Dissonance: A Hidden World

by Braininthejar

Chapter 29: The Chosen

"Let's talk about what we've seen so far, shall we?" asked Obsidian, sitting down on a large, blue cushion.

The inside of the Void Passage was transformed to resemble Cadence’s palace, a large, well lit chamber with a ring of fluffy cushions on the floor. The ponies were taking their places, sitting or lying down, eating imaginary snacks while looking at each other, waiting for somepony to talk first.

“That was incredible!” exclaimed Scootaloo, looking up at Aurora.

Dash beamed at the white mare. “You bet it was! I thought I’d never meet another pony who could do it!”

Aurora returned her smile.

“I… I don’t think Scootaloo should have seen that…” said Fluttershy softly.

“I’ve told you, she’ll likely see worse,” said Obsidian.

“Not a reason for her to see it now,” replied Rarity. “I must say, that was the most horrible thing I have seen in my life, and I’ve seen Needle Tip’s summer pet costumes collection.”

Everypony looked at her blankly, except Scootaloo, who avoided eye contact, hoping the topic would shift away from her before somepony decided to send her away.

“If she’s going to keep getting underhoof,” said Obsidian, “getting her used to such sights might improve her chances. You don’t want her to freeze like a scared mouse when something dangerous happens, do you?”

“But the problem of whether the vision was harmful to minors… or whether bloody dismemberment compares to modern fashion disasters… is not what I was really asking about,” he continued.

“Well, for one thing,” started Twilight Sparkle, “we’ve seen two huge cities that should be somewhere in Equestria. I know it has been over a thousand years, but this much concrete and metal couldn’t have just… disappeared.”

“I’ve seen the Crystal Empire disappear without a trace,” said Aurora. She looked at Twilight Sparkle. “That was a special case, but it shows such things are possible. Also, I don’t remember much from being inside Arrogance, but I know she has a lot of experience in destroying things.”

“There must have been more to that,” continued Twilight. "Why doesn’t anypony remember this? And not just ponies, there should’ve been some historical notes, some stories, anything! It’s not like we were the only civilisation there at the time.”

“For all I know, we might’ve been,” said Aurora. When Twilight stared at her in silence, she continued. “I don’t remember hearing of us having any neighbours when I grew up. But I do know Vengeance would leave her tower from time to time and fly past the borders. They say it was to ensure our safety, but I have a feeling she did more than just some monster hunting.”

“But…” stuttered Twilight, “What for? I mean, it must have been so ridiculously difficult to hide everything. Why go for so much trouble?”

“Don’t you think you know the answer to that question?” said Obsidian. “The Shattered had spent thousands of years fighting a war against the Elements of Harmony, generation after generation. But now, you are one of the Elements, and until a couple days ago, you didn’t even know you were supposed to fight anyone. That’s how you defeat an enemy you cannot kill. It was supposed to be the final blow, to end the war once and for all.”

“And now It’s started all over again,” grumbled Applejack.

“Yes, it has,” said Obsidian. “And thanks to Aurora here, you can finally see. That tree I showed you, it wasn’t the only atrocity they’ve committed to stay in power. This is what Equestria looked like the last time they ruled it. And though it might be much more pleasant now-”

“All right, we get it, sheesh,” said Applejack, waving her hoof. “You’re like a broken record.”

“Quite right,” said Rarity. “Those monsters have put our friends and loved ones in danger just to stay in power. You don’t need to keep telling us why we’re fighting.”

“Just a moment ago, you compared it to-” started Obsidian.

“And just what was I supposed to compare it to?” snapped Rarity. “I can only relate to what I have experienced. Let us continue on before this turns into an argument, shall we?” she finished, lifting her nose dismissively.

“What I’d like to know,” said Pinkie Pie, “was why Discord was so super evil. That wasn’t even funny. Just horrible.”

”Yes,” added Dash, looking sideways at Scootaloo. “That was wrong and creepy.”

“If I were to hazard a guess,” said Obsidian, “I think this Discord is similar to my chimeras.”

Twilight perked up, pulling out a notebook. “Oh, how so?” she asked.

Obsidian relaxed, sinking deeper into the cushion. “Remember what I’ve told you about how chimeras work? They are somewhat temporary constructs, held together by something that keeps them stable, it the case of the Void Passage chimeras, a spell designed just for this purpose. Their nature, shaped by the spell, controls ‘what’ they are. But ‘who’ they are is malleable. Put different feelings and memories in, and they will change their appearance and behaviour.”

