Dissonance: A Hidden World

by Braininthejar

Chapter 27: The Resistance

The train arrived at Sophia half an hour later, sliding through the gates in the outer wall, and moving smoothly towards the main station. Aurora and Aquila stood up, and walked to the window, taking in the view of the city.

The buildings stretched in all directions, neat, symmetrical rows of grey walls and tiled roofs, turned darker by the ever-present soot. The giant, black factory chimneys dominated the skyline, spread at key positions through the city. The only building that matched them in height was the central tower, its surface gleaming white marble, visibly protected from whatever was happening around it.

The train slowly turned, following a rail that took it around the city, towards the station at the edge of the center. There was a loud clang when the energy field was disengaged, dropping the massive machine back onto the thick rails.

“I think it’s time to go,” said Aurora.

“Get ready to get out!” called the guard from outside the cell door. The tone of his voice made it obvious that he was still angry at the two mares for upsetting his boss, even though in the end nothing bad came out of it. Aurora and Aquila left the window, and turned towards the door, waiting to be let out.

“Do you think we’re going with Envy now?” whispered Aquila towards her big sister.

Aurora put a hoof to the unicorn’s mouth. “Respect, Aquila. Please, call him Respect, while we’re here,” she said in a harsh whisper, “Somepony might be listening. And you almost forgot yourself today. If you called him Envy to his face…”

She shut her mouth without finishing, as that was the moment when the door opened. The guard gestured at them impatiently, silently commanding them to go towards the front of the train again.

They returned to the VIP car. The green alicorn both sisters forced themselves to think of as ‘Respect’ was already waiting at the door leading outside, two earth pony guards flanking him, ready to exit first, and make sure he makes a proper impression.

Respect turned towards Aquila. “We’ve arrived. Your destination is the Tower of Wisdom, and since I’m headed there anyway, you shall accompany me.” He paused, looking up and down the girls. “The fate that awaits you is a great honor. Do behave like you’re worthy of it. There is a crowd outside waiting to see me, and I’d hate for them to be disappointed.”

Aurora and Aquila nodded their heads, and tried to match the poses of the other ponies. They ended up standing stiff, like they had during official assemblies, face focused and solemn. Respect looked with disapproval.

“You’re supposed to be happy. Please act like it.”

Aurora cast him a nervous glance, and tried to smile, but ended up with a horrible, awkward grin. She could see the guard behind Respect cringe at the sight.

Respect closed his eyes, and inhaled slowly. “That won’t do. Stay still.”

The power came as a feeling of a static charge, felt by Aurora’s pegasi senses. After a few seconds, she felt her face relaxing into a content smile, completely out of her control. Then her legs moved on their own, and she walked forward, taking position behind Respect. In the corner of her eye she saw Aquila do the same.

“What are you doing?” she managed to hiss through her teeth.

The alicorn didn’t turn to her, already preparing to step out as the guards exited the train, and flanked the door. “Micro-shocking your nerves. Now stop struggling, or it won’t look natural.”

They walked outside, right opposite a herd of several dozen ponies, who were waiting at the platform.

***

“Well, that’s creepy,” said Scootaloo.

“Wait, Envy can do that?” whispered Twilight Sparkle.

“Only if your magic is weak,” replied Aurora. “We learned to resist it later.”

***

Aurora walked into the train station, smiling warmly at the crowd. Respect opened his wing, and from underneath it, a small, metal lyre flew up to hang in the air beside his face. Tiny sparks flew as he started tugging at the strings with his power, a complex melody that spread through the station, and followed Respect as he paraded in front of the gathered crowd, towards the station exit.

Aurora’s eyes slid over the collection of faces. All were smiling, some earnestly delighted, some curious of the spectacle, many others tired, hiding behind a facade of insincere enthusiasm. One or two were scared, the widened eyes betraying what the smiling mouths would not. Not having any choice in the matter, she answered with a fake smile of her own, walking in rhythm with the rest of the retinue, until they left the station, and found a place where their vehicle was waiting.

The two mares looked in surprise. From where they were standing, they could see lines of vehicles moving through the streets, oblong metal things that looked like scaled-down train cars.

***

“That looks like something Flim and Flam would build,” said Applejack.

“Did they use magic to move?” asked Twilight.

