It was early afternoon when the carriage stopped near the edge of the amphitheater area. The earth pony team-which had been changed several times during the trip around the Chateau-unhooked themselves then headed back to the mansion to rest. Udan, Jasper and Lanzenreiter disembarked first, then helped their respective passengers get down.
The amphitheater seats were occupied by a crowd one third the size of the prior day's wedding. The audience, consisting of family and friends in the know, watched as the group formed a procession that snaked down the aisle-way, and onto the stage. From there, each of the ponies went to a designated spot: Sagari and Udan sat on a front row seat, Gilbert and Aurelina sat on a pair of padded thrones at the top of a short staircase covered by a long gold rug, Toola settled on a large cushion on the step below, with an empty cushion to either side. Starsong and Lanzenreiter stood at the base of the steps, and Jasper lead Cheerilee to other end of the rug.
Several ponies were already in position along the rug. Each pony standing next to a chain linking a pair of brass posts on opposite sides. One such chain spanned across the end of the rug. As Jasper and Cheerilee approached, the pony, who wore a green vest, held up a hoof. "State your full name and title." her voice amplified by a small crystal strapped to her neck.
"Cheerilee LaRoulette." The earth pony replied. "I am currently an associate of Chevaux L'Honneur."
"Do you have your entry fee ready?" The pony asked. Cheerilee looked to Jasper. The Diamond Dog handed a folder to the pony, who took it and skimmed through the contents quickly. "The fee has been paid." The pony said, closing the folder. She reached into the pocket of her vest, and pulled out a small copper key. "Keep this safe. You will know when you need it." She said, before hooving the key to Cheerilee.
Cheerilee accepted the key, placing it inside one of her own pockets. The other pony then unhooked one end of the chain, letting it fall and clank against the post that it was still attached to. "You may now enter onto the golden road." She invited. The earth pony smiled, and walked to the next pony.
"I'll give you 5,000 bits for what's in your pocket." The pony offered.
"No deal." Cheerilee replied.
"Ok then. before I let you pass, I should warn you." The pony began. "In this clan, opportunities could come at any time, day or night. Would your job as a teacher interfere with your commitments to the clan?"
"Business can wait until school is out." Cheerilee replied. "My students come first." The pony unhooked the chain, and let Cheerilee pass to the next pony.
"10,000 bits for what's in your pocket." He offered as Cheerilee approached.
Cheerilee quirked an eyebrow. "Really?" She said in a skeptical tone. "You'd give me that much money for pocket lint?"
"Never mind that." The pony stated. He came over and draped a hoof over Cheerilee's neck. "So, you're school teacher, eh?" Cheerilee nodded. "Would you consider swaying any of your students to join us?"
"Absolutely not!" Cheerilee snapped, pushing the pony away. She turned to leave. "In fact I have half a mind to leave right now."
"Now hold on there." The pony replied. Cheerilee looked back, and watched the pony unhook the chain. "We have no use for anypony that would lead the little ones astray."
"And how many more of these tests of character do you have planned?" Cheerilee asked. "Because I don't find this amusing at all."
"There is no more doubt about your integrity as a teacher." The pony replied, waving her through. The mulberry pony grumbled as she walked to the next pony.
"20,000 bits for-" Cheerilee held up a hoof.
"Keep your money." She stated. "Just ask your question."
The pony chuckled. "Alright then." He unhooked one of the velvet ropes that bordered the rug. "You can skip the rest of the gates, and go straight to your spouse. You won't have to deal with any of this pomp and circumstance, any more questions about your character. And you never have to participate in this ceremony again, for the rest of your life."
"What's the ca-" Cheerilee's question died as she realized the implication. "No further opportunities for advancement? No, I'll stay on the golden road, thank you very much." The pony chuckled, replaced the rope, then undid the chain. Cheerilee beamed as she walked to the next pony on the road.
