Filly Casanova walked the streets of Crystalia with an unbreakable, bitter scowl. She scowled from the pain in her back, caused by her unwilling employment in a pony textile factory; She scowled at the freezing temperatures outside the main city’s protective dome, held at bay by the thick coat and flat cap she wore; she scowled at the skies, gray and sunless because of factory pollution; at the ugly red brick factory buildings, grime-painted and decaying while exuding a perpetually foul odor; at all the Equestrian Northern Guard, the small army sent by the Elite Equestrians to ensure her fellow Crystalians would forever be slaves.

But Cassie was smart- she always made sure to avoid eye contact and wore a scarf over her mouth; the scarf that kept her nose warm, protected her lungs from the polluted air around her, and kept the world from seeing how angry she felt inside. She stood in line, waiting to be let into the city just like everyone else.

When she was near the front, she forced a neutral expression, pulling her scarf down and preemptively unbuttoning her coat.

“Miss Casanova. Welcome back!” Upon hearing her name, Cassie forced an amicable smile onto her face. The Equestrian guardsmare wore a long, light purple overcoat with the Heraldic snowflake of Crystalia embroidered on the flanks. On her head was a dark purple helmet that was clearly a copy of the Griffon’s standard, utilitarian military helm- But if she didn’t have a horn poking through the top of the helmet, it’d look kind of like a salad bowl; hence, the phrase Sally go home! Was often chanted, before those protests were brutally put down with guns and violence.

As much as Cassie wanted to spit in the guardsmares face, she approached her cooly, presenting her tin ID tag. “How’s your shift been so far?” She asked casually, hoping that Equestrian whore had to deal with every belligerent patriot on this side of the wall.

The mare inspected it closely in her magic, as if it would have fucking changed since this morning. She smiled and handed it back to me- “Sorry, rules are rules, even if I know your face! And it’s been going well, thank you for asking!” She said, gesturing for Cassie to step inside the shield and take her coat off. There was a second locked gate she’d have to go through, so at least they didn’t have to do their strip-search in the cold.

“That’s good.” She said, taking her heavy coat, hat, and scarf off; the mare did the usual pat down, looking for any illegal contraband she might have stowed away within the light pink cotton onesie she wore under her winter clothes. She could’ve swore the mare derived some sort of sick pleasure from this; like clockwork, she’d ‘accidentally’ grope near her privates and squeaking out a ‘Whoops! Sorry, didn’t mean to poke there!’

All things considered, the mare did sound apologetic… but fuck her either way. She winced as she felt the mare groping up her leg, squeaking when she felt a hoof brush across her teats.
“Ahh, sorry! I’m a little shaky because I had a light lunch.” the mare said, and Cassie always repeated-

“No problem! Accidents happen." It was like clockwork. Every day.

“Alright! You’re free to go!” The mare said, patting her on the back. “Have a good evening!” Cassie turned around to force a giggle, peeking quickly at the name embroidered onto her coat.

“You too, Miss Porcine!” she said, holding her hoof out to shake it with the mare. “Until tomorrow!” She held her smile, all the way up until the second guard let her through the gate wordlessly. Since it was warmer in the city, she simply flung her coat and scarf over her back, throwing the cap back on her head; at the same time, she wouldn’t need her scarf to hide her scowl anymore. The police presence was much more tolerable, since in their eyes, the city was locked down tight. All the factory infrastructure was outside; corporate Equestrian interests simply demanded a higher police presence to protect their property.

The inside of the dome was moderately cool, with little smog in the air, the moonlight could shine through… sometimes. Depends if the winds are blowing factory smoke towards or away from the city; but tonight, the moon shone bright in the sky, reflecting beautifully off the Crystalian Palace tower spire. Despite its current occupancy, its splendor would almost bring a tear to her eye as she was filled with a sense of pride, longing, and nostalgia for an era long before her time.

She smirked briefly as she pictured a future in which a Crystalian may rule that palace… but the smirk fell as she walked along the central avenue leading into the heart of the city, flanked by fields of flowers on each side; as the population would grow, the ugly slum presented before her would follow. The city was a perfect ring- The palace is in the center, straight roads leading to all four gates. Around the palace is the metropolis of Old Crystalia; around that ring are all the poorhouses and slums, and after that, it’s just a concentric mile of empty field until the wall.

