Artex, Razor, and Oriana were all sitting around in their suite in the Royal Palace with their papers spread out evenly on the floor in front of them. They had spent the previous day interviewing potential families for the Human baby who was being given up for adoption. They had been so tired when they returned to the Palace that they all agreed that any discussions could wait until the morning. Their suite was one of the Diplomatic styles of suites with multiple beds. They had awoken and ordered their breakfast to their suite then spent the day debating back and forth about who was the best candidate.
They had eliminated all but three families,
"So we're down to the Red Sky and Dusky Withers herd, the Light Cloud and Sweet Shimmer herd, or Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis." Artex said, "Let's list off the pros and cons of each one and decide from there. Let's each chose one family for each of us to represent then list off the positive and negative parts of the families and herds."
Oriana cleared her throat and spoke first,
"Pro: Red Sky and Dusky Withers had a herd which was already established. Pro: their herd had Ponies of all three common Equestrian tribes. Pro: they already have foals. Pro: they are financially stable. Pro: their foals were well-behaved and had no obvious fear of any of the adults. Pro: they have the mentality of openness and acceptance." she sighed and continued, "Con: they live quite a distance away and would encounter some measure of difficulty moving to New Humansville as quickly as we would like. Con: the adults have busy schedules but were honest enough to state that the specialized treatment would likely present a challenge. Con: they already have four foals so their attention will already be divided."
Razor bit her lower lip,
"I can't argue with that. Alright I'll take the Light Cloud and Sweet Shimmer herd. Pro: already established herd. Pro: they have adults of all three tribes. Pro: they have foals of all three tribes. Pro: they seemed to be an extremely caring and warm herd." she paused and took a breath before continuing, "Con: their financial situation is not the very best. Con: they are integral to their community and would have a great deal of trouble moving to New Humansville. Con: Flankfurt, their home town, is the one place where I would feel hesitant about having a Human grow up. Con: there is only one local doctor who cannot really be spared for the specialized training needed for the baby." she sighed, "I think it's safe to say we can count them out."
Artex nodded,
"Yeah, sorry to say but I agree. I will speak for Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis then. Pro: they are financially stable and then some. Pro: they are a much closer match to what Humans are used to and will be easier for the other Humans of New Humansville to accept. Pro: they have the time to learn about the specialized needs of a Human baby. Pro: they will have no difficulty moving to New Humansville. Pro: Fleur-de-lis has actual medical training and experience with little ones. Pro: because of Fleur-de-lis' medical connections they will be able to select the best doctors and nurses to go to New Humansville. Pro: they have no foals yet so their attention will be on their only child. Pro: because they have no foals everything will be new and fresh to them and they won't have any of the preconceived notions about how to raise a baby, well for Fancy Pants anyway. Pro: they have already expressed they are willing to jump through a plethora of hoops to meet our standards. Pro: their dedication cannot be questioned since they are still married but never... consummated their relationship." Artex took a breath and pursed his lips, "Con: they are both Unicorns so if they raise the baby they will only be able to teach Unicorn customs, and that is a big negative. Con: they may end up doting and spoiling the child. Con: they admitted to procrastinating about setting their affairs in order until the last minute. Con: because Fleur-de-lis has experience with foals and some medical training she might be somewhat hesitant about taking the baby to an actual doctor and instead attempt an amateur diagnosis, which could be disastrous. Con: they're rich. Con:..."
"Artex stop." Razor interrupted him, "What does them being rich have to do with anything? I know some, heck many rich Ponies have bad attitudes, but I never saw any of that from them. I don't think being rich is a negative just because they are rich."
Oriana nodded her head,
"Yes, did you not say that you heard Fancy Pants tell Fleur-de-lis that they couldn't change the rules just for them? It sounds like they are exactly the kinds of rich Ponies we would want instead of the snobs."
Artex held up his hands,
"Alright I surrender on that account, cease fire." he waved his hands, "I don't like the rich, but..." he looked like the words were almost painful for him, "I'll admit that I might be a tiny bit biased against the rich." he shook his head, "Anyway, Con:..." he trailed off, "I... I can't seem to think of any more."
Razor blinked back momentarily then cleared her throat,
"Well then, let's compare pros and cons."
Oriana smiled and looked down at her notes,
"Six pros and three cons for Red Sky and Dusky Withers' herd. Ten pros and four cons for Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis. The ratio or pros against cons is in favor of Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis. By simple numbers Red Sky and Dusky Withers' herd has less but also less pros as well." Oriana huffed out a breath, "Let's take a short break and walk around for a while to clear our heads then we can come back and vote."
