THE MAGE’S JUMP
BY GENOSABER
CHAPTER 11
As I awoke my first conscious action was to squeeze my eyes shut. It didn't help, but it gave me illusion of striking at the light. As my closed eyes adjusted to the light, I thanked Grian, quickly correcting myself and thanking Celestia for the curtain that diffused the light streaming in from the window. Her scent made me recall where I was and made my heart glad. I sighed as I sat up, thankful for the small curtain blocking most of the sunlight from entering the room this early. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked beside me, seeing the sleeping form of my marefriend. ‘Still feels weird to say that.’ I chuckled quietly before leaning down a planting a small kiss on her cheek. After a minute I finally decide to get up and make breakfast.
Once I had gotten dressed I made my way down to the kitchen. As I started fixing an omelette I couldn’t help but sigh at the small workstation. The stove only had two burners and the oven wasn’t much better, being almost half that of a normal one. “I should ask Twilight if she’d be okay with me buying a larger stove,” I muttered as I started up the second burner, adding a few slices of bacon into a skillet. ‘I can’t thank Alex enough for showing me where I could buy some meat. I'm glad I didn't have to go through the same pet food phase he did.’ I turned the flames down to let the food cook slowly before setting a pot of water over the small fireplace to boil.
“Good morning,” Twilight said with a yawn as she trotted into the kitchen. I smiled as I turned to greet her, noticing her mane was still a bit unkempt.
“If it isn’t the most beautiful mare in the world,” I said as she walked over and stood on her hind legs, keeping a hoof on my shoulder for support. She smiled for a second before leaning forward and joining our lips in a kiss.
I welcomed her joyfully, placing a hand on her back while letting the other run through her mane. Twilight acted in kind, wrapping her hooves around me and pulling herself closer.
“Ugh, do you two have to do that every morning?” Fei groaned as she and Spike made their way past the kitchen. We ignored them, holding the kiss for a moment longer before finally separating.
“How’s your hand?” Twilight asked as she returned to her usual stance. In response I raised my left hand, staring at the appendage before closing it into a fist.
“A little stiff, but definitely better than last night,” I replied. It had only taken a few days for my arm to heal, and we had just removed the cast last night. Twilight gave a small smile before turning towards the doorway. “Hey Twi,” I said, making her pause and look back. “You want to split this omelette, seems I wasn’t paying attention and made one big enough to feed two people.” Twilight smiled again and nodded before heading into the main room. I took the omelette off and set it to the side before following Twilight.
Stopping in the doorway, I leaned into the room and looked over at Spike and Fei. “Anything you two would like for breakfast?”
“Chocolate chip pancakes,” Fei said with a grin, earning a quick nod from Spike.
I chuckled and shook my head. “Sure thing. Guessing you’ll want some crushed gems in yours Spike?” The little dragon nodded his head eagerly. I gave one last smile before heading back into the kitchen.
A little while later we were all seated at one of the tables enjoying our breakfast. Spike and Fei were happily digging into their pancakes while Twilight and I calmly ate our omelette, sharing a small smile at the sight before us. Twilight’s expression turned somewhat squeamish once I started eating my bacon, turning her head and muttering a small request that I brush my teeth once I was done.
“I ran into Miss Cheerilee yesterday,” I said, breaking the silence. “She’ll be dropping by tomorrow to discuss plans to have you enrolled once school starts back up in the Spring.”
“W-what!?” she shouted, staring at me wide eyed. I sighed and gave her a comforting look.
“Fei, you need to get an education. While Twilight has agreed to help you with learning about both Equestria and Gaia, you also need to get over your shyness.” I reached over and placed my hand on her head. “I asked Cheerilee to come by later so we could discuss how to handle this situation, and so you’d be able to get to know her a bit, okay?”
“But, what if the other students pick on me?” I stared at her for a second as my brain tried to process what she just said. Fei, former fangblade of the Black Circle, afraid of getting picked on?
‘She’s definitely getting into the whole “being a kid again” aspect of her life.’ I gave a small grin. “The Crusaders will be there to help you out if that happens, and if they still don’t stop, let me know. I’ll have a talk with their parents.”
She gave me a deadpan look. “You really think that’ll work?”
“Oh, I’m sure a little talk with their parents will work, if my history is any evidence,” I said, my smile widening enough to show my fangs.
Twilight cleared her throat, “Parents usually do a pretty good job of handling their foals in regard to bullying, so a simple chat with them should clear up any problems Fei might have.”
“Sorry Twi, still getting used to how different ponies are compared to humans at times. Not to mention I’ve always been rather protective of children in my care,” I said, giving my daughter a loving smile.
Fei gave a small smile of her own, letting the topic drop for now as we returned to our meal. Once everyone finished Twilight took the dishes into the kitchen, opting to clean them while Fei and Spike found something to occupy their time. I followed Twilight to help out. Once we were done, I stuck in the room, enjoying a second cup of coffee with Twilight, but I couldn’t help but notice Twilight glancing at me oddly when my attention was elsewhere, then looking away when I looked at her.
