Düzeltmek

by TerribleSpeller

3- Circling over Fillydelphia

As soon as his hooves touched FIllydelphian soil, Expedient could just feel the smell of a fish market entering his nose. The Fillydelphian Federation had always been famous for their trout fishing, and had contributed to the stereotype of all Fillydelphians being fishmongers. Expedient personally believed that was at least true, he had seen at least six fishmongers, and five of them looked like Fillydelphians. If one ignored the obvious Canterlotian accents.

But that was now as he stepped off from the walkaway and onto the red carpet laid out for him. The President of the Fillydelphian Federation, Masked Cream stood about four hoofsteps away from him, providing enough walking distance for the press to photograph them apart, then exchanging greetings, then walking over to the convoy to bring them properly into Fillydelphia.

It was the same old, song and dance. Most countries he visited over his previous term did this, it was how you did it to seem polite, cordial. But it was boring. Painfully boring for Expedient and as he shook Masked's hoof with a smile that screamed plastered, he could sense that she too was bored by this. That same plastered smile as they both threw a temporary glance at the cameras to imprint for the press.

"So, how was your flight here?" Masked asked as they walked, a black limousine stood ready at the end of the red carpet.

"Pleasant, it's a bit comfortable to take a nap in a plane, but eh, could be worse," He said with a chuckle, Masked nodded with a smile.

"That's great to hear, hopefully it'd be enough to string you along for our proposed trade deal, eh?" She offered with a chuckle of her own. Expedient nodded with his own laugh as the door to the limousine opened. Masked took a step in and he soon followed inside.

The seat felt smooth as he sat down, the cloth wasn't hard as Canterlotian armchairs were, he could just lean infinitely into this limousine's seat.

"Enjoying the seat?"

He nodded at Masked, "Definitely, good leather I'd say."

"mhm..." Masked clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth, "Now, before we get to the negotiating table. Any issues you currently have with our proposed deal?"

Expedient tilted his head towards Masked, " Of course I do, its not the most perfect deal in the world. Your prices for fish? Too high for our market's taste."

"And your steel's price is too high for the meager sum you're offering," Masked tutted, leaning on the sidedoor, "Turn that into a million tons and we can start talking."

He merely shrugged at the offer, "That for the fish price adjustment."

"Deal," The mare nodded with a smile, "How's it been, Expedient?"

"Terrible," Expedient nodded back, "The Constitutional Reforms are causing me more migraines, and... well, its self explanatory."

"Ah, I suppose so," She nodded, a hoof fumbling with the stored away bottle of whiskey at the bottom of the door, "Its been peaceful over here in the Federation. Everybody's got the post-mid term lethargy. Which means less political scandals and more actual work getting done."

"By Celestia I wish we had a time like that," Expedient shook his head with a chuckle, watching as Masker pulled it out, "Its all... unproductive over here now. My party's half in rebellion, and everybody else wants their slice of the Constitutional Pie. It's all... so tiring."

"I can tell," Masked smiled as she popped open the bottle, "That's why I don't touch landmark bills with a ten hoof stick. All I'm doing is just economics, after all, I ran on economics for a better economy and not for political reform. I am just an economic professor after all."

"And you're intending on going down in history as the mare that saved Fillydelphia's Economy?" Expedient raised an eyebrow at her as she took a swig of the whiskey bottle.

"Of course! No better way to prove to your theories on economics than to implement them yourself! I'll show that Hay Ditch who's better at macroeconomics, and that's going to be me!" Masked declared, passing the bottle over to Expedient, who himself took a small swig from, "What's your long term goal, Expedient? Becoming the Reformer of the Republic, right?"

"No... not really," Expedient leant forward as the limousine lurched forward over a bump, "Just want to go down as the Prime Minister that made Canterlot a much more democratic place. I ain't aiming for the same spot Captain Sparkle holds."

"Well, that's good you're not aiming too high," Masked remarked, "Drawing ire from the most influential mare in your republic is a death sentence for you. But you also have to consider long term democratic processes, not just in the short term, Expedient."

"If you're suggesting more changes to the Constitution, then I don't know about my survival in the Parliament, Masked,"

"Listen alright. If you're going to be a limp dick when pushing your Constitution, you're not going to get things through," Masked leant forward towards him, the smell of alcohol was quite prominent, "You have to be more decisive, more contreversial, and more importantly, more brave to push more radical ideas through. Like, I've read the news on your reforms. And... really? Only electoral?"

"I... had plans to include term limits and make it easier to launch impeachments," Expedient admitted, looking down at the floor of the limo, "I didn't plan on adding them because I doubt the UCP would even let them see the light of even existing on the drafts."

"Put them on anyway!" She exclaimed, "Show them that this what you want, but say you're willing to negotiate on them. By throwing them a kilometre you can get a yard of progress!"

"I'd be seen as weak then!" Expedient threw a hoof in gesticulatory exclamation, "If I seem weak I'd lose capital in the parliament, that makes it harder to do everything else! What do you want me to do then?"

"You'll lose capital with the hardliners, not the moderates," Masked added, "If you can demonstrate that you're willing to compromise, the UCP's Conservatives may be more willing to... bend to your way of thinking. You can also incentivise them by playing to what they want in other fields. They want to redraw the electoral boundaries? Let them! They want to nationalise some companies? Suggest some that would fulfill the goals easily! You can keep your image as a democratic reformer whilst allowing them to dictate economics."

