//------------------------------//
// 3) You Can't Go Home Again 
// Story: Climbing the Mountain 2 
// by Talon and Thorn 
//------------------------------//

Max was awoken by the crowing of the cock and groaned quietly as he rolled off of his bed. He stood blinking for a few moments, trying to remember where he was. His room in the town hall was at once familiar and strange to him, creating an unsettling cognitive dissonance. After a moment, he decided to try and ignore it and find something to eat. It was clear that Piste hadn’t spent much time in the town hall’s living quarters for a while, but Max eventually managed to find a bag of oats and some dried fruit that didn’t smell too bad, and mixed up a bowl of porridge over the wood burning stove. He was glad Piste had left the water barrel and wood store stocked; he didn’t fancy going out and maybe bumping into Honeybun again until he got his head sorted out. He munched his way through his breakfast without much enthusiasm. He guessed he was spoiled by the food he had in Canterlot; the selection here on the edge of Equestria wasn’t anywhere near as good. Still, it was enough to keep him going.
 
He had just finished washing up when there was a knocking on the door. Frowning, Max made his way to the front of the town hall, and opened the door to reveal a tall aquamarine unicorn mare with her yellow and white mane tied up in a severe bun. “Good morning, baron,” she said with a curtsy.
 
“You don’t need to be so formal, Hearth,” he said, gesturing for her to come in. “I was just thinking of going out to see you, actually. How’s business?”

“Very well, thank you.” Welcoming Hearth was the owner of the town’s only hotel. The building had once been a large barn, but had since been refitted to be able to hold the town’s small tourist population as well as anyone who found themselves homeless for any reason. It also hosted most local social events or gatherings. “Certainly it’s been booming since Nulpar was formed. All sorts of ponies want to see what the new province is about: hikers, skiers, we get all sorts.” She looked around for a second before leaning forwards and whispering confidentially, “Why, the week before last we had a very strange group, half a dozen mysterious ‘travellers’, most with Califerlong accents unless I miss my guess. Didn’t want to say where they were going, just passing through, apparently, but they did ask a few questions about mount Bodach.”
 
“Bodach?” It was a particularly treacherous peak over a week’s travel to the north of Sadlezburg; even pegasi avoided it due to the strong winds near constantly blowing around it. When he was much younger, Max had climbed it as a dare, and almost died doing so. As far as he knew, he was the only pony to ever do so. Although he’d heard some goat tribes used the ordeal as a coming of age ceremony.
 
“Yes. They didn’t say why, though. It’s not exactly a tourist attraction. Now, I would never spy on my guests,” she smiled coyly, “but a few of their bags may have fallen open while I was cleaning their room. They were quite well equipped – ropes, pitons, sample jars, all sorts of tools, excellent quality too.”
 
Max frowned. That was odd, could they be surveying in some way? He didn’t think Nulpar had much in the way of useful minerals; there were a few mining camps in the northwest, but they weren’t that fruitful. Maybe somepony else knew more than he did; it wasn’t usually that hard. “Thanks, Hearth. I’ll look into it.”
 
“Anyway, has anypony else arrived yet?” She looked around.
 
“No, why would there be anypony else around?”
 
“Piste called around last night and said the council was meeting this morning.”
 
“Oh, I suppose they are, really. I just wanted to catch up on things. Nothing official.”
 
“I understand.” There was a further knocking on the door. “I guess I’ll make myself comfortable while we wait for the others, then.” She stalked off towards the meeting room while Max turned to the door again. Behind it were three familiar ponies; two pegasi – a white mare and a yellow coated stallion – and a green earth pony mare. “Breeze, Sunbeam, Greenleaves. Come in.”
 
“Morning, Max,” said Greenleaves as she entered the town hall.
 
“Rock Steady send his regards, Breeze,” said Max as Arctic Breeze brushed past him.
 
“Rock Steady?” The ex-guard frowned. “That’s a name I haven't heard in a long time. How’s he doing?”
 
“He’s well. He lets me use the guards’ gym. Oh, and I’ve got a present for little Chilly. Did you bring her?” He looked about for the foal.
 
“She’s not so little anymore, she’s past my hock already. She’s being looked after by my mother,” said Sunbeam. “She’s looking forward to being a big sister.”
 
Max looked back and forth between the two pegasi. Now that it was mentioned, Arctic Breeze did look a little plumper than he remembered. “Congratulations!” he cried. “No one told me!”
 
“Thanks,” said Breeze with a grin. “It was a bit of a surprise really. You should have seen Sunbeam’s face when I told him.” She giggled slightly as her husband frowned.
 
