A Limited Time Offer

by Midnight Magician

An Indecent Proposal

Mendax was galloping as fast as his four legs could carry him through the city of Canterlot. "Where did I go wrong?" he thought to himself desperately, not allowing himself a moment of rest. Sweat poured down his muzzle and it made his dark mane fall, matted, over his face as he attempted to bolt as fast as he could from the now hostile city. Mendax looked behind himself as he ran and noticed that he no longer had any pursuers trying to ensnare him. He stopped running, letting his head sink towards the ground while gasping desperately for breath.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind him. "There you are, you swindling crook!" Mendax swiftly turned around to face a mob of ponies staring hostily at him. Mendax gaped at how large the crowd was. Surely that many ponies weren't at his presentation! He could have sworn there were only about thirty or so ponies at the time he revealed his latest scam! The familiar red stallion casually trotted to the front of the mob, running a nonchalant hoof through his mane. He didn't look sweaty or fatigued at all, nor did any of his fellow rioting ponies. The red stallion taunted, "You thought that sham of a product was going to get by us? Do you really think we're all THAT dense?"

A mare from inside the mob of ponies spoke out, "Come on everypony! I say we hoof deliver him to Celestia and have her banish him to the sun!" The ponies yelled and stomped their hooves in agreement. All of the ponies were fueled with anger at being double-crossed and adrenaline. Mendax knew that he was hardly a match to stand up against one pony, let alone a whole towns worth! Mendax yelled out with obvious fear in his voice, "I'm sorry! Look, I can give you all back your money, just don't do anything we'll all regret later!" He scanned his surroundings for an escape route, but there was none. It seemed talking was, once again, his only chance out of a tight situation. The red stallion wore an evil grin, showing crooked teeth and laughed, "Oh, we won't regret one bit of this! Everypony, get him" Mendax turned away and attempted to begin his gallop at top-speed, but was almost instantly stopped by a smaller pony attempting to jump onto his back! Mendax bucked the interfering stallion off but was caught by even more ponies who easily grounded him. The mob of ponies closed in on Mendax as his captors pinned all four of his hoofs to the ground. The mob made a tight circle around them, staring down at his helpless body with emotionless eyes. Mendax struggled against his captors but it was no use, they were simply too strong. The red stallion sauntered up to Mendax, looking down at him with a victorious sneer. He leaned down towards the struggling salespony, slowly, as if to say something. His muzzle was a mere few inches away from Mendax. The red stallions eyes widened, he opened his mouth wide and let out an ear-splitting, "COCKLE-DOODLE-DOOOO!!!"

--

Mendax awoke with a start and quickly looked around his shabby shack of a home. He was almost instantly blinded by the sun as it shone harshly through the open window, easily illuminating the whole tiny cabin. Mendax peered out the window and quickly noticed a proud rooster perched upon a nearby wooden fence. "Dang rooster," Mendax laughed to himself, "I haven't had such an exciting dream in an age." He chuckled at his own dialogue and looked over his shoulder, smiling as he noticed a mare that he had almost forgotten about. Zoan was balled up in the far corner of the shack, her bright red mane hung down her face, easily veiling the emotional features of the light-green mare. "How in Equestria could she sleep through that chickens obnoxious noise?" Mendax wondered to himself, running a hoof through his mane. His mane was drenched with sweat.

The stallion certainly couldn't go through the whole day with a dirty coat and smelly mane! The salespony figured he would simply go out and visit a discreet lake that he had happened across when he first decided to take refuge in the shack. As he made to begin his small travel to the lake, a sudden glint of gold caught his eye. Mendax looked over to it and noticed the bags of Equestrian currency that he had piled up. Why didn't he think of it earlier? There was certainly enough bits there to get him into a nice establishment where he could take a proper bath and get spiffied up! Suddenly, his thoughts of getting cleaned were interrupted by the sound of Zoan stirring in her sleep. "Oh yeah, I forgot about her again." Mendax thought to himself. Whatever the reason was, Mendax didn't exactly feel like having her jabber at him the whole walk to Canterlot, besides, he needed to keep a low profile for a couple of days at least. Mendax grabbed a hoof-full of bits and turned away from the sleeping mare. As he opened the door, he heard her talk in her sleep. "Just one bit, mister. Please, I'm starving..." Mendax stared at her for a long while, already knowing that his sympathy was kicking in. He sighed deeply and trotted over to Zoan and gave her a slightly aggravated shove with his hoof.

