In the few months I have known and taught Baron Max much has changed in our relationship. It still comes as a surprise to me how much I value him as a colleague and as a friend.
An extract from ‘A report on Baron Mounty Max’s education’, Duchess Fragrant Posey’s report to Princess Luna Equestris
***
“So what did you think?” asked Fragrant Posey.
“Huh,” muttered Max, blinking.
“Max! Have you been paying any attention to what I’ve been saying?”
“Your speech?”
“Yes my speech, the one I asked you to help me polish. Surely it can’t be that boring, can it?”
“No! No, it's good. I still think you should keep the section about the possible benefits to the smaller settlements in Cabelleria, the Mild West, and the like. You don’t really need to go into the numbers that much – make it more about the people. See, I was paying attention!” The real problem had been he had been paying too much attention, he thought guiltily. Fragrant had decided to give her practice run with her back to the rising sun, making the thin floating white summer dress she was wearing almost transparent; it was rather distracting. How odd it was that although most ponies went naked for the majority of the time, it still seemed delightfully taboo to get a hint of what was concealed beneath clothing… particularly what Fragrant kept hidden. In fact he didn’t think he’d ever seen her unclothed. He mentally gave himself a slap on the hoof; he had no right to think about his friend that way. He had hoped that his brief fling with Buttercup, not matter how poorly it had ended, would cool his ardour towards his teacher, but it seemed to have done quite the reverse: he couldn’t help but think of the possibility that they could be more than colleagues one day.
Fragrant dropped into the seat next to him. Her mane flowed down past her face, wafting near his muzzle, and the flowery scent that seemed to come naturally to his companion distracted Max even further. “Unfortunately, it is the numbers,” continued Fragrant, apparently unaware of Max’s state. “Particularly the costs and the gains. Those will be what the majority of the ponies supporting the bill will be looking for.” She leaned forwards gracefully and took a mouthful of spiced vegetables from the plate in front of her.
They were alone in Fragrant’s quarters in Canterlot castle, having just shared a meal while discussing the events of the day. Max was glad that they seemed to have fallen back into a comfortable rhythm – meeting for breakfast, spending most of the day at their own work, then meeting again in the morning once court ended. Fragrant had seemed a little withdrawn and irritable for a while a few weeks ago and he hadn’t seen her as often, but things seemed to return to normal quickly enough. Maybe it had been her time of the year, he thought absently, then had to struggle to try and force the concept of Fragrant in heat out of his mind. Her crawling towards him, sweating, begging for him to administer the cure to her condition.... Distraction!
“I’m sorry if my bill isn’t thrilling,” said Fragrant pointedly.
Max realised he’s gotten lost in his fantasy. “Sorry, no, it’s very interesting.”
“If that’s so, explain it to me.”
“What!”
“Explain what my cloud export bill is about. You need to be able to explain concepts like this to the court and the public. Show me what you’ve learnt.”
“Alright,” said Max, getting to his hooves and stretching before taking the position recently vacated by Fragrant. The mare’s gaze seemed to flow over him for a moment, and a faint smile spread over her face, before she seemed to shake herself and locked her gaze on his eyes.
“Begin,” she ordered, settling back into her seat.
Max opened his mouth. Fragrant had taught him that the right tone of voice could make any topic interesting, even a census report, a fact she had proven by example. He still wondered about the life of Cloudsdale resident 148923; there weren't many earth ponies living on cloud cities and working in the weather factory, particularly who didn’t make much over minimum wage. He didn’t think he was as good at it as she was; still, she had said he had some natural talent in public speaking.
“For several hundred years there have been strict limits on the amount of cloud that is allowed to be exported from Equestria to the neighbouring countries,” he began. “These restrictions were put in place after the great droughts of the early eighth century, caused in part by the fact that the corrupt weather managers of the time could make more profit exporting cloud to countries with less weather magic than keeping them for internal use, despite the high percentage of clouds lost in transport.” Fragrant shuffled a little uncomfortably; some of those corrupt weather managers had been her ancestors. “However, since then weather factory technology has improved so Equestria can easily provide all the cloud it needs and still have plenty to export to its neighbours. In addition, new cloud convoy techniques have reduced the loss of moisture during transport to less than a tenth of that possible even ten years ago.” He remembered Fragrant telling him that; he hadn’t a clue how it all worked but it sounded very interesting. “So you’ve proposed a bill to ease the export restrictions so that next year up to one hundred thousand... um... Okta?” Fragrant nodded. ”Okta of cloud can be exported this year, with the amount to be increased each year based on Weather Ministry data.”
“Good. And why is this a good idea, how does it benefit Equestria?”
“Um… it means that will there be more jobs in the cloud factories to produce the clouds, and ground towns and cities will be able to sell their excess water for export at a premium.” They’d discussed this. Nulpar had quite a bit of untapped water on hoof; it was a shame it was so far away from the normal flight path of the major cloud cities. “Also the export of clouds is taxed, so the crown will have more money to spend on roads and other infrastructure. The extra clouds will help our allies by allowing for further settlement of the Mild West territories and making agricultural areas more productive, allowing increased export of certain foods. Finally it’ll make it less likely that we’ll be attacked, as hostile nations will find it easier to buy our clouds rather than attempt to invade and take them.” He was quite proud of that point; he’d thought of it himself. “Oh, and many of the problems in the Mild West have been disputes over water between settlers and the native Buffalo tribes. This bill may well alleviate those problems.” Max looked over to Fragrant. “How was that?”