“When’s he or she due?”
 
“I’m about four months gone, so late next winter.”
 
Wow, I really have missed out on the things happening at home, thought Max. “Well, you better take the weight off them.” He gestured to the meeting room.
 
“I’m perfectly fine, it’s not like I’m going to break,” said Breeze huffily. “I get enough of that from him,” she nodded to Sunbeam.
 
He frowned. “I just want to look after you and the foal, you know.”
 
“Five years in the guard. I think I can take care of myself better than you can,” grumbled Breeze as the two of them trotted into the other room.
 
Max was about to join them when a further knock sounded from the door. Wondering why he bothered to shut it, he opened it again. There stood one of the few crystal ponies living in Sadlzburg. “Max!” she cried in joy, and he had to momentarily shield his eyes as her internal radiance doubled. Leaping forwards, she first gently bumped her head against his and then wrapped her forelegs around his neck in a tight embrace. “I didn’t think you’d ever get back!” Shimmers ran up and down her back.
 
“Good to see you too, Sparks,” gasped Max. The hug made breathing rather hard. Sparks, or Sradagach to go by her true name, was one of the few crystal ponies living in Sadlzburg; she had been found as a filly by some lumberjacks, and had just been wandering by herself with no clue as to there she had come from. She had been adopted by a family of goats; in fact, Caoimhe was one of her foster sisters. Whether it was her upbringing, her origin or her nature, she had ended up rather excitable.
 
“So what was it like in Canterlot, I’ve heard it’s really high up, so high you can see the clouds below and the pegasi put special clouds there so that anypony can jump onto them and go bounce! Did you see the Princess? What’s she like? Does she bounce on the clouds too?”
 
Max gently detached himself from the eccentric young mare. “No bouncy clouds that I saw, I’m afraid.” He’d have to ask Fragrant about that; it was probably something Sparks made up, but you never knew. “But the city is up high, not quite that high but higher than the Eyrie. Yes, I saw the Princess, I’ve even spoken to her once or twice. she’s very nice... most of the time.” He shuddered, remembering her anger as she had castigated the court. “You know, if there were bouncy clouds, I think she might use them.” He grinned.
 
“Oh, I’ve got a present for you!”
 
“Really? You didn’t have to.” He had bought a few knickknacks from Canterlot for his friends, but they didn’t need to get him anything.
 
“You’re a baron now! That means you need to have a palace so I...” She was interrupted by a further knock from the door.
 
“Just a second, Sparks,” said Max, opening the door again.
 
“Um, morning, Max,” said Piste, looking nervous. Behind him stood a slightly calmer looking pale yellow pegasus mare.
 
Max blinked. “Good morning, Piste, Zephyr,” he said through gritted teeth, a wave of emotions washing through him at the sight of his old marefriend. He’d thought he was over her, that he’d moved on even before leaving Nulpar. He was with Fragrant now, he reminded himself. Still he couldn’t help but feel a rising tide of jealousy, no matter how irrational.
 
“Hi, um, yeah you might not be expecting this, well you see Zephyr has been helping me out for a few months now, she, um, asked how she could help and she’s good with paperwork and well you see...” Max watched his friend squirm for a moment before deciding to get it over with.
 
“Mum told me about the two of you last night,” he said.
 
“Oh, well, that, um...”
 
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Piste?”
 
“Well I didn’t, you know... I wondered if you’d...”
 
“He was worried how you’d take it, Max,” said Zephyr, stepping forwards.
 
“Yeah,” agreed Piste lamely.
 
“I, well, I’d be lying if I said I was entirely ok with it.” He felt a churning in his chest. He couldn’t decide what he felt. Relief? Anger? Betrayal? Jealousy? He certainly wasn’t at his best. “But you and me split up.” He indicated Zephyr. “You’re free to do whatever you want. I didn’t expect you to be interested in another mayor, though.”
 
“Piste is different from you, Max, he has time for both me and Sadlzburg. He doesn’t try to fix all the problems by himself. I don’t want things to be awkward. Do you think we can work together, Max, the three of us? Can you be professional?”
 
Max scowled. He didn’t think he was the one being unprofessional. Then he sighed. “Yes, I think I can work with you, if you can work with me?”
 
“Good,” said Zephyr, striding off into the other room. Sparks glared at her as she went, her head and neck throbbing with a baleful red light.
 
“Look Max, I meant to tell you but, well, she was your mare for a long time and, well, I didn’t think me and her would, you know...” said Piste.
 