The pony presented a small wooden jewelry box with a lock. Cheerilee took the key from her pocket, and unlocked the box. Opening it, she found a bronze badge and a black cloth wood binder inside. The pony took the badge out, and fastened it to Cheerilee's vest. "You are now an amuseur of Chevaux L'honneur, with all rights and responsibilities accorded to members of the Clan." She announced, before taking the wooden binder out and passing it to Cheerilee. "This binder is for keeping track of your debts and favors."
Cheerilee opened the binder. Fastened to each of the inside panels, was a notepad. The fold between the panels held a mouthpen. Her attention was drawn by a chain rattling then falling against a post. Cheerilee closed the binder, put it on her back, and walked forward.
Starsong stepped forward to greet her. "From here, you and I go up together." She stated. They both turned to Lanzenreiter.
"Please present your records." He said. Cheerilee and Starsong hooved over their respective binders. The earth pony looked through Cheerilee's first, finding both notepads to be blank. He passed the binder back to Cheerilee. "You have no longstanding debts."
Cheerilee smirked, taking her binder back. "It's not like I had time to get any."
Lanzenreiter ignored the comment, then looked through Starsong's binder. Several pages in each notepad were covered with notes and memos, detailing the time, date, and circumstances of various requests made by or to the pegasus. Most of these memos were crossed off as the debts or favors were filled. "You've been rather diligent with your records." He said to Starsong. "And you've filled your debts in a timely manner."
"Of course." Starsong replied. "I handle my business."
The blue earth pony closed the binder and hooved it back to Starsong. He then bowed, and motioned for them to ascend the staircase. They stepped up then settled on the empty cushions. Gilbert and Aurelina got down from their thrones. The green unicorn approached Cheerilee, while the carnation colored unicorn tended to Starsong.
"Cheerilee LaRoulette." Gilbert began. "You turned down three offers for the key you had, though you certainly could have used the money. Explain."
"The key was entrusted to me for safekeeping." Cheerilee replied.
"And so you have shown that you are trustworthy, and not easily bribed." Gilbert smiled. "What did you mean when you said 'Business can wait?'"
"I will not interrupt a school day for something that isn't an emergency."
"And so you have shown what your priorities are." Gilbert replied. "You were offered a shortcut, but you turned it down. Explain."
"There are two reasons for that, Father." Cheerilee began. "Number one, cheating and taking shortcuts usually causes problems later on in life."
Gilbert nodded. "A good lesson to learn, and one you know as an educator. And the second reason?"
"I would have stepped off the Golden Road."
"Savvy too. A very useful trait to have." Gilbert snickered. He looked to Aurelina and Starsong.
Aurelina nodded to her husband, then turned to the purple pegasus. "Starsong, you could have taken up the office of Concierge any time within the last five years. Why did you wait until today?"
"Because it would have hurt me not to have Cheerilee as an equal." Starsong replied. "She is a dear friend."
Gilbert reached over to a nearby rack, and picked up a croupier stick with a blue wooden handle, a silver faceplate on one end, and a silver cap on the other. "So it comes back to you, Cheerilee. As a final check, what titles and accolades have you earned?"
Cheerilee thought for a moment, then answered. "Teacher of the Year for 999, and 1000, and I am a Pony of Honor."
Aurelina picked up a second croupier stick, identical to the first, and turned to Starsong. "What titles and accolades have you earned, Starsong?"
"Best young flyer for 996, several commendations about my hospitality, and I am a Pony of Honor."
"And so you have both demonstrated humility and proper decorum, by not claiming 'Amuseur' as a title." Gilbert replied. "Which it is not. It's a job description." Both he and Aurelina hooved over the sticks to Cheerilee and Starsong. The two mares placed the sticks in holsters strapped to their backs, under their clothes. "These croupier sticks are a symbol of the title and authority that you receive today. They are also a reminder of the clan's origins as entertainers and merchants. You will be nobility only in the eyes of other Ponies of Honor."
Gilbert drew his croupier stick, a gold and redwood staff, while Aurelina produced her personally made deck of tarot cards. Both unicorns then used their respective implements to perform a knighting ceremony. "We now pronounce you Concierge Cheerilee LaRoulette, and Concierge Starsong Whistle." They said together. "With all the rights, privileges and responsibilities accorded to your title."
