The Diamond in the Gear

Watching TV, as always, all we do everyday there. There's a biopic about the glorious and so powerful party!

They say she studied hard. she comes from a modest family until the party spotted her and she really gave her best. She started politics very young as a supporter of the previous president.

Ponies voted at 100% for her ( for those who can legally vote, less than 3% of the adult ponies, essentially the leading class, since according to them, letting any citizen of Industria, especially those with different political views is dangerous for the democracy.)

She's really a mare of convictions, she knows managing a country like this is the only way, and knows how to talk to ponies. No wonder with ponies like that they managed to rally a few countries into a single big union.

I'm staring at the photo of this mare for a few seconds, this is her who decided to organize all this, the capture of Nyx. And turn myself into an experimental subject. Her and the ponies around her. Trying to get some TV interview of Miss Kernav is like,

“I don't think we should, we must accelerate what the previous government started to build. If we want the world to be efficient. the whole population has to work united, and go on the same direction”

interviewer:

“So you reject the idea of borders, being walls against progress, securing recursive governments?”

Lorelei's visibly making an effort to raise a smile, in vain.

“Indeed. Borders and social isolation are the same. Secularism, nationalism, traditionalism, identitism or individualism. all those isms... those are the opposites of social progress and I'm confident my government remains on the right side of history.”

This creature has a laconic tone, and her expressions are kind of scary, maybe she's a cyborg.

“The world needs one global government that ensure its resources profits the whole ponykind. There's simply no other way and every nation will embrace this ideology soon or late. I don't want to die of an old age and know. I didn't do enough. This is happening, now. If ponies want it, and the ponies want it, We will achieve it.”

She's staring at the camera most of the time, like in every show, it's not about showing, it's really persuasive communication.

Why am I no longer hating her? I totally understand her and her objectives now. I can't hate a machine afterall. It has no soul, only a certain logic. That's the thing.

What is right, what's wrong? To keep following the herd of fillies ? Why do I no longer want to escape... I'm feeling uneasy here, it's like I no longer feel like I could change anything. So I'm waiting.

That's a Saturday, I'm lurking in some shop/gallery, something big and kind of empty. They're letting me go outside now for a few hours again, thinking that's gonna help me adapt, as anyways all ponies are under supervision. Cameras, police, security barriers... If I'm not back at the stable at 18:00 I'm getting in trouble and will be questioned.

Why am I following their rules ? I'm stupid or what ? I just know there's no exit here. This whole city is never ending, it's much larger than Canterlot, and it's not the biggest one.

So, better not try to cheat rather than spending most of my weekend sitting on a bench, being observed by CCTVs. Watching other screens, spending stuff on credit I might have to work later to pay but every filly does it.

This shopping building is just gigantic, but kind of empty, only a few ponies have the time to visit it, do some shopping, it's a city in a city, still between walls, covered with large, flickering cathodic ray tubes broadcasting ads and other political, motivational messages.

In this world, everypony is watching eachother silently, controlling, analyzing, judging, and influencing eachother. They have no free will, they all move the same way, share the same opinion, if not, none.

Sudenly, an alarm's ringing. Ponies start running in all directions.

There's a group of cops galloping in, bumping other mares and ponies, as I'm jumping, moving out of here.

What's going on ?

I'm hiding at first, then run to see what's going on.

I can only hear they're shooting at something or somepony ?

I feel like something bad's going on

Securitron agents, even the police have a brand here, are circling the building, firing teargas canisters in all directions in the mall. I'm observing them from a safe distance, following a herd of ponies evacuating, except I went on the other direction.

Everypony escaped but I'm stuck there, terrified, hiding on a pile of cardboard boxes on the mall's lobby, in front of a shop.

I'm running through that shop to avoid getting intoxicated.

There, I meet a pegasus's slowly advancing out of the cloud. I haven't seen one since a while.

Looks like he's wounded, his wing looks broken, bleeding.

There's a filly hugging him, she's in tears, crying. she looks like Sweetie Belle. She's an unicorn also, maybe the first unicorn filly I see here. I'm going on their direction, I have no idea where the cops are, this place is a three dimensional labyrinth.

“Hey! Are you okay?”

I'm going down to see what I can do. Also from where I stand, the cops are advancing and gets closer.

The pegasus's not even trying to escape anymore, he's wounded and looks weakened, barely able to stand up.

He saw me, as I'm pointing on the other direction, shouting out “Hey! there's armed cops the other side closing in !”

The pegasus's looking at me, kind of saying ”no” after certainly telling his little friend to run away.

The filly unicorn's rushing on my direction to hide on some alley just before the cops are charging on the place, surrounding the young pegasus stallion...

The pegasus's smiling at me, as I'm holding her. I immediately get that I should protect her. I'm nodding and we're rushing into a service corridor.

He's like, reaching his last forces deploying his wings, look at the windowed roof and ready to take off, it's obvious he won't make it, as cops finally spotted him.

“WE GOT CONTACT! OPEN FIRE!”

They're shooting him without any hesitation, bullets are ripping his body apart.

The whole hallway is now painted with blood even before his dead body hits the floor.

I'm holding the unicorn filly and still trying to realize what just happened.

All of this was real. Even though it looked like a nightmare... I even felt blood splattering on my eyes

One of the cops or whatever security group was done, he picks his mic and contacts his HQ :

“Target one neutralized!”

I'm pushing the door behind me. Slowly.. .it's open. I take her with me, and we're escaping silently, hiding in some back-shop

We stand there and start breathing again. I'm looking at a mirror standing there and notice there's some blood splattered on my face. She's falling in tears.

