Friends were few and far between; that was a natural part of my life. In a world of cold, cutthroat business, I could have counted the number of ponies I could personally confide in on my hooves. That was not to say I was a total recluse, no. In fact, I regularly went to gatherings to meet up and chat with other ponies in order to maintain and grow my professional network. All strictly professional, of course.
I continuously trained myself to be an independent business stallion, capable of finishing tasks and completing projects on a tight deadline with excellent results in order to impress my superiors and heighten my chances of earning a promotion. Sometimes, however, there were tasks that I could not accomplish alone. In which case, I resorted to my professional network of ponies of all trades and professions to help me by offering their services and consultations where appropriate.
After all, no pony is an island.
So, with my skills and connections, I built a name for myself within the company. I could trust an accountant with a well-guarded trade secret. I could entrust a partner with an emergency fund that could make or break Magnate Industries’s future. I could place the chances of successfully negotiating a business deal in the hands of a pony who made their living by the gift of the gab. I could trust a particular delivery company to handle extremely sensitive goods belonging to Magnate Industries where others would have been rejected without a second thought.
But not with any of them could I reveal a personal and deeply emotional secret. It’s not in my nature or the social laws of the business world to do so. I eschewed social contact and growth for a background in economics and business, and it has led me to where I currently am.
It was in Eminence Tower that I began my long and grueling career in my family’s business, and it is there that I still work today. As I first entered the industry, I had a head full of ideas and a heart full of determination and passion. I was ready to make a stake in the world of business and a name for myself, and I would have gladly done it for decades and decades until I was an old stallion, with a reputation that eclipsed my family’s and a fortune to rival that of Sapphire Shores.
That is, until the day I grew to love her.
“This is so great, Magnate!” I watched Lovey call out to me from across the living room, waving an envelope in her hoof. “I just got a letter from my friends in Ponyville!”
It was your joyous enthusiasm that first drew my attention to you. Well, that and also the fact that you showed up out of the blue unexpectedly, talking excitedly about finding a suitor for me. But I digress.
“Oh, really? What does it say?” I replied. I didn’t know the first thing about your friends, but it was always such a wondrous delight to hear you talk. It could have been about your day, it could have been about your life, or it could even be something as inconsequential as the things you saw while trotting in Manehattan; but it honestly didn’t matter as long as I could listen to your melodious voice.
“Oh, it’s a normal letter. They’re asking about how I am, moving from a quiet and idyllic town like Ponyville into a busy city like Manehattan, and...” I heard you go on, to which I responded with a nod of my head. A few months ago, back when you first came up to me and barged in on my daily routine, I couldn’t visualise a day with you, constantly being around me with your weird attitude. Now, I can’t imagine living a week without your wonderful personality. Funny how Life works sometimes.
It was a rare moment of relaxation for Lovey and I, here in my apartment. A jug of freshly-made lemonade sat on the dining table a short distance away, complete with a couple of mugs and a damp cloth. A quick glance outside of the living room window showed a slightly overcast day, with Celestia’s sun hidden behind the clouds.
“-also, Juniper mentioned that she wants to give our relationship her blessings!”
“That’s great.” With a few steps, I made my way over to the table, levitating a glass of lemonade over to my mouth.
“So, uh,” I said. “How are your friends and family taking you moving here permanently, Lovey?”
“Oh, they’re taking it well,” She waved a hoof at that question. “Sure, there was the occasional doubt here and there, but that’s okay because it came with me deciding to permanently move away from Ponyville with little advance warning to move in with you and take our relationship to the next level!”
Like I said, you tend to get really quirky sometimes.
“That’s...nice to hear,” I placed the empty glass down.
It came as much of a surprise to me as it did to anypony, to be perfectly honest. To know that she would so willingly move her house and quit working in the business of matchmaking to live closer to me, her…coltfriend, even if it was apparent she had to continue working eventually. Celestia knows I wouldn’t give up my job for anything in the world. Well, almost anything.
“Oh, Juniper also sent me a list of ponies’ names!”