“Something wrong?” I asked her, pouring myself another cup of coffee.
“N-no!” Twilight said quickly, a blush forming on her face. “It’s just, the way you’re dressed.” I blinked and looked down, immediately realizing what she was talking about.
Rather than the simple shirt and jeans I’d normally worn, I was dressed in a short sleeved buttoned shirt, waistcoat, and slacks. “Huh, wasn’t even paying attention when I got dressed, haven’t worn these in years,” I mused, glancing back at Twilight. “I know it’s not my best clothing, but if you think it’s bad-”
“Not at all!” Twilight quickly shouted, her blush becoming more prominent. “Actually, you look very handsome.”
I smiled and pulled Twilight into my arms, forcing her to stand on her hind legs again. “Guess I’ll have to start dressing like this more often.” Twilight gave a small laugh before leaning into me, laying her head on my shoulder as her forelegs wrapped around me. I tightened my hold on her, closing my eyes and blocking out the rest of the world as I took comfort in the feeling of holding someone I loved so dearly again.
“Uh, dad?” Fei called, breaking me from my trance. I opened my eyes to find her standing in the doorway. “Don’t want to interupt, but weren’t you planning on meeting up with Matt soon?” I raised a brow, turning my head to check the clock.
“You’re right,” I said, giving Twilight a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing my hold on her. Once she was back on all fours I wasted no time hurrying out of the library.
I groaned as I dropped onto the bench, rubbing the sides of my head as I felt a small headache forming.
“Are you okay? You look like you’ve been having trouble sleeping,” Matt said as he walked over.
“I’ve been sleeping just fine,” I sighed. “Better than I have in years actually, turns out cuddling with a pony is a damn good cure for insomnia.” I let out another sigh as I looked up at him. “The problem has to do with money. I’ve been going over my current savings, along with the cost of things like food, from what I can tell I should be able to last a few months at least, a year tops. However that doesn’t entirely factor in my daughter’s appetite, every time she transforms she needs to eat enough to cover the increase in mass.” I leaned back on the bench. “In other words, I need a job. Sadly not many places are hiring, and the few that are at the moment are outside my skill set.”
“... telling you Dash, she’s just a high energy kid. They all are,” a familiar voice said behind me.
“Yeah, but they keep causing property damage, Alex. That store front window ain’t cheap. With almost all your cash tied into the theatre, my pay is getting thin, you know?” I turned my head to find Alex and Rainbow Dash walking towards us, the mare directing a tired, somewhat annoyed look at her husband.
“Sweetheart, I’ll have another talk with Rarity and AJ, and all of us, kids included, can see-” Alex stopped and looked up, as if noticing Matt and I for the first time. “Hi Trace, Matt. How are you guys doing?”
“Hey Alex, hi Rainbow. As a matter of fact, Trace was just telling me about a problem he’s been having,” Matt said, causing them to turn their attention to me.
“To summarize it: daughter eats too much, need a job, nowhere I can think of that’d I’d be able to work due to a somewhat limited list of skills,” I explained.
“Well, what’d you do back on, what was is called? Gaia?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Other than my position in the Order, I worked as an enchanter and potion maker. Last I checked this town already has a zebra working in potions, and from the research I’ve done, enchanting isn’t that profitable, least not the kind I excel in.” I sighed and slumped in my seat.
“What about something from your world that doesn’t exist here in Equestria?” Alex offered. I stared up at him in curiosity as his words sunk in.
Why didn’t I think of that option? It’s not like it would be that hard, I have plenty of knowledge on subjects from both Cardian and Elven culture, mostly culinary with the latter but still, I could always introduce something to this world. Outside of food and drinks, I knew of a decent number of Elven songs and stories I could have modified to fit in this world, or possibly-
I was pulled from my thoughts as a familiar light purple coat appeared out of the corner of my eye. “Miss Punch!” I called out, stopping her. “I’ve been meaning to ask, you wouldn’t happen to carry mead at the Grain Bucket, would you?”
“What?” She asked with a raised brow.
“Mead. Wine made from honey instead of grapes. Do you have it?” I said the last few words slowly, my stress causing a bit of annoyance to worm it’s way into my voice.
“I would suggest another trip to the forest, but I’d rather you didn’t earn another trip to the hospital so soon.”
‘Piss off Zero, I’m in no mood to deal with you at the moment.’
“Sorry, never heard of it,” Berry Punch finally responded before turning and continuing on her path.
“You okay dude?” Rainbow Dash asked. I paid her no mind as I took a quick glance at the clock tower before rising and heading towards the market district of town.
“Tell everyone to come to the library in about three hours!” I called back, not slowing down as my brain went through my plan.
“So, do you mind explaining what it is you plan on doing?” Emerald asked as I finished drawing a simple three point ritual circle next to the library. I sighed as I placed a five gallon wine barrel in the center, before turning to find everyone staring at me in confusion.