“Why... did they do that ?”

What could I respond to her ?

“These fuckers hate ponykind”

I look at her in her eyes,

“Hey.. I don't know who you are yet... but I promise you we'll leave this hell together, okay ?”

We remain hidden the best we could, cops with gasmasks, armed with assault rifles are looking everywhere, searching for her.

“Sweet Luna, Celestia... please don't give me up right now.”

We're standing there hidden on what looks like a clothing shop as the agents keeps patrolling. it's been a half hour now or something...

She's still crying but she's fighting her best to remain silent, teeth clenched.

“hey... i think they way's clear. Stay here I'm gonna check...”

All the cops have evacuated the building apparently. Leaving room for the cleaning staff.

I'm feeling weird. Nauseous after what I just witnessed. Now I know why there's no unicorn or pegasi in this country. Magic is illegal, but so does flying.
“they're gone?” the filly asked

“y..Yes.. don't worry, you're... you're not alone. what's your name?”

“My name's... Alice. Who are you?”

“My.. My name's Diamond Tiara. I'm from Equestria... And uh, I know about pegasus, don't worry.. Do you know this stallion?”

“His name ...”

She's taking a deep breath

“Trey. He was my friend... And protector, like a big brother. Some unicorns know magic to stop their bullets, but I'm not.. magic enough for doing that. We had a little thing to do and we got caught, we tried to escape, and they found us. I... Oh no what have I done...”

“Alice, it's not your fault, I saw what happened, there's nothing you could have done against so many armed horses. Right now, we have to get out of here. Finding an exit and stay away from cameras, okay? We gonna head to the service alley while nopony is around, follow me!”

We're exiting that room, heading for a backdoor heading to a corridor, cluttered with stack of cardboard boxes and a few light tubes to lit it up.

“W... wait for me one second. I'm not well-”

Couldn't hold it longer, I just vomited there before running away. We keep trotting, and finally get outside, ending up in front of dumpsters.

“Cameras on the left. Let's take the other side.”

Alice's following me, we're trying to avoid getting caught, and run on some adjacent street, heading to an underground station full of "under construction" signs.

“So, there's at least one unicorn here in Industria? Are you the famous enemy of the state?”

“I'm not alone, but we usually are very discrete, we only go outside by night, we help ponies and pegasus, and keep a lot of things that are restricted here. They found us, today. some pony probably mentioned where we were hiding to fix some of their problems directly with the State, and now I have to move.”

“Ah. I feel you. Can't trust other ponies.”

Alice's looking at me, and kind of smiling, a little , brief smile that says a lot.

“For how long you've been here? and why did you came here, Diamond Tiara ?”

“I think it's been... Already two weeks, or more I guess, maybe less. I.. I don't know.

I'm losing my mind and myself. They don't have any weekends in this country. First, I got kidnapped me and my friend as we were in Equestria, and I never saw her again. They forced me to behave and act like one of their zombies, just for me to become their tool of propaganda..”

“But you didn't kill me... And as soon you hold me earlier, I knew you would not do harm to me.”

Oh she's so cute

“Also, many of us have left, but other ponies who were; um, different preferred to stay. And keep living, and not get a brain surgery to get their magic removed, or wings amputated.

“Okayyyy... Now that's just atrocious. Do you have a place to go? Somepony you can trust ?”

“Yes, but it's the other side of the city. It'll took a while … but I know a way. Just follow me”

We're going down on the unfinished underground train network, following the tracks, with rails and hardware abandoned there for decades. she's using a spell to generate a halo of light, illuminating our path. It's a skill I do envy in unicorns, really!

“Trey was a bit like my family since I no longer have a mom and dad. He taught me a lot, why it's important to be true to who you are, why it's good to help ponies and not wait for someone to do things... They're … all gone now.”

“I see.”

The unicorn population has been judged to be too dangerous for the country, despite the fact they have been on this region for centuries before welcoming earth ponies. They're seen as the "problematic variable in the equation of equine equality" in the words of the Boss, the founder of Industria, and since decades, laws and more restrictions just made it possible for a regime to kill them on sight. Like monsters or direct threats. What in fact, they are - not for the population, but for the earth ponies in power.

“There's other pegasus hiding in various other places. they're usually helping because they can carry ponies and fly away from here, and get things organized without the official ways, but there's a lot of work if we want to be free again. For other ponies too! He was working as a delivery for illegal potions that works better than most of the mandatory products they test on ponies. And today I had a bad feeling about this. The Securitron agents raided our home, we escaped but he got shot. I was keeping a library with a lot of rare and forbidden books ponies could borrow there. Not everypony in this place is bad. Some are seeking something different, and they like us..But now I wonder if we can still stay here despite the fact this land was only populated by unicorns in the beginning.”

Ah shit I'm crying.

“D..Do you know the name of the ponies who did denounce you ? Actually, I want to help you , Alice. You're doing something important, and we're a bit the same.”

We're trotting, and we keep discussing. Going deeper and deeper in the depths under the city. To the unknown. And the more we go, the more I learn about the history of this place. About the unicorns who once had a kingdom here, and got progressively replaced over time, slightly accepted, blamed, ostracized, and finally executed. A witch hunt that took the route of a genocide, the same kind of genocide they are accusing Germaneigh of.

The irony is how a few unicorns are actually part of the government and the elite of this country, yet do nothing but even testify in favor of banning all forms of magic.