Chapter 17: Peace Purge
Election day took many of the political pundits and pollsters by surprise. Blueblood’s election to the office of mayor was much as everypony expected: he was universally popular in Canterlot among unicorns for his being a prince, his writing of popular books, his heroic victory against Discord, and his anti-tax stance. Even unicorns who disagreed with his racist rhetoric could still get behind him and votes for him. However, the performance of the Unicorn Freedom Movement in the city council elections was entirely unexpected. They managed to take 52% of the seats, which was a majority and enough to enact their legislative agenda.
Blueblood had been sitting in the Unicorn Freedom Movement’s campaign headquarters along with the other members of his party after a final day of campaigning. When they heard the results announced on the radio, they all jumped for joy, screaming and hollering. His campaign team picked up Blueblood in their magic, parading him around the office like a rockstar, chanting out his name.
“BLUEBLOOD! BLUEBLOOD!”
“We never could’ve done this without you, Blueblood!”
“You’re the greatest!”
“Alright, Prince Blueblood!” said Sunset Shimmer as the crowd set him down, “We owe you a big one for your leadership. Let’s you and I go and have a drink to celebrate our victory.”
Blueblood blushed slightly, and said, “Hmm... well, I don’t know if I should be seen alone with just a single mare in a bar—”
“Man, can it with the public image crap, Prince; you’ve won already,” she said, slapping him on the back with a hoof, “You’re so popular right now, you could probably kill a pony or kidnap a young filly and still be looked up at as a shining example of unicorndom.”
“Unicorndom? Is that even a word?” Blueblood asked.
“It is now.”
“Ah, because it sounds like something one might wear over a horn.”
Sunset Shimmer chuckled. “Wow, Prince, I didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”
“I do, sometimes.”
They walked out the door and onto the street.
“So, what place did you have in mind for drinks?” Blueblood asked.
“Oh, just a little bar off of Centennial...”
*****
“And we’re gonna kick out ALL the earth ponies!” yelled Sunset Shimmer as she drunkenly waved her hoof in the air, “Even the pegasi, unless we let ‘em in to fly around and race each other for our amusement. Here’s to unicorns only!”
The patrons of The Old Mill tavern raised their glasses, cheering and hollering.
The Old Mill was hardly a fancy locale. The floor was covered with a thin film of old beer that had been spilled over the years. Off in a corner, ponies played pool. Thick clouds of smoke hung in the air, visible under the dim, flickering overhead lights. Blueblood would normally never be seen in such a low brow establishment, but Sunset Shimmer was quite persuasive when they were discussing venues. He also did not care as much now that he had had several glasses of wine to drink. As divey as the bar was, at least they had such libations.
“Yes, that’s indeed our platform,” he said, hiccuping slightly.
Sunset Shimmer turned to him. She said, “I can’t thank you enough, Fritz. You‘ve done so much for our organization. I never would have dreamed that within the span of a few months, you’d turn my small party into the ruling party in Canterlot.”
“Ah, well you did a lot, too, Sunset,” said Blueblood, “Such as helping me campaign legitimately.”
“That I did,” she said.
“See, I told you that we didn’t have to resort to thug tactics to win, Miss Shimmer.”
“Yup,” she said, taking another gulp of beer.
They continued drinking for another hour until last call at 2:00 AM.
“Alright, Blueblood, I think it’sh time for me to go to the home,” she said, “Care to walk wish me back to my apartment?”
“Oh, I’d love to,” said Blueblood.
“Just let me go ushe the little filly’s room and-and-and we can go,” she said, stumbling back towards the restroom, leaving Blueblood by himself.
Blueblood levitated his wine glass back up to his lips and took another sip, finishing the drink right as Sunset Shimmer returned.
“Okay, letsh go,” she said, stumbling out the bar’s front door. Blueblood followed.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need to lie down or something?” asked Blueblood.
“Naw, I drink all the time,” she said.
Blueblood, too, was feeling tipsy, but was holding his liquor a bit better than Sunset Shimmer. He accompanied her down the sidewalk as they both slowly sobered up, until they finally reached the front stoop of Sunset Shimmer’s apartment complex about thirty minutes later.