“I think we once dug up a wheel like that,” said Scootaloo.

“Shhh, be quiet,” hissed Pinkie.

***

However, the one awaiting them was different, all shiny, with an open top that made it look like an oversized chariot. While the guards opened a small door to get inside, Respect made the two sisters follow him onto the top of the thing. Soon there was a sound of an engine working underneath, the vehicle rolling into the street. However, the alicorn did not intend to drive towards the tower. He tensed, and two seconds later, the platform disengaged from the vehicle and rose into the air.

Respect turned towards Aurora. Though she still couldn’t control her face, he caught a question in her eyes. “I use it as my official vehicle here,” he explained. “The bottom part is only used when they need to bring it to me.”

The platform flew towards the tower ahead, smoothly accelerating, until just before the wind could become uncomfortable.

***

Sometime later, Aurora and Aquila were sitting in an empty lobby, somewhere within the Tower of Wisdom. The walls were white, the carpets and sitting cushions a soft gray. Respect had left them, off to do some urgent business of his, ordering a pair of guards to keep an eye on them; the pair was now standing outside of the door. It wasn’t really necessary though. The sisters were inside a huge building, in the middle of an unfamiliar city. Even if they managed to make their way back to the ground floor, where would they go next?

A door on the far end of the lobby opened, and a secretary, a serious, middle-aged unicorn with a lilac coat and her mane in a bun, walked in. She checked a piece of paper on top of the notepad she was levitating, then looked at the huddled mares over her pince-nez.

“Miss Aurora, Miss Aqua,-” she started.

“Aquila,” grumbled Aquila under her breath.

The secretary checked her notes again, and then looked at the younger unicorn with a frown.

“Miss Aqua,” she repeated with emphasis, “Lady Wisdom is away on matters of national security. She will not be able to see you right now. You will have to wait. If she doesn’t return by evening, you will be provided accommodation.”

“When can we eat something?” Asked Aurora. Aquila said nothing, but did her best to make an earnest pleading expression.

The secretary sighed almost inaudibly. “I will send for something.” She then turned around like a soldier, and marched out, the door closing behind her.

Aurora and Aquila were left alone again. For a while they were just sitting in silence, their eyes wandering over the lobby, from the soft carpet, through the marble wall panelling, to the crystal chandelier dominating the ceiling.

Aquila was the first to break the silence. “How long are we going to wait? What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” said Aurora. “If it’s a matter of national security-”

“Discord,” said Aquila. “It must be. The guard have plenty of weapons, they wouldn’t bother one of the protectors with just any monster.”

Aurora nodded. “So, she’ll be back when they’re done fighting.” Her eyes had just finished scanning the room, and were looking up at the chandelier again.

Aquila hugged her tightly, pushing herself underneath her white wing.

“I hope they both lose,” she whispered into her ear.

Aurora shook her head. “Wisdom can resist Discord’s magic, and he is almost impossible to hurt. It will probably end as it always does - he’ll leave when he gets bored.”

She slowly broke the embrace, and was about to start contemplating the carpet again, when suddenly, her ear twitched. Somepony was talking loudly outside the lobby door.

“... so we’re conducting a Zebrican fire drill. I’ll need you to go to floor… which floor are we on? So, three floors up, onto the fire stairs. And fill your helmets with water.”

The voice had a sense of urgency to it, but it didn’t really sound like an officer’s voice, more like an over-emphasised parody of one.

Both mares stood up, and listened intently. There was some more talking they couldn’t quite make out, followed by a “Yes, Inspector,” spoken in unison by two voices, followed by a sound of hooves galloping away. Then the door opened, and an unfamiliar stallion walked inside.

Aurora and Aquila blinked several times, not quite sure that what they saw was real. The stallion was a biscuit-yellow pegasus dressed in a trench coat, a bowler hat and a scarf. He was also wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses with a fake nose and a moustache. He looked around the lobby, then stared at the two mares. “Are you Aurora and Aqua?”

Aurora opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally said. “Yes. Who are you?”

A second stallion, dressed similarly, except without the ridiculous glasses, looked into the lobby. This one was an earth pony, and a pleasant shade of red.

“We’re here to rescue you. Come with us, if you want to stay yourselves.”

