I glanced around before pushing the door open and glancing around inside before slipping in, closing the door behind me before locking it.
"Excuse me, what do you thi-oh," Midnight said before she smiled, "Didn't recognize you for a second, Night Wind."
I winked at her, "Princess," I said, giving a practiced bow, spreading my wings.
She rolled her eyes, "Oh cut it out," she said, shifting her wings and getting up from the desk she had been studying some sort of blueprints by, "How's it going?"
I flicked one ear, "Well enough... I think. We definitely have problems however."
Midnight frowned, "Spill."
I told her.
She was quiet for several long moments, looking out over the jungle through the open balcony doors of her lab before she sighed, "That's definitely a friendship problem," she admitted.
"You could say that," I agreed, "Want it?"
Midnight smiled a bit, "I likely should, I'm the princess of friendship. Or one of them anyway. But I'm not sure where to start with this one. Any ideas so far?"
I nodded, "I do, but I want to run it past you, Sparks, Sunny and everypony else first. And check with Celestia and Luna and see what they think. Look, the root cause of this entire thing is fear, right?"
"Basically, yes," she agreed with a nod.
"Alright," I agreed, "My plan is tourists."
That earned a raised eyebrow, "Tourists?"
"Yes," I said with a nod, "We build hotels, set up tours for them to look at our majestic landscapes, observe our fascinating animals in their natural habitats, that sort of thing. They come here, wander around. Each being exposed to our bats, our bats get exposed to tourists who don't act badly to them while spending lots of bits into the local economy."
Midnight looked thoughtful, ears slowly shifting as she thought. Funny, Sparks ears do the exact same thing.
...Okay, maybe not too strange, they are the same pony, just from different worlds.
"Maybe," she finally said, "I think that could work, but the problem would be getting them out here. It's a long trip, Page, especially since slowing down the train through the jungle added days to the trip."
I nodded, "I'm thinking airship in addition to the train for the richer tourists, play up the exoticness of the destination? Or maybe even make the trip part of the experience."
She slowly ran her hoof along her wooden floor in thought, "...Maybe. I'm not an economical expert, you have to check with Tight Bit if it makes sense. But it might work, especially if the travel time isn't 'wasted', I could see that being something somepony like my parents would do."
The Sparkle family were... okay, they were technically nobles now, but more specifically they were upper middle class in Canterlot. Somewhat rich from some ponies perspective, but not drowning in bits either.
"So you think it could help?"
"I think it could help," Midnight agreed and shrugged a bit, "But I'm not sure there's an easy solution to any of this, Page."
I smiled at her, "I know. But that does not mean we shouldn't try."
Midnight shook her head, "You're a good stallion, Page," she said and stood up, "There are times I understand what Twi sees in you."
I smiled and shook my mane back a bit, "And other times?"
Midnight smiled, "You do something so boneheaded it reminds me why I'm mostly into mares."
"Hey! I resemble that remark!" I said cheerfully, "And speaking of resembling, how's Amber doing?"
"Oh, she's doing just fine. Blank Page is spending the week in 'alicorn meditation' and asked me to make an opaque spell for him to sit in. Flower is a bit annoyed, but I think she thinks it's a good thing you take some time to actually relax. I'm filling in when necessary."
I nodded, "...Amber isn't really in that thing is she?"
"No, sir," Amber said cheerfully, poking her head out from behind a desk, "Princess Midnight teleported me out of it. Plan is to teleport you into it when we end this."
"Good plan and great job," I told her with a smile.
Amber grinned and then ducked back out of sight.
"So what's your plan for today?" Midnight asked.
"Actually, I planned to just walk around the village," I said with a smile, "Maybe visit the bathhouse. It's actually really freeing seeing the village from this perspective. You should try it at some point."
Midnight hesitated, "I don't know. You're doing it for a good reason, but just pretending to be somepony else just for fun seems kinda dishonest."
"You don't need to trick anypony," I said, "But... honestly, I kinda missed being able to just walk around without ponies looking up to me just because I grew wings. Just being some random dude."
"I guess I can see that," she admitted and slowly nodded, "But I always was the Princesses Student. Ponies in Canterlot always knew that, I spent more time at the castle than anywhere else. I'm not sure I ever was a 'normal' pony."
"Oh, right."
Midnight smiled, "You may want to talk too Cadance, she grew up in a small village before she earned her horn."
