A bit earned is another $574,872 bits I just made.
“Interest Rate, go on ahead and calculate the capital needed to buyout Sparkle Industries and whether or not it’ll be cheaper to dissolve the company for its assets or give a subsidiary in exchange for the patented rights to any future projects.” Cadance ordered her secretary.
Interest Rate, a rather young and inspiring business earth pony nodded understandingly, knowing her boss’ intention. “Right away Cadance, yes ma.” She repeated that last bit once more before turning around and leaving the office. Shining Armor, head of Gem & Steam Security took one glance as the mare darted out of the room before turning back to face their boss.
“Shining Armor, I understand there’s a small problem concerning the “WTF”...again. I need you to...” Cadance rolled one of her fore hooves around looking for the right word. “...assure them that while their concerns are welcomed we’re completely fine here and don't require their help.
Shining Armor only stared into her eyes before simply nodding.
“How many legs need broken?”
“Two, and oh please make sure you hurry. We’re having dinner at your parents tonight and need to be leaving in the next few hours.” Cadance reminded shining. He smiled and gave a small wave of his hoof as he walked by the thick, petrified wood doors that separated her office from the rest of the company.
“Damn I love that stallion.” Cadance stated as her husband Shining Armor left her office. With her more pressing matters under control for the moment, Cadance trotted over to her golden desk. The desk she had painstakingly made by hoof out of her first million bits; as in Cadance had hired sompony superglue a million bits together to make her large, and heavy desk.
Placing her rump on the imported Saddle Arabian silk pillow, Cadance withdrew a stack of papers from one of the drawers and placed the stack in front of her. She flipped through a few of them nonchalantly, barely glancing at any as she set each paper aside into two new stacks. The stack on her left was the important, or top priority stack, while the stack on her right was the fire kindling... err “suggestion” stack; suggestions submitted from the numerous hard working ponies that made her wealth a reality.
Her pink hoof hovered over the stack as her brain debated and contested itself over what to do with the forms. Her blank expression after a moment gave way to a lite frown, but it quickly reformed back into the professionalist look that had won her many victories in the public and private sectors.
“Alright, alright lets see what my little ponies want of me.” She told herself as she grabbed the first three papers from the stack. She laid them out in front of her with one swipe of her hoof, eyeing each crisp sheet with her full undivided attention.
The sheet to her right called for better sound proof walls for the floors near the testing facility: approved. Cadance remembered very well the amount of noise... and occasional screaming that vibrated off the walls when the company was first starting out. It was a very exhausting and expensive time during the company’s early life. So many bribes were made to avoid the potential lawsuits that week.
“Next suggestion...” Cadance ran her tongue over her dry lips, partly habit and partly to moisten them. She squinted her right eye and adjusted her monocle in hopes of make out the infuriating smalling hoofwriting. Thought what it in size, it made up for in length; taking up every open space on the front before consuming the entire back of the page.
“...” Cadance made no further attempt to even try reading it before crumbling it and magically tossing it into the fireplace that encompassed the wall to her left. The flames hissed in acknowledgement as the paper made contact, incinerating it instantly. With that taken care of, it meant one less problem Cadance had to worry about. She smiled at that thought. If throwing suggestions into the fire like that could solve of her problems then why couldn’t she just do that to all of them?
Four words came to mind.
“Workers Fair Treatment Committee.” Cadance answered her own question. The Committee always seemed to stick its muzzle into other ponies business and make demands of them. Cadance may have been raised upper middle class before becoming part of the upper crust (to which pie that crust belonged to she still didn’t know) but even she was taught some manners and etiquette.
“I swear that committee is made up of nothing but middle class ruffians that have nothing better to do on a Saturday.” Nodding in agreement with herself, Cadance returned to the matter at hoof and began reading the final suggestion for the day before she incinerated the rest of them. After all just because the box was labeled “Suggestion Box” didn’t mean she had to actually read them right?
Cadance jerked herself out of her thoughts at the knocking on her door. She quickly replaced her monocle that had fallen out off and readjusted her top hat so that it sat perfectly on her horn before asking who it was.
