Chapter 14: For Our Own Survival
“You need me to help you advertise the Unicorn Freedom Movement? I say, Blueblood, this is an interesting departure from your regular book series. What prompts such a move?”
Fancy Pants levitated a cup of tea up to his lips and took a sip, setting it back down on the desk in front of him. He sat in a large, leather-bound chair in his study. Rows of bookcases lined the walls, and a large bronze globe stood on his desk. Blueblood had contacted Fancy Pants regarding marketing this group and its first ever public meeting, and Fancy Pants invited the Prince over to his house for tea so he could discuss it.
Prince Blueblood took a sip of his own tea and responded, “Well, sir, you have probably heard about the recent terrorist incident at the Canterlot Events Center.”
“Ah, yes, at the unicorn party. I had heard that there was going to be an event of some sort there. It sounded like fun; I would have gone, but I had a prior commitment that evening. Thank Celestia that I didn’t go!”
“Well, she was actually the reason behind the attacks.”
“She? What she? You mean Princess Celestia? Ah, you joker!” Fancy Pants laughed.
Blueblood responded, “I’m serious. Discord was the man who carried out the attack, but he stated that his motivation was because of what Celestia had said.”
“And what was that, exactly?”
“She said that she distrusted unicorns. Discord played a tape of her saying that this is why she passed laws restricting magic, why her public schools never teach the basic spells that are in my book, why she took over Starswirl’s School For Gifted Unicorns, why she and Luna raise the sun and moon instead of the unicorns, and why there are no unicorn-only cities as there are for the other two pony races. The tape ended with her saying that her rule would be a lot easier if the unicorns were gone, and Discord responded by saying that he was simply carrying out her goal.”
Fancy Pants blinked a few times, his jaw dropping. He responded, “What? Why, but… are you sure the recording is genuine and not a forgery, a product of Discord’s strange and powerful magic?”
Blueblood said, “I don’t know; I’m not an audio expert. But all of the things that the recording said, whether it was Celestia who said them or Discord who forged them, are true. It’s true that there are no unicorn cities, that she and Luna raise the sun and moon instead of the unicorns. It’s true that magical education is lacking in this country; that’s how I’ve sold so many books! It’s also true that there are laws against certain sorts of magic. Most ponies don’t know about the laws since they will never have need of such powerful spells, but the laws exist.”
Fancy Pants straightened his monocle and said, “Well, I am going to try and play devil's advocate here. What if Celestia really doesn’t distrust unicorns, and all of those things are just coincidences, and Discord has noticed them and has decided to try and sow, well, discord among the population by targeting unicorns as he did? Then you’d be falling right into his trap.”
“So what? Maybe discord DOES need to be sown. Why do the earth ponies get Appaloosa and Dodge Junction, why do the Pegasi get Cloudsdale and Los Pegasus, and the unicorns get nothing? Why are there no laws against pegasi using certain flight maneuvers such as the sonic rainboom or tornadoes, or against earth ponies taming certain sorts of dangerous beasts such as dragons? What about the ivory tower tax?”
Fancy Pants thought about this for a moment, and responded, “I don’t know. I guess I cannot explain it. Perhaps the recording is right, and Celestia really does distrust unicorns. In which case, as a unicorn, I am naturally appalled. I've never given anypony any reason to distrust me. If my mere existence as who I am offends somepony, royalty included, they should know I have as much right to exist as they do.”
Blueblood smiled. “So THAT is why you must help me market the Unicorn Freedom Movement to the masses of Canterlot: for our own survival. I trust that you can do it; you have done miracles marketing my book to the masses.”
"Hmm... This is a peaceful group, yes? From what you've told me about this Sunset Shimmer character, she seems to be somewhat of a young flame. She sounds like she has a lot of passion, but of a violent nature. And Unistorm may get into legal trouble for illegally learning those restricted spells. You can't have the UFM be associated with a terrorist group and expect me to market it."
Blueblood paused for a moment, and then lit up with an idea, saying, "The Unicorn Freedom Movement will be my project, and Unistorm will be hers. I will retain complete control over UFM. Sunset Shimmer's only role will be advisory; she will have no power within the organization. Unistorm will be completely separate from us. If they do run into legal trouble, the UFM will be safe."
"Hmm... well, normally I would be inclined to say no... BUT. You and I have had a profitable partnership for over a year now. You have helped me make a lot of money from those books, Prince Blueblood. I trust your judgment regarding this group. All I have to say is, don't let Unistorm drag your legitimate political wing down. Do this for me, and I will market the Unicorn Freedom Movement... with an added risk premium, of course. I do trust you to try and keep Unistorm under control, but I don't trust them to keep themselves under control."