The first stallion grabbed the rim of his glasses, and revealed his face for a moment. “Name’s Jingles. Now, we’d better hurry. They might discover my trick at any moment.”

The sisters looked at the newcomers, then at each other. What followed was an eternity of awkward silence.

Two seconds later, the four ponies were running down the corridor.

***

They had barely turned three corners, when an alarm sounded in the building. Jingles suppressed a swearword.

“You could've made a more convincing lie,” said his companion.

Jingles reached into his hat, pulled out a map that had no way of conceivably fitting there, and then put it back after merely a glance, before taking the next turn right, and running along a row of doors. “I’ve already told you, it only works if it’s silly. And it should have worked longer. They must have met an officer in the bathroom or something.”

Several of the doors opened, startled ponies in business attire looking out into the corridor. Jingles kept running forward, pushing past the confused personnel, repeatedly shouting “Out of the way!, Passing through!”

The last door did not lead to an office. When they opened, an armoured guard stomped into the corridor, blocking the way. Jingles started skidding to a halt, then slipped on the carpet, tumbling forward, colliding with the guardspony in a way that knocked him off balance, briefly turning them both into a spinning mess of random limbs before the heavier pony collided face-first with the wall, Jingles following the same momentum to disentangle himself from him, and somehow land on his feet. He kept running, his companions following suit, jumping over the unconscious pony in their way.

“That way!” He shouted, taking a sharp turn, rushing through a door, through what appeared to be a small kitchen, into a parallel corridor.

“Where are we going?” called Aurora behind him, as she tried to keep up, wincing as she hit her wing on a door frame.

“There!” he shouted back, running into an empty elevator.

There was a sound of hooves to their left, a patrol of guards running into view, just as the four ponies crammed themselves into the small cabin.

“Hey you! Stop right there!” shouted the first guard. He was a unicorn, a pronged spear levitating at his side as he charged towards the elevator. Aurora moved to shield Aquila, but then Jingles’ companion pressed a button, and the elevator door shut at the very last moment. With a soft hum the elevator started moving down.

“That was close,” said Aquila, pushing her way from behind Aurora. “But we haven’t escaped yet, have we? This elevator isn’t very fast.”

With a soft grinding noise, the cabin stopped. Aurora looked at the two stallions in alarm. The two looked at each other.

“Emergency brake,” said Jingles with a sigh.

“Seems so,” said the earth pony. “So, plan B?”

Jingles nodded. His companion braced himself, as the pegasus jumped onto his back and up, ramming his head through a small hatch in the ceiling. As he disappeared, the earth pony looked at the two sisters.

“We need to get out of here fast. Very fast.” He focused on Aurora. “We’ll be in freefall for a moment, but Jingles will get us through it. I need you to fight your instinct to fly, and keep your wings folded until we’re done falling.”

There was a banging noise above. The mares gave the stallion unsure looks. “What’s he doing up there?” asked Aquila.

Jingles fell back into the cabin. “Disablin the safties,” he slurred, trying to pack an unusually big pair of scissors he was holding with his teeth into his trench coat.

There was a louder grinding noise and a repeated pinging sound, like several guitar strings breaking, one after another. Aurora’s eyes widened in sudden realisation.

The earth pony met her gaze and smiled reassuringly. “Trust me,” he said.

As if on cue, the elevator started falling. Aurora felt the floor give way, and she had to suppress the instinct to start flying. At her side, Aquila was screaming. Aurora had enough time to look at the two stallions. Their faces were focused, but not scared. As the cabin kept flying down, Aurora kept the wings pressed firmly to her sides. She noticed a soft, blue glow emanating from under Jingles’ scarf.

He has some plan to catch us, she thought, any second now…

He did not. With a deafening noise, the elevator crashed into the basement, the metal frame breaking apart. Aurora was thrown against the floor, the impact squishing her body flat.

It took her a moment to realise that she was not dead. She could see her surroundings at a very weird angle, and she could feel her body bizarrely out of its proper shape, but there was no pain at all. When she made an effort to get up, there was a feeling of sudden shift, and with a loud ‘pop’, she was suddenly her old self again, dizzy and confused, but miraculously unhurt. Around her, the other flattened ponies were coming back to shape as well.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Jingles, surprisingly coherently, stumbling out of the wreck and into a dank basement.