It’s as if the expanding ring of dirty apartments served as a wall to protect the Equestrian occupiers; and where flower fields ended, a wall of near-tangible poverty began. She yawned, walking the quiet, stinky alleyways of the city's slums; there were alleyways in this city so dirty, she wouldn’t even piss in them.

Thankfully, though- even in Hell, you may find refuge under a rock; in the basement cellar of one of the many nondescript brick housing projects, Cassie felt comfortable and at ease for the first time since she left for work this morning as the metal door opened with a loud creeeak! Barring the cellar door behind her with a thunk, she trudged down the steps and hung her hat and scarf on the rack; since her coat would cause the rack to tip over, it was simply tossed to the dirty floor.

The basement was a single room, line of sight broken by the many brick columns holding it up. A lantern lit their corner of the room, simply called the living room. In another dark corner was a treadmill-operated printing press, used to create copies of their clandestine publication, The Broken Hearted. They were simple leaflets, printed on a typewriter with their logo at the bottom, distributed in secret; as the populist ideas they advocated for were seen as unacceptable, or even treasonous by the ponies.

She smiled as she approached their corner, lit by a single kerosene lantern. Various personal things were scattered about, and there was a stash of various canned, factory-made foods that wouldn’t perish; they even had a rough old desk and a typewriter! In the corner, the insignia for the Bleeding Hearts… no, their insignia was painted on the brick wall in black paint; The Crystal Heart had a lightning-bolt shaped crack going down the middle, with three round droplets of blood, set in a trio-pattern directly under the crack. Under that, Three cheap mattresses with cheap pillows were all pressed tight together, stuffed with straw and cotton to make resting on them a little bearable. The single gray blanket was shared between Cassie… and the loves of her life.

“You two been having fun without meeee?” Cassie whined playfully; on the bed were a mare named Rose Gold and a stallion named Steel Dancer lay spooning on the bed, each with dopey grins on their faces… though the stallion much preferred the nickname Steely Dan, given to him by his friends in childhood. His gray crystal body and black mane were highlighted by his muscular form, caused by working at a steel mill; as opposed Rose Gold, whose lithe body and bronze-brushed mane made her quite the looker. Working in one of the cafeteria’s centered around a factory cluster, she’s in the perfect spot to determine where dissent may lie among their fellows.

“S’not my fault Rosie is so needy…” Dan muttered, earning a giggle from the mares. “Yes, I made sure to pull out.” He reassured Cassie, as none of them needed to worry about a potential pregnancy right now; they all had their needs, and they were all responsible about it.

“Don’t be jealous, Cassie!” Rose replied jokingly, and Cassie gave her a fake scowl as she leaned in, getting close to her face.

“Why I oughta!” She grumbled as she planted a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, relishing in her adorable giggling. She didn’t need to ask if they cleaned up already- since the smell wasn’t overwhelming, it told her that there wasn’t an issue. “You too, ya lug!” She said to the stallion, the two sharing a quick peck on the lips. She gave them a joking scowl, waving her hoof- “And there’s more where that came from!”

While her partners giggled amusedly at her antics, Cassie couldn’t be any more happier; for among her partners, she found the freedom to be herself for once in her life. That cash she was given served as the perfect seed capital for the three, who were already all dating at the time- now that they all lived together in their own hovel, she couldn’t be happier.

“Try not to screw so loud. I got writing to do.” She said with a chuckle, grabbing a can of peaches and a fork on the way to the writing desk.

“We weren’t gonna!” Rosie whined, and Cassie just chuckled, sitting at the desk with a sigh. The can opener was a little rusty… but it cut into the tin all the same. She tossed the lid and set the opener off to the side, reaching into one of the desk drawers.

A small glass jar labeled Pervitin was full of little pea-sized tablets, and the pony had to use a tiny spoon made for hoof-use to fish a pill out. While the stuff was banned in Equestria, it was completely legal in Crystalia, as corporate interests realize they can get ponies to work longer hours if they have access to amphetamines.

She forked a peach up into her mouth and quickly followed it with the pill, chewing both of them together to help mask the bitter taste the pills left; they coated the pills in some bitter powder because of some bogus study where a corporate-funded doctor claimed that making the pills gag-worthy levels of bitter would prevent abuse… the peaches helped a little, at least.

