Chapter 12
It was another beautiful morning in Equestria, with the sun slowly peeking up over the eastern horizon, while the birds sang their morning greetings to each other. If you were a morning person, it was a wonderful and joyous sight to behold, one that would fill your soul with a happiness and warmth that would put a smile on your face that would make you want to share it with everyone you met to brighten their lives.
Unfortunately for everyone else's day, Blueblood was not a morning pony, if it wasn’t for the fact that his beloved aunt was the one in charge of raising the sun each morning, he’d have cursed the sun and its mistress with every fiber of his being. As it was, he usually just had to settle for mere grumbling as he stumbled about waiting for one of his servants to bring him his morning cup of coffee, his large morning cup of coffee.
Taking a sip of the aforementioned coffee from his traveling thermos, Blueblood blearily watched the countryside roll by as the train that was taking him back to Ponyville happily chugged along. A happy humming caught his attention, and he turned away from the window to regard his morning companion, who was way to happy to be up at this time of the day, as he happily shuffled through some papers.
“Red Tape,” said Blueblood scratchily, “must you hum that irritating song, this early in the morning?”
Red Tape paused his humming and paper shuffling to look at his Prince. He gave a grimace at the sight. Blueblood’s eyes were bloodshot, and he had dark bags under them; his normally well groomed mane was left uncombed this morning, and the Prince’s normally regal mask was conspicuously absent as well, it being replaced with a tired, irritated look instead. Putting on his best, patient smile, Red Tape replied, “My apologies, Your Grace, I did not mean to cause you any discomfort with my humming. I am afraid it is a habit of mine that manifests itself when I am ‘in the zone’ as the younger ponies say these days.” He gave an amused chuckle at his witticism.
Blueblood on the other hoof, remained unimpressed, and continued to fix the bureaucrat with an irritated look. Red Tape’s chuckles awkwardly died off when he realized that Blueblood wasn’t joining in with him in merriment. Giving an awkward cough, he readjusted his glasses and muttered to himself in what he thought was a quiet enough voice, “Sounds like somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and Blueblood’s irritated scowl deepened. “One has to go to bed first before they can wake up on the wrong side of it.”
Red Tape’s ears fell flat against his scalp at the chastisement and he quickly busied himself again with his papers. With any chance at future conversation from the bureaucratic pony effectively gone for the time being, Blueblood turned his attention back to the window as an uncomfortable silence fell upon the two of them.
After several minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore, and giving an exasperated sigh said, “Red Tape,” the other ponies ears twitched, but he didn’t cease his work. Seeing this, Blueblood gave another, very tired sigh and continued, “I’m sorry for being a pain in the flank this morning, it isn’t your fault that I didn’t get any sleep last night, or much sleep to speak of for the past week. And it also isn’t your fault for all of this crap that I’m having to deal with either. It’s just...” he trailed off as he stared down into his coffee cup, his disheveled reflection looking back up at him from the muddy brown liquid.
“You feel overwhelmed, I understand,” said Red Tape as he finished Blueblood’s thought for him. Looking up at the other unicorn, Blueblood saw Red Tape’s emphatic expression and felt a bit ashamed. After all, it wasn’t like he was the only pony feeling the pressure lately. Not by a long shot, and he shuddered at the thought of what his aunts were having to go through right now.
Not for all the money and riches in the world. He thought to himself, as the thought of all the grief and suffering his two aunts went through on a daily basis at the hooves of the rest of the government and international community sent a shiver down his spine. Giving himself a shake, he discarded that train of thought and took another sip of his coffee. He let the bitter taste wash over his tongue for a moment before allowing himself to swallow it. He was one of those rare ponies that enjoyed his coffee black.
Turning his attention back to Red Tape, Blueblood gave a somber nod. “You could say that. I am not sure what your workload looks like right now, but I feel as though everypony in Equestria is demanding my attention at the same time, and I just don’t have enough time to deal with all of them. It gets... tiring.”
Red Tape gave a sympathetic smile in reply. “I know the feeling, especially around tax time,” he let loose a hearty chuckle, though his expression quickly turned serious, “but yes, it does get tiring after a while. Especially when...certain parties start getting interested.”
Blueblood’s already sour mood worsened, and his face screwed up as if he’d just bitten into the world’s most sour lemon. “I’d rather not think about them at the moment, if it is all the same to you.”
Red Tape took off his glasses and began idly polishing them as he gazed out the window at the passing scenery. “Be that as it may, you’re still going to have to deal with the Guild’s representative when they get to Ponyville, regardless of whether you want to or not. Then there is also the mess in the Stable of Lords to deal with.”
“I know, I know!” exclaimed Blueblood angrily, his frustration reaching a boiling point.
Red Tape turned his attention away from the window, and still polishing his glasses made a placating gesture with his hooves. “Please Your Grace, there is no need to shout, I understand your frustrations, believe me I do.”
“I’m sensing that there is a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” remarked Blueblood dryly.
Red Tape nodded. “But, and forgive me if I’m being blunt here, you are still the crown’s official representative in this matter, which means that even though you and the Guild might not be on the... best of terms currently,” Blueblood gave a harsh snort at Red Tape’s diplomatic response, “you will still need to be there so that the interests of the crown are represented.”
And your interests as well, he thought silently to himself. Though outwardly he made no sign of his inner thoughts.
Blueblood’s face took on a thoughtful look as Red Tape’s words sunk in. Turning his attention away from his traveling companion, he gazed out the window for several moments in quiet contemplation. After several quiet minutes, he softly replied, “You’re right, I do need to be there,” Turning his gaze back to Red Tape, he continued, this time a bit louder, “and while I might not relish the idea of meeting with whomever the Guild sends as their representative, I doubt that they can be any worse than him.”
His expression morphed into one of disgust, and Red Tape gave a sympathetic grimace in return. “Yes, well the less said about him the better I suppose, though I can’t help but be amazed that he’s managed to retain his position as long as he has, especially with him being right under the Princess’s muzzles like that.”
Blueblood’s expression furthered soured. “Believe me, I am all too aware of his ability to get away with his shenanigans like he does without drawing my aunt’s ire,” he sighed tiredly, “unfortunately he can and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”
“Nothing? Surely there must be something you can do to rein him in?” asked Red Tape incredulously.
Blueblood shook his head sadly. “He’s too well connected with other... like-minded ponies, and he’s been in charge of the Guild office in Canterlot long enough that it’s stuffed full of his sycophants and tools. What’s worse is that he’s been working diligently to put his own ponies in other Guild offices across the country. It’s been everything I can do to block him when I can, but the problem is that he’s just getting too powerful for me to effectively fight by myself anymore.” For a moment, Red Tape saw an expression flash across the Prince’s face that he’d never thought he’d see, worry, and in the pit of his stomach a small ball of ice formed at the thought of what that could mean for the future.
“Surely you’ve shared your concerns with Princess Celestia and Luna?” asked Red Tape, an edge of hope in his voice.
Blueblood gave a harsh snort in reply. “Of course I have, but the problem is that, my aunt, much as I love her, and wish that she was some all knowing, perfect being, the truth is that she isn’t. As you know, she’s been the sole ruling monarch for the past thousand years, and as such she is somewhat... stuck in her ways I’m afraid.”
“Stuck in her ways?” inquired Red Tape curiously, “what do you mean by that?”
Blueblood gave a small nod in reply. “What I mean is that I believe she has lost the ability to see the tree’s through the forest as it were.” Seeing that Red Tape’s curious expression had become confused, Blueblood continued, “Put another way, she can’t seem to see trouble brewing if it’s a small enough issue. I suppose it might even be a sort of foible of hers where she either ignores or doesn’t see little issues arising until they become giant ones.”