“Nothing much, just messing with the passage of time,” I said nonchalantly, reaching into my hat and pulling out a trio of staves wrapped in cloth.
"You notice I have to submit a writ for an investigation to make sure you are not violating the space time continuum. Also, Twilight will be heading the investigation," the good doctor replied plainly. I stopped and stared at him with a raised brow.
“Okay, first off, it’s nothing that big, I’m just using a simple ritual based around the haste spell,” I said as I grabbed my spellbook from off the ground and opened it to the page detailing the spell in question. “It’s basic chronomancy, all it does is increase the speed of a target, be it the caster or an ally. I showed Twilight a demonstration back on Gaia when I was able to reserve a training room for a day.” I turned the book over and showed it to him. “The ritual will instead cause the contents of the barrel to age faster than normal, nothing else will be affected.”
“Have you at least asked Twilight for approval?” He asked. I turned to Twilight in response.
“You haven’t made any objections, so I’m going to assume it’s okay?”
Twilight nodded. “I’ve looked over the spell before, as far as I can tell it’s perfectly safe.”
I nodded and turned back towards the circle. I channeled a bit of magic into it, forcing it ‘closed’. Once that was done, I began placing the staves. The first two were simple, nothing more than quarterstaves with a crystal attached to the top, allowing it to focus magic to a certain point. The third one was a bit more complex, the top featuring a brass ring holding an hourglass surrounded by several flat discs covered in old runes. I carefully rotated the discs, setting the spell to move forward six months. Once that was done, I placed the staff onto the last point of the circle, feeling a spark of energy as it connected, before moving to the other side of the circle. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I raised my hands to the channeling staves.
Open, gate of time: Haste.
As soon as I attempted to draw in magic for the spell, I was hit by a massive wave of raw magic, threatening to break my control over the spell. Gritting my teeth, I pushed back, reeling in the magic and directing it into the seal.
“Trace, stop! At the rate this is going you'll risk an overcharge.” I ignored Zero’s warning, pushing further until a perfect link had been formed. As the timer reached three months, I began having trouble standing, nearly dropping to my knees for a second. I could vaguely hear someone shout my name as I tasted a small amount of blood. ‘Just a little more.’
With a click! the timer stopped, breaking the seal and making the released energy throw me back a couple feet. As I tried to get my thoughts together, a purple blur entered my vision.
“Are you okay!?” I heard Twilight’s voice ask, her face coming into focus a second or two later. I stared at her as I tried to process what must happened, her beautiful eyes staring back worriedly.
“I-I’m fine,” I finally managed to say. “Someone mind helping me inside?” In response I felt myself lifted up as someone- judging by the sudden pained energy I felt, it had to be Matt- put himself under my arm as support. A moment later I was carefully dropped onto the couch.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Twilight said as she walked over to me, a glass of water floating beside her. I took the glass and downed about half of it before answering.
“Yes I’m fine, just experiencing the side effects of an overcharge,” I said slowly. “Fei, can you get me potion number thirty seven?” She complied, handing me a glass flask covered with cloth. With a hint of disdain I downed the contents.
After spending a few minutes trying to hold back the vile contents of the flask, I decided I had waited long enough to explain. “An overcharge is an effect when a magic user draws in magic from the world around him. More specifically, when they pull in more than their body can handle. Generally it grants a boost in our magic, but at the cost of making us feel like utter crap for a while afterwards if we’re not careful. I, however, don’t really get the benefits, due to already an abnormally high level of magical energy, as well as my increased sensitivity to magic, that’s where this come in,” I said, pouring what little of the thick black substance was left onto the table.
“This sludge is a special potion designed for restricting a person’s magic for a period of time, normally used on prisoners, I take the stuff when I end up getting an overcharge.” I pulled the cloth off the bottle and wiped up the tiny puddle before tossing both the rag and flask into the trash. “Only downsides are that it tastes as bad as gysahl pickles smell.” I ignored the looks of confusion from everyone present as I continued, “And I’m stuck without pretty much all my magic for the next… thirteen hours or so.”
After a moment Alex walked in with the barrel and still smoking staves, placing them against the wall before bringing the barrel over to me. I wordlessly removed the cork and carefully poured the Golden liquid into my glass.
‘Time to see if it turned out alright.’ Gingerly, I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip...
“It’s good, better than I expected it to be,” I said, honestly surprised by how it turned out. Twilight lifted the glass from my hand before bringing it to her own lips.
“You’re right, it’s good, very sweet,” she said, taking another drink from it. Deciding I wasn’t going to get that back, I made my way into the kitchen and collected several glasses before retrieving a wooden tap from my hat and returning to my seat.
“May I try it?” I handed Alex a glass in response. “Very nice. I still can’t stand the stuff, but this is very good.” The ponies gave various sounds of agreement as they drank their own glasses, methods ranging from Applejack and Rainbow Dash downing it like cheap ale to Rarity and Fluttershy treating like a fine wine, carefully taking sips from the glass without making a sound.
“Y’know dad, with your skills you could probably open a meadery,” Fei piped up, earning everyone’s attention.