“So, Fritz...” she said, “Want to join me upstairs?”
“Sure,” said Blueblood, and they walked up the stairs to her apartment.
My, she wants me to go up to her apartment? Could she... does she feel attracted to me? Hmm... I mean, she is a bit young, but quite pretty...
A few years ago, he would have said no, but had learned from a certain mare at a certain gala a few years ago that he needed to be more chivalrous and pick up on romantic cues a bit better.
They walked up the stairs to her apartment, she opened the door, and they walked in.
“Please, sit,” she said, and he sat down on her couch as she poured them both drinks.
They chatted and drank for another half hour.
“Y’know,” said Sunset Shimmer, “You really are a strong, well-spoken unicorn.”
“Why thank you,” Blueblood said, “And you’re quite a dedicated, energetic unicorn.”
“And,” said Sunset Shimmer, leaning in towards Blueblood, “You’re a handsome, attractive stallion.”
“And you,” said Blueblood, leaning further in, “Are a passionate, fiery mare.”
They each closed the remaining gap as their lips pressed together and they embraced one another. After making out for several minutes, they both headed into Sunset Shimmer’s bedroom.
*****
“Wow.”
The morning sunlight streamed down onto the bed on which Sunset Shimmer and Blueblood laid.
“Last night was... wow,” repeated Sunset Shimmer.
“Indeed,” said Blueblood.
“You sure know how to please a mare. I had no IDEA you could do those sorts of things with magic.”
“Neither did I,” said Blueblood, “Though I don’t think I shall put that particular spell in my next book.”
Sunset Shimmer giggled and said, “Well, I’m gonna shower. Help yourself to whatever food in the pantry you want.”
They both got out of bed. Sunset Shimmer went into the shower, and Blueblood walked into the kitchen. He levitated out some bread from the pantry and placed it in the toaster to make toast. As he was waiting, he sat down at the table.
A single sheet of folded paper on the otherwise clear table caught his eye. He resisted peeking for a few moments, but then his curiosity got the better of him and he it grabbed it in his magic.
“Directive 37?” he mumbled, opening the paper with his magic, “What’s this?
Blueblood quickly scanned his eyes over the document. His jaw dropped as he realized what he was looking at.
Unistorm? Voter intimidation? Street thuggery? Violence? Agitation? he thought, reading over the flyer.
His stomach churned. He had been betrayed by Sunset Shimmer. His head ached, the alcohol’s aftereffects catching up to him. He ran back to the bedroom.
“Sunset, I... I have to go!” he yelled through the bathroom door, “I have uh, a meeting!”
“Okay, see ya! That was fun; we gotta do it again sometime!” she called out.
*****
Blueblood stumbled away from the stoop, and walked down the street. Small droplets of tears stained the ground as he walked. As he rounded the corner, his stomach churned and churned. He found the nearest trash can, ran over to it, and heaved.
After some great effort, he finally found himself back at his house. Not wanting to climb the stairs to his bedroom, he cast a teleport which misfired and ended in him crashing down onto his bed from about five feet above it. After breaking the frame upon which his mattress sat, he set his head down on his pillow and cried himself to sleep.
*****
“She did WHAT?” Fancy Pants exclaimed, spitting out some of his tea in shock.
“I told you. She went behind my back to conduct violent voter intimidation with Unistorm,” Blueblood said, “Please believe me. I had nothing to do with this. I’m here for your help. I’m on the hook for legalizing Unistorm and appointing them to city positions, but if word gets out that they helped rig the elections...”
“Then we’re in trouble, yes,” said Fancy Pants, “I placed my marketing dollars and trust behind you in belief that there would be no violence perpetrated in your name. You placed your trust in Sunset Shimmer that she would not betray you. She has betrayed us both. She took liberties that she was not authorized to take in a power grab that makes me worry greatly.”
“She has broken my heart,” said Blueblood, scowling, “I’m crushed. I’m angry and sorrowful.”
“Wait... you don’t mean to say that you have feelings for her, do you?”