I cast a glance over my shoulder at Lovey, who was waving a parchment sheet that trailed downwards and past her hind legs. “Turns out, I’ve received a lot of customer requests when I was away from Ponyville. Juniper had no idea what to do with them, so she took down the names of everybody that came asking and mailed it to me. I knew I should have placed a sign in the newspaper to say that I was temporarily on hiatus!” She gave a pout.
Apparently, she couldn’t either.
How did Lovey and I end up together, anyway? She and I couldn’t be any more different. Then again, Love knew no boundaries, according to her.
How do I begin to describe the torrent of emotions that welled up within me, like a pot that was slowly being filled from the bottom up?
I gazed out of the living room window, at Princess Celestia’ setting sun. The sky was a deep shade of orange, like a well-nourished and juicy fruit of its namesake, slowly transitioning to a lighter shade of yellow the lower one went to the bright disk in the sky.
“Well, Lovey,” I yawned ever so slightly. “It’s been a long day. I think it’s time for me to accompany you to go back to your apartment. This part of Manehattan is relatively crime-free, but we shouldn’t take any chances. Are you ready to go back?”
“Yup, sure am!” She said. “Let me grab my stuff.”
I reached over to the telephone, picking it up and dialed for a cab, keeping a watch on Lovey out of the corner of my eye.
“Hello? Yes, this is Magnate speaking. Could you send a cab over to the following address immediately? Payment? As usual. I’ll send it to the driver at the end of the journey. How long will it take? A few minutes? Splendid. Pleasure doing business with you.”
After a few minutes, I got to my hooves, focusing on the jug and cups that had to be cleared and washed for now.
Manehattan’s activity did not end with the setting of Princess Celestia’s sun, no. The commerce and trading hub of Equestria had many facilities and amenities catering to to the ponies that lived and worked there, as well as attractions that drew in a healthy stream of off-city visitors for a lucrative trade of tourism.
To anypony traveling down the streets of Manehattan, it was clear that the transition was slow but steady, bringing out the preparations and equipment that made and elevated the Manehattan night scene to be on par with that of Las Pegasus and Canterlot itself.
As some shops and buildings were closing down for the night, many more began to open their shutters and doors, holding up signs and bright lights that indicated that they were open for business for the evening. From nightclubs to art galleries, gardens and restaurants, the various businesses that operated under Princess Luna’s moon formed the vibrant night life. Ponies from all walks of life that worked in the day wished to unwind for the evening, and Manehattan had an answer to almost any desire that any pony had.
Of course, the dim light of Princess Luna’s moon offered concealment as well, providing cover for various ponies wishing to release themselves and satisfy their…urges. Some of the more remote and dirty alleys in between buildings and vacant parking lots became gathering spots for the lower-class ponies of Manehattan, forming a city-wide seedy underbelly and a hive of scum and villainy.
Remember when I said almost any desire could be fulfilled in the night landscape of Manehattan? Yes, even those types. I refuse to elaborate any further.
I curled and exerted the muscles in my hoof, my grip on Lovey’s withers slightly tightened as the cab traveled a road that had a disco club at the side. Lovey, of course, was her usual, curious self, gazing out and observing her surroundings. But where a smile would be plastered in between her cheeks, a worried frown stood instead.
“Wowee, I can see a lot of tangled and fraying love lines all around me, even more than usual!” Lovey whispered as she turned to me. “This isn’t one of those good places, is it?”
“It’s not,” I shook my head. “Just remember what I told you about acting normal in Manehattan. Try to keep your head inside and not attract any attention to ourselves.”
The cab rode on for a while, making twists and turns through the roads and lanes. Activity was flaring up and ponies from all walks of life were , which was to be expected. Walking through Manehattan at night was slightly risky, and I was not going to take the chance with her involved.
“Magnate?” An anxious voice wavered right beside me. “I-I was thinking about something.”
“Lovey?” I gazed down at her, only to find her tightly clutching a folded parchment piece to her barrel.
