom Magic and Wild Card were willing to humor. Ari had to imagine she’d also love playing with ponies at that age. Most girls had some fascination with horses… to the point Ari was surprised no one ever made a toy line or TV show about colorful horses. The idea seemed so obvious in hindsight. Ari sat next to George, their father, on a bench near the park. The way he was dressed made Ari immediately think he had more money than the other three combined. That and he was old enough to be part of a less cursed generation than the other two recruits. A generation that could afford to have kids in the first place. He said he’d absolutely want himself and his entire family to become ponies if it ever became an option. So he was all but certainly in. “It’s an all-human Shimmerist community center.” Ari sat down next to George on the bench. “We want the Shimmerists out here to have a place to band together and support each other. We want to help create a sense of community and eventually start moving towards more communal living like the ponies do.” “So you’re setting up a Shimmerist church?” He asked. “I’d certainly be more than a little interested in that. I left the one I used to be in after they made some changes following ETS. Thought I’d have to move even to find a proper Shimmerist church. And I would have.” This guy certainly had conviction. That much was a good sign. “Uh.” Ari brushed her hair to the side. “Not exactly a church. I’m an atheist. But we are planning on having a small chapel for religious Shimmerists to pray however they want. I take it you’re a Christian Shimmerist? You know, we’re still looking for someone to lead that if you’re interested.” For all she knew, he could be a Muslim or something else. Ari never heard much about Islamic Shimmerism, though she was sure it existed. The middle east didn’t get many ponies, sadly. Maybe that was why. “I just might be.” He nodded with a smile. “Though I’d need to see more of what you’re about before I agree to anything like that. What exactly will this community center be doing?” “I’m still figuring that out, but we’re open to suggestions. I think you’d be the first one with a family. We only have two other members and we’re all pretty young. And uh… I guess I’m not so sure how diverse we’re gonna be outside of being Shimmerists.” Having humans outside of Social Shimmerism wasn’t something Ari had immediately imagined. She could make this work, of course! They’d been planning on having a chapel for more religious types from the beginning. But it was only now that Ari was beginning to realize Magic Card’s power likely worked in a certain way… was getting them one of each type. They had a social, techno, filthy centrist and now a Christian Shimmerist. Next would probably be a hippy. Ari would need to take time to understand these other points of view if she had any plans to bring them together. Find common ground and all that. “I never met a Christian Shimmerist before,” said Ari. She hadn’t in real life anyway. “It’s the one I’m least familiar with and there’s a lot about it I don’t understand.” “It’s fine. I love talking about theology. Especially with people who think I’m wrong.” “Well.” Now was as good a time as any. “I more or less understand Christianity. Didn’t Jesus already die for our sins or whatever? Why do we need to be redeemed a second time? Like you have to accept Jesus and become a pony? Is he just going to keep adding more requirements?” “God’s relationship with us has gone through multiple paradigms already. Mainstream Christians already accept that. Before Christ, for example, we had the old testament laws to follow and guide us toward God. Christ died and absolved us of our original sin and thus a second paradigm began. Each time God gave us different options for coming to him. And I think we’re simply seeing another change.” Ari nodded along. She’d heard stuff like this before. “So like… do I go to Hell if I can’t become a pony?” Ari asked the main question everyone had about Christian Shimmerism. “Or is it just for not thinking God is real?” “Shimmerists are closer to universalists if you know what that is. You don’t need either of those things to come to God. It’s more like…” He shifted on the bench. “Just like Jesus provided us with a new path, I believe God sent Sunset Shimmer to give us a new path towards glory and to better serve the lord. In Christian Shimmerism, we don’t think non-ponies all go to Hell. It is simply easier to fulfill the will of God as a pony and for those of us stuck behind, and even we still have them as a guiding light. It was His will that we are given the ability to choose ponification just as we were given the ability to accept Christ. Basically, every sect of Christianity sees free will as important… and it seems the world is becoming perfectly aligned to give us such a clear choice.” “Free will? Everybody says Sunset Shimmer doesn’t