"I will pay you double what I normally would for marketing," said Blueblood.
"Alright, then, you've convinced me. But this discussion never occurred. If Unistorm goes and smashes up some earth pony shop or kills somepony, they are not affiliated with me, and I had no idea, and I am of course shocked and outraged at such barbarism and will drop the Unicorn Freedom Movement like a lead balloon."
"Agreed," said Blueblood, and they shook hooves.
*****
"So I have a marketing effort underway for the Unicorn Freedom Movement. We will have political ads on the air within the week," Prince Blueblood said. He had met Sunset Shimmer in a small cafe on the edge of town. They were seated off in the corner, right next to the window, where they could speak without being overheard.
"Excellent! When will you be speaking?"
"I will not be speaking until certain conditions are met."
"Which are?" Sunset Shimmer asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Unistorm must completely disassociate itself from the Unicorn Freedom Movement. And you, as the leader of Unistorm, can not also lead the UFM. You must leave that task to me."
"What? But why?" she asked, jaw dropping, "The UFM is our political wing! It's our arm for conducting legitimate activity!"
"Exactly. If ponies find out that you are associated in any way, and then it comes to light that you've used dangerous magic or have participated in the riots, then that will come back to harm the UFM. Legally at least, the two entities may not maintain any contact."
"But most of the members of the UFM are also in Unistorm," Sunset Shimmer pointed out.
"Well, that's fine. As long as they don't wear any Unistorm... uh, what is it that you wear?"
"Usually, just all grey robes and a grey, pointed wizard hat over our horns."
"Yes, as long as they don't wear those to any UFM meetings, as long as they never talk about Unistorm, then it's fine. You are also welcome to attend, but since you lead Unistorm, you may not have any official positions in the UFM."
"Well... okay, I guess. I mean, you are doing us a solid by speaking for us."
"Good. And in return for this, when the UFM is elected into office, we will legalize Unistorm and allow your members to hold offices. Unfortunately though, until we can change the law, you're still a terrorist group. But now that we have reached an understanding that UFM refuses to be affiliated with any terrorist groups, I will make a public recruiting speech for UFM in Canterlot Square in the next week."
"Sounds like a plan," Sunset Shimmer said, and they shook hooves.
*****
Blueblood twiddled his bow-tie, straightening it in apprehension. He floated a mirror in front of himself as he combed back his hair.
Goodness me, my hair is so tousled! How can I expect to make a good impression if every last strand isn't in its proper place and--
"Blueblood, no one is paying attention to your hair," said Sunset Shimmer, as if reading his mind, "They're paying attention to what you have to SAY. Now go stand on that stage and give 'em hell!"
Blueblood was standing behind a large wooden stage that had been constructed in Royal Square, one of the main plazas of the town. He could hear the murmurs and excited cheers of the crowd.
"Alright. So, are we good to speak, then?"
"Yes, it's time. Come on," she said, pushing him up the stairs.
Blueblood put his hoof over his eyes as the sun shone directly down on them. The sounds of shrieking and hollering pierced his ears as his eyes adjusted to the brightness and he saw a crowd of thousands of ponies standing there. His heart raced in apprehension as he foated the microphone over to himself, and spoke.
"Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts. Thank you for taking interest in the Unicorn Freedom Movement."
The crowd cheered. Mares jumped up and down, hysterically. Blueblood thought he saw one faint at the sight of him.
"BLUEBLOOD! BLUEBLOOD! BLUEBLOOD!" the crowd cheered.
"Thank you, thank you," he said as the crowd quieted down, "Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with us: we are a political party which seeks two aims. One, we seek to gain independence for Canterlot from Equestria. Two, we seek to make Canterlot a unicorns-only city."
There were murmurs in the crowd, some confused.
"Now, you may ask why we have these goals. The first goal of independence should be obvious. Princess Celestia has robbed the citizens of this city blind to pay for the detestation wrought by Discord in the other cities. Never mind that Discord committed a massacre here as well. No, the ivory tower tax on Canterlot remains."
Boos and hisses rose from the crowd.
"Yes, and we are here to channel our anger into the constructive impetus for change. Celestia obviously dislikes Canterlot for a reason. And what is that reason? For those of you who attended Discord's party, the answer is clear: because Canterlot is the only majority-unicorn city, and she distrusts unicorns. Thus, the reason for our second goal. We seek to provide a shelter for all unicorns in Equestria. Here, they can escape her tyranny, mistrust, and greed. Within Canterlot's walls, they will be free to learn and practice magic as they see fit; they will never be distrusted or looked down on, but rather appreciated and held up as the superior race of pony that they are."
