//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19 - The Mayor 
// Story: The Code of Harmony 
// by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch 
//------------------------------//


~~~~~The Mayor's Office~~~~~


Ten minutes later, Tia was convinced that she had made a terrible tactical error in regards to Mayor Mare. Mare was not merely informed, she had better on-the-ground intelligence about the state of Equestria than EIS did. "There have been other incidents much like the one we experienced last night in nearly every major city in Equestria." The mayor continued, her voice all business. "Some well known pony, usually one with a history of mental illness incited attacks on those species and races the new decree unrestricted. Usually, it was changelings - but there have been attacks on Griffons in Baltimare and batponies in Manehatten as well."

The Mayor adjusted her spectacles for some reason, and continued speaking as though she was giving a briefing. "Obviously, I cannot share this information with the town council. They would want to know how I got it - but you have a somewhat more... expanded view of the world." Her tone was not quite languid, but she gave off an air of anticipation. "None of this is coincidence. We are being attacked from within by some kind of..." Her face twisted in disgust at her next words. "Chaos cult."

Tia nodded firmly, deciding that now was not the time to be laying accusations as to the veracity of this information. Mare had no reason right now to be lying to Tia. "I agree, given that the individual involved here was directly associated with Discord during his escape." She folded her hooves over her lap and tried to think quickly. What on earth could they be trying to achieve? Surely, they lacked the power to free Discord without being physically in his presence. "I confess, I am uncertain as to their motives for such attacks." She continued, deciding it was best to be frank with her. "Chaos cults have never had more than a tenuous grasp on reality as it is, but this seems awfully organized."

Mayor Mare nodded. "That was my deduction as well. Somepony with a more firm grasp on reality is controlling them. It is likely that, whoever it is - they've got more in mind than simply mass chaos." She sighed softly. "I can at least reassure you that nopony who swears loyalty to our Queen is involved. Say what you will about our philosophy, Celestia - We are very good at knowing when a traitor walks amongst us." Now there was an understatement. Infiltrating agents into Dissonance cults had been a headache even before the Crusade. After, it had been nigh on impossible... which was often why she'd acted with such decisiveness when one was found.

Tia nodded slightly. "Mayor... you are far too intelligent to not know what a bad idea this celebration is." Tia ventured, pressing the flats of her hooves together and leaning back in the chair. "You know better than I do how quickly diffuse anger can boil over into violent protest. Anything that rubs the... troubles these new laws are creating in the faces of the common pony is just going to provoke a negative reaction." Tia continued, noting the wry smile on the Mayor's face.  "And yes, I'm well aware of the hypocrisy. I'm trying to help fix what I broke, Mayor. Not make it worse." Tia said, feeling weariness creep into her voice. 

Mayor Mare blinked a little at that... and slowly pushed her mane back. "You... really mean that, don't you?" She commented, her voice coming out softly. "Huh." Was all she then said, leaning back in her own chair and staring pensively at Tia across the desk. Tia, for her part, stared right back at her neutrally. I am not about to admit my errors further than that. Not when she has likely made just as many errors of her own. Tia thought, wondering why this simple interaction was tiring her out so. Had she truly become so much less tolerant of political maneuvering in so short a time? Perhaps I have taken to this simple, quiet life much more than I'd thought I would.

The stare went on though, the mayors lightly colored eyes a mask of emotions. She isn't sure what to make of me now... nor what to make of my intentions. That was clear enough, but what did she look as though she was struggling with something between her hooves? "Why?" came the sudden burst of sound from the Mayor, startling Tia nearly out of her chair. "Why did you send me away?" She continued, and Tia blinked rapidly at her. Oh. I suppose that does make sense.

Tia gathered her wits - something told her this was going to be a very important conversation - and began slowly. "That... that is a worthy question." She sighed out. "There were many small reasons - but the ones that weighed most heavily in my mind were your lack of experience, and your personality." That got a blink of astonishment from the Mayor, and Tia continued on, weighing each word carefully as she spoke. "As for experience, you had never before experienced any true challenges. Everything you had set your hoof to, you excelled at. You had known no great failures, nor had you struggled for victory."

She held up a hoof to forestall the inevitably explosion of explanations. "Please!" Tia said firmly, and much to her astonishment - the Mayor's mouth snapped shut. "Yes. I know that was not your fault." Tia continued, keeping her voice soft. "There is often so much that is outside our control. In truth, I could have even overlooked that... but I saw how you acted amidst the courtiers and the nobles who were your competition." Tia took in a deep breath... the mayor was not going to like this. "I saw you use your remarkable mind as a weapon, cutting down every single one of them emotionally or mentally. You saw them not as equals - but as one more obstacle for you to overcome in your goals."

Tia sighed softly. "That is not a good outlook in Canterlot politics. It never has been - those who wish to move amongst the elite must exercise great care in their actions lest the actual nobility take offense. They have more power than most realize, and can cause great damage when offended." Now Tia looked to one side, and felt a flush enter your cheeks. "I thought I was doing you a favor - guiding you back into the rough and tumble world of city politics. There, I thought you would easily become mayor of Manehatten or Baltimare, and perhaps even one of the provincial Governors."

The Mayor was staring at her now, as if in disbelief. Then she spoke softly. "My family didn't have the kind of money I'd need to go to those places." She said, softly sinking down into her chair a little. The mayor's hard eyes softened a little. "I suppose It would be arrogant of me to presume you knew that." She admitted quietly, tapping her hooves together - not out of nervousness, but... some other emotion.  "When I came back to Ponyville, I thought perhaps... that all I would need was this little town. I was wrong." The mayor shook her head slowly. "After too many years of trying to improve the town against the stubborn will of my fellow earth ponies... well, I lost hope." She finished, her voice a gentle whisper.

Tia winced a little before speaking, wishing the Mayor had not said those words. "I am not wholly blameless. I ought to have known better than to send a sensitive, intelligent soul back into the back-woods of Equestria without aid." She sighed gustily, hanging her head a little. "For whatever it is worth Mayor, I am sorry. You deserved better treatment, and all I can do now Is proclaim my reasoning at the time - however flawed it might have been." Tia shrugged a little and sank down into her chair. "And here I am now, thanks to that reasoning that, for so long, I thought was infallible." Tia put on a wintery, dry sort of smile. "Perhaps 'tis fate." 

Mayor Mare snorted softly. "Fate, my plot. We both made our choices, Celestia.  You were simply insulated from the consequences of them for longer because of your position." She sighed herself and pulled off her spectacles, tossing them onto the table. "I'm prepared to admit that I never saw the forest for the trees, myself. Perhaps if i had exercised a little more vision, I could have seen my way to the path you saw." She shrugged her shoulders. "But I did not, and here we are. Not fate, Celestia. Choices, both good and ill, that we both made." 

For a moment, there was silence. Then the Mayor let off a soft, warm laugh that resonated off the four walls of the room - it went on for a good long while, and Tia couldn't help but smile a bit warmer in response to it. "Goodness, listen to us. Pair of old coots who dance around the subject all day long. I swear, we sound like a pair of feuding grandmothers who never got over an argument they had fifty years ago." Mayor Mare commented, with a wry chuckle that Tia had to join in on.  

Then the mayor got a curious sort of look on her face... and then slapped her desk with her hoof as a grin split her face. "You know what? I've got an idea. Let's start over." The Mayor proclaimed quietly, and hopped off her chair. "After all," she continued "your name really isn't Celestia anymore, and my name isn't... well, it isn't what it used to be." Tia watched her in astonishment as she trotted around, and offered her hoof quite without reservation to Tia. "So, My name is Scro-" She paused and then shook her head with a soft laugh. "My name is Victoria Mare. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss?"

Tia blinked at her for a long moment, then reached out and shook the hoof firmly - feeling a smile tug at her lips. "I'm Tia Sunbeam. A pleasure to meet you, Victoria." She said with gentle warmth - warmth that spread through her even as the hoof-shake turned a great deal more enthusiastic upon both of their parts. "How about we figure out how to get this problem under control? I'm certain between the two of us, there isn't a single problem we cannot solve."

Mayor Mare - no, Victoria - smiled and nodded firmly. "I couldn't agree more, Tia."