‘...Why hadn’t I thought of that of that?’
“Because you’ve been too stressed to think clearly.”
“Fei, you’re a genius!” I exclaimed, grabbing my daughter and holding up in my arms with a grin. Fei, for her part, simply hung limply, trying to process my actions. “But just plain mead won’t be enough, need something else.” I began going over the different variants I knew of before one stuck out. “Of course!” I placed Fei on the ground before reaching back into my hat, this time producing an old wine bottle and a corkscrew.
After opening the bottle, I quickly poured two glasses and passed them to Alex and Applejack. “Drink.” The mare stared at me like I was mad, while Alex eyed the glass warily. I rolled my eyes and took a drink from the bottle. “Drink,” I repeated, giving them both a half-hearted glare.
After a second Applejack shrugged downed her glass. “...Doesn’t taste much different, though I can tell there’s somethin’ added… apples?” she asked,.
“Aye,” I said with a nod. “This is a type of mead know as cyser, same basic recipe, except it uses cider instead of water, so it’s like a mix between mead and hard cider.”
“I think I can see what you’re getting at, you could sell a plain version using this recipe,” Alex said, tapping the barrel, “As well as one using cider from Sweet Apple Acres.” I grinned and nodded.
“Exactly. You see, I’ve done a bit of research recently, and from what I could find, Sweet Apple Acres is pretty well known throughout Equestria, correct?” Applejack gave a slow nod. “Right, well I see this as a way to benefit both of us. Since most ponies seem to already know of your apples, if they see a bottle of cyser that claims to use fresh cider from Sweet Apple Acres, they might be more interested in buying it. In exchange for your cider, I will give you and your family a decent cut of the total profits.”
Applejack rubbed her chin in thought. “I reckon that’s sounds fair, but have you thought about what you’ll do if this doesn’t go as planned?”
My expression turned somber. “In the event that this fails, I will do everything in my power to ensure I am the only one that suffers any major effects, I will do what I can to pay off everyone involved, no matter how much it hurts me.” The ponies in the room stared at me in shock. “I will still find a way to cover my day to day costs, but I can’t feel comfortable leaving debts lying around.”
“I’d be happy to help you financially, and you won’t have to worry repaying me if it all goes south, think of it as a gift.” I turned Alex and prepared to deny him, but I could tell by look in his eyes he wasn’t about to take no for an answer, so i just gave a simple nod. “Good. Now, I can’t offer much, since I’m currently tied up with the theater…” He leaned over and whispered something to his wife, earning a nod. “How’s a hundred thousand bits sound?” No sooner did the words leave his mouth did several jaws in the room, Twilight’s and my own included, drop.
“...” My mouth moved silently as I tried to find a response. “Alex, I was able to make just this batch,” I pointed to the barrel, “With what was basically pocket change. That single batch could make at least twenty bottles, what you’re offering is along the lines of payment for a building to work out of.”
“So I’ll take that as a yes?” I nodded silently, still too stunned to come up with any real response. I closed my eyes and took a moment to collect myself before I continued.
“That just leaves one thing if I’m going to make this work,” I sighed and sat back down, “I can’t do this alone, it would become too much work for me to handle, and I‘d like to know if any of you would be able to work with me?”
“Well, it would give me a source of income other than being a musical sideshow act… Best case scenario I end up sitting on a bar stool ‘taste testing,’ at the very least it’s a change of pace, sign me up.” Matt said.
I gave a tired smile, “Thank you,” I sighed before standing. “Come by tomorrow morning if you can, I’ll show you what to do. For now, I’m going to go look into some things around town.”
“I was thinking we make this stuff in twenty five gallon batches,” I told Matt as I showed him how to bottle and cork a batch of mead. “That’ll make about a hundred bottle each, we can make two or three for every batch we sell.” I set the bottle aside before taking the next barrel of the smaller magic circle I had set up in the basement. After the little incident yesterday with my original circle I decided to set up a smaller one that worked independently, all I had to do was reset the timer each time.
“Sounds like a good idea, are you sure we’ll be able to cover the costs?” He asked, he would grab a bottle from the pile and toss it end over end before catching it by the neck and sliding it onto the wine rack, I wasn’t sure if I should be nervous or impressed that he managed to do so without seeming to pay any attention to what he was actually doing.
“Luckily Barnyard Bargains has bottles and corks in bulk, yeast is pretty cheap, and I met with Miss Honeydew this morning, she’s agreed to come by to negotiate a deal once the paperwork was cleared.” A knock from upstairs drew my attention. “Yes?”
“Miss Cheerilee’s here,” Fei responded, poking her head into the basement.
“Think we can hold off on this last one till I’m done talking with her?” I asked, turning back to Matt.
“Sure, if you think you can handle the school teacher alone I’ll head on down to City Hall for the next truckload of paperwork.” I nodded and headed up stairs, Matt following right behind me.
“Miss Cheerilee!” I said with a grin as I entered the main room, “Thank you so much for dropping by, can I get you something to drink?”
