Noam
"... Ditzy? Are you awake?"
The mailmare's eyes fluttered open to reveal a blue-coated unicorn wearing a big purple hat. Ditzy blinked a few more times as the rest of the train car swam into focus. "I am now. How long was I out?"
"A few hours." Trixie giggled. "I guess we shouldn't have stayed up so late with the marshmallows and hot chocolate, huh?"
"No, it was fine. It's nice to be able to stay up late now and then." Ditzy rolled over and got to her hooves, then looked around the well-appointed train car. "Especially in an environment like this. We should travel as knights more often!"
Trixie grinsned as she followed Ditzy's gaze, which moved past the well-stocked pantry and liquor cabinet, the couches and beds, and the little library, before settling on the card table at the other end of the car. "When the others get back I'll show you all some card tricks that I've been prepping for Hearth's Warming Eve. You won't believe your eyes!"
"I don't doubt it." Ditzy looked around the car. "Actually, where are the others?"
"I think they went to find the conductor to see how far out we are. We--"
The train car door opened and Cheerilee and Lyra entered. "We'll be in Moscolt really soon," said Cheerilee. "I hope you've been studying those Rushian phrasebooks I got you, because it's time to put them to use!"
Trixie grinned winningly.
Cheerilee met her gaze with a calm, pleasant smile.
Trixie's grin slipped. Cheerilee kept smiling.
"Let's just say I'm not really a study kind of pony..." said Trixie at last.
Cheerilee chuckled. "I can translate, but it shouldn't be a big problem. Most Rushians speak Equestrian too. I--"
The traincar door burst open and Carrot Top ran in. "Girls!" she said, a huge grin on her face. "Girls, guess what's in the last car on the train? Come on, guess!"
"Uh... a year's supply of Weekly Carrot magazines?" guessed Trixie.
"Plants! Apparently they're doing botanical research in Stalliongrad, trying to grow hardier and more nutritious vegetables and stuff, and they've got all kinds of magical herbs and flowers that they're going to be researching!" Carrot Top laughed. "And guess what? The pony in charge of the plant shipment is the cousin of one of the guards we rescued when the salamanders attacked Canterlot last spring. She's so grateful she said I could look through the plants!" She was almost bouncing from hoof to hoof. "They've got poison joke, and heart's desire, and longneck daffodils..."
"What's the big deal about tall weeds?" asked Trixie.
"No, they're daffodils that magically lengthen your neck if you eat them."
Trixie blanched, and Ditzy, Lyra, and Cheerilee giggled. "Please don't try them," said the showmare at last.
"Don't worry. I... hey, where's Raindrops?" Carrot Top looked around. "There were a few bugs there too, and I figured maybe Raindrops could have a fun story to tell Snails. I caught him looking through my carrots the other day hunting for carrot worms. Had to explain there wasn't any such thing..."
"Raindrops said she was going to find some fun," said Cheerilee.
"Granted, I doubt she's had more fun than you," said Trixie.
At that point, the exterior door of the car opened and Raindrops flew in. She was covered in snow and dripped water into the entranceway. With a contented sigh she whipped her wings a few times, splashing the others, then jumped onto the carpet and rolled around like a contented cat. "I love it here," she murmured.
"Snowstorm outside?" asked Trixie, who looked torn between complaining about being splashed with snow and giggling at Raindrops' silly behavior.
"Even better! The snow melts to rain a few hundred feet above the train, so it's a nice big rainstorm and there's no weather patrol for miles around!" Raindrops grinned. "It's a huge rainstorm that makes that one Rainbow Dash let through from the Everfree look like a summer drizzle -- and it's completely uncontrolled! And because it's from melted snow, all the raindrops are just the right size!" She splayed her wings out. "We need more storms like this in Ponyville."
Ditzy looked out the window and into the huge rainstorm. "Um..."
"Hey, we're knights, right? We have the Right of Approach. We should ask Luna to send us a really big rainstorm as a thank-you for all the times we've saved the world!" Raindrops thumped her wings into the carpet a few more times. "Who's with me?"
There was silence.
"Maybe we'll just ask her to send you a raincloud," said Trixie. "How's that?"
Raindrops sighed melodramatically. "I suppose it'll do."
Ditzy laughed, and soon the others joined in. It was cold and wet outside, the mailmare reflected, but the warmth and cheer from her friends inside made it all worth it.
***
A few minutes later, once Raindrops was dried off and Cheerilee had put on a big pot of tea, Trixie took a few papers out of her saddlebag.
"So, after Moscolt the train stops in Neighsky Nogood," the showmare said, "and after that we stop in Stalliongrad. We turn there, head east for a few hours, and make... I think three more stops, first in Omsk, then Saint Ponysburg, and then some small town. Then we're in Noam."
"Can we get off the train anywhere?" asked Lyra. "There's so many historical sites in Rushia. The Moscolt palaces and statues, Castle Stalliongrad, the Omsk ossuary--"
"No time. The train stops aren't long enough for anything more than buying a bowl of borscht in the train station, and Luna said this was urgent, so we can't stop somewhere and wait for a later train. That's why we got the express and are only stopping in six cities, not sixty." Trixie shrugged. "But no reason we can't dawdle a bit on the way back." She paused. "Unless... Ditzy, how long is Dinky staying at Sparkler's? Do you need to hurry back?"
"An extra day or two shouldn't be a problem. Especially with that new spell you worked out."
"Great! Then it's settled. On the way back, we sightsee for a day!"
Raindrops blinked. "Just a day to sightsee? How long is it supposed to take us to kick the big bad windigo -- which apparently exists and isn't some story parents use to scare foals --in the flank? We zap it with the Elements and it goes away. Shouldn't take more than, like, an hour. We'll have time to spare."
"We're not just..." Trixie paused. "Oh right. You missed Agent Haymaker's briefing."
"Hey," said Raindrops, blushing. "Not my fault. I had a... family thing."
***
Raindrops looked at the mass of bees. She looked at her little brother. She looked at the mass of bees coating her little brother.
"Snails. What are you doing?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Oh, he challenged me for the title of Daringest Pony in Ponyville!" chirped Rainbow Dash. She was standing next to Snails and was also covered with bees. "We're tied, so we're at the final test -- the test of bees! Whoever has bees on them for the longest wins!" She paused. "Well, technically, the winner faces Applejack later, since she's got the title right now. But whoever has bees on them for the longest wins the right to challenge her!"