~~~~~~~~~~~~


Cheerilee worried and fretted in her chair as the minutes dragged on. Surely, whatever private conversation Mom wanted to have with Tia certainly couldn't take this long. Oh Harmony, does Mom think I'm into her? That would be the most supremely embarrassing thing that could possibly be happening - which, given Cheerilee's life - meant that it had approximately a 85% chance of being what was going on. Her mother, Harmony bless her, was just a little bit nosy. She'd been after Cheerilee since... well, since the incident with Big Mac and the love poison for her daughter to find herself a Very Special Somepony. (All capitals. Her mother never, ever spelled it in letters or notes any other way.) 

Cheerilee was certain it had much more to do with motherly concern for her daughter's well-being rather than any call to mate up and have children as soon as physically possible. Still, it did get a little annoying - especially when her mother devolved into matchmaking during her down time. Cheerilee was well aware of the fact that Time Turner was a complete gentlecolt, even if he was a bit odd - he was also utterly smitten with some unknown mare, and had eyes for nopony but her.  She was also fully aware that both Davenport and Roseluck were fine upstanding members of the community, but Davenport was the biggest colt-cuddler in town, and Roseluck - while a very nice pony - was as highly career minded as Rainbow Dash had been. 

Cheerilee sighed for a moment - there was no way to divert her mother once she got an idea into her head. She just wished she knew what sort of idea she'd inflicted upon poor Tia. The poor girl has been through enough in the past few days. Cheery thought, with no small amount of concern. I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that she seems to take it better than anypony I've ever met, I would have her tied to the bed until she got some real rest! A moment later, Cheerilee's cheeks flushed a bright saffron red as she realized she wasn't solely interested in tying Tia to the bed just for her health. Oh, ponyfeathers Cheery! Not you too! She thought, facehoofing. She's a lovely mare, and she's got a wonderful personality, and she needs help. You do. Not. Date ponies you are trying to help through mental disorders.

