//------------------------------// // 2. Business as Usual // Story: Of Coal and Diamonds // by Alaxsxaq //------------------------------// 2. Business as Usual The early rays of Celestia's brilliant sun bathed Equestria, causing the morning dew to glisten on the blades of grass. All over the Kingdom ponies were getting out of bed and preparing for the day ahead of them. Applebloom was no exception. The light leaked through the blinds of her bedroom, hitting the mare's closed eyes. Cringing at the brightness, she turned her head into her pillow. Trying to milk whatever precious minutes she still had to sleep, her greatest fear was realized when the bedside clock began to beep. Groaning, she swung her hoof down on the clock, and slowly rose out of bed. Licking her lips, she walked into her large bathroom. Gazing at the mirror, Applebloom saw a half-awake yellow pony, her mane an absolute mess. Turning the knob on her shower, she stepped inside the glass enclosure and woke herself up completely with a sudden and cruel rush of freezing cold water. The die was cast. From then on Applebloom would remain awake. Drying herself off, she grabbed a brush and brought order to her wet and easily styled hair. Nothing fancy, just a respectable grooming. Proceeding into her massive closet she grabbed a neatly hung black suit. Five minutes later she was dressed. Before she left her room, however, Applebloom required the pièce de résistance: a crimson bolo tie fastened with a slide in the shape of a red apple. That tie had become her signature accessory, and she wasn't about to change it. Coming down her grand staircase, she smelled a most delicious scent from the kitchen. Excited, she cantered into the room. There, a tall unicorn stallion dressed in a black tailcoat and apron, wearing a stoic expression, stood over a hot stove. He turned around towards Applebloom, levitating a tray of food. "Ah, Mistress Applebloom. Good morning. Nice of you to finally wake up." He said, his countenance never changing. "Give me a break, Jeffery. Ya know Ah got home late. The food looks delicious!" "Considering how much you pay me, it seems only right. Come. Please take a seat." Applebloom took a seat at her breakfast table as her handycolt placed the tray on it. A buttermilk pancake sat in the center of the plate, with just the right amount of syrup and butter. Toast and a blueberry muffin accompanied the meal, along with a glass of milk and a glass of apple juice. The yellow mare's stomach growled, and after saying grace she picked up a fork and dug in. Wearing a large smile on her face, Applebloom was lost in a culinary bliss of flavor and textures. Finishing her first bite, she took a sip of juice. "Thank you so much for breakfast, Jeffery. Absolutely delicious, as always!" "I aim to please." He gave a slight bow. "So how were things while Ah was gone?" The wealthy pony asked, her fork already sticking into another part of the pancake. "I exercised my right to invitation, as my contract dictates. A few of my friends visited for a time." "Have Ah met these friends before?" "I don't believe so, Mistress." "Hm...well I hope Ah do someday." Applebloom swallowed, and then gave her butler a smug look. "Oh and Ah found certain...garments last night while Ah was heading to mah bedroom." Jeffery's normally calm expression became slightly nervous. "Um...well...yes I enjoyed the presence of very...amiable company." Applebloom gave a soft laugh. "Ah bet you did." Several minutes later, she had concluded her meal, and now was at her front door. After grabbing a brown Stetson from her hat rack, she placed the cap on her head, and called out to her servant. "Bye Jeffery! Ah'm off to work! Don't forget mah dry cleanin'!" Without another word Applebloom was galloping off her front steps and past the verdant lawn. Inputting a code into a box, the large metal gate, bearing the letters "AB" slid open, and she continued down the road from her estate, towards a very tall tower in the city. --------- A short twenty or so minute walk later, Applebloom was in the big city. When she first came to Manehattan, the tall buildings and urban setting astounded her. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in Ponyville. The giant signs advertising theater shows and the neon lights at night in the plaza. It was magical then, and even though she had lived here for a while now, it still amazed her. Even in the morning the streets were bustling with vendors and shoppers, gossiping and laughing. A few fillies and colts were playing ball. They managed to knock the ball right in front of Applebloom. Smiling she kicked it right back at them. "Thank you!" They waved. Applebloom just tipped her heat. A few yards later she came to a fruit stall, with a sign overhead that read "Red Gala's Apples". The businesspony approached the owner. "Hi, Red Gala! Ah'd like an apple, please." She said, placing several bits on the counter. "Well sure thing, cuz. One apple coming up." The pink earth