Berenices made good on her promise, and with a roar, the water hit the blast doors, making them creak as the pressure built. The sea water leaked out from the vents, making many small pools all around the tunnel. Luckily things didn’t get worse, but it was safe to say that all the ponies on the other side of the blast door were now dead. I had to coldly admit to myself, this was the better outcome. If I had known that this was what she had planned, I’d have concentrated on getting ponies out of the station, then on a stupid attempt to lead her away.

Lifting up my right foreleg, I had managed to repair it, but the range of moment was dramatically reduced. The tension in the cable was too tight in one spot, too loose in another, and a gear was bent. On this leg I was not going to be able to run effectively at all, but walking would be just fine.

The survivors were few and far between, most being the ponies whose job it was to work here, and others who looked like they had been heading to another station in the first place. What did surprise me was two ponies that I recognized, the mare from block C, and Tenor Cleft, the security pony we sent to help the foals. Speaking of which, there was a group of foals, about eleven of them, some were holding onto what I suspected were their parents, the rest were all huddled up together. It was good to see some ponies who made it out alive.

Tenor Cleft came up to us, her body was shaking, and her neck was bandaged up, the bandages a scarlet red on one side. “Wh… where are th..the others?” I answered her with a shake of my head. “Oh… I see. Th…thanks for pulling me out of th…there. Did th…they get some of th…the monsters?”

“I hope so.” I could feel the bitterness fall off my tongue. “I had to leave to find the mayor. She was dead by the time I found her, and when I got back to the market, the lurkers had taken over.”

With a depressed sigh, Tenor Cleft turned around and walked back over to the group, sitting down among the foals.

“What a mess.’ Synthesis chimed in. “Such a simple operation ending in the loss of a station, ungood times indeed.” Her disposition had not changed, a mix of focused professionalism, and sickly sweet joy. She was a bit too happy to do her job, even with all the death around us.

“So we’re meeting the other agents at the next station, what should I expect” She had filled me in on the basics of what we were going to do, which was not much. We were going to the M.o.A. HQ, at Persephone Station. We just needed to make a stop at Smiles Station and meet up with the other agents, not even taking a break there.

“Not much.” Was her answer. “It’s just the usual M.o.A. kind of pony. The most well trained group of do nothings. Amazing how we’ve managed to maintain that reputation for over two hundred years. It’s like we work hard at not working hard.”

“Wait, but we actually do, do things.” I was getting a little confused.

Synthesis waved her hoof dismissively. “E’yep, but it’s important that nopony knows what it is. Makes some ponies underestimate us, and the more aware, they’re easily manipulated by rumors and lies.” She giggled at the last statement. “That was my job before I joined the Reaver Corp. Now I can get down and dirty with the republic’s protection. Like how I blew up the support beams inside the Biome, the freaks didn’t see what hit them, literally.”

The train rolled in, many ponies already inside, mostly security, and engineers. They were probably here to insure that blast doors didn’t break open and flood the rest of the station. After they got off, we got on, and with the small amount of ponies who had survived, we got a whole cart to ourselves.

The doors closed with a hiss, and Synthesis stretched her back, making a few popping sounds. “Finally some privacy, didn’t want to give the foals a show, you know what I mean.”

“No I don’t.”

She smiled, and opened up her rubbery looking saddle bag. Inside were two suits, black shoes, and tinted glasses. “Were getting changed, that’s why.”

Synthesis was already peeling the wetsuit off of her before I even started fumbling with my zipper. Even for cyber mirage pony, she looked odd. Stunning, but odd. The silver mare’s spine was visible, and made of steel and glass, which had a blue glow all the way up. Her legs were full cybernetic like my back legs, but sleeker looking, with rubber covering her hooves. On the back of her neck, just under her wiry mane, was six ports, which was odd because most ponies with a cyber system in them only ever had just one, two if they had a fetish for metal parts.

I had managed to wiggle myself out of my clothes, careful to not lose my cartridge holders, the bullets inside could still prove useful, and I didn’t want her to know about them. “So, how much of you is cybernetic? Is it normal for reaver’s to have such extensive work done? I’d have asked Blaster Beam, but you know, she likes to ash other ponies.”

“Oh this.” She wiggled her tail, forcing my eyes to her exposed backside. I was not into mares, but I couldn't help but stare at her well toned ass. What I wouldn't give to have an ass like that. Not to say that mine was not any good, a solid 9 I’d say, but she was a glorious 10. “Ya, I’m full bodied cyber, all the reavers are. Even our brains have the metal bits in them.”

It reminded me what I saw inside Theremin, all the synthetics inside of him, nothing looking like the original. “But why, and how? I thought all that cybernetics lead to mental instability?”

Synthesis giggled again, sliding on the black skirt over her rear end. “True, but the M.o.A. found a way around that problem. ingenious really, never would think that something like that would work.”

“Something like what?” I had finally gotten most of the suit on, my shitty, busted leg not helping in the least.

“Oh, that be spoiling the surprise. Just trust me, it will be amazing.” She made an arch with her hooves, spreading them out far, then bring them back together. “Let’s just say that it’s both enlightening, and a connecting experience.”

With what I’ve seen from the republic so far, I had my doubts. But I didn’t have a choice, Persephone Station was my next destination. The heart of the republic.