Zoan swiped a bothered hoof at Mendax and grumbled, "I don't even own a hovercraft." Mendax gave her a more forceful kick, sending Zoan into a frenzy! She jumped up at super speed and her wings sprang open in surprise. Her right wing gave the con-artist a swift slap across the face, toppling him over and spilling his bits. Zoan looked around in confusion, trying to regain her bearings. She slowly took in everything she saw. Dirt, wooden walls, sun shining through the window, a dark-grey stallion sprawled across the floor... She instantly remembered everything that had happened the previous day. "Hey there, Mendax! Wake up! I swear I don't know how anypony can sleep this late," she chattered, already in the mood for coversation. Mendax simply laid on the floor thinking, "Why?" He slowly got up and began collecting all of the bits Zoan had slapped from his hoofs. He looked over to see the pegasus beaming at him. He gave her an annoyed look and said, "I wasn't sleeping." The light-green mare looked confused and put a hoof to her chin saying, "Sure you weren't. ALL ponies lay on the ground with their eyes closed when they are wide awake!"

Mendax looked up at her and opened his mouth to begin an argument with her that he would surely win. Perhaps insult her intelligence? Shouldn't be too hard. Of course, being the gentlestallion he was, he decided against it. He stood up and looked at her with a stoic look on his face. "Forget it," he said." He brandished the small pouch of bits to Zoan and allowed one small insult to escape his lips. "Zoan," he started calmly. "You stink, bad. I think we should spend some of our money over in Canterlot to get us both freshened up. We have the money, you know?" As Mendax finished his sentence, he happily bounced the pouch in his hoof, letting the chingling of the bits ring through the shack. Zoan listened to him talk intently, then her eyes lit up and she let out a high-pitched squeel. "Ohmigosh! That sounds like a lot of fun, partner!" Mendax couldn't help but wince at the title of "partner," but he once again kept his smooth talking mouth shut. He simply mumbled under his breath, "Travel companion." Zoan, of course, didn't hear the aggravated stallion as she bounced around the sad excuse for a home, anxious to get on the road. Mendax sounded fatherly as he reopened the door and said, "Well, let's get a move on then!" He stood by the open door as Zoan bounced passed him with an ecastic look on her. Her smile was easily infectious and Mendax quickly found himself smiling warmly too as he shut the shack door and began following the happy mare to Canterlot.

Mendax caught up to Zoan, who was still happily bouncing towards their destination. They kept at a steady pace, taking in the scenery that was present on the outskirts of Canterlot. Zoan suddenly stopped skipping and a worried look quickly invaded the once ecstatic face of the mare. Mendax kept trotting a few steps more, then stopped and looked at her. "Something wrong?" he inquired, even though the answer was obvious. "Well, you said we were going to get cleaned up in Canterlot, right?" Mendax nodded, confirming what she had just said. Zoan continued, "So what if we run into some of the ponies we bamboozled yesterday?" Mendax started sauntering ahead again as Zoan began to follow, still looking bothered. "Yeah, we're going to Canterlot but we'll stick to the east side. Trust me, the ponies that we were entertaining yesterday wouldn't be caught dead on the east side of Canterlot."

"Oh, that's right. You mentioned that. Well, that's okay then!" Zoan's face quickly returned back to its normal cheerful appearance and they continued, side-by-side on their voyage to Canterlot.