“They asked me when I’ll be going back to work,” Lovey elaborated. “I don’t really know...”
I waited for her to continue.
“Sometimes, my job takes me to places far away from Ponyville, searching for the beings on the other ends of my clients’ Love Lines. The furthest I’ve ever been to was outside Equestria, to somewhere in the Griffon lands to find their soulmates. That took about a week!”
“That far?” I raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite the distance. You must have seen a lot of things.”
Lovey gave a nod. “And now, with a backlog of customers looking for my help, I might have to put in more effort and time to resolve every single of them. Besides traveling out to the destinations, I need a proper office to keep records of the cases in progress and new ones that has to be noted down for future work, as well as a secretary to help with the paperwork.”
More effort and time… A niggling voice in my head repeated. My response was restricted to a wince that I tried my best to hold down.
“I’ll probably take a few days to get settled down and sort out the essentials, after which I’ll set off. The sooner I get started on this, the better.” She finished.
“Well, if you do ever need my help,” I said. “You can tell me. I know a few ponies who can choose a suitable location and help you furnish your new office for a discount. Just give the word and we’ll get started on it the next working day.”
“Aww, thanks, Magny,” Lovey nuzzled up against my upper barrel and throat latch, letting out a soft, but audible purr. The velvet-like sensation of her thick, pink fur against mine, which was thin and brown in comparison, created a sensation of warmth that spread like smooth butter between the both of us. “Thanks to you, I’m sure I’ll be able to get back to work in no time,”
“It’s no problem,” I reached a hoof over and ruffled her wavy hair, which left behind a messy mane, which honestly doesn’t seem like a difference was made.
I knew the basics of Lovey’s job, truth to be told. After all, I was the main objective of her task to find a special somepony for me once.
The concept of Love Lines was simple enough once I used the common tropes used in cheesy romance novels as a reference point. According to her, there is a magical line connecting two ponies from their birth until their death, the likes of which only ponies like you could see. When the ponies on both ends of the string meet and establish an emotional connection, a romance was bound to follow, with the end result of a lifelong relationship. Simple enough.
Now, the thing is, these lines are invisible to us. It can be seen with a little help of Unicorn magic, but that already cuts out two-thirds of the pony population. Cupids, however, can see these lines by force of will alone, regardless of their race.
Cupids are the non-official name I give to ponies like Lovey. Apparently, there are others like her out there, uniting destined ponies together and ensuring that Equestria remains a harmony-filled place.
Cupids could come from any family and any place. Earth Pony, Pegasus, Unicorn, it didn’t matter. Rich or poor, loving or nasty family, the Great Maker Above didn’t care one bit. Even Lovey herself broke up her parents’ union so they could be with their destined special someponies.
The downside was that they could see every single love line in the immediate area at the cost of being unable to perceive their own. When it came to finding their own significant others, they were as clueless and helpless as us, perhaps even more, due to their reliance on an ability that just wouldn’t work for them.
Maybe if I picked a low-quality building to distract Lovey for a few days or weeks, and add some incompetent contractors that can’t complete their assigned tasks for Horse Hockey...
Catching my own train of thought in a bout of self-awareness, I vigorously shook my head.
What am I thinking? I better stop this, right now, before I do something I regret!
“Are you thinking about me, Magnate?” Lovey piped up. “You don’t have to do that right now, I’m here!”
I jerked out of my reverie, staring open-mouthed and flabbergasted at her. “How did you know that?”
“Well, for starters,” She interrupted. “Your whole muzzle is scrunched up like that of a little puppy whenever you think hard, which most likely involves something that’s very important to you,” Without any warning, she reached and placed two hooves at the sides of my muzzle, pressing them together until I could feel the creases and folds in my skin. “It’s totes different from when you’re work thinking, when you just furrow your brow!”
Really, know that I look back on it, how could I not have seen this coming?
As an expert on romance, she could not have lived for long in her trade without learning to pick up on body expressions and behavioural psychology, gathering cues that formed a reliable picture of her clients that she could work with.