“And you think that she can’t see that Guild Master Mercantile isn’t twisting the Guild into something it was never intended to become?”
Blueblood nodded gravely. “I’m afraid that is exactly what I am thinking. As I mentioned before, I have brought my concerns about the direction that Mercantile is taking the Guild. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been receptive to my warnings, some days I think she still sees me as a silly little colt, jumping at shadows in the dark,” Blueblood’s expression darkened with frustration and anger as memories of his aunt dismissing his concerns with that patronizing smile and motherly tone of hers.
Red Tape, seeing Blueblood’s unhappy mood, decided to try and steer the conversation away from that particular iceberg. “What about Princess Luna? Surely she can see that all is not well in the Guild?”
Blueblood made a ‘so-so’ gesture with his hoof. “Yes and no, yes in that Princess Luna, can tell that something is up with the Guild, but no in that she can’t tell what is wrong. Ever since her return last summer, she has been sequestering herself in semi-seclusion in an attempt to get up to speed on what has been happening in Equestria since her banishment. As such, she has practically zero influence in Canterlot right now, not to mention the Guild was founded after her banishment to the moon. Therefore, she doesn’t know how it’s supposed to work normally, and as a result isn’t willing to risk a political faux pas in an attempt to change anything. Besides,” and this time, Blueblood’s expression turned melancholy, “everypony knows that I have a grudge against the Guild Master because of that business venture my father embarked on, which went south ten years ago and nearly ruined my family. So most ponies think that I’m just trying to get even with him, and he knows that they think that, and so uses it against me.”
Red Tape used his magic to remove his glasses and idly began cleaning them again, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment of this thoughtful silence, Red Tape quietly asked, “So, is that it? Are you just going to give up?”
Blueblood was taken aback for a moment by Red Tape’s blunt question. But after a moment, he rallied his mental faculties and retorted, “Of course not! Why do you think I’ve taken such an interest in our new friend? If there is anyone who might hold the key to taking Guild Master Mercantile down, or at least slowly his plans down, it’ll be Allen, and what he represents.”
Red Tape glanced up from his glasses and fixed Blueblood with a searching gaze. “Do you really believe that he can do something to upset the balance of power in your favor? I mean, he’s alone, probably still scared witless and with no friends or family to lean on in case things go bad for him, do you honestly think that he’ll join you in your crusade to bring down Mercantile?”
Blueblood gave a single nod. “I believe he will. Allen strikes me as the kind of person who if you do a good deed for them, they’ll do one for you. Besides, if I can get to him before the Guild representative does, then I can tell him my side of the story before that representative can fill his head with false promises and lies. That’s why you and I are on the first train out of Canterlot this morning, even if it means having to be up at this Tartarus damned hour.”
Red Tape, now finished polishing his glasses, placed them on the bridge of his muzzle and gave a thoughtful hum as he idly rubbed his hooves together in front of him. “Your Grace, I feel as though you might be letting your... dislike of Mercantile cloud your judgement.”
Blueblood groaned as he slumped back in his seat. “And here I thought that you might be on my side.”
“I am on your side!” snapped Red Tape, an exasperated look on his face, “Believe me, I am well aware of what Mercantile is doing behind everypony’s backs. In fact, I was one of the ponies who worked on helping sort out that financial, and legal fiasco that happened between the Guild, your family and the other nobles ten years ago! If it wasn’t for me and my fellow bureaucrats, you, and they, would have lost everything!”
By this point, Red Tape had managed to work himself up so much that he was practically yelling in the prince’s face. When he realized what he was doing, he jerked backwards as if he’d burned his muzzle on a hot stove. Using one hoof to smooth back his mane, he coughed awkwardly into his hoof.
Blueblood meanwhile just sat there in stunned silence, his mouth forming a small ‘o’ in bewildered surprise at Red Tape’s outburst. Finally, after several tense moments, Red Tape made the first move. Coughing into his hoof again he said, “I am terribly sorry for that Your Grace, I’m... not sure what came over me there, it seems the stress of the past week is starting to get to me too.”
Blueblood gave himself a mental shake and willed his expression to recompose itself back to a more neutral setting. “It is alright, no harm was done, I suppose the stress of everything gets to even the best of us. Still...”
Red Tape nodded. “Yes, but that still doesn’t excuse my actions, however if you’re willing to let it go, then I thank you and I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again. In anycase, as I was saying before,” he paused when he saw Blueblood grimace, but when the prince didn’t say anything, he continued, “I believe that your dislike of Mercantile is affecting your judgement when it comes to making plans to counteract his moves. In this case, you will need to be careful when you go to sway Allen to your side.”
“And why do you feel it necessary to urge caution in regards to this matter?” asked Blueblood, a hint of tired exasperation creeping into his voice.
If Red Tape heard Blueblood’s exasperation, he didn’t acknowledge it, instead he calmly replied, “Because if you miscalculate, the consequences for you, and especially Allen, will probably be severe. While your finances have recovered slightly, they’re still nowhere close to what they used to be, and Mercantile is in a much stronger position now than he was ten years ago. So if you tip your hoof too soon, he might feel that you need to go, and will finish what he started.”
Blueblood chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully for a moment, before conceding to Red Tape’s point with a sigh. “You’re right, that is something he would probably do, and not even my position as the nephew of Princess Celestia and Luna would probably be able to protect me,” he rubbed the bridge of his muzzle with a hoof as he tried to figure out his next move. In truth, he didn’t really have a plan at the moment, only the beginnings of one, and he was currently playing everything by ear. He knew that he needed to continue to rebuild his family’s fortune, because after all, money was what made the world go round, and the more you had, the more you could influence how fast it went.
The problem was that his family’s fortunes had been waning for years, several generations of mismanagement had left them with precious little to begin with, add in his father’s disastrous attempt at getting into the sugar trade ten years ago and that added up to very little money left over. If it wasn’t for the fact that his family lived in the castle in Canterlot with his aunt’s then he’d probably have even less money than he did now.
But that was besides the point, it wasn’t just money that he needed, he also needed influence, and influence was hard to come by when your purse was empty. Of course, if it wasn’t for a certain Guild Master throwing wrenches into his financial plans at every turn, his fortunes would have probably recovered by now. But they hadn’t, and it showed, where once his family had held firm control over the Stable of Lords and the Canterlot elite, now they were considered has beens, unworthy of anypony’s attention these days.
But maybe, Allen will change that, the question is, how? He gazed out the window at the passing scenery. They were nearly to Ponyville now, the passing landscape having given way from the rolling, forest covered hills at the base of Mt. Canterhorn, to the fertile crop land of the Canterhorn plains.
As he stared out the window, his mind kept turning over the question of how to get Allen on his side and prevent the Guild from getting their hooves on him in any way. That was the issue at present. The Guild controlled pretty much every economic aspect of Equestria these days, the issuing of permits, training, safety laws, zoning, investing in infrastructure projects, the balancing of trade, both internally and externally, collecting tariffs, and so on. It was as though the Guild were some kind of bureaucratic Smooze, starting out small, but getting bigger and bigger as it gobbled up shiny things, leaving precious little for anypony else to pick over. Granted, there were exceptions, especially if one was a noble, but Blueblood felt as though those exceptions were soon to be gone
It didn’t always used to be that way, thought Blueblood bitterly. It used to be that us nobles made those kinds of decisions! If we wanted to build a factory or start a farm or a mine somewhere, we could just do it without having to tell anypony what we were doing or why! Now we have to worry about whether some Guild bureaucrat is going to shut us down if we don’t dot every i and cross every t!