“I slept with her. I thought we had something... something REAL. But she was using me. She betrayed me politically, and she betrayed me personally. I’m heartbroken.”
Fancy Pants paused for a moment, then said, “Perhaps you can channel this anger into a constructive fashion of some form? Because after this event, it is clear that Unistorm cannot continue to exist. They have proven themselves to be a liability to the Unicorn Freedom Movement. If this news ever gets out, it could mean a civil war rather than a peaceful separation of Canterlot from Equestria. Even if it didn’t get out, if you legalize Unistorm and appoint them to positions of power, they could threaten your own power later. I wouldn’t put it past them.”
“I certainly don’t want that,” said Blueblood, “And you’re right about them threatening my power later. Street thugs will always be street thugs.”
“Well, then you need to fix this. I wish I could help you out here, but I really can’t. No public relations campaign on my part can fix the fact that voter fraud and intimidation was committed on a widespread scale to get the Unicorn Freedom Movement elected into office. You’re in damage control mode, and if you can come out of it with a shred of dignity intact in the public eye, I’d be shocked. First off, I would recommend that you use whatever influence you have to disband Unistorm. Then, come clean about it to the election authorities, and perhaps that will save you some grace in the public eye. Then perhaps they could hold a new election that wouldn’t entirely erase your party’s gains.”
“What if there’s another way?” Blueblood asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, right now, all we have are accusations and rumors. Nopony has been arrested yet, have they?”
“No, but if any member of Unistorm is arrested and convicted of voter intimidation, that would spell the end of your party. It would be proof that this actually occurred. From my understanding, there have been several complaints to the Election Committee already, and they are communicating with the local authorities to try and arrest Unistorm members. You need to make this public before it's exposed so you can soften the blow.”
“What if none of them were arrested?”
“Then you’d just have accusations that are unprovable, and nopony would ever know. But how could they not get arrested? Who knows how many ponies they threatened? Dozens? Hundreds? We don’t know the scale of their operations. Somepony must’ve seen something that would personally identify one or more of them. You’d have to find a way to prevent any of the thirty-plus of them from being arrested, while ensuring that they couldn’t pose a threat to your power later on.”
“I’ll find a way,” Blueblood said, as he walked out the door of Fancy Pants’ office.
*****
“You wanted to see me, Fritz?” asked Sunset Shimmer. She walked into the mayor’s office, where Blueblood sat at his new desk. Though he wasn’t officially mayor for another two weeks, he had already moved all of his furniture into the office.
“Yes. I have convened the new city council and they have agreed that the first law that we will pass will legalize Unistorm. I will do it on my first day in office, November 15th.”
“That’s fantastic!” Sunset Shimmer said, “But we’re still illegal under Equestrian law, which overrides local law.”
“I know, which is why the second law will be a vote of secession from Equestria,” Blueblood responded, “But in the meantime, I would like to call a meeting of Unistorm in order to discuss what positions I will appoint everypony to in the new government. I want everypony in the organization there. They will all be given positions as soon as I am legally able to.”
“That’s great! I’ll tell everyone to meet at the longhall on November 15th,” said Sunset Shimmer, walking out of the office.
*****
“Congratulations, Mayor Blueblood,” said the Sergeant who Blueblood had met at Celestia’s funeral. He and Blueblood were meeting on the barracks ground in the mess hall.
“Thank you, sir,” said Blueblood, “I am to take office on November 15th, and then there will be many changes around here. But until that time, there are certain... elements... which remain illegal under current law.”
“What do you mean?”
Blueblood glanced around the mess hall to make sure nopony was in earshot. He said, “I have recently become aware of a violent militia operating within the walls of our city. They seek to maim and even kill earth ponies and pegasi. While I want the inferior races out of our city as much as anypony, I want them to leave in caravans, not body bags.”
The Sergeant nodded in agreement.“I see. Who is this group?”
“They’re called Unistorm.”
“Unistorm? Aren’t they those guys who wear grey wizard robes and hoods?”
“Yes.”