"You know what, I think you're right," I admitted thoughtfully, "She is in a very similar position to me actually."
Midnight nodded, "She is. She does have the advantage that the Crystal Empire came fully self-sufficient from the start, but... yes."
I slowly nodded, "I'll see if I can talk to her. Maybe she has more ideas. Crystal ponies aren't the same as bats, but maybe she has some insights."
Midnight got up, "I bet she can help."
I headed for the balcony, "Anything I need to know about?" I asked her as I paused halfway.
She shook her head, "Nothing has come up I couldn't deal with," she said, "Now get going before somepony flies past, spots you and gets suspicious."
Nodding, I then smiled at her, "Actually, mind giving me a lift? Safer than somepony seeing me fly out of here."
Midnight rolled her eyes a bit, "Fine. Where to?"
"Forest, half a kilometer away, should be safe?" I suggested.
Midnight nodded, her horn starting to glow, "Good lu-"
There was a flash and I found myself standing on a wide tree branch out in the jungle. I looked towards the light of the town before taking wing.
Time to check out the bathhouse.
Mmm nom nom nom. I will consume your chapters as fast as you publish them. Another good one.
Nice
So how long till a little bat pulls a stunt like this with the Rex warning siren?
There's probably a deeper point to be made about the potential negative impact tourism can have on a place. It was a major theme of the movie in the early drafts. Don't know if it would be a applicable in story though.
AND NOW...ANOTHER DRAMATIZATION OF HIVER'S WRITING PROCESS...
Hiver: Hm interesting. This is the 3rd time I mentioned Nocturnis's bath house in this fanfic. Not only that, the 2nd and 3rd mentions happening at the end of back-to-back chapters. Well CLEARLY none of the readers will feel any expectations from this information. Right?
Sgt. Murphy's Law: Oh OBVIOUSLY not, Hiver! And me being invited over for tea within your imagination is just a silly coincidence~!
Hiver: Yes! Unmistakably nothing is going to happen in that bath house!
Sgt. Murphy's Law: Truly nothing?
Hiver: YEP! Nothing at all!
...HIVER AND THE IMAGINARY COMPANION SIPS TEA EXTREMELY LOUDLY...
Time for shenanigans
Ok... that bullshit!
- Equestria would have to fly in Guards for security so no other nations like the Storm Kingbtake over the weekend time displayed Kingdom.
- Medical expert needed to be moved from Equestria to the Crystal Empire, a cold would have alone evolved to covid levels in a millenia in the time displaced population.
- Farm would have been dead and gone for centuries!
- Farm animals outside the afflicted area long gone.
What remained inside the City would not be enough for TO long to keep them feeded.
Most importantly:
- INFLATION!!!
Their treasure room content has either become collector items and can be slowly sold to collectors, but that mean they need financial aid from somewhere.
Equestria most likely!
Self sufficient? NNNOOOPPPEEE! NUUU-UHHH!
11858203
probably more that they had infrastructure and were easier to integrate back into equestria as they had rail connections already, they just need to build a station, a freight yard and some maintinence depots to get rail freight up and running. they likely have enough farmland within the city perimeter to immediately feed the population and earthponies grow stuff absurdly fast.
page had a forest full of big trees. thats it.
now he should stop complaining about being self sufficient because no city is ever truely self sufficient, no municipality is ever really self sufficient but their existence is a net good for EQ as a whole, either by opening up new lands, restoring a lost tribe, or sadly, getting the bat ponies out of greater Eq, what he needs is political support in canterlot
11858215
Somewhere in Nocturnis...
Blank Page:
"Damn I need more political influence for Nocturnis where am I supposed to-"
Prince Blueblood jumps out dramatically out of a conor of the room:
cdn-img.fimfiction.net/user/g0z1-1674835116-528025-192
"Go buy yourself political friends in the nobel houses!"
11858164
A disguised Blank Page suddenly find out a entire bathsalt ring is build up in the bathhouse!
They wash salt on mass to make bath salt into drinking salt!
If it wasn't devious, it would be genius!
Time to destroy this insidious salt ring and root it out!
No drug ring will be substained in Nocturnis!
Where is the bathsalt on massaging from anyway?
Meanwhile in Seaquestria:
A Merchant enjoys free shipping of sea salt mixed with other shit to sell it as high end product, land dwelling races are so easy to trick.
The season of the world have nearly limitless amount of salt.