He gave a harsh snort, and shook his head to dispel those tiresome thoughts. He noticed Red Tape giving him a curious look out of the corner of his eye. Giving the other unicorn a rueful smile, he said, “Don’t worry about me, I’m just pining for the good old days here.”
Red Tape returned Blueblood’s smile with one of his own. “Oh, you means the days where you nobles didn’t have to answer to anyone but yourselves and the princess?”
Blueblood turned his gaze back to the window, his smile slowly fading. “Yes, I suppose I am,” he said with a nod of his head, “I remember how my grandfather would regale me with stories about the ‘good old days’ when the nobles used to have more say in the affairs of the kingdom. When the Guild wasn’t some kind of unfeeling, bureaucratic monstrosity that could wipe out a pony’s fortune with the stroke of a quill. When instead it was meant to help ponies think of new ways of doing things, and grant them the resources to do them, to help them when things went wrong,” he sighed, and slouched down in his seat, “but those days are long gone, and it’s all that we can do to hold onto what we still have now.” He gave a bitter laugh at the thought, shaking his head as he did so.
“So,” began Red Tape cautiously, “what comes next?”
Blueblood shook his head. “I honestly don’t know, at this point I’m sort of playing it by ear. What I do know is that I can’t let Allen fall into Mercantile's sphere of influence, which at this point is looking very likely.”
“How do you figure?”
Blueblood turned his gaze away from the window and back to Red Tape. “Simple,” he said, “while we in the Equestrian government plan to provide recompense for Allen’s lost assets, that won’t help him very much in the long run or especially right now. I did some digging last night, and it looks like we’re about to run into a major problem.”
Red Tape gave Blueblood a confused look. “What major problem is that? His citizenship paperwork is going through fine, and we should have the weapons issue cleared up in a day or two, plus he has plenty of time to secure a source of income to help cover his living expenses and taxes come this time next year. Other than those things, I can’t think of anything else that could pose an issue.”
Blueblood gave a knowing smirk. “What about his land?”
Red Tape blinked in confusion, and then it hit him like a hammer to the head, and Blueblood’s smirk widened when he saw the look of comprehension and panic dawn in Red Tape’s eyes.
“The land! Oh sweet merciful Celestia! How could we forget about who owned the land! We... we need to locate the current owner and begin negotiations with them, oh this is a nightmare! It could take days, weeks, to sort this all out!”
“Take it easy, Red Tape, I have everything under control,” said Blueblood, as he made calming motions with his hooves.
Red Tape took a deep breath, and using his magic, straightened his glasses and mane which had gone askew in his earlier panic, and fixing Blueblood with a hopeful expression asked, “You do?”
“Well, sort of,” replied Blueblood with a slightly sheepish expression, “I don’t have a fully fleshed out plan as it were, really it’s just a skeleton at this point, but if everything goes well, that’s all I’ll need.”
“Okay, so what do you have so far?”
Blueblood gave a small shrug and said, “I know that part of the land that Allen’s farm is sitting on right now belongs to the local Apple family.”
“And the rest of it?” asked Red Tape, a hint of trepidation coloring his voice, “I mean it’s bad enough that our guest is currently squatting on land that belongs to not only an Element of Harmony, but also one of the largest earth pony clans in Equestria. Dealing with them is going to be difficult at best, especially if we don’t wish to anger them.”
Blueblood nodded in agreement, his expression unhappy. “Agreed, luckily the rest of the land isn’t owned, and thus belongs to the local lord, which just so happens to be yours truely,” he said, his expression becoming smug.
Red Tape nodded. “Well I suppose we should be grateful for small favors then, the question on my mind however is how much of his land is sitting on Apple property?”
Blueblood’s smug look evaporated like a morning mist before the might of the midday sun. “About half, if my memory and the maps are accurate. We won’t know for certain till we talk to them and get a chance to compare notes,” he idly tapped his saddlebags with a hoof for emphasis, “but I’m betting it will probably be around half.”
Red Tape sighed. “Great, and here I thought we were past the difficult parts.”
A corner of Blueblood’s mouth twitched upwards in a sort of half smile. “If only it were that easy, but that’s why you and I get paid the big bits, now isn’t it?” he replied jokingly.
Red Tape gave a solemn nod of his head, though it’s effect was ruined by the smile on his face. “Oh yes, I should say that my salary of two pieces of string fits the discription of ‘big bits’ quite nicely. Though,” his expression took on a more serious look, “all joking aside, this new development does put us in something of a bind.”
Blueblood’s smile faded and he gave a solemn nod. “It does. While I am perfectly willing to give Allen my part of the land, I am not sure how the Apple’s will feel, especially if the land has been improved. Regardless, we won’t know until we get there, so I suppose there really isn’t much point in worrying over it right now.”
Red Tape nodded in agreement. “Point, but still it would be wise to try and figure out what our options might be when we do meet with them.”
“A fair point,” agreed Blueblood, “I suppose our only two options are to either purchase the land from them or to simply seize it in the name of the crown.”
Red Tape’s expression soured, as if he’d bitten into a particularly bitter lemon. “I don’t think seizing the land would be a good idea. Even if Applejack wasn’t an Element of Harmony, she’s still part of the Apple clan, and you and I both know just how much pull that group has. You’ve got enough enemies already without adding even more into the mix.”
Blueblood sighed. “Believe me, I am all to aware of my many enemies and rivals. Still no sense in adding anymore I suppose,” his eyes took on a faraway look for a moment, as if he were looking at something only he could see, after a moment however, he gave himself a shake and noticing that they were rapidly approaching Ponyville station, stood up and gave a mighty stretch, his joints popping in protest. Letting loose a content sigh, Blueblood lifted his saddlebags onto his back and said, “I suppose we should get ready to depart, we’re almost to Ponyville.”
Red Tape glanced out the window and gave a nod of agreement. Stowing his things away he asked, “You know, Your Grace, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how do you intend to keep Allen out of the Guild? You know that current law states a pony that wishes to open a business, and a farm counts as one, has to become a member of the Guild.”
Blueblood nodded as he opened their cabin room door and stepped out into the train car's hallway. “Yes, I know, I never really cared for that rule, especially nowadays, maybe it had a purpose when my aunt first founded the Guild nine hundred years ago, but society has moved on since then, and all that law does is give more power to the Guild and get in the way of progress. Regardless, to answer your question, I had my lawyer do some digging yesterday and he found a loophole.”
“A loophole?” asked Red Tape curiously.
Blueblood nodded, a smug smile stretching across his face, truth be told, he looked like a cat that had managed to eat the canary without getting caught. “Indeed, a rather convenient loophole for us I would think.”
“And are you going to tell me about this supposed ‘loophole’ or are you going to just keep me in suspense?” snarked Red Tape.
Blueblood laughed. “I suppose I could tell you,” he said with a cheeky grin, and upon seeing Red Tape’s unamused look, he finally relented, “alright, alright, I’ll tell you.” Turning his attention forward as he strode down the hallway he said, “it’s pretty simple really, all I have to do is get Allen to swear fealty to me and become my vassal. This will then mean that Allen is free of the restrictions of the Guild, though he will not be free of any restrictions that I may place upon him, but at this time I don’t really see the need to limit him.”
Red Tape came to a sudden stop, and blinked, a confused look on his face. “Do you have proof of this ‘loophole’, Your Grace? Because I’ve never heard of anything like this at all in the fifteen years that I’ve been in the civil service.”