"Yeah!" Snails grinned. "I'm gonna be the bravest pony around, big sis! Just you watch!"
"And you're... using protective clothing, right?"
Rainbow Dash said, "Of course!"
Snails blinked. "Oh. I knew I'd forgotten something."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
"Snails? I'm getting the beekeeper and de-beeing you."
"But... but Raindrops! I think they might give me honey if I give them a pony-back ride!"
And thus began Raindrops' attempts to negotiate with a swarm of bees.
***
"...anyways, I got that sorted. And I caught the tail end of the meeting, remember? We just need to go buck a windigo in its face and we're good."
Trixie sighed. "Does somepony who was paying attention want to fill Raindrops in?"
Cheerilee giggled, then adopted a prim look. "The windigo has claimed to have had a child with a pony, which it is now demanding to see. After deliberation, Luna, her Courtiers, and her military officers have decided that they are willing to extend trust to the windigo, and the child's guardian ad litem -- Vicereine Puissance, of Califurlong and Palomino -- has agreed to go along with this as well. As such, we are going to Noam in order to guard Ice Heart -- that's the child -- the Vicereine, and other Equestrians during the meeting, as well as hopefully help to establish communication with the windigo if at all possible."
Raindrops stared. "Wait, a windigo had a child with a pony?"
"Apparently," said Carrot Top.
"How?"
"Try not to think about it," deadpanned Lyra. Raindrops blanched. "Seriously, nopony knows. The child's mother died nine months ago. Without her, your guess is as good as mine how that worked."
Cheerilee turned back to Raindrops. "Basically, our job is to make sure the windigo doesn't attack Ice Heart, Puissance, or anypony else while we're there."
"Do we know how to fight a windigo?" asked Carrot Top.
Lyra nodded. "The legends say they were driven off when ponies first abandoned their tribalist bigotry and formed real friendships. As long as we stay friends, it shouldn't be able to touch us."
"...can we do better than 'shouldn't'?" asked Raindrops.
Trixie said, "Luna never used the Elements on a windigo directly, but from what she understands of them, she is certain they will work. They're some of the most primal magic in all the world. If they can beat the tyrant sun, they can beat a chilly horse who feeds on meanness."
Raindrops smiled at that.
Ditzy held up a hoof. "How exactly did Puissance wind up as this child's guardian? I don't know much about her, but from how you described her she's not exactly... motherly."
Trixie snorted. "Yeah, she's a bit domineering. She claims she stumbled across the kid -- who looks, um, half-frozen, so he's not hard to pick out of a crowd -- and was concerned he would be bullied for his appearance, so she found a pony in this artist's colony she runs to adopt him. She also became his legal guardian ad litem. I don't really know more than that. Hopefully we'll be able to stay out of her way while we're all in Noam."
"Wait, is she going to be there?" asked Carrot Top. "Doesn't she have better things to do?"
Trixie shook her head. "She's his guardian. She has a legal -- and moral -- responsibility to be with her ward in this kind of situation. Besides Luna needs somepony high up in the government that's empowered to make deals, like letting the windigo stay in a certain place on Equestrian soil, to be present for this. She can't go herself because of war stuff, so Puissance is one of the other choices. She's been around long enough that she knows how to handle herself in negotiations."
Cheerilee snorted. "Ah, yes. She might be inept at running her provinces' education systems, but I'm sure she can negotiate with a mythological monster just fine."
Trixie frowned. "Puissance, like the rest of the Court, was not thrown off of it, and so needs to be treated with the deference and respect due her station." She paused. "Girls, come on. Ponyville was almost destroyed because I got Night Light mad at me. I'd like for us to go at least six months before getting on the bad side of another Viceroy."
"Trixie, you didn't hear how she spoke to her great-grandcolt. She was enraged that his life deviated from her script by the tiniest degree. A pony like that isn't worthy of respect. Remember Night Light? He's proof that just because you're a Viceroy doesn't make you a good pony."
"Yes, and I remember what Night Light did when he got mad at us." Trixie held her gaze. "Cheerilee, please promise me you won't antagonize Puissance for no reason. Okay?"
"...fine." Cheerilee shut her eyes, but nodded. "I promise."
Ditzy put a wing on Cheerilee's shoulder. "Maybe she was just stressed because of the Gala," she said. "I've made a few mistakes with Dinky... like with the Sharpwhinny admissions letter." She chuckled. "I mean, after the way I reacted about sending Dinky to a certain school, I can't really criticize Puissance for having a similar reaction, right?"
Cheerilee looked at her for a moment before smiling slightly. "You see the good in everypony, Ditzy."
"I'm a mother," the mailmare replied. "I know how hard it is to raise a foal... and I can only imagine how hard it must be to take in another one at her age. But as far as we know, she's been doing a good job. I can't imagine Luna letting her keep Ice Heart otherwise."
Trixie nodded. "As soon as Puissance told Luna about Ice Heart, Luna went to meet him -- she was concerned that she might not know how to take care of a half-windigo hybrid. But her message to me said that Ice Heart is not only being raised by loving parents, provided with everything he needs for school, physical activity, etcetera, but Puissance is going to substantial expense to modify his home to make him as comfortable as a pony who's half ice can be. I mean, he's part windigo, so even Puissance is kind of in left field here, but Luna didn't think there were any problems in how she's having him raised."
"Then I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt." Ditzy smiled at the others. "Agreed?"
"I'll be as nice as I can," said Cheerilee.
"Ditto," said Raindrops. "Long as she doesn't pull a Greengrass and try to force us to move to Palomino, I won't buck her out a window."
"Deal," declared Trixie in a faux-formal voice, and the others laughed.
Lyra settled back on a cushion. "So, make sure the windigo doesn't ice anypony, and don't make the Vicereine mad at us. Anything else?"
"That's about it. Shouldn't be too tough. And hey, everything's on Equestria's dime while we're in Noam!" Trixie grinned. "Now, who wants a celebratory bourbon to mark our arrival in Rushia?"
Ditzy glanced at the clock. "Actually, it's just about five... could we use the crystal ball first? My little Muffin should be about ready."