The effects rapidly set in as she ate her measly dinner, her heartbeat rapidly increasing its tempo; like a musician reading too fast, sometimes it skipped a note- but that was fine. She used a folding-fan to try and cool herself off, already feeling sweat on her forehead and around her neck. “Fuck the onesie!” She said, undoing the buttons as fast as she could to get the stuffy underwear off. As much as she hated the drugs, she couldn’t live this double life without something to keep her going. It made her so. Fucking. FURIOUS!

“Drugs are naught but a tool promoted by the state to keep us complacent. To keep us lazy! You want lazy? You want complacent? LOOK AROUND! THEY DEFLECT THEIR OWN LAZINESS ONTO US! THEY LIVE IN THE HIGHEST CASTLE IN THE LAND, SPITTING IN YOUR FACE WHILE THEY CLAIM TO BE YOUR FRIEND!” She grit her teeth hard, causing her gums to hurt- the drugs only making her underlying, bottled-up anger issues more intensified. “... Guess I know this week's topic.” Externally, all her rage manifested as an enraged scowl, gritted teeth, and heavy breathing… something that she’s vehemently told her partners to stop being worried about.

Cracking her neck, she bit down on the metal pen in her mouth and got to work. She was just the writer- all the printing was handled by Dan and, to a lesser extent, Rosie; they translated her rough drafts into a die they could use for making copies. Distribution was handled by various allies across the city, and… most importantly… showers were provided by a Bleeding Heart sympathizer right upstairs.

Her first publication was what inspired fellow Crystalians to take up their symbol, fighting for what’s right using the provided instructions. While the protest had already been scheduled, the first secret publishing of The Broken Hearted was intended to throw fuel on the fire… Pun not intended, but the paper included simple instructions on how to make a fire bottle.

‘It is a great honor to be called treasonous by the oppressors who make me a slave; for it is how I know that I am always in the right.’

Those were the opening words to every article she wrote. It is a message to whoever may be reading- that action will always be the most righteous recourse for their masters.

I swear to fuck- if half this job is public relations, the other half involves slapping the wrists of the CEO’s when they get too greedy on me… or explaining to them, in no uncertain terms, that I’m not going to sell my people out for a quick buck. This was, of course, the latter.

My wife and I sat at a table in the conference room of Ben’s Motorcar corporate headquarters. It kind of reminded me of our own conference room in Bargain’s tower, but with lighter colored decor and more natural lighting. The table was a long rectangular design, where on one side Ben sat, flanked on either side by other CEOs of car companies, as well as a couple energy companies… the table was so long, it might as well have been the same one from The Last Supper.

Around the walls of the room were chairs, being occupied by Ross, Fin, Sinan, and Jos; they were mostly there to have more witnesses, as well as intimidation and protection.

On my side, I sat next to my wife and the six top members of the Transportation Enforcement Agency; they started as a think tank of engineers and civil planners that I worked with directly by writing all the traffic laws for them. I was also involved with geographers and geologists, trying to determine which areas are actually possible to build on; subsistence is a bit of a problem in the mountainous regions, on top of the… you know… mountainous terrain. Those areas took a lot of attention simply because I wanted to make sure as little land went to waste as possible… not to mention the army of cartographers I paid to map out the various roadmaps of local areas, distributed on a regional basis at many retailers… If we get invaded, I hope it's not a land one- because we’d have our work cut out for us trying to burn all these old maps, all the while chopping road signs and defending our land…

Eh, I’m more concerned about the dragons.

The mood in the room was quite amiable- as currently, they had no idea what they were actually in for. I stood up off my chair, clearing my throat to get their attention… and actually trying to clear my throat; Slowly but surely, my voice is returning, but it’s still a little hoarse… Just like my wife! I know I’ve made that joke before.. and I don’t care.

I gestured to Ben with a casual smile- “Mr. Avido, I’d like to thank you for helping me organize this meeting today.” I looked around and gestured, “As well as all the other private interests who have signed in favor of the matter petitioned to me.” As I looked around the room, I gestured and announced every member, thanking them for showing up- but no sense repeating all that here. Four of them represented the automotive interests, whereas the other two represented the oil interests here on the mainland.

