//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: INSURANCE! a Grumpy Goat >tail< // by De Writer //------------------------------// Practically as one, they yelled, “You made those vile truth spells that did this to us! You have to undo it!” I just couldn’t resist pricking those ambulatory bags of hot air a bit more. “Oh, you have been lying to your Princesses and want me to undo your lies for you. Happy to make calls for you. All that you have to do is tell me what you want me to tell them.” Beautiful. It sounded like a pile of ponies strangling on their own tongues! “We can’t do that! There are banking secrets involved!” “Ah! I know what that means. It means activity that ranges from unethical, to merely criminal, right on to outright Treason.” One of those on the outside of the door snapped, “Look, we have brought you good gold to restore our appearance to what it was before our interviews with the Princesses. Can you do that?” “Why didn’t you just say so at the start? Answer is yes, I can. There are a few stipulations. ONE: I will do NOTHING that may bring any of the Princesses harm or grief. TWO: It won’t be instant. I know that you were seen coming up here. If you go down all fixed up, I could lose my license to practice Non Equine magic. THREE: It will not be cheap. β1000gold each. To sum it up, all that you are buying is your appearance.” After some consultation they sourly agreed. “How can we pay you? The door is still secure.” I agreed, “It is. If we are in agreement on the basics, I will let you in to negotiate specific terms. Basically, I have to deliver on the contract or pay a refund plus 10%. I would have to abandon everything that I have in Ponyville to avoid that.” “We will be civil, Mister Goat.” Undogging the door, I invited, “Come in, Gentleponies. We have terms to discuss.” I sat and took out forms and bunches of paper. “You all want the same thing. You want your appearance to return to what it was before your interviews with the Princesses. Correct?” There was a mutter of agreement. “Good. Lots less writing there. Now, about the term where this will happen. How about this? You go to your homes and sometime within 48 hours after you get home, your appearance will return to normal in such a way that no suspicion of impropriety will be connected to it. Fair enough?” There was general agreement again. I wrote busily for a few minutes. I handed around the boiler plate first page. “Each of you will get one of these. You initial where indicated for each paragraph and the amount. Sign at the bottom. Page two is the results page mentioned on page one. Each of you gets a copy of that one, too. Sign it on the line so that I have no room to insert anything else. I need them all back to copy by contagion magic.“ They were all busy for a little bit, handing me back their signed and initialed sheets. I made my perfect copies by contagion magic. It saves so much writing! Each contract was put into an envelope. A copy for the customer, a copy for my files and a copy for the registry. I held them all back. “Gold time, gentleponies. A thousand in gold from each of you before you get your contract and a receipt.” Fifteen of them paid on the spot, with larger denomination gold coins, mostly. Made count up easier and faster. The first of the remaining ones offered, “I only brought β500 in gold. Will you take a check?” I laughed really hard before replying between chortles, “Not on your life, which you would lose if you tried that! Secure Gold Transfers only. And those will be truth tested.” He actually nodded, “Under the circumstance, fair enough.” I made out my part of a Secure Gold Transfer and, glancing at the line, put it on a stack of paper and made copies! That really speeded up the payment line. As the last of my unpleasant visitors left, Clarence popped out of the back! “Grumpy! Are you really going to let them get out of the consequences of lying to the Princesses?” “No, my friend. I am not. Think. The Princesses’ Truth Testing spell is directly connected to these contracts.” Bone forehead should not wrinkle as he thought but it did anyway! “Let’s see … their appearance will return if they tell the Princesses the whole truth connected to the questions asked. They will get it back when the Justice of the Twins and the justice of Princess Twilight are done with them or should they … “ His forehead became smooth, polished bone again as he exclaimed happily, “I am going to be a busy pony, aren’t I?” As I packed all of my papers for the Registry and the bank into my saddlebags, I nodded, “Yes, my friend, you are.”