“Very good, you have been listening.” Fragrant gave a wide smile causing Max to blush a little. “You could do with changing your terminology based on your audience; how you talked would work with the pony on the street but you would need to change it for experts or the court. Now tell me what is wrong about the bill.”
“Wrong with it? But you told me everything had been worked out? I don’t see how you’d get it wrong.”
“That’s very nice of you to say Max,” said Fragrant, colouring a bit. “But I am the one who proposed this bill and it directly benefits my territories. Of course I think it’s for the best, but about half the court disagree. Why? Tell me what they will argue is wrong with the bill. It’s important to understand both sides of the argument.”
“Oh, um, ok.” Max thought for a moment. Fragrant had been working on the bill for all the time he’d been at court. What had he heard her detractors say about it? “Well, I suppose there’s the problem that we could end up giving away too much of our water and not have enough for ourselves? And don’t you lose some clouds whenever you move them around?”
“We have new techniques to minimise that,” countered Fragrant.
“Oh,” said Max, sounding a little crestfallen.
“But they have not been used on anything of this size or over this distance, so there is a small, very small, chance they might not work.”
“And cloud prices could increase, I suppose, if production doesn’t go up. Oh and maybe the clouds could be hijacked on the way!” He was starting to get into this.
Fragrant looked puzzled for a moment, then scribbled something down on a scroll. “So, do you think this bill is a good thing for Nulpar?”
“Um, I don’t think it affects us all that much – we make most of our own cloud as it is – although it might mean we can sell our water for more, so I think it’s a good thing. I’ll definitely be voting for your bill, duchess.”
“Good, but you must remember that every member of the court has their own agendas. You shouldn't trust what anypony tell you at face value, even me.”
“I, I’m not sure if I believe that. Of course everyone wants the best for our people, but there have to be some things we all agree on. We all want the best for Equestria, don’t we?”
“I... I suppose so Max, it can just be hard to see things that way sometimes,” said Fragrant, slumping in her seat a little. “It’s getting late. Maybe we should call it a day.” She glanced out at the sun, now low in the sky and rising.
“Are you sure you don’t need any more help with the bill?” asked Max, sitting down next to her again. “I really don’t have that much to do right now.”
“I, unfortunately, am rather busy with the court closing at the end of the week. I need to deal with a lot of things while there is still time.”
“So how can I help you?”
Fragrant looked over at the eager stallion next to her. For a moment she visualised him as a large friendly dog. It brought a smile to her face. “Don’t you have that report on what you’ve learned from me to prepare for the Princess?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s mostly done,” he said dismissively.
“Do you want me to look at it before you send it to her?”
“No, I’m sure it’ll be alright, I know how busy you are. Are you sure you don’t need some help?” he asked again.
Fragrant thought for a moment. “Very well.” She ruffled though some papers and took out a list of names, before carefully copying a dozen or so of them into a piece of parchment in her graceful curving mouthwriting. “These are members of the court whose support of my bill seems to be wavering a little,” she said after dropping the quill back on the table. “Talk to them and see how they plan to vote. Find out what they want from me to keep them loyal, if necessary.”
Max frowned a little then nodded. “Fine, I’ll get right on it.”
“You don’t need to get it all done right now. The vote is one of the last of the year, so you have a few days. Oh, are you prepared for the Grand Galloping Gala?” she asked. The Gala was the traditional marker for the end of court for the summer; it was one of the most prestigious events of the year and almost all of the court would normally attend.
“Well, I suppose so, I’m not much for that sort of thing.” He’d actually been looking forwards to it; it would be a chance to see Fragrance in a non-work related setting. Even their after-court sessions were work based really; maybe in a more social setting he could work up the nerve to tell her something that he might regret later. It had worked with Buttercup.
“Are you planning on taking anypony with you?” asked Fragrant. Her voice sounded a little wavery for a moment. She must be tired.
“I was thinking of bringing Mrs Gobhar, actually. I don’t really know anyone else, well apart from you of course, and I think she’d like a night out. And you?” Unless she was keeping it very quiet, he didn’t think Fragrant was with anypony. A wonder by itself – he couldn’t believe stallions weren’t queuing up at the door to take her... take her to the Gala, he meant.
“My brother will be escorting me. I find the Gala very tedious but he always uses the night to make business connections.” She sighed.
“Maybe it’ll be more exciting this year? Well, I’ll see about getting appointments with these ponies then.” He waved the list she had given him. “Good day, see you at breakfast.” He held out his forearms and she trotted over to give him a hug, which might have lasted just a few seconds longer than was proper, but that was probably his imagination.
“Good day, Max.”
The committee system forms the very heart of our government. The fact that small groups of ponies can make decisions which can affect the whole of Equestria only highlights the responsibility of being a courtier. Unfortunately they can sometimes be mind numbingly boring rather mundane.