“My associates within the T-E-A and I have reviewed your petition thoroughly. After much consideration and elaboration, We wish to vehemently deny the requests in the petition.” Watching their smiles fall was fucking priceless. “And before I give any of you the permission to speak up, I’d like to explain in a clear manner why it has been utterly shot down.” They all looked at me with a mix of anger, annoyance, maybe even some thoughts of defiance; That’d change soon. I took a drink from a glass of water and cleared my throat again.

“In plain terms, the goal of this petition is to take spending away from the public transport sectors and put it towards the road development sectors, making cars the more preferable alternative for the majority of consumers.” In other words- they want more car-dependent infrastructure so they can sell more cars. “Make no mistake- I love cars! They’re wonderful machines, and I don’t ever wanna see a Griffonia without them! Let’s assume the end goal here is total dominance of the automobile, where every citizen owns a car. What downside would that pose to someone who goes around in private planes?” I asked sarcastically, the look of amicability fading away as I got to my true disgust with the whole issue.

“Your bottom line is your shareholders, and I understand that completely. But my bottom line is the People of Griffonia.” I poked a finger at the table for emphasis, “In a nation of over A hundred-twenty million, only growing in population, do you know how much infrastructure that would take? Not just in parking lots for every business you can find within a city, but massive superhighways covering our beautiful, verdant land in pollution, trash, and concrete- all to support that massive number of cars!” I took a deep breath to calm myself down, “Should the people be forced to add an expensive piece of machinery on top of-”

“Nowhere in the petition does it even imply…” Johnny Permettersi, owner of the company that makes those model-T cars, immediately shut his mouth when I leveled a death glare his way. He shrank in his chair, sweating nervously and looking from side to side. “I-I’m sorry!” He whimpered, everyone around us looking on in worry and concern as I continued to stare. “I get it, no more interruptions! I swear!”

snapFWIP!

Gasps and cries of shock sprang up from the opposite side of the room as I pointed my revolver straight at that little prick… My finger was off the trigger the whole time, and I gently set my piece on the table with a smirk. Poor bastard looked like he was about to cry, panting and holding a hoof to his well-tailored suit… I mean, heart- and I don’t really blame him. I smirked.

“That interruption aside… Let me skip to the point. Your job is to make and sell cars- nothing more, nothing less. You’re all letting the wealth and success that I gave you get to your heads, breaking my balls constantly about shit you have no right to bitch about!” Being interrupted really pissed me off, not gonna lie. I then pointed at the two oil magnates- “Your job is the refinement and distribution of oil- nothing more!” They looked at me with more anger than fear, letting me know they all needed an ego check. They feel that I’m treating them unfairly, that I’m somehow robbing them all the way to the poorhouse everytime they have to comp a car or something.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. “So, here’s how our little business relationship will continue to prosper; I know you’re all upset at me right now. I know some of you may even be so stupid as to hire a hitman, or try to bribe one of my many T-E-A agents into letting your plans manifest slowly.” Starlight, who has been listening in remotely with a magical bug this entire time, is sending a radio message to Adrian as we speak. “No ship runs without cracks- but do you really wanna take the risk of determining if a crack in the hull is… being watched or not?” They were all looking around at each other nervously, a light rumble faintly able to be heard throughout the room. “If I find any mice sniffing around my ships’ hull searchin’ for cracks, rest assured- we will find out which nest they came from.” I cracked my neck, my side of the room remaining utterly calm while fear and trepidation filled the other half of the room… My crew sat in the corners with their hands covering the massive grins on their faces, elbows resting on the comfortable chairs.

A new-production airship, Abbandando was making Her maiden voyage to peer into the window of Ben’s corporate headquarters… named after the old Royal Guard captain who was tantamount in staging our revolution, God rest his soul- to assist with the precise positioning needed for this, the engine would be cut when She was at the right altitude; the team consisting of griffons and a few pegasi would manually position the blimp in just the right place, as well as several more spotters for guidance.

Shade fell upon the room as the new airship rose above the window, covering the windows behind us entirely. The blimp was wide, so the tallest window of the cabin was about 30 feet away… where a twin turret of Maxim-style machine guns was pointing straight into the window- I knew this when Ross gave me the signal of two thumbs up and a vigorous nod from behind the cowering chucklefucks. Aside from that, my crew remained still, calm as they arrived while the CEOs trembled in fear.