Blueblood stopped and turned around, his cheeky grin having morphed into a smug smile. Lighting up his horn, he opened his left saddlebag and pulled out a large, green book with golden borderings on the cover and spine. Presenting the book to Red Tape, he said, “Here you are, my dear Mr. Red Tape, if you will just open the book up to where I left the bookmark, and scroll down to the second paragraph on the first page, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
Giving the smiling Prince a dubious look, Red Tape opened the book and looked for the indicated paragraph. Quickly finding it, he began to read, and as he did so a look of wonder slowly dawned on his face. He re-read that section of the book several times to make sure it really said what it did. He even skipped to the first page of the book to make sure it was a current edition, and seeing that it was in fact current, he felt a small smile break out on his face.
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I don’t think I would have believed it. Even now I can barely wrap my mind around the fact that a law like this exists! How did you find it?”
Blueblood took the book back and placed it in his saddlebags before resuming his steady pace. Looking back over his shoulder he gave Red Tape a confident grin and said, “Let’s just say that this little exemption isn’t widely publicized in law books these days. Between my aunt Celestia’s attempts to neuter the nobility over the years and the Guild’s power creep, it’s no surprise that this law has been quietly hidden away in a select few law books over the years. This one,” he patted the bag with a hoof, “is from the Canterlot Archives, and as I’m sure you know, they are required to keep copies of the complete and unabridged versions of all important books, and documents, legal or otherwise.”
“But...why not just repeal this provision if they don’t like it?” asked Red Tape in confusion.
Blueblood clucked his tongue in mock disappointment. “Red Tape, and here I thought you were an experienced civil servant!” He laughed when he saw Red Tape’s muzzle scrunch up in irritation. Deciding to give his companion a break, he continued saying, “But in all seriousness, the reason neither my aunt nor the Guild have tried to repeal this law is that it would be a political nightmare to do so.”
By this point they had reached the exit to their car, and just in time, as they soon heard the three short blasts of the train’s whistle which signaled their arrival in Ponyville. As they waited for the doors to open, Blueblood turned his attention back to Red Tape and continued, “Right now, most nobles either don’t know about this law or don’t care about it. However, if somepony were to try and get rid of it, they might raise a fuss about it. While the Stable of Lords is filled with incompetence and decadence, its members aren’t completely stupid. If they sensed that their way of life was or could be threatened by the removal of this law, they would move heaven and earth to see it remain in place. Not that it would do much good in the end,” he said with a sigh, “my aunt is a stubborn old mare, and she always gets her way in the end, even if the consequences are less than pleasant.”
Red Tape’s ears perked up at that. “What are talking about, Your Grace?”
Blueblood quickly glanced around, and seeing that nopony was in earshot, leaned in close to his companion and whispered, “I think it best that we not talk about these sorts of things in the open where somepony may overhear us,” he paused and gave Red Tape a measuring look, as if he were inspecting his very soul. It was a rather uncomfortable moment for Red Tape, to have somepony look at him that way, but after a minute, Blueblood continued in the same low voice, “I’ve grown to like you Mr. Tape, even though you and I haven’t known each other for very long, I feel as though I can trust you,” he chuckled, as if suddenly remembering something funny, “though in my case, I’m probably going to have to trust you, what with everything I’ve said to you so far. But,” he paused again, this time, his eyes took on a far away look, as if he were seeing something that only he could see.
“But... what, Your Grace?” asked Red Tape after Blueblood had been quiet for too long.
Giving a surprised jerk at Red Tape’s sudden question, Blueblood gave his head a small shake, and plastering an apologetic smile on his face, replied, “Sorry about that, I was thinking about my next move, and I guess I wasn’t paying attention to the passage of time.”
Red Tape returned Blueblood’s smile with one of his own. “It’s alright, Your Grace, it happens to the best of us,” his smile however didn’t last long, slipping into a more neutral expression he pressed, “but what were you going to say earlier, if I may ask?”
“You may,” said Blueblood with a nod of his head, though his expression took on a more pensive look, “I guess what I was going to ask was, if I can trust you any further in this matter?”
Red Tape felt his ears pin flat against his scalp. Turning his head away from Blueblood, he gazed out the window as the train glided into Ponyville station. He could feel the tension in the car ratcheting up as the seconds ticked by without an answer from him, but unfortunately, he didn’t really have one at the moment, and he knew he needed to find one, and fast.
I could just wash my hooves of this whole affair really. Just tell Prince Blueblood that I’m not interested in his scheme against Mercantile, and that I’ll keep what he’s told me quiet. After all, if I couldn’t be trusted to keep my mouth shut in regards to sensitive information, then I wouldn’t be working in my current job now would I? The problem is however, will he believe me? He glanced back at Blueblood then, and felt a cold shiver run down his spine, as if somepony had walked over his grave, and maybe they had. Because as he stared into the suddenly cold, blue eyes of Prince Blueblood, he realized then, that not all nobles were soft, and decadent; content to play foalish political games with each other, with low stakes for their amusement. In that moment, he realized that some of them still played for keeps.
Suppressing his shiver as best he could, he put on his best diplomatic smile and replied, “I give you my solemn word, Your Grace, none of what we have spoken of this morning will reach another pony’s ear without your permission.”
Blueblood held Red Tape’s gaze for what seemed like an eternity, and Red Tape felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his face. Finally, however, Blueblood’s expression relaxed and his charming smile was back. Stepping next to Red Tape, Blueblood gave him a pat on the withers and said, “Good to hear that, Mr. Red Tape, good to hear!”
The train by this point had come to a complete stop, steam hissing from the engine’s cylinders drifting by the window on the cool morning air. Grasping the doors handle in his magic, Blueblood opened it and stepped out onto the small station’s platform, Red Tape right behind him. Taking a moment to stretch, Blueblood felt several pops and let go a contented sigh of relief, a satisfied smile coloring his expression. However, his happy expression didn’t last, as when he turned to look back at Red Tape he spotted another pony exiting a car further down the platform.
She was a unicorn mare, with a dark cyan coat, a forest green mane with golden highlights, and a pair of round silver glasses. Her mane was done up in a conservative bun, both her mane, coat and tail were well groomed, and shone with a subtle shine in the morning sunlight. She had on a blue collar with white trim and a tan necktie, in addition, she wore a pair of brown saddlebags, and it was these saddlebags that fully caught Blueblood’s attention, as they were emblazoned with the sigil of the Guild of Occupations, Talents and Industries. It was at this moment that the mare spotted Blueblood, and her previously bored expression morphed into an unpleasant looking smile upon seeing the prince. Giving a mocking bow of her head, she turned and quickly trotted off into town, her form quickly lost in the early morning crowds.
Blueblood meanwhile stood dumbstruck. How... how is she here already! Is this just a coincidence or did they find out my plan?! He grit his teeth together in barely contained anger. Doesn’t matter, they are not going to ruin my plans!
Grabbing Red Tape with his magic, Blueblood all but dragged the suddenly confused bureaucrat off the train platform and into Ponyville proper.
“Your Grace! Please, put me down! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” cried Red Tape in confusion as he was dragged along the road, his hooves leaving three furrows in the soft earth in the wake of his passing.
Realizing he was causing a scene, Blueblood let his magic fade from around Red Tape’s outstretched hoof and said, “We just ran out of time Mr. Red Tape, the Guild’s representative is already here.”
