//------------------------------// // Investigation // Story: Dragon Greed is Good // by Snuffy //------------------------------// Accounting was overrated. Organising the vast amount of books that contained all of Equestrian law would scare even the most diligent of clerks. She, however, was no mere clerk, nor mortal for that matter. Reforming the tax and legal system had been her responsibility a thousand years ago, and it would be so again. There had been many changes during the millennium, but the fundamentals always stayed the same. Ponies would find ways to circumvent the laws for their own benefit, and when the laws changed to plug the loopholes, they often caused more problems, requiring even more legislation. For instance, the need for the recent law against couples ‘rolling in the hay’ in barns came after a recent food scandal, where it was found out that hay fries here in Canterlot sometimes contained substances that weren’t very hygienic or appetizing. The law itself was dumb and pointless. There would be no need for it if there were more coherent laws at the base that said only approved of substances were allowed in the making or storing of various food products. Much simpler. Although she doubted it would solve the issue of adolescent ponies sneaking out of the house to cuddle in the barn at night, and some things in pony nature were best left unchanged. Of course, she was under no illusion that laws would stay simple just because she tried making them so. Just like before her banishment, these things could quickly spiral out of control, and sometimes all you could do was take the best of many bad choices. Occasionally, you needed a bad law to make several good ones work, but it often prompted ponies to walk into her court and accuse her of injustice, and they weren’t entirely wrong. The tax system was also something that needed some kind of reform, since the economy had grown hundredfold since her banishment. Newer concepts like the stock market intrigued her, and if she had the inclination, she could probably make an extreme fortune in a few hundred years or so, since being immortal was almost cheating when it came to long-term investing and interest on interest. The largest company in the market was easily the West Pony Trading Company. The WPTC employed tens of thousands of workers, owned almost a hundred trade ships and caravans, possessed a vast amount of land, estates, and factories spread out across and beyond Equestria. It was one of the many wonders of these times, when she could go outside the castle and into an open market to find rare goods like saffron, cinnamon, and coffee beans at affordable prices. In her age, those items were rare and extremely expensive, and even the royal palace would have issues obtaining such luxuries. Now trade ships bursting with cargo arrived every day in the ports of Manehattan, Vanhoover, and Baltimare, cities that had been mere hamlets so long ago. The mug on her desk was empty, which was unacceptable when dealing with legislation. “Haywood!” she called, to her secretary outside the office. “This coffee mug is empty, so head to the kitchen at once and bring me another one.” Haywood’s head appeared in the corner, and stared at the dozen empty mugs spread haphazardly across her desk, right next to the growing amount of paper stacks. The twitching of his white mustache and bushy eyebrows made his thoughts evident. “Yes, Princess. I will fetch one more, but that will be the last, or I will tell your sister that you have a caffeine problem.” “You wouldn’t dare! Not that my sister would ever interfere with my intake of the black gold!" She slammed her hoof onto the table for emphasis. "If she does, I will remind her of the time she mismanaged that overseas colony, urging them to increase production until they got so fed up that they threw all their stock of sugarcanes into the sea.” Haywood rolled his eyes and went to it, leaving her to tackle with the current crises to Equestria. For some unknown reason, there was a lack of bits in circulation, and traders couldn't find enough coins to use when buying or selling. It forced them to trade goods for goods instead, which was a slow and inefficient system—and they were getting quite vocal about it. The bankers claimed there were more than enough physical bits to go around, but they neglected to mention that their own reserves of coin were alarmingly low. The only way this situation could have arisen was if someone falsified reports on the current amount of coins, or simply took a few hundred million bits and dumped them in the river without anyone knowing. The former she had already checked out thoroughly, and the latter was too impractical to pull off. You would need to be richer than the state itself to manage such a feat. ‘Richer than the state,’ she thought and grabbed a financial report with her magic. It detailed the expected value of each company in Equestria, and at the top was the WPTC. There existed a suspect with the economic means to pull this off— “Your coffee, Princess,” Haywood said, after appearing next to her in a flash of magic. With him was a tray that held a