After what could only be considered as a very “lengthy” period of time, Rarity and Write had managed to meet the stallions they were looking for, Formosa Box, an apparently legendary figure with status and (known) history comparable to myth. Who, at the time of their initial meeting, was accompanied by two other stallions, apparently one being his personal guard and the other was a high ranking subordinate in his business.
The initial introductions went well enough in the boutique, with Rarity finally being able to repay Formosa for a very old favor that was long overdue on her part, and Write, well, being able to meet with a possible future employer, one she hoped would land her with great success. And although Sassy Saddle was… initially shocked, to say the least, meeting a pony of mythical status that the nobles of Canterlot would even acknowledge, well, some might say it was a sight even rarer than the princesses themselves, it was well enough that the party of 5 had managed to land on a pretty solid note, with all of them at the train station, just waiting for their ride for Ponyville.
“So, tell me, when will, um…” Write began, but stumbled in her words as she tried to remember the name of the stallion that had left earlier to fetch their apparent ride.
“Hatt, Fatt Hatt, you mean?” Formosa asked, looking at the mare in the process, “He’ll come, no doubt about that.”
“Don’t worry about a single thing, darling.” Rarity interjected, putting a hoof on Write’s coat to ease her up, although she won’t say it, she had experienced her fair shares of anxiety, and she knew what Write was undergoing right now, at least to some major extent, “Besides, If you haven’t known yet, Formosa here is a founder of a very large business organization, I won’t spoil which one, but by the way you act and what is apparent now, you really should be lucky, Write my dear, since this is, as a friend of mine would put it, ‘ah one time opportunity.’ So don’t let it go to waste.” Rarity said with a friendly smile, which seemed to do the trick in easing the tense mare a bit.
But this small exchange was immediately cut short when a whistle was heard, a very distinct whistle only ever heard on certain engines here in Equestria. To us, hearing a whistle from a steam engine might seem like a common occurrence, maybe a treat to enthusiast’s, but to Equestria, and the greater world of Equus, this specific whistle was more than a sound, it was a symbol, a symbol of the future to come, a literal metal beast overshadowing the beauty of woodcrafts, the durability of crystals, and the efficiency of both combined.
What was once a quiet platform was now being filled with smoke, but unlike smoke in the earth we are in, this kind of smoke was harmless for everyone, even the environment, thanks to magic in general. And out of this smoke, the silhouette of a steam engine could be formed, and in the simplest of terms, it was essentially an LNER Class A4 steam engine, a prime example of the innovation could achieve, one of the many heights and powerhouses that fueled our world's industrial might, and this engine, with many more designs like it to come and go, will carry and set the foundation of a new era on Equus soil, just like it had done for our world. All of this was not a too farfetched possibility, of course, considering who would emerge from the smoke, contracts have been made to support this kind of ordeal and expansion.
As the smoke started to lift, the steam engine could now be seen in all of its glory, and Fatt Hatt was waiting by the coaches, seemingly having exited them and positioned himself to greet all of them, who by this time, started to enter the coaches.
And for the first time in Write’s life, she could see luxury beyond what Canterlot’s best could offer, as for Rarity, it was her, say… 5th-ish time riding this kind of train, and as always, it was a treat for her and a privilege she kindly took when given the opportunity, and with them having boarded their ride to Ponyville, the 3-ish hour-long journey began, and the locomotive started slowly but picked up the pace as progress is made, and soon proper introduction could be made.
“So, Hatt, how’s the Equestrian Rail going? Well, I hope.” Formosa said as he made himself a drink, reaching for some bottles and making a unique drink of his own on the bar that was in the dining coach.
“Better than expected, actually,” Hatt replied, fixing a top hat on his head, “but shouldn’t you be speaking to our star guest for today? You know, get the introductions out of the way so that business could be made.”
Before Formosa replied, he took a sip from his personal drink and responded, “I will, I will, no need to rush that part, this is the same gig we have been running, the only difference is the time and things we are going to be allowed to show and exploit to our advantage.”
“True,” was the reply, as Hatt made the final touches to his hat, “but this should still be dealt with before the coronation, after that, it will be another game of outdoing the next in line.”
A moment of silence was shared, but the conversation was never continued, as Formosa started to make his way into the coach where most of their party was at, having left Loose to deal with two mares, well, even if Formosa knew a scandal could literally never happen, it was indeed best to finish his business, especially since humans like him before, and even possibly those of the future, ran on a mostly fixed schedule.
“So, Loose… I see you're having a pleasant time, am I disturbing anything?” Formosa said, interjecting Loose in the middle of his conversation between himself and the two mares.
“A-ah, n-no, actually not,” Loose stammered, being taken aback by Formosa’s sudden interjection, “but, since you're here already… are you going to start with the test and introductions?” He asked, having the feeling that since his ‘boss’ was already here, something was clearly going to be done in the next hour or so.
“Yeah, and you get the gig,” Formosa replied, accompanying with a short nod, as he pointed a hoof for the door to the next coach, “And please keep miss Rarity accompanied, for the time being, you yourself know how tight the requirements could sometimes be.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it,” He said as he stood and started to leave the coach to vacate to the next, “please, Miss Rarity, follow my lead, the boss would just do some… private matters, with, Miss Write, here.”