“What?!” cried out Red Tape in wide eyed astonishment, and then realizing that his outburst had attracted some undue attention from the surrounding ponies, he quickly lowered his voice, “are you sure?”
Blueblood nodded. “Positive, she was a cyan unicorn with a dark green mane with golden highlights in it, and silver rimmed glasses, and she was wearing a pair of Guild saddlebags.”
Red Tape’s face scrunched up as if he’d just bitten into a sour apple. “Oh ponyfeathers.”
“You know who she is?” asked Blueblood.
Red Tape gave an uncertain grunt. “Well, I can’t be positive, but from your description, it sounds like it might Balance Sheet, did you happen to get a look at her cutie mark perchance?”
Blueblood shook his head. “No, it was covered by her saddlebags. Do you know her then?”
“I’ve only met her a couple of times, but if it is who I think it is, then we might be in serious trouble here.”
“And why is that?” asked Blueblood, exasperatedly.
“Because that means Guild Master Mercantile has taken a very strong interest in Allen. Balance Sheet is his main problem solver when it comes to business negotiations. If he’s sent her then he’s not fooling around, my guess is that he’s probably figured out part of what you are planning to do soon, and sent her here to sabotage your efforts.”
Blueblood let out a frustrated growl, stomping his hoof in emphasis. “No, she will not ruin my plans! I will not allow it! Come on Red Tape, we have to get moving if we want to beat her there!” and without waiting for Red Tape’s reply, Blueblood took off at a full gallop, leaving Red Tape behind in small cloud of dust. Coughing to clear his lungs, Red Tape gave a tired groan, and took off in hot pursuit of Blueblood.
It was nearly twenty minutes later that the two unicorn stallions, both winded and slightly damp from the sweat generated from the run, made it to Allen’s front door. Taking deep breaths, Blueblood looked around him, and seeing that Balance Sheet wasn’t in sight, he allowed himself a satisfied smile. Using a hoof, he roughly combed his mane back out of his face and turning to Red Tape said between breaths, “Looks...like...we beat...her...here.”
Red Tape just nodded as he gulped down as much air as his lungs could hold. Motioning a hoof to the door, he said, “I... think... that you... should... let... Allen... know... we are... here... now.”
Blueblood, being in better shape than Red Tape, had managed to recover his breath for the most part, nodded. “Yes, I think that’s probably a good idea,” and turning to the door, he took one last moment to use his magic to tidy himself up as best as he could and gave the door three sharp knocks with his hoof.
It didn’t take very long before Allen opened up the door, a tired look on his face. “Oh, go-” his welcome was suddenly interrupted by an enormous yawn, “-od morning, Your Grace, you’re here early. I wasn’t expecting you for another hour or two.”
Blueblood gave an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry if we woke you Mr. Ross, but circumstances dictated that we come as quickly as we could I’m afraid.”
Allen sleepily rubbed his eye and replied, “You too huh?”
Blueblood blinked in confusion. “What do you mean ‘me too’?”
The sudden sound of hoofsteps behind Allen caused him to turn to the side, revealing a unicorn mare with a cyan coat, slowly approaching the three. Her lime green eyes shimmered with smugness as she eyed Blueblood and Red Tape from the doorway.
Coming to stand next to Allen she extended her hoof haughtily and said, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you Your Grace, I’ve heard so much about you from my boss, Master Mercantile.”
Blueblood, at first surprised by the unexpected appearance of Balance Sheet, quickly recovered and gave the mare a withering glare in reply.
When she saw that Blueblood wasn’t going to extend his hoof in return, the mare gave an uncaring shrug and let her hoof fall to the floor. “In anycase, now that everypony is here, shall we get started?” she asked, her face taking on a predatory look as she smiled.
Still glaring daggers at her, Blueblood replied through gritted teeth, “Yes, let us begin.”
Allen meanwhile just stood there staring in confusion as the two ponies glared at each other, both locked in a mutual contest of wills that neither one was willing to lose. Turning his attention from them, he glanced behind Blueblood to see an apologetic looking Red Tape. When Red Tape saw him looking his way, he mouthed silently, ‘Sorry.’
Allen just sighed, and rubbed his face in tired irritation. Something tells me I shouldn’t have gotten out of bed this morning.
ALT Chapter 12
Giving a nod in thanks, he motioned for Blueblood to follow him, which he did, through the adjacent living room, and then past a pair of double doors into an office. Allen waved Blueblood through first and shut the doors behind them. As Blueblood entered, he took a moment to inspect the room. A large oak desk sat in the middle of the room, a high back swivel chair behind it. On the desk was some sort of plastic picture frame, with various wires coming out the back, and attached to a short stand.
Deciding to ask about it later, Blueblood continued his quick inspection of the room, in addition to the desk and swivel chair, there were several large bookcases that were practically overflowing with books and papers, along with several metal filing cabinets that were likewise stuffed to capacity with folders and papers.
The walls were painted an adobe white, and were covered with paintings, photos, and shelves that contained various knick knacks and trophies, while the floor was covered by a soft beige carpet. Looking around at the room, Blueblood’s impression was that this office was something that had evolved overtime rather than having been created all at once, and wasn’t really meant to inspire awe or intimidate guests, as so many usually were.
The sound of the door closing, and the lock engaging drew Blueblood’s attention away from the office and it’s decorations, and back to Allen, who looked rather tired all of a sudden, if his drooping posture and tired looking eyes were anything to go by.
Taking a deep breath, Allen levered himself off the door, and crossing his arms, asked, “Okay, just what was all of that shit out there between you two? Is there something going on that I should know about? Because from the look of things, you two have a history, and I don’t like being used as a pawn in some kind of political game of chess.”
Blueblood’s ears fell flat along his scalp, and he winced at Allen’s accusatory tone. “Mr. Ross,” he began, “let me first say that I am terribly sorry about what happened out there, Ms. Checklist is a member of an organization that I have a... history with, and I am afraid that you just got caught up in an old feud that never really got settled.”
Allen’s arms remained crossed over his chest. “And just what kind of ‘feud’ are we talking about here?” his tone was like that of a parent trying to weedle the rest of the story of what happened to have caused a child to end up in trouble.
“I’d... rather not go into detail at the moment, if it’s all the same to you, all you really need to know is that this incident was a rather major scandal at the time and nearly ruined my family financially. In addition, it also nearly destroyed the DOTI in the process. Suffice to say, there is some bad blood between the Crown and the DOTI as it were.”
“Is this ‘bad blood’ going to affect me?” asked Allen seriously.
Blueblood shook his head. “No, I promise you that I will make sure that it doesn’t affect you in anyway, Mr. Ross, you have my word,” replied Blueblood, as he placed a forehoof over his chest, as if taking a solemn oath.
Uncrossing his arms, Allen gave a tired sigh. “Alright, so what was all that jazz about the government mismanaging this Discord fellow then?”
Blueblood bit his lip, as if unsure of how much he should really say. After a few moments he finally seemed to come to a decision. “It’s a... complicated and rather long story, but the short version is that Discord is a being that can manipulate reality itself to suit his whims. He feeds on chaos and spreads it everywhere he goes, as the more chaos there is, the more powerful he becomes.”
“So sort of like a positive feedback loop? Only, if there isn’t any chaos, or very little, he becomes weaker?”
Blueblood nodded, a pleased smile on his face. “Exactly! Except that is an impossible scenario to achieve without the powerful artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony. These artifacts allow those chosen by them to purge Discord’s influence from the land, while at the same time imprisoning him in the process.”
“So by using these Elements of Harmony, you guys can kill two birds with one stone, get rid of Discords power, while at the same time, get rid of him.”
