Gears in the Void

by Lab


Meeting the Mayor

The door slowly swung shut behind Vinyl Scratch as she fled in a well-advised attempt to avoid the upcoming political discussion between Spot, Mayor Mare, and yours truly. If I weren't a necessary component, I would have been hobbling right behind her, Redheart be damned. With the three of us exchanging uneasy glances and remaining quiet, the air quickly grew stuffy.

Mayor Mare cleared her throat and spoke first. "Sterling Gears, I hope you'll excuse the informality of our first meeting. I wish we could have met under more auspicious circumstances, but recent events had other things in mind. And, Spot, was it?" Her voice wavered as she spoke to Spot, and her eyes flashed back to an unwelcome memory. The short diamond dog quickly nodded, his ears flopping up and down hilariously. "I'm glad to finally have a civil discussion with one of your kind. I trust both of you are well, all things considered?"

Looking at my leg and the hospital room, I felt the corners of my mouth tug down. "I've been better. Is this about arranging payment for the crash in the market?"

Surprisingly, she chuckled. "Of course not. You can't manage a town like Ponyville without an emergency fund to cover anything from monster attacks to haywire spells. Admittedly, it would be a lie if I didn't want to discuss the creature, but I understand if you aren't ready to talk about such a difficult event."

A larger part of me than I was willing to admit was relieved to see Ponyville was a magnet for trouble. After all, can't have myself getting bored from lack of action, right? "You're kidding, right? I don't need to be coddled. You wouldn't even be meeting me here if I wasn't sure Nurse Redheart was watching the door like a hawk. What do you want to know about the beastie?"

Mayor Mare quickly summarized the information the guards had delivered to her, but I didn't have anything to add and told her as much. Sighing, she asked, "Well, with that business out of the way, what are you planning to do now? You've been seen in town the last few days, but from what ponies have been saying, you don't have a place to stay."

Spot puffed up, offended, and glared at the mayor. "She has pack. She good beta."

"There's also that matter to deal with. It has come to my attention that you and one Pinkamena Diane Pie now lead the Gem Hills diamond dogs. Is this true?" She returned Spot's glare with equal malice, violent sparks sizzling between the two.

"Yep. Pinkie's the alpha, but if I heard correctly, I'm in charge if she's not available. Is that right, Spot?" Another floppy-eared nod was his response.

"The Elements of Harmony are very busy most of the time." She huffed.

"Wasn't complaining, just stating that I actually have authority currently and am therefore worth listening to." My leg twinged as I grew more exasperated with Mayor Mare after each sentence she spoke. "Why don't you speak your concerns about the diamond dogs before we continue. You obviously have some laundry that needs to be aired."

Surprised, she took a small step back. "I'm just concerned for the residents of Ponyville. Diamond dogs aren't known for the hospitality they show their visitors."

"Trespassers," corrected Spot.

"What they should be known for is their loyalty. They're loyal to a fault, and the last alpha, Rover, was not a friendly pup."

"And where is this Rover now?"

I looked questioningly at Spot and received a shrug. "I have no clue. Haven't seen a hair of him since me and Pinkie stepped in. I don't want to speak for Pinkie, but I'm sure she would also agree with friendlier relations between Ponyville and the pack."

"I don't believe there could be friendly relations between honest ponies and slavers."

"What?" roared Spot, pounding the floor with a fist and cracking a tile. "Dogs better than that! We make work for day so pony not trespass again. No slaves."

To Mayor Mare's credit, she kept her stoic visage through his outburst. Calmly, if a bit curtly, she replied, "That is still deplorable. You force them to work as beasts of burden and only release them when you are satisfied. Your pack is better than its brethren, but not by much."

"Hey, check it out, she's not angry at you. Maybe you got better at this whole diplomacy thing. You might want to step in before we have a cage match on our hands. See if the boundaries of Ponyville extend over the Gem Hills," Dave said with a smirk.

"Enough! Honestly, it's a sad day when I have to be the one to keep civility present." My voice didn't rise much, but it was enough to be effective, and it was satisfying to see the room fall silent. "Mayor Mare, do Ponyville's laws have jurisdiction over the Gem Hills?"

"Well, no, but—"

I raised a hoof to cut her off. "No buts. It's a different culture with a different set of laws. Forced work for a day is a punishment just as much as imprisonment, isn't it?"

"They're hardly the same."