Gilbert turned to the audience. "At this time, all Associates and Amuseurs are excused. The rest of this ceremony is only open to Concierges and Patrons."
Most of the audience got up, and filed out, leaving numerous empty spaces. Udan turned to Sagari. "I suppose this is goodbye, then."
Sagari smiled. "Udan. As it was in the days of old, as it will be in the days beyond tomorrow. This world looks up to ponies who accomplish great things." She took his hooves in her own. "You do this, and maybe Dame Fortuna will allow you to rest."
Udan bowed. "You will undoubtedly know the result before the newspapers are delivered." He withdrew his hooves. "After tonight, may our paths cross again. Hopefully on this side, and not on the real Golden Road. For now though, I have to see somepony."
"Zorte On, Udan." Sagari replied.
"Thank you. Mother." He turned and left.
- - -
"While the harvest from the Lariat's plum orchard is set aside to make prunes." A light yellow unicorn pointed to a few rows of trees on one side of the cobblestone road. "We take the harvest from the Dupont's orchard, and use that crop to make plum wine." He explained to Cynthia, Lemon and Bouton, while motioning to trees on the other side of the road. "We take the prunes, along with the left-over walnut shells from the Loyola's nut packaging business, and soak them in home-brewed brandy."
"Then what do you do with that?" Lemon asked.
"After a few months, we drain out the resulting syrup, mix it with the herb wine, and add sweetened honey." He replied. "This process is done during the night, and under the stars. Hence the name 'Izarra.'"
"And this be how thou honors thy Princess of the Night." Cynthia mused.
"When the liquor was first made, it was considered a way to honor Princess Luna and invite her to join in on our revelries." The guide placed a hoof to his chest. "So she'd know that we appreciate her work."
"Awww, how sweet." Bouton commented. "Have you ever considered sending her an invitation?"
"Many of us want to dance with her like our ancestors did, even Patron Gilbert." He lowered his hoof and sighed. "But the line and waiting list to visit either Princess, is too long for our tastes. Time spent standing around could be put to better use in working or partying."
"So thou would choose to honor her from afar?" Cynthia asked.
"We give a toast to her every full moon." The unicorn replied, leading them further along the path. "And also during Nightmare Night and the Winter Moon Festival. Sometimes during birthdays, or just after a day of hard work." He laughed. "Sometimes, we don't even need a reason."
"There's always an excuse to party, eh?" Lemon inquired.
"We work hard, we celebrate hard, we drink hard, we sleep hard." The unicorn replied. "Maybe a little less hard around pretty mares." He grinned to the trio.
"But what be thy cue when acting not as a tour guide?" Cynthia inquired.
The unicorn looked to her. "I'm the regional manager for this part of the Chateau." He indicated the surrounding area. "It's most of the liquor production, along with related crops. As you've noticed, crops conform to a general square shape of uniform size. That's because the land is leased to the families, and they pay a seasonal fee to the patron."
"So it's like he's renting them out." Lemon mused. "Like the old feudal system."
"It's much more flexible than a fixed monthly rent." The unicorn added. "With one bad month, a family can still make it up in the other two."
"And I've noticed that even though you have more than one vineyard or orchard of a certain fruit type, the produce itself is designated for different uses." Lemon commented.
"Flooding the market with a crop isn't profitable. On the other hoof, if we have several ponies who are all good with the same crop, we'll just have to find different uses for them."
Cynthia nodded. "Thus ponies devote their creativity to new food and drink."
"I think that much of our food came about from such creativity." The tour guide stated. "Put stuff together, and see what tastes good."
"That sounds like Joker thinking." Lemon smirked. "Not that I've ever done Joke."
"There's plenty in the Everfree Forest." The tour guide replied. "We have no need to grow our own."
- - -
Cheerilee sprawled out on the large foam mattress and rubbed the sides of her head. Toola settled next to her. "Got a brain fog, eh?" She teased.
