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// The History of Equestria under Alternia Part 4: Rapier Apple and the Saddle Arabian War Ch.1 
// Story: Princess Celestia The Changeling Queen:  Stories Behind the Mask 
// by vren55 
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Author’s Note: Some have suggested Twilight is the one writing these history section. Actually Bookworm is an author-insert on my part. It’s me writing these histories quite literally :P.

Also, I have drawn from real-life parallels to create this history series, but there is no direct depiction of any real-life empires, events, peoples or people.

When Rapier Apple from Manehattan created the Royal Coalition numbering 40 percent of the United Parliament’s representatives, and won himself the position of Prime Minister, Equestria, for the lack of a better word, shrugged.

Seventy years after the 2nd Griffonian War, Equestria was in a fairly prosperous situation. Nopony was worrying about anything. Colonization of areas in Equestria that weren’t claimed or cultivated was on thr rise and there was this boom of industry and spending that gave everybody a spring in their step. Dodge Junction had also been established, opening the south to colonization.

However, Rapier Apple was worried. He’d come from the Bronks of Manehattan and well, was rather plain-speaking compared to the nobles of Canterlot. With a lot of hard work, he had managed to scrounge himself an education at the University of Manehattan in Economics and Politics and what he saw was that Equestria was heading for an economic collapse. The unchecked spending meant that the nation was going into debt that they weren’t going to be able to pay off. The banks attempted to compensate by printing more money, but that meant inflation of the Equestrian bit was skyrocketing.

Problem was, nopony believed in him. Nopony believed him even when he managed to win a seat as the representative of Manehattan in the United Parliament.

But a few ponies did finally start listening. In 560 Alternia’s Regency, then representative Rapier Apple finally got a meeting with the seventy-eight year old Countess Voulge of Rainbow Falls, now the elderly Princess-Consort of “Celestia”. The only official Princess-Consort of “Celestia” Voulge still wielded incredible influence and had her own series of informants who told her about a radical Member of Parliament (MP) with a doomsday prophecy. Naturally, she researched the issue and decided that it was best to consult with Rapier Apple.

In that meeting, Rapier managed to convince Voulge that his hypothesis was accurate, and that they needed to do something about it. So Voulge quickly put Rapier in touch with Alternia, and he presented his case.

After a rather stirring argument, for Rapier Apple was by all accounts a very fiery stallion and loved a good debate, Alternia was convinced and began loaning her influence and publically supporting Rapier Apple as he moved to assemble a coalition within the parliament to do something about Equestria’s economy.

In the midst of this, Voulge died. Old age had finally overwhelmed her when complicated by pneumonia. Many of my contemporaries wonder if Voulge ever found out about Alternia’s identity before she died. This author suggests that that is honestly beside the point. They clearly loved each other.

Unfortunately, Alternia had little time to mourn. The first signs of a collapse in the Equestrian economy were showing. Inflation had gotten so high in Manehattan that families were being evicted from their homes for being unable to pay rent, by their landlords, who then had to mortgage their property to pay off debts (also caused by inflation), to banks, who suddenly had so much property and a lack of cash they had to make more cash, which made the problem worse and… you get the point, Manehattan was about to fall apart.

And it wasn’t the only city about to go to Tartarus, Canterlot, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Vanhoofer, Dodge Junction, Cloudsdale, and Las Pegasus… every major Equestrian City was about to collapse as unemployment rose.

Rapier Apple’s analysis was coming true and luckily… he did have a plan. Regulate and Spend Hard. He and his coalition froze the Equestrian bit’s value and passed new regulations for banks and securities, which also helped lock down inflation. He then created the Equestrian Ministry of Public Works to start upgrading the infrastructure of the country in order to put ponies to work.

Because Rapier Apple’s actions managed to halt the falling economy just before it went over, what would have been a steep drop instead reduced to a gentle decline, and then a plateau. Ponies were NOT happy, but considering that they still had work, and could survive, Rapier Apple got actually fairly popular, as he dressed smartly, but ate frugally, like one of the common folk.

It was this humility and intelligence that drew Alternia to Rapier and a few years after Voulge’s death, they began to court each other in secret. From what Rapier’s wife, Jade Glimmer, wrote in her diary, Rapier was blunt and honest with Alternia, and was not afraid to scold his sovereign, but was just as eager to teach her.

Ah yes… spoiler alert. Rapier and Alternia didn’t get married. The pair liked each other and loved each other. He respected Alternia’s drive, her compassion for her ponies, and appreciated her sense of humor.

However, historians aren’t really surprised as to why the pair separated in 580 AR and why Rapier for a whole year, was cold to his sovereign, refusing to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, or ‘Celestia’s’ Summer Tea Party. What seemed to be the problem was that while Alternia respected Rapier’s honest, Rapier could not abide lying. He would spin stories in a positive light, but he would never lie.

“Celestia,” well, Alternia’s life was a lie, and she had far less compunctions about lying. Even if she preferred not to when she could afford it.

And frankly, lies were needed when the Gorgon Crisis hit.