"I never said they were equal. Calling them slavers is excessive and quite rude for a mayor, isn't it?" I stared at her, boring deep into her eyes as she fidgeted.

"Look at her squirm!" Dave chuckled. "Nice work, kid. I don't think you'll be shot at today. This whole 'slaver' thing seems to go back a ways though. We might want to dig at that a bit more. You also might want to do away with the forced labor in general."

"She isn't wrong though. Foalnapping and forced labor aren't viewed well by anypony. I'm trying to forge an alliance here, and that's one thing that will certainly have to stop on our end. What started that in the first place?"

Spot shied away from me and muttered, "Rover say to stop pony thieves that way."

"Rover again? He has a larger chip on his shoulder than you, Mayor Mare." I groaned while rubbing my temple. "What about the other packs? Didn't they have anything to say about it?"

"Not talk to. All pack too far."

"Figures." I snorted. "Are you two ready to talk to each other now? Being the voice of reason gives me the biggest headache."

"Because you never use the damn thing."

"I apologize for my comment, but I hope you'll understand if I remain wary of our discussion."

"Of course. Can't have a successful negotiation without every party walking away feeling screwed. First things first, is there anything stopping a diamond dog from entering town?" It was too late to stop the headache, but I was relieved it wasn't growing any larger.

Mayor Mare cracked one of the faintest smiles I’d ever seen. "I see you're familiar with politics and law, Miss Gears. No, there isn't anything in place restricting diamond dogs from entering Ponyville."

"Familiar is such a strong word. I prefer 'know enough to make bad jokes,' so don't expect miracles. I would like you to stop Ponyvillians from digging in the Gem Hills. In return, we'll open trade. Spot, is that something we can do?"

"Trade?" He fumbled over the word and shrugged.

"Oh boy, this is going to be a long day."

"Like if we gave them some stuff we have too much of and they gave us some stuff we didn't have."

"Might work. Pack always make own stuff so some things we not have."

"How much trading are you thinking?" the mayor asked, the glint of gold in her eye suggesting prosperity instead of greed.

"Have you seen a diamond dog dig? You're the one with the limits. Let's just say there certainly won't be less gems coming into Ponyville." Judging from the prideful grin on Spot's face and what I had already seen during my tour, I wasn't exaggerating.

Mayor Mare smiled deviously. "Oh, I'm sure we could think of something. This will be a welcome boost to our economy. Is there anything else you wish to discuss? I'll admit, this is going far better than I had presumed."

"I wish to discuss ice cream."

"Excuse me?"

"Ice cream. You know, cold stuff with lots of flavors?"

She rolled her eyes. "I know what ice cream is. What would we need to talk about ice cream for?"

"How good it is? Let's go get some. It'll be far easier to discuss with physical examples." Don't judge me, I haven't had actual ice cream in years.

"Is there anything important you'd like to discuss?"

"Ice cream is important."

"What ice cream?" Spot's question drew a mock-gasp from me.

"See? Poor Spot has never even had ice cream. It's a travesty!"

Mayor Mare frowned at me with evident displeasure. "I believe I'll be going then. I will begin drafting the law to keep ponies out of the Gem Hills on your word that you'll contact the treasurer about a trade route."

"Why do you hate ice cream?" When she was almost to the door, I called after her, "Wait! Fine, there is a bit more I wanted to discuss."

She looked back over her shoulder at me. "I'm listening."

"Does Ponyville have an evacuation plan?"

"Several for covering many types of emergencies. What are you getting at?"

"Whatever that critter was last night, it was quick and stubborn. Problems never come alone, and I have no doubt last night was just the tip of the iceberg. I don't know anything about what it was, and from the sounds of things, nopony does. My cart at top speed just barely kept away from it on a flat road, so there's no chance of an evacuation to a different town if there turns out to be more of them. I propose we work together to build a shelter underneath Ponyville with a tunnel leading over to the Gem Hills.and a secondary bunker. This should allow an extra shelter in case of other disasters as well as provide a nice, easy route for trading. Maybe we could even set up a trade hub of sorts." And there would be a food court, and we’d have those awesome soft pretzels. No chocolate pretzels though.

"Do you have any idea what you just suggested?" Mayor Mare stared at me, dumbfounded.

"The plan B to end all plan B's."

