//------------------------------// // Candidates // Story: Brave New Pony World // by Goldfur //------------------------------// The summer break at Caleb’s welding school meant visits home for his students, but for his herd, it was an opportunity for a well-earned holiday. However, while he and his anthro changeling wife Butterfly Sky worked at the school, his earth pony wife Willow Branch had a full-time job at Harmonic Composite’s Ponyville manufacturing facility. She had arranged some holiday leave but it did not start for a couple more days, so Caleb and Sky took the opportunity to work on some home projects in the meantime. They were in the middle of a bedroom renovation for the growing needs of the herd’s young filly, Lilac Meadow, when a knock came from the front door. Expecting a delivery from the hardware store, Caleb was surprised to find instead a unicorn mare in a unique suit of armor with diaphanous wings. He smiled in recognition. “Hi, Iron Mare – what brings you here?” Iron Mare was the pseudonym of Allura and Lacewing, the daughters of Prince Mark. When Lacewing used her changeling abilities to form armor around her bond-sister, the two effectively became one and acted like it. “Dad wants to know if you’d be free to have lunch tomorrow with him, Mom, and Auntie Twilight at Canterlot Castle. He has a favor to ask.” Caleb’s eyebrow rose. “What favor?” Iron Mare shrugged. “I’m just the messenger. You’ll have to ask them.” “Is it okay to bring Sky along?” “You know both Sky and Willow are always welcome, Caleb.” “Willow can’t come, but you can tell Mark that Sky and I will be there. Usual time, I gather?” “Yep. I’ll let Dad know. Bye!” With that, Iron Mare took off in the direction of Twilight’s castle to avail herself of the portal to Canterlot. Caleb turned to Sky who had been listening intently. “Any guesses what that is about?” “No, but I find it curious that it has happened just as you’re free of school obligations.” “Good point. I suppose we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Willow is going to be miffed at missing out on a royal luncheon though.” Caleb and Sky made their way to Canterlot Castle the next day, utilizing the same portal that Iron Mare had used. The man greeted the Royal Guards stationed there and a unicorn scanned then accompanied them to the dining room as was normal procedure. They may have been close friends of the Triarchs, but that didn’t exempt them from standard security protocols. The Guard ushered them in through the door where they found Prince Mark, Princess Trixie, Princess Twilight, and Queen Chrysalis present. Unexpectedly, their friends, Phil and Rosa Martine were there, as well as Princess Celestia which just got Caleb even more curious. He gave the alicorn prince a smile. “I hope we’re not late, Mark?” “Not at all, Caleb,” he replied. “You and Sky take a seat. We were just about to order some drinks.” The two newcomers greeted the rest of those gathered as they settled onto chairs, two of which were suited to the bipeds in anticipation of their presence. After everyone had ordered their refreshments, Caleb spoke up again. “So – what’s this big favor that you wanted to ask of us?” “Actually, that’s something you should be asking Phil and Rosa,” Mark replied. Caleb turned to the unicorn and griffoness and spread his hands in supplication, wordlessly asking the same question. Phil’s horn lit up and his magic levitated some papers out of the briefcase at his side. He placed copies in front of everyone seated at the table before replying. “Those documents contain the profiles of four of our staff members on the Earth side of the portal. We’re expanding our business Earth-side and we want to introduce them to Equestria. As our resident human, we’d like you to help ease them into a whole new world.” Caleb glanced at the papers before turning back to Phil. “The most obvious question right now is why you and Rosa don’t do it. After all, you’re normally humans too.” “True, but my wife and I prefer to maintain our Equestrian forms in this dimension, while you are human full-time. Also, they report to us at Harmonic Composites which would color any personal interactions with them. Besides, we intend to be examples of what happens if you choose to adapt your form to this world. That will come after they learn that they’re not on Earth anymore.” “So you need me to be the token human and reassure them in the midst of a very wild situation?” “Pretty much, yes. We’ll be throwing them in the deep end to see how they react, but you will be there to anchor them. You can see that we have four candidates but we only have two new offices opening, so the ones that respond best are likely to win the manager’s position in each.” Sky said, “Would it help if I came with Caleb in my Vicky persona? They would not need to know