pony hooved Applebloom the fruit. "You sure are lookin' sharp today, like ya do every day. How're they back home?" "Applejack’s doin' fine. Still bucking apples. Big Mac's gonna get married here in the next couple months!" The yellow one took a bite of her apple. "Well shoot! Who's the lucky lady?" "Rarity. Remember her? From the reunion last spring?" "Her huh...she's got expensive tastes...Ah'm sure glad Ah ain't paying for that." "Ah wish Ah could say the same." The two shared a laugh, and while Red Gala turned to provide for another customer, Applebloom placed a healthy amount of bits in the tip jar. The vendor would never have accepted them if she knew. "Bye Gala!" "Take care!" Another few minutes passed, and Applebloom wasn't far from the tower. Just twenty yards from its front door, a familiar voice stopped her. " 'Ay! AB! Good mornin'!" An orange earth pony mare ran over, clad in a blue police uniform. "Hiya Babs!" "We still on for tomorrow night at the bawr?" She asked in her Manehattan accent. "Of course!" "Alright cool! See ya later. I'm off to the station. Got a lot of paperwork." "Tell me about it." The quick meeting was over, and Babs Seed rushed off to her place of work. Applebloom did the same, stopping in front of the entrance to the skyscraper. Commonly called "Apple Tower", but officially the "Apple Industries Executive Headquarters Building", the large structure was brand new, being built only a couple years ago. Applebloom's empire needed a lot of offices for its massive amount of employees, and it had become too expensive to rent the three towers being used before. The state-of-the-art building had been engineered by the owner herself, and came complete with thousands of offices, break rooms, a luxurious lobby, daycare centers, and even an employee recreation facility. Applebloom opened the doors, and went inside the lobby. A large fountain was the centerpiece of the room, above which a globe was suspended. Engraved on the sphere was the company motto: "Building a Better Future for Equestria". A restaurant had been incorporated off to the side, and a large and comfortable sitting area hosted dozens of weary employees. Suited ponies, conversing with each other or studying brief, immediately stopped and greeted Applebloom as she walked to the elevators. Always wearing a smile on her face, she shook their hooves and asked them about how their families were or how their day was going. Her gregarious disposition had earned her the respect and admiration of the ponies. A generous paycheck and frequent bonuses didn't hurt, either. Inside the elevator, Applebloom hit the button for the top floor. The newer, faster elevator she invented brought her up in the blink of an eye. Stepping out of carriage, the earth pony again was bathed in good mornings and hellos. At the end of the top floor was her secretary. "Howdy, Cyrus. Got anything new for me today?" She inquired, leaning on his desk. The astute grey unicorn adjusted his bow tie and spectacles. "Yes Miss Applebloom. Several correspondences and requests are on your desk." "Thank ya kindly." She then unlocked the door to her executive officer. Inside was a large room adorned with the varnished chairs, furniture, and paintings. Applebloom had a certain fondness for different types of wood, and that was evident in her office. The desk, chairs, and tables were made of cherry woods, mahoganies, oaks, pines, hardwoods, softwoods, ebonies; most of it was crafted by the magnate herself. Sitting down in her large, padded chair, she placed her hat on the desk and picked up the stack of papers. Sifting through them, she found nothing too out of the ordinary. Order forms, sale charts, company bills, etc. But there was also a letter from the Manehattan Stock Exchange. She rolled her eyes, knowing full well what it said. Slicing open the envelope, she pulled out the message. Sure enough, the Stock Exchange had made a long, dull, and ultimate fallacious appeal to convince Applebloom to sell shares in Apple Industries. Like that would ever happen. The last thing she ever wanted was for some greedy Old Monies being able to have their way. A newspaper had been placed along with the mail, and she took it in her hoof. The Manehattan Times was her source for what was going on in the city. Glancing over the obituaries, she took a moment of silence to remember the deceased. Then a quick look at the economics section. Naturally an article announced Apple Industries' record high sales last quarter made Applebloom smile with accomplishment. But another article caught her attention. It was about Rich Enterprises, the business which the Rich family had owned since Granny Smith was a filly. The story was entitled "Rich Enterprises acquires Amber Food Co." Applebloom carefully read the article: Last Wednesday, the food growing and packaging giant Amber Food Co. was acquired by Rich Enterprises. 