steaming mug filled with the nectar of the gods. She gave him a smile so broad that the gray unicorn backed away a few steps. “Haywood, go get me the list of stock owners for the West Pony Trading Company. It’s hunting time.” “Princess, I’m not sure I understand,” he said, while levitating the coffee cup over to her desk. “The company has two major shareholders that I know of: The Rich Foundation and Warranty Buffé.” “And who owns the biggest block of shares between the two?” she asked, in between sips. “That would be the Rich family, who owns about thirty percent of the company.” He straightened his orange tie. “It was the family that founded the company two hundred years ago. Not-So Rich I think his name was, who first charted the trading routes to Saddle Arabia.” “And who is the current leader of the Rich family and where do they reside in Equestria?” “The current head is Filthy Rich, who lives with his wife Spoiled Rich in a mansion outside of Ponyville—” Haywood was about to say more when the large window in the office was flung open. “No time to waste, then!” she cheered, and grabbed him in her magic. “It’s always best to investigate these things at the source.” “What are you—” he yelped, as she unfurled her wings and sent paper flying all over the office. She wasted no time and flew out of the window, with Haywood floating alongside her in a telekinetic field. The outside air was chilly due to the altitude they were at, and the muscles in her wings twitched at the prospect of flying. Scanning the landscape below, she found her target—the only mansion near Ponyville. She angled herself in that direction and accelerated at a speed that would make a Wonderbolt jealous. Once down on the grass, she remembered that Haywood was with her, and noted that he had been upside-down the entire flight. The old stallion seemed like he had been screaming, but to his credit, he could still stand up after she released him. “Oh, don’t be such a fuzz,” she told him. “I know full well what a daredevil you were in your youth, that’s the main reasons I hired you.” “Y-yes, when I was a young stallion,” he panted, legs shaking beneath him. He looked back at his skateboard cutie mark. “Nowadays, I prefer calm conversations with the missus in front of the fireplace.” “Hmpf, I know you loved it even if you won’t admit it.” “Uh, Princess,” he said, looking around. “Was it so wise to land us within the walls of the mansion?” A quick survey of the gardens made her realize that they were being stared at by various ponies. First was a pair of fillies holding a pretend tea party with some stuffed animals, while further away was a bunch of mares holding a real one. She was about to greet them when two armored pegasi landed next to her. “Hold it right there, you are trespassing on—” The pegasus stallion found out who he was addressing and promptly bowed. “Princess Luna! I am so sorry, we thought there was an intruder on the premises, we weren't informed that you were visiting.” The pegasi pair weren't equipped with the standard golden Royal Guard armor; instead, they used the brown painted version indicating that they were privately employed. The fact that there were armored guards not under the direct command of the Crown was a subject she was conflicted about. There were some obvious benefits, as they were mostly employed to protect ships and caravans outside of Equestria’s borders and could do so without implicating the state. It was not uncommon for Royal Guards to take a break from duty and sign a three-year contract with the WPTC; it was actually encouraged in many cases, as the guards often obtained valuable real-life experiences, something that could be difficult if you simply guarded a door all your life. The issue was that the WPTC and similar companies constantly expanded, which exponentially increased the need for more protection. The privately employed guards were technically still only civilians, as they were only authorized to defend themselves or whatever they guarded—the trend however, was still problematic. She remembered all the trouble that sellswords and mercenary bands got themselves into during the founding of Equestria. “I am here on important matters of state,” she asked the guards, who were now looking at each other. “Where can I find Filthy Rich?” “He is in his study, but we were ordered not to disturb him,” the other guard said, to which she simply raised an eyebrow. “B-but of course, I am sure he has time for you, Your Majesty, please follow me.” The pair lead them through the main entrance of the lavish mansion. The main hall alone was riddled with artwork that no doubt trumped the palace in terms of expensiveness. The guards continued to escort them through the place, with maids and butlers bowing at every corner. The trip ended at a private library, which contained an impressive amount of shelves stocked full with books. Haywood gaped openly, and couldn’t stop himself from pulling one out: It was a book about agriculture. They found Filthy Rich sitting alone behind a desk, writing in a large ledger. There were dark bags under his eyes, so she made a mental note to help soothe