An extract from ‘What I learned at court’, Baron Mounty Max’s report to Princess Luna Equestris
Draft version
***
“Now moving onto issue twelve on today's itinerary,” rumbled the meeting’s Chairmare, Countess Fillybuster. “The issue relating to Ponyville and its ‘alleged’ attack by a minion of Corona. The town has made a claim to the Royal Emergency Management Fund for a sum of approximately nine hundred thousand bits.”
Duchess Fragrant Posey’s ears pricked up at the news. She had only been half listening to the meeting so far; she had been considering Max’s words from this morning. He wasn’t taking a mare to the Gala, so maybe she should ask him to escort her? Thundering could miss a year. He already had all the political connections he’d ever need. She’d tried to ask Max out before, but she had been a few hours late then – he’d just started to date Buttercup – if she delayed again she might miss out again. She had been surprised by the strength of her reaction when she thought she’s lost him; she had been crushed. What if he said no? What if he got together with Buttercup again? She couldn’t stand those feelings twice.
Shaking her head, she focused on the meeting. She had been aware that the matter of Ponyville was due to be discussed in this meeting, but given the size of the request, she was surprised that the matter had been raised this close to the end of the meeting. She was apparently not the only one, as a general rumble passed around the other seven committee members.
“Excuse me,” said Marquis Jet Stream. “But what do you mean by ‘alleged’? Given the large sum being requested surely an investigation has been carried out into the event? Was this an attack by Corona or not?”
Fragrant was sure the attack had been real; she had a certain amount of personal knowledge of the event. Her niece Fluttering Posey happened to be resident in Ponyville, and upon hearing of the disaster, Fragrant had checked upon her safety as soon as possible. Fluttering’s house was far enough outside the town that it had not been affected by the riot, and due to her nature, the shy filly had not attended the fair at which the ‘curse’ had started. Still, she had passed on the second hoof reports she had received from her friend Rainbow Dash, and they broadly matched the details provided by the town authorities.
The Countess glanced nervously at Viceroy Night Light where he sat, a short distance from the rest of the committee. “Well, you see...” she began.
“The town’s authorities claim that they were affected by a ‘curse’,” interrupted Night Light. He spoke calmly and quietly but still the entire room fell silent for him. “Which caused widespread drunkenness and lawlessness throughout the town. However, it appears that the alleged culprit, despite being captured by a number of foals,” he raised an eyebrow at this, “managed to escape before she could be brought to justice.”
Fragrant frowned at this. It was unusual for Night Light to appear in person at hearings of this committee. As the minister in charge of emergency management, it was his right to appear at any such hearing – in the same way that she could appear at any meeting of her own weather ministry – but he was a very busy pony; in most cases he delegated the responsibility. “Surely we have evidence of the damage to the town if nothing else?” she asked.
“There have been certain reports provided by the town’s representative, a Trixie Lulamoon,” reported Fillybuster.
Fragrant scowled at the mention of representative Lulamoon. She had not been fond of Trixie when she was a resident of Canterlot. Despite being granted significant opportunity by the Princess, the young unicorn seemed to be content to waste the chance on petty self-aggrandisement. It seemed she had only gotten worse since moving to Ponyville and having become the bearer of the element of magic. Fluttering had reported that the representative had on several occasions harassed her, in one case even resorting to the petty theft of one of her niece’s beloved animals.
“But they are not entirely consistent,” continued Fillybuster. “It may be that the damage is not as severe as was first thought and was caused by meer drunken hijinks without any magical source. It would not be the first time such events have gotten out of hoof.”
Fragrant considered for a moment. She could easily see Trixie exaggerating such a matter to draw attention to herself, but she did not think she would make up such a thing by herself. “Although further investigation may be needed into this matter, we are supposed to be an emergency fund and as such we need to act with a certain alacrity. I see that this matter was already delayed from our last meeting the day before yesterday. Maybe we should release a small amount of funds in the short term to ensure essential services continue? Say fifty thousand bits, while further investigation is carried out?” she suggested.
“That sounds reasonable to me,” said Marquis Jet Stream, to Fragrant’s surprise. The mare was one of her biggest rivals at court, and although she had been trying to build bridges recently, it was still unexpected for her to agree with her.
Once again Fillybuster glanced over to Night Light. “I do not think it would be a good idea to be seen as an easy touch in this matter,” said the Viceroy. “This is not the first time Ponyville has requested aid from the fund on somewhat tenuous grounds. I would suggest that we delay a decision until the next meeting; it is only two days and would allow for further investigation into this matter. Don’t you agree, Lady Chairpony?” He swung his gaze around the room as if challenging those present to disagree.
“I call for a vote on delaying a decision on issue twelve until we can reconvene,” said Fillybuster almost automatically.
“I second it,” piped up Baron Starborn, the most junior member of the committee.