Blueblood heard many cheers at this, but noticed puzzled looks among some of the ponies gathered in the crowd. Undeterred, he continued.
"Now, some of you raise your eyebrows at the word 'superior.' I admit that supremacy may be a hard concept to wrap your head around—you have been taught to love everypony as 'equal' since you have been old enough to walk—but you must take pride in yourself and learn to embrace what makes you superior, or you risk being exploited by your lessers. We must take pride in who we are as a race, for our own survival. For the only alternative to pride is slavery and death. Only the philosophy of supremacy brings survival; the philosophy of so-called 'equality' brings death.
"As we have seen from recent events, the very ponies who claim to care for you are just as content to bleed you dry for their own ends and sell you into slavery under the banner of 'equality.' As unicorns, we must take pride in who we are and acknowledge the fact of our supremacy, or we risk slavery, death, and ultimately... extinction as a race. There is no middle ground. And I am not simply talking about death metaphorically; I mean that there are those out there who will seek to kill us simply because they view us and our superiority as a threat to them, even where no threat exists. They will not accept 'equal,' for their definition of equal does not, and can never allow unicorns to exist.
"We have seen such murderous tendencies on display for years. From the massacre at Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns a decade ago, to the massacre committed by Discord a week ago in this very city, if we as unicorns do not stand up, these events will become more and more frequent until our race is gone. Those who do not die will be bled dry by this ivory tower tax, which was passed in the name of 'equality.' That is why we must take pride, reject equality, and embrace supremacy: for our own survival.
“But part of this pride is questioning. Unquestioned pride is nothing more than arrogance, the same sort on display by those who exploit us. So ask yourself, why are the unicorns superior? I will tell you. First, to answer that question, ask yourself another question: What do you fear more, the lynx or the lion? The lion, of course, because he is above the lynx in every respect. He is smarter, faster, larger, and more powerful than the lion. When you are in the jungle, you take precautions against the lion, and you simply ignore the lynx.
"Celestia fears us more than the other two pony races because we are more powerful, intelligent, versatile, and evolutionarily advanced than the other two pony races. That is why she has instituted policies against our race which have only recently come to light. Notice how she never sought to contain the pegasi or the earth ponies through secret laws. What does this tell you? We are the lions; they are the lynxes.
“The earth ponies have no trouble placing farm animals such as sheep and cows in pens, and demanding that they produce milk and wool year after year for no pay. They do this because they are superior in intellect and strength to the farm animals. I am not arguing for anything even that extreme in terms of unicorns’ relationship to the earth ponies and pegasi; I do not advocate for slavery. I advocate for freedom and independence, because right now the non-unicorns have this same relationship with us as they do with cattle. They take our money for nothing in return.
"They tax our city of Canterlot, the only majority-unicorn city in Equestria, to death, through their Ivory Tower Tax. The tax which only is imposed in Canterlot, ostensibly meant to help areas of Equestria recently ravaged by Discord. What do we get in return for this tax? Nothing. And read between the lines. Who sits in an ivory tower who is not superior to the one below? No one. Clearly, ivory towers are for those above. And what ivory tower in particular makes us as unicorns superior? The ivory towers which grow from your very foreheads: your horns, the source of your magic.
"And what of this magic? I've written many books on the subject. In this speech, I have addressed the effects of our supremacy, now I shall address the cause of it: magic. Magic allows us, as a race, to do nearly anything. Through magic, we can move distant planets and stars which the pegasi could never reach, build great machines with complex and interconnected mechanisms which hooves and mouths could never construct, communicate with thoughts and ideas rather than words, and more importantly: live free of the other two races. And that, of course, is the cause for which you are all gathered today.
"How, you may ask, can we hope to live free of the other two races when we need them? But the question is improper. We can grow crops and harvest them with the aid of machinery. We can move the clouds and manage the weather with magic. We do not need them, they need US. They need us to construct the latest gadgets for them, to cast spells for them, and if it were not for Celestia, they would need us to raise the sun and moon as well, just as they did long ago.
"So now you know why you are superior: your magic. And now you know what this superiority, when gone unacknowledged, leads to: exploitation under the banner of 'equality.' Equality is a false notion; we must live alone and acknowledge our superiority in our relation to the other races. We must do so for our own survival. Thank you."