"Of course!" Trixie levitated a crystal ball from her saddlebag. "Just remember to be careful with it. The spell only works because these balls Luna loaned us have a little chip from the Crystal Heart in them, and they don't just give that stuff away. They're pretty much irreplaceable."
"I'll be careful, Trixie."
"Alright. I'll send energy through, and once Twilight sends some on the other end, the communication link should be established." Her horn glowed as she shot energy into the ball. "There we go, and..."
In moments, the ball's cloudy surface faded and was replaced with the head of a brightly smiling purple-coated, blond-maned foal.
"My little Muffin!" Ditzy flew to the crystal ball and pressed it up against her muzzle. "I'm so glad to see you! How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Momma! I'm having loads of fun! Sparkler's showing me how to put necklaces together!" Dinky levitated up a necklace consisting of several glass beads on a string. "She said that when you get home I can give you the best one! You like gray and yellow, right?"
"Dear, anything you make for me is beautiful."
Trixie chuckled. "Aww."
"Tell me all about your day," Ditzy said. "What did you learn in school? Was the substitute alright? Was--" She paused. "Dinky, could you lower your head a little? I think something's on your head."
Dinky lowered her head to reveal a potato impaled on her little horn.
"Dear... why do you have a potato on your head?"
"It's not just a potato!" protested Dinky. "It's a sweet potato! Because you always tell me how sweet I am!"
Ditzy couldn't help but smile. "And, the reason you have a sweet potato on your head is..."
"Well, Apple Bloom came in to school balancing an apple on her head, and Snails said he could do better than that and so put one on his horn, and now everypony's putting fruits and vegetables on their horns and heads!" Dinky giggled. "Alula put a banana, but it mushed, so I helped her find a sturdier fruit. And then Diamond Tiara tried to stud an orange with rubies, but..."
Ditzy grinned as she listened to the story. Distantly, she observed that the train car was slowing down as the train reached Moscolt, but she didn't care. She was talking to her daughter; that was what mattered.
"How is everypony?" Dinky asked after a few minutes of chatter. "How's Miss Trixie? Is she having fun?"
"Hah!" Ditzy looked up to see Trixie out on the platform, in the midst of a bunch of ponies with big furry hats and even bigger smiles. They were on their hind legs, hopping from one to the other in a squat position. "Of course I can do a traditional Rushian squat dance! I'm a knight, after all!"
"Hurray!" the ponies cheered. They gave her a spot in the formation and began to sing:
Moscolt... land of the lovely snow...
Land where the best rye grows...
Land of our dreams!
Trixie tried to imitate them as best she could.
"Moscolt, Moscolt, I don't really know the words.
I don't know these words at all.
Ha ha ha ha ha -- augh!" And she slipped and fell on her flank.
"Want help?" called Carrot Top.
"No, I've got this!" Trixie managed to get back to her hooves. "Moscolt, Moscolt, now my stupid hooves are cold..."
Ditzy turned back to the crystal ball with Dinky's image inside. "She's fine, dear."
"So are you really going to be meeting Vicereine Puissance in Noam?"
"Yes. She's setting up the hotels so that we'll have rooms when we arrive."
Dinky blinked. "But Ponyville is closer to Noam than Palomino and Califurlong, right? And she had to go back there to find this ice pony first, and you left right away. So how come she'll be there first?"
Ditzy realized that she hadn't thought about it. "Well... I'm sure she has some way of getting there. She's a Vicereine, after all. She has a lot of money, so she can buy fast transportation."
Dinky cocked her head. "Silver Spoon said that her daddy's wine collection is worth twice as much as I am. How many of me is Vicereine Puissance's wine collection worth?"
I think I need to talk to Sterling again, thought Ditzy. "You're worth more than her entire wine collection. Even if she's drinking from a one-thousand bit bottle now, and has a thousand more just like it back home. You're priceless, my little Muffin."
Dinky blushed. "Do you think she's really drinking from a one-thousand bit bottle of wine right now?"
"It wouldn't surprise me..."
***
"Auntie Puissance?"
The Vicereine looked away from the bottle of wine, priced at one thousand bits retail, that had been set before her to accompany her late lunch. "Yes, Ice Heart?" she said, turning to look at her ward. The pegasus-windigo hybrid was smiling at Puissance with pure adoration. "How are you doing today?" the Vicereine asked.
"Oh, I'm doing great!" was the immediate, enthusiastic response. Ice Heart tensed like he was going to flap his wings and jump up and down, but then seemed to catch himself and just smiled brightly at the Vicereine. "I've had an amazing day! I swam with Stream Dreams, and she made a water sculpture of a shark to chase me around! And then I went into the cold jacuzzi you made for me and it was really really fun -- it was like I was inside a whirlpool!" His wings began to spread as excitement overtook him. "And then I played with those walking, dancing toys you gave me, and I chased them all over the ship! And--"
When Ice Heart's wings opened a fraction more, breaching the invisible line that no well-bred foal of the house of Optiebeurs-Golo would ever breech in public, Puissance held up a hoof and flicked her wings by the slightest amount. Ice Heart immediate blushed, even the ice portions of his body taking on a slightly reddish tinge, but he snapped his wings shut. "This is a wonderful ship," he said,with more control in his voice. "Thank you for letting me ride it, Auntie Puissance."
"Of course, dear." Puissance waved a hoof around the dining room, which had more silver and platinum in the walls and furnishings than some mines. "I had it specially commissioned. It's the fastest airship in Equestria... and the most luxurious too. After all, I could hardly take you and your friends anywhere in a second-rate airship."
Ice Heart approached Puissance's table, and Puissance nodded slightly as he waited for the servant, an old camel who had once worked for a Niqah prince, to pull out his chair, then climbed into it without flapping his wings around like a silly commoner. "How is your airship so fast, Auntie?" he asked. "Does it have really really big engines?"
"No." Puissance swept out a wing at the northern end of the room. "It has magic. The front of the ship has many spells that thin the air in front of it, and the back of the ship has spells that thicken the air, so the ship is pushed forwards by the pressure difference. It's much more efficient than a bag of gas and a pilot light."