“All those in favour?” Instantly the majority of the room raised a hoof. Fragrant considered for a moment. She was confused by the events; normally there would be far more discussion before making such a decision. It seemed that Night Light have some personal issue in this matter, and although he was generally known as a fair and just stallion, it could be dangerous to stand against him until she knew more about what was happening. Plus she didn’t think another two days would cause much more harm in this case. She slowly raised a hoof. “And against?” No hooves were raised. “Good, those in favour have it, the matter will be tabled for the next meeting. And that concludes our itinerary for today. Unless anypony has any additional business, we can all go our own ways.”
As the various committee members and their staff got up to leave, Fragrant took a note. There was something going on here and she wanted to know what it was.
Despite the powers granted to each member of the court, we are strongest when we work together. It is always handy to have a few allies around you. Duchess Fragrant Posey has personally helped me far more than I can ever repay.
An extract from ‘What I learned at court’, Baron Mounty Max’s report to Princess Luna Equestris
Draft version
***
It was Fragrant’s first instinct to try and contact Vicereine Wallflower about her fellow viceroy’s actions, but she was currently away from court. Some incident on the Griffin borders, up near Latigo apparently, required the foreign minister’s personal attention, and both she and her wife had left to deal with the matter. She was apparently touring some of the smaller settlement in the area, making even contact via telegraph spotty. Although an unusual situation, this was not entirely unprecedented.
However, at the same time the Princess herself was also out of contact; although still present in Canterlot, Luna was apparently incommunicado, dealing with some issue raised by the Ministry of Magic; something about the possibility of using lay line shifts to try and locate Corona, which required almost all of her attention.
Finally, even Vicereine Puissance was busy; having been granted a letter of proxy while the Princess was otherwise occupied, she was in effective command of Equestria. Fragrant had requested an audience, but had been told that it would be almost a week before the vicereine would be available. Again this seemed odd; for all her faults, Puissance was an excellent administrator. Even given how busy court got just before summer recess, she would normally be freer than this.
Any one, even two, of these events could be chalked up as happenstance, but all three at once had to be planned. Some force was preventing her from talking to anyone in power about her suspicions, and she was increasingly sure that force had a name... Night Light.
But why?
The Baron has been rather slow to form bonds with many of his peers, which is understandable given the differences in upbringing between Baron Max and many other courtiers. However, the few nobles he has befriended, myself included, have become strong allies. In some cases the relationships may be a little too strong.
An extract from ‘A report on Baron Mounty Max’s education’, Duchess Fragrant Posey’s report to Princess Luna Equestris
***
The meetings with the first few nobles on Max’s list went well. Although they had one or two grumbles about the cloud export bill, they were easy enough to appease. It was quite interesting to talk to various other members of the court and find out about them. There were over two hundred and forty courtiers, and he supposed he’d only ever really talked to a handful of them in the half year he had spent here so far. This mission was turning out to be an education. It occurred to him that Fragrant might have planned this job for just that reason; she did take good care of his development like the Princess had asked, so he really should try and do something for her in return as thanks for all the time and effort she put into him. All the evenings she suffered through his rambling stories of his life, fixing his mistakes, helping him… it was a wonder she put up with him. Even if nothing happened between them at the Gala, maybe he could take her out somewhere? A meal? A show? A dance? But would that be considered improper?
Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, he looked down at his list. Who was next? Oh, he thought, Baron Fields. Normally he’d enjoy spending an hour or so chatting with the old stallion, but things had been rather rocky between them for the last few weeks, since... since that thing with Buttercup. He didn’t like to think about what had happened, and what he had had to do. As far as he knew, Rolling himself didn’t know everything, but he certainly knew that something had been happening between Max and his daughter, something that wasn’t happening any more. Max sighed. Still, he had a job to do; hopefully the two of them could be professional in this matter. Let the old stallion hate him personally, but they should be able to co-operate about court business.
With leaden hooves, Max started to make his way to the Baron’s small office. It was in a busy part of the castle, a testament to the many years’ service he’d made to the crown, and Max was jostled by a number of servants coming the other way before he reached the door. He paused for a moment before knocking gently.
“Come in!” came Buttercup’s silky voice from within. Max steeled himself before opening the door and stepping in.
Buttercup looked up from her work with a smile which quickly faded as she noted who had entered. “Oh,” she said, her gaze dropping to the ground. “Good evening, Baron Max,” she said formally.
“Good evening, Butt... Lady Fields.” That felt awkward to his tongue. They remained in a painful silence for a moment while Max shuffled his hooves. “Um, can I speak to the baron,” he said at last. “I have some business with him.”
“Oh, well, I think he’s free at the moment.” She gestured to the inner door. “He might be napping.”
“How is he?”
“He’s... he’s ok, the effects of the...” She glanced around nervously as if somepony might be watching. “Of the treatment have worn off. He has more bad days than he used to, but they’re not that bad...” The word yet hung in the air. “He sleeps more, he’s started to miss meetings.” She blinked away the moisture starting to gather in her eyes. Max so wanted to hug her but he didn’t think that would be for the best. She looked up at him again. “Couldn’t I?” she begged. “Just once more, so he makes it to the end of the court? It’s only a few days now.”
“No,” said Max gently. “You know what we agreed, that’s a bad idea.”
“I know but... but... you’re right. I did what you asked. He... he’s already handed in his letter of resignation to the Princess, he’s standing down from his position and passing it to me.”