We caught up with the other agents, and got onto a connecting train bound for Persephone Station. Making six of us in one cart, all dressed in black suits, tinted glasses, and shiny black shoes. The group, Saxtuba the only stallion in the group, who was brown and tan, was easily the biggest one among us. Dulzaina and Alboka looked like twins with their colors reversed, a light purple and dark gray. And Naqareh looked too sickly for an official agent, her teal mane and coat were only a few shades different from each other.

“A whole station, lost. Things seem to be getting worse and worse every few days.” Saxtuba’s voice was crazy deep, the kind of voice if backed up with a musical beat, I’d swoon over in my youth. “Yesterday a group of scavengers got wiped out as they were picking punga fruit. From the looks of it, the civilians were shot from the sky, over half of them were not accounted for.” Saxtuba had this calm feeling about him, his hoof movements slow and reserved, his voice, though worried, didn’t have a threatening feel to it.

Naqareh laughed, ending it in a fit of coughing. Under her suit I could see that she was wrapped in bandages, and her eyes were sunken in, forming dark rings around them. “I have to agree with you there. The plague at good vibes station has finally subsided, as you can tell from me being free from that place. I thought they were all fucked when the station was sealed off, but just a few days ago the bandits that were making everything worse, stopped raiding the station. I even tracked them back to their hideout, but found it empty, I had thought they all caught the plague and died, but they have cleared out. It was odd, but it gave the doctors time to treat the ponies that could be saved. Including another agent, we lost nearly half of the stations citizens.”

“But the plague is over with, so none of the other stations are at risk. That at least is good to hear. Last thing we need is another major outbreak.” Alboka finished with a sigh.

Dulzaina huffed. “The outer stations have been a pain in the neck. Every time we think we got the syndicate pinned down, they up and change their base of operations. We almost had them two days ago, I just know it, but suddenly the trail went cold, ice cold. Our contact told us that they were recalling their lackeys. Good for us, but I don’t like it.”

“Agreed.” Alboka said with a nod. “The syndicate does not just give up like that. They have to be up to something, I just know it.”

The chatter went on for a bit longer, moving from their work to what they wanted to do with their time off. From the sounds of it, the M.o.A. acted as an intelligence agency, and secret security for the republic, doing their best to get ahead of any dangers to the republic, and stopping it. It sounded a lot like what the Specters were for Orthrus, if a bit more brute force.

After a bit longer, the train came to a stop, announcing that we had arrived at Persephone Station. Stepping out, the station was as clean as all the others, but more than that, it looked new. The common signs of wear and tear most stations had were just not here. No little cracks, or chipped sides, just clean floors and walls with a clean coat of paint. Above the propaganda posters, near the exit was a portrait of a mare. It sat in a gold colored frame, with red drapes pinned around it. The mare in the portrait looked familiar, Livenka Fortissimo was her name, the leader of the equality revolution, and luckily, seven years dead. She had a deep red coat, and bright golden blond mane, on her left cheek was a burn mark that went up all the way to her ear. There were two stories I knew of about how she got the burns, one being a work accident, and another in a fight with the republic. With how the republic was run now, my curiosity was tugging at me. “Say, how did miss Fortissimo get her burn mark.”

“The burn?” Synthesis was the one to answer. “She got it when saving the lives of other workers in an excavation accident. The ungood capitalist was intentionally ignoring the safety concerns about the excavation, which lead to a fire breaking out. She ran in, and dragged every worker out, saving all of their lives.” She gave me a playful push on the shoulder. “You should get to know your history better. But it’s true, Livenka Fortissimo is an inspiration to us all, we all strive to finish what she set out to do.”

“The unification of the metro right?” It was no secret to anyone in the metro, and they were not the first to have that goal.

Synthesis put on a big smile and said. “Yep.”

Further into the station I couldn’t help be feel impressed, and a bit intimidated. I had long heard about the republic of old expanding their capital station, but it looked like the current republic had managed to continue and finish the work. The tunnel had opened up into a large cavity, much bigger then the two hangars Orthrus operated out of, and in the center was a building sticking out of the middle, reaching up to… the sky! I could see the sky from in here, the natural sunlight beaming down into the station. “How?”

Synthesis looked and giggled for a second. “I remember when they first finished construction, everypony holding their breath, ready for the worst, but no, the sunlight came in, and the toxins stayed out. The roof is made of layers of concrete and steel, and even has a magical barrier on top to be sure. But the egg heads found a way to let the sunlight to pass through, without diminishing it. It’s hard for me to explain the arcane science behind it, but they made some talismans that can project or transport a clear image from one talisman to the next, sunlight and all. So yep, that’s the actual sky you're seeing, but were still safe here.”

The other agents stepped out into the sunlight, basking in it. Following them, the shadows and artificial light seem to be blocked by a barrier, the divide between it and the natural light oddly apparent. The light was warm, and everything in it was clear to see, but also bright, hurting my eyes a little. It made me glad I had the tinted glasses on, the strain on my eyes slowly easing under the light. It wasn’t a new sensation, but felt so much different without a gas mask on, it felt… right.

“Feels good, don’t you think?” Dulzaina snickered at me. “It’s Fortissimo’s biggest promise made real, to give us back the sun. I remember when it was first activated, the first summer sun celebration in over… two hundred years I think. And even too sick to hold herself up, Fortissimo pushed herself to activate the window, letting the sunlight in.”

