Applejack frowned as the taxi that had ferried them so far from home pulled away. "Remind me again why we didn't just have'm drive us into Cloudsdale?" she asked her companions.
"Most of Cloudsdale's too rough for autos to handle," Rainbow replied, slipping the straps of her pack back around her shoulders. "and the main place that isn't is on lockdown. No, we're getting in the old-fashioned way; horsepower."
"An' you're sure that's the only way?" AJ asked as they began walking through the small town they'd been dropped off in.
"The only way? No," Rainbow shook her head. "The best way? Yes. Horses'll be able to get us in and make getting around inside a lot easier. Besides, the place we're going through has a tradition of horse-riding; seeing me and Flutters on horseback should help calm them down."
"Girls," Fluttershy whispered, pointing at a nearby shop. A nearby, neighing shop.
"Perfect timing," Rainbow smiled, waving for the others to follow her as she headed inside the wooden building.
The inside was cramped, a small waiting area in front of a countertop, behind which they could see the entrance to a full storeroom and a passage from which periodic neighs issued, clearly the stables. A bored-looking man leaned on the countertop, head resting on an outstretched hand, barely looking up as they entered. A lonely lamp glimmered in the dusty air.
Rainbow put on a winning smile and walked up to the counter. "How much for three horses, saddles, bridles, and bits?" she asked.
The shopkeeper flashed a bored glance at her. "120,000," he yawned in reply.
AJ hacked in shock; she could buy a decent auto for that much!
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow at her. "Is your friend okay?" he asked without a note of actual concern.
"I would be if you weren' tryna rip her off," AJ retorted, clearing her throat. "120,000's enough for double what she's askin'."
"Not for these," the shopkeeper smiled dully. "I sell genuine Cloudsdales, I have a deal with a breeder across the border. Striders and steppers, finest you'll ever see. 120,000's a bargain for these beauties."
"Mind if we checked them out for ourselves?" AJ asked, crossing her arms.
"Be my guest," the shopkeeper chuckled, opening a gate in the counter and ushering them through. AJ marched through the passage to the stables, seething with righteous anger. Even if he was telling the truth, she was going to advise Rainbow try somewhere else; no horse was worth 40,000 a pop, even with equipment.
There were five horses in the stables, all bearing the famous tufted hooves of Cloudsdale. They all looked to be in good health, and the stables seemed reasonably clean. It didn't matter to her, though; even if this guy's operation was clean as a whistle, she wouldn't let him just rip her friend off.
Two of the horses whinnied as Fluttershy walked in, stretching to the end of their leads in an attempt to reach her. "Oh, my," she whispered. She stretched her hand out to one of them, and it brushed against it, nickering softly. "So soft," she murmured happily as she brushed its fur. "And such a beautiful coloring."
"That's Klartake," the shopkeeper said proudly, emotion finding its way into his voice for the first time. "Fast, smart, and like you said, lovely coat. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw those dapples; visitors love them, they sell like hotcakes."
"Then why're they still here?" AJ asked pointedly.
The shopkeeper glared at her. "Not many visitors recently," he sharply replied. "Whatever's happening in Cloudsdale's scared them off. They don't like the storms."
"Well, we do," Rainbow smiled. "Besides, for me and Flutters here," she clapped her hand on the named girl's shoulder. "even if something's happening in Cloudsdale, it's still our home."
The shopkeeper's shoulders slumped at that for some reason. "You're both Dalers?" he asked wearily.
"Yep," Rainbow nodded. "So, it was 90,000 for the horses and things, right?"
AJ snapped around to look at her friend in confusion; had she seriously not heard him right? Or was there some Cloudsdaler-only discount she didn't know about?
"100,000," the shopkeeper sighed.
"Hang on a minute," AJ protested, pointing an accusatory finger at the shopkeeper. "You just told her it was 120,000!"
"And now we're dealing it down," the shopkeeper snapped. "just like she would've done earlier if you hadn't butted in."
"Hey," Rainbow frowned. "just because AJ made a mistake doesn't mean you can treat her like that."