--

Butch looked down at the collapsed messenger pony at his hooves. He had collapsed from exhaustion after having galloped at full speed all the way from where Mendax's shack was all the way back to the center of Canterlot. The tired pony continued taking sharp breaths as he tried to tell the firey red stallion the important information he had recieved while eavesdropping on Mendax and Zoan. "Well?" asked Butch, his impatience growing as the poor earth-pony beneath him tried to regain his stamina. "Where are they? Have you found them yet?" The messenger shakily moved his way back up onto all fours and looked at Butch as if he was a general in charge. The messenger moved in close and whispered as if this message was very sensitive, "The two ponies you're looking for will be on the east side of Canterlot in about twenty minutes, I believe. Apparently, the stallion wants to get cleaned up so he'll probably be heading for the salon or something." Butch smiled at the young pony and said approvingly, "Well, very good work. If you're right about this, I'll make sure you get all the bits I promised you."

The messenger pony's face began to fall as he took in those last few words. He whined, "But, you said that if I got you the information you wanted, you'd pay me up front!" The red stallion looked down at the younger, tinier, feebler earth pony and laughed, "Well there's been a change of plans. You got me the information I wanted, and I'll get you your bits when I get around to it. That's life, filly." The messenger stood up as tall as he could muster, yet he was nowhere near matching the size of the superior red stallion. "Look," he began, "I need that money NOW!" Butch was unimpressed and rose a threatening hoof. The younger stallion flinched, making Butch chuckle slightly. "Don't make me have to hurt you. Now get along, I have bussiness to take care of." The young pony recovered from his cowardly position and tried to reason, "You WILL get back to me, right?" Butch waved an assuring hoof around, causing the messenger to recoil once more. "Yeah, yeah, you have my word as a gentlestallion!" The young earth-pony still seemed unsure but deemed it a much better idea to not provoke the ill-tempered stallion anymore. He simply nodded and began to canter away quickly, leaving Butch alone with his task.

"Now to get to work", Butch said to himself as he lazily began to trot over to the local cafe. He couldn't help but feel a tad worried about the work ahead. Butch simply tried to push any negative thoughts from his mind as he meandered to his destination. Of course, his brain simply would not let up and continued to bombard him with negative images and scenarios. What if the two ponies wouldn't listen to him? What if they catch on to his little scheme and try to escape? That would definitely attract a lot of unwanted attention. Butch once again tried to simply push those thoughts from his head as he closed in on the cafe. It was a simple "grab and go" mission. How hard could it be? The boss DID entrust this job to him, so he must at least think that the red stallion could handle it. Butch walked into the cafe and quickly noticed that it was entirely empty except for one lone, white unicorn sporting an odd handlebar moustache.

The unicorn looked up, noticing Butch as he entered. He grumbled, "About time you showed up! You're lucky your boss is such a scary fellow or there would be absolutely no way I'd even consider closing up my cafe today!" Butch casually trotted up to the manager of the establishment, who wore an increasingly worried expression as the large stallion moved closer to him. The unicorn winced as Butch dropped a hefty pouch of bits at his hooves. "There," Butch said simply, "That should make up for the money you lose while I take care of my little job. Now you just wait there, be good, and do as I say when my guests arrive, got it?" he added that last part with a bit more force than was necessary with this timid unicorn. He stammered, "Y-yeah, I got it, pal. I'll do what you say, no worries." He grinned nervously. Butch seemed satisfied and slowly marched on out to the front of the cafe. As soon as he was outside, he galloped as quickly as his thick legs could carry him to the east-side of Canterlot.

--

"Will you slow down?" complained Mendax as he tried to keep up with the bouncy pegasus. She openly giggled and teased, "Will you speed up? I swear, by the time we make it to the salon they'll have to dye our manes to get the gray out!" Zoan laughed at her own cleverness, but slowed down for Mendax all the same. The salespony finally began to catch up to her and they both trotted at a steady pace as they took the less traveled roads of Canterlot to reach the east-side. They kept to the alleyways, moving quietly and discreetly so as to not attract any unwanted attention. Especially from anypony that they had met yesterday. "What a fine mess that would lead to," thought Mendax, flinching slightly as he recalled the dream he had awoken from this same morning.