Saxtuba nodded. “I remember that too. The station was so packed, my little sister had to sit on my back just to see anything. She actually thought that the ceiling had opened up, and we were going to die from the toxic air.”

“How’s the runt doing by the way?” Naqareh butted in, still looking sickly in the sunlight. “Didn’t you say she was expecting?”

Saxtuba had a big genuine smile. “Ya, she had a healthy colt just a week ago. No signs of toxin damage at all. The doctor’s think he will grow as big and healthy as his uncle.”

Alboka trotted ahead of us, her shoes making a light tapping noise on the ground. “Any of you hungry for some lunch? I asked the noodle place to hold onto some of the good stuff for us. I promised a bottle of vodka in return.”

The rest of them quickly followed her, trotting down an alleyway, and out of sight. Synthesis stayed with me, tapping at her pipleg. “Not going to join them?” I couldn’t help but ask.

She shrugged. “I was never part of the field agent click.” She tapped on the pipleg a few more times before looking up at me. “So we got some time before were needed at HQ, interested in going to the Theater? A shows starting soon.”

“Maybe, is there something we can eat there?” I was unsure about how to proceed here, feeling like a noose was gently hanging around my neck. One step into M.o.A. and I was fucked. “I’m feeling a bit hungry.”

“Oh yes, there's this one place near the theater, we can eat there after the show.” I could read Synthesis excitement all over her face. It would be cute, if she didn’t give off a needy vibe. Something about her was just too excitable, like it was forced, yet natural at the same time.

Shaking off the feeling, I wasn’t going to get out of this by drawing suspicion to myself. Seeing the show might give me enough time to think up a plan. “Lead the way.” Though I was unsure if there was anything I could really even do.

Slowly trotting through the lively station, the ponies here looked a lot healthier, thin, and a bit tired, but really healthy compared to the others I’ve seen. Not only that, but their prosthetics were far better maintained compared to the shabby leg that was slowing me down. They all had a same’y look about them though. Same kind of prosthetic legs, same clothes, same four hair styles, and oddly enough the same smile. I didn’t catch on at first but after the tenth or eleventh pony I saw, it started to stand out. It was one of those smiles that a pony would have when they had thought of something funny, and were waiting to tell their friends about it. Nothing creepy about the smile, just... that they all had it.

We were walking through what seemed like a marketplace, though in place of shops, it had small distribution centers. Each one stocked with the stuff you could earn with E.C.S. with the biggest being food and drink. That had a long line which quickly moved. I think it was because of the limited selection of things to order, so a pony only had to pick between the basic pink lunch combo with water, or for the cost of one ration and a few bits they can get the high nutrition green combo with a Metro-Cola.

The other distributor shops dealt with cloths, tools, basic supplies, recreational toys, books, and even art. The art shop, which probably only sold art that was republic approved, seemed to almost only have portraits of Livenka Fortissimo, but at least in different sizes. The shop also had a bunch of the republic posters for sale too, so some variety.

I stopped to take a quick look at the bookstore, the thought of getting something for Mayall crossed my mind. I didn’t really know anypony all that into books, not when everything was digital. The ones on display were almost all written by one pony, a Koncovka Mistrial. The books were critiques about the economy, philosophy, and politics. One proudly above the others was the “Equalist Manifesto” by the same pony. The two books not written by Koncovka were on each end of the display. “Station and Revolution.” by Livenka Fortissimo, and “Educating Equality.” by Garmon Keys.

Trotting off, I had to give it to the republic on one thing. They certainly had a flare for intellectual bullshit. Growing up, the “Equalist Manifesto” was a book I had to read alongside a few other book of similar value, like “Purity of Blood” which was an anti-Mirage pony rant so long it became a book. And “Gold Standard”, which went on about how having super powerful, super rich ponies is good for the economy, trickling down the wealth. The pony that wrote the last book was killed in the equalist revolution, and the writer of the second was rumored to have been assassinated by Orthrus, though no proof that would support the claim was ever found.

Synthesis waited for me further down the path, which lead up a staircase and over a bridge. It was amazing how much space this station had, and used. Residential blocks could be seen in the distance, the size of the homes looking more than enough to hold a family. There was an active tram system transporting ponies from one section of the station to the next. I was simply amazed, the amount of work the republic had to do to make all this must have been staggering, and expensive.

“Hello, and a doubleplusgood day to you!” A very cheerful mare greeted us from inside a booth. “The show is due to start in half an hour, and we have a new act. Some classic’s, and the Tremolo Sisters are performing as well. If you’re interested in some more personal fun, the arcade is open, with all the classic games up and running.”

“We’re here for the show.” Synthesis told the mare with a smile. “Were also interested in dining afterwards-” she gave the mare her E.C.S. pass card. “-Anyway we can get a nice place to sit?”

The mare ran the card through her terminal, and nodded as she hoofed it back to Synthesis. “Yes ma’am. We have plenty of room, and a table will be put on hold for you. Thank you for visiting the theater.”

We continued forward into the theater, Synthesis walking with a skip in her step. “Luckily it’s not peak hours, so we should be able to get a good seat.” We entered through the double doors, and I was greeted by a decent looking theater. Nothing like the ones from the old world, but the builders had managed to make maximum use out of the limited space. Half of the theater was the seats, which were simply stairs stretched out long enough for a pony to sit on, and the stage far down below. Synthesis pointed down near the front row. “Yep, looks like we can get up close to the stage, lucky day.”

