//------------------------------//
// Crisis Averted? 
// Story: Mayor's Break Time 
// by Soufriere 
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The day was cool yet sunny, not uncommon for Fall. A brisk wind blew its way through Ponyville, forming tiny vortices as it hit buildings and odd-angled alleyways. Some warm-natured ponies had begun applying layers to cope.

Spike, as a dragon, needed no layers – after all, his was a species that could and did bathe in molten rock; insulation works both ways. Also the fire-breath, though that tended to land him in trouble. For example, Spike had been dusting the bookshelves for Twilight the other day when he sneezed and vaporized Golden Oaks Library’s only copy of the “F” volume of the Encyclopædia Equestria. Twilight was naturally livid – now ponies (read: her) could no longer look up information about Foals, Ferriers, Fetlocks, or Feldspars. As punishment, Spike was ordered to sit in the middle of the floor and contemplate his toes while Twilight went out to buy a fireproof muzzle.

Of course, the minute Twilight had closed the door behind her, Spike left his spot and made nachos. He had long stopped caring about Twilight’s reprimands, since they were the same whether a book was irreplaceable or common.

As he sat on the floor messily eating his snack – he at least had respect enough for the library’s books along the walls to not sully them with food – his euphoria was broken by a knock at the door.

“Who’s that?” Spike asked no one in particular. As keeper of Twilight’s schedule, he knew she was out meeting with Rarity and the other four, so he was not expecting any visitors. He tossed the plate of nachos into the air and caught it in his mouth, which unhinged horrifically to swallow it, plate and all. After waking two steps toward the door, he coughed up the plate, burping immediately after, enveloping it in flame before it hit the floor, ferrying it straight to Princess Celestia.

“Hope she likes the plate,” he said nonchalantly as he reached to the door handle.

On the other side of the threshold stood a nondescript grey Earth-pony mare with dark eyes, a dark brown mane tied into a bun, large glasses, and a red scarf. Spike recognized her as Mayor Meyer Mare’s longtime (very put-upon) secretary.

“Raven? Hi,” Spike said, holding in a burp that, if released, could have inadvertently sent her on a one-way trip to Canterlot Castle. “What can I do for you?”

Raven, never one to beat around the bush, adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. “Spike, your presence at City Hall is requested.”

Spike cocked his head in confusion. “Usually the Mayor sends me a letter or something early in the day if she needs me.”

“This is… my request,” Raven said with a pained expression, shutting her eyes.

“Yours? That’s unu…” Spike pondered aloud before connecting the dots. “What did she do?”

The conversation continued as the two walked the short distance to City Hall.

“She discovered that a certain arrogant, stuck-up, overweight Unicorn with whom she has exchanged harsh words in the past is eligible to become the next Prime Minister,” Raven said in a tone that assumed Spike knew more of the context than he did.

“Twilight?” asked Spike, serious. After all, Twilight was the only daughter of a mid-ranking Noble family and the Mayor’s dislike of his ‘boss’ was well-known to everyone except Twilight herself.

Raven blinked at Spike. “No. The prospect is a businesspony named Orangeglow.”

Spike nodded in recognition. “Isn’t that the guy who hosted that travelling contest where a bunch of ponies try to run one of his businesses? And then got quoted in the national newspapers saying a bunch of nasty things about Gryphons?”

“To the point that Griffonstone lodged an official complaint with Canterlot. Yes, that’s him,” Raven said with a nod. “He isn’t a member of Nobility or even of the Equestrian Senate. He claims to be one of the richest ponies in Equestria, but no one has been able to prove it in thirty years.”

“Okay. So what does any of this has to do with me?” Spike asked.

“The Mayor has been laugh-crying nonstop for the past two hours at the thought of someone like him becoming the most powerful pony in Equestria (aside from the Princesses). She hasn’t done any work. Papers are piling up. I’m unable to snap her out of it. Help me,” Raven said in as pleading a voice as she could.

“Isn’t this a job better suited to Apple Bloom?” Spike asked with a sigh.

Raven shook her head. “Leaving aside the fact that she’s in school right now, I believe her recent altering of the formula for her so-called ‘happy juice’ has made the Mayor worse.”

“Ah,” Spike said.

The two reached City Hall and immediately made their way up the two flights of stairs to the Mayor’s office. When they reached Raven’s writing desk – currently cluttered with unsorted papers, much to her dismay – they found Granny Smith shuffling away from the office towards them.

“Greetings, Madame Granny Smith,” Raven said pleasantly out of respect for the ancient mare who had for just one month been the best boss she ever had. “What brings you here?”

Granny Smith broke into a great smile. “Well now, I’ll tell y’all. I came here to see the Mayor and she weren’t actin’ right. Figger’d she was hungry. So I whipped up some o’ my special secret recipe Zap-Apple pie for ‘er – an’ she fell right asleep like a li’l foal.”

“You… put her to sleep?” Spike and Raven both asked, stunned. From the office, they could hear loud snoring.

Granny Smith nodded, pleased with herself. “Yep! Bein’ mayor’s a tough job, an’ Meyer ain’t gettin’ enough sleep ta be able ta do it right. Prolly got a lot on ‘er mind. So I figger’d I’d help ‘er out!”

Spike stood in the middle of the landing, dumbstruck, as Raven slowly made her way to her desk, sat on the stool, cleared away some of the papers, and banged her head no fewer than a dozen times against its wooden surface.

Eventually, once Granny Smith had made her way out of the building and Raven had taken several aspirin for her newfound headache, Spike gave his assessment of the situation:

“This was pointless. Still better than Twilight’s punishments.”