"Oooooh, I see it! I see the salon!" yelled out Zoan suddenly, pulling the earth-pony from his trance-like state. They had arrived safely on the east-side of Canterlot. Mendax and Zoan made a bee-line for the salon but a sudden, familiar voice caught their attention.

"Hey! You two! Remember me?" yelled the familar red stallion, quickly galloping up to meet them. Mendax was in a quick panic! He felt sweat form on the back of his neck and looked over to Zoan to see the red-maned mare looking back at him with obvious worry in her eyes. Mendax considered hoofing it, they'd have to skip town, especially if they were being tailed by one of the ponies he's swindled! Mendax considered having a physical altercation with the stallion. Sure, he was bigger, stronger, and probably faster, but Mendax was feeling hopeful. As the red stallion closed in on them, Mendax readied himself and tried to put on his most fearsome face, which was quickly wiped off when he saw that the large pony's face seemed warm and friendly. The red-stallion skidded to a stop in front of them, still grinning as if Mendax and Zoan were his most favorite ponies in the world!

Mendax's mouth was slightly agape as he tried to put the pieces together. He stuttered, "Uh, w-well hey there! Yes, I do believe I remember you..." he gulped, "from yesterday." Mendax expected the stallion to be upsetted by those words but was yet again surprised to see that he continued to smile. Zoan was being unusually quiet, simply watching the scene play out with curiousity sparkling in her eyes. "That's right, buddy!" the red pony laughed. "I'm sorry to say though, that I didn't have time to try out your special tonic yet! When I got home it was really late, so I went to bed, when I woke up I had to work and well, I had forgotten about it."

"Well," thought Mendax, "That definitely explains why he isn't trying to tear me limb from limb." The red pony continued, "I promise that I'll test out that tonic of yours as soon as I get home tonight though!" Mendax grinned assuredly and coughed out, "Oh yeah, I guarantee that you'll be one-hundred and ten percent satisfied," then he added slyly, "like all my customers."

"I don't doubt you one bit," said the friendly, red stallion. His eyes widened slightly and he talked, addressing both of the ponies in front of him, "Hey! How about I treat the two of you to a drink? It's the least I could do for the greatest salespony around!" Mendax stared at the stallion suspiciously, trying to weed out any hidden intentions. He couldn't make any out as he stared at the foolishly grinning stallion. "Well, that's very generous of you, Mr. --?" Mendax stopped. The stallion threw a thick hoof out at Mendax and said proudly, "The name's Butch!" As Mendax put his hoof against Butch's, he could have sworn that he saw the stallion make a face as if he said something he shouldn't have. Mendax waved it off as Butch kicked himself for revealing his real name so soon. Butch pressed, "So how 'bout it? A quick drink at the cafe down the way?" He put on a smile that even the strongest willed pony would have a hard time turning down.

Mendax was successfully crushed under the pressure. He looked over to Zoan, who gave him a look that said, "May as well." Mendax returned his gaze to Butch and gave in, "Alright, lead the way then. One drink and we have to go, I'm afraid." Butch turned away from the two con-artists and smiled wickedly, "One drink is more than enough. More than enough."

The two ponies ignorantly trotted into the cafe after Butch. Both Mendax and Zoan noticed that this particular cafe was completely deserted. Well, all except for an odd unicorn with a wicked moustache! Butch took a seat in the far corner of the cafe, which was odd considering every seat was vacant. Mendax and Zoan both cautiously followed him and took a seat with him. The unicorn quickly approached, giving Mendax no time to question Butch further, and insisted on taking their orders. Butch quickly rang out, "The best for my friends, please!" The manager winked at Butch, who nodded back at him, with an oddly serious look upon his face. The unicorn went off into the back of the cafe to get the drinks, leaving the trio of ponies alone.