As we walked down, music played through speakers that were wired all over. It took me a little bit to figure out what it was, the radio. It made sense, as most places did this, but with how well the theater carried sound, and the extra speakers, the music came in clear. The seats we took were the third row from the front, giving us a good view of the stage. There were other ponies here, most of them old, and the few younger ponies looked like they were on a date, all snuggling up to each other.

Seemingly on cue, the music faded, and the DJ spoke up. “Good Day to all of you good citizens in our home we call the Republic. I’ve got a few tips and tricks you can use to help keep your home supplies lasting longer, and possibly a few party favors.”

The DJ went on about alternate uses for everyday items, which would sound interesting if I was in the mood to care. Looking at Synthesis, one of my eyebrows had cocked up, “So nothing about this morning?”

Synthesis shrugged. “Too soon for such news. Unlike the capitalists, we like our news to have all the facts before having it spread around.”

I nodded, understanding the logic. “It probably helps that you… we probably got somepony there to help edit out any capitalist propaganda that might get through.”

The cybernetic mare scratched the back of her head and smiled. Her blue wired mane flopped around, too stiff to act like normal hair, making her look more like a foal’s doll come to life. “ya, I’ve actually had that job at one point. It was super easy to do too; the DJ actually refuses to read any news until we’ve given it approval. Talk about a model citizen.”

The DJ finished her little lesson on how to make decorations with used paper, and had changed her tone to be happier. “Well, now that we're done, let’s move onto something even better. Originally our good president Garmon Keys was to come and pay us a visit here at the studio, but sadly something has come up and he must get to his work. Who would think that running a republic would be so time consuming? But fear not, I have a few old recordings of mister Key’s ready for such an occasion. You can say it’s my ‘best of’ Garmon Keys speeches, and for you, I have a classic.”

“Hello citizens of the republic, it is my greatest honor to be talking with you today. I know it’s been some time since I last spoke to you all. But bureaucracy? Bureaucracy never changes. Luckily, today I’ve managed to gain the free time needed to speak with you all. Well on my way here, I got to thinking, what would the good citizens like for me to talk about, and I knew that none of you would like to hear about how I’ve been signing so many papers that the pen ran out of ink. That’s when I saw a young foal trailing behind their mother, and I remembered my time as a professor at the university.”

“Back then, my goal was, and still is, to help the next generation of citizens grow up ready for this harsh world. I watched as good little fillies and colts became fine mares and stallions, all of which I helped guide to the bright future of today. But I had also seen some tragically stray from the path, turning to drugs and other debauchery that led to their untimely death. For each one of them, I was there at their funeral, seeing the sorrow of the ponies they left behind. I, at one point, being one of them, for my own son had fallen victim to such vile traps. And I am not ashamed to admit that I had been too blind to see it until it was too late.”

“It was that pain of loss that led me to see the truth. That this world is wrong, and as long as ponies like me did nothing, then nothing will get better. If we let the evil of this world continue unchallenged, then it will continue to claim the ones we love. But sadly, I could not see what I needed to do to save my students, other than to be their guiding light. No, it was not until a colleague of mine told me I should take a more active role for my students. Koncovka Mistrial told me that If I were to protect my students, then I should in fact lead them and be the example that they follow. I then watched as she went off to defend her students as a symbol of hope, only to get shot down by the capitalists. The loss of my colleague, my friend, hit me like that of the loss of my son. But now I knew what to do, how to end this unending cycle of tragedy. I turned to my students, and took an active part in their betterment.”

“One student took a vested interest in what I had to say. She had once been a student of Koncovka early into her studies, and now I was to be her mentor. So many questions, for each, I had an answer for her. When she took up her own banner of leadership, I encouraged her. When the capitalists came to stop her, I defend her. And when she took up the role of my friend, I could not help myself but join her as an advisor and a friend. Yes, my student was the very same Livenka Fortissimo. Though I disapproved the violence that came with her revolution, I understood that it had to be done. To protect the next generation, from the capitalist threat.”

“In time, I returned to the university, and had other students like her waiting, each one like a vase needing to be filled. I did my best, saw them take important places in the republic we had reformed. But I still remember the ones who didn’t make it. The ones that I couldn’t save. All I can do is do better, is to be a better pony for others. So if I were to give you a lesson today, to teach you just one thing, it’s that education is your road to freedom. To push and struggle to expand what you know, which will open up the solutions to even the most difficult of problems. So remember, the opportunities are endless, but you just must first be willing to learn and grow.”

After a pause that lasted for a few seconds, the DJ spoke up. “That one always manages to lift my spirts. I remember always seeing Garmon Keys working at the university. Had him as my professor in history too. That stallion was an inspiration to me, and to everypony who studied under him. Which is why I voted for him in the elections, and why most of you did too. Well, to all of you good citizens out there, take his advice and keep educating yourselves. It can only help the republic. Now for some more music.

As the marching band music began to play, the volume dropped until it was silenced. Up on stage, a mare stepped out with a top hat and black suit on. Similar to ours, but it had two black tails, and a red shirt on the inside. “Oh wow, quite a few of you! Normally we get a much smaller crowd at this time.” The mare was upbeat and friendly, common among show ponies. “Well, the show is about to begin. First up is a dance form one of our talented mares, Hulusi, with Madhalam providing a beat, and Conch providing a lovely tune.” The mare stepped off stage, and three ponies took her place. One was a lovely looking mare dressed in translucent cloth, the only thing truly covering her was her panties, the other two ponies sat behind her playing the drums and a flute.