87% of Amber Foods's assets are now held by Rich's shareholders, with CEO Diamond Tiara reportedly owning as much as 32% of the new subsidiary. This buyout marks the 22nd expansion by Rich Enterprises since Ms. Tiara took over last August. She put down the paper, her eyes locked in confusion. "Th...that can't be! The Amber family would never sell their company. Not for a million bits. Not for 2 billion bits." The matter perplexed Applebloom. Only the Amber family possessed shares in the business, and familial loyalty was one of their most stringent values. "Wait...22nd?! Mah goodness." Flipping to the stock market statistics in the paper, her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Tiara's company had grown by no less than 400% since she took power. That pink mare must be doing something right! And while by no means as massive as Applebloom's business, it was still respectable. Calming herself down and coming to her senses, she overcame the shock. Ultimately, she believed in competition. "Bring it on." Applebloom muttered. Even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was up. She knew the Amber family, and they weren't ones to sellout. She sat there for a few minutes, hoof under her chin, in thought. Applebloom was broken from her trance by a ring from her phone. Without hesitating, she picked it up. "Howdy! This is Applebloom, owner and CEO of Apple Industries. What do you need?" "Oh Applebloom good morning!" The voice was one she knew all too well. A white unicorn with a curled purple mane. "Well hi Rarity! Good morning to you too. Why are you callin’ mah work phone?" "I simply must ask you, how big of a cake would you be willing to pay for? And the decorations! Pinkie Pie insists on the most gorgeous streamers, but I protested that they were much too expensive. Oh and the invitations! What about tablecloths? I was thinking gold leaf, but that seems a bit too pricey. And―" Applebloom cut her off. "Gold leaf!? Rarity Ah don't much care what y'all want. It's your special day. But please remember Ah ain't made of money." "Was there a budget you had in mind?" "Ah don't wanna make you feel constrained." "Then how do you feel about―" Again Rarity was interrupted. "Ah don't care. Why don't ya meet up with a wedding planner, and then send me the projected cost. Ah'll tweak it then. Just...no gold leaf...or solid diamond sculptures! " "Of course! I'm very sorry to have bothered you; it's just that since you're paying for the wedding, I don't want to take advantage of your generosity―" "Rarity it's―" "And I know I can be a tad demanding. But I'm very stressed out. I'm getting married after all―" "Rarity―" "But I feel just awful for making YOU pay for MY―" "RARITY!! It's fine! Please...calm down." "Oh...sorry Applebloom. Thank you again. I've must go and hire a planner. Ciao!" "Bye." The yellow mare then hung up the phone, and slammed her face onto her desk. "Ah sure hope Big Mac knows what he's gettin' into." ---------- At Manehattan Police Station all the officers were busy shuffling papers and eating donuts. Babs Seed was sitting in her office, going through some files. One of them reminded her of a pony she had just arrested. Taking a sip of coffee, she went into the main area. "Hey! Whatever happened to the crime baws I busted the other day?" "Who, Chief?" Asked a policecolt, as he nibbled on a cruller. "Big Daddy Palomino! You know the guy, wanted for heading the crime organization down on the east end." "Oh dat guy? Yeah we set him free." Said another officer. "You did what??" Babs shouted, withholding all urges she had to blow up. "Mayor gave him a pardon. What else could we do?" "Why did nopony tell ME??" Babs said, her hoof messaging her head. "Wait...why?? Why did the mayor pardon him?" "Something 'bout fawlty evidence. I dunno." "And nopony...questioned anything? Don't any of youse find it a tad disturbing that Palomino was just 'pardoned'?" Some of the lesser officers began to raise their hooves, but were overshadowed by the higher ups. "Not really. We leave the ‘why’ to the politicians. All we do is enforce the law. And the law says the Mayor can pardon ponies." "Since when??" The Police Chief was losing her patience. "Eh...about two weeks ago. City council voted on it. Governor approved it, too." The orange mare was about to say something, but instead opted to just return to her office. Something was going on. The whole situation had a bad smell to it. Palomino had murdered and stolen for a long time; Babs busted her flank, working undercover for months, trying to bring him down. They eventually caught him on tax evasion, and an investigation was pending to prove the other illegal activities he had done. But all that work had been rendered moot. And worse, her own officers seemed to have bypassed her, AND withheld all this information. She tried her best to stay informed, but sometimes it was too much for one pony. This did not bode well, and Palomino was loose again, probably "offing" the contacts Babs made with his mafia. And he was probably putting a price on her head. Not well at all.