“Its me Cadance, Captain Shining Armor. I have a Mr. Deal with me claiming to have an appointment with you about an issue...”
“Oh! I almost forget! Yes yes, send him in Shiny.”
The old doors opened inwards calmly revealing the two stallions. Shining Armor was partly red faced as his companion, a sparkling soot colored earth pony gave him a questioning look. Shining broke eye contact with him to meet Cadance’s gaze which was enough to distract the soot pony.
“Ah! Mrs... Princess Cadance! Truly this is a great privilege to be here, and I mean that too since its a violation of my court order.” Mr. Deal stated that tidbit of information like it was tortilla chips at a mexican restaurant; like it was a natural thing ponies expected of him to explain. Defective Deal was perhaps a perfect name for this daft pony after all.
With a nod, Shining Armor grasped the doors with his magic and collectively closed the doors to allow the two ponies to conduct their business in peace. Mr. Deal walked over to her massive golden desk ready to shake her hoof or something, not even noticing the grim he was tracking all over her priceless pre-Griffon Empire rug.
Oh well, she was getting tired of it anyway.
“What can I do for you Mr. Deal. I thought our meeting wasn’t until the week after next?” She asked placing a small handkerchief over hoof to shake the stallion’s extended hoof. Before he could even reply, Cadance used her magic to withdraw the little green book she kept in the second drawer on the right side of her desk. The book hovered in front of her, the pages flipping as her experienced eyes scanned the pages looking for the one she needed. A few more pages were flipped before Cadance finally placed her hoof on the chosen one page.
“Yes, it was for next week, right after the meeting with Plump Pants, and Undercut.” She confirmed this by tapping her hoof on the book, clearly such an act was proof enough.
“Well... Yes that is true, but I figured I’ll just show up early. It isn’t best to keep somepony waiting after all!”
“But doesn’t that defeat the purpose of making an appointment if you don't show up at the appointed time, Mr. Deal?”
Mr. Deal nodded. “It somewhat does, but why put business off later when you could just take care of it today?”
Cadance opened her mouth to reply but held her tongue, instead sticking it out so she could ponder his words for a bit. She straightened her posture with an inhaled breath of air, before releasing it. To her surprise his words made sense. The longer you put off some matter the longer you'll end up having to deal with it, and that meant more time wasted.
Which boiled down to an increased loss of bits...
"Mr. Deal that has to be the single most insightful bit of logic I have ever heard in my life." Cadance praised the stallion much to her surprise. She couldn't deny that it made sense. “I wished I had more clients that thought like you Mr. Deal. I think with that kind of thinking your going to go places.”
“You really think so?”
“I do Mr. Deal. In fact I think I we, the company, could use somepony of your talents and...” Cadance gave him a quick look over, not overly impressed by what stood before her. “... looks. How would you like to be the poster stallion for our new advertising campaign?”
The soot colored earth pony nearly fainted at the suggested offer. His face on the forefront of nearly all Gem & Steam Advertising in all countries! Just that alone was enough to make him squeal like a school filly, but add in the fact he’ll be rich, and famous was beyond his wildest dreams!
“May I take that has a yes then Mr. Deal?” Cadance asked judging from the stallion’s money looking iries and greedy smile that highlighted his face. She giggled softly to herself.
“I’m glad that you approve Mr. Deal. We’ll be hard pressed to find another pony that would match your criteria.” Cadance nodded. She rose from her silk pillow and walked around the desk, motioning for the stallion to follow her. He did so rather quickly, either excited at this once in a lifetime deal or worried he could still screw it up.
“I.. me... Thank you Princess! I can’t even begin to say how surprised I’m am that you chose me for this privilege, this honor!” Mr. Deal almost immediately began expressing his thanks, and kissing flank; Cadance loved it.
“Please Mr. Deal, relax and take deep, controlled breaths. You’re most certainly welcome, don’t worry about me retracting the offer. I would never do such an underhoof, and rude thing. Now I hate to cut this short...” Cadance used her magic to open the doors, readying to show the earth pony out. “...but in a few moments I need to be readying for a trip out of city. Would you mind if we used your old appointment time for your photo shoot?