Razor and Artex nodded in agreement,
"I'm going to take a stroll around the gardens." Razor said.
"I'd actually like to take a look around Canterlot. I haven't had any real chance to just take it in." Artex claimed.
Oriana seemed to agree,
"I believe I will as well."
Artex frowned slightly,
"We should stay away from each other while we clear our heads. I won't be walking with you through the city." at seeing Oriana's injured look, he was quick to explain, "Just so we can ensure that our votes are not influenced by each other. We all have to be completely objective about this. Tell you what, after we vote and come to an agreement about which family will adopt, how about we all go out on a casual date?"
Oriana and Razor both perked up significantly,
"Sounds good to me." Razor quipped.
"I would like that very much." Oriana added.
"Alright then, it's about eleven in the morning right now, let's meet back up here at five this evening. We'll vote then enjoy a nice dinner together." Artex said.
* * *
Artex was well more than prepared for all the looks he received walking down the streets of Canterlot. The vast majority of the Ponies looked at him, many even stopped and stared. He didn't mind, he was out to see the city and take in the sights while he contemplated which of the two families were best choice for the adoption. He was leaning very strongly toward Red Sky and Dusky Withers' herd. They were a good example of what a herd should be to his eyes and if Razor or Oriana thought otherwise they never voiced such an opinion. Artex didn't have a 'problem' with Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis personality wise, but the fact that they were rich set his teeth on edge. He had a very poor opinion of the rich and several experiences with rich Humans back on Earth had never once altered his opinion, if anything it strengthened it. He did try to be objective, but even so he found himself drifting toward the family herd.
His eyes swept slowly over every store front and display as he walked down the streets. Clothiers, jewelry shops, restaurants of all types and calibers, bookstores, blacksmith shops too, if you could imagine paying bits for something you could find a store for it, except brothels there were no brothels. Feeling peckish he sighted in on a small eatery that had the most delightful smells coming from within. It had a picture of a fish laid out over a bed of greens painted above the door and the name of the restaurant was painted in bright golden letters above that: The World's Cuisine.
The restaurant was not a colossal affair, a simple white stone, one story building with a series of large square windows along the front and the double doors in the front were made of well polished wood. Fortunately the doorway was sized appropriately for Minotaurs so height was not an issue. It was nestled between a store which proudly displayed the fact that it sold pillows made out of Pegasi down and another shop which made saddlebags. The World's Cuisine was arguably one of the most simple and unassuming buildings Artex had yet seen in Canterlot.
Artex was thrilled at the idea of trying new foods and his thoughts drifted back to Razor Wit and Oriana, 'Razor seems to like trying new foods and I'll bet Oriana would appreciate some native Zebra cooking. This might be a good place to take them tonight.' With such thoughts swimming around in his head, he made for the front doors.
He hauled the left side door open and stepped inside. There was a small waiting area and a host podium directly across from the doors. Behind the podium stood an orange Earth Pony mare who wore a bright smile. Beyond the podium was the dinning area filled with spacious, square tables covered with white tablecloths and sporting white candles in the center of each one. There were a smattering of customers, all Ponies, talking quietly in the dimmed light.
Artex nodded in approval and approached the mare behind the podium,
"Good afternoon ma'am. Is there a wait time for a table?"
The mare's smile broadened slightly,
"Not at all sir, though in the evenings there is occasionally a bit of a line. Would you like to take a table now or make a reservation?"
Artex smiled pleasantly back at the mare,
"Both actually. For the reservation tonight I would like a table for three and for now I will take a table for one, if you please."
The mare flipped several pages in the thin book on the podium,
"Who should I make the reservation for?"
"Artex Rias, Razor Wit, and Oriana." he said simply.
The mare picked up a pencil off the podium with her lips and wrote out the names in the book. Once finished, she closed the book and set the pencil down.
"We will be sure to keep a table open for you all night sir. It's not every day we receive an Emissary." she pulled out a small sheet of paper then turned back to him, "Since you are our first Human customer would it be alright if I asked you some questions regarding Humans so we can better serve our Human customers in the future?"
Artex smiled and planted his hands on his hips,
"Absolutely. I'm an open book. It's good to see this kind of customer service."
The mare smiled back,
"Excellent, after I take down this information it will be added to the employee booklet. Now, what dietary restrictions do Humans have?" she lipped up the pencil, ready to write down his response.