“Ah! They’ve been eluding the royal guard for years. All of them know powerful, illegal magic like invisibility and dark magic, as well as spells like teleportation, so they’re very hard to track down. They can evade capture easily. We arrested one at a rally a few months ago, but that’s just because he was drunk and assaulted an earth pony right in front of a guard. How stupid, but I doubt any of them will make that mistake again.”
“True.”
“We also received quite a few reports that they shook down voters and told them that they’d better not go to the polls on election day. However, it’s just unconfirmed allegations at this point. I certainly hope you or anyone in your party wasn’t involved in orchestrating it.”
“If I was, why would I come to you with information on them?” Blueblood asked.
“Fair point. So what is this information?”
“I happen to know where all of them will be since they invited me to an event of theirs, which I will not be attending. It won’t be until November 15th, but they will all be in a single room at their compound’s longhall. This compound is their base of operations, and they will not abandon it as or try to escape as it contains all of their money, magical scrolls, and worldly possessions. You can surround the compound and take them all out, whether in hoofcuffs or with bullets.
“If you will position your stallions, I can make it quite easy for you to capture them. However, as mayor, I have to tell you that they will be armed and dangerous, both with magic as well as firearms. I would recommend that you and your ponies be armed with assault rifles and that you shoot to kill. Until you can raid their compound, you need to regard everypony in that compound as a terrorist.”
“I'll do it, right after I pass the word onto my senior officers.”
“Good. Now, let me tell you exactly where and when this little event will be taking place.”
*****
“Here, here! This meeting of Unistorm has come to order!” said Sunset Shimmer, slamming her hoof down on the ground. Her other grey robed followers saluted her, bowing their heads.
“Now, fellow brothers and sisters of Unistorm. Prince Blueblood, as of today, is the mayor, and has signed legislation into law legalizing the spells that we use!”
The thirty unicorns cheered.
“Yes, now we are here today to both celebrate this event and for Prince Blueblood to nominate positions of power in his new government from our very own ranks. Now, to drink our brew!” she said, levitating a large keg onto the table. Each of the thirty ponies levitated beer mugs over to the table, filling them up. She floated a glass over to Blueblood, but he shook his head.
“You know I don’t drink beer, Miss Shimmer; it upsets my stomach,” said Blueblood, pulling out a bottle of wine.
“Very well,” said Sunset Shimmer, “A toast to Prince Blueblood and to Unistorm and the legalization of our brotherhood!”
“Here, here!” the Unistorm members chanted, raising their glasses and then drinking their beer.
Blueblood opened his wine bottle and chugged the entire thing, for it was the only way he could both stand to be around such traitors to his party and prepare himself for what he had to do.
“So, Prince Blueblood, which positions shall you nominate us for in your new government?”
“Well, first off, we shall start with Sunset Shimmer. She shall be my right hand mare, my vice mayor. When we become a nation, she shall be vice president. I trust her completely, and know that she would NEVER betray me!” Blueblood said, his voice slightly wavering at the word “betray.”
“Here, here!” Unistorm chanted.
“Now, as for the rest of you...” Blueblood said, but was interrupted as if on cue.
“ATTENTION UNISTORM MEMBERS. THIS IS THE ROYAL GUARD. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR TERRORISM AND VIOLENCE. PLEASE COME OUT WITH YOUR HOOVES IN THE AIR.”
“Oh no, it’s the royal guard!” one of the Unistorm members exclaimed.
"What will we do?" another yelled, panicky.
“Battle stations, everypony! We can’t let them get into the compound! There’s sensitive information and documents in here. Get to the windows and fire your spells! DO NOT RETREAT until I tell you!” Sunset Shimmer ordered. The members obliged and ran up the wooden staircase to the top level, their horns blazing.
Prince Blueblood ran up to the top floor with them, staying out of view of the guards. He watched as a half dozen unistorm members fired magical beams out the window at the Royal Guards. He heard yelling and screaming as several of the guards fell. The Unistorm members surrounded themselves with magical force fields, but the guards fired bullets from their assault rifles, the force of which caused cracks to appear in the shields until they shattered.
“AAH!” One of the Unistorm members fell, his grey robes bloodied red.