“The rats' nest will be found. Remember this image behind us- it’s the last thing you’ll ever see before a storm of bullets punches through here, turning everyone inside into chunky tomato sauce.” As soon as the zeppelin’s engine was cut, a near-silence fell upon the room, aside from the tangible fear among these new-money fucks, disgust at the intrusive mental imagery of their remains being likened to food. “It’ll be on a day when you least expect it- when you feel at ease and safe. But the moment you stop looking over your shoulder?”

The lights in the room turned off, caused by Starlight pulling the fuse bulb for this conference floor. The only light in the room was the natural sunlight, bathing the room in a warm glow from the right side. “The shooting starts as soon as the lights go. Even if you manage to escape?” I asked rhetorically, “I have access to the schematics of all buildings built in Griffonia during my reign… and even many from before. I know all the entrances and exits, and blending in with the crowd will be an army of buttonmen… waiting for you.” I just shrugged, waving with my hand for my crew to stand up.

“Stick to selling cars, not automotive serfdom. And hey, you may be thinking now- at least my family will have my business when I go!” I spoke as I holstered my gun to leave, the zeppelin being pulled away as Starlight gave Adrian the all clear. “Nothing is safe from nationalization.” I said, already walking away while they stared at the Syndicalist Eye on the tailfin in fear as it passed by. “Consider my words. Tomorrow, the media’s gonna put on a nice story about how one of my blimps took her maiden voyage within the city, and you’ll all keep your mouths shut.” By the time we got to the elevator, the fuse was simply put back in; mission accomplished!

We said our usual goodbyes a little hastily, since my wife was feeling tired. She and Silver were stuck in the middle of a chess match last night, so the two were up pretty late. I don’t mind, though- whatever makes her happy. Silver is just her friend.

Seeing her already asleep in my passenger’s seat next to me made me smile- I just found her so fucking adorable! For once, I wish I had someone else drive us- I really wanted to snuggle her while she slept, right now. I went at a reasonable speed, and was careful to avoid bumps because I didn’t want to disturb her.

When we got home, I simply parked in the driveway with a sigh. “Honey. We’re home. Wanna take a nap in bed?” I asked her, and she nodded with her eyes shut. I left the keys in as we walked in side by side, wasting no time in trudging up to the bedroom.

I threw my clothes and my leg off, laying on my back and holding my right arm under Dee’s pillow. Her clothes came off in short order too- so she climbed onto the bed, snuggling against my right side, so I could wrap my arm around her. She nuzzled and kissed my cheek, and I reached over with my left hand to rub the bump on her belly.

“I’m proud of you, babe.” I nuzzled her face, causing her to giggle.

“M’proud a’ you too… Love you…” She muttered into my side, making me grin. Proud I’ve stayed sober this whole time? I hope so…

I felt a tear of… joy? Pride? run down my left cheek as I shut my eyes to try to take a nap. I figured, Anastasia oughta be getting off the bus soon. Twenty minutes at most- but admittedly, I was pretty tired, too. I made the mistake of waiting for her to come home last night- but at least I was happy to see her when she finally showed up at four in the morning.

Riiip!

Starlight tore another page out of her typewriter, suffering total writer's block right out of the gate. She held her head in her hooves, resting her elbows against the desk. Her bowtie was unbuttoned and hanging around the collar of her white work shirt- the vest hung off the back of her chair. She nudged her reading glasses back, getting ready to try again.

“Starlight? What’s wrong?” Trixie asked, wearing her purple bathrobe, her mane held up in a towel. Starlight's desk was a mess of papers, aside from the neat stack set out beside her. “It’s just a book, Starlight! You have plenty of time to write something good!” Trixie approached her wife concernedly, nose scrunching at the noticeable scent of cigarette smoke. Her magic opened a window as she rested her chin on Starlight’s shoulder.

“I don’t even know how to start it!” She despaired, lowering her face into her hooves. “I have all my research! I know what points I want to cover, I know how to write a convincing argument!” She sighed in frustration, dragging her hooves down her cheeks in annoyance as she looked up. “This manifesto will be my chance to prove my ideas are worthy for the upcoming election! It’s supposed to be a call to action that even the dullest of ponies could understand, and I’m running out of time!” A lot of rich ponies would hopefully be arrested soon, based on a tip Leona passed on to Celestia. That’s what she believed will help galvanize the common pony, making them more ready to accept her ideas.