Cheerilee sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. Focus, Cheery. You've got bigger things to worry about right now. She thought, a chuckle quickly following the thought. Right, like trying to make sure your friend isn't going to get in all kinds of trouble! For a few moments, Cheerilee brooded over that thought, wondering if perhaps she ought to have asked more questions. But what questions to ask? She really wasn't sure at this point - the appearance of the bright white power of what surely had been Harmony about her friend worried her terribly.

Cheerilee liked Tia. She wanted Tia to stay in Ponyville for a long, long time. She didn't wish to see her newest, And face it, Cheery - one of the very few real friends you've ever had. Leave because she had to go off on some kind of quest. Twilight's situation had been bad enough - traveling to and fro across the length and breadth of Equestria on the commands of Princess Celestia.  Why couldn't Tia just... stay for a while? Perhaps she can. Maybe I can... convince her that staying here is much preferable to running all over the place.

While still deep in those thoughts, Cheerilee felt a gentle hoof touch her shoulder - Luckily, she knew this pony or else she might have had a full on emotional freak-out. "Miss Cheerilee?" said Quills, her mother's personal assistant. "The Mayor is ready for you." He smiled brightly, fluttering his wings like all pegasi did when they were happy - and then headed off to do some other duty. Cheery had been following her mother through complex offices for her entire life, and she already knew where the office was in this place.

It only took her a few moments to trundle through the maze of hallways and office knots to find the thick wooden door... behind which was coming a gale of laughter. What..? Cheerilee brilliantly observed, pushing open the door to the office to find Tia looking more relaxed than she had in days, sprawled out on one of the office chairs. Her mother was sitting next to her and holding a cup of tea, looking vastly amused as she tried desperately to restrain her laughter. "Oh, Cheery!" her mother proclaimed, with a broad smile on her face. "About time. Come in, come in - grab a seat. Tia was just recounting some of her, ah... adventures in the Canterlot Library."

Tia rolled her eyes and smirked at her. "My tales have little on your own of the ridiculous things this town gets up to. I mean really, somepony took Flim and Flam seriously?" Tia snorted derisively, which got another peal of laughter out of the Mayor. "Come now! I mean, they are certainly talented conponies, but I thought everypony knew their reputation by now!" Tia exclaimed - which kept Cheerilee's mother in the throes of helpless laughter. Cheerilee herself sighed, having been fully taken in by the pair during that... regrettable incident with the cider.

Nevertheless, this was not productive. "Ahem. Mother, we have to have a discussion about this Celebration notion of yours." Cheerilee began primly, as her mother wiped away tears of laughter and Tia stirred up a cup of tea - which she floated over to Cheerilee with an amused smile before sipping at her own. Tia gave Cheerilee a roguish wink, and straightened up in her seat. "What?" Cheerilee asked, wondering just what had been discussed in here.

Mayor Mare waved her hoof with a smile. "Oh that old thing. Tia's already pointed out the flaws in that little plan." her mother sighed expressively. "We do need a new one though. Something tasteful enough not to offend the reactionaries." Tia was grinning broadly, and Cheerilee couldn't blame her. How did she manage that? In less than a half an hour? "Which is why I wanted to call you in - you've always been quite good with children, Cheery. And our citizens are surely acting like children over these events right now. How would you handle this?" The Mayor observed, with a sly smile on her face.

Cheerilee stared at her mother for a moment before hunkering down her brain in thought. How would she handle this? There really wasn't a good parallel for treating a town like a school or... well, perhaps she was wrong there. What was a community, but a schoolyard writ large? There were cliques and factions that were formed amidst various groups of citizens, there were feuds and fights, alliances both small and vast. Well, what's the real problem here? Somepony has broken the rules, of course. But they had done so while opposing newcomers to the playground. The newcomers didn't have very many friends, besides those who were inclined to make friends with new ponies in the first place. That meant they were 'outsiders'. 

So, how to punish an insider for opposing an outsider, without angering either group? Well, I'd force them to interact with each other, probably through the lense of some kind of party. "How about..." Cheerilee began slowly, the idea germinating in her mind. "I wonder if perhaps we ought to consider a festival." She mused, getting surprised looks from her mother and Tia. "I mean, not immediately - but perhaps the best thing we can do, aside from a small statement by the Guard Captain about the law, is organize a way for our old citizens to get to know our new ones." She paused and grinned hugely. "I'm certain the old fashioned methods of alcohol, good food, and plenty of raucous party games will help foster more comfort and understanding with the newcomers."

Tia blinked rapidly, as though she was trying to process this idea fully - but the Mayor cottoned on immediately. "A general atmosphere of love and acceptance? The Changel- Bugponies." her mother corrected herself, and Cheerilee gawked at that particular moniker. Bugponies? What an intriguing idea! "The bugponies will certainly enjoy that. Our friends the batponies have never been known to turn down a party, and I'm certain our... other citizens will be glad for the chance to let loose and celebrate their new lives. What do you think, Tia?"

Tia was tapping her chin, then smiled broadly. "I think we have a festival to plan."