"I've had it up to here," the shopkeeper savagely gestured at their throat. "with outsiders telling me what I can and can't do. First how much my horses are worth, then how much my equipment's worth, then how I'm supposed to accept my payment; I've had it. No more. Either 95,000 in notes, now, or we're done here."
AJ stomped forward, preparing to show him just how done she was with him, but was interrupted by the sound of Fluttershy opening her purse. She pulled out a few notes, as well as a strange, large coin, and handed them over for inspection. "Will this cover it?" she asked quietly.
The shopkeeper's eyes bulged at the sight of the coin, and he gingerly, almost reverently, picked it up. He held it up to the light, then swallowed. "I'll, uh," he weakly murmured. "get the rest of your order ready. In-in the meantime, see who catches your eye. The-their names are on the wall. I'll-I'll-I'll be back." At that, he scurried away, clutching the coin tightly to his chest.
"What was that?" AJ asked in bewilderment after he left.
"Almost solid gold," Rainbow cackled. "I love it when you pull that, Flutters."
"Gold?" AJ's eyes bulged as she turned to the blushing Fluttershy. "Where'd you get that?"
"My parents own some properties," she murmured. "I thought we might need access to hard money, so I tapped into my savings before we left."
"She's being modest," Rainbow bragged. "Her parents own more land than Sweet Apple Acres, and they're loaded. Like, more loaded than Twilight."
"And I've told you, Rainbow," Fluttershy frowned. "it's not just my money. Mother and father give me an allowance-"
"Of, what, 5,000 bits a month?" Rainbow snorted. "And you use like a quarter of that, stuffing the rest in that bank of a savings account?"
Fluttershy's beet-red face replied for her.
"Well," AJ chuckled breathlessly. "Learn some'n' new everyday. Now, uh, do we wanna choose who we actually wanna-"
Fluttershy pointed at Klartake, then a mud-colored mount, then one as black as night. "We should take them," she said. "Jordskred likes you, Applejack, and Morkhest says he liked your fire."
"That's right," AJ murmured, looking at Fluttershy's faint geode. "You can talk with'm. Wait, you di'n't say why you wanted us to take Klartake."
Fluttershy sheepishly scuffed the ground. "I, uh," she mumbled. "think she looks really pretty."
The dappled mare neighed appreciatively, and nuzzled the side of Fluttershy's side, drawing the girl's attention away from her embarrassment.
"Apologies for the delay," the shopkeeper said as he returned, bearing a wheelbarrow full of riding gear. "Had to make sure I brought gear to fit everyone. So, who strikes your fancy?"
"Klartake, Jordskred, and Morkhest," Fluttershy smiled, gently rubbing her hand along the first named's muzzle. "If I need to pay more for her-"
"No, no, no," the shopkeeper shook their head. "No, you've already paid plenty. Besides," he sadly sighed. "I doubt I'll find a better buyer for her anytime soon. Like I said, not that many visitors lately, and locals would drive as hard a bargain as you did. Anyway," he clapped his hands. "just let me fit them for you and you should be ready to go. That is," he looked at Applejack. "assuming all of you know how to ride."
"I'm not an idiot," she glowered back. "I can ride a horse just fine, thank you very much."
"She'll be fine," Rainbow nodded. "She's a farm girl, she can handle herself."
"Farm?" the shopkeeper snorted, taking out a saddle and walking over to Klartake. "You mean one of those overglorified gardens where robots and computers do all the work?"
"She means Sweet Apple Acres," AJ retorted. "160 acres tended with love an' care, an' muscle as much as motors."
"Hm," the shopkeeper hummed approvingly. "Not like our usual visitors, that's for sure. Most of them don't know hunger, real hunger, not just a little craving, and they wouldn't know a real day's work if it ran up and hit them in the face."
"You'd be surprised," AJ answered. "One of our friends, she's a real city-slicker, seems kinda frou-frou most of the time. Once it gets down to the nitty-gritty, though, she's just as tough as me'n' Rainbow. Underneath all those dresses an' glitter's some real tough steel."