“What happened,” said Aquila flatly, following him.

“We crashed,” replied the earth pony. “We lived. Now we’re in sub-basement three, where our tunnel is. This way we can give the guards a laugh without crossing the perimeter. Now, let’s hurry before somepony gets here.”

With no other choice, Aurora followed her sister, chasing the stallions through the basement. Spreading her wings, she took off the ground, catching up with her unusual rescuers. “But, how are we alive? We should’ve died there. You!” She called after the earth pony.

“The miraculous power of laughter,” replied Jingles. He was now wearing a miner’s helmet with a headlight. He led them to a rubble-strewn room, opening into an irregular tunnel.

“That’s his special power,” said the earth pony. “We were in a hurry, so I thought the explanation could wait.”

Aurora glared at him. “Well, I could argue with that, mr…” she hesitated.

The stallion turned around, flashing her a smile. “We needed every second. Trust me on that. You can call me Whisper.”

***

“Wow, that was some adventure,” said Scootaloo, looking towards Aurora with admiration.

“Will I be able to do that?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“That and more,” replied Obsidian. “You should already be able to do it.”

“But how were we able to hear Aurora’s thoughts?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“What?” asked Aurora, a hint of panic in her voice.

“Well duh,” answered Pinkie Pie, rolling her eyes. “She’s the narrator.”

“That sounds wrong,” said Applejack.

“I must agree,” said Rarity. “Can we do anything about it?”

“Well, she can,” said Obsidian. “The way I weaved the spell, she can introduce no falsehood into the vision, but otherwise it follows her will. That’s how she can skip over the uninteresting parts. Otherwise we’d have to view her entire life since the start of the story, and we hardly have the time for that.”

Aurora took a deep breath, still on her guard, but visibly relaxing. “Okay then. Let’s continue the story.”

***

"Where are we?"asked Aquila, turning around with her horn alight.

They had long since left the city’s enormous sewers, and were now deeper underground. The caves seemed to stretch without end, and Aurora had no idea how her new companions were finding their way through there.

“Deep underneath Sophia,” answered Jingles, picking his way through some bizarre mushrooms that were covering the floor. “The stench of the chimneys does not reach here, so it is easier to use our magic. Of course, there are patrols here, and now and then Arrogance gases the whole place to get rid of monsters, so it’s not a good place for a hideout. But if we need to leave the city in a hurry, this is the best place to prepare a porting spell.”

At the mention of monsters, Aurora tensed, her ears now swivelling in search of anything unusual. Whisper and Jingles did not seem to share her concerns, though they were far from relaxed.

Minutes passed, and nothing happened, besides Whisper asking Aquila to keep her light down. Aurora was just about to start lowering her guard, when suddenly she found herself relaxing completely. A part of her brain registered it as strange, but she couldn’t bring herself to be alarmed by it.

JIngles turned around, grinning. “We’re here. Sauti?”

Something moved in a shadowed space between two large boulders. An grey-maned mare in a long hooded cloak shuffled into view. A soft pink light was emanating from underneath her cloak.

“You’re not being followed,” she said in a soft voice.

Aurora moved in for a closer look. The mare was not as old as she looked at first, though definitely past her prime. The first thing Aurora noticed was her eyes, a pale shade of pink with no visible pupils. As she kept looking, Aurora realised that the mare must be blind, her gaze unflinching, when it should be scanning the new arrivals.

“Wait a moment,” said Whisper, walking into the middle of the group, interrupting any introductions before they could happen. He stood facing the girls, blocking their path to Sauti, while Jingles moved behind them blocking the path back.

“There are some questions I need to ask you.”

“You should have asked them earlier,” said Jingles behind their back.

Whisper looked at him over Aquila’s shoulder. “They didn’t attack us right away, so it was not an ambush. I figured I’d wait till there are three on two before I asked.” He then turned towards Aurora. “I already know your names, so at least I know none of you is Deception in disguise, but I need to ask again to make sure. Are you spies for the Shattered?”

A part of Aurora wanted to get angry at the question, but she found herself unable to. The calm was emanating from Sauti, a soft wave of warm reassurance washing over her. She knew there was no aggression in the question she was just asked.