Trixie grabbed some of the crumpled up papers in her magic, un-balling them and humming as she read… she noticed a pattern. “Starlight, I think I could help.” She said, and Starlight turned around in her chair and cocked an eyebrow. “The language in these rough drafts is… plain.” Starlight shrugged and nodded sheepishly, kind of understanding where her wife was coming from.

Starlight shrugged, shaking her head almost like she gave up. “Well… how would you start this?” Trixie clicked her tongue several times in thought. Staring off to the side, she began to mutter to herself-

“There’s an idea… a force- a force spreading… No, no.” She muttered her thoughts aloud while Starlight lit up another smoke, despite the overflowing ashtray. “The proud spirit… No, spirit of… GASP!” She gasped aloud, a wide grin on her face as she put on her showmare’s voice.

“Be aware, my friends- For a specter looms over Equestria… the specter of Marksism!” She announced like she was on a stage again, “All the powers of ol’ Equus have banded together to exorcize this specter; capitalists, the nobility, the crown, secret police or otherwise!” Starlight excitedly tapped her desk with a hoof and squealed, turning around to madly tap away at the typewriter.

TAKTIKTIKTIKTAKTAKTIKTIKTAKTAKTAK! DING!

Starlight gestured for Trixie to keep going, turning around with an attentive smile as she smoked her cigarette. “Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as Marksist by its opposites in power? How many falsehoods on the doctrine of Marksism are spread by those in power, leading to misinterpretation, dissent, and most importantly, uhh… disunity?” She trailed off, having talked herself into a corner of sorts- but this was the rough draft, anyway. “Something like that.

She heard the typewriter ding as Starlight moved on to the next paragraph herself. She dictated aloud as she typed- “The sheer amount of pushback from the Elites reveals two simple facts- One, Marksism is already acknowledged by all Equestrian powers to be itself a power. Two, it is about time that Marksists should openly face the world, publishing their views, their aims, their tendencies, and to face this fairy-tale of a specter head-on with a manifesto of the party itself!”

TAKTAKTAKTAKTAKTAKTAKT DING!

“We’re doing it! YES!” She clapped her hooves, realizing that she finally had a salvageable preamble! She crushed the butt of her smoke out in the overflowing tray and nearly tackled her wife in a hug. “Can we keep going? Please?” She asked, and Trixie giggled as she hugged back.

“Of course, honey.” Trixie giggled, “This is fun so far!” Starlight ran back to her desk and lit another cigarette while Trixie hopped on the bed, which was only a couple feet away. Starlight took a drag of her smoke and leaned back, turning to face her wife.

“This first section is gonna be about the history of class struggle, along with-”

“After you tell me what you do at work.” Trixie spoke firmly, causing Starlight to freeze. “You’re always coming home late, and you never have an excuse or anything!” She huffed, crossing her arms while Starlight kept her mouth shut, a neutral expression on her face. “And don’t try to lie to me- I found a gun in your bag! And a dictionary with a bullet hole in it!” While carrying a gun wasn’t unusual in Griffonia- Trixie couldn’t help but feel something was off when a unicorn as powerful as her wife carried one.

Starlight shook her head slowly, avoiding eye contact. “I can’t. I took an oath.”

“An oath? I thought you were just employed?” Now Trixie really wanted to know what the fuck was going on. “What kind of friend forces you to take an oath?” Trixie asked, and Starlight scowled.

“I wasn’t forced! I chose to take that oath- I knew the risks involved!” She grumbled, rubbing her temples in frustration. “I just… do stuff for her. Favors and the like- that’s all.” She mumbled as she glanced from side to side. “And… it’s a good thing for us, honey. Trust me.” Trixie tilted her head, asking-

“How? What’s the end goal here?” This was her first time hearing any of this; her eyes widening as every awful possibility ran through her mind.“Is this why she g-”

“Leona is friends with Celestia. They met a couple days ago, and I was tasked with listening in and transcribing their conversation.” Starlight interrupted, causing Trixie to raise an eyebrow. “She convinced her to read Hivism and she liked the core ideas. And because of Leona’s connection to many corporate worlds within and abroad from Filthy Rich, we found out that a bunch of Elites are gonna be meeting together in an attempt to thwart Equestrian democracy.”