“Yeah, I know, Piste. I’m happy for you, for both of you.” He thought it was probably a lie. “We can talk about it...”
 
There was another knock at the door, and Max threw it open with more force than was really needed. Behind it stood the last of the ah-hoc town council, a trio of goats.
 
“Good morning, dearie,” said Mrs G, then she paused. “You don’t look very happy. What’s wrong?”
 
“Nothing, it’s just been a hard morning, Mrs G,” sighed Max. Mrs G gave Max a hard look for a moment, then pushed on past him. “Conn, Sealbhach, good to see you,” said Max to Mrs G’s younger sons as they entered the room. “Brian not coming?”
 
“Well I wouldn’t say that, it is his honeymoon after all,” said Sealbhach with a cheeky grin. “Even if he’s already knocked up his nanny. I haven't seen him all morning. I guess he and Caoimhe are busy.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“He’s telling everybody about the wedding reception,” said Mrs G, scowling at her youngest son. “It’s tomorrow in the town square. You’re all invited, of course. House Martin is working so he won’t be able to make this meeting.”
 
“Welcome back, Max,” said Conn as they entered the meeting room. As usual, it was bursting at the seams to hold all the members of the town council. A space at the head of the table had been left for Max, with Piste standing to one side. “Look, there are some things we need to talk about. I don’t think you’ve...”
 
“Right, everybody,” said Piste, cutting off the goat. “We’ve got a lot to go through today, and for a change you won’t need to listen to me waffle on because Max is back.” He gestured to the seat. Smiling at his friends, Max made his way to his place and sat down.
 
“It’s nice to be back. I’ve missed you all.” There was a polite round of applause. “Now, to hit the ground running, I’ve got some new ideas I’d like us to try out. For instance, we might need to set up a province militia or at least plan it. The defence committee provides grants for that sort of thing. Breeze, you have the most experience at military matters. Do you think anyone might be interested?”
 
The mare thought for a moment. “Maybe a few. Lone Star used to be in the military.” Max nodded, thinking of the old bounty hunter. He would be a good start. “And there are always a few of the older foals asking me to tell them about the life in the guard. Maybe something for them to do, to find out what the military is really like. Do you know something we don’t, Max? Something about Corona?” Sunbeam moved closer to his wife and rested a wing on her back.
 
“No, nothing like that! Just an idea in case anything happens. A unit might be useful if there’s anything like the avalanche at Innsbuck again.” There were nods around the table.
 
“But a province militia isn’t really a town issue, is it, Max?” said Conn.
 
“Well, I suppose not, but I’m just throwing out some ideas for the moment. Anyone else got anything they want to talk about?”
 
“Well,” said Hearth, standing up, “I thought we could go over the plans for the Fall Festival. It’s still a few months away, but with all the out of provincers coming this year I think we need to start organising early.”
 
“Out of provincers?” asked Max. The Fall Festival was one of the biggest events on Sadlzburg’s calendar. It was held after most of the crops were brought in, and involved not only the town’s citizens but people from miles around who all gathered to trade their goods as well as having a good time.
 
“Oh, of course you probably don’t know. We managed to get a few VIPs coming to look over our produce this year. A regional director for the Apple Trust, somepony from Fisher Farming, even a few business ponies from Califerlong.”

“Wow! How did that happen?” He’d been trying to get more out of province investment in Sadlzburg for years.
 
“Um, well, I was talking to some of the officials down in Praris and they gave me some names to try,” said Piste. “But it was Zephyr who actually managed to convince them to come. She’s got quite the knack at that sort of thing.” He gave the pegasus a peck on the cheek, then froze in place for a moment before turning back to Max, his cheeks glowing. “Oh, um, sorry.”
 
Max tried to drive down another burst of jealousy. “That’s alright, Piste. He turned back to the rest of the council. “Well, that all seems like a good idea. So, Greenleaves, how are things going with the farms? Do we have a range of things to show off?”
 
“Max,” said Conn. “Look, you shouldn’t be doing this.”
 
“Doing what?” said Max, looking confused.
 
“Running this meeting. This is the town council. Ok, most of us aren't elected, more like advisors, but you don’t have a place here.”
 
“Yes I do, it’s my town!”
 
“Well, it’s not, really. You run the whole of Nulpar now, but the powers of the province and town government are separate. You don’t have any power here – Piste is the mayor now. He can invite you into the meeting, but you shouldn’t running it. Look, I don’t want to cause trouble, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be!” The goat looked awkward.
 