that I’m a changeling and it would look better if there was a human couple rather than just an individual living here.” Celestia spoke up. “I would recommend taking Sky’s offer. While you may want to judge your candidates’ reaction, you don’t want them to feel out of control. A typical human couple would give some semblance of normalcy for them to cling to.” Rosa chuckled. “I told my husband the same thing. I would have suggested it if Sky had not brought it up.” “Caleb hasn’t even accepted yet,” Phil pointed out. “Are you willing?” he asked the human. “It depends – when do you wish to do this?” “Tomorrow morning. I’m told you’re on a mid-semester break so you should be available, correct?” “That’s true,” Caleb replied, glancing at Sky who nodded. “Okay, we’re in. So – what do we need to know?” Trixie waved a hoof. “Lunch first. The Great and Famished Trixie thinks better on a full stomach.” After the meal was completed, everyone turned their attention to the documents that Phil had passed around. “These are in-depth reports on each of the candidates,” the unicorn said, “but I’ll give you an overview on each of them. The first is Jules Petit.” The photo attached to the report showed a Caucasian man in his early thirties, with light brown hair and remarkably blue eyes. Phil continued, “Jules is American-born of French immigrant parents. He joined Harmonic Composites soon after we created the new company to produce and distribute Equestrian-manufactured goods. He is a quiet person not given to participating in many of the office activities, but his fantastic analytical talent more than makes up for lack of interpersonal skills. He frequently puts in lots of overtime to deal with time-sensitive tasks, so much so that, if he wasn’t single, I would insist on him going home. It’s his dedication to the job that put him first on my list of candidates.” Chrysalis had started reading the documents already and she spoke up. “I see from my changeling agents’ report that he doesn’t seem to socialize at all except for time spent at a certain coffee shop where he plays Go – whatever that is – with other members of a club dedicated to the game. Are you sure he possesses the necessary command ability to run an office and its staff?” Rosa replied, “Admittedly, we’re not sure about that either. However, I have a hunch that he will deal well with the Equestrian side of the business. I haven’t been able to put a finger… or a talon for that matter… on what it is, but we hope to find out. I think part of my hunch comes from the fact all of his coworkers enjoy working with him. He shows much promise.” Twilight asked, “Are you intending to pair up the candidates? Perhaps Jules will respond to working closely with another?” “Yes, we will be,” Phil replied. “While one human will be overall manager for a location, the other will be the assistant manager for the Earth side, while there will be an Equestrian assistant manager on this side. We’ve had the latter setting up the offices in Baltimare and Vanhoover in anticipation of this since the new manufacturing facilities started production.” Caleb said, “It seems a little biased to have the top job go to humans, isn’t it?” Rosa shook her head. “We need a human to be responsible in order to deal with other humans, whereas we don’t have the same kind of problems on this side. In the future when Equestria opens up fully to Earth, the top position will be open to Equestrians too. And I’d like to point out that while my husband and I, along with Mark, are the owners of Harmonic Composites, we long ago turned the general management of the Charlotte headquarters to one of Chrysalis’ changelings. He has a flawless human alter-ego and has run the facility very well.” “Fair enough,” Caleb admitted. “By the way, where are the new facilities on Earth? Baltimore and Vancouver?” Phil chuckled. “No. Houston and Los Angeles. That way, we have locations in the east, west, and central, all in strong industrial areas. They’ll be linked by portal so that we’ll have immediate access to them on this side. All the candidates are prepared to relocate on the Earth side.” Caleb nodded, seeing the sense in that. “So – who have you got to pair with Jules?” Phil shuffled the documents. “Shariq Hussein. Born in Iraq but moved to the United States with his parents as a young boy. Opposite to Jules in many ways. He has no problem giving orders and seeing them carried out, but doesn’t do overtime unless he absolutely has to. Lacks a bit in the imagination department so he doesn’t anticipate problems as well as Jules does. However, once presented with those problems, he is very effective in resolving them. As I see it, he and Jules complement each other and should make a good team. Caleb looked at Shariq’s profile picture, seeing a man with features similar to his own middle-eastern