Trixie blinked, but kept her mouth shut- so Starlight continued, “Now Celestia knows, and sometime next week a whole bunch of rich scumbags will hopefully be arrested, revealing to the Equestrian public how dangerous these ponies are. That’s why I’m freaking out about the time limit! I’ve got a week at best to strike while this iron’s hot!” She started panting, voice straining as she felt tears in her eyes. Trixie knew to give her wife a second to even her breathing before going in for a hug.

Starlight shuddered in her wife's arms, allowing herself to calm down slowly.

“Please. Just tell me what you did today, At least. I don’t want names- I just need to know what you were doing.” Starlight sighed, knowing she was never gonna get away from that question, no matter how hard she tried. Trixie pulled back, sitting back on the bed and anxiously awaiting her summary. “I-I’m casting Blissful Ignorance. I-I hate making it seem like I don’t trust you, but-”

“Honey! It’s alright. You’re in the right to be extra cautious. If it’s something serious- you’ll always have the okay.” Starlight admitted, crushing her smoke out and lighting another. “This morning, I had a quick meeting with Leona- just status reports on the various propaganda mills we have running across Equestria. Then she explained the main task for the day.” Starlight took a deep pull from her smoke as Trixie waited with trepidation.

“A bunch of CEO’s in the car and oil industries petitioned for a proposal that would, in essence, lower the amount of viable public transport in favor of selling cars to a wider demographic. Obviously this prevents problems both in its detrimental effects to the lower class, on top of the cost in resources and infrastructure; in the latter’s case, infrastructure that would reduce the very beauty of Fertilia’s landscape by requiring large swathes of things like highways and parking lots.” She stared off to the side, puffing away at her cigarette as she explained. “Leona explained all this and told them no while I listened with a Chatterbug spell from the fuse room.”

Starlight smiled, leaning back and blowing smoke into the air. “When that big airship started its course through the city, it stopped outside the building, pointing one of its guns into the windows. She assured them- either they drop this line of monopolist thinking, or get shredded to a pulp in a hail of bullet fire.” Starlight said with a smug grin. “They got the hint.”

She looked up to Trixie- whose expression of despair turned into a smirk. “I bet you enjoyed that show, huh?” Starlight nodded slowly with a sly grin.

Creeeeak!
Thunk!

The cellar door was closed and barred by Filly Casanova- who towards the end of her shift, crashed utterly from the drug she used to do her real job. Her head felt light and empty, and she couldn’t even remember the trek back home.

She carelessly tossed her coat, hat, and scarf onto the floor, struggling to keep her eyes open as she staggered to the mattresses.

Her partners knew this would happen; so when she trudged onto the bed and fell over, they’d be ready to help tuck her in. Dan worked on making sure she was sleeping in a comfortable position, laying on her side in between the two of them.

Rosie took the other side of Cassie, kissing her on the cheek before rolling over under her edge of the blanket. Dan kissed her on the cheek too, soon passing out with the rest of them.

It wasn’t much- but at least they had each other.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

A twenty minute nap never really is a twenty-minute nap, is it? I was staring at the ceiling, glancing at the clock revealing the unfortunate time of three-thirty in the fucking morning. And no matter how hard I tried, no matter which side I laid on; nothing could change the fact that the clock told me I’ve managed to sleep for nine hours.

My wife was up too- also struggling to fall back asleep. I tapped her arm to get her attention.

“I’m makin’ coffee.” If she was awake enough to understand what I said, she knows she’s invited if she wanted; I just didn’t need to say it.

Her simple “Mm-hm.” told me she’d try and catch a few more hours; but that’s a fools game, and I knew it. I kissed her on the cheek before heading down to the kitchen; more coffee for me! I was gonna enjoy this early morning to myself. Sit on my front porch, watching and hearing the world wake up around me through the early morning fog?

The best part of being a multicultural nation is that you can hire Pegasi weather mechanics to manipulate the weather around small areas… like around my compound! It was fuckin incredible the precision they can work with.

Starlight and her wife Trixie laid in bed, giggling as they snuggled each other. After a long writing session, it was time for bed!

“Oh, goodness, Starlight… Can I confess something?” Glimmer, who was acting as the little spoon, simply nodded with a smirk. “The reason I was so upset earlier was… goodness, I thought you were having an affair or something!” She giggled sheepishly, and Starlight snorted.