“Oh,” said Max as a wave of silence blew over the room. He hadn’t really thought about it that way. He’d just assumed that now he was back in Sadlzburg things would go back to the way they had been. He hadn’t thought about how his position had changed, but if anyone knew the rules, it would be Conn. It was right, but it still hurt – he’d put so much into Sadlzburg over the years, and now, to not have any say in it? He felt like he was untethered. “I’m sorry, Piste,” he stuttered. “I didn’t realise.”
 
“Hey, don’t worry, Max, you’re much better at this than I am anyway,” said Piste, raising a conciliatory leg.
 
“No, that’s not true, you’re just as good a mayor as I was. Better, even. You certainly got through to Honeybun yesterday, and you’ve done things with the fair I didn’t even think of.” Max stood from his seat, “You should be sitting here, not me.” He stepped aside.
 
“No, Max!” cried Piste.
 
“No, you should be doing this, it’s your job.” Gingerly, Piste sat at the head of the table. “Good,” continued Max. “Now, is there anything else I haven't thought of? Remember, my order to point out if I’m being stupid is still in place.” There were a few fragile laughs around the table.
 
“Well,” said Conn. “As baron, you’re supposed to be helping the whole province, but so far you’ve only really worked for Sadlzburg.”
 
“I’m helping all my people,” said Max.
 
“Really?” said Conn. “You've got more funding for the clinic, but there are a lot of other settlements that don’t even have one, and from what I’ve seen the farming grants only cover this area as well. You should be thinking about the rest of the province.”
 
Max opened his mouth to try and refute Conn’s argument, then stopped. The goat was right. It hadn’t really occurred to him, but when he thought of Nulpar he was really thinking for Sadlzburg. True, the town held a sizable proportion of the province’s population, but it wasn’t the only town, let alone the only settlement. “You’re right,” he admitted slowly. “Anything else?”

“Well, it’s not strictly wrong, but...” The goat looked awkward. “You shouldn’t really be staying here. The town hall can be used by any resident of the town if they need a roof over their head, but, well, the baron isn’t considered to exactly be a resident. If anyone else needs the space, we should, well, throw you out.” Mrs G glared at her son, who flinched.
 
“We wouldn’t go that far, Max,” said Piste.
 
“No, rules are rules,” said Max. “I can move out. I’m sure Hearth has a few rooms.”
 
“Well, I’m not full, but most of my better rooms are booked,” she admitted. “But I’m sure I can find you some space somewhere.”
 
“My surprise!” cried Sparks, leaping to her hooves with her face literally glowing. “I almost forgot.” She grabbed Max by the hoof and began to drag him from the room. “This way, look!”
 
“Sparks, what are you doing, where are we going?” asked Max as the younger pony lead him out of the town hall and through the streets of Sadlzburg. The rest of the council followed them, looking just as bemused. Sparks was eccentric most of the time, but this seemed strange even for her.
 
“Almost there!” she cried as they approached the outskirts of the town, near the sawmill that her adopted family owned. Max wondered if whatever she was going to show him was in her home, but she led him past and away from the town. “Look!” she cried, pointing to a medium sized building on a small hillock a little away outside of town.
 
“What?” asked Max, “What is it?”
 
“It’s your mansion! Every baron should have one! You didn’t have one so I made it.” She looked down and nervously scraped at the ground with her hoof. Her internal glow faded for a moment, apart from some patches on her sides. “I made it for you.”
 
“You made me a house!” exclaimed Max. “All by yourself?”
 
“Well some of the guys helped. It’s not really finished, it needs towers and, oh, a moat, and a banqueting hall, but it’s good enough to stay in. Do you like it?” she asked, looking up at Max, eyes wide.
 
“It’s... it’s....” The building was rather plain from the outside, little more than a large wooden cabin really, similar to the majority of the buildings that made up the town. It looked like it had at least two floors and was probably big enough to hold a large extended family. Despite its construction seeming a little rough in places, it looked sturdy enough. “It’s perfect!” he exclaimed.
 
“Really?” cried Sparks jumping up and down, glowing brightly. “I was worried it wouldn’t be enough!”
 
“Sparks, you really didn’t have do all that yourself. It must have cost a lot. Let me pay you for it.”
 
“No! You’re going to be the best baron ever, so you deserve the best estate ever!”
 
“Well, if you say so.” Max made a mental note that if he ever got round to levying taxes for the province, Sparks wouldn’t be paying any for a long time. “Any problems with it, Conn?”
 