Despite moving on prosthetic limbs, she managed to pull of an entrancing dance, showing her flexibility that made me feel jealous. I couldn’t but help but wonder what it would feel like to move like that. To reach up and bend back like her, or to be able to curl up into to a ball and spread out my legs too wide to be normally comfortable. What most impressed me was how she could, when the music picked up, stand on two legs and shake her hips. I know I could stand on two legs too, but to do that with my hips, unlikely.

“Impressive don’t you think?” Synthesis pulled me out of my trance. “To think, only three years ago she was nothing more than a petty thief. The M.o.A. used her to root out the syndicate from one of our stations, for protection we brought her here and had her take up a normal job. Not long after she found her way here, and has been a popular act ever since.”

“Lucky girl.” was all I could say about it, my focus returning to the mare. Not that I was attracted to her, but it was hard to pull my eyes away. I couldn’t help but imagine myself in her position, eyes on me as I moved around in exotic ways. It was an intoxicating thought, though ultimately not me. Not that I couldn’t fantasize about it though.

The music came to a stop as the dancer slowed down to a stop herself. Hulusi gave us all a bow before walking off stage, while I and many others clapped our hooves on the ground, showing our excitement over her performance. The announcer stepped out on stage once more, a cheerful smile on her face. “Now wasn’t that exciting? Hulusi always puts on a good show. I got all tense just watching her, last time I tried to copy her moves, I ended up having to take a week off. How does she do it? Next up, Madhalam and Conch will put on a show, along with Tanpura playing the bass.” She trotted off as another pony came onto the stage with a rather large instrument.

The group began to play with the new pony, Tanpura starting out with a respective, but relaxing tune from his instrument. Madhalam then started, keeping the beat slow, but rhythmically entrancing. Last Conch started, her instrument being a shell, gave off a haunting tune, being much louder than during the dance. Madhalam and Conch picked up the rhythm, Conch creatively using the limitations of her shell horn in rhythm with the drum beat of Madhalam, all as Tanpura kept up a haunting sound that never missed a beat. The music went on for… minutes, I lost track, but I was enthralled. Days of nothing but marching band music, made this sound like the most wonderful thing I had heard in a long time. At its end I was yearning for more, for it not to just stop. The music was odd, no doubt about it, but somehow the three of them found harmony, and made it work.

Once more the announcer got onto stage, and the crowd mumbled, only quieting down when the announcer got onto center stage and smiled at us all. “Now wasn’t that something? Those three always find a way to make new and interesting music, even with the simplest of instruments. Truly have we not seen anything like it before. But now, what I know you’re here for, the Tremolo Sisters are here for you, performing their most popular song, Our Station!”

Two young mares dressed in frilly white sleeveless shirts, and short gray skirts, trotted out on stage, accompanied by a marching band. I could only guess that they were the Tremolo Sisters, and I was a little taken aback by the. The two being earth ponies, odd looking earth ponies. They were both a light earthy red gray. One had a rose pink mane, and the other a soft blue mane, so I could at least tell them apart. The odd thing was that their legs and muscles were a light gray. The gray on their legs didn’t go all the way up, fading into spots below the shoulders and hips. It was the same on their muscles, but a bit harder to see. Looking at their faces, I say one other thing, their icy blue eyes had a strange glow about them

The marching band began to play a familiar tune, which broke me out of my stare. It was similar to most of the music that played on the radio, which annoyed me a bit. The Tremolo Sisters harmonized with each other, and the band, with a short bit of humming. Then taking a deep breath, the two began to sing.

The rest of the ponies began to sing along to the sister’s song, even Synthesis joined in. It was weird, and way too in tune with the professional singers, almost like they all do every time.

One of the sisters took a step forward, and addressed the crowd. Her voice was loud but soft, comforting, but a bit authoritative. “Alright everypony, I want to see you smile, big and wide!”

Once more, like on cue, everypony joined in on the song.

The second sister now took a step forward “You see, now we all can win!”

And predictably, everypony joined in on the second verse.

Yeah, that last line creeped me out, even sent a shiver down my spine. The two sisters got close to each other, harmonizing quite well as they sung. But something was odd, they seemed to shimmer a bit, like a mirage pony.

Not like a mirage pony, they were mirage ponies. No earth pony could shimmer, and special effects never looked quite right. The Tremolo Sister were producing magical energy, and it was shimmering out of them, no doubt about it. But one thing was different, their eyes were lit up like lamps, not all that bright, but I could tell they were giving off light.

Leaning on each other, the sisters raised up their hooves at us, and everypony joined in on the song, everypony but me. I’d pretend to sing along, but I didn’t know the lyrics, so I didn’t even try.

The song came to an end with an applause, Synthesis almost too excited as she clapped her hooves. I clapped as well, but not with the same enthusiasm as all the others. Truth be told, though interesting, I found the song to be a bit boring compared to the other two acts.

The magic wafting off the two sister slowly dissipated as they smiled and waved at us. The curtain to the stage slowly covered the view of the stage, the crowd still clapping their hooves. Nugging Synthesis with my hoof, she quickly stopped clapping, and looked at me. “They’re amazing, don’t you think?”