"Then you're lucky to have her," he mumbled as he finished fitting the saddle. "Most of the visitors we get are glitter underneath the glitter. They don't fight, they don't do real work, they don't even try to negotiate; they're butterflies, torn away in anything stronger than a summer breeze."
"Have you seen'm in anythin' stronger than a summer breeze?" AJ pointedly asked.
"No," the shopkeeper grunted as he took another saddle out and moved over to Jordskred. "because they run away from it. They give up before I can see if they've got steel or glitter underneath, and that tells me all I need to know."
"Does it?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "Private Pansy fled from countless fights, and she was still one of Cloudsdale's greatest leaders. It's not how many fights someone's in that shows their quality, it's how they fight in those battles they take part in."
"Maybe," the shopkeeper shrugged. "Doesn't tell me much, though; most of the visitors we get don't fight in any. Not on the field, not on the farm, not in the woods, not even in the courts or the capitol."
"Have you had any visitors from the Unmarked?" Fluttershy asked. "It certainly sounds like they're willing to fight."
"Yeah," the shopkeeper snorted. "The wrong war. One of them came out here, railing against the government, but they ignored the real problem to focus on stuff like some incident at an amusement park, 'magic' they called it. Look," he sighed. "I understand, there does seem to be magic popping up, it does seem dangerous, and we should probably look into it, but magic's a tool, no different than a hammer. A hammer can be mighty dangerous if you use it wrong, but it's great if you use it right. The Unmarked hate magic, call it 'the tool of the oppressive elite,' but that's like hating a hammer 'cause someone's attacking you with one; don't focus on the tool, focus on your attacker. If the elite are using magic to oppress people, don't try to stop magic, they'll find some other way to squeeze us, focus on stopping them; stop the criminals, not the tools they use to commit their crimes. If their Starlight Glimmer focused on that instead of trying to stop magic, I'd be the first to vote for her."
AJ sagged a bit in relief; while the shopkeeper's support of Starlight was still concerning, possibly indicating that they'd encounter more supporters of her's out here, at least it sounded like they might not have to fear anti-magic mobs.
"One last question," Fluttershy chirped. "Who are the elite?"
"The high horses," the shopkeeper replied, pulling the saddle taut across the muddy mare's belly. "The high-risers in the city who think that, just because they hoard more bits than I see in a year, they're worth more than I am. Once bits become more important to you than people, that's when you know you're an elite."
"Would your neighbors give the same answer?"
He blinked, then replied, "They might not put it in the same words, but yeah, I think they'd agree with me."
"What about the visitors you mentioned?" she pressed. "Would they give the same answer?"
"No," he snorted angrily, grabbing the last saddle. "They'd find someone higher up to complain about. The richest, most powerful person in the world would try to find someone else to call the elite, otherwise they must be, and everyone knows that the elite have to care for those under them, just like a parent cares for their kids. If someone else is the elite, the rest of us aren't their kids, we're their workers, their servants, something that they like the idea of a lot more."
"What about a beggar?" she asked.
"Huh?" the shopkeeper turned around in confusion, pausing his anger-fueled fitting to a snort of relief from Morkhest.
"Would a beggar give the same answer?" she elaborated. "Would they agree with you about who the elite are?"
"Well, I-I don't know," he stammered in reply. "I-I think so, though maybe they'd aim a bit-a bit lower."
Fluttershy looked at him curiously. "Maybe low enough," she murmured. "to include you by mistake? All have more than a beggar, at least to the beggar's eyes, and those eyes might look at your business, your supplies, your horses, and think them very much, and what are the elite but those who possess very much?"
The shopkeeper swallowed, then finished fitting Morkhest's saddle. "I think," he said, obviously fighting to keep his voice level. "it might be best if we were to finish this quickly. Don't want to delay you for too long, after all."
"Oh, yes," Fluttershy nodded. "We have a long road ahead of us."
"And a dark one, I don't doubt," he mumbled, almost too low to hear.