"... is that what you've been doing in Filly?" Masked nodded.

"Of course! If the liberals want welfare I can get them welfare as long as they want to sucker up to my economic policies!" She said with a prideful grin, "You have to make sure that not only you and the parliament knows about this deal, throw it out with a statement to the press... or a very juicy 'leak' to the press. It's a very easy task to do you know, and its a very advantageous effect to."

"I..." Expedient paused, mulling over the words as he looked out the window of the limosuine, their destination - an imposing brutalist structure - coming into view, "Are you sure that'll work back in the Republic?"

"Oh I'm sure about it!" Masked chuckled, spotting the view as well, "You just need to apply it well. This entire thing is just an exercise in... what I'd call professional guidance. If you get them all panicked over your radical reforms, you can easily, push through what you actually intended."

"So, productive meeting I hope?" The Cabinet secretary asked Expedient as he got on the steps of the walkway to the plane. He was tidy as ever, and his greying mane stayed as it always was. Indecisively grey with bits of its original brown in it. Expedient always thought of him like beige. There in the background, yet everywhere.

"Productive, very productive, Pear," Expedient grinned, the smell of the boring air of the airport was slowly devolving away for the familiar smell of grapes that were government airplanes as he got to the door of the plane, "The trade deal's secured, and this is a great win for my public relations. It'll be all over the papers!"

"That's lovely, Prime Minister," Sir Pear replied, his intonation making it hard to pin whether it was laced with sarcasm or genuine, "But there are some things that require your attention, regardless."

Expedient rolled his eyes as he headed for his seat, "What is it this time? Did the inquiry on the judges dig something up."

"No, Prime Minister," Pear stated, still gripping onto a manila folder, "Rather, Hayseed has been spotted talking with a Miss Glory Cane."

Pausing in his seat, and proceeding to look up at Pear with a facial expression that tried to process the statement. Perhaps it was surprise winning initially, but fear, panic, and mania managed to find places on Expedient's face.

"You mean- that they... were?" He stuttered out, "Mee-meeting toge, together? Glory and Hayseed?"

Pear nodded, handing him the manila folder, "Yes they were Prime Minister. And, there is a considerable body of the opinion that decisive action be taken once you're back in Canterlot."

Frantically opening the folder, Expedient's eyes darted across the photographs of the meeting two. The lovely shilouette of Glory and the despicable aura of Hayseed were things you didn't expect to see in one image, but nonetheless it was there. k

"Oh, oh this is horrendous!" Expedient exclaimed, looking back up at Pear, "They're going to tear the Amendments apart!"

"Well... yes and no, Minister. Yes that they are going to try, and no if you could think something up," Pear returned uselessly as he took his seat next to Expedient, "Oh and, don't forget you're meeting you with the honorable MP from Ponyville tomorrow..."

"Right, right..." He nodded, "But how am I going to deal with Hayseed and Glory? That's more than enough to prevent the Amendments going through."

"Mhm, quite a trouble indeed, Prime Minister," Pear remarked, "I suppose you're going to have to find some way to win them over... maybe a scandal, maybe a concession."

"Are you sure you don't anything about this?" Expedient asked, shifting his seat to face towards Pear with a look of frantic panic in his eyes.

"Prime Minister, I'd recommend you take a breath first and think this through," Pear conveyed, returning to his master a stern look, "Panic will do us no good if you're being corned by your enemies... you'd have to think rationally about this."

"Rationally!?" Expedient's voice was on the edge, "These two are going to kill me! What am I supposed to do? There's no way that I can get bloody Bloom on board, she's a hardliner for the UCP. And there's no way I can get the nationalists to stop their support the UCP. I'd need two bullets to take them both out! And that's not even a guarantee I can find one!"

With a frown on his face, Pear kept a calm voice, "Then improvise your way through it. You're a politician, keep it under wraps and keep going. We'll figure out a way to deal with them. The cabinet has your back behind this, I can assure you."

Expedient shook his head as he sat back right in his seat, the airplane shuddering as it disengaged from the walkway, preparing to taxi off.

"Do you have any ideas, Pear?" Expedient asked again, unwilling to let this become a quiet issue, "What do you think we should do?"

"I... would keep very quiet about this, Prime Minister," Pear's head bobbed with each word, he took the manila folder from Expedient's grip and continued speaking, "That, and perhaps contact the Ministry of Defense to see if they need anything passed in the next few days that would infuriate the nationalists."

"Ministry of Defense? What do they have got to do with this?" Expedient snapped his head back up from the sulk.

"Mhm, they're considering abolishing conscription. Too expensive," Pear said with more than enough dismissiveness, but laced within them, was that familiar tone and smile that Expedient could catch, "They say it's not useful anymore in a modern war. That it's too dangerous to give to the average folk access to weapons. Might end up in unfavourable incidents. Might cause parents to lose too many children. Hm, its quite obvious really Prime Minister."

Expedient nodded, a small plan forming in his head as a grin spread across his face, "Yeah you're right, that's quite obvious..."