Ice Heart remained silent through her explanation, listening attentively and not even fidgeting. Puissance was again cheered. She couldn't help but compare the perfectly-obedient Ice Heart -- a commoner foal, with no noble blood that she knew of -- to her own family, who constantly resisted her guidance. It seemed every other week she had to stop one of them from embarking on a short-sighted career, or marrying a pony that wasn't right for them, or trying to take some of her power before they were ready for it, and yet they struggled against her at every turn -- even when she was obviously right. Even Scepter, her great-grandcolt, avoided associating with the friends that Puissance had hoof-selected for him with such great care, preferring to run around with undignified, mud-slinging foals from a public school. It was nice sometimes to see her Vault ponies -- especially Ice Heart -- and finally be treated with the respect she deserved.
And respect, of course, deserved respect in kind. "By the way, Ice Heart, it's your snack time, isn't it? You must be starving. What would you like for lunch?"
"A big bowl of ice cream!" was Ice Heart's immediate response. "And... a big bowl of cereal, with some cold milk!"
Puissance turned to the camel servant. "One large bowl of Premium Honey-Roasted Oats," she ordered, with the same formality that she had displayed when ordering exquisite caviar three nights prior. "With a large glass of Top-Cow Grade-AAA milk, and two scoops of Top-Cow vanilla ice cream in a separate bowl."
The servant bowed and left without comment.
Puissance turned back to Ice Heart, smiling gently at him. "How have your studies been going? Has Mr. Yang been teaching you well?"
"Uh huh! I'm up through fractions in math!" Ice Heart paused. "Although, before we left, he did ask me a riddle that I couldn't figure out." He smiled winningly. "Could you please help me, Auntie?"
Puissance grinned to herself. Yang Chew was a kirin scholar who had fled the western continent after he had shown up the warlord he served too many times. He had been running for his life after having once again solved a riddle before his lord when he happened to pass through a port city, where one of Puissance's agents -- who knew how badly she wanted a couple of kirin and perhaps a few longma to add to her Vault -- arranged for him to slip out to sea. Chew was a brilliant scholar and a master of riddles and wordplay, and so Puissance had asked him to handle the education of the Vault foals. "What's the riddle, dear?"
"'When you need me, you don't have me; when you have me, you don't need me. What am I?'"
Puissance thought for a moment. "Hmm... well, I suppose I could give you a little hint..."
Ice Heart grinned.
"The answer has something to do with money."
"Money?" Ice Heart blinked. "When you have money, you don't need it; when you need money, you don't have it?" He looked confused. "What does that mean?"
Puissance looked back at the bottle of wine in front of her, a top-shelf brand called Imperial Wine, and thought back to when she had purchased it. She had seen eight bottles of it at a prestigious wine shop, each priced at 1000 bits even. But, as it happened, she had seen each of them be sold -- and she had noted how each pony paid a very different price for each bottle.
The first bottle went to a scruffy-looking family. A middle-aged couple, an elder stallion, and a younger mare, they entered and hurried to the center of the largest open space in the store as if terrified of bumping into and damaging the other bottles. Puissance noted their outfits; they wore formal suits and dresses that had been patched and sewn up many times, the younger mare's dress in particular looked faded from overuse, and the elder stallion couldn't quite hide that his jacket was missing two buttons. They looked as if this environment was as foreign to them as a distant continent. But they had come nonetheless, and Puissance heard -- to her great surprise -- the father asking for one of the bottles of the Imperial Wine.
Puissance had gone to talk with them, and after a few moments they yielded to her authority -- it was her special talent, after all -- and told them their story. They were a lower middle-class family called the Bonnets, merchants and factory workers who did well enough to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, with perhaps the occasional bit left over for an ice cream cone or a toy. They had toiled for years, expecting to remain as they were forever, until opportunity struck -- Suzerain Blueblood, the Baron of a small subprovince of Hyasanguia, had bumped into the mare on the street and had been smitten. Now marriage was a possibility, and marriage to a noble would elevate the family from a life of toil to a life of comfort. But the marriage wasn't finalized yet, and Suzerain's family was understandably concerned about him marrying a commoner of minimal means. Suzerain had thus invited Bluebelle Bonnet to meet his family, a sort of audition for the marriage. A gift, of course, was compulsory -- and not just any gift, but one that would convince the family that they were cultured, they were refined, and above all, they weren't dirt-poor commoners. And so they scrimped, and saved, and sacrificed, and put away money, and after all this, in the one month they had before the dinner, they had managed to accumulate one thousand bits. With that they would buy the finest wine they could afford, and hopefully secure the marriage that would mean their salvation.
But the wine, Puissance thought as the family was rung up, cost them much more than one thousand bits. There were the obvious costs, of course: the family had pawned a two-hundred bit chest for sixty bits; they had pawned some jewelry and taken fifty bits for three pieces that Puissance would have valued at one-fifty; they had even sold a little campground they used to rent out over the summer, depriving them of hundreds of bits of future income. Then there were the little, incremental costs; the nights when they were exhausted from working double shifts and so took a cab home; when they tried to cook with unfamiliar dirt-cheap foods like millet, ruined them, and had to buy more; when they put off repairing a wagon until it collapsed and needed to be replaced. And then there was the big one; a fifth member of the family, a quiet and hardworking uncle, had fallen ill from overwork. His medicine, his doctors, even his lost productivity, that was all a big cost. In the end, Puissance estimated that the family had actually spent almost three thousand bits to get that one thousand bit bottle of wine.
The next group wore suits and dresses that were crisp and clean -- so crisp, Puissance noted, that they looked rented. They moved with more ease around the wine, clearly not scared of breaking anything, but didn't seem to know much about it -- she heard their comments about how this wine or that was too fruity or acidic, and almost rolled her eyes at their bluffing babble. They acted like a middle class pony's idea of what a rich pony would act like, and it showed.
When Puissance spoke to them, they admitted that they didn't shop here as much as they had hoped to imply. A collection of tradesponies, they included was a doctor, a lawyer, two engineers, and a 'consultant'. The latter chattered a mile a minute, complained about technical aspects of the wine he tasted as though he had some idea of what he was talking about, and explained to Puissance that they were five longtime friends who had all recently achieved some sort of professional success and wished to celebrate with a fine bottle of wine. They had taken an hour or two off from their practices to go wine shopping, they said, because they had no servants with which to entrust the task; they had rented suits because they wanted to be taken seriously; they had hired a carriage because this was the kind of wine store where ponies arrived in carriages. Between the suits, the carriage, and the lost productivity, Puissance estimated that their bottle of wine cost them fifteen hundred bits. And, she thought as they left, Add in another hundred, because the consultant just annoyed the staff so much with his chatter and condescension that he'll probably get a little surcharge if he ever shows up here again.