“yeah, amazing.” I answered. “Say, those two, they were mirage ponies right? I’ve never seen mirage ponies like that before.”

Synthesis scratched her chin for a moment, and nodded. “Oh yes, the new gen. You’ll see them around here and there.”

My eyebrow cocked, as this didn’t sound right. “What do you mean ‘the new gen’? Like what, a new generation of mirage ponies?”

She nodded. “That’s about right. I don’t know the exact science behind it, but the republic is using something similar to what Orthrus uses to make the mirage ponies like us. But the new mirage ponies are a lot more genetically put together. No defects, stable minds, and possibly a bit stronger in generating magic, but only by a bit.”

“That’s, well, amazing. But why?”

Synthesis just shrugged. “You’d have to take it up with the eggheads about it, all I know is that they’re more resistant to the toxins on the surface, so they're less likely to have birth defects when born. Actually, never seen one even missing a leg, but then again, their moms are probably kept somewhere clean.”

The curtains on the stage opened up, and it looked like another dance was being performed, this time it being a team of mares and stallions. The music was a lot simpler, and the dance was not much more than them kicking up their legs. Synthesis gave me a nudge, and motioned toward an exit on our right. “The rest of the show is just going to phone it in. Why don’t we talk some more over lunch?”

I nodded, and we exited the theater. I was half expecting that we would go through the backstage, and see all the performers, but we simply left out of the side exit, and out over to a balcony. Here we had a nice view that overlooked a residential zone. I could still hear the music from the theater, giving this spot an almost romantic feel to it. Sadly, I was next to an excitable cyber mare, and not some big rugged stallion ready to sweep me away.

Moving on, Synthesis took me to a restaurant that was above the theater, the stairs being considerably annoying to walk up. Entering the place, it was hard to tell if it really was a restaurant, or some propaganda showroom. The republics posters were everywhere. Hanging up in frames, with long red cloth coming out of them, and to the next poster. Above the bar was another portrait of Livenka Fortissimo. All the tables were decorated with pink flowers, the republics symbol. “It’s very… red?” was all I could say.

Chuckling, Synthesis trotted over to a booth, motioning for me to follow her. “Ya, it’s a bit much. Personally I think they could do with adding a little blue.” Sitting at the table, inbetween the flowers was another, smaller version of the posters in a frame. This one was much more simple in its design, having red shadows of ponies marching in two lines, each one holding a tool. In-between the marching ponies it said ‘Let’s build the republic together!’ I was a little glad that it wasn’t another death to capitalists poster. Synthesis picked up a menu, and passed it over to me. “So what are you having?”

Looking at the menu, it only had three options. The hearty vegetable soup sounded nice, but the green burger supreme sounded filling, or the salad stir fry might be a good choice. “The soup sounds good, I’ll have that.” I hoofed the menu back to Synthesis, and she simply put it down.

“My favorite is the stir fry; you should try that next time.” The mare gave me a big smile, playing with a glass. “So, how have you been liking it here? It’s a big change from your old life, that’s for sure.”

I really wanted to go home and forget about everything I saw here. The feeling that at any moment, everything will come crashing down on me was making me feel stressed, and to top it off, I was feeling less like me each day. “It’s been wonderful, never thought I’d see the day that I would have more than three meals a day, and not have to worry about falling into debt.” I gave my best ‘totally not hogshitting’ smile.

A waitress with a pitcher of water came and poured us a drink and took our orders. “Miss, if you could be ever so kind, and get us a bottle of your best rum?” Synthesis in that moment lacked that hyperactive charisma, even sounded a bit different. The mare nodded and trotted away with the menus. Turning her attention back to me, Synthesis was back to her bubbly self. “I know, right? Free food, free healthcare, free housing, and free education. It’s everything a pony could ever want. Oh when I was a little filly, just having more than one meal a day was nothing more than a dream to have, some days I went without any.” She sipped her glass of water. “When the Equalists took over and took me in, my life only got better. Not just my life, but the lives of so many others who were ready to give up and die in the gutter.”

Drinking some of the water, I couldn’t help but agree. Though I had my reservations, the republic did seem to do a few things right. “From the sounds of thing, lots of ponies owe the republic their lives.” But lots of ponies were also killed by the Equalists, and many more work like they are slaves. “It’s amazing how the republic has been able to do so much, it’s almost unreal to tell the truth.” It was hard to tell if the old republic was any better or worse than the current one. The remnants on Pineapple Island did well enough, but many ponies there did find themselves on the short end of the stick, eventually living at Charon’s Stop.

“I know, right?” Synthesis said with a chuckle. “If anything, the republic is good at unifying ponies into one central goal. Something we will do for the rest of the metro, one day.”

Our food and drinks came out, it smelling wonderful to me. The waitress poured us a cup of the rum, and place it on the table. Nothing looked all that special about the drink, and I was a bit wary about just drinking it. The thought of it being drugged crossed my mind.

“So you say the republic took you in as a foal? How was it like growing up like that?” Sipping the soup, the broth was delicious.

“At first, it was like being in an orphanage, just so many of us with no place to go.” She downed the rum in one go, I could only bet her cybernetic body processed that stuff faster then she could get drunk. “But when they got to work, everything changed for the better. We were all still stuck together, but we were given all the things we though only the rich kids could have. A whole collection of comic books was what got to me the most. Something I just tore into, and stuck with me as I grew up.”