“Oh, well, congratulations, I suppose.”
She looked up at him. “I didn’t want it this way, you know.”
“I know, but now you can honour him, show him what he taught you. He’ll be so proud.”
“I suppose so. I’m going to hold a party for him to celebrate all he’s done in court. It’s in a few days and I’d like you to come.”
“Oh.” Max was rather surprised by that; he’d have thought Buttercup would have preferred him out of her life. “I’d like that, thanks. Is there anything I can do to help you with it?”
“Well, um, there is one thing that you or maybe Duchess Posey could do.” She paused for a moment. “You know father has always had a certain... appreciation for Vicereine Puissance? Well, it would mean the world to him if she’d come and maybe speak at the party. I’ve tried to ask her but she’s so busy at the moment, and she sort of scares me,” she admitted.
Max frowned, he’d not really had much to do with the vicereine, and he didn’t think Fragrant did either, but he could at least try. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks. You should probably go and talk to Dad now.” She gestured towards the door.
Max nodded and pushed it open. Inside the office, Baron Fields was slumped over his desk and snoring gently, a pool of drool starting to obliterate a sheet of parchment. Max closed the door and coughed loudly, rousing the old stallion.
“Hum? Err... what is it?” he asked as he sat up and blinked a few times. “Who are you? Oh, Moxy, isn’t it? What are you here for?” he asked in confusion.
“I’m here to talk to you about Duchess Posey’s cloud export bill,” said Max politely.
“That can’t be right.” He frowned. “I went to Autumn Posey’s funeral.”
“Um, it’s Fragrant Posey’s bill I’m talking about, sir.”
“Fragrant? I suppose that’s right, with her mother dead she’d be taking over. I hope it all turns out alright – she’s rather young, and after all that fuss in the press.” He gazed at Max again and his eyes seemed to focus. ”You!” he exclaimed. “What did you do to my daughter?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t...?” said Max in surprise as the older stallion struggled to his hooves.
“She was happy you know, very happy, then you left and she cried! She doesn’t know I saw her but she was crying! You made a mare, made my daughter cry! That is caddish behaviour and I will not stand for it.” The Baron stood tall in front of Max and for a moment he thought the old stallion might take a swing at him. “What was she to you? A game? An attempted notch on your bedpost?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I’m sorry but we just didn’t work out. I’m sorry if she cried!” Max’s ears drooped. He thought it was more likely Buttercup had been crying about her father rather than him, but he still didn’t want her to be distressed.
Rolling examined Max for a moment and then relaxed a little, his hooves starting to shake. He slumped back into his seat. “I... I think I believe you, Mix, but that doesn’t mean I like you.” He glared. “Now what was it you were here for?”
“Oh, Fragrant’s cloud export bill. You agreed to vote for it but she’s heard that you had some reservations. I’m here to talk to you about it.”
“Oh, that. No, I’m in her camp. I was just a little angry when I found out about you and Buttercup. I was shooting my mouth off.”
“So you’re definitely following the duchess then?”
“Yes, I don’t know how they move the clouds without losing them but I’ve had ponies much smarter than me look at the numbers and they think it’ll work, so I’m on board.”
“Thank you sir. I’m glad you can put aside the, um, thing between me and your daughter.”
“Well, personal is not the same as important, lad. I don’t like you much right now, but if you propose something for the betterment of my people or Equestria, then I need to put aside my own feelings and do what’s right.” The stallion sighed and seemed to shrink a little. “I’ve made the mistake of mixing up my own feelings and what’s good for Equestria enough times to have learned that by now.”
There was a drawn out silence while Max tried to think of something to say. Rolling eventually beat him to it. “If that’s all lad, I have work to get on with.”
“Yes, thank you, I don’t want to take up any more of your time.”
Rolling grunted as he turned back to his desk while Max made his way back to the outer office.
“How did it go?” asked Buttercup from her desk.
“Oh, well enough. He’s supporting Posey’s bill. He said you’d been crying… I’m sorry.”
She stiffened slightly. “I didn’t think he saw that. It’s just been so hard with him and... things. I need to stop that, I need to be stronger if I’m going to be a baroness. My ponies will depend on me.”
“Well, you don’t need to be strong by yourself. Remember, there are others out there. We might not be, er, together, but I’ll still be here if you need a friend.”
“Thank you, Mounty,” said Buttercup, giving a small smile.
“That’s alright, but I better be off. I’ll see if I can talk to Puissance somewhere about your father’s party.” With that he made for the door, passing a pale green unicorn stallion with far too much hair gel coming the other way.
Perhaps Duchess Posey’s finest attributes are is her legs mane the limpid pools of her eyes her unwavering morality; she always does her best for the people of Equestria, regardless of the personal cost.