Blueblood gave an uncertain smile. “Well yes... though I wouldn’t have put it quite like that. Regardless,” he said, while shaking his head to remove the image from his mind, “that isn’t the only thing Discord is capable of. Naturally, being able to bend reality is bad enough, but he is also able to manipulate the personality of people as well, as well as their physical being too.”
“Wait, you’re saying that he is capable to turning people into other things and then mind fucking them in the process?” asked Allen, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.
Blueblood gave a nod, his face serious. “I’m afraid so, and while the Elements can restore those affected by his Chaos magic back to normal, both in body and mind, the memories of their time under his influence are still there, and those are wounds which take a long time, if ever, to fully heal.”
“That is some messed up shit right there. Now I kind of see why Ms. Checklist was acting the way she was.”
Blueblood gave an angry harumph. “Yes, well, regardless of who is to blame for this mess, the fact of the matter is that she,” he pointed an accusing hoof towards the door, in the direction of Checklist, “is using this disaster to extort money from the Crown!”
“From the Crown? You mean that I’m not going to have to pay?” asked Allen.
Blueblood gave Allen an incredulous look. “Why would you be the one to pay? You’re just as much a victim here as Mrs. Smith is! Besides, if the DOTI were to try and make you pay, they would probably lose whatever credibility and public good will they had left.”
“Okay, so go ahead and pay her then, I really don’t see why you have to make this such a big deal,” replied Allen with a shrug.
Blueblood rubbed his forehead with a hoof, as if in an attempt to dispel a headache, which was probably the case, given the situation. “The problem, here Mr. Ross, is that as the Crown’s representative here, if I give in to her demands without so much as a whimper, than that could be construed as weakness on the part of the Crown. The political landscape is already shaky at best, what with the return of Princess Luna after she was cured of her insanity by the Elements of Harmony. That was less than a year ago, and now with the mess that Discord created, there have been murmerings both in the halls of government and among the general population, that maybe it’s time for a change.” He shook his head, “And as the nephew of both Princess Celestia and Luna, along with being the Grand Duke of Canterlot, and the fourth in line for the throne should anything happen to my aunts or my cousin, it is my responsibility to ensure the continued survival of the Crown in its current form, no matter the cost.”
“So, what are you going to do then? It sounds like she’s got you over a barrel here.”
Blueblood let loose an angry growl. “You think that I am not aware of my position?
~oOo~
“Me and my big mouth,” muttered Red Tape wearily to himself three hours later, as he and Blueblood stumbled out of the Ponyville town hall. What should have taken less than an hour had turned into a grueling three hour session of looking at paperwork, signing said paperwork, and discussing, you guessed it, more paperwork. Mayor Ivory Scroll, affectionately known locally as ‘Mayor Mare’, had been ill prepared for their meeting today. Though, Red Tape supposed that he couldn’t really blame her for the way things had gone. Even though it seemed as though the Elements of Harmony had restored the world to its previous state before Discord’s meddling, it turned out that even the Elements had limits on what they could do.
In this case it was the fact that most of Ponyville’s town records had been rearranged by Discord in, as he had put it, ‘a more efficient system’. Of course, his idea of ‘efficient’ was considerably different from the average pony’s, and even with nearly a week having gone by, the poor mayor and her staff were still struggling to put everything back where it was supposed to go. Consequently, most of their meeting had consisted of the mayor either sending somepony to go and find the information they needed, or having to make due without. To say the least, it had been rather stressful for all involved.
Thank Epona that Discord never had time to mess with Canterlot’s filing system! The thought made Red Tape shiver in suppressed horror at the nightmare that would have been.
Chapter 12 #2 cut stuff
not to mention that you’ll need to report on what you plan to grow and-”
“Wait, hold up a sec,” interrupted Allen with an upheld hand, “what do you mean that I have to ‘report on’ what I plan to grow?”
“Well, it’s really quite simple, each farm tends to specialize in either a single or small group of crops. For instance, Sweet Apple Acres grows mainly apples, though they do have a few other crops and animals that they tend to as well, but apples are their primary crop,” replied Checklist easily.
“Okay, so let me see if I get this straight,” replied Allen, crossing his arms across his chest in a thoughtful pose, “you want to know what I plan on growing for the coming year?”
Checklist nodded, a smile growing on her face.
“Okay, so what is the purpose of collecting this information then?”
Checklist shrugged. “Mostly to make sure that ponies aren’t over saturating the market with a particular commodity. That is what the D.O.T.I. was originally meant to prevent in the first place.”
“So if I want to grow apples you’ll tell me no?” Allen replied, an unhappy look growing on his face.
Sensing that she was on thin ice, Checklist quickly held her hooves up in front of her in a placting manner. “No, no! Not at all, far from it!” she cleared her throat and continued, “allow me to elaborate. I’m not sure how much you know about ponies and how we as a society function, but one of the core parts of anypony is their cutie mark, their special talent.”
“Cutie mark?”
Checklist nodded, and rising in her chair, turned sideways so that Allen could see her flank upon which was emblazoned a sheet of paper with several red check marks, and a pencil in the process of checking an empty box.
Pointing to the mark, she said, “This is my cutie mark, and it represents my abilities to organize and categorize information in a way that allows others to be more informed and efficient in their tasks. Each pony’s cutie mark is a representation of what they do best in life, what makes them the happiest, as it were.”
“Okay,” said Allen, uncertainty coloring his tone. “So what, do you guys get them painted on or something when you find something that you like to do? Seems like a lot of work to keep it looking as nice as it does.”
Checklist and the others chuckled at Allen’s reply, and Allen felt his face flush red in embarrassment. Waving a hoof as if to banish his embarrassment from the room, Checklist replied good naturedly, “No, no, Mr. Ross, we don’t paint them on, they magically appear when we discover what we’re best at in life, what completes us and brings us the greatest joy you could say.”
Allen for his part just sat there, a blank look on his face, finally he said, “So basically you guys have an epiphany about what makes you unique and bam you get an ass tattoo? Just like that?”
Checklist nodded. “I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but in essence, yes, ‘just like that’, as you say.”
“Okay, and what does this have to do with what we’re talking about?”
Checklist sighed. “Do you know what the lowest common denominator is, Mr. Ross?”
“Yeah, I did take a math class or two while I was in school,” replied Allen flatly.
“Good, well in this case, as with the lowest common denominator in a mathematical problem, most ponies will simply break their cutie marks down to the most literal meaning that they can think of, are you with me so far?”
Allen made a so-so motion with his hand. “Kind of? Can you give me a clearer example?”
Checklist gave a nod. “Of course, hmm, let’s see...” she paused for a moment, a thoughtful look over taking her expression, and tapped her chin absently with a hoof, finally after a few seconds, a pleased smile blossomed and she said, “let’s take Ms. Applejack and her family as our example, they each have an apple related cutie mark, save for her younger sister of course, and each of them live and work on their family’s farm, growing and selling apples. Are you with me so far?”
“Yeah, my neighbor’s family loves growing apples, and they tend to get cutie marks related to what their family does,” replied Allen simply.
“Yes, they tend to get cutie marks related to what they do on a regular basis. However, that doesn’t mean that they have to grow apples or that their talent is related to the growing of apples. For instance, Granny Smith, that’s Applejack’s grandmother by the way, has an apple pie for a cutie mark, and I’ve had the pleasure of tasting one of her famous pies, they are very good by the way, and one might think that she’d be more comfortable as a baker than a farmer, considering her cutie mark and her abilities.”