The third bottle went to a suited pony who made no conversation. He simply approached the staff, mentioned that 'the Countess' was expecting company, paid for his purchase, and left without further ado. The fourth, fifth, and sixth bottles went to another suited servant who said that Archduchess Nobility was hosting a party for some top generals. The store included a discount on the bulk purchase, such that she only paid two thousand, seven hundred bits for the three bottles, or nine hundred per. The seventh was even cheaper; a chef hurried in and complained that his shipment of Imperial wine was short one bottle. A check of the records revealed the truth of this statement and he took the replacement bottle; when he mentioned the total price he'd paid and the total quantity, Puissance calculated that he was only paying about five hundred bits per bottle -- and that he sold a lot of the stuff. I suppose, then, it isn't as rare as they would like to imply.
Finally, Puissance had stepped up to the counter and introduced herself. The store's manager hurried out, levitating the last bottle in front of him. "We would love to become your wine supplier in Canterlot," he simpered. "And, as a token of our appreciation of your many, many qualities and talents, please enjoy this bottle of Imperial Wine. On the house."
Puissance debated telling this story to Ice Heart, but decided not to. She had told it to Scepter, but the foal had derailed things early on with questions about whether or not she helped out the family that was trying to marry into the nobility. He hadn't seemed to understand that the family wasn't from her provinces, and so was not her problem, and eventually she'd had to make up some excuse to leave the conversation before she lost her patience. So instead she just said, "I couldn't give you the whole answer, dear. I'm sure that if you think about it, you'll figure it out."
"I'll do my best!"
Ice Heart's food came, and the foal tucked in. Puissance smiled to herself and settled back on her cushion, feeling the airship trembling slightly as it moved through the snowstorm. We should arrive in two hours... and beat the Elements by at least three. That should be enough time to prepare the hotel. If I can set up before they arrive, I can make sure they don't do anything troublesome like try to take Ice Heart from me.
She nodded to herself. Ice Heart is mine, knights. He's not yours, and he's not some absent windigo's, and he's not Luna's. He is mine. And I will not lose him to you.
***
"We're here," said Trixie. "I think."
Noam Station was a tiny little platform at the edge of town, a hasty addition to a village that looked like it had been built centuries ago and promptly frozen in time. The train had shrunk to a tiny three cars after the last stop, and even then, only a few passenges disembarked. Night had almost fallen, but there were very few lights from inside the town, and the bright skylines of Moscolt, Stalliongrad, and even Omsk seemed continents away. Snow was falling at a moderate rate.
"This is kind of... small." Ditzy looked around. "I think this town might be smaller than Ponyville. Why are we staging here?"
"Closest to where the windigo is," said Trixie.
"I thought," said Raindrops, as they moved into the town itself, "That this place was supposed to have a great hotel. The Northern Gate or something."
"It does," said Cheerilee. "I've been there before. It's huge, and it's really nice."
"How does a little town like this have enough people for a big hotel?" asked Carrot Top.
Cheerilee raised her head and adopted the tone of a schoolteacher. "Before the train system was put up, there was no easy way to get to Equestria's northern border. Most of the land in the northernmost part of Rushia is uninhabitable steppes, snowbound ten months a year. But ponies still wanted to get into the Elkheim and Hippogriff nations for trade and diplomacy, so a road was constructed. Noam was the northernmost city on that road, the last stop before leaving the country."
"So everypony who wanted to travel north stopped through here," said Ditzy.
"Here, and all the other towns south of here on the way. Used to be a lot of inns and small towns to make the journey more comfortable. They were actually relatively well-off." Cheerilee shrugged. "When the province and the rail companies finally got the trains running, the road became obsolete. Now you can take a train from Canterlot to the Elkheim capital without ever leaving a warm train car, and you can do it in a fraction of the time. So nopony comes here anymore, and a lot of the locals moved out. Two of the hotels, though, are still open. The Northern Gate's the better one of the two, and if it's anything like the last time I stayed here, it's actually one of the best hotels you'll ever stay in."
They had reached the center of Noam, an open and empty square surrounded by shops on four sides. Most of the shops were closed and dark; only a bar, a small diner, and a laundry were lit. In the distance, at the far edge of town, Ditzy saw a large structure through the fading light.
"This is creepy," whispered Carrot Top. "I don't like this place."
"Afraid of the dark?" teased Trixie.
"It's not just dark. It's cold." Raindrops hitched up her coat. "I mean, really cold. Are we sure the windigo isn't here already?"
Ditzy looked around uneasily. From the snowbound houses to the cracked, crumbling streets, the entire town felt like the ponies had just given up. Is this what a world overrun by windigos would look like? Nopony cares about their town, or anypony but themselves, and just huddles inside -- or runs away -- while things crumble around them? "Yeah... it feels like windigos already run this place."
"Agent Haymaker said that an agent would meet us if the windigo left it's current position. Nopony did, so it's still five miles away or so." Trixie chuckled. "Relax. This town's only got ponies, okay? No monsters here."
As they walked, the Northern Gate building slowly came into view. Ditzy couldn't help but gulp when she saw it. It was a huge structure, covering the entire block, and had been designed in the art-deco style. Vividly colored, geometric components were combined in symmetrical patterns to make up the building's structure. The outer windows were all made of stained glass, and aluminum and steel lines ran up the building in parallel strokes. They terminated at the top of the building... where Ditzy could dimly see a sunburst lacquer stretching across the wall.
"This place is how old?" asked Raindrops.
"Old," said Cheerilee. Even she seemed somewhat awed. Ditzy understood the feeling. It was an imposing building, tall enough to tower over them, with such angular lines that it looked painful to touch. "It, um. Looks better on the inside."
"Does it predate Corona's banishment?" asked Carrot Top.
"Nopony knows," said Trixie. "And, more importantly, nopony cares. Can we get inside before we freeze to death?"
Ditzy gave the building one more long, uneasy look. I'm glad Dinky stayed home for this one, she thought. But Trixie was right; if they stayed outside, they'd only get colder. So she took a deep breath and followed Trixie in.