Twilight nodded, her pencil scribbling furiously.

Applejack leaned towards Twilight. “Sugarcube, you do remember this notebook is just a dream, right?”

Twilight looked at her friend in confusion, smiled sheepishly, and put the notes away.

“In case of this… ‘draconequus’,” continued Obsidian, “I’d say his defining factor, the pin holding him together is the name. He’s Discord, the spirit of disharmony, and he will always behave as such. His looks had the time to become iconic enough to maintain some inertia, and anyway he did get sealed in stone for centuries. But apart from that, he isn’t inherently stable. There is so much magic flowing through him, he must be constantly changing from what he absorbs from his surroundings. If so, then he would naturally be much more malicious in times so dark.”

As both Twilight and Pinkie Pie nodded in understanding, Obsidian looked around the circle again. “Anything else we’ve learned?” He looked towards Fluttershy, who looked like she was about to ask a question, but backed out at the last moment.

“Are you going to belittle Aurora’s friends?” she finally asked in a small voice.

“After all that was said, it would be pointless. Though I must say, It does make me curious. Your group of friends seemed like … the most unlikely individuals to become the bearers of the Elements. Did any of them manage to awaken to their full potential?”

Aurora looked at Applejack. “You mean like she has?” When Obsidian nodded, she continued. “Yes, it took us some time, but we all did in the end. My own eyes used to be bright red… but I think I lost the connection through all the stuff the Shattered did.”

“I must say,” said Obsidian, “that crystal tree was an ingenious idea, whatever else you’d say about it. I thought I understood how the Elements worked.”

“So, we’ll get to see how you all awakened?” asked Dash excitedly.

“Actually,” said Obsidian, “I’d advise against it.”

“Why is that?” said Twilight Sparkle. Around her the enthusiasm of her friends was almost palpable.

“Because,” said Obsidian, “apart from Applejack, you haven’t awakened yet. The act of realizing the Element’s full potential is a personal thing. I was lucky to trigger one in Applejack, but you can’t set yourself up for an awakening. It simply won’t work if it’s not genuine. Watching your predecessors awaken would make you emulate them. Don’t deny it. I’m old. I know ponies. It seems like a good idea, but believe me, it would only slow you down.”

“So, we’re not going to see the whole story?” asked Twilight.

“Perhaps later,” answered Obsidian. “I know you all want to. I know I want to, and might do it before you do - since it turns out I hadn’t understood the Elements as well as I’d thought, I feel a need to learn more.” He turned his head towards Aurora. “For now though, I just want to know how this story ends. How did Equestria end up ruled by two fake alicorns?”

“Hey! You can’t skip over story like this!” said Pinkie Pie. She apparently had left the room while the others were talking, and was now back with a fresh cup of popcorn. “How can we watch the rest if we already know the ending?”

Applejack looked sideways at Pinkie. “Sugarcube, we already know the ending. After all, she’s here, and-”

“Excuse me?” said Aurora. “It’s my life we’re talking about here. And I wasn’t exactly looking forward to showing you how I all my friends died.”

Applejack shrunk under her gaze. “Sorry…” she said quietly.

Aurora took a deliberate breath. “Anyway,” she continued more calmly. “I don’t think we’d have the time to sit here, and watch everything today, whatever this place does to time. So, I’ll show you one more story that I think is important, and then I’ll skip to the ending, and answer your questions. Is that okay with you?”

Obsidian nodded his head. Slowly, the other ponies followed suit.

***

"You know it is a suicide to go in there with Vengeance there,” said Bubble Burst, looking over the map table at Whisper. His friends, who were gathered around the table, shifted nervously.

“I do,” said Whisper, meeting the gaze of Bubble Burst’s good eye. “We know what we’re doing.”

The resistance leader scowled. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”

“Hey!” said Aurora, “We did get back alive from Deception’s lab, didn’t we?”

“We know the risks,” said Sauti calmly, “we’ll work to mitigate them.”

“So, what’s the plan?” asked Jingles, “We’ve talked some options before, but we’ll need to decide the specifics before we tackle this one.”
Whisper looked down on the map. “So, according to our sources…”

“A ponycidally crazy spirit of chaos,” said Bubble Burst.