She released her grip, but continued gazing at me. “Is something wrong, Magnate?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong,” I replied. “Have you ever…regretted moving to Manehatten? It's not exactly a nice place, and the ponies here can be questionable at times. It's a big city, after all. I’m sure the things you’ve seen here can attest to that.”
“Well, it can be a little imposing and unfriendly place at times, but it can be so big and grand at times too! Besides,” A smile worked its way across her wide face. “I met you here, didn’t I?”
The plain-assuming apartment that Lovey stayed in drew near, the cab gradually slowing to a stop.
“Well, see you tomorrow,” She leaned in to give me a quick peck on the cheek before gliding off towards the lobby door. “We’ll pick out a new place for me to work in!”
“Back to your apartment, sir?” The cab driver asked.
I simply gave an affirmative, curt reply.
One day to locate an office, decide on a design scheme and another two to find and get a suitable contractor, and a few weeks to furnish the office.
I trotted back up the stairs to my house. Any trace of the cheery demeanour that coloured my movements just now was gone, replaced by heavy and plodding footsteps.
Lovey would most likely enlist this Juniper’s help temporarily while she travels to resolve the high-priority cases as soon as she is able.
I got off the flight of stairs and made my way down the hall towards my apartment door, charging my horn up for the security lock.
I should get an estimate for how much Lovey earns regularly and find a suitable candidate willing to work, so that might take slightly longer. I could run an advertisement or distribute flyers as soon as possible. Would it be seasonal work?
The magic lock was a marvel of Equestrian sorcery, impervious to attempts at lockpicking or hacking. It could only be unlocked by the client’s magical signature...or by apparently singing a song in your heart.
"When you unlock your door, there's a little song in the air, so I just sing it in my heart and the lock unlocks! It's like the key to your heart is in my heart, but the key to your home, which is very different but also not really if you think about it, because you love your privacy, so really, unlocking your home is quite a lot like unlocking your heart!"
A song that plays when I unlock the door? It must be a unique one, akin to a magic signature that all unicorns have. She's really got a magical spell and it's working so well, that I can't get away.
In any case, I should have it sent to be inspected, in case somepony else could use it to enter without my knowledge.
With the lock disengaged, I pushed the door open with my magic, closing it behind me.
So once she and I fell in love, she managed to decipher my magical signature and unlock the door? The magic that my horn uses was apparently replicable by the magic that she could synthesise in her heart. It wouldn’t make sense that it normally be able to work, given Pegasi exercised their magic by wings. Given Lovey’s talent, however, it shouldn’t really have been a surprise.
Her magic always consisted of emotions, love, matters of the heart and a little bit of the unexplained and random.
The flat was gloomy and lonely, with a view of the city from the balcony, with its multitude of artificial lights that formed the nighttime landscape of Manehattan.
Even if robbers somehow bypassed the security system and made it into my house, they would not find any money in the form of bits, only valuable artifacts that were either bolted down or cleverly hidden in secret compartments. My finances were hidden in banks and guarded by the finest vaults and guards money could buy.
There are several small fortunes stored safely away in several banks, that I could use to keep myself afloat until I get a new job. Equestria is a large place with many single stallions and mares, so there shouldn’t be too much of a trouble of Lovey running out of contracts to run out soon. Even so, Lovey could always make do as a weatherpony, provided she didn’t fill up the clouds she was supposed to handle with negative emotion.
Not that I would know what the Equestrian dating scene is like.
Without any prompting, I went about my nightly routine, refreshing myself and preparing to rest for the next day of monotonous work. After so many years of repetition, it was almost as if my body moved of its own accord through the familiar motions, leaving my mind to rest or wander.
Monotonous? A few months ago, I would never have used that word. I cracked a smile, which appeared small and unassuming in the bathroom mirror. Grueling? Perhaps. Rewarding? Definitely. The fact that I have already used that word to describe work says volumes about my shift in attitude about my ex-passion and occupation.