Blueblood waited for a few seconds in nervous apprehension. How would they take it? This was a new notion, after--
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!" the crowd burst into a roaring applause. Blueblood smiled. They were taking his message exactly as they should.
He walked offstage and towards Sunset Shimmer, who grinned.
"You were fantastic! You've put our party on the map with this speech," she said, patting him on the back.
"No problem. And thanks for that little pep talk. I tend to get a bit preoccupied with the physical appearance sometimes," he said, blushing.
"Don't mention it," she said, smiling.
*****
Prince Blueblood continued having weekly rallies in the Royal Square in Canterlot, attracting larger and larger crowds each time. He gave speech after speech about independence and unicorns supremacy, and the crowds loved him. He put his name on the ballot for the mayoral elections in Canterlot, and several of the political polls favored him to win when the election was held two months away in November.
However, not all of the ponies in Canterlot were happy about this. A few weeks after Blueblood's first speech, Princess Celestia sat at her desk in her chambers, head buried in her hooves, as she sighed.
"Sister? You called for me?" said Luna as she walked through the grand oak doors. Celestia swiveled in her leather office chair to meet her sister.
"Yes, sit down, Luna. I need your advice. Something must be done regarding Blueblood," said Princess Celestia, "He is fomenting hatred and division in the population. We can't have a mayor of our nation's capital who no longer wants it to be the nation's capital!"
"But Sister, you said that you wished to be popular with the masses."
"That I do, but I also wish to keep Equestria in one piece while doing so. We must stop this movement in its tracks before they tear this nation apart."
"But how shall we do that? Shall we ban the party?"
"No, we won't do that. Tyrants ban parties, and I am not a tyrant. We will take another measure."
"But, but what?"
"I don't quite know yet, sister."
Suddenly, an orange pegasus stallion entered the room, bowed, and said, "Princess, the daily report."
"Thank you, Flash Sentry," she said as he gave her a stack of papers. She asked, "Anything of note?"
"We've been dealing with security for these massive unicorn rallies to make sure that none of them get out of hoof. They have been mostly peaceful, though there have been a few issues. Today, for instance, a rowdy attendee at a UFM event beat up a passing earth pony. The attacker was wearing grey robes of some kind. Thankfully, we placed the stallion under arrest."
"Hmm. Well, Blueblood certainly is fomenting hatred," said Princess Luna.
"Wait a minute... Flash. Is fomenting hatred a crime?" Celestia asked.
"Not as such, but if such hatred could be considered an incitement to violence, then yes," Flash answered.
"Ah. Well, we have our answer, then."
"What do you mean, Sister?" asked Luna.
"Flash Sentry," said Princess Celestia, pointing her hoof towards the stallion, "Place Prince Blueblood under house arrest. When he is secure, come to me. I wish to speak to him."
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And so, Prince Blueblood officially went to the dark side of the force.
It's official, he hasn't a clue about the evil he's unleashing on Equestria, and the entire world. He's already sounding like an evil dictator.
Yeah, shit just got even more real. This is getting good
Oh, no. Well this is about to get interesting.
.... flash sentry? well whatever floats your boat.
Hmm. It looks like Blueblood is becoming as bad as the princesses.
I smell a species war brewing.
Is it wrong if I'm rooting for Celestia here? We've seen how magic can be destructive and evil.
Unistorm and the UFM are screwed.
2950969 Not wrong at all. This is definitely a gray and grey morality issue. Both Celestia and Blueblood are right about some things, but wrong about others. Celestia is right about wanting to promote peace and tolerance, but wrong about how she does it. Blueblood is right about wanting to promote freedom, but wrong about how he does it. The situation has no "right" answer, and even if it did, neither of the two characters are proposing it. Celestia is proposing cumbersome restrictions, Blueblood is proposing racial separatism.
2938793 I dislike using OCs unless I absolutely have to. This story actually will not have any OCs in it at all. Nothing against OCs, and I enjoy many stories with OCs. but me personally, when I'm writing, if I can write my story with just canon characters, I will.
Sentry's in the story because I needed a young pegasus guard enthusiastic about his duty to stand watch over Blueblood, and we already have one who fits the bill in the canon, so I said hey, why not.
And so, we sow the seeds of early Nazism. This sounds an awful lot like the role of Joseph Goebbels. In place of Germanic nationalism, we have a unicorn movement. In place of the Treaty of Versailles, we (somewhat) have Celestia's distrust of unicorns and restrictions on their lives. In place of the SA, we have Unistorm. In place of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, we have Discord and his droughts and attack on Cloudsdale. Some of Blueblood's points in his speech draw very clear links to Hitler.