“Trixie, come oooon! You know me!” she rolled her eyes, waving her off- “I mean, why would I ever even think to cheat on you? The love of my life, youuuu!” She squealed adorably, gently kicking her rear hooves. Trixie held her tight as she said- “I have never cheated on yo-GAH!”

Every nerve in her body screamed out in pain for but a fraction of a second, her eyes shooting open when she realized that Trixie must have cast Blissful Ignorance on her without her realizing. She breathed heavily, her fight or flight response resembling a deer in headlights. What? WHAT!? No, No I-

“I KNEW IT!” Trixie yelled, scooting back against the edge of the bed and sitting up. “I knew it! I knew it I knew it I KNEW it!” tears streamed down her cheeks as she yelled- “Why would you do this to meeeeee?” She began to cry, shoving Starlight away when she tried to get near.

‘This night was supposed to end happily!’ Starlight thought to herself,
… ‘wait a fucking minute.’

“Sex workers do not count as cheating!” Starlight blurted out, and Trixie fell silent, jaw dropping entirely. “Ther-there’s this really high end massage parlor that-” She explained with a smile while an expression of anger formed on her wife's face.

“You’ve been out banging whores?” her tone was full of disgust and sadness, “Am I not goo-!?”

“Sex workers are not whores!” Starlight corrected her wife on impulse, only to quickly realize that was a bad idea as her wife glared at her. She groaned in frustration, punching the bed in anger before pointing at her wife.

“YOU KNOW WHAT!?” She yelled, causing Starlight to shrink back, “GET OUT! I can’t talk to you anymore, Starlight! Not tonight!” Tears streamed down her face as she looked down, sobbing as she swatted her wife's attempts at comfort away- it was too late for that.

“Baby, please! I lo-” Trixie shoved her in the chest, causing her to huff.

“I SAID NO MORE! GET OUT!”

The kerosene heater and coffee I brought out onto my front porch really felt wonderful while I listened to Starlight’s story. It was barely after four when I sat out on my gated porch and noticed Starlight’s car coming up the driveway.

I sipped my coffee and enjoyed my cigarette while Starlight chain smoked since the minute she sat down.

“I-I don’t know what to do!” she whined as I set my coffee down with a sigh.

“Maybe you can try acting like a fucking mare!?” I suggested sarcastically, and her eyes widened. “What’s the matter with you? You can whack someone without a second thought, but the moment your wife raises your voice, you’re crying and knocking at my door at four in the morning?” I topped off my mug and took another sip. “Be glad I was already awake- because I better not be getting woken up for shit like this on the regular.”

She sniffed, looking off to the side… fuck it. What else do I got to do?. “We’re gonna talk her down together. Just let me finish my coffee.” I took a drag of my cigarette and admitted- “We just gotta… make sure she’s aware of who’s earning for your household, you know?” I said to her, and she sniffed with a hopeful smile.

“Thank you.” She said, looking off into the foggy morning with a smile, sighing with an eyeroll. “I never shoulda taught her that fuckin’ spell.” She muttered to herself, and I just chuckled.

“I know, right! Banging whores is masturbation if anything!” I saw her glare at me, opening her mouth when I added- “Sex workers. Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, sipping at my coffee, puffing my smoke intermittently between sips.

After I enjoyed a few moments of silence, Starlight spoke up. “I was thinking of going under another pseudonym for my manifesto!” She suggested, and I couldn’t be bothered to explain why she might not even need to use a pseudonym soon.

“What were ya’ thinking?” I asked, enjoying my morning coffee.

“I was kind of wanting to go for something unique… Like… Political Potential, or-or, I’d call myself like, Pol-pot for short or something!”

I had to cut my morning coffee break short when I almost choked to death from bursting out into laughter after taking a sip.

“Vetoed, denied!” I yelled, rubbing my aching sides. “Jesus Christ, there is no way in hell that I am explaining the fuckin’ Cambodians tonight. I gotta get my leg from upstairs- I’ll follow in my car.”

It’s always something, I swear.

Author's Note

There's a discord server for this fic!! :3

MY GF MADE A NEW MAP :P

As always, thanks for reading! Likes and comments are greatly appreciated :3