Mendax broke the silence, "So... this place is pretty lonely, huh?" Butch knew that this would be the first thing that was brought up and had prepared a very educated response. "Yup." he said. Zoan was fidgeting over in her seat like a filly waiting for her dessert. She spoke up, "So, mister, what do you do? Like for a job? You said you had to go to work early in the morning and that was why you couldn't try out Mendax's tonic." The red stallion's eyes darted back and forth and he shifted in his seat, buying time. As the large pony began to speak again, the manager returned with two fizzing glasses. The manager put the fizzing beverages on the table in front of the two con-artists. Mendax eyed his drink suspiciously for a moment, then looked over to Zoan, who already had her head thrown back as she chugged the drink down greedily. She slammed her glass down as if she just took a shot of cider and said, "Wow, that was awesome!" Butch smiled and said, "Uh, yeah. It's a special mix, kind of like that tonic of yours." Mendax was watching Zoan, and saw that the drink didn't seem to be having any effects on her. He shrugged and chugged the drink down at a speed that rivaled Zoans, while Butch grinned wickedly at them both.

"So," continued Mendax, wiping the liquid from his lips with a quick hoof, "You were telling us about your occupa-"
Just then, Zoan toppled over onto the floor! Mendax jumped up from his chair and quickly got down beside her, putting his hoof to her chest. She was still alive, just knocked out! Mendax rose back up to charge the red stallion, who was already standing up from his chair with a victorious grin stretching across his face. "You!" yelled Mendax, "You won't get away with this!" But Mendax already felt his legs turning to rubber as gravity increased ten-fold, sending him smashing onto the wooden floor of the cafe, completely wiped out.

--

Mendax was laying on something very soft. His eyes were still shut very tightly but he could sense, without opening his eyes, that he wasn't on the floor of his shack. Mendax groggily opened his eyes, and found himself staring up at a very high ceiling, complete with a steel fan that was sending a comfortable breeze over the fatigued stallion. The salespony slowly sat up and stretched out, letting his back pop back into place. He threw his hind-legs over the side of his comfortable bed and hopped off, turning around to see what he had been sleeping so soundly on. He was shocked to see that he was sleeping on a cloud! This shocked Mendax particularly because only pegasus ponies could use a cloud as solid ground! Before Mendax could further question this perplexing situation, memories of what happened at the cafe instantly flooded his mind! "ZOAN!" he yelled out, turning desperately around his large, red-walled bedroom, looking for his accomplice. Mendax located the exit and quickly made for it, hoping to find Zoan and unravel the mystery of where he was. He pushed on the door with his hoof, but it was tighly locked! Mendax yelled out and began kicking the door with both his hind-legs!

Just then, he heard the door click. Mendax quickly turned around, ready to bolt passed anypony in his way. However, when he saw who opened his door, he let down his defenses. It was a young unicorn mare. She had a chocolate brown coat and a very friendly smile. She laughed at the confused face the salespony stared at her with. She said soothingly, "Calm down, dear. I know you have many questions but-" Mendax cut her off with a threatening growl. "Where am I and where is Zoan?" he hissed at the mare. She seemed frazzled by the rude tone of the stallion, but tried to pay him no mind and continued softly, "I understand you're confused, but allow me to explain. You are at the HQ of Canterlot's famous 'Mane Vein Super Center.' Your marefriend, Zoan, is in the dining hall right now, where she's been all day," she added with a light chuckle. Mendax was fully calmed by now and inquired, "All day? How long have I been out?" The mare put a thoughtful hoof to her chin and said, "I think for about two days now." Mendax ran a disbelieving hoof through his mane and let out a strong gust of breath. He asked, "Can you lead me to Zoan, please?" He almost half expected her to tell him, "No," and that he was being held prisoner here for his crimes against pony-kind, but she simply nodded and signaled with her hoof for him to follow.

