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// 5. Work Order 
// Story: Another Mare's Sky 
// by PeppyJoe 
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Eight weeks after discovery.
The Chaotic Plateau had always been a significant landmark on Eris.  It was in the rough vicinity of where the First Settlers found themselves.  As the three races spread out and returned to their old tribal ways, the Plateau served as a center-point around which the three groups radiated.  It had been the site of hundreds of battles and the focus of dozens of wars.  It had very few natural resources apart from iron, but when taken into account that the location was also flat and extremely tectonically active, it proved perfect for industrial manufacturing.

Unicornia successfully seized the region over two hundred years ago and had managed to hold it ever since.  The border between Unicornia and Pegasopolis had been pushed back significantly around the Plateau, and the unicorns had fortified it so heavily that the pegasi seldom attempted any attacks in the area.  The main city containing all the factories and machinery was simply named 'Industrial Three,' and was generally agreed to be the ugliest and most dangerous place on the planet.  It was a smothering blend of towering red-brick smokestacks, metal-grated catwalks, cobbled-together arcane discharge towers, and exposed channels of industrial runoff snaking throughout the city.  In its earlier days, the area had also been plagued by frequent monster attacks, but the combined air and ground pollution had long since killed off anything else that might threaten the area's residents.

Neon Clock was a factory-floor overseer for one of DynamiCo Assembly's seven assembly plants in the greater Industrial Three area, and was one of their more valuable peons.  He had a talent for keeping workers motivated and ensuring that projects stayed on schedule.  Today, as on any other, the bright blue unicorn wore his hardhat, hazard gear, and name-badge which simply read, "Overseer.  Clock, N."  However, today, Neon received a work order that actually warranted more than a passing glimpse from him.

Using the communication gem linked to the factory-floor speakers, he called one of his workers in.  The grey earth pony pushed the door open and glanced nervously at his boss before walking up and avoiding eye-contact.  "Yes, sir?"

"Oh, come on, 'Nine!  Just relax already, will you?  I'm not gonna bite!"  The grey pony continued to studiously examine the floor.  "Fine, whatever.  I just got word on what we'll be doing after the last of the warheads ship this evening."  Neon spread out the diagram that had been included with the work order.  "It's a Hydra-Class first-stage booster.  It's what the pegasi used to put their first moon-base in orbit!"

The earth pony gave a slight nod.  "Understood.  I'll tell the rest of the workers."

Neon sighed.  "It'd be great if you could show a bit of enthusiasm, 'Nine.  This has got to be part of the rocket that's taking us to Curiosity, and you get to personally help build it!  You should be grateful!"

The earth pony gave a slight nod, still speaking in a low monotone.  "I am grateful.  Is that all, sir?"

"Yes!  Just go!  I'll look over the specifications and start distributing individual work assignments after lunch."

"Yes, sir."  

Neon watched as the grey earth pony quietly left the room after that.  He was relatively mundane in appearance, especially since his factory jumpsuit was a dull grey that blended in with his coat and covered his cutie-mark.  In place of a name-badge, he just wore a lanyard around his neck with the label 'A-9-239'.  The unicorn sighed once the door to his office had shut once more, and muttered under his breath "Featherin' mud pony."

Outside the office, 'Nine was met by a fellow worker wearing a concerned expression.  "How'd it go?  Does he know?"

The grey stallion shook his head, a relieved grin slipping onto his face as he glanced behind himself at the shut door.  "He has no idea.  The idiot just wanted to see if I was excited about what we're working on next."

"What is it?"

"Buck if I know.  Some heavy-lift rocket booster, and something about 'taking us to curiosity.'"

"Well, it hardly matters, just so long as we're in the clear.  Slate's going to be waiting on the roof with his unicorn contact when we're loading the warheads into the truck.  I've made sure there'll be a distraction too, so nopony notices a few crates flying away."

'Nine nodded.  "Have you gotten word on how they'll be used yet?"

"No, and that's probably for the best.  Now we should get back to the floor; no sense in pushing our luck, Hammer."





That night, in a small, long-forgotten warehouse in an outer district of Industrial Three, a different grey earth pony worked to unload a pile of crates from within a tarp-covered wagon.  He was aided by a tall yellow unicorn.

Slate shook his head as he lifted.  "I still don't get it, Lemon.  Why're you helping a bunch of mud-ponies like us?"

"It is as I said before.  My kind has inflicted a terrible wrong on yours, and we perpetuate that wrongdoing every day that we withhold your freedom.  Perhaps your cities will forever be ruins and nopony will ever see New Earth again, but I at least have the choice to go look for it.  You deserve that same choice."

"Well, I sure as hay thank you for it.  The Earth Pony Liberation Army thanks you for it."  He paused, looking in admiration at the stack of explosive-filled crates they had unloaded. "And now, we'll be able to make a real difference for our cause.  We'll be able to do a lot of good with these."