Whisper sighed. “I’m not sure he wasn’t able to lie to me. But he didn’t have anything to gain by lying there, even if he doesn’t care for anything besides entertainment.”

He reared, and put his front hooves on the table. “The remaining Elements are kept within the tower. But this isn’t enough to act on. The only time we could possibly get in is when Vengeance isn’t there.”

“So, when she goes beyond the borders, or handles some emergency,” said Bubble Burst, “but she doesn’t advertize it when she leaves. You will never have enough time to find what you seek and get out.”

“If what we’ve learned from the stories of old is true,” said Whisper, “the Elements want to be found. With the three of us there, and one that, I believe, could be the bearer of Loyalty, they should call to us. There is only so much the Shattered can do to hide such power.”

“Sounds like a long shot,” said Bubble Burst, but there was less conviction in her voice now.

“It was mostly you we got the stories from, don’t you remember?” asked Jingles. “Why did you join the resistance if not to live them?”

Bubble Burst glared at him over the map. “I don’t feel like living the last one.”

“Which is why we need more intelligence,” said Whisper. “It’s not just finding the Elements. We need a good idea of what awaits us inside, and a clear way out of there. We also need a way to know immediately when Vengeance leaves the pinnacle. We need to stay close to the tower to gather intel, learn the layout of the building, and how it is guarded. Sauti would be the best for the task, with her superior command of magic. She’s also the hardest to hide though.”

“Hide?” Bubble Burst gave him a pensive look, then looked down on the map, her eyebrow raising as understanding dawned.

“The Inner City. You want to hide among her freaks, don’t you?”

“They do get in touch with normal ponies sometimes,” said Aurora, “And despite living just right to the tower, they aren’t really watched.”

“That’s because they watch each other,” retorted Bubble Burst. “They’re all crazy. If you try to hide among them, you’ll stick out like a sore rump.”

“I believe… with a bit of luck we should be able to hide long enough to think of some better way to do it.” finished Aurora.

Bubble Burst said nothing. She just gave a tired look to Jingles.

The Element of Laughter shrugged. “Fools rush in where heroic resistance leaders fear to tread. But we have no choice, foolish or not. Let’s just hope the joke's on them and not on us. It will take a lot of audacity to pull this off.”

***

The Inner City, a walled compound surrounding the Tower of Justice from three sides, was the living quarters of a couple hundred ponies, reportedly chosen by the ruler herself. Despite its central position, it was not the city center per se, and definitely not the seat of power; - the high class ponies of the city lived in the houses around it, close enough to the protection of the tower to have relative peace while staying as far from the fumes of the factory chimneys as the city walls allowed; the bureaucrats that governed Iustitia occupied the lower levels of the massive central tower, hidden behind the defence outposts covering the promenade on the north side, which served as the main approach.

Aurora knew all of that already. She also knew entering the Inner city was considered a reward for faithful service, a life of luxury at the expense of all those who hadn’t yet proven their absolute dedication to ‘Lady Justice’.

The stories hadn’t prepared her for what she saw.

She was standing in a group of a dozen ponies, all young and flawlessly groomed. Her cutie mark, a ring of spreading, opalescent colors, had been painted over with a picture of a stack of towels, and her mane was styled in intertwining braids. All around her, ponies were preparing for their day at work, warming up and, Aurora noticed, practicing smiles.

“You’re a new one,” said the leader of the group, a slightly older unicorn with thin moustache and a bow tie, “so just to remind you; Follow White Marble here, keep smiling, reduce talking to minimum. Do not address the chosen unless spoken to. And no flying. It’s disruptive.”

Aurora nodded in understanding. She had prepared for this while Bubble Burst’s agents arranged for a vacancy for her in one of the servant groups. She had the right looks, and the fake story they’d designed for her had done its job; She’d never get through the background checks involved in working the tower itself, but the security for the Inner City was not impenetrable. After all, what was there to steal?

The leader nodded with his head, and the group moved, walking from the promenade, through a heavy gate in the wall. Aurora made sure to remember the earth pony named White Marble, and stick with him as everypony walked into a small courtyard. There were carts there, some with towels or hair-styling implements, others with brooms and gardening equipment. The last cart was filled with bales of hay.