As Mendax followed the chocolate mare, he took in his surroundings. They were currently walking down a large hallway. Like his bedroom, it was decorated with red walls and a matching red carpet. A really fancy place, if you were to ask the salespony. While they trotted along, Mendax happened by a window and noticed that they were high up. Mendax estimated they were at least five or so floors up. The chocolate mare finally came to a stop by a pair of double doors and pointed a hoof towards it. "Your little friend is in there, hun." she said sweetly. "I swear I've never seen a mare her size eat so much." She laughed as she began to canter away. Mendax pushed through the doors and quickly spotted the red-maned pony. She was gobbling up food as if she had been starved for days! Which, all things considered, she probably was, if she'd been asleep for a few days. He cooly moved over to her, looking around at his surroundings. This appeared to be a cafeteria of some kind. Mendax chuckled as he noticed how shocked the chefs were while watching the small mare tear through a weeks worth of apples and carrots.

Mendax prodded her on the shoulder and said slyly, "Any room for me here, Miss?" Zoan, recognizing the cool voice, spun like a top to face her partner in crime! She let out a high-pitched squeel of delight and threw her front hooves over him, pulling him into a lung crushing hug. She began jabbering at mach speed, "About time you woke up! I missed you a bunch. I was worried that you were dead for a while, but they just said that you were a real deep sleeper and that the white unicorn spiked your drink too heavily!" She paused for a breath and Mendax took advantage, saying, "So, they admitted to spiking our drinks, huh?" Zoan raised an eyebrow and breathed, "Well, duh. It doesn't take an egghead to figure that out! It's actually cool, though! Everypony here is really nice and they keep letting me eat all their food! It's SO delicious, you have to try some before your interview!" Mendax, once again, was confused as he questioned, "Interview? What interview?"

"Your interview with," she stopped for dramatic effect, narrowing her eyes and deepening her voice as she said, "the boss." Mendax half expected a lightning strike to blast behind her. Of course, it didn't. "Well, what does he want with me?" Mendax asked. Zoan shrugged and said, "Nopony will tell me, says it's between you and him. He's okay though, once you get passed his scary voice. Like I said though, you should gobble down these goodies with me before you go talking to big-shots!" Mendax hadn't realized it before, what with his panic and worry, but he was actually starving! His stomach let out a low grumble as if to confirm what he was already feeling. "You're right, I'll eat up with you, then I'll see what this 'big-shot' wants." Zoan and Mendax began to ravenously dig into their food like starving foals while the boss readied himself in his office.

--

"Two days I've been waiting," the dark-green pony with sunglasses spoke quietly to himself. "Now it's time to see if this smooth-talking pony has what it takes to get the job done." He was, once again, studying the map he owned of Ponyville. He scanned every bit of the map, imagining how much better the land that Ponyville occupied would look with one of his Mane Vein Super Centers on top of it. With all of the land he planned to acquire from Ponyville, he would be able to make the largest, most grand-scale shopping center in all of Equestria. Ponies from all over would come to line his pockets with their hard-earned bits. Now, all he has to do is convince this stallion to take the job. Of course he would, especially with the special offer that he planned to impose.

A jet black pony slowly opened the door to his office. "Sir, your client is ready to see you? Are you ready?"

"Yes, show him in." growled the intimidating figure as he leaned up to his desk and put his front hooves together, ready for bussiness. The black pony slowly exited, shutting the door behind him. Almost as soon as the office door shut, it reopened and an arrogant looking dark-grey earth-pony trotted in, casually taking a seat in the chair across from the boss. The boss was the first to speak, in his usual low growl, "So, you are Mendax, correct?" The earth-pony waved a nonchalant hoof and scoffed, "Well, look at me, I'm getting so famous now that ponies are going so far as to kidnap me for an autograph!" Mendax laughed at his own taunt. The boss' expression didn't budge a bit, although it was clear that he was gritting his teeth. The boss continued, "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I know what you do," he said cooly. "You steal and swindle the more simple minded into buying your garbage. You, my friend, are a con-artist. A smooth talker. A liar. Am I correct?"

