//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Glenmorangie // Story: The Great Whiskey Adventure // by Universal Librarian //------------------------------// Gilda sagged against the door as she tried to get her breathing under control after the mad rush. Glancing out of the window, she saw the two League pegasi land on the platform and glare furiously at her on the train. "Uh, you're sure that those guys won't force their way onto the train, right?" Berry glanced out the window and smirked. "They won't. The League of Cerberus avoids disrupting public services in case it harms their reputation." "But they're okay with attacking creatures in broad daylight?" Gilda asked flatly. "Yeah, they're not the sharpest." Berry jerked her head towards the seats. "Come on, let's find somewhere to sit." The two moved down the carriage and found a spare bench with a table just as the train started to move. They each slipped onto either side of it and sighed heavily, finally getting a chance to relax.  "Okay, that's the first part of the journey done," Berry sighed and plonked her saddlebags onto the bench next to her before settling herself more comfortably. "All we've got to do now is wait until we reach Canterlot." "What then?" Gilda asked. Berry sighed and folded her forelegs on top of the table so she could rest her head. "Then we find my contact for the Minotaur Lands." The two fell silent for a while, listening to the rattle of the train as it chugged along. Gilda took the opportunity to wonder how exactly she had allowed herself to get dragged into this mess. Then again, there was the possibility of a good drink at the end of it, so things weren't really looking too bad. As the scenery outside flew by, Gilda asked Berry about her business. Berry gleefully indulged her, going into great detail about her work creating wines as well as her many experiments with brewing and distilling other alcoholic beverages. Lost in their discussion, the two didn't notice another mare walking up to them until she paused and cleared her throat. Gilda glanced at her in annoyance, then did a double-take as she recognized the League of Cerberus' cloak and hood. "It's okay, she's not going to attack!" Berry said quickly. She turned to the mare and grinned. "Here to try and buy my secrets again, Pristine?" The mare, Pristine, pushed back her hood to reveal that she was a unicorn, with snow-white fur and a neatly curled pink mane. "Miss Twist. Miss… I'm sorry, I don't know your name?" "Gilda," came the clipped reply. Pristine nodded. "Miss Gilda. Yes, Miss Twist, I am here to once again attempt a negotiation." "Shouldn't you try that before sending in your goons?" Gilda asked pointedly. "Believe me, I would rather deal entirely in negotiations," Pristine replied. "Unfortunately, my fellow members of the League, those 'goons' as you put it, are a little more, shall we say, forceful than I am. If you don't mind me being a little less than polite then I'd go so far as to say that they're all stupid, vulgar, hard-headed idiots without a drop of true class between them." "You're right about that," Berry snorted. "Anyway, to business. I believe you're about to make an offer on behalf of the League?" Pristine nodded. "Naturally. For the purchase of the first bottle of your new beverage, the League of Cerberus has granted me the authority to offer the sum of no more than two hundred and fifty thousand bits." Gilda's eyes popped out of their head and her jaw dropped open at the ridiculous sum of cash. Her surprise only increased as Berry shook her head and said, "No deal." "As expected," Pristine nodded. "Well, I shall be off now. Shall we meet at the usual spot?" "Sounds good to me!" Berry waved cheerfully as Pristine got up and left the carriage. Gilda whipped her head from Berry to the door Pristine had departed through and back again. "Are you insane?!" "What?" Berry asked blankly. "Two hundred and fifty thousand bits!?" Gilda screeched. Berry rolled her eyes. "Oh please, they offered me twice that for my first bottle of vin du rose." She frowned and patted her chin thoughtfully. "I actually accepted that time. The first batch wasn't anywhere near as good as I'd hoped it would be, but the League didn't care. They just wanted the prestige of having the very first bottle." A heady mixture of awe, incredulity, and intense envy stalled Gilda's brain. She had expected the nobles to be offering a pittance for Berry to be able to reject it so easily, not mind-bendingly vast sums of cash.  Berry just smiled at Gilda's brain-fried expression. "I'd get some rest while you can, we'll be pulling into Canterlot Station soon."