The interior of the building was nice enough, Ditzy had to admit; the lobby had plenty of cushions and three roaring fireplaces to keep the chill out. She walked with the other Elements towards the reception desk, where a brightly-smiling pony grinned at them. "Hello!" said the receptionist. "Can I help you?"
"We should have reservations," said Trixie. "We're the knights--"
"Wait." Cheerilee held up a hoof. "You don't have a Rushian accent." She narrowed her eyes. "I should know; I married a Rushian pony once. Are you from around here?"
"Er..." The receptionist blushed. "Um, no. My name is Pageturner! I work for Vicereine Puissance."
"So why are you checking guests in?" asked Trixie.
"The Vicereine didn't want the locals to gossip about Ice Heart -- I'm sure you're familiar with his conditiion, and she was concerned they might tease him about it. So she paid for the hotel's staff to take a vacation in Palomino for the duration of our stay, and brought her own staff to do the cooking and cleaning." Pageturner smiled brightly. "Don't worry. We're just as hospitable as the locals. And Chef makes a delicious carrot stew." She beamed. "Shall I show you to your rooms?"
The Elements looked at each other, and Raindrops frowned. "That's... strange."
Ditzy caught Pageturner's gaze, and noted with some surprise that the mare didn't seem even slightly surprised to see her wandering eyes. That was unusual, though Ditzy of course didn't mind it. Did she train these ponies to not react to unusual-looking strangers?
"Not really," argued Pageturner. "The Vicereine has impressed upon every pony in her service the importance of respecting even the most unusual-appearing of ponies. She does not want to risk offending her ward."
Trixie, Raindrops, and Cheerilee exchanged glances. "We've had some bad experiences," said Raindrops in her usual blunt manner. "With nobles when there weren't other ponies around to check them. You're sure that everypony in the hospitality industry in this town here works for her?"
Pageturner frowned. "Well... there is another hotel in Noam. It's not as good as this one, but if you really want it, the Vicereine has authorized me to set you up over there. Would you like that?"
Ditzy bit her lip. She was tempted, she had to admit. The hotel was beyond creepy, and given what the nobles had done to them, she had no desire to live in an environment where she was completely surrounded by the staff and servants of one of the most powerful nobles of all. Part of her just wanted to run away.
But. The knights were there to protect a foal, and they couldn't do that from across town. Besides, she had promised to give Puissance the benefit of the doubt. Her motives could well be genuine, and she wouldn't challenge her parenting by insisting that she must have malicious motives. It was possible Puissance only wanted the best for Ice Heart, and as long as that was possible, Ditzy wasn't going to attack her. That would be monumentally unjust.
And so she said, "No. We're in town to protect Ice Heart and the Vicereine, right? We have to be near them to do that."
"Yeah," said Trixie a moment later. "We're staying."
"Wonderful!" said Pageturner. "The Vicereine has asked you to meet her for dinner tonight at seven in the southern ballroom. Tomorrow, you leave to meet the windigo at eight AM. Follow me!"
And so she led the Elements deeper into the hotel.
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Since Puissance is sort of Ditzy's polar opposite, I really don't see her good will lasting for more than the first few words.
Happily soaked Raindrops is so much fun.
POTATO_ON_YOUR_HORN, sounds like a Reddit username.
Nice airship, I think I'd rather have it than the jetpack mentioned last chapter.
3579794: Happily soaked Raindrops would be an awesome Lunaverse tumblr. She's got that certain joie de vivre. :-)
I saw that you put 'she' down for Snails when RD was explaining their competition. Nice nod to the new episode, btw.
Wow, what a great chapter. I appreciated the recaps and the exploration of Puissance and Ice Heart's relationship - hell, in her own twisted way, she really does care about him - and the foil being set up here between P and D is looking to be very interesting indeed. The character interactions in this were so nice; I loved seeing everypony come in and just have a moment where they laugh and joke around.
Also, shipping feels.Freezy Frosty!
So. You wrote about an airship that works in principle similar to an Alcubierre drive. Neat.
RainDrops and Snails covered in bees seems familiar, but I cannot place it.
;-)
Should be:
I always heard 'the poor have it, the rich need it' with the answer being 'nothing'.
I'd completely forgotten to favorite this. Fortunately I only seem to be a day late to the party.
Puissance: Four hundred eighty seven point five-four-one, repeating, of you.
Ditzy: ...what the - ?!
Puissance: Sorry, needed to talk to the Representative about something, didn't know there was a call already going through -
Ditzy: Um...
Dinky: That's a lot of wine!
Puissance: Less then you'd think. Quality, dear child, not quantity. A good bottle of '891 Chardoneigh can smooth the toughness legal battles.
Dinky: I'll remember that!
Ditzy: Vicereine - and I mean this with all due respect - please stop corrupting my daughter.
The reason this isn't put to larger use throughout Equestria, I'm assuming, is that it is massively cost-prohibitive.
I really admire Puissance's ability to perform mental gymnastics to obfuscate the fact that she's an interfering, domineering old tyrant from herself. Of course, that'll just make it more painful when she finally figures herself out.
Those stories about the bottles of wine were very interesting and well written! It's not something I've seen before.
Still, enjoying this fic so far, though this chappter a little less than the last.
I should certanly hope that most Rushians speak Equestrian. After all, isn't Rushia supposed to be an Equestrian province (Archduke Fisher's to be precise)? While there would surely be a regional dialect, would there really even be any language barrier to be concerned about in the first place? At most I'd expect the average Rushian to speak fluent, if accented Equestrian, with maybe ocasional pepperings of their regional tongue (much the same as Trixie does with French).
One question, why? Again, isn't Rushia an Equestian proviance, and it's not like they are ariving at a remote outpost, but Moscolt (which I'm guessing is the capital or at least a major city). Not to mention that unless I'm mistaken about this being Fisher's teritory, I'd expect them to be even more stirgintly rigid about weather patrol.
That said, I did rather enjoy Ditzy's hesitant uncertanty as Raindrops expoused on the joys of an uncontrled storm, since much like the Everfree, that's thekind of thing that should really unsettle the average Equestrian.
I actually enjoy that Cheerilee is holding something of an exagerated petty grudge over that ONE conversation she had with the vicereine (education being a very personal issue for her). Trixie's folow up speach about showing deference to the courtiers seemed a wee bit forced in it's delivery, but the overall message was fair enough. Still, I might recomend you consider rephraisng Trixie's dialogue so it sounds more organinc, instead of like she momentarly stepped outside the fic to directly lecture the audiance about how the court isn't all evil scumbags.