Lovey, for better or worse, had made a large impact on my life. She showed me a whole different, vast world out there that I just didn't want to see for myself.
Lovey…
After she gets her goals, thoughts and ideas in order, she would have to go on matchmaking trips to find ponies’ significant others. Yes, there was the occasional side job like weather management, but matchmaking was her first and true talent, and resigning from the business would be completely turning away from it.
And looked how that turned out.
So...what did that mean, once our relationship was solidified? Lovey would have to continue working as she did previously, with the only change being her permanent location of business. Her work will take her to places far away from Manehattan to all four corners of Equestria.
Places far away from me.
I would live life as nearly the same as I used to, working the night and day away in the office and climbing my way up, albeit without as zealous a drive as I had before. Your bright and cheery presence would be absent, leaving behind a shadowy gloom to fill in the void that you had left and turn my world that much more gray and dull.
Mountains, rivers, forests, deserts and plains. They widened the physical rift between us, but they were all ostensible obstacles, distractions from the true barrier.
Intimate distance. The true test lied not in the spaces apart, but the gap between us in our hearts.
My eyes flitted to the plain, framed photo which was situated on the bedside table. A trinket that was next to worthless, yet kept with me in my home for sentimental purposes. My family were seated seated in the conventional and formal family seating arrangement; my mother and father took up the background while my sister, Silk Stocking was seated next to me. Lovey had most likely met all three of them at some point or another.
When was the last time I had seen any sign of affection between my parents? Their marriage was arranged between my grand…their fathers to keep the wealth and talent from two families in a single lineage. They saw each other almost every other day, but nothing so much as a kiss or smile was exchanged at all. Any achievement that I had earned with my efforts resulted in gestures and remarks that felt as though they were two unrelated ponies congratulating him instead of cheering for me like mother and father, husband and wife.
Not that I ever cared. Recognition I craved, attention I desired. In a system that prized personal glory and determination over emotions and sentiment, I learnt to adapt accordingly.
All the more reason Lovey’s intrusion into my life made it that much more...beautiful. All the bits in Equestria or the natural beauties of this world could never compare to the bright smile and cheery demeanour she gave to almost everypony she met.
Speaking of natural beauties…
Without a second thought, I strolled over, parted the curtains for a moment, and took in the nighttime scenery the city had to offer.
One of the reason I selected this apartment when I moved out of my family home was the excellent scenery that the flat offered, with the the eastern sea laid out for any viewer to see. In the morning, it shimmered and glimmered as if a million shining refractive diamonds were scattered across the azure surface, a beautiful sight that welcomed visitors and residents alike traveling across the coastline or boat.
At night, however, it was pitch black and inky dark, threatening anypony foolish enough to wander the seas without adequate protection to swallow them up and pull them down into the murky depths, never to surface again. The water was still and calm, belying its dangerous nature. Still, however, it had a single light source that outshone all the artificially-made ones.
Princess Luna’s moon was out in the sky, the black formation that she and I used to stare up to as foals gone now, leaving behind a blank visage in its wake.
I made my way back to the single bed, slowly sliding in between the sheets and tucking myself in.
It was a big world out there, with so many living beings in it. Making their own way, finding others that they could love and be loved in return. Lovey would be there, guiding those that needed that little push, while I went about my life as usual, patiently waiting for her to come back and reluctantly see her off when needed.
Perhaps I could find another profession; another line of work for me that could help ensure I would see her more often?
I was clear that my occupation was slowly becoming more and more…insufficient. I needed a change of scenery if I wanted to avoid hitting any potential slumps that could affect my psyche. The trouble is, where could I start? It would have to be something that I could use to travel often with her, yet pays sufficiently.
The satin sheets, mane and tail grew messy as I tossed and turned about in the single bed. His eyelids grew heavy and moved downwards of its own accord, but it could never close properly. My mind was as sharp as ever, going through the thoughts and scenarios in my own head as if it was running off on a projector against a wall that was my conscious.
“Sleep well, Lovey. I know I won’t.”