“But I take it that she isn’t?” replied Allen, an unsure look on his face.
Checklist gave a happy nod, like a teacher would to a student who had given a good answer to a question. “Correct! While she does enjoy baking and selling her pie’s and other apple related pastries, she’s been running Sweet Apple Acres ever since her husband passed away, back before her grand foals were born. Her ability to take apples and make them into other goods has allowed her to increase her profit margins and make her farm highly profitable. Therefore, while she does enjoy making pies, that’s not where her main talent lies.”
“So what you’re saying is that she’s really good at turning raw food products, that would normally sell for a low price, into finished items that people will pay more for?”
“Precisely! She doesn’t limit herself to just baking pies, she makes jams, butters, pastries and some much more! Oh, it makes me so excited just thinking about it!” replied Checklist with a giddy giggle.
“Right, so where does that leave you guys in this equation?”
Composing herself again, Checklist replied, “Simple, while there are ponies out there, like Granny Smith who don’t just go do what their cutie mark literally means, such as growing apples or baking pies, many do.”
“But I thought you said that ponies only get cutie marks when they know exactly what they are good at doing in life?” asked Allen, a confused expression on his face.
At this point, Blueblood decided to jump into the conversation. “It’s complicated, even today we still don’t know everything about how cutie marks work or where they come from. Even the why sometimes isn’t really understood, such as, why do some colts and fillies get their cutie marks early and others don’t, even when they had been doing the activity that they eventually earned their marks in for years.” He shrugged, “As best as we can tell, cutie marks are not so much a definitive answer of what you were destined to do in life, but a guide that points one in the direction where they will find the most fulfillment and where they will see the most success. Take my cutie mark as an example,” he paused to show off his flank, a compass rose proudly emblazoned on either side, “my cutie mark could mean many different things, if I were to take it literally, I might consider myself a cartographer rather than what I am today.”
“And wouldn’t that make my life easier,” grumbled Checklist from across the table.
Ignoring her remark, Blueblood continued, “Simply put, my cutie mark could have seen me sitting in some room pouring over maps or out in the world making them, and while I do enjoy those things, and am fairly good at reading and even creating maps, it’s not what I believe my mark means.”
Glancing at Blueblood’s mark, Allen asked, “So what does it mean to you then?”
Blueblood gave a small, happy smile, “It means that I provide direction to ponies, after all, that is what a leader is meant to do, much like a compass and a map, each helps ponies find their way in the world, and I, like them, do the same. Often times I am attending meetings between groups that are at odds with each other and or I’m off in a foreign land negotiating a trade deal. In each of these cases, I often find myself guiding both sides to a consensus where they can both equally benefit. Simply put, I help ponies get to where they want to be or at least as close as is possible.”
“Okay... I still don’t really get how this involves you guys,” said Allen, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.
Checklist and Blueblood sighed, with the former rubbing the side of her head and the latter rubbing the bridge of his muzzle, frustration evident on their features.
“Okay,” said Checklist with a sigh, “let me ask you a question then. In your world do you have guidance counselors?”
“Yeah, what about them?”
“Think of us as a sort of government run guidance service then.”
“Now there’s a scary thought,” quipped Allen.
Checklist gave a huff of a irritation at Allen’s less than complimentary reply, but let it slide, “In any case, our primary mission is to make sure that Equestria’s economy runs as smoothly as possible, and while it is true that in the past our methods led to less than satisfactory results, we learned from those mistakes and moved forward. Today most of our focus is on diversification and innovation within our economy, and that is hard to do when everypony just does whatever is literally emblazoned on their flanks. So, we offer advice, training, and low interest business loans to ponies to help them broaden their horizons and branch out into other occupations.”
“What if a pony doesn’t want your help?”
Checklist shrugged. “Then we don’t help them, simple as that. I feel as though you might be projecting something from your world onto what we do here, Mr. Ross, our services are entirely voluntary in nature, though many ponies come to us for help as they sometimes have difficulty securing employment in their desired occupation. After all, just because you are good at making maps, doesn’t mean that Equestria has a map making job just waiting for you. So we become a way to help that pony find something to help put food on the table and to find the next best thing that lets them exercise their talent.”
“Have you ever had a situation where you couldn’t help a pony find a job that used their talent?” asked Allen curiously.
Checklist gave a nod. “Yes, sadly, there have been instances where a pony came in and we couldn’t help them locate a job that fit their talent or even help them create a job for themselves. In cases like those, we oftentimes have to just find the best fit that we can, and keep an eye on them.”
“What do you mean ‘keep an eye on them’?”
“Well, many times, a pony who can’t use their special talent can often become depressed. In those cases, we step in and offer counseling and whatever aid that we can give them. Thankfully, I’ve never had to experience a situation where one of my clients was unable to fulfill their special talent, but I have heard of cases where a pony couldn’t and it caused them issues.”
“I...see, so how does this affect me then? I don’t have a cutie mark, so I doubt I would be effected the same way as a pony.” replied Allen thoughtfully.
“Well true, clients of ours who don’t possess cutie marks, such as minotaurs, donkeys, griffons and so on, don’t usually seek out our cutie mark related services, that doesn’t mean that we can’t help them in their quest to better their lives. After all, you don’t need a cutie mark to do something if you’re willing to put in the time or effort to learn a skill, and besides, not everypony goes into a job that their cutie mark is related to, some simply view their cutie marks as a hobby or a talent that only really benefits them personally. As I said, our goal is the bigger picture of helping to keep ponies from thinking too literally about their talents when and if they want/need us to.”
“Okay, still don’t really see why I need to deal with you people
Chapter 12 #2
The following morning found Allen checking on his fridges and freezers, as while he hadn’t been without power for long stretches of time, he didn’t want to find out the hard way that some of his food had spoiled on him, so he thought it prudent to double check his refrigerated foods for quality loss. This served the double purpose of helping him to forget, for a time at least, the fact that he wasn’t on Earth anymore. Though inevitably, that world would come knocking, in this case literally.
Sighing to himself, he strode to his front door, and opening it, found that both Prince Blueblood and Red Tape were the first to arrive. Inclining his head in greeting, he said, “Good morning, Prince Blueblood, Red Tape, how are you?”
Blueblood bobbed his head in greeting and gave a polite smile in return. “Good morning, Mr. Ross, we are doing about as well as can be expected given the circumstances.”
Allen nodded his head in understanding. “Yeah, I can imagine you’re probably feeling pretty tired right about now, you two are the first to arrive, so come on in and take a load off,” he said, as he waved them inside.
Blueblood gave a thankful nod in return. “Thank you, Mr. Ross,” he began as he entered, though his polite expression morphed into one of confusion after a moment. “Though I must admit, I would have thought that the mayor and DOTI representative would have arrived by now, I wonder where they could be?” He gave Red Tape an enquiring look.
Red Tape for his part merely shrugged. “I was not informed as to when the mayor and inspector would arrive today, Your Grace, only that they would be here.”
“I see,” said Blueblood. Turning his attention back to Allen he asked, “Did you get a chance to look over some of the literature that we left you last night?”
Allen waggled a hand back and forth in a ‘so-so’ gesture. “Sort of, I kind of skimmed it after you guys left, but didn’t really dig into it so to speak.”
Entering the kitchen, Allen took a seat at the kitchen table, and waved for the ponies to join him. “So,” he said, as Blueblood and Red Tape took a seat, “what’s on the agenda for today?”
“Well, we need to get your land issues sorted out, as well as allow the DOTI inspector a chance to meet with you and inspect your farm, once those are taken care of, the rest should fall into place.”