“Big comic book fan then? What where your favorites?” I decided to try the rum. It was strong, burned all the way down, and burned its way back up. Good stuff.

Synthesis chuckled as she took a bite out of her salad. “Me personally? I’m a big fan of the Mysterious Mare Do Well and the Reaver. The whole fighting crime from the shadows, rooting out the darkness that lies in the hearts of ponies. Can’t get better than that. What about you? Read any comics as a foal, listen to any radio shows?”

With a sigh I confessed, I did have my favorites. “I enjoyed Drum Tablature as a foal, read a bunch of Shadow Spade, and even caught the old radio show for the Silver Shadow when I was lucky.” I at one point had a modest collection, but passed them onto my little brother. “I think I just loved the style and class of those old characters. How solving a problem was not just an act of brute force, but intellect. That and they all looked good doing it.”

The cyber mare shrugged. “Drum Tablature, really. I always found his big yellow trench coat to be annoying to look at. Not to mention that some of the villains would get away.” She gave a dismissive wave as she talked. “Naw, none of that would have even happened with the Reaver. He found the bad guys, and took them down.”

I could only roll my eyes as I ate my soup. “It’s all simple power fantasy. But that’s what’s great about the detective comics, the villains may get away, but never for long. As soon as they slip up, commit another crime, they’re there to catch them, and send them to jail.”

Synthesis looked a bit annoyed as she poured us a drink. “Still, the bad ponies should not even be allowed to get away. If you know their bad, you should just put them down. The villains of the Reaver never come back for vengeance, not like in Drum Tablature’s comics”

She was being a bit too passionate about the comic book thing. I’ve haven’t read any in years, so this debate was starting to grind on me. “That’s good and all, but I just like my story’s to have some realism in it, that’s all. Heroes are not perfect, and sometimes villains get away.”

With a loud bang, Synthesis hit the table. “Maybe heroes should be perfect, and villains should never get away, ever.” She said with a growl in her voice. The two of us remained quiet for a moment, Synthesis pulling herself back, and regaining her composer. “Sorry, I’m a bit overly fond of my favorite comic. But I can understand your point of view. Life’s not fair, and yours is no exception. Even when greatness was set forth before you.”

I tensed up as I looked into Synthesis eyes. Her cold mechanical stare gave nothing away, but her words did. “So you know.”

“Yes, from the start.” Her voice shifted, sounding deep, familiar. “I was surprised at first when I read Blaster Beam’s report. But I had no doubt it was you, and I had to confirm it.”

“Theremin?” she slowly nodded, a big grin on her face. Taking the small glass of rum, I downed the whole drink in one go. “Well fuck.”

She… he sighed. “Oh don’t be that way miss Echo, I’m not here to fight you.”

“Then what, you’ll let me go home.” It was a shot, not one I had much confidence in.

Chuckling, Theremin shook his head. “Sorry but I’m bringing you in deeper.”

Ya, I didn’t like the sound of that. “So, can you at least answer me this, why me?”

Theremin poured himself another drink, and finished off his lunch. Before even looking back at me. “Now, let me get one thing straight, with my own personal feelings aside. It’s not because you're special.” He sipped the rum slowly, one eye on me. “You simply fit the profile.”

“Profile?”

He tapped at his pipleg, the screen flashing and beeping. “We have a list of ponies who match a certain profile, ponies we see as a good fit into our ranks. History, training, temperament, and psychological profile. Some with talents we can use, others who are simply useful.” He quickly finished off his drink, placing the glass back down on the table. “You come from a stable family, and other than a few fights, no criminal record to speak of. Most of it is just you defending your sister or a friend when they do get in trouble.”

I remember some of that. Rototom had a tendency to pick fights with security from other stations, none of us filed any reports about it, an unwritten rule that any problem that happened between security ponies stays with security ponies. Sweet on the other hoof got in fights with other mares, so I tended to stay out of it and bail her out after.

Theremin continued. “You were trained by Orthrus, of which is nothing all that special, but having the military training and discipline is useful for having a pony who can follow orders. What interests us more is your overall demeanor within Orthrus. Calm, hardworking, never having a problem with doing the more basic jobs, if not picking them as your first choice. You could say that you were a bit of a boring mare when in Orthrus.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s called doing a job. I don’t need to be on combat missions to get a job done. Why does everypony look down on the paperwork jobs?”

Theremin chuckled and waved his hoof as to calm me down. “Don’t worry, I don’t. Truthfully, we need more ponies willing to do paperwork, not less. As for your temperament, in your time as a mercenary, you have shown great restraint when dealing with more difficult clients, and a cool head in situations that would cause most to panic outright. Recent events only solidify that observation.” He passed me the bottle of rum, but I shook my head, feeling warm and fuzzy enough. He just shrugged and poured himself another drink. “Your psychological profile is a bit harder to pin down, but as it stands you're quite healthy. No addictions, or any really bad habits. It is listed here that you do have a phobia of being submerged under water, but other than that, nothing that would make you an unintentional danger to the republic.”

I gave a light chuckle. “What if I told you I have had been having hallucinations of a shadowy black mare wherever I go?”

He just shrugged. “Stress does weird things to the mind, something that will go away once you settle in.”