An extract from ‘What I learned at court’, Baron Mounty Max’s report to Princess Luna Equestris
Draft version
***
The next meeting of the Emergency Fund committee came around quickly, and this time it did not come as a surprise to Fragrant that Night Light once again decided to take part in the proceedings and that the Ponyville issue once again found itself near the bottom of the schedule. She had spent some time trying to find more about the situation, which had turned out to be harder than it should be. Information seemed to be sketchy and contradictory. The representative and town council reports indicated significant damage to large sections of the town, whereas the reviews carried out by members of the ministry of the interior suggested the matter was less serious. However, she had managed to get her hooves on the report by the local weather manager; even this had apparently been misfiled. It was only her standing order that she obtain a copy of any report that Rainbow Dash made that allowed her to see it. The report indicated that the local cloud silo had been breached during the rioting, resulting in a near total loss of its contents, and that the local weather team had resorted to wing crafting cloud from water vapour, a painstaking process rarely used in the days of weather factories. Given the town subsisted primarily on agriculture, such efforts would never produce the amount of rain needed to keep the crops growing.
“Now, I think we should all pay careful consideration to the situation in Hornton,” announced Countess Fillybuster almost painfully slowly. “The fire there may have been brought under control quickly, but the damage to the town centre was still quite significant as you can see from the reports. However, it is also clear that the town’s firefighting equipment was poorly maintained, so it may be argued that the damage was their own fault and as such....”
Normally issues like these were open and shut cases, a quick discussion followed by a vote and done in less than half an hour. Now Fillybuster seemed to need to draw everything out into exhaustive detail. She was purposely delaying things to try and ensure they couldn’t get to the Ponyville issue in the time available. Did Night Light really hate the town that much? She was aware of the altercation his daughter had caused there, but to take it out on the town, that seemed so unlike him. Wallflower had warned her that the situation might unbalance him but this... she needed to do something about this.
“Excuse me, Madam Chairmare, but I believe I have heard enough to call for an immediate vote on this issue,” said Fragrant, interrupting the mare’s rambling and breaking protocol.
“Oh,” Fillybuster glanced over at Night Light again, who frowned slightly.
“I second,” agreed Countess Shadowkicker. “There really is no need for all of this.”
“Very well,” said Fillybuster calling an immediate vote on the issue.
Fragrant did all she could to rush through the next half a dozen points on the agenda, until the issue of Ponyville was finally tabled.
“Now, this issue was adjourned to allow time for further investigation to be carried out into the situation,” said Fillybuster. “Further reports have been submitted, as you can see.” She passed out several documents to the committee members. “A delegation from the ministry of magic examined the so called ‘cursed’ drinks and found only low levels of pony magic in them, unlikely to be sufficient to effect the whole population of the town – in fact, the magic has been identified by its resonance to have come from representative Lulamoon herself.” There was a rumble of discontent around the table. “Further reports show that the damage caused to the town may not be as widespread as previously thought. As you can see, several areas suffered only the most superficial of damage. In addition reports from the weather patrol indicate that although some of the cloud stock was lost it should not take long to replenish the supply.”
Fragrant frowned. The report Fillybuster had just passed her was not the same as the one she had obtained personally. Looking between the two she noticed several subtle but significant differences: yearly figures converted to monthly, losses shown as gains. If she was not aware of Rainbow Dash’s personal writing style, she would have thought it to be correct; Cloudia’s daughter had not inherited her mother’s neat mouth writing. Who within her ministry had been bought to produce this copy? She sighed. Who had betrayed her? She glanced up at Night Light as the rest of the committee digested the new evidence provided to them.
“Viceroy?” she asked, trying to keep her tone level. “Might it be possible to have a word with you? In private.”
His eyes narrowed for a moment, then he nodded. “Of course, duchess. Maybe now would be a good time for a break? To give us a chance to stretch our legs?”
Several of the ponies around the table looked up in surprise, but slowly nodded their agreement before trotting out of the room, chatting to each other.
“Now what did you want to say to me, duchess?” asked Night Light nonchalantly, once the room was empty.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“Doing what?”
“Delaying aid to Ponyville, doctoring the reports. Why?”
“Maybe you should be very careful about what you’re saying, Duchess Posey. Such talk could be very dangerous.”
Fragrant was taken aback. “Are you threatening me, Viceroy?”
“Threatening you? Of course not. If I was threatening you I could point out that you have put quite a lot of effort into your cloud export bill and that if, for instance, somepony of my standing were to suggest my supporters vote against it then it would have no chance of passing and all that effort would be wasted. Or that I am aware how much the ponies of your city are depending on the employment the bill would stimulate, if it passes. But of course I am not threatening you so I will not.” He gave a thin smile.
Fragrant blinked. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Night Light could do that; he wouldn’t even have to publically announce his opposition, only a few words in the right ears and her bill would fail. “Why?” she asked again, trying to stop her voice wavering. Her mind was racing. Night Light had always stood aloof from the games of the court; he could afford to, as given his power few could harm him. It was unknown for him to act like this – what could have caused it?
“Lulamoon,” hissed Night Light, a snarl crossing his face. “It’s her fault that my Twilie... my daughter is missing, is a fugitive, could be dead!”
“But the whole town...” How could this be happening, thought Fragrant. She had always admired Night Light; although a little distant he had always seemed an honourable pony. But to take his anger at her daughter’s action out on a whole town of innocent ponies, how could he have come to this?