“We are not,” she said. “We’re on the run from them now. Which I guess makes us recruits for the resistance, doesn’t it?”

Whisper nodded, and then turned towards Aquila. He didn’t repeat the question, but it was obvious in his body language.

“We aren’t” said the unicorn. “So, is this some kind of a truth spell? I think I felt it earlier in the tower, but it wasn’t as strong back then.”

Whisper smiled, the tension flowing off him in an almost visible wave. “The chimney fumes make it hard to use our powers in the city, but they also make them harder to detect.”

Something clicked in Aurora’s mind, the aura of calm allowing her to put together the obvious clues she’d managed to miss in all the excitement. “Your powers? Wait… You’re not just some resistance, you’re the Elements of Harmony!”

The three ponies beamed at her in response.

“So, that’s why you thought one of us might be Deception,” said Aquila.

Jingles nodded his head. He had already walked past the girls to rejoin his friends. “We haven’t met her yet… we think, but she’s had a history of doing that. It would be ironic if she pretended to be Loyalty.”

“Loyalty?” asked Aurora.

“Yes,” said Whisper. “She hates Loyalty. You know the old legend.”

Aquila nodded. “Deception fell in love with Loyalty once. But he wouldn’t abandon his friends for her, and in the end he broke her heart. It ended in tears for everypony, and she’s been hunting the bearers of Loyalty ever since. Yes, every foal knows that. But what does it have to do with us? I’m not Loyalty.”

“No, Aqua, you aren’t,” said Sauti. “Your test showed great potential for magic, but I don’t think they considered you an Element. But your sister, she challenged the power of the Shattered to keep you safe. Ponies like her are rare these days.”

Everypony turned towards Aurora, who backed away slightly. All the calming magic in the world couldn’t fully dull the impact of what had just been said.

“You guys think… I could be an Element?” she said.

Whisper shrugged. “We don’t know. We don’t have fancy testing devices like the Shattered have. But you have what it takes to be one of us, and if that means two fewer recruits for the special forces, and two more for us, it was worth the risk.“

Aurora looked at Aquila. There was something in the stallion’s voice that told them he was being completely earnest, but the blue unicorn’s expression indicated that she disagreed.

“You guys took an enormous risk, going right into Arrogance’s tower just for the two of us. If it were a trap, you’d both have died for nothing.”

“Which is why we don’t usually do it,” replied Jingles. “But today we got an opening, thanks to Discord.”

“Our friends confirmed it was the real thing,” said Sauti. “That’s something the Shattered could not have set up.”

“We’d seen dozens of ponies like you, taken into the tower, and never seen again, not as themselves anyway,” said Whisper. He wasn’t smiling anymore. “If we had a chance to make the difference now, we had to take it.”

“I’m not Deception,” said Aquila suddenly.

Everypony looked at her.

“We already know that,” said Whisper.

“You’re too sure of your powers,” said Aquila. “Back in the tower you guys asked us if I’m Aqua. My sister said yes, because that’s what they call me in the papers. But the name I call myself is Aquila. You didn’t catch that as a lie, did you? So, I thought I’d repeat it, just in case.”

Silence fell, interrupted only by the water dripping from the distant ceiling. Finally, Aurora decided to break the silence. “I’m not Deception either. Nor Empathy, or whatever she calls herself now. We’re joining you guys, because you saved us. But I can see you’re reckless. If I ever find out you’ve done something stupid, and put my sister in danger, I’ll choose her survival over yours. Am I making myself clear?”

Everypony stared at her, even Sauti turning her face in her direction.

“Very clear,” said Whisper. “Now, let’s get out of here before our luck runs out. Sauti, is everything ready?”

Sauti turned and walked down the tunnel, indicating for the others to follow. There was a circle there etched into the stone floor, with strange symbols lining the outer rim. For a moment Aurora wondered how Sauti was able to prepare it without being able to see.

The three Elements walked into the circle, facing outward. Jingles gestured to the sisters to follow suit. “Aqu… ila? I can see you’re very smart for your age. And you’ve been in a dowsing division, right? Could you add your power to ours? It will make the porting spell easier.”

Hesitantly, Aquila followed her new companions’ example. They were now all spaced evenly around the circle, facing outwards, with only Aurora left in the middle, unable to contribute. Four lights illuminated the cave, glowing brighter and brighter.