The goat considered for a moment. “Well, it could be considered a bribe, I suppose.”
 
“Oh,” said Sparks, her ears drooping and her glow going out.
 
“I do really appreciate the gesture, but let me buy it from you. Compared to Canterlot, the going rate here’s not that much.” He hoped it would work out, anyway; he’d spent an awful lot on his place in Canterlot, but he could probably just about afford a house here as well.
 
“Well, ok, but let me show you around!” grabbing Max by the hoof again, Sparks dragged him towards the house.
 



 
Sparks ran the party through a quick tour of the house. It contained a large ‘throne room’ on the ground floor which Max thought would make a reasonable meeting room once the large chair set at one end was moved and replaced with a table; there was also a kitchen, bathroom, two offices and half a dozen bedrooms. The furnishing was sparse, but would certainly support him at least in the short term. In all it looked like a place he would be happy to live in, at least for a while.
 
“I still can’t believe you made all this in a few months, Sparks,” said Max. “It’s perfect. If I can’t stay in the town hall, I can stay here, and if anyone wants to talk to me they can come here. There’s space for me and Mrs G to work from as well.”
 
“You really don’t have to move out of the Town Hall if you don’t want to,” said Piste, “Whatever Conn says, no-one cares about the rules.”
 
“No, rules are rules, and the town hall is for the mayor, and that’s you now.”
 
“But it’s your place, Max!”
 
“No, Piste, it’s yours now. You’re doing as good a job as I was, probably better, and you need to show the town that you are the mayor. Plus it’s big enough for you and Zephyr, and maybe even a f-family... I more or less grew up there.”
 
“Um, well, no need to go that far yet,” said Piste, sweating nervously as Zephyr looked at him with a calculating gaze.
 
“Good. Now, Mrs G, what do you think of the place?”
 
“Seems nice. I think we can work from here,” agreed the nanny.
 
“Conn?”
 
“The baron should have an official residence. This fits the bill,” he agreed.
 
“Good. Now I better get to settling in while you finish off your meeting.”
 
“I can invite you to sit in, you know,” said Piste.
 
“Like I said, you’re mayor now. You don’t want me looking over your shoulder all the time. Just tell me anything you think I need to know once you’re done. I’ll start moving in while you’re doing that.”
 
Slowly, the rest of the council made their way out of the house and headed back to the town hall, leaving only Max and Mrs G behind. Max let out a long sigh and looked around the bare walls of his new residence. “We better get to work, then,” he said.
 
“Are you sure you’re alright with this, dear?” asked Mrs G.
 
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” He slumped into the ‘throne’ Sparks had set up for him. “I didn’t think things would be like this. I thought I’d come home and things would be like they used to be. Now I find out everything’s different.”
 
“Well, Conn could have told you about that a bit earlier, or in private. I’ll have a word with him.” She scowled.
 
“No, it’s not his fault, I should have known that sort of thing myself. I knew things would change, but not this much. Piste’s with Zephyr, I’m not mayor any more, it seems like the people don’t like me anymore. Are they right? Didn’t I spend enough time working for them?”
 
“It’s just talk. They expect everything fixed like that. We both know these things take time.”
 
“I know, but how do I tell them that?”
 
“You’ll figure something out, you usually do. Anyway, things are different, but you’re different too. You’re not the pony you were six months ago.”
 
“I suppose so. I need to act like a baron, not a mayor, think bigger.” He paused for a moment. “I wish I knew how. I wish Fragrant were here. She’d know what to do.”
 
“And is that the only reason you want her to be here?” asked Mrs G with a grin.
 
“Well, probably not,” admitted Max.
 
“So what are you going to do now?”
 
“Well move in here, I guess. Have a think about what I’m going to do, decide how I become the baron Sadlzburg... no, Nulpar needs. I have to figure out how I’m going to run the whole province. There are probably some who don’t even know I’m baron. I’ll need to think about it.”
 
“Remember what I said, you’re not too good at thinking. Try feeling instead.”
 
Max considered that. It normally worked, but his feelings told him that he should be act like a mayor, and that Zephyr shouldn’t be with Piste. He didn’t think that would work this time.
 
“I’ll see what I can do. Now, let’s get my stuff from the town hall and get settled in,” he said.
 