“That is... unfortunate, but it shouldn’t be long before they realise how infective Trixie is as a representative and ask the Princess to replace her. Come now, you have no love for the representative, given how she’s treated your niece. And think of all the good your bill can do for your people, for all of Equestria.”
Fragrant wondered for a moment how Night Light knew about Trixie’s actions towards Fluttering, but he was right – increased efficiency in the cloud factories had resulted in many of her people losing their jobs; the increase in production that export would require would reemploy them, and what loyalty did she have to Ponyville and to Trixie? A nagging voice sounding somewhat like Max pointed out that she was supposed to be protecting all of Equestria, not just her own city, but she tried to push it aside.
“You will stop your interference as soon as Trixie is punished?” she asked weakly.
Night Light nodded. “I will personally do all I can to help Ponyville once she is removed.”
“Very well,” said Fragrant, her guts knotting. There was no way out of this; even if she could contact Luna or one of the other Viceroys, Night Light could still ruin her. “I will support you.”
“Excellent! You will not regret this.”
But she already was as the other committee members slowly returned. Fillybuster quickly ran though the ‘evidence’ against Ponyville and after a brief discussion during which Fragrant didn’t say a word she called for a vote. One by one the committee members raised their hooves to support the rejection of Ponyville’s request for aid. “And you, Duchess Posey?” asked Fillybuster at last. “How do you vote?”
“I... I...” stuttered Fragrant feeling a little sick. “I vote to reject Ponyville’s request for aid.”
“Then it is unanimous,” announced the Chairmare as Night Light looked on smiling. “Now onto the last matter for the day, the request from Hoofington in Caneighda...”
***
Fragrant didn’t sleep well that day, or the day after. She lay awake twisting and turning, running the events of the committee over and over in her head. Was there something else she could have done? Could she have been a stronger pony? Stood up to Night Light? But where would that have left her? Whichever way she went, somepony suffered. Cloudsdale was much larger than Ponyville; it was for the greater good of the greater number. It was the right thing to do. But why did it feel so bad?
This was Trixie’s fault. If she hadn’t humiliated Twilight Sparkle she wouldn’t have run amok in Ponyville and her father wouldn’t have vowed revenge and none of this would have happened. She even bullied poor Fluttering for some reason. For some sort of twisted sense of fun? To try and get at Fragrant herself? How had such a terrible mare become the Princesses student? Become the element of magic? It was her fault.
But it didn’t help salve her conscience. Regardless of what Trixie had done – what Night Light had threatened – she shouldn’t have done what he asked. She should have been a stronger pony, a braver pony, a more moral pony. Max wouldn’t have given in to him; even if all of Nulpar had been on the line, he would have stood up for what was right. He was so much better than she was; thick-headed, impulsive and blind to what was right under his muzzle, but still so much better that she was. He wouldn’t have given in like she had, wouldn’t have done a lot of things she’d done. She felt a sharp phantom pain in her abdomen. She didn’t deserve him if she was capable of things like this.
She used to think she was a good pony, that she was better than many of the courtiers, but all it took was a little pressure and she crumbled. Did it mean anything that she felt bad about it? Was it worse to be so used to corruption that it seemed normal or to know it was wrong and do it anyway? She didn’t know, but she couldn’t imagine feeling worse than this.
***
The vote on the cloud export bill was now only two nights away, and as he had promised Night Light was not opposing the bill and had even spoken as to its benefits, causing many wavering courtiers to swing in Fragrance’s favour. Max was still working on a few unsure parties. It looked like the matter was in the bag but she couldn’t afford to be complacent; thus when she heard from her ally, Duke Sands, that Viscount Blueblood was planning to try and recruit courtiers to oppose her bill, she decided to confront him in person. Although a foalish fop most of the time, the Viscount's family history gave him contacts with most of the court. Although it was unlikely his movement would gain much support, it was a possibility, so she decided to visit him in person to deal with the matter before it could gain any momentum. Plus it was something to take her mind off of her previous acts.
She was just taking a short cut across one of the castle’s courtyards when she caught sight of a young blue unicorn mare with a white and blue mane. Normally she would not give such a sight a second glance – the colouring was not unusual – but the figure was wearing a purple cloak and hat both studded with stars. There was only one individual who commonly dressed like that, and she was the source of much of the pain in Fragrant’s life at the moment. “Representative Lulamoon!” she called, trying to keep the ire from her voice.
Trixie muttered something under her breath as she turned, looking exasperated, then she made a double take staring at Fragrant. “Fluttershy?” she exclaimed.
Fragrant knew there was a certain family resemblance between her and her niece, something the press had certainly picked up on, but only a fool would mix them up – she was almost twice Fluttering’s age. Was Trixie trying to bait her? Maybe there was nothing she could do about Night Light’s plan, maybe Trixie even deserved it, but she could certainly make her stop harassing poor Fluttering. “Miss Lulamoon, do you know who I am?”
“No,” replied Trixie rather exasperatedly.
“Duchess Fragrant Posey. I am the head of the Royal Ministry of Weather Management, and I am here with a demand: Leave my niece alone.”
Trixie looked confused. “Who?” she asked.
“My niece,” Fragrant clarified, “Fluttering Posey. I have twice heard you mentioned in letter written to me by her, and it was not in a flattering light.”