Mendax hadn't been expecting this, not only for him to be able to pin his career so perfectly, but he was also shocked by how straight-forward he was. Mendax tried to keep his usual cool composure, even in the face of such an intimidating pony. What was he hiding behind those sun-glasses anyway? Mendax continued to prod, "Wow, you really ARE my biggest fan, aren't you?" he stifled a laugh and looked hopefully at the boss. "Any emotion yet?" thought Mendax to himself. Nope. The dark-green pony had had quite enough. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an incredibly sharp knife. Without casting his gaze from Mendax, he swiftly threw the knife at Mendax! Mendax froze in place as the knife sailed over his shoulder and stuck in the far door behind him. The boss finally cracked a smile at the terrified face of the smart mouthed con-artist. "Now that I've effectively shut you up," the boss began, "allow me to continue." The boss sat back comfortably in his chair as he readied himself to explain the situation as Mendax still sat with the same pained expression and posture that he had when the knife whizzed by him.

The boss began again, his deep voice, though quiet, was still very audible, as if the atmosphere around him didn't dare defy him by making his voice go unheard. "We've established what you are, Mendax," he began. "Here's the deal. I have a matter of the upmost importance that I need completed by an individual that I can trust. You ARE a pony I can trust, correct?" Mendax said nothing, but gulped heavily and nodded in rapid succession. "Good. Tell me, are you familiar with a town near here called Ponyville?" Once again, Mendax simply nodded. "Good, then you know what a small and insignificant town it is then? You see, I am a pony of bussiness, and when I look at Ponyville, I see a lot of potential bussiness, you see?" Mendax regained his composure and choked out a quick, "What are you asking me to do?"

The boss looked back down at his map of Ponyville, he picked it up in his hooves, presenting it to Mendax. He then swiftly ripped the map into tiny pieces and swiped them off of his desk onto the floor. The forceful pony leaned back onto his desk. Even though his eyes were hidden, Mendax could tell that the dark-green pony was staring very deeply into his eyes. The boss hissed, "Get the picture?" Mendax nodded again and asked, "But how?" The boss got up from his chair and sauntered over to a nearby window, looking down at the Canterlot ponies going about their days. The boss rasped, "Ponyville's property rights are very fragile, you see. In fact, the only thing that promises that land to the ponies currently living there is a contract between the mayor of Ponyville and Princess Celestia. If the current mayor was to, say, unknowingly sign a contract giving the rights of Ponyville to somepony else, well then that pony could do whatever he wanted with it."

Mendax absorbed every word the boss said. The boss showed no sign of speaking again, so Mendax broke the silence. "You want the rights to Ponyville? Why?" The pony in sunglasses chuckled and droned, "No, I don't care for Ponyville. In fact, all I want is the land Ponyville is occupying. With the land signed over to me, I can legally level Ponyville, and make way for the grandest shopping center that Equestria has ever known." Once again, the boss fell silent. Mendax listened with rapt attention. "But aren't there a pretty good number of ponies already living there? What would happen to them?" questioned Mendax, still trying to sound respectful of the possibly murderous pony. At this, the boss laughed, his deep, villainous voice pervading the air. "Those ponies will be fine, I'm sure. The world's a big place, I'm sure they will relocate," said the unconcerned pony. Mendax wasn't going to lie, he didn't really care what happened to those ponies either. He was more concerned about what was going to happen to himself! Mendax stood up from his chair and built up the guts to ask the most important question on his mind, the question that will decide what he does next.

"If I complete this task," Mendax began, "If I can get the mayor to sign the land over to you unknowingly, what will you do for me?" The boss turned to face the bold salespony, and wandered back to his chair, sitting down slowly. He put his hooves back up to his chin and growled, "If you complete the task, I will provide you with enough money to make sure that you never have to work....or swindle ponies for another minute of your life. Everything you want, I will provide you. The same goes for that gorgeous mare outside the door waiting for you." Mendax fell back into his chair, looking up at the ceiling, his heart beating insanely in his chest while his brain tried to cope with what it just processed. A whole lifetime of luxury? No more lying, cheating, stealing, or worse, working. Then again, the thoughts of the young fillies and families living in Ponyville danced through his mind. Mendax looked up towards the dark-green pony, who was still looking at him straight in the eyes. Or, at least, Mendax thought. "W-what if I refuse?"