 
It didn’t take long for Max to move his possessions from the Town hall to his new home, christened Mounty Hall by Sparks, and only a bit longer to find out where to put them all – he still had plenty of space left over. He ended up spending most of the rest of the day trying – and failing – to get some work done. He adopted the office closest to the main bedroom (It was furnished; Sparks seemed to think he needed a bed large enough for three or four ponies for some reason. Two seemed fine to Max.) as his own and soon the floor was covered with screwed up scraps of parchment. He was trying to write a series of letters to the various leaders of the settlements of Nulpar to introduce himself as baron and to ask them what he could do to help them, but he couldn’t get the words to come out right; how to introduce himself, how to explain things. He was just starting on another version when a bell rang, startling him and causing him to scratch the pencil across the paper. Hissing angrily, he looked about for the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the front door. He stood and stomped angrily to the door and threw it open. “Who is...” he began then looked down at the mare in front of him. “Oh, sorry, mum, I didn’t know it was you!”
 
“Good evening, dear, I brought you something to eat. I know you can forget sometimes.” She held out a plate covered by a bowl.
 
“Oh, thanks,” said Max, taking the offering and sniffing it deeply. He was rather hungry, now that he thought about it. “Would you like to come in?”
 
Delivery looked around at the new house. “It’s rather large, isn’t it?”
 
“Sparks doesn’t do things by half, apparently,” said Max, stepping aside to allow his mother to pass.
 
“I won’t stay for long. I have a pie cooking for Brian’s wedding reception tomorrow.”
 
“That was a bit of a surprise to me, he never seemed the marrying type,” said Max putting the food down on a table.
 
“Oh, he and Caoimhe have been together for months. We all saw it coming sooner or later.”
 
“Well, I missed it all. I seem to have missed so much... everything changes.”
 
“Sadlzburg is the same old place it’s always been. Maybe it’s you that’s changed?”
 
“I don’t feel any different. You know, I never thought I fit in in Canterlot. Now I come back and I don’t think I fit in here anymore, either. I think Piste is doing a better job at being mayor than I ever did.”
 
“Now, I wouldn’t say that,” said Delivery, frowning. “He’s been a bit unsure of himself, you know. Easily led he is, Zephyr has been pulling his strings.”
 
“Is that a bad thing?” asked Max cautiously. He didn’t want to get into an argument with his mother about his ex.
 
“Maybe, maybe not,” admitted Delivery.
 
“It’s not like anyone can run the town by yourself,” insisted Max, “You do need some help from your friends.”
 
“Maybe you could take that advice yourself,” noted Delivery, “Mrs G told me about the council not being able to help you. It’s not fair, not after all you’ve done for them!”
 
“Rules are rules, mum, and the town isn’t all of Nulpar. I’d forgotten that.”
 
“It’s not like we have that many rules around here,” said Delivery, scowling. “The council’s mostly voluntary anyway, apart from Piste.”
 
That made Max stop for a moment. The council was mostly just interested citizens rather than an official body. Maybe some of them would like to help him with Nulpar instead of the town? It would be good to be able to work with his friends, but would he just be stealing them from Piste?
 
“Anyway,” said Delivery, “I better be off, I don’t want my pie to burn. Martin’s keeping an eye on it, but he’s got terrible timing.”
 
“Oh, I better get back to work as well, letters don’t write themselves.”
 
“Who are you writing to?” asked Delivery with a raised eyebrow.
 
“Everyone, all the leaders of Nulpar that I can think of, but I can’t think what to write. It seems arrogant to just announce that I’m in charge,” said Max with a shrug.
 
“Well, you are.”
 
“I know, but I don’t know how to word it.”
 
“You always were better at dealing in ponies in person,” agreed Delivery.
 
“Yes, but most of them live all over the province. It’s not like I’ll be able to talk to them all in person.” He paused. Actually, maybe that wasn’t true. He had a few months until he was due back at court. Maybe he could arrange something.
 
Early Delivery smiled. “I can see you’ve had an idea. You’ve got your thinking face on.”
 
“Maybe. It’s probably a bad idea, but it is an idea.”
 
“You can tell me about it later. I better be off,” she said, turning back towards the door. “Don’t forget to eat your supper.” She gestured to the cooling plate still sitting by the door.
 
“Yes, mum,” said Max absentmindedly, as he stretched out a large map of the local area and ran a hoof over it.
 
Tutting at her son’s distraction, Delivery left him to his work.
 



 
The next day disappeared in a flash as Max found himself rushing from pillar to post to put the first phase of his plan in motion. He found it rather surprising that the various parties involved actually accepted his suggestions, in many cases seeming quite pleased with the plan. Now he just needed to announce it to the rest of Sadlzburg. Fortunately, Brian and Caoimhe’s wedding party was being held the next day, and the majority of the population as well as a few outsiders would be present. He’d asked the bride if he could speak, and to his surprise she had accepted. He’d have thought that most mares wouldn’t have been happy with their spotlight being stolen on their special day, but the nanny seemed sanguine about it. It wasn’t that uncommon for official announcements to be made at such events when the whole community was gathered together, particularly in summer when many didn’t have much free time.
 