She smiled at my entry, “Thank you, but I’m fine. You mentioned when we talked yesterday?” She asked, taking a seat at the center table.
I picked Fei up and joined her. “Yes. It actually concerns her age.” The mare tilted her head in confusion. I sighed and rubbed my temples. “I’ll be blunt, prior to going through the portal, Fei was an adult. She was changed into a child due to a problem caused by her natural fox magic reacting to the magic used to create the portal. I was given the adoption papers when I sent a letter to Princess Celestia concerning her appearance in this world.”
I looked at my daughter and smiled. “I chose to sign them because for one, I wanted to provide her with something she lost a long time ago, a family. And I’ve always wanted to be a parent.” Fei returned my smile before wrapping her arms around me in a hug. “I wanted to tell you because, well, Fei is still adjusting to being a child, she’ll likely act older than she currently is at times, and I wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be treated differently than the other students.”
“Trace Reinhart,” she said in a firm, but gentle voice, “I can assure you, no matter the circumstance behind your daughter’s current state, I will treat her the same as I treat all my students. Honestly, I’m surprised you would even ask that.”
I rubbed the back of my head nervously, “Sorry, guess you could say I’m a bit paranoid.” She just chuckled and waved a hoof dismissively. “Since that’s out of the way, I suppose we should move on to discussing what my daughter will need to get caught up on before she enrolls into your class in the Spring.”
“Of course,” she replied, taking a sheet of paper out of her saddlebags. “I brought along a list of the subjects we’ve covered last semester. I assume you will be able to provide a tutor? No offense Trace Reinhart, but it might be best if she was taught by somepony more familiar with this world.”
“Understandable,” I said, giving her a polite smile. “I was planning on asking Twilight, but I’ve been working since this morning and haven’t gotten the chance.”
“I’d be happy to, as long as Fei’s okay with it.” I turned my head to find Twilight descending the stairs, her mane still in a slight mess.
“Spend an unknown time with someone I know and trust, or find a pony I’ve never met before to teach me this stuff, those are my options?” Fei said, pausing for a second before dashing over to Twilight. Twilight stumbled slightly as Fei charged into her, throwing her arms around the mare’s neck. “Yes. Please. Thank you.”
I chuckled for a second before turning back to Cheerilee. “Anything else we need to go over?”
She paused for a second before answering “Just two things. I have a few tests mentioned on the sheet I’d like your daughter to take, Twilight can pick them up when she feels Fei is ready. Also, is she able to use magic?”
“Yes, but not in the same way a pony does, I have a decent understanding of how it works, so I’ll be helping Twilight keep an eye on her progress.”
“Well, that covers just about everything,” Cheerilee said as she stood up, making her way towards the door. “Good day Twilight, Trace Reinhart.” She got up and grinned, "I must say, I'm very excited to have your daughter as a student and I know she will fit in perfectly."
“Thank you Miss Cheerilee, but please, just call me Trace.” She smiled and nodded before leaving. Once the door closed I slumped down in the nearest couch, a small slice of dread worming it’s way into my thoughts as I remembered what Matt left to get. ‘Paperwork, one thing I never look forward to… maybe I can get a quick nap before he returns.’
No sooner did that thought pass through my head did the door open to reveal Matt carrying two large stacks of paper.
“If everything requires this much paperwork I’m amazed there are any trees left in Equestria. Hold on, I got one more stack outside.”
‘Fuck...’
(two weeks later, Ponyville Town Hall)
Y’know, I think I’ve figured out why I hate paperwork so much. It’s not really hard to figure out, but I’ve never put any thought into it.
The reason I hate it, is, quite simply, that it’s just so bloody boring!
I mean really, it’s the same damned thing over and over again. If you aren’t being instructed to put your name here, initial there, signature on the dotted line, then you’re putting in numbers. THAT was a common thing with my position in the Order. How many people on a mission, estimated body count, actual body. By Cosmos it’s no wonder the previous archmage quit after only four years. And then there’s the environment. They expected me to fill out hundreds of papers a week in a cramped room with nothing to keep me company? No one to talk to, nothing to do but fill out forms, they didn’t like me stopping and going on walks around the gardens. Despite that being one of the few things that kept me sane. At the very least they could have let me install a song materia to provide a little background noise. But no, they-
“Mr. Reinhart!” A female voice suddenly half-shouted, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up to find a bespectacled grey earth pony mare staring at me with a slight look of annoyance. A quick glance showed several other ponies in the room staring at us.
“Sorry ma’am, got lost in thought for a minute there,” I said as I felt myself blush slightly.
“It’s fine,” she sighed. “I just wanted to let you know that you have been approved to sell this, ‘mead’, so long as you can find a building to work in-”
“And fill out the paperwork for that,” I finished for her, earning a curt nod from the mare. “In that case, I’ll be back later to pick them up.” I gave her a quick nod before leaving.