“Photo shoot?”
“Yes, yes with world renowned Photo Finish in Canterlot, does that sound acceptable Mr. Deal?” Cadance asked as if the now greedy stallion would still say no. She looked at him expectantly, wearing what you could call a friendly, maybe even a pleasant smile as she waited for his response. His brain took a moment or two longer than normal to understand what Cadance had just asked, but in only reinforced her belief that he was the perfect stallion for the job.
Mr. Deal could only nodded his reply, having lost his ability to speak just in case he were to say something stupid. Cadance’s smile only grew larger, happy to “hear” that he had accepted the offer. She showed him out of her office, waving him goodbye and reminding him about his photo shoot in Canterlot.
Before Cadance could close her office doors, her husband quickly dropped his cloaking spell and dashed in. The act startled Cadance, causing her to yell in surprise before scolding him.
“Don’t do that Shiny! I thought you had business with those ponies from the “WTF.” And why were you standing beside my door?”
“I did but they weren’t home so I went to grab a donut before coming back... but thats not the point!” Shining Armor quickly turned the conversation, earning him the “you better have a good a reason, or else your hoof will be your best friend for the next week” look.
“Ok Shiny, if you not doing your job is not the point than what is? “ She glanced down at his midsection with criticizing eyes. “Is it the roll your developing down there?”
Shining Armor, to his credit blushed at his wife’s bluntness. It’s been an issue he’d been struggling with since he left the Royal Guards to help his wife run her company. Unlike the guards where you had mandatory drills and diets, his desk job had none of that and his wife knew that. She knew he was a bit self conscious about the added weight and it was the quickest way she could get his full attention without beating around the bush: plus she only pointed out his weight when she was upset or angry. This was one of those moments.
“Well... you were still in your meeting and I didn’t want to intrude so I waited by the door... invisible.” He quickly raised his hooves in defense. “ But it was to protect you! You know... just incase he tried to pull some dastardly deed like kidnap you and tie you to the railroad tracks.”
“The same tracks I had decommission two years ago to make room for the steam powered carriage road? Shining Armor gave paused to gather his thoughts and his next choice of words. After all he didn’t want to sleep on the queen size bed again when he could be sleeping on the king size bed with his wife.
“The point is that I’m overprotective of you and I should know better that you can take care of yourself.” He wisely stated, winning his wife’s approval with a smile before the pair nuzzled.
“You're lucky you’re smart as well as handsome..” She looked up to peck him on the cheek “... else I would have cut your salary by half already.” Cadance giggled at her little jab, which Shining joined in as well. The pair’s laughter finally died after a minute or so, after which they started trotting out the office. The massive doors met each other with a low, but powerful bang before following with a sharp click: signalling the bolts barring the bolts in place.
Cadance and Shining Armor trotted down the corridor happily enjoying the closeness of the their significant other. The few ponies they did past either nodded or waved at the pair politely before moving on to wherever they were going.
“So what kind of photo shoot did you offer Mr. Deal, honey?”Shining Armor was the first to break the silence. It was a question that had been coursing through his mind since he had overheard it. Shining watched his wife from the corner of his eyes, wanting to see what she’ll do. Fortunately he didn’t have to wait long.
“That Shining Armor was suppose to be confidential, between Employer and Employee. Not between a jealous and overbearing husband.” She add that last part to drive that point further home. “But if you must know, it was an offer to be the poster pony for our new advertising campaign”
Shining gave her a questioning look. Granted he just admitted earlier he need to trust her more, this matter was the exception.”But dear, couldn’t you have found a better pony for the cover? There has to be a pony with better qualifications than Mr. Deal! I mean his name is Defective Deal after all!”
Cadance listen to her husband’s complaint, which she silently thanked the Sun for having the patience to deal with such a common practice in the business world. Whining and complaining. If only there was something she could use to rid herself of it... perhaps hiring more enforcers would solve the problem? She shook her head slightly side to side, returning her focus back to her husband’s concern.
“Shiny, I can understand your fears and concern for the public image of the company but trust me when I say there truly is no other pony better qualified than him. He is the entire “Equal Opportunity” Campaign incarnate and...’