As Loose said this, Rarity followed his example to vacate the coach, but before she left, she said some comforting words to Write, the mare needed it at that moment, “Write, my dear, you don’t have to worry about anything, Formosa here will just test you on your knowledge, like a… preview, yes, a preview of your talent, a pony of taste, some in Canterlot might say he is.” She said with a final smile, at least until they near Ponyville, truth be told, Rarity knew Write and Formosa’s ‘conversation’ could last the entire trip, and with the short amount of time she had spent with the mare, she hoped for the best for her nevertheless.
And as both pony’s left the door, Formosa and Write were left to each other’s company. And to say that the air both breathed was tense would be an understatement to the true extent of the situation. Write, in that very moment, felt as though the biggest challenge of her life was before her, and she hadn’t even known it to the fullest, but before she could make a move, the stallion before her made his first.
“Let's start with something simple, shall we?” He said, taking the initiative in steering this conversation, his voice, both demanding and soothing in a way, “Are you perhaps, by any chance, familiar with the so-called ‘Big Three of Pop’?”
Write raised a hoof to answer, but was promptly shut down when Formosa suddenly shifted his tow into becoming blunter, “Of course you know about them! They are literally comprised of Coloratura, Songbird Serenade, and the… um… the big shot from Canterlot, um… Sapphire Shores! And when I mean you know them, you know them, Canterlot, Manehatten, Baltimare, Las Pegasus, and on the rare instances of my visit in Ponyville, everywhere I go, musicians from different fields somehow always manage o get at least one of those three mare’s, the apparent ‘Gold Standard’ for Pop music,” He took a deep breath, taking his time to recover from his outburst, “I have no ill will to them, and even if I had any, they are insignificant, at least to my business and its direction, and do you want to know what those three have in common to me?”
Write, initially shocked by the outburst, was now in a deep state of thought, as tried to make a connection, “They made new standards…?” She said, feeling unsure by her answer.
Formosa, who was waiting patiently, smiled at the answer he was given, not what he expected, but an answer he liked nonetheless, “That is correct,” he said as he turned his head to look out the coach window, “and it's not only that, but like them, I also wanted to push, to innovate in the field that I pursue in.”
Write, now feeling the confusion of this meeting, asked the ‘big question’, at least to her, “W-what does this have to do with the test?” She asked, her confusion and curiosity getting the better of her.
“Well its quite simple, really,” Formosa said, the smile on his face never leaving, the scenery he saw as the train raced through the tracks only served to better his mood, “I am what most in Canterlot would consider a ‘third option, a dealer in a game of poker, and pike the ‘Big Three of Pop’, I am setting a new gold standard in this new era, is that a somewhat clear analogy?”
“Hmm… yeah,” Write said as she tried and started to realize the connections, “but then you still haven’t answered the question of… why me?”
A moment of pure silence was shared as both pony's proceeded their next answers. The clattering of chain couplings and the sound that the engine made had a rhythmic touch that seemed to serve as a nonexistent ticking clock for both occupants.
“For a moment there I thought you were going to take the offensive route in dealing and ask why I should hire you or something, but you're smarter than most snobs in Canterlot,” Formosa said, his smile was now accompanied with a sense of pride of this mare, she, in that one sole instance, was able to ask a question most ponies hailing from Canterlot could never even fathom to ask, “and that is why, you, a pony who was able to see her situation and assess it in a reasonable degree, is able to speak to me in the first place. Oh gosh, Fancy Pants sent a good one, *ahem* and don’t even get me started wide your ideas, you are one of the first pony’s to suggest a semblance of a new system, one that even I am very keen on knowing, you are innovating, even if you didn’t fully know it in you own way and field, and pony's like you, innovators in their own ways and respective fields, are the reason for progress, for the dawn of a new era, those that I seek to help me.” He finally said, now facing towards Write, the friendly and prideful smile never leaving his face.
Hatt waited patiently in the coach he was in, he had comprised the train in such a way that they could all make use of all three coaches; as a result of this thinking, he had made sure that all coaches, from the dining coach, standard coach (used for meetings), and a whole coach dedicated as “personal” lounge are in the best conditions form him and the boys, and for their guests.
And as he waited, he could only reflect in his mind the things that had been done. It had been so long, a very long time, since an event akin to this had come to fruition. he reflected on the achievements on this world, and how that would match to him and people like him, not a pony, but people, like him who manipulated small events to better the results, how people of the past had to strive for perfections, and the people of now have to strive for… something.
He looked outside the windows of the coach, the scenery passing by as quickly as he saw it, and he muttered something to himself, “How the fuck did I get here?” He asked to no one in particular, satisfied with being able to indulge himself in the scenery that came and went. Waiting patiently, his time will come, everyone’s time will come, that, he is almost sure of.
But they had plans for this trip of course, with them having planned on staying in Ponyville overnight and resuming their trip to Las Pegasus the next day. Or at least, that was the plan, until circumstances would change that, but that's a story for another time.