much come down on that side of that.” Ari had her own response to that but wanted to hear his. “None of God’s prophets were perfect. Many of them were horrible people by today’s standards even. But we do slowly move always toward God’s perfection. Even if Sunset Shimmer were pure evil, God would turn her misdeeds towards the work of good.” “Well if God cares so much about free will why don’t I have a choice?” Ari leaned her head on the back of the bench. “If you want to convince me I’m a fallen being who needs to be purified through ponification or whatever, then I’m already there. But if I want to make the choice that God says is right, then why can’t I? Where is my free will?” “I know it will come eventually.” “Why not now? If he’s omnipotent and all that?” “As far as I can tell, it’s the same reason he waited so long to give the Torah and to send Jesus and then Sunset Shimmer.” “And why is that?” He could only shake his head at that. “I don’t know.” They found themselves back in the car after another successful encounter. Only it was five of them as Pamela tagged along and was now in the front seat. “No, no. It’s his whole family signing up,” Ari told Dresden. “That’s four so we’re up to seven.” “Oh! How many are we going to get?” Pamela turned to the back seat. “I don’t know.” Ari looked down at Magic Card. “How many can we get exactly? I noticed you’re getting us one of each flavor of Shimmerist.” Magic bumped Ari’s side with a hoof. “Wah! Smart! I am, but that’s actually a good strategy if you think about it. Because they’ll know more of their own kind and bring them in as well. So expansion will be easier.” “Hm. I wonder what the most common type of Shimmerist with humans is.” Ari mused to herself, already mentally preparing for every eventuality. “Would you say you’re religious, Pamela?” “Oh, I suppose I’m a Christian too. Just not that Christian. But I was really hoping it was God turning us into ponies, you know?” Pamela looked back at them. “Yeah, that would have been nice,” Ari recalled some of the Bible in her head. “But then again, no. That would have been horrible.” “I get it.” Pamela nodded. “I think I would be interested in a Shimmerist church service. Ponies are so close to the Christian ideal that it must be what God wants, you know? The Catholic Church will make Sunset Shimmer a saint eventually, even if it takes five hundred years like with Joan of Arc.” “Oh? Are you Catholic?” Ari asked. “Well. No. But still. She should be a saint. I tried praying to Sunset Shimmer a little bit after she died and it felt right. A lot of people had a similar experience. On the internet.” Even religious Shimmerism wasn’t a monolith. People often thought of those nuts down south as the only subfaction of that but you got all sorts. For her own part, Ari never saw any one religion as different from the others. Her evidence for God, Zues, Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, or any canon saint actually hearing prayers were all equally zero. So what difference did it make who someone prayed to in the end? “I actually converted to Shimmerism almost as soon as I heard the word,” said Pamela. “I wish I had,” said Ari. “Would have saved me a headache.” “Oh? Did you struggle?” Pamela’s smile grew. “You seem like you have so much conviction.” ‘Stugling’ was how more religious-leaning Shimmerists talked about the Shim-curious. Though not religious, Ari could relate to the feeling. It was nice seeing somebody coming to accept the light of Shimmerism. “I kind of bought the meme that Shimmerism was only about being racist,” Ari admitted. “But once you get past that, you see that nobody actually has a single argument against it.” Pamela nodded along eagerly. “I was asking the size of the group more for like… well how big is this center going to be?” Dresden asked. “Like is the SSP really going to buy you a multi-million dollar property?” Magic Card chuckled. “Oh, those Technoshimmerists give us tons of money. Like SuperPAC money is coming in from Supercycle and a couple of other billionaires. We got way more money than you realize. And low expenses since we all just share a couple of houses.” “And let me guess,” said Dresden. “You ‘collected’ the donors? And that’s how you got so much money so fast.” Magic Card chortled and stuck her head between the two front seats. “Hahaha! You’re smart for a human, you know? Yeah! I’m like the secret weapon nopony even knows about. Not even the FBI figured out I’m the one who got the ponies of Nelson Residence together. Know why? Because I’m never home! Hahaha! Stupid idiots!” The next person Magic Card lead Ari to was dressed a bit more like the sort of person Ari would normally hand out with. That is to say, a bit of a street urchin like Ari, dressed in the same style of baggy clothes, hoodies, and scarves. He looked like the type who would vandalize an anti-homeless bench. “You’re with the Social