...and maybe cut Cheerilee emphasing the incodent with Scepter. Admitedly, reviewing is sort of relivant to Puissance's desire to control and "own" those around her, however, the way it's pharsed goes beyond comdic grudge and starts refelecting poorly on Cheerilee. So again maybe this is a case where the exact tone and phrasing should be reconsidered to make Cheerilee sound less overtyl angry and more so passingly irritated. After all, Puissance should hardly be the first overly domineering parental figure she's had to deel with.
The dialoge starts to sound especially like an "afterschool special" when Ditzy gets into the conversation, but that's actually kind of approriate for her I think.
Crystal ball? I'm a little learry of this. What you've effectively created hear is cell phone, and I'm not sure that's the kind of tech we want in Equestria, even if it is powered by magic. It's onething for apony like Luna to have a magic mirrior or something that she can use to call up the likes of Sleipnir on short notice, but this is presumably something Trixie and Twilight made. If unicorns can just make such devices than that seriously undermines the invention of the tellegrahp wich was supposed to be areceent and revolutionary development in comunication.
Also, the conversation itself just seems a little stilted and out of place. It's really didn't add anything to the scene on the train, but instead just dragged things out to remind us of things we already know about how much Ditzt and Dinky love each other and a rather pointless side story about foalish antics. As amusing a story as the sweet potato incident might be as it's own stand alone thing, here it just gets in the way and makes me all the more imaptient to get to the story I came here for in the first place.
...though at least the part about 1,000 bit wine made for an approtiat transition to Puissance, and just like last chater the vicereine is by far my favorate part of this fic. Her scewed view of the world that boils everything down to mere monetary cost analysis is just so delightful to read. It really makes her a difrent kind of antagonist, because there is logical sensibility to her philosophy, and yet it's all so hollow that it only serves to highlight that depsite her inordinate wealth and power, that for all her possesions her actual life is full of lonely emptiness -- and what's mall the more sad, she's absolutly blind to everything she's missing out on.
Of course than it all goes way past creepy when the vicereine pays off the ENTIRE hotel staff to take a vaction so she can replace them with her own servents during her stay. Again, there is a moderatly sound an rational reason for such ecentric meausres, but I fully echoe all of the L6's hestitant uncertainties.
Personally, I'd expect Ditzy would keep trying for to give Puissance the benefit of the doubt for most of the fic. Emphasis on TRYING though, as I'd wager it will just become increasingly harder and harder for her to ingore her gut feeling and mother's intuition that something just isn't right. Still, if only to preserve dramatic tension I think any full blown confrontation can't happen until round about the climax.
...
...
...
Oh, and on a closing afterthought; I did quite enjoy the gag and refrence to the show with Rainbow Dash, Snails, and the bees --HOWEVER-- I think the "Daringest Pony in Ponyvile" refrence was out of place and unessosary. I just can't honestly imagine Snails actually being able to compete closely enough with Rainbow for it come down to a tie breaker, or for that matter that he'd chalange her for such a lofty title in the firstplace, not to mention that since he's ajust a kid she'd likely laugh him off even if he did. The scene would work just as well if it was just the bee chalange alone with nothing else at all on the line, or better still don't exaplain why they are covered in bees and just have it be a sort of Noodle Incident.
3582930:
I see it as kind of like Quebec. Most people there speak English, which is the major language of Canada, but the historic language (French) is still really popular, and for some people it's kind of a point of pride that they mostly use French in their day-to-day life ("we won't let those other people impose their tongue on us!") I see Rushia as similar. Most ponies speak Equestrian, but most of them also speak the historic tongue of Rushian, and there's probably a few snobs who don't like to speak anything but Rushian, so it can be helpful to know a few phrases.
They aren't in Moscolt yet (and yes, that's the provincial capital). They're heading over open, unpopulated steppes which doesn't have a weather patrol en route to Moscolt. The cities and towns have pegasi to deal with the weather -- and Fisher is very strict about the weather patrol -- but the steppes don't need them because, well, nopony lives there.
I see Rushia as having densely populated cities and sparsely scattered rural villages, so there's open ground where nopony lives.
(The rail companies have pegasus teams to deal with issues like 'the track is being blocked by a huge snowstorm', but this storm isn't bad enough to risk derailing or slowing the train).
I'll probably revisit the tone of that scene later.
I think it's useful for Trixie and co. to be able to phone home, if only for dramatic reasons ("Message for Trixie: while you were on a bourbon run, parasprites invaded Ponyville, deposed Mayor Scrolls, and are instituting a mandatory cookie tax. Pinkie Pie is leading the rebellion.")
But I added a line about how the crystal balls used for this are very rare artifacts -- maybe on loan from Luna -- to indicate why more unicorns don't have these. If it not only requires the development of a new spell by Trix and Twi, but also some ancient artifacts for the spell to utilize, then it's probably relatively unique.
I was hoping to contrast Dinky, who is having fun playing with a vegetable worth a couple of jangles, with Ice Heart, who is having fun in a special airship with its own jacuzzi and the finest food imaginable. Especially since Puissance probably doesn't think you can have fun with a sweet potato, since it's so cheap and therefore worthless, I figured setting it up early would help me in referring to it later.
I see it coming about like this:
Rainbow Dash: I'm the daringest pony in Ponyville!
Snails: Nuh-uh! When I was playing with those spiders and tarantulas and snakes, you said 'ew' and ran away! I'm much more daring than you!
Rainbow Dash: Oh yeah? Let's see about that!
3583005
Thanks, for takning the time to reply. I know I can sound demanding sometimes, but I really am more concerend with just voicing my concerns and am not tryingto force anyone to conform to such as if they were a mandate.
It can be, but conversly there's also a lot of dramtic weight to be had in not being able to instantly check back and forth with Ponyville. This is why for instance fics like Hero of Oaton and episodes like Magic Duel had to concoct ways to remove Trixies hat and Spike respectively so as to preserve dramtic tension by preventing the heores from being able easily call in the cavalry, and this crystal comunicator would only be more problomatic in such regard.