The party itself seemed to be quite a success; given it wasn’t too long after midsummer, it mostly took place outside, although tables were set up in Hearth’s hotel’s main hall. The food had been provided by most of the town, with each family bringing a separate dish. There was, as always, some competition between individuals; the fact that his mother and Cinnamon Swirl both cooked blackberry and apple pie caused a little bit of a ruckus, but he loyally considered his mother’s to be better, although he did have to sample both several times to make sure. After all, he’d forgotten to eat last night.
 
Between talking to his friends and trying the food, Max tried to avoid Honeybun and her cronies. He hoped his speech today would help mollify them, but he wasn’t naive enough to think it would solve all his problems.
 
As the night drew on, the various families and friends started to give speeches about the happy couple, who sat at the primary table holding hooves. Mrs G sat next to her daughter-in-law, looking proudly out at the guests while Caoimhe’s father sat next to Brian, looking rather stern. Further down the table sat Brian’s brothers and Caoimhe’s siblings, including Sparks, her adopted sister. Max sat near the end of the main table, next to Piste and Zephyr. The three of them had made awkward conversation all night, unable to break the unexpected ice between them.
 
Further down the table, Sealbhach finished his rambling speech about his brother’s misadventures when they were young, resulting in loud chuckles echoing around the room. The handsome goat winked to a nearby mare, causing her to blush, and sat down again. It was Max’s turn to speak.
 
He got to his hooves and turned to face the crowd of ponies, goats and donkeys that sat in front of him. He knew almost all of them, at least peripherally, but for once they seemed so distant from him. He glanced over to Honeybun, who looked like she was considering interrupting, and he started to speak before she could. “Friends,” he started, hoping it was still true. “We are gathered here to celebrate the joining of these two goats and the forming of a new life from them. This day is truly theirs. However, hopefully they will forgive me if I use this chance to talk about another beginning.” He paused for a moment, letting his words carry across the hall.
 
“As you all know, the province of Nulpar was formed by the Princess about half a year ago, and I was put in charge of that province. My job as the mayor of Sadlzburg stopped then.” Now that he was on a roll, the words poured from him; he might not know what to write, but he knew what to say. “Some have been saying that I’ve abandoned the town, that I don’t care anymore. No!” he cried with unexpected passion, causing some of the crowd to jump. “My heart will always be in this town, always. I was born here, as were my parents and their parents before them, but it doesn’t need me anymore. It’s grown beyond me. Piste and the rest of the council are doing a fantastic job of running it now.” He gestured at the mayor, who blushed a little. ”Probably better than I ever did. It doesn’t need me anymore. That’s not to say I won’t do my best to help.” He glared at Honeybun. “I will, but there are other towns, other ponies, other goats, other griffins, other donkeys in Nulpar that also need my help. They don’t have ponies like Piste to look after them, so they need me, and I need to listen to them. You will all need to be patient. Help will be coming, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but next year and the year after. But I need to be able to speak to all of my people, all the people of Nulpar, and to that end I will be leaving Sadlzburg tomorrow.”
 
There was a collective gasp from the floor. He’s already told some of his friends what he’d planned, but now that he said it in public, even they seemed shocked. He held up a hoof to try and calm the room.
 
“I intend to spend the next few months traveling around Nulpar, introducing myself to my people and asking them what I can do for them. Those who I cannot personally visit will be invited to a meeting during the autumn festival here in Sadlzburg, to discuss the future of the province. In the meantime, any issues you want to raise while I’m away will be dealt with at my new home. Mrs Grobhar and Conn will be acting as my deputies while I’m away.” The billy seemed to have a better idea of the responsibilities of a baron than Max did, so he had asked him to leave the council and work for him. To his surprise, it hadn’t taken long for him to make a decision; much of his role as Piste’s assistant had been taken over by Zephyr, apparently. Likewise, Arctic Breeze had agreed to be the leader of the province guard, despite it currently consisting of two ponies, including herself. Sparks has also been overjoyed to work for him, although Hearth had gently refused, saying she preferred working for Sadlzburg rather than Nulpar. “I will also be recruiting more people to help me administer the province, so that Piste can put all his effort into doing the best for you all.” He stopped speaking and looked out at the shocked faces of the crowd. Honeybun stood and was about to speak, when Piste interrupted her.
 