It didn’t take long to reach my next destination, a simple old building situated just a short walk away from the library. As I got closer, I noticed Matt and a light brown earth pony with a darker brown mane and tail sitting in front of the building playing-
“Cards? Really?” I said as I got closer.
They simply shrugged, not even bothering to look up from their game. “You were taking too long, we needed something to do,” Matt said, folding his cards and placing them back on the deck. “Any good news?”
“We’ve been cleared to start looking for a building,” I said before turning to the pony. “Shall we take a look, Mr. Beam?”
“Sure thing. But please, call me Jim,” he replied, tossing the deck into her saddlebags and trotting over to the door. “Sorry if there’s a mess, haven’t used this old storage place since we finished the theatre for that Roberts fella.” As if to emphasise his point, a small cloud of dust kicked up as soon as he opened the door. With a small dejected sigh, I walked up behind him and poked my head inside, hoping that it wasn’t too bad.
Thankfully, the building itself was in decent shape, the only real damage being a couple broken windows. Unfortunately, the place was a mess. Old buckets of nails turned over, random wooden beams strewn about, broken lumber and a few tools laying everywhere. “Could’ve been worse.” I turned to find Matt on the other side, inspecting the interior with a relaxed look. “So we’ll have to do some cleaning and replace a few windows, at least we have somewhere to work. Not to mention it’s pretty cheap.” He pointed down to Jim, who gave a nod in response.
“Company doesn’t really need this place anymore, we’ve already moved to a bigger warehouse, and it ain’t in the best condition.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “I was thinking between five and ten thousand.”
I mulled his offer over for a moment, moving into the building and looking around some more. ‘Hmm, low lighting, good for storing bottles without risk of spoiling. Shouldn’t be too hard to keep it humid enough in here to prevent corks from drying out, and ventilation will help keep it dry enough to any minor problems with storage. Plenty of room up front, and judging by the door in the back there’s probably another room, could be used to store certain supplies. Overall, a good start.’ I turned back to the stallion, “Ten, you help move all this crap out?”
He grinned and chuckled. “Shoot, for ten I’ll get one of my workers to help you install new windows.”
“Deal,” I said, giving his hoof a firm shake. “I’ll pick up the papers later today and bring them by tomorrow, until then, I have a meeting to get to back at the library.” I gave him one final nod before leaving, Matt following behind wordlessly.
As we neared the library, I turned to Matt, “You wanna help with the interview, or just stand in the back and look intimidating?”
"Well I mean if they're afraid of me they won't scam us or rip us off," he replied, unclipping his helmet from his side and sliding it over his head.
“That’s the idea.” I placed my palm on the door, muttering a quick “Aero” before releasing my pent up magic, forcefully blowing the door open with a gust of air.
I didn’t waste a second, redirecting the air to push a stool to the table where the two stunned unicorns were seated. Without a single word, I sat down and opened a suitcase that had been left on the table, taking a plain manilla folder out and looking over the contents.
Matt leaned against a nearby pillar and slowly ran the blades from his armor against each other in a manner that set even my teeth on edge… Perfect.
“Flim and Flam,” I said after a moment, looking up at them. “Brothers, currently under the employ of one Alex Roberts, Paladin of Redemption and owner of Ponyville Theater, as talent scouts. Prior to that you made a living as conmen, using various tricks to rob innocent ponies of their bits before leaving town.” My neutral gaze turned into a glare. “If I had met to two of you in that time I would have had no qualms with beating you both senseless and dragging you to the nearest authorities. However-” I dropped the folder back into the case and turned back to them, switching to a more friendly look, “Alex is my friend, and he trusts you, therefore I’m willing to give you both a chance. Any questions?”
They just stared, a mix of shock and confusion plastered on their faces. “Are you still there?” I said, snapping my finger in front of them a few times to see if it would get their attention. Seeing no response, I turned back to Matt, “I think they’re broken.”
“Your entry was a bit much,” he replied with a shrug. “Maybe next time you should skip the poltergeist act and just leave the vaguely menacing stuff to me.” He retracted his blades but left the helmet on.
After a second, the brothers finally snapped out of there shock. “L-look, we’ve done some things we’re not proud of in the past, but we’re reformed,” the mustached one, Flam, pleaded quickly. His younger brother nodded furiously.
“Indeed, we work as talent scouts now. We haven’t done anything illegal since we started working for Alex, promise!” I stared blankly at the two stallions, keeping any emotions from crossing my face as I judged their reaction.
‘I think they’re telling the truth, you?’
“Are you kidding? You can almost smell their fear, you’d have to be stupid to try to lie in such a situation.” Giving a mental nod to Zero’s words, I lightened my gaze a gave a light chuckle.
“Relax you two, I’m not gonna hurt ya, just needed to make sure you could be trusted.” They relaxed a bit at my response, but were still a bit nervous. “Alex reassured me you wouldn’t cause in a problems, but I had to make sure.” I leaned forward and gave them a calm smile. “I value loyalty, and dispise betrayal, so I hope you’ll forgive me if I came off a bit too frightening.”