his dreams in the future. “Mr. Rich, you have an important visitor,” the guard said, causing Filthy to look up and his eyes to widen. “We will stay outside the door to ensure your privacy,” the guard continued, then both stallions left the room, closing the door behind them. “P-Princess Luna, what an unexpected pleasure. If I had known you would visit, I would have—” Filthy stopped himself when she held up a hoof. “No need for pleasantries, Filthy. I am simply here to ask a few questions about the WPTC and your ownership in it,” she said, in a not-so-friendly tone. “I am certain you are aware of the recent lack of bits in the system, and I have reason to believe that the WPTC is involved.” Filthy gulped and his eye looked around frantically. “I-I, I mean, the WPTC would never do anything to hurt the economy, that would basically be self-sabotage.” Haywood stopped flipping pages in the agriculture book. “Mr. Rich, what new deals has the WPTC done this last year?” he inquired. “D-deals? They’ve made three or four deals recently, but you would need to ask the board of directors in Vanhoover if you want details.” “Just give us the broad picture, Rich,” she pressed, while leaning over the front of the desk. The height advantage allowing her to look down on him menacingly. “Uh, yes, Princess Luna,” he said, then closed the ledger he'd been working on. “They've constructed another trade port on the coast of Zebrica, established a new caravan route to a settlement in the Badlands, bought two ironworks from the Minotaurs, and negotiated trading rights to export wood to Gryphonstone from a lumber mill in Rosenwood.” She leaned in closer and narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never heard of any settlements in the Badlands.” The light in room seemed to dim as Filthy squirmed in his chair. “Some company-employed cartographers found it last month. The settlement was apparently founded by a group of earth ponies a few years ago. They were in a desperate state, so the mayor of Dodge City authorized the WPTC to send out a caravan with supplies.” “And why would the WPTC involve themselves in aid work?” Haywood interjected. “There is nothing of value out there. It’s just barren ground, except for a few oases.” It didn't seem like Filthy wanted to answer, until he saw her disapproving eyebrows and whizzing tail. “Uh, actually they make a green gunk from cacti, or something, that works like an excellent adhesive. They trade the stuff for basic supplies." “One more question, and we will leave,” she said. “Do you know anyone who may be responsible for manipulating the amount of bits in circulation.” Filthy sweated visibly now. “I-I don’t know anyone who would want to harm the Equestrian economy,” he said, obviously tiptoeing around the subject. She leaned in until they were face to face. “Answer my question with a yes, or no. Well? Do you?” “Y-yes, I may know who could be behind it,” he said, while his ears and tail sagged. “Who?” she pressed. “It could be Gordon Rich,” he said, and let out a long sigh. “Gordon lives in Vanhoover, and he is the true leader behind the scenes of the WPTC and the Rich family.” “I thought you were the head of the Rich family?” Haywood asked, looking genuinely bewildered. “I’ve never heard of any Gordon Rich, and the name doesn’t even sound like a pony’s.” “I’m the head only in name,” Filthy continued, dejectedly. “Gordon Rich was adopted into the Rich family a long time ago.” The wealthy stallion was clearly stressed out and shaken, and she decided that further pressuring him was unnecessary. “Thank you for your help, Filthy,” she said, sincerely. “I think I will go meet this Gordon.” She turned to leave. “Come along Haywood, we have our next destination.” The secretary seemed sceptical at the prospect of visiting Vanhoover. The city was on the westernmost coast of Equestria, and travel by train would take at least half a day. The guards were still outside the door of Filthy’s study and escorted them outside the mansion. When the gate closed behind them, Haywood was the first to break the silence. “You do know that Filthy could have just legally thrown you out, right? The law nowadays prevents even a princess from just waltzing into someone's home and bullying them into doing what they want.” She frowned. “Hmfp, I did no such thing. I simply encouraged him to share information with me. If he wanted to keep quiet, I would have respected that.” “And what about how the light in the room faded?” “He shouldn't use so many candles in a library, it’s a fire hazard.” “I’m sure I heard the walls creak at one point,” he deadpanned. “Fine! I may have gone slightly overboard,” she mumbled, “but let's not waste time dwelling on the past. We have a new destination!” She posed with her right hoof held high in the air, pointing in the general direction of Vanhoover. “I doubt there are many trains this late, and it's almost suppertime,” he said, as she unfurled her wings. “I recommend we travel there tomorrow, when the—” He finally noticed that he was surrounded by a blue glow. “Oh no—” was the last thing she heard him say as they both soared westwards through the air.