"No hay, straw, leaves, grasses, or flowers. Humans cannot digest those. Humans do like meat, if that is on the menu, but it must be cooked. Most raw meats will make a Human very sick. We do like alcohol so that is no problem, and we do very much enjoy roots, tubers, nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. No gems or jewels though, we aren't Dragons." Artex said.
The mare continued writing for a few minutes before she set down the pencil,
"Thank you sir." she turned and gestured toward the tables, "Would you like an elevated table or a seat made for your specific frame?"
Artex put his right hand to his mouth in thought,
"Hmm, I don't need the elevated table, those look to be an acceptable height, but the Human body doesn't contort the same way the Kavim body does so a different seat would be nice."
The mare picked the pencil back up and wrote down a few more notes then set it down again,
"Excellent. Well then, if you would follow me please."
She picked up a menu and trotted back toward the dinning area,
"Is there any specific spot that catches your fancy?"
Artex looked around at the different possible locations which, since there were so few other patrons, were plentiful. The tables next to the windows provided a pleasant view of Canterlot, but the tables close to the large, crackling fireplace looked warm and inviting. He decided to go for one of the tables which was facing the doors and had its back to the fireplace.
"I'll take the table in front of the fireplace. It looks cozy." he specified.
The mare smiled again and trotted over to it. Laying the menu on the table she turned and trotted into the back of the restaurant. A few moments later Artex spotted her dragging a heavy looking, stout wooden chair from the back. The thing had to weigh as much as he did, but the mare pulled it along without complaint.
She pulled it up to the table and took a step back,
"This is meant for Minotaurs, but it should work for you. Try it out and let me know if it's comfortable enough."
Artex sat down in the heavy chair, it was indeed very comfortable,
"This will do nicely. Thank you."
The mare beamed her warm smile at him once more,
"Wonderful. Your waitress will be with you shortly."
Artex sat back and picked up the menu. As he was browsing the numerous selections, one thing really stuck out to him: steak. It was labeled as a Gryphon dish and the meat had been imported from Gryphonvale. It was listed to be one seventh of a stone, 2 lbs. and Artex could not resist. His selection decided, he folded the menu and waited patiently.
His ears quickly picked up a hushed conversation behind him,
"Isn't that the Human Emissary?" a feminine voice asked.
Artex smirked to himself, obviously they didn't realize Humans had omnidirectional hearing,
"It has to be. I haven't seen any other Humans around. Did you see his face? I've heard that only the Emissary has that disfigurement."
Artex' smirk dwindled slightly as the two Ponies continued their conversation,
"I'll bet I know why he's here. Did you see the fliers? There's a Human foal that needs a home. I bet he's here to make sure it goes to a good family."
"Well I wish him luck. That's quite a noble thing to do." the second mare stated.
The first mare had a response ready,
"You want noble? Did you hear about Fleur-de-lis and Fancy Pants? Fancy Pants surrendered his company and Fleur-de-lis quit her volunteer work at the hospital."
The second mare gasped quietly,
"But why? They're the top of the Canterlot high society!"
"I heard it was so they could adopt the Human foal." the first mare said.
There was a brief silence from the second mare,
"That was a brilliant move!" she whispered, "With the Human foal their popularity will boom!"
"No it won't. Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis stepped out of the social circles. They had a departure party and everything. They said they won't be back in the circles for some years, if ever." there was a brief pause, "Honestly it doesn't surprise me. They both have big hearts. If you take a step back and think about it, they never got involved with all the politics and backstabbing. They were just... themselves. They never tried to impress anypony, Ponies just gravitated toward them. Remember what happened with that mare?"
"Which mare?" the second mare asked.
"The one who just walked through the door! Ssshhh! She'll hear us!" the first mare hissed.
Curious, Artex glanced toward the door. He easily picked out the alabaster coat and the perfectly coiffed purple mane and tail. Rarity spotted the tall man right away and shot him a questioning glance. Artex nodded and waved his hand to the seat across the table from him. Rarity's face lit up and she excused herself around the hostess.
Trotting up to the table, she slid into the indicated seat,
"I must admit I am surprised to see you here. I had heard you were going to be in Canterlot on business, but I had not planned to meet up with you. Not that it's an unpleasant surprise by any means darling."
Artex smiled earnestly,
"It's nice to see you too Rarity. What brings you up here? Business or pleasure?"
Rarity fluffed her mane with a hoof,
"Darling, there are few occasions where Canterlot is not a pleasure. I am here on business, but I always try to take in the sights of the city. The architecture, the sophistication, the shopping, I just want to soak it all in."