“Also,” I stood up and walked over to the coat rack I had placed my hat on. “I am willing to make an offer upfront.” I reached in and withdrew a large bag of bits. Flim just barely managed to catch it as I tossed it to them, “Five hundred bits each upfront, you won’t be receiving this much as regular payment, but I hope this is enough for you to consider working with us.”
“B-but of course,” Flam said after a moment, adopting a calm look. “We’d be more than happy to help out, right brother?”
After another second of staring at the bag, Flim nodded as his brother’s words registered, “Absolutely, but there’s just one problem: we know nothing about what we’re going to be trying to sell.”
Wordlessly I rose and went into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a bottle of mead and four cups. I fill each cup and passed one to each brother and handed the third to Matt. They exchanged a glance before closing their eyes and carefully taking a drink.
Almost instantly, their eyes snapped back open as they stared at their glasses in surprise. “I must say, this is pretty good,” Flim said. Flam gave a nod of agreement before taking another drink.
“Sweet, but with a hint of bitterness, and it has a slight kick to it, tell me, what’s in it?”
I gave a smirk as I counted off the ingredients, “Honey, water, some mixed herbs I’m not exactly willing to reveal, and yeast. Do we have a deal?”
They nodded in unison as they refilling their cups, “It should be fairly easy to sell, sweet, flavorful, smooth, it’ll definitely appeal to the masses. It'll make a great kiddie drink. Might even appeal to adults with the right salt added.” They paused for a minute, waiting till they had finished drinking before presenting their hooves. “You’ve got yourselves a deal.”
Matt and I gave them a quick shake. “Glad to hear it, feel free to keep the rest of that bottle and-” I reached under the table and produced another bottle, “Give this a try, it’s called cyser. Same recipe, but with cider instead of water.”
After another session of taste testing and agreeing that they could sell it they finally decided it was time to leave. I gave them a quick farewell, promising to let them know the name of the meadery once everything had been set up. “That went pretty well,” sighed before turning to Matt. “Think I’m gonna lay down for a bit, probably pick the next stack of papers in an hour or so.”
“Good, I think they’ve finished turning an entire acre of Everfree into paperwork… Remember to lift with your knees.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said with a chuckle, giving Matt a final nod before heading upstairs to catch up on my sleep.
(One month later, Golden Oaks Library)
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Sorry about the mess,” I said, gesturing to the papers scattered about the other tables. “I was up late last night going over some things.”
“Ah’m pretty sure that ain’t healthy,” Applejack muttered, earning a nod of agreement from the other ponies gathered.
“It isn’t, but it’s not the first time, and likely won’t be the last.” I picked up a sheet of paper and looked over it. “I just wanted to talk to you all about how the income from the meadery will be split.” I placed the sheet on the table and slid it over to them.
Trace: 25%
Matt: 25%
Sweet Apple Acres: 20%
Supplies: 15%
Flim Flam bros.: 10%
Alex: 5%
“Question, why does Sweet Apple Acres get a higher amount than the cost of supplies?” Honeydew, a golden colored earth pony mare, asked.
“Overall most of the money for supplies will be going into buying honey from you, as bottle, corks and labels are pretty cheap. Not too mention we’ll need apples to make cyser.” I pulled a second sheet out and slid it to them. “Factoring the price range Filthy Rich,” I gave a quick nod to the aforementioned stallion, “Gave me, this should be a reasonably accurate estimate of the monthly income, as well as the amount each party will receive from it.”
Estimated total profit: 2000 bits
Trace: 500
Matt: 500
Sweet Apple Acres-400
Supply costs-300
Flim and Flam-200
Alex-100
Applejack let out a small whistle as her eyes glanced over the page. “You sure this is right? Seems a bit high.”
“What do you think I was doing last night?” I grabbed a stack from a nearby table and began flipping through them. “Each batch will take less than an hour to make, we can make two at a time, and we’ll get about a hundred bottles from every barrel.” I handed the papers to Twilight.
“The estimate comes from the assumption that we sell each bottle at a cost of seven bits each, minus a two bits for tax. Then, through various distributors, we sell at least four hundred bottles a month, which can be easily replaced, we’ll make about two thousand a month.” I leaned back and gestured to Twilight. “Is the math wrong?”
“No,” She replied, looking the papers over several times. “Everything looks to be in order. Though, how are you going to get this much right away?”
“I have a friend in Canterlot that would be willing to buy a few bottles as well,” Filthy Rich said, his calm smile never leaving his face.
“Isn’t the cost a bit high though? It looks like most places will sell it for close to around ten bits a bottle.”
“Well you see Miss Honeydew, mead is a type of wine, and I’ve notice most wines go for more than that, saw a few that were about twenty bits each,” I replied.
She thought about it for a second before nodding, “True, not to mention since you’re the only ones making this stuff, so there’s no real competition.”
“Exactly,” I said before rising. “And some good news, I stopped by Town Hall this morning and was informed that all the paperwork had been approved. Which means all that’s left is to clean out the building and set everything up.”