“Wait, what was that honey?”
“What was what?” Cadance asked
“That last part. Mr. Deal being the entire campaign?” Shining Armor asked his wife, hoping his ears didn’t hear her wrong.
“Oh, well Mr. Deal is going to be our poster pony for the new C.E. Gem & Steam Equal Opportunity campaign. Its to show that we employ all species without discrimination; we hire for the pony, or whoever based on them and their skills, and not what ails them.” His wife replied with the professionalism only a C.E.O like Cadance could manage.
Shining Armor smiled gleefully at his wife’s answer. He hugged her tightly, not to the point it became uncomfortable but to show he truly meant the feelings behind the hug. “You're right honey. I need to trust your judgement more, you clearly make the right decisions.”
Cadance nodded triumphantly. Her husband was actually taking her advice to heart and learning from it! Oh today was shaping out to be quite a wonderful day, and not another intoxicating night of wine and chocolates... Again. Cadance gave her husband the look he had been hoping for, the look that decided his fate for the night.
“Well Shiny, looks like you don’t have to be friends with your hoof. You're off the hook for now.” For the rest of the way to his parents house, Shining Armor’s grin never left his face.
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I came here expecting a nice, wholesome tale of ruthless capitalism and Pinkerton-esque antics. While you have indeed fulfilled these expectations, there's one thing preventing me from really liking this. Okay, a lot of things. Mainly the frequent grammar and spelling errors, and I'm pretty sure you changed tense at least twice here. You might want to get an editor.
2826813 Haha thanks for pointing that out king. I try my best as it is and have been looking for a proofreader for some time now, but everytime It looks like I found one they just vanish. I'll be going back over this with a dictionary now since its finished. Once more thank you for pointing that out and I'm glad I at least got the capitalism/ Pinkerton antics down enough. This lilttle slice of life is base on that era.
2827770 No offense to your dictionary-fu, but the problems are a bit deeper than a couple typos. I'd recommend you search for help in one of our many, many groups.
2830876 None taken. Thank you for the link.
That cover art sold me. Great story. Noticed a few Grammar and Spelling mistakes, but it's okay on the main part.
+1
This deserves way more views.
Ok, my first review! Squeee!
Name of Story: (mess up, sorry!) The Life and Times of a Bit Mongel.
Grammar Score out of 10: 10
Pros:
1. Very witty and lighthearted (to me at least!)
2. Cadance's personality
3. The general idea!
Cons:
1. Title should not have period
2. The pace was a tad quick
3. Not much is told about the world itself (made me a bit confused)
Notes: The chapter title, firstly, should be something like "A Bit Earned is Another $574,872 Bits I Made" or "A Bit Earned... is Another $574,872 Bits I Made" etc. The overall title should lose the period, and what does mongel mean? You should elaborate a tad more about what is changed, say, make it longer to do that because I was very confused. How did Cadance get a company and her title? Why is her attitude and personality different? Describe more about the room she is in, about what her company does. Slow down to describe more and let us get a feel for the new universe. I enjoyed this story overall though.
2876928
HaHa Thanks for the review Rainbow_Flash. To answer a few questions, I mainly wrote this story because of the picture. I dont remember where I found it but I like it so much that I decided to write about it.
The reason the pacing is quick is because I want the chapters to be short, but enjoyable readings where the reader doesn't have to invest a lot of time into reading it. Its one of those read in 5 minutes and be done with the chapter SOL.
Another reason for the lack of world building info is mostly because the story is a Slice of Life fic, so I'll be adding many tidbits of info and just daily life in the company from many different p.o.v's.
As for Cadance, I'll explain more about her in future chapters but mainly I want her to still feel the same and also show genuine concern for the ponies that work for her. But because of her "work ethic" her mind still thinks like a business mare so her decisions normally may not seem all heartfelt. She is a C.E.O after all so her mind all about making bits and keeping a nice public image.
If you want a story that has greater detail and setting may I suggest another story of mine?
P.s Monger means "A dealer in a specific commodity."
I hope this clears some of the mess up a bit, and once again thank you for the review.
2877333 You're welcome!