"I don't know if I can remember all of this." Cheerilee retorted. "Your father certainly likes to talk."
Toola leaned over and nuzzled. "He's your father too, and don't worry about remembering all of it." She drew her staff and twirled it. "Things will come to you as you need them. If you need to refresh your memory, there are old journals available that contain everything that was said today."
"Good, I'm not in the mood to think right now." Cheerilee rolled over.
"What are you in the mood for, my little wordsmith?"
Cheerilee looked to Toola. "Juice and cookies." She replied. "And maybe a massage."
Toola giggled. "What kind of juice and cookies?" She levitated a small notepad and pen with her magic.
"Tropical juice, and chocolate." The magenta mare replied. Toola wrote this down, then added a 'times two,' before tearing the page out. The unicorn opened the door to the bedroom, and passed the note to Jasper, who was waiting in the hall.
"Jasper, could you go down, and get these items for us?"
"Is this all?" He asked.
Toola took a couple of five-bit bills from her bitbag and gave them to Jasper. "And get whatever you want."
Jasper chuckled, taking the money and pocketing it. "Maybe you two would like some private time after eating?"
Toola grinned. "Oui. Once you bring us our snacks, take the rest of the day off."
"Thank you, Concierge." Jasper replied before leaving.
After the Diamond Dog left, Toola returned to Cheerilee. The unicorn set aside her staff, then gently rubbed a hoof along the earth pony's back. Cheerilee propped herself up, then leaned over to nuzzle Toola. "So what are we doing tomorrow, paint-drop?" She asked.
Toola grinned. "Tomorrow, we go to town."
"I'd like that." Cheerilee replied.
- - -
Lemon and Cynthia closed the door to their room. "Are you sure you bought enough?" The green unicorn asked the pink one.
"Aye." Cynthia replied, setting the crate down. She checked each of the ten bottles, making sure that there were no cracks. "I intend to share it with mine amore, and my sister, should she desire to partake."
"Good idea, I especially like their apple cider." A male voice called out from the bedroom.
"How now?" Cynthia said, coming to investigate. "You were lying in wait? How long?"
Lemon came up alongside her. "Polite gentlestallions don't lurk in a lady's chambers." She added.
Bad Apple stepped into view. "But polite rogues can." He replied. "And I haven't been here long."
Cynthia dropped her disguise, then looked down at him. "So what cause have you to lurk in my quarters?"
Bad reached into his pocket, and produced a trio of tickets. "I came to deliver these to you and your companions."
Luna took the tickets with a magical aura. "Be this all?"
"And this." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "As far as tonight's play goes, I gave them a few suggestions, and I think you'll like the results." He winked.
"Given the families affection for the eighth and ninth centuries, I worry that it may be Vaudevillian." Lime stated.
"Don't worry." Bad replied with a snicker. "We're not gonna have ponies wandering the crowd with donation buckets."
Luna tapped her chin in thought. "Dost the Patron solicit performers? I inquire for know I one t'would be appropriate to the mood."
"The Chateau has it's own in-house troupe. The Donostia Delinquents. But other performers are welcome to apply. There have been a few comedians and performers who have plied their trade here. I've heard about one, a Roani, who had a rather successful show here, but bombed in Ponyville."
"Were they related to the Matron?"
Bad shook his head. "No, Aurelina is from a Caballaran Tribe. Trixie's from Orleans."
"So kin, but not close kin." Luna mused. "And she was the one who precipitated the Ursa Minor attack."
"Actually, it was a couple of adoring fans who provoked the bear." Bad stated. "But Miss Sparkle was able to resolve the situation."
Luna nodded. "Aye, I recall this from one of her reports." She settled on the couch. '"Perhaps I should invite this 'Trixie' to perform at one of my parties, if only to see her particular display of showmareship."
"I'm not sure how you'd find her, your Majesty." Lime began. "She's a traveling performer, with no set address."
"If I ever see her, I'll let her know." Bad offered.
"But let that pass for now." Luna replied. "We shall see how delinquent art the Chateau's entertainers."