I just slumped in my seat “So basically, the republic's interest in me is nothing more then-” I air quoted with my hooves. “-I fit the profile” placing my hooves on the table, I looked into Theremins eyes. “So am I safe to assume that I have no choice in this recruitment?”

Theremin shook his head. “Not-a-one. But don’t worry, It’s not at all bad here, I’m sure you will love it once you’ve been properly added to the team.”

I sighed. “So how’s this going to go down. Did you drug the food, or drink?”

The stallion in the cyber mare’s body rolled his eyes. “Oh I would never ruin good food and drink by drugging it. A simple sleep spell is all I really need.” he lifted his right foreleg up at me, the little glass panels were glowing red now, like the beam legs that Blaster Beam had. “Now go to sleep, everything will be much better when you wake up. Trust me.”

There was a small flash of light, and everything became fuzzy, like I had way too much to drink, then darkness.

Cold, numb, and blind. It’s all that I was. For how long? I didn’t know. But I knew time had passed.

My mind must have been elsewhere, dreaming or drugged, probably both. But I awoke to the sound of whispering… no, not awake, I was defiantly still asleep, nothing was this dark… yet not dark at all. I could see my hooves… no… maybe… They were normal hooves, pony hooves, peach in color like my coat. I also happened to be in the nude, which alarmed me at first, but with nopony around, I quickly calmed down. The strangest thing, shocking really, was when I looked back at my back legs, and saw a… a cutie-mark.

The cutie-mark was a silver shield, like the kind used by the royal guard of the old world, with a crest of a golden eye on it. I don’t know why, but It reminded me of a time when a friend of mine ran afoul of a group of other mares, and I spent a week keeping an eye in her incase she got cornered by them. My diligence paid off, and I saved her from getting hit by a lead pipe, and gave them all a black eye, but lost a tooth in return. Probably wouldn’t have lost that one if Rototom hadn’t joined in. Mom and dad scolded us for getting into a fight, but strangely enough, we had a big dinner after that tasted really good.

Tearing myself away from the cutie-mark, my eyes focused on something else that was here with me. It was hard to tell what it was, only that there was a green light. Taking my first step, solid ground beneath me, despite not seeing any ground at all, just blackness. Getting closer, I knew what that all too familiar light was. Stepping into the pipbucks glow, I could now see the mare who owned it. “Hello Phobetor.”

The black mare tapped away at a terminal her pipbuck was connected too, I’d ask why I couldn’t see her or the terminal before stepping into the green light, but that was the least of the questions I had. She had this look on her face, an intense stare with a gleeful smile, like when playing a fighting game against a hard opponent, and you’re starting to beat them. Looking at the screen of the terminal, it was a wall of text, a mix of numbers, pony symbols, and a few zebra symbols. “So you're aware now. That’s good, I’m almost done here.”

“Done with what?” So many questions, might as well start with the one staring me in the face.

She chuckled. “Just setting up a meeting. It’s amazing how much you ponies have advanced in technology, but still take such foolish shortcuts with it. Once I’m able, I need to study it all in detail, and fix these errors.” She tapped a few more times, ending with one exaggerated tap. “And done. With this, our deal is almost done.”

“What’s going on? Tell me!” I was feeling so damned confused, it was making me both mad and scared. I felt sick to my stomach, and my head hurt, like somepony was sticking something hot into it. “Please.”

Phobetor turned to look at me with her golden eyes, I don’t know why, but for a moment I thought they were my eyes. “You’re getting plugged in, and I’m using this opportunity to get what I want. Don’t worry, the deal still stands. Once I have my secret, you can have your path home.” I didn’t trust her, and something inside of me was screaming that this was all wrong, that something was wrong with me. “I wouldn’t worry too much, it should pass soon, not that I’m an expert in arcane tech.”

I felt it, like somepony stabbed me in the neck, right into my spine. I collapsed, unable to move, the pain so intense that I couldn’t scream, just moan in terror. Phobetor just looked down on me with a pitied look, I don’t know why, but I felt it was a mistake to accept her help, that I should have just died instead.

The pain got worse, like somepony twisted the blade, tilted it, and jammed it into my brain. It was on fire; my brain was burning. Whoever was doing this, I just wish they would stop and let me die. I don’t know how long I laid there in the blackness, just me and the pain, with Phobetor having had trotted off to parts unknown. A light suddenly came to life above, like a star in the sky. Whispers, they were quiet at first, but quickly became clearer, along with the appearance of more stars, which were getting closer.

I found myself getting back onto my hooves, the pain dull now, like it was never that bad in the first place. The lights were much closer now, and I watched as they sped toward me… no I was coming to them. Like a flash I was surround by them, the whispers loud, but too many to understand what was being said. It all felt warm, comforting, and… right. I didn’t feel upset anymore, I didn’t remember why I thought I was upset in the first place. I was probably just overthinking things again. Yeah, that was the problem, I was thinking too much.

I don’t know why, but I looked back at my flank, seeing nothing there by my peach color coat. It was like I was expecting to see a cutie-mark, which was odd, I never had a cutie-mark before... So why would I think I had one?

Shrugging at nothing in particular, I sat down and waited for myself to wake up. Today felt like it was going to be a wonderful day. Strange as it was, I still felt like I was forgetting something important...

Footnote:

New perk:

-Jacked- Ever wanted to plug yourself into a terminal, well now you can, just watch out for those nasty computer viruses and malware.