Shimmerist Party?” He straightened up upon hearing it. “I suppose I am too. I wish they’d take over New York.” Finally, somebody more Ari’s speed! This was the first human she’d met who knew about the SSP beforehand. “What do you mean you suppose?” Ari asked. “I don’t really know if I’m a Shimmerist at all. I support all of their policies. The fact that we have an actual left-wing party with seats in the house, as opposed to the Democrats just pretending to be left-wing, has got to be the best news I ever heard.” Ari beamed at this guy. Anyone who called the Democrats right wing had all of Ari’s love! “I guess I just don’t care if anyone is a pony or not, though.” He shrugged. “Like… why does that have to be such a big part of your platform?” “Do you disagree that we should have the right to CET?” Ari asked. “Or that there needs to be a morphological bill of rights?” “I mean. Technically I agree with that.” It was the typical lukewarm acceptance you got from everyone but the misanthrobros. “Then what’s the problem?” “I’m just worried that focusing too much on CET will make us miss our chance to pass actual social reform. This might be the one chance we ever get in our entire lives to make the lives of working-class people better. If we don’t seize on this, the capitalist class and corporate landlords will just be pushing us ever-onward to the bug-eating, pod-living, wage cage future Americans have been determined to create since fucking Regan. And right or not, people hate the idea of even consensual ponification.” “Okay, first of all, most Americans actually admit CET should be legal if you press them on it. They’re just scared to say it publicly,” Ari recited. “Second, ponies are literally the reason we have the chance in the first place! Do you really think it’s just a coincidence that a ton of ponies show up and suddenly an alternative to Reganomics appears?” “Well.” He didn’t have an answer. Or rather he was uncomfortable with it. Ari could relate. She was in that spot not too long ago. “CET isn’t just some weird side ideal we’re pushing,” said Ari. “Ponification is the key to creating a better world. People need to have the ability to leave their lives as corporate slaves behind if this is to have any chance of success. The more people become ponies, the less likely we’ll be living in pods in 2100. That includes me. And you.” “Whoa, whoa! The SSP was always talking about having a choice. And I choose to not be a pony.” “We like to compare it to smoking. You don’t have to stop smoking but you should and it’s a good thing to encourage. Likewise, I’m merely arguing that as a pony you’d be better able to create the world we both want, of communal living and a democratic, just economy.” “I’d certainly pay the pony price if it was the only way,” he said. “And before you say it, I’m not sure if there is another way at this point. But I guess I still don’t want to be a pony.” Definitely Shim-curious. Ari could convert someone like this. Eventually. Hopefully one day all left-leaning people would be Shimmerists. There was literally no other alternative. “Well you support our politics,” said Ari. “But what about the Shimmerist ideals of community? Do you want to start living them?” “I guess I do want something in my life outside the capitalist rat race,” he said. “Sign me up.” “Great! Um! What was your name again?” That was a successful day! They were already up to eight members. Ponies really did move fast. Though they didn’t find anyone else in the two hours following that last encounter. Ari had agreed to host the ponies until their part in the mission was over, meaning they’d be sleeping at Ari’s place. Magic Card had a huge binder of ‘Magic The Gathering’ cards, a game Ari learned a great deal about. But like she said, she hardly ever played the game. She freaked out a little at the mere suggestion that her precious cards be taken out of their sleeves and their condition degraded. That said, she was extremely enthusiastic about showing off all of her rare cards and pontificating on the importance of each one. Eventually, curiosity pushed Ari into playing the card game with Wild and Magic. And like someone out of an anime, Wild Card jumped off the couch, flicking his bangs to one side with a smirk. And damn that pony really was good at card games. Even handicapping himself by playing with what Magic agreed was a ‘weak deck’ and giving Ari and Magic his pro-decks, the guy still won easily. And not just this one but poker, Uno, and even war somehow. Eventually, it got late for ponies and Ari decided to go to bed early with them. As Ari found out, ponies were perfectly willing to share a bed with a human as they did each other, but only once they decided you were ‘in’ so to speak. And Ari was ‘in’ at this point. Once again, she got to cuddle up with ponies to sleep. In that moment she felt Pamela might be right that this was the best part.