“And how difficult is it going to be to resolve this land issue?” asked Allen, a touch of nervousness coloring his voice.
Blueblood grimaced. “I do not know. Though I will imagine it will not be enjoyable. The local Apple clan holds a lot of clout in this area, not too mention the influence that they hold across the nation. If they want to make things difficult, they will.”
Allen’s face scrunched up as if he’d just bitten into the world’s most sour lemon. “So do you guys know how much of my land overlaps theirs?”
“About half, if our initial surveys are correct, that also includes your home and barns I’m afraid, though the rest of your land sits on top of land owned by the crown, which will make transferring it to you a simple affair,” replied Blueblood.
Allen felt a headache forming. “Great, just fucking great,” leaning back in his chair, he stared up at the ceiling, a despondent look on his face.
Hoping to potentially cheer him up, Red Tape said, “Don’t worry Mr. Ross, I highly doubt that the Apples would be so callous as to force you from your home, and even if they were, there are ways for us to mitigate the potential damage.”
Allen just grunted in reply.
Red Tape opened his mouth to say something more, when the sound of hooves knocking against wood interrupted him. Giving a groan, Allen rose from his chair and went to answer the door, with both Blueblood and Red Tape deciding to tag along. When Allen opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of two mares, and looked to be in their early middle ages, one of them was an amber colored earth pony with a tan scroll tied in a blue ribbon as her cutie mark, and her mane was a blueish gray with darker gray highlights. In addition, she wore a white collar with a green cravat and half rimmed wire glasses.
I wonder if that’s the mayor? thought Allen to himself.
His suspicions were confirmed seconds later as the mare strode forward and giving him an easy smile, thrust a hoof towards him said, “Hello, my name is Ivory Scroll, and I am the mayor of Ponyville, though most ponies around here just call me ‘Mayor Mare’.”
“Uh, nice to meet you Mayor Mare,” he said as he shook her hoof, “I don’t know if you know yet, but I’m Allen Ross.”
Mayor Mare continued smiling as she replied, “It is nice to meet you, Mr. Ross, and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our humble community,” her expression however quickly changed from happy to somber, “though let me be the first to say that I am terribly sorry to hear about what happened to you. I sincerely hope that something can be done to send you back home as soon as possible so that you can can be reunited with your family.”
Looking into her dark blue eyes, Allen could see that she was being sincere and with a grateful smile for her kind words replied, “Thank you madam mayor, I hope I can go home soon too.”
The sudden clearing of a throat caught Allen’s attention and he glanced to the source of the disturbance which happened to be the second mare of the group.
Unlike Mayor Mare, who seemed content with just a simple cravat and collar, her companion wore a sharp looking business suit, sans pants. Her fuchsia eyes slowly looked over her surroundings, as if bored. Like Mayor Mare she appeared to be middle aged, as her yellow mane had several streaks of gray shooting through it, and her pink coat looked like it had been a more vibrant shade at one point, but life had dulled it somewhat. Her cutie mark was a sheet of paper with several red check marks and a pencil in the process of checking an empty box.
The mare approached Allen, and said, “I am Inspector Checklist of the Department of Occupations, Talents and Industries, and I am here to inspector your... farm to see that it meets with DOTI standards and regulations.”
Allen gave a single nod of understanding. “And am I to assume that you’re also going to help us figure out this land issue that I’ve been saddle with thanks to this Discord fellow?”
Checklist gave a nod and grunt in reply. “Of course, Mr. Ross, that is why I am here after. It should be relatively simple to sort out quickly,” turning to regard both Blueblood and Red Tape she said, “Your Grace, Mr. Red Tape, I have heard that you’ve both been working closely with Mr. Ross over the past few days.”
“That’s correct,” replied Red Tape.
Checklist gave a satisfied nod, and turning back to Allen said, “Good, now if you would be so kind as to invite us in, we can get started.”
“Oh, right, sorry about that,” replied Allen sheepishly as he stood aside to allow the two mares access to his home. Checklist simply waved aside his apology with a hoof as she made her way inside with the mayor following close behind.
Shutting the door, Allen quickly moved to the front of the group and lead them to the kitchen. Upon reaching the kitchen, Checklist made a beeline for the dining table and after selecting a seat and seating herself, she began withdrawing papers from her saddlebags and setting them in front of her while everyone else claimed their own seat.
However, soon everyone was seated around the table and Checklist opened the meeting by tapping the table top with a hoof. “Very well, if everyone is present and ready, I believe we should get started.” When no one contradicted her she continued saying, “Now, before we can get started with any kind of inspection, we need to take care of this land dispute.”
“Agreed,” said Blueblood, “am I to assume that you plan to represent Sweet Apple Acres in these negotiations?”
Checklist nodded. “You would be correct in your assumption,” she said, as she pulled several sheets of paper from her saddlebags. “Now, given the... unique situation, that we are currently facing, I felt it was important to meet with my client beforehoof and make sure we were both on the same page. As such, this,” she slid a piece of paper across the table, “is our offer, and it is my hope that it will be the only one. Considering the circumstances leading up to this meeting, I would hope that the Crown would like to do the right thing, and provide proper compensation for their negligence which lead to this whole sad affair in the first place.”
Blueblood picked up the paper in his magical aura and began reading. The more he read, the more unhappy his expression became, while Allen became more and more worried. Finally after several minutes, Blueblood gently set the paper down on the table and replied, “As the representative of the Crown, I will be the first to admit that the whole Discord affair could have been avoided, and that many people were affected by this event. Moreover, the Crown has released a statement regarding the incident and has accepted full responsibility for what happened. As such it is willing to pay out an appropriate amount for damages done by Discord upon the populace. However, this,” he pointed a hoof at the offending piece of paper in front of him, “is too much, the Crown will be willing to pay half of what you have asked for, and no more.”
A smile suddenly grew on Checklist’s face as she gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Oh well, can’t blame a mare for trying.” To which Blueblood simply rolled his eyes and gave a long suffering sigh. Letting loose a hearty laugh, Checklist reached into her saddlebags again and fished out another set of papers, which she slide across the table to Blueblood.
Taking the papers in his magical grasp, Blueblood quickly skimmed through them, and after a moment, gave a satisfied nod. “This is much better, I believe the Crown would be amicable to these figures. Of course, I would need to run them by the Princesses for final approval, but I believe that they’ll say yes.”
“Excellent!” responded Checklist, a pleased smile adorning her face, before then turning her attention to Allen. “Well, now that we have that little matter taken care of, I think it is time for us to move onto you, Mr. Ross.”
Allen sat there, feeling confused. “Wait a minute,” he said, holding up his hands in a ‘stop’ gesture, “that’s it? I thought you guys would be at this for hours? I mean you,” he turned to Blueblood, “made these guys sound like bad news yesterday, but she’s been here less than twenty minutes and you’ve guys have already reached an agreement!”
Blueblood blinked, nonplussed at Allen’s reaction. “Well...” he glanced at Checklist across the table, as if asking silently for help in explaining the situation.
Apparently Checklist decided to take pity on the confused prince and interjected, an amused look on her face. “Simply put, Mr. Ross, the DOTI and the Crown have almost always been on opposite sides when it comes to these things, plus there’s been the occasional scandal when somepony thinks they can bend the rules to suit their agenda and get away with it. However, that is neither here nor there, in this case, this isn’t the first time I’ve tussled with His Grace here over some kind of dispute, and naturally there are appearances to be maintained, but it was never my or my boss’s intention to cause a major scene."