Trixie shook her head. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about – ”
“Please, Miss Lulamoon, do not lie. I know it was you who threatened to drag her from her home on the Longest Night.” Poor Fluttering had been more traumatized by that than Corona’s return, her letter had even suggested she might move! “And she got a very good look at you when you stole one of her chickens, and then returned it a week later with the poor thing’s back plucked!” Fragrant scowled and took a step closer to the blue unicorn. “I don’t know what intimidations you are trying to play with my family, but – ”
“Fluttershy?” exclaimed Trixie as if suddenly struck by an idea.
Fragrant staggered back in surprise. “Ooh… I’ve always hated that nickname that Rainbow Dash gave it to her. Fluttering likes it, I suppose, but it seems so insulting… but yes, Fluttering is my niece.”
Trixie’s eyes widened. “Fluttershy’s real name is Fluttering Posey?” she cried.
“Indeed,” said Fragrant, looking Trixie up and down. Was it possible the unicorn was really as dense as she acted? Did she just randomly bully vulnerable ponies? “So please, Miss Lulamoon. Fluttering detests the Night Court and wants nothing to do with it. Leave her alone, or I am afraid I will have to take steps to protect my family.”
“Like what?” demanded Trixie, her voice becoming shrill. “Somepony’s already printed lies about me in the newspaper! My home is already literally falling apart! Night Light already wants my blood! What could you possibly do? I guess my own family hasn’t been touched yet… you’re going to go after them? Go after my cousins? My aunt and uncle?”
“I beg your pardon?” gasped Fragrant, she would never hurt another ponies family, but... wasn’t that what she was doing, going along with Night Lights plan? Even if Trixie was to blame for Twilight Sparkle’s actions, the ponies of Ponyville were innocent; how could she be allowing them to be harmed?
“My life has been going straight into the sun ever since I became a Representative!“ said Trixie, continuing her rant. “If it’s not Greengrass trying to screw over my friends, it’s Night Light starving Ponyville, and somepony has been printing lies about me in the newspaper, bet that’s Greengrass too… or was that you? Giving me a taste of what you’d do if I didn’t listen to you?” Trixie stomped up to Fragrant. “For your information, Duchess, Fluttershy and I are friends!”
Fragrant found her current train of thought derailed, “What?” she asked. How could that be possible? Fluttering didn’t make friends easily and she couldn’t imagine her associating with somepony as brash at Trixie. But... but if it were true then it could be a sign that her niece was getting better! She did mention she had talked to one of the local farmers in her most recent letter.
Trixie sighed. “Last month,” she said. “Me and my friend Carrot Top have this monthly spa appointment. And Carrot Top is friends with Fluttershy and recently managed to convince Fluttershy to go to the spa too. But Carrot Top isn’t exactly swimming in cash, so she arranged things for me and Fluttershy to meet there, turn it into a big spa party thing. We got to talking – well, okay, I did most of the talking – and I apologized for scaring her at the Longest Night, which I didn’t mean to do, and for stealing her chicken, which I had a really good but very private reason for.” Trixie shuffled in place. “Maybe 'friend' is too strong a word…but I don’t think she hates me. And I don’t hate her. I didn’t even know she was a Posey!”
Fragrant tried to decide if Trixie was telling the truth or not. “I haven’t heard from her for a few months…” she mused. Well, apart from the quick check she’d made after she’d heard about the Ponyville disaster; she had been a little worried that Fluttering might have been retreating even from her aunt. “Can you prove this, Miss Lulamoon?”
Trixie opened her mouth when suddenly a white mare seemed to appear next to them almost as if she had teleported, although her lack of a horn put the lie to that idea. “Begging your pardon, Miss Lulamoon, Duchess Posey,” the newcomer said bowing. “But I was sent by Duke Greengrass. An important matter has come up concerning the weather patterns in Caneighda, and he needs to see you immediately.”
Fragrant scowled at the duke’s name – she was still unhappy with how he’d played her and Max during the Builder vote. Still, it might be something important; there had been a number of cloudjacking incidents in his province recently, plus she needed to think over what Trixie had said, both about Fluttering and Night Light’s actions. “Miss…Notary, isn’t it? I will be along presently, then.”
“Thank-you, Duchess,” said Notary said with another bow.
Fragrant, meanwhile, turned back to Trixie. “It is possible that I was in error, Miss Lulamoon,” she said. “If that is the case, then I apologize. But I demand an apology in return for your saying that I would resort to the same base tactics that I was wrongly accusing you of.” Liar hissed her inner Max, just because it is Night Light who has masterminded the plot against Ponyville rather than you doesn’t make your hooves any cleaner. Her lack of action was still harming the innocent, she should be the one apologizing. “When I said that I... I would take steps, I meant only that I would ask Princess Luna to intervene if it proved necessary.” Which is just what she should have done when she found out what Night Light was doing.
Trixie looked rebellious for a moment then bowed her head. “I’m sorry, duchess.” Fragrant blinked then nodded back. The Trixie she had known would never have apologised; maybe she had changed. She had much to think about, she thought as she followed Notary.