Artex smiled mirthlessly,
"Yeah well I could do with a bit less of the so-called sophistication. Razor, Oriana, and I are here to ensure the baby goes to a good family."
Rarity blinked in confusion,
"Baby?"
"The baby who is up for adoption." Artex clarified.
"Oh dear," Rarity said saddened, "I must have completely forgotten about that. What happened? Why is it up for adoption?"
"The mother didn't want it." Artex said bluntly.
Rarity froze as if encased in solid ice,
"B... but... but why!?" she asked aghast.
"Probably thought she wouldn't be a good parent or the situation wouldn't be good for the baby." Artex explained.
Rarity's eyebrows knitted together,
"What situation could be better than being raised by one's own Mother?"
Artex held out his hands, palms open,
"Hey, it's her choice and I'll respect that. I may disagree with it, but there are many things in life I disagree with. We just have to deal with it and do the best we can."
Rarity seemed mostly placated,
"Well at least with the three of you deciding on the parents the poor thing is certain to go to an excellent home."
Artex scratched his head and was about to answer when the waitress trotted up to the table,
"Welcome to The World's Cuisine. Are you ready to place your drink orders?"
Artex nodded and gestured to Rarity,
"Ladies first."
Rarity smiled at him then turned to the waitress,
"I would like water with lime and a pot of sassafras tea please."
"Unsweetened, black tea on ice please." Artex said.
The waitress wrote down their orders,
"I'll be back in just a moment."
Artex turned back to Rarity,
"I thought the process of choosing a family would be easy, and it has been fairly easy, but the three of us are all stuck between two families: Red Sky and Dusky Withers as one and Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis as the other."
Rarity's eyebrows rose substantially,
"Fancy Pants and Fleur?" she asked quietly, "Oh I do hope you end up choosing those two. They're so nice. Not to say the other family is anything but, however I know Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis personally and I can tell you they are both wonderful Ponies."
Artex nodded pensively,
"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of rich folks. We actually had one rich mare try to force her way past me for an interview. She just refused to listen to me when I told her she didn't qualify. She wasn't married and she had entirely the wrong attitude."
Rarity shook her head sadly,
"I'm afraid you will find that sort of thing more often than not with many of the rich Ponies, but I assure you, Fancy and Fleur are not like that at all. They are some of the most caring couples you could ever meet and more importantly, everything about them is genuine. There is not a sliver of deceit or misdirection involved when dealing with them. What you see is exactly who they are, nothing else. The way they act around you is the way they really are. Fleur-de-lis may be uncomfortable and quiet around other attractive mares at first, but she is an absolute sweetheart once she warms up to you. Fancy Pants is a business mind of historic proportions. He prides himself on running the best business in Equestria. He has worked hard to make his products the very best and his reputation is well-earned."
Artex decided to voice a question that had been plaguing his mind,
"What does his company make anyway?"
Rarity withdrew in surprise,
"You mean you don't know!?"
Artex shook his head,
"No clue. He never mentioned it."
"His company is divided into two separate production lines: Fancy's Feast Gourmet Pet Food, and Canterlot Toys Inc. I became aware of him quite a few years ago. I helped my parents raise Sweetie Belle so I knew which toys she preferred. And my cat Opalessence won't touch anything that isn't Fancy's Feast. Once I discovered that both high-quality products originated from the same company I decided to do some research and I came upon his name. For a time, I even had a crush on him after we met in Canterlot a few years ago. I made eyes at him once, in front of Fleur in fact, he told me that he was married to Fleur and only her. I felt so bad. I had thought she was his secretary, oh I was just mortified. Thankfully both of them were very forgiving and understanding about it." she became serious, "Artex, I understand that you have no love for the rich who puff themselves up, but please believe me when I tell you that Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis are some of the nicest Ponies you could ever hope to meet. I feel confident enough to say that even if they were destitute, they would still be just as wonderful a couple. They love each other very much and they have a lot of love to give. I'm not asking you to pick them, I only ask that you not pass them off due to their wealth. If you decide the other family is better please let it be because you have given a completely equal opportunity to everypony involved."
Artex chewed his cheek while he thought, 'Maybe I have been too harsh.'
* * *
That evening, the three members of the Emissarial staff met back up to cast their votes,
"It's time to decide." Razor stated boldly, "We must all agree on which family is the best candidate. Is everybody ready?"
Oriana nodded,
"I am."
Artex crossed his arms,
"Yep."
Razor decided to begin,
"My vote is for..."