***

Aurora woke up from a feeling of getting nudged gently. She was on the floor of a moving vehicle, one of those she had seen in the city earlier. Around her, there were sleeping ponies; her sister Aquila, and the two stallions she’d met the previous day, dug into a pile of blankets. As she looked towards the front of the vehicle, she saw the rump of Sauti, who was standing in front of a control panel, her front hooves pushing a collection of pedals.

“Aurora, could you come here?” said the old mare.
Shaking the haze of sleep from her head, the pegasus moved to the front of the car. What she saw through the front window was a prairie, almost featureless, except for some really weird plants far on the horizon, indicating Discord's presence long before. Once she woke up enough to register the situation, she looked at Sauti in alarm.

“Wait! You’re driving this thing? Alone?”

Sauti gave a small smile. “Not alone. There is a small bird sitting on the roof. I’ve been borrowing its eyes. But I can’t take it too far from its nest, and you were the least drained, so I woke you up. Could you keep your eyes on the road for me?”

Aurora stared at Sauti, just long enough to notice, that now that she could see her in the daylight, the old mare’s face had a bit weird proportions, and there were pale stripes visible on her face. Then she turned towards the front window, frantically staring forward.

“I can’t believe these guys,” she said through gritted teeth. “I tell them how important it is that they don’t do anything stupid, and the first thing they do is let a…” she stopped and bit her tongue.

“Blind mule drive,” finished Sauti. “It is not so.”

Aurora almost pulled her eyes off the view ahead, to glare at Sauti. “I wasn’t going to say that. Besides, you’re not a mule. You’re a zorse.”

“Same thing,” said Sauti. “But I thank you. Few ponies make the distinction.”

Aurora lowered her gaze slightly. “You’re… right. I almost did say that.”

“You’re concerned for your sister,” said Sauti. “I understand.”

A minute passed in silence before Aurora spoke again.

“So, you are used to driving like this?”

“I don’t always do,” said Sauti. “Usually I let others do it, while I make sure no monster interrupts our journey. But we needed to leave before any patrol noticed the car, and the porting spell got everypony very tired. There should be more of us casting it. Since I’m the most experienced, I handled it best. I thought I’d just let them sleep.”

Aurora nodded in agreement. “So, you’re the oldest? Are there more of you? Everypony knows about the Elements of Harmony, but not the names or anything.”

Sauti leaned forward, and pressed the pedals, causing the vehicle to swerve around what looked like a suspiciously large molehill. “It’s because sometimes we die.”

“The Elements cannot be destroyed, but we can be. We keep fighting, but sometimes we lose. Sometimes the Shattered claim one of the jewels for themselves. They’ve tried to destroy them, many times. Then they tried to lock them away, bury them, keep them away from ponies. But no matter if they are crushed, dropped into a volcano, or covered in steel and stone, the Harmony always finds the way. The Elements want to have new bearers. And so, the conflict continues. Once, I was the youngest of the bearers. Now I’m the oldest. One day the Harmony will win, and it will be the Shattered that are locked away.”

Aurora absorbed the information. Behind her, somepony started snoring softly. “So, how many jewels do you have right now?” she finally asked.

“Only the three that we use,” replied Sauti. “Kindness, Laughter and Honesty. The others who help us, they have no magic to rely on but their own. Right now, we just fight the Shattered where we can, look for allies. I train Jingles and Whisper to increase their power. Perhaps this will make the other Elements call out to us. It has been decades since there’s been a complete set.”

“You know,” said Aurora after another moment of silence, “As far as recruitment speeches go, this one wasn’t very convincing.”

Sauti slowly turned her face towards her. “Does it have to be? You need to know the truth to stay by our side. Would it bring us any good if we mislead you? Besides, I know already that you’re ready to stand with us. I know your kind. The brave, the caring. What you have seen in the last two days has opened your eyes. What have you seen?”

“The world is a mess,” said Aurora. “Everywhere there are monsters, spawned by Discord’s madness. And the few safe spots are ruled with an iron hoof by the Shattered. Ponies spend their lives as slaves, trapped between one and the other. Only the Elements of Harmony have the power to save them from both. However bad it is, I have no choice, but to side with you.”