“I’m still waiting for them to come back and demand the paperwork in triplicate.” Matt cleared his throat and continued in a arrogant voice, “our forms will blot out the sun!”
He finished with a gruff voice, “then we shall write in the shade.”
Ignoring him, I continued, “Speaking of, I think we should get started on the clean up now, sooner we get this done the better.” With a bit of concentration I levitated my staff into my hands before walking to the door. “And once that’s over, I say we have a celebration.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as we finished getting everything set up. It took almost two months, countless hours of paperwork, and over half my savings, but the meadery was complete. “Thanks guys, without your help I wouldn’t have been able to get this done,” I said, turning to Alex, Matt, and the ponies Alex had brought along to help out.
The first of the two ponies I hadn’t met before, a pale blue unicorn stallion named Elusive, wave a hoof dismissively. “Think nothing of it, we were more than happy to help.”
“Eeyup,” the other, a large red earth pony named Big Macintosh, said simply.
Beatrix smiled, "Your mead is a wonderful drink. I know I can barely keep Apple Bloom out of it when she comes over."
"Shucks, Aunty Bea. Y'all said to make myself at home. Anyway, that stuff almost as good as our cider." I chuckled at the filly’s response. It was still a bit weird that children were permitted to drink, but considering ponies had incredibly high alcohol tolerances and instead used salt, it made sense in a way.
Matt was looking over the extensive checklist Twilight had assembled. "Alright. Looks like we've got everything ready. Now, all we need is a name."
“Can I make a suggestion?” An all too familiar high pitched voice piped up. Everyone looked up to find Fei laying on one of the joists in the open space between them and the rafters. “What about ‘Crying Moon’?”
“...The old werewolf legend?” I said, earning confused looks from those around me. “Basic summary, Luna, Goddess of the moon and the hunt on Gaia, fell in love with a mortal.
“This, sadly, was forbidden among the pantheon. Every night, Luna would watch the man as he hunted, shedding a single tear at the knowledge that she could never have him. As she cried, her followers, the lycan, would feel that their goddess was in pain, and in turn would howl up at the moon in sorrow. Touched by their concern, she guided one young pup to a well where her tears had been gathered. Once the pup had reached the well, Luna instructed her to drink from it.
“Upon doing so, the pup gained the ability to draw power from the moon, becoming the first lunar priestess. Since then the priestess of each tribe ventures to the moonwell to “commune” with Luna.” I stopped and rubbed the back of my head. “At least I think that's the story, there are so many variants of it it's hard to tell which is true.”
“Same here, I just thought the name sounded interesting… and because I got bored and made this,” Fei said, dropping a length of wood in front of us.
Turning it over, I found, to no surprise, Crying Moon carved out and covered with silver paint. The symbol in center was odd though, it showed a black full moon with the side profile of a pony, whom I could only assume was Luna, imprinted onto the face of the moon. In keeping with the name, the pony’s eye was closed, and single silver tear rolling down its cheek.
“It’s certainly eye catching,” I muttered absently, turning back to the others, “What do you guys think?”
The young ponies all crowded around excitedly.
Sweetie Belle’s voice squeaked, “I love the silver, and the name is sad but pretty at the same time. I think Rarity would call it… elegant.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed. “I think Sweetie’s right. It’s a mighty fine name.”
Scootaloo buzzed a little off the ground to get a better look. "That's so cool! Is that Luna, Dad? Is that really the Princess?"
Alex reached over and traced the image with his finger tips. He had a hopeful little smile. "I think so, pumpkin." He turned to me, "Trace? You may want to ask her permission, but I can't see her saying no. Especially if you send her a barrel for taste testing."
Dash gave me one of her confident grins, “This is good stuff, and even if the story behind the name is a little creepy, it’s still cool. About the only thing that would make it even better would be a little yellow salt. If you’re sending stuff to Princess Luna, you should also send some to Princess Celestia. You know, so she doesn’t feel left out.”
I shrugged and nodded, “That wouldn’t be a problem, I was already considering it anyway.”
Beatrix and Mac, as always side by side, smiled at each other. Bea spoke in her Trixie voice, “The Great and Powerful Trixie finds the product and the name to be… acceptable. Of course if we had done it it would have been far more spectacular, but this will do.” Everyone chuckled along with her then she spoke in her much warmer normal voice, “The name suits you and the honey wine perfectly.”
Mac’s subsonic baritone agreed, “Eeyup.”
Alex taped Matt on the elbow, “What about you? You worked your ass off on this as much as anyone else. Why don’t you throw in your nickel's worth?”
Matt looked up from his clipboard, placing it carefully on the table, “Me? I just helped out of boredom and pity, no need to bring me into this,” He smiled, “I think it’d be a crying shame not to use that name.”
“Great, Crying Moon it is,” I said with a smile, grabbing the sign and heading for the door. “Let’s set this up, then go celebrate.” I stopped and looked out the window, noticing the already setting sun. “Actually, bit too late for that, guess we could see if Pinkie would be willing to help set up a party tomorrow.”