ones, although he lacked a beard. “Is Shariq a Muslim?” “Yes. Why?” Phil replied. “It depends on how orthodox he is. Nothing against Muslims in general, but the more extreme ones tend not to work well with women, and no points for guessing which sex dominates on this world.” Mark said, “We have a stallion assistant manager at the Vanhoover offices where we expect Shariq will be posted, so hopefully that will be a non-issue.” Rosa added, “While Shariq isn’t exactly popular with his female co-workers, we’ve never received any official complaints about him from them.” “I suppose we’ll all find out soon enough,” Caleb said. “Who’s tentatively scheduled to go to the other facility?” “Michelle Van Dijk,” Rosa replied. “American born of Dutch grandparents. Of the three women we assessed as possible candidates, she showed the greatest aptitude for managerial responsibilities. Frankly, she has been pressing me for a promotion before this but there haven’t been any positions available until now. She pointed out that, aside from myself and one other, a female changeling by the way – my personal assistant, there were no women in positions of authority. I agreed but, as a small company, we had to hire the best among those available at the time. They have proved to be competent and reliable and we won’t be firing or demoting them anytime soon.” “A strong feminist, I gather?” At Rosa’s nod, Caleb continued. “She’s going to love Equestria then. The female-dominant society will suit her well. She should fit right in.” “That’s what we’re hoping,” Phil said. Caleb raised an eyebrow. “I sense a qualification there.” Rosa sighed. “I admire her ambition but she is biased against males. She always keeps it under control in the office but men definitely don’t like working with her. That’s why Equestria might be her best opportunity.” Chrysalis waved Michelle’s report. “What this assessment doesn’t mention is what Rosa’s assistant has confided to me. She is outright hostile towards male authority, and that leaves a disgusting taste in any changeling’s mouth. She hides it but you can’t conceal true emotions from us.” Rosa nodded. “We couldn’t put that in the official report, of course, but that’s why she has always come to me with her complaints rather than my husband. However, she has earned her try at the new position.” Phil grimaced. “The catch is that she will be competing against a man for the job. I had hoped that another female candidate would make it into the top four, but I was outvoted on that.” The griffoness patted her unicorn husband consolingly. “I admire your proactive stance towards hiring women, Phillipe, but the rest of us took a more pragmatic approach to these positions. It is too important to not try to get it right. Do not worry – Jolene will get her chance someday.” “Jolene came in fifth, I take it?” Caleb asked. “Yes,” Rosa confirmed. “So who’s the actual fourth candidate?” “Tyrone Davis,” Phil answered. “African American, one of our earliest hires, and he’s been a reliable hard-working employee. He’s a little race-conscious, but due to Rosa and my Latino background, we haven’t had any real problems with that. No, his only real drawback is that he’s married with two kids. All the others are single and unattached. He will have to deal with keeping a very big secret from his family. While we may allow him to reveal the existence of this world once we’re sure that he’ll work out, that may put some strain on his relationship in the meantime. Then again, he won’t be the first person to be put into a commercially sensitive job which requires secrecy, so we think that it will work out.” Caleb considered what he had learned about the candidates. “I bet you’re hoping Michelle earns the top spot. I think she might be less than pleased to lose out to Tyrone.” “Well, we may end up deciding that Michelle would be better off in the other branch,” Mark said. “These are initial assessment assignments. The final positions will be determined after the probationary period.” Chrysalis said, “We do not expect them all to adapt as well as you did, Caleb Awad, and you had the fortune of meeting the right pony and changeling to help you through your problems.” “At least they won’t be cut off from their homes and former lives,” the man replied. “Are you thinking of sending some unbonded Companion-class changelings their way? Perhaps secure their dedication to the Equestrian cause?” “No. That will wait until after the probationary period. My lead mare won’t allow it,” the changeling queen grumbled. “We do not use the Crystal Hive changelings to meddle in our husband’s business,” Trixie said sternly. “Trixie had hoped that you had learned that lesson.” There were some uncomfortable chuckles from those who knew to what the alicorn mare was referring to. Caleb decided to change the subject. “Out