The boss folded his hooves on the desk and looked meaningfully at Mendax. He said cooly and clearly, "If you do not accept my overly gracious offer, I will have my right-hand stallion, Butch, you've met Butch, right?" Mendax nodded, confirming what he asked. The boss continued, "Well, I'll have Butch round up everypony you swindled those few days back, and I'll have him lead them here to you, where you will be held captive so that those cheated ponies can do whatever they please with you." Mendax felt his face flush as he imagined his nightmare actually coming true. His nightmare, that seemed like so long ago, since he woke up in his shack, his biggest worry being whether or not to take Zoan to the salon with him. What was happening?

"I imagine you realize you have very little say in the matter, my smooth-talking friend. So what do you say?" Mendax shook his head, and ran a hoof over his sweating forehead and muzzle. "Like you said, Boss. I have no say in the matter. I accept. I'll do the job and get the mayor to sign the land over to you." The boss smiled wickedly and hissed, "There's a good pony. I've already arranged for your transport to Ponyville. We're sending both you and your cute little marefriend to Ponyville tonight by carriage. My fastest pegasus ponies will take you there, so you'll arrive in no time at all. Well, get a move on." Mendax stood up and quickly made for the exit to the office. Before he opened the door, Mendax looked back at the menacing pony and stated, "Hey, I woke up on a cloud today. How was that?" The boss genuinely smiled, yet his voice was still a growl. "I had some of my unicorns cast a little spell on you to let you walk, or sleep on clouds for a few days," he finished his sentence, then added, "Only the best for my friends." He waved a dismissing hoof at Mendax, so he exited the office, his brain swimming with all of the things he just heard, and so many questions still swarmed his mind about what lied ahead. Zoan was leaning up against the wall near the office, and she cantered over in her usual cheerful mood.

"So what did Boss-Pony say?" she asked, giggling at the nickname she just came up with. Mendax was still lost in thought. He looked over to her with a blank look on his face, his eyes clouded with thought. She asked, "Is everything okay? Did he, like, eat your soul or something?" Mendax tried to smile at her obvious attempt at being funny, but couldn't will a muscle in his face to move. He simply said, "Follow me out to the front of the HQ, the 'Boss-Pony' (she laughed as Mendax said the name she made up) has arranged for us to go to Ponyville." Her eyes lit up with excitement and wonder as she had a new added bounce to her step. "Oh! I've always wanted to go to Ponyville! I hear they have the best apple orchard, and a boutique!" Zoan noticed that Mendax didn't look at all excited for the amazing oppurtunity ahead.

They continued trotting at a faster than necessary pace out the doors of the HQ. Both Mendax and Zoan immediately noticed a comfortable looking chariot waiting for them, ready to be pulled by two very strong looking pegasus stallions. The red stallion, Butch, was holding the doors open for them with a haughty grin on his face. The sun was setting on the horzion as the two ponies settled themselves into the carraige, with Zoan sitting, snug, across from Mendax. Butch looked at the two before shutting the door. He taunted, "Have fun at Ponyville, you two," he laughed, then added, "While you can." He slammed the door of the chariot shut and slapped the side, sending the pegasus into the air as they cut through the sky at a very high speed.

Zoan looked curiously over to Mendax and asked, "What did he mean by that? While we can?" Mendax said nothing for a long while, and Zoan waited patiently. He finally let out a large sigh and said, "Okay, so this is what's happening, Zoan."

So, Mandex continued to explain exactly what they were meant to do upon arriving in Ponyville, as there chariot zoomed through the orange sky towards their destination. Mendax couldn't help but picture the ponies in Ponyville getting snugged in their beds as their doom raced towards them. "No turning back now," Mendax thought to himself.

Comments

[Midnight Magician]

Well, y'all, the second chapter to my little story here. Thanks for reading it! I put a pretty good amount of thought into how I'm going to make this all link together. Once again, if you have any suggestions, or anything to say...uhm... well please say it. I DO apologize for the insane length of this chapter. Over 6500 words! That's ridiculous! But, I had a lot to say, I suppose. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope y'all enjoy!