That said, if the crystals themselves are something rare that Luna had to give Trixie that helps elliminate the broader concerns acros the whole setting, but still... well, it sort of begs the question why now? I mean, prior to this Luna maintains mere corespondance with Trixie through her hat, so why give Trixie access to even more impressive magic just to have Ponyville on speed-dial. I guess there is the whole seperating mother and daughter factor, but weren't we supposed to be trying to evolve Ditzy and Dinky into more independant characters? Having Ditzy seemingly so desperate to stay in such constant contact with her daughter seems to undermine that effort.
That makes a certain amount of sense, although I'm not sure you needed to go quite so far out of your way. The establishing stuff on the Iceheart/Puissance side was both important and well paced, but the Dizty/Dinky stuff has been better done in other stories. If you needed a point of contrast, instead of making up the whole sweet potato thing, why not just refrence those other fics instead like for instance how all the folas in town regularly play games centered around an old tree.
Admitedly, the tree is really old and so it's legacy and status as a landmark could still arguably have a monetary equivlent to an anylist like Puissance, but I think that's what would make any discusion have a deeper meaning, where as the sweet potato thing is just so arbitraily irrelivant to anything else that just caries no weight and so it comes off as an overlt contrived crutch that will only undermine the ultimate moral of this fic.
I really don't meant to harp on this, but part of how CTS failed (at least for some of us) was because the message you were trying to convey got obfiscated by a rather blandly generic tale about how big businesses are souless and corupt while small businesses are wholesome and pure. Again, I'm not saying that was ever your intent, but the fact it still read that way to some is undeniable. Just like I wanted to like that story, I want to like this story, so it makes me a little leary to see shades of a similar issue cropping up. You're a better author than that and shouldn't have to rely on a strawman's argument to get your intended message across.
Meh, I think it still works best as a noodle incodent, wherein the less we know the funnier the scene is, but either way it's overall harmlessly incodental enough that it's not worth me making a fuss over.
The answer to the riddle isn't money, the answer is "an answer to a riddle".
Nice call backs to various events such as a gala
I loved the snails the most daringest pony bit, one day he'll learn how to weaponise his talent and then he'll be unstoppable.
The palantir / crystal ball is interesting, glad it's been made very expensive and it makes sense that the elements would have one but I'd think Luna would keep one to hoof as well, are they linked in pairs or can you 'phone' any one with any other?
I would answer the riddle with Time which might be important to the aging Puissance.
The parable of the wine was great as well, the poorer you are the more you spend for everything which is very true.
Some nice creepy decriptions of the town and hotel. So Page Turners ran here for the Cadenceverse to get out of Octavia's shadow.
3583992: Pageturner was established as Puissance's servant in 'Elements of Insanity.'
On the crystal balls, I'm going to say that there are just the two balls, and they weren't phones before Trixie and Twilight worked out a spell to use them as such. So Luna doesn't have a spare. But she doesn't need them; she's Luna. She can probably find a way to talk with anyone she wants to anyway.
I don't think 'Time' works. I can think of cases where I don't have time but don't need it, or have time and need it (like at the beginning of a test).
Yes, Snails will someday be incredibly powerful... but he'll never forget his bug friends. :-) His goliath beetle will remain well-loved!
....Do I really need to say it?
...........
Fine....I'm calling this now.
Ah, Puissance. You'd have to warm up by a few thousand degrees to get to 'heart of ice', you witch.
Anyway, nice worldbuilding. I rather like the crystal ball. Progress is a good thing, after all.
Raindrops straight up fired her element at some bees.
I can't wait for the Vicerine to get her udders donkey punched. And for the nights to find out that she's full of rotting sewer water, and mothballs. Hopefully the Windigo will eventually be given visitation rights to his son. After all Luna's not a monster, and the L!Mane 6 are pretty cool mares.
3646950
I think Corona tried making that camp before her banishment. It sounds like the happy go lucky place that mare would cook up.
3582410
I love how this story gives an insight to Puissance's thought processes that we haven't seen in such vivid detail before. On the one hand, it shows her as a good example of how her selfishness and ambition, when properly directed, can use that drive to do great things... and at the exact same time, she serves as a perfect example of why Objectivists and others with that sort of mindset just creep me the hell out.
3798364
Oh yes, definitely creepy and yet... Well, she does take really good care of the foal in question, so I have a hard time seeing her as the villain of the piece. It's not like Ice is unhappy.
I mean... Damn her for setting up a protective colony for ponies who are different that caters to their every need.
3586770
Really? That seems stupidly out of character for Puissance, who would love to settle things by having the Elements blast the Windigo.
Unless the staff is lying about working for her.
Let's see how long Ditzy's good will lasts, and I'm apparently not the only one who thinks this is a trap.
I don't know why, but I pictured the hotel looking like an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral or an Eastern European castle.
3581708
In "Castle Mane-ia" Rainbow Dash and Applejack were doing pretty much the same thing at the beginning.
3583992
Bees. My god.
Great
Even the knights are starting to notice glaring contradictions in Puissance's actions. Seriously, when even the people you ask for help have serious doubts of your integrity, a flag should be lighting up here. I feel bad for the windigo colt here, he's not even seen as a real child. Merely a prized possession from a narcissistic, self entitled putz.
I feel ive missed a prequel or something. Ive guessed corona is celestia version of nmm im confused on how this group got the elements.
6196569 to know how trixie and her friends became the elements of harmony, read the chronologically first story, Longest Night Longest Day
3893442 do keep in mind that said happiness involves her making sure eveyrone does NOT leave the nice little village she put them in, and she only cares for them cause they're unique.
there is a reason it's called The Vault and not the Asylum or Haven or Utopia or somesuch
Raindrops, Ditzy, Dinky, Ice Heart... There goes 4 of my teeth.
And now Ditzy and Dinky are whipping their balls out and playing with them. *SMACK* Yeah... I deserved that... Ow.
Also, if it weren't for the confirmation of a later time frame, I'd love it if that bee challenge was how Snails got the honey for Dinky's B-day gift.
Did Pageturner just read Ditzy's mind?
3582930
3583005
About the crystal ball, I personally would've just used a scrying spell. There's a D&D campaign that specifically does this, crystal ball and all.
3583992
Consider this: How many of his invertebrate friends are venomous? If he wanted to, Snails could have those bees sting Rainbow Dash.
The "When you have it....." riddle, I'd say the answer is "a loan".