“Why the hay?” asked Aurora

White Marble shrugged. “The chosen have very simple tastes,” he said as he strapped himself to the cart full of cleaning equipment. “Your name’s Breeze Fresh, right?”

“Yes,” said Aurora, “Please call me Breeze.” She walked by the cart as it went through a smaller gate into the city proper.

The first impression Aurora got was of whiteness and symmetry. It reminded her of walking into a large public bathroom, and standing between two mirrors, to see the interior endlessly reflected.

Rows of identical, small white houses surrounded the tower, curving around the district, broken in regular intervals by the main streets spreading from the center like pokes of a wheel. The identical, white rectangles of the houses were surrounded by garden patches of different sizes, allowing them to fan out neatly. As the roads moved further away from the center, new ones appeared between them, interspacing the houses further.

Aurora took it all in as she walked, making sure to have a good look around. She could feel Sauti’s spell in the back of her head, the old mare using a magic link between them to see the Inner City through her eyes. They had had some maps of course; with all her pessimism, Bubble Burst knew her job well. But no map could fully reflect the actual situation, and Aurora needed to know the details. If her friends were to hide here, they had to find a safe spot they could live in for a while, or better yet, be able to teleport to and from without being seen.

Aurora continued on her way, trying not to look at the chosen too much.

She saw them right away as she entered the compound, first as silhouettes in the distance. They seemed almost dreamlike at first, lithe, graceful shapes, draped in flowing togas, all white-coated. As Aurora approached, more details became visible.

The chosen were indeed graceful, almost ethereal in how they moved. Aurora could see them walking the streets, some taking care of their gardens, using tiny, mouth-held gardening shears to trim the grass around their homes. Some she could see through open doors, fussing in front of mirrors, working on their appearance. One or two was sitting with a harp, tugging at the strings. They all seemed like pictures of calm and grace, until you took a moment to have a good look at their faces.

As she kept walking through the streets, White Marble directing her to work on the houses where the inhabitants had chosen a different pastime than cleaning, Aurora realised that each of the chosen was wearing the same smile. It was calm and content, different from, and more natural than the forced smiles the servants were wearing. The chosen looked really at peace with their surroundings. And yet the longer she looked, the more uncomfortable Aurora became. The smiling ponies barely interacted with anyone, even each other, their eyes slightly unfocused, or rather, focused on what they were doing to the exclusion of everything else. The first time she was addressed, by a young stallion who didn’t want her to step off his garden path, he didn’t even seem to really see her, talking in her general direction, but making no effort to make eye contact, instead looking somewhere around her left ear.

No wonder Bubble Burst called them freaks, thought Aurora. What did Vengeance do to them? They look as if they could keep walking around and just smiling contently even if this place were on fire.

The next hour proved her wrong. She was just about to finish her shift, having serviced about a dozen houses, when the air was pierced by a loud shriek. The heads of nearby ponies turned towards the source of the noise.

Aurora trotted in that direction, stopping only when White Marble shouted at her to stop, trying to catch up with her as he struggled with the harness of his cart. She had already gotten close enough to see the source of the noise - a slightly aged chosen mare staring in utter, mad horror at a patch of flowers in her garden.

“It’s broken…” the mare hissed under her breath, her eyes darting up towards the looming shape of the Tower of Justice.

Aurora approached closer, angling herself for a better view. Now she could see the shears at the mare’s hooves, and the spot where she had finished trimming the grass, right at the edge of the flower patch. A single narcissus was lying there on the ground, its stem snipped by a careless move of the chosen.

“What seems to be the problem, m…” started Aurora softly. She caught herself and fell silent, but it was too late. The mare looked towards her, the same unfocused gaze that did not maintain eye contact, but now framed by the face contorted with panic and anger.

“It’s ruined! The Lady made it for us, and now it’s ruined!” the chosen shrieked, tears welling in her eyes.

Aurora could see the nearby chosen stare at the scene. Their faces shifted too, the content smiles giving way to scowls of utter revulsion.

“It’s just a flower…” she started, but she already knew it was a bad idea.

The mare’s expression shifted all the way from panicked to livid in the span of a second. “It was as She designed, you… Blasphemer!” She pounced over the flowers, right at Aurora, rearing in front of her with an angry scream, hooves flailing.