"More like a tremendous investment for something that will likely never be used. Not to mention all the zoning issues for digging an underground base, and all the work involved, even with the help of your pack." She shook her head so fiercely some of the grey flew off. "And the maintenance and inspections to make sure there won't be a cave in. I appreciate your concern, but this is beyond excessive."

"It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Isn't the safety of Ponyville's citizens important to you?"

"How dare you!? Ponyville is my foremost concern—that's why I cannot waste its time on such a frivolous bout of paranoia." Her eyes narrowed as she furiously stared me down. "I could tolerate the lack of seriousness you approached these matters with, but I draw the line at insinuating I don't care about my citizens. This meeting is over. Do not bother me about this ridiculous plan again."

The door slammed against the wall as she stormed away without another word. I spotted a couple ponies curiously peeking through the doorway as it shut, but none of them intruded further. Spot looked to me and whimpered.

"She not happy."

I slumped down onto the bed, not moving to brush the midnight blue strands out of my face. Had I just ruined everything? Things had been going so well, but maybe I was just being para—nope, nope. That's when the universe kicks you in the junk. I sighed and asked, "Spot, what do you think about that bunker?"

He uneasily shifted in his seat and focused on the floor. "It not bad idea..."

"But?"

"But it does seem too much." He nervously added, "Little too much. Not lot. Sorry"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want your opinion, don't worry about it." I lazily lifted my head just enough to look around the room, lingering for a few moments extra on a nonplussed Dave. I arched an eyebrow at him, and he merely shrugged. What a big help he was.

"What we do now, Beta?"

"You can call me Gears, Sterling, or Sterling Gears if you want, you know."

He laughed while he shook his head. "No. I call beta, beta."

It was weird, but amusing and nothing I couldn’t get used to. "Can you check if there's anypony right outside the door?"

Spot padded to the door and quietly opened it. "I see nothing, why?"

"We need to plan an escape so we can get started on the bunker."

"But mayor pony say no."

Dave groaned and slapped a palm to his forehead. "I don't know which is a worse idea: trying to sneak out of here or building that shelter under the mayor's nose. You really should just stay here and get better, whether you hate hospitals or not."

"I was only asking for her permission and help earlier. I'm not going to let that stubborn nag get in the way of actually protecting Ponyville. It won't be as refined or orderly with just us working though. I'll even lend a hoof if I make it back before nightfall."

"You staying out again?" His ears fell flat, and he whined.

"Sorry, Spot. I need to visit the library again and try to find something with a bit more kick, if you catch my drift."

"You have plenty of kick. Hoof to head lot of kick."

I yanked out the IV tube and tied it off again, then got up to place a hoof on his shoulder. "Hey, I'll be fine. I really will try to get back before dark. Besides, we don't know if it will be out there again tonight anyway. For all we know, those guards could have blasted it to wherever King Sombra ended up. New Jersey, probably." Before he could ask, I motioned towards the door and trotted past him. "We'll even try to get a hold of some ice cream once we get out of here. If you brought any more gems for trade, that is."

"And I'm ignored again, perfect. Just perfect." Dave solemnly followed after me, grumbling and shaking his head.

With as much as the cast restricted my movement, I was more or less screwed if spotted. We moved through the halls and tried to act as unassuming as possible, but it was still likely a diamond dog and a crippled pony would catch their eye. Fortunately, Ponyville General Hospital was small and surprisingly easy to navigate for a hospital, and soon the exit came into view. I was getting that nasty, universe-is-bored feeling in my gut.

"Sterling Gears, what are you doing out of your room?" Nurse Redheart growled behind me. I didn't turn to face her, but I envisioned her scraping at the ground like a bull seeing red, ready to charge at the slightest provocation.

"Run, Spot! Run!" My limbs flailed in a manner only vaguely resembling coordinated movement. "You'll never take me alive, Redheart!"

"Security!" She called and distant sets of hoofsteps joined her rapid ones.

"This is exactly why you should listen to me, you pony-addled freak!" Dave huffed as he jogged alongside me, keeping one hand on his bowler hat at all times.

Bewildered ponies stared at me from the waiting area and behind the reception desk as I blundered past with Redheart hot on my tail. The thick wooden doors were shouldered aside with little trouble, although I wish I'd known how thick they were ahead of time. I was going to feel that later.

As I burst into the fresh, early-afternoon air, I giddily shouted, "Freedom!"

"Ice cream!" Spot cheered, almost stumbling as he pumped a fist.

"Remind me later that we need to work on your rallying cry."