“I’d just like to say,” he said, “that although I’m sad to see Max go after he just got here, I agree with his idea. We have to starting acting like a province rather than just a bunch of scattered settlements. And although Sadlzburg is of course the most important town,” this received a few cheers, “we are not the only one. It will certainly be a good idea to have all our neighbours come to the Autumn Festival, where we can see what we can trade with them.” Another cheer went up around the room. Honeybun looked like she might try to interrupt, but seeing which way the wind was going she sat down again.  
 



 
After the speeches, the party became a lot less formal. There was drinking, music, drinking, dancing and drinking to celebrate the happy couple. Max tried to keep his head down; he didn’t want to intrude on their happy day any more than he already had. He spent his time chatting to various friends he hadn’t had a chance to meet since his return. Most of them seemed happy with his plans and had some suggestions, often wildly unfeasible, as to what he could do for the province. He listened and took on board what he could. He was just listening to Whitefeather about her suggestions for a full time postal system when his mother joined in.
 
“Max, I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you before you left,” she said, glancing meaningfully at Whitefeather.
 
The hippogriff took the hint. “Oh look, my drink’s empty, I better get another. Good to talk to you again, Max,” she said before nodding and striding off into the crowd.
 
“Hi, mum,” said Max cautiously. She didn’t sound that pleased.
 
“So you’re going to go gallivanting around who knows where for the next two months? After you only just got back?”
 
“Well, yes. You gave me the idea, actually, getting to meet the other settlements in person rather than writing to them.”
 
“I meant ask them to come here, not for you to go to them!”
 
“Going to them shows I really care what they actually want. Having them come to me makes me look like I’m more important than them.” It made sense to him.
 
“You are, Max, you’re a baron now!”
 
“That means I work for them, not that they work for me.”
 
“At least take somepony with you. You know how dangerous it can be out there.”
 
“It’s not that bad out there, mum, and most ponies are busy this time of year. I don’t need any help. I can do it by myself.”
 
“Max.” She leant forwards. “You know what happened to your father. I don’t want to lose you too.”
 
Oh, that was what this was about! He leant forwards to and rested his head against hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful, mum. This is summer, not winter. The weather’s fine.” His mother didn’t seem too convinced. She threw a hoof across his back and hugged him tightly. “I’ll see if anyone wants to come with me on each leg of the journey,” he promised.
 
She pulled back. “I know I’m being silly, but I worry, you know,” she admitted.
 
“I know, mum.”
 
She rubbed her eyes a bit. “Well, if we’re not going to have much time together, we should catch up some more. So tell me more about the place you bought in Canterlot. You said it was as big as the town hall? And with three bedrooms? So there’d be space if me and Martin decided to visit?”
 




Later, when night had given way to morning and his mother had made her way to bed, Max looked around for the pair of ponies that he both wanted and really did not want to confront. Piste and Zephyr were helping to tidy away the furniture, now that the party was more or less over. They were chatting to each other in an easy sociable way; in a way it let Max pretend they weren't lovers, in another it made him feel worse that they got along so well.
 
“Piste,” he called.
 
“Oh, hi, Max,” said his friend, dropping the table he was carrying. “I think your speech went down well. Honeybun’s still grumbling about you abandoning us, but not many are listening to her. Still, you didn’t need to lay it on so thick about me doing such a good job, though.”
 
Zephyr gently bumped against his flank. “No talking like that!” she admonished. “You are doing a good job.”
 
“She’s right, you know,” said Max. “I never would have managed to get those VIPs for the harvest festival.”
 
“Well that was mostly Zephyr,” said Piste, gently kissing the mare on her cheek. “It just looks like I did it all because I’m mayor.”
 
“And you think my time as mayor was any different? It was you guys that came up with most of my best ideas. I just put them into action, and took the credit for them.”
 
The three of them laughed. Then Max looked down. He really didn’t want to have to say this, but he knew it would eat at him if he didn’t, if he didn’t hear it from his friend’s mouth. “Look, there’s... there’s something I want to ask you, Piste. I know the answer, well, I hope I do, but...”
 
Piste looked confused. “What is it, Max?”
 
“You’re with Zephyr now, but were you... were you together while she was with me?” For a moment there was silence. Then Max’s head was snapped back as a hoof was smashed across his face, knocking him to the ground.
 
“How dare you!” cried Zephyr, her wings spread wide. “How dare