Somewhere a salt washing Nobel is singing:
Salt and bread, makes you fat. Keep at it lad, get fat or dead. Fat from salt, here and now, milking salt cowns from the sea, all it riches, all for me~♡
Two weeks later did a Changeling lead investigation found the source of the salt washing ring originated from Canterlot and shut it down.
Those salty nobels would sour the tastebuds of other saltiness no longer!
Tearing down Canterlot underground salt castle off its criminal foundation.
Trading in the not washed salt for Crystal Empire salting their borders to show where the Crystal Empire started, by the huge snow free area, thanks to the free salt given to them from this busted salt syndicat.
A new fluffing spa was opened recently, double the fluffing guaranteed!
camo.fimfiction.net/iOaMaR_pcfDIzIwNkkdIIQ3D_xS5vYoBXsOWJvbnZaM?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.postimg.cc%2FJnsWqFq4%2Fcattle.jpg
They might not become Flufflepuff levels of dawww, but the eeeeeeeee factor has risen dramatically.
Eventually news spread, fluffy Thestrals everywhere in Nocturnis!
Free cuddling for any new arrival for a hour of professional cuddelsluts!
Disclaimer:
Extensive cuddle might lead to addiction,
pleasure cuddle your regional Changelings to aliviate the symptoms!
camo.fimfiction.net/HGKOVNTrPh_dQIegq-4XQTTfq37sBPSPcGN3_7ZAMFg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fderpicdn.net%2Fimg%2Fview%2F2014%2F7%2F10%2F671941.gif
11858225
here I thought this was gonna be a joke about how he just needs to sleep with more of the ruling class since hes already sleeping with 3 princesses, dream bedding a 4th, and is supported by a 5th
11858301
Dream realm bordello? That would work!
Hiver that reader is a genius!
Also a reader comment fun we had in the comment section last story 👍
Tell me you know nothing about American tourists without telling me you know nothing about American tourists. (I'm not addressing Hiver with this, I'm addressing Blank Page who was human at one point and will probably know the stereotypes even if he's American himself because some of the more populated places in the US end up getting them too)
11858451
its OK they can feed the bad ones to the dinos
11858451
It’s not even just Americans. Tourism in general is one of these things that sound like a good idea for exactly as long as you don’t have to personally face the consequences (in this case the tourists themselves) -- yeah, some of the locals may be able to make a fair bit of money off of them, but they’re also good at getting on everybody’s nerves unless kept at a careful distance.
I mean, just imagine Blank Page and staff doing their level best to play nice while some snooty unicorn tour guide leads a school class right into the throne room to show them “the ruler of the savage jungle-dwellers”...and then word of the incident getting around throughout Nocturnis.
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Safety rules, decent personal on a sides and a agreement with a lot of rules that it like 20 side long.
- We are not responsible for your death if you behave like a suicidal patient in a area with meat eating dinos
- If you break it, you pay it, no money? Have fun working it off for minimal wager for decades to come
Etc etc etc.
to*
so hes talking the Crystal Princess
oh my is this the begins of forming of the C.K.T.? the count part to equestria's E.U.P.
you know as a joke I once called it the KCB it sounded very soviet
11858215
And how exactly they gained fully functional rail connections after a thousand years of absence? They didn't even know what trains are in the first place, after returning. Maybe, Celestia knowing about it and where it supposed to be had something with it...
I'm surprised that Amber didn't chime in on the whole "deceiving ponies" bit of the conversation
Hm... I wonder if they paint things in the rain junge, can pain even dry there?
11858451
11858526
Simple answer to this issue:
If Page had been born non-American, he wouldn't think of posting any disclaimers and let the ponies get injured, get eaten, etc.
If Page was American, he would have SO MANY disclaimers posted EVERYWHERE, nopony would ever be able to see the sights.
11858203
Um... isn't there a field extending several miles out from the actual city that is part of the protected environment zone generated by the Crystal Heart? I'm pretty sure that entire area was what was affected by Sombra's spell. The farmlands were time-displaced the same as the city.
Ditto for any critters that were in those farmlands. Of course, anything outside would have been frozen well before Sombra's spell went off.....
Someone mentioned trains, but with Equestria being such an anachronistic world, it's quite possible trains existed thousands of years ago, with little to no tech growth since then.
As Spock might describe it, "this world is an arrested culture, a laboratory experiment." But, then, he said much the same about Organia--and look how that turned out.
11859092
Ain't that paint a bitch to get out of fur, right?