I can’t hit her, can I? thought Aurora panically. She moved away, barely keeping out of reach of the strikes. She heard another pony gallop towards her from behind, and shifted aside at the last moment - she felt a hoof pushing her away, and then heard a loud smack.

White Marble was standing in front of her, the chosen’s hoof pressed onto his face.

“Please calm down, my lady,” he said quickly. “We will work to restore the proper order! You are still blessed!”

As she regained her balance, Aurora kept behind the stallion, allowing him to obscure her from the chosen’s sight. She saw a small splash of red on the pavement in front of him. Now he too was dodging in place, trying to avoid the repeated kicks without striking back.

“Can you hear this!?” he shouted, “It’s the bell! You’re being called!”

The mare froze. Slowly, her head turned aside, towards the distant sound of small bells, echoing along the street. Aurora could see the other chosen turning their heads too.

“My lady is... calling me,” the mare stuttered, wide-eyed and tearful.

“Yes,” said White Marble in a calmer voice. “Her gifts have arrived. You are still blessed.”

“I am still blessed,” repeated the chosen, but she wasn’t talking to White. She turned around, and slowly walked down the street, moving as if in a daze.

Aurora watched her go before turning to White Marble. “Are you okay?” she asked.

White Marble turned around. His face was already swelling, and there was a trickle of blood from his nostril. He was still smiling, a rigid, professional smile of a chosen caretaker.

“Great job, Fresh. Didn’t they tell you not to set them off?”

Aurora pouted. “Many times. But she was already set off, it wasn’t my fault.”

White Marble rolled his eyes. “Keep smiling. And get Daffodil here. She’s got the gardening duty today.” He waved his hoof towards the nearest intersection, indicating a right turn. “We need to sort out this mess before she returns. It’s bad enough that I’m ‘imperfect’ now. I’ll have to skip work until I get rid of the swelling.”

Aurora forced her own muzzle into a smile. “Right away,” she said, then galloped off in the direction he indicated.

She could feel the gazes of the chosen sliding over her as she ran, the slender ponies scowling at the noise she was making. There were now more of them in the streets, walking slowly towards the sound of bells, which Aurora could now hear from several directions.

Aurora sighed and spread her wings. I’m already making a scene, might as well do less noise.

She took a running start into the air, and then started gliding, looking for the gardener’s cart.

Heads rose to look in her direction, but she was too far away from them to properly scold her. As she took a turn, Aurora caught a glimpse of a chosen mare observing her with an indifferent expression. Their eyes met.

What’s going on? thought Aurora. That one looked straight at me. And she wasn’t smiling…

Just then she caught a glimpse of a cart. Is this the one? she thought.

It wasn’t. This cart was the source of the ringing. Looking from above, Aurora could see that it was one of many, the approaching chosen forming shrinking circles all over the district as each approached the closest one. It was one of the big intersections, with a fountain in the middle. The cart was set up next to it, just out of range of flying water droplets, and now opened into a sort of a wide stand. The two ponies operating it had just finished setting up the hay, having cut the bales loose. The younger of the two stopped ringing the bell just as the first of the chosen approached, forming in neat queues in front of the stand.

“Bless our Lady and her gifts for us,” said the chosen stallion at the head of the group, looking at the food with a content smile.

Aurora circled the scene, careful not to cast her shadow on the gathering.

“They’re so delighted! They no longer care I’m here. But it’s just hay! It’s a hayrack! What is wrong with them?”

***

“What indeed?” asked Obsidian.

“That was horrible,” whispered Fluttershy.

“Yea,” grumbled Pinkie. “What kind of a pony does that to a smile?”

Rainbow Dash stared at her. “Missing the point much?”

Pinkie met her gaze. “Nope. We’ve already seen what they did to ponies there. We knew they were monsters. But this… It’s a completely new kind of wrong.”

“It’s like… a love spell gone horribly wrong,” said Twilight Sparkle, “except the Shattered aren’t supposed to have magic.”

“All of these ponies seemed to have been modified in some way,” said Obsidian.

“So, you think it was Deception’s work?” asked Twilight. “But even so, what kind of pony would do something like this?”

Obsidian pointed towards the tower in the vision. “Perhaps one that was tired of the centuries of being hated, and wanted to be adored for a change?”

Author's Note:

Next week we'll be at chapter 30, half way through the story !