The old mare smiled. “Oh, you do have a choice. That’s what makes you a hero.”

“I’m no hero,” protested Aurora.

“But you will be,” said Sauti, “when the time comes.”

Aurora did not continue the discussion, instead keeping her eyes on the prairie in front of the vehicle. There was now something visible far in the distance, a white outline that, Aurora decided after a moment, must have been some sort of ruins.

“Where are you taking us anyway?” she asked.

“To a safe haven,” replied Sauti, “a place neither Discord nor the Shattered like to visit, the one place where the lord of chaos ever felt fear.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “You enjoy being mysterious, don’t you? Shouldn’t you be-”

“No,” answered Sauti. “I’m not a zebra. I don’t even remember ever talking to one.”

“I’m sorry,” said Aurora, “I should watch my tongue.”

“It’s not your tongue, that’s the problem. It’s what you’ve been taught,” said Sauti. “You have much to unlearn. As for where I’m taking you, it used to be a riverside city ruled by Hate.”

“Portus…” whispered Aurora. “You’re taking us to Portus.”

“I’m surprised you know the name,” said Sauti. “This is one the Shattered tried to erase for centuries. They even re-routed the river away from the ruins.”

“My grandma told me about it,” said Aurora. “One day Discord faced Hate, and tried to have fun at his expense, evading his grasp, and goading him on and on. But there was more darkness inside Hate than Discord anticipated, and on that day it boiled over, and covered the city in black fire that consumed flesh and stone.”

“And from that day, Hate has not ruled a city by himself, instead serving as a weapon to his siblings,” finished Sauti.

***

“What was that about?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

“I think I’ve already mentioned it, didn’t I?” said Obsidian. “Something happened to Hate after I was gone. After the conflict between the Alicorn Empire and the Shattered started, Hate was the first to attack, and the first to be captured in battle. The Empire wizards took him to a fortified lab, looking for a way to kill him permanently. None of them made it out of there alive to tell the tale, but Hate emerged changed. There is something inside him besides the pattern spliced into his soul, something born of the Dissonance, a magical being of pure instinct that takes over when he loses control. My disciples fought it on several occasions, and found it even more dangerous than his usual, murderously violent self.”

“If even Discord was scared of that thing, it must have been something,” said Rainbow Dash.

“See for yourself,” said Obsidian.

***

The vision had shifted while they were talking, the car reaching its destination. The ruins were seated on a slope overlooking what used to be a river bank, like a giant amphitheatre. It must have once housed thousands of ponies, but right now it was just white stone, weathered by centuries of wind sweeping sand across it. As Aurora looked around, she noticed that the buildings hadn’t so much collapsed as melted - the remaining walls and windows were misshapen, as if the entire city were an enormous, old chandelier, covered with dripping candles.

She was so absorbed by the view, that it took her a moment to realise she was no longer looking ahead. She stared forward nervously, but found Sauti navigating the empty streets with calm.

“You no longer need to watch the way,” said Sauti. “The resistance scouts are already watching us. You can go wake the others while I focus here. We’ll be meeting Bubble Burst soon.”

“Who?” asked Aurora, turning towards the back of the car.

“The current Resistance leader. She’s no Element, but she knows her job. She keeps her eye on everypony here.”

The vision shifted again, with Aurora waking up everypony, and repeating the news to her sister. Meanwhile, Sauti directed the car towards one of the larger still standing buildings, and down a ramp to what turned out to be a big cellar. Four swivel guns turned towards the car as it stopped, but as Sauti spread her aura outwards, the guards relaxed at the familiar feeling.

There were about a dozen ponies in the hideout, all wearing white cloaks that matched the surrounding stone. As the five ponies got out of the car, the locals formed a semicircle, leaving a space in the middle for one more pony to walk in.

The mare was a grey pegasus with a blonde mane, bearing a serious expression of somepony who had spent lots of time facing dangers and hardship. She was wearing a white cloak, just like the others, as well as an eyepatch over her right eye. She scanned the two sisters with her gaze before turning towards Sauti.

“Good day, Kindness. Who have you brought to us today?”

Author's Note:

And so, the new arc has properly started. Please tell me what do you think.

(I'm working on pictures for Jingles and Whisper - I will probably add them to the next chapter)