of curiosity, who is that fifth candidate that you mentioned?” “Jolene Harris,” Phil replied. “She was born and raised in Alabama but moved to North Carolina chasing a career opportunity. When that fell through, she applied to Harmonic Composites. We were looking for someone with her qualifications at the time, and it helped that she was female which aligned with our goal of bringing an equal balance of men to women in the company. She has proven to be a very reliable and competent employee, and her pleasant Southern personality has made her popular among her co-workers. However, her desire to please everyone left us some doubts about her ability to command in a manager’s position, which is why she lost out to Tyrone. Whatever happens though, she still remains a top candidate for promotion in the future.” Caleb leaned back in his chair and nodded. “Well, it seems you have an interesting bunch. Tomorrow sounds like it’s going to be fun. So, what exactly are your plans?” Caleb and Sky in her Vicky persona, stepped into an office located on the Earth side of Harmonic Composites’ headquarters. There he found Phil and Rosa along with the four candidates whom they recognized from their photographs in their assessment documents. They smiled and greeted their friends. Phil said, “Right on time. Lady and gentlemen, these are Caleb Awad and his wife, Vicky. They will be escorting you to the secure facility where you will be introduced to the next phase of your probationary assignments. We will leave you in their capable hands. Good luck to you all.” Caleb said, “First of all, we’re issuing you new I.D. cards. These will grant you access to the secure area. Please keep them on you at all times and have them displayed conspicuously.” He didn’t try to explain that they were enchanted and would key to them magically. There was no possibility of them being used by the wrong person. Vicky stepped up to each to hang their I.D.s over their necks on lanyards. When she did the last, she said, “Please follow us now.” Caleb and Vicky led the four out of the office and down a corridor that led to the warehouse portion of the building. At the end were two doors, one leading into the stores area, the other to a guard station. Caleb nodded to the guard, a disguised changeling who could neither be fooled nor compromised. The guard tapped a code into a keypad next to a door on the opposite of the room to which they entered and opened it, revealing a mirrored surface. “What the hell?” exclaimed Shariq. “Is that a two-way mirror to check us out before going through?” “Nope,” Caleb replied. “It’s something that you have never encountered before. Despite what it looks like, it’s actually a novel way of securely allowing access to your destination. If you aren’t authorized, you would not be able to pass, but you four have been approved, so you can go through. Vicky, dear, would you care to demonstrate?” “Of course,” she replied before confidently stepping through the portal, her form pushing through the mirror surface without resistance. “Whoa! That’s like something out of Star Gate, SG1,” Jules commented. “Funny you should say that,” Caleb said with a grin. “You may experience some minor disorientation but it’s completely harmless. Everyone, please follow my wife now.” Jules eagerly stepped through, closely followed by Shariq, Michelle, and Tyrone. Caleb then joined them. “This is a bit of an anti-climax,” Michelle said. They were in another guard station, although this one was larger with several more doors. The guard there was another changeling disguised as a human for the occasion, and he secured the portal. “Trust me – the most interesting part is about to begin. Follow me, everyone,” Caleb said as he headed out into the corridor. “Our first stop is to meet the Martines’ business partner, Mark Wells, the person behind the unique products that Harmonic Composites produces.” “How come I’ve never heard about this partner before?” Tyrone asked. “That will become apparent shortly.” Caleb stopped outside a door marked ‘Conference Room’ and said, “You are about to meet some of the most powerful people in this world, but they aren’t what you’ll be expecting. Just a reminder to be respectful.” “What do you mean by that?” Jules asked. “You’ll see soon enough,” Caleb replied as he knocked on the door before opening it. “Please go in, everyone.” The candidates entered to be confronted by a small green-coated unicorn with wings, a larger bat-winged mare to his left, and an even larger creature with a shiny black carapace, glittering translucent wings, and sparkling mane to his right. “Is this some kind of joke?” Shariq demanded. “Not at all,” Mark responded with a smile. “I am Prince Mark Wells, co-ruler of the Equestrian Empire and your boss. Welcome to the magical world of Equus.” # # # # # # # # #