“OOF!” Another fell to the ground, his horn shattered by a bullet, unable to use magic. One of his partners levitated an assault rifle over to him, which he fired a few times at the guards before being hit himself.
The exchange of magical energy and gunfire continued for another five minutes until ten or more Unistorm members were dead. It seemed as if their magic was growing weaker as time progressed.
Prince Blueblood could hear Sunset Shimmer yell, “Retreat! Retreat! Into the cellar, we’ll regroup there!”
The unicorns at the windows teleported down the stairs towards the cellar, and Blueblood followed. They entered a trapdoor next to the longhall table and into the cellar.
“Alright, everypony, here’s the plan. First we need... we—”
“What is it, Sunset Shimmer?” a Unistorm member asked.
“I think we should...” she started, but then fell to the floor with a thud.
“Sunset Shimmer!” one of the unicorns ran over to her to check on her, but fell to the ground himself.
One by one, the unicorns fell to the floor until there were none of them left.
Well, spiking the beer has both weakened their magic in the fight as well as knocked them out, he thought. Now to destroy the evidence.
Blueblood’s horn glowed a bright orange as flames emanated from it, engulfing the grey robes of the twenty or so remaining Unistorm members one by one.
He walked up to Sunset Shimmer, who was laying on the ground, and set fire to her last. A single tear dripped from his eye as her fiery red mane was engulfed in actual flames.
“WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! COME OUT NOW OR WE WILL STORM THE COMPOUND!”
And all you’ll find is a smouldering heap, Blueblood thought, walking up to the main floor and setting fire to the wooden floor, table, and support beams. Blueblood charged up his horn and teleported off about an eighth of a mile away, outside the compound. He turned his eyes towards the sky and saw a plume of smoke. He ran towards it, where he saw the Sergeant and dozens of his men behind metal barricades.
“MAYOR!” the Sergeant called out, “It’s not safe for you here. We’re in the middle of a siege!”
“What happened?” Blueblood asked, “I saw smoke in the sky.”
“These crazy Unistorm members were firing spells at us left and right. We lost about five of our ponies. Then, they stopped shooting, and the whole place lit up like a bar-be-cue! We’re still waiting for any of them to teleport out, but either they teleported way behind our lines or they were caught up in the blaze before they could.
“Who started the fire?”
“I don’t know, but it wasn’t us.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate,” said Prince Blueblood, “But maybe between losing five of their members and however many perished in the fire, as well as losing their compound to the blaze, Unistorm is done as a group.”
“Let’s hope,” said the Sergeant.
Blueblood walked home, his head spinning. He did it. He had won the mayor’s office and gotten rid of the threat to his power that Unistorm posed. No one would ever be able to prove that they intimidated voters. They would never commit violence or thuggery again. They'd never threaten his rule again. A smile crossed his face, his peace purge complete.
But then his head jolted up. He recalled a young stallion setting fire to an entire classroom many years ago, committing an act of mass murder of his fellow unicorns at Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. Blueblood recalled the horror of that event, the senselessness of ending so many lives at once. Magical, unicorn lives that were not the stallion’s to take.
Am I really so different from that deranged stallion? Am I really being noble where the student had been a psychopath? Or am I the same...
He shook his head. “No,” he said to himself, “This is different.”
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You know, I'm eerily reminded of the Waco Seige and Kristallnacht.
I really think Blueblood's heading into deep, deep shit.
3043682 Glad you got the reference, and both events inspired this chapter.
I feel like you need a stronger word than "said" here. They seem really bored by the appearance of the Royal Guard as is.
Damn. Celestia's dead, Blueblood's the mayor, and Canterlot is under control of the unicorns. They're screwed.
3082327 The only way to stop a bad pony with magic is a good pony with magic.
Night of the Long Knives...
"It's not a crime if the President does it" Richard Nixon, about Watergate.
I was waiting for this the moment I realized Unistorm was the equivalent of the SA and Sunset the parallel of Ernst Röhm. So comes The Night of the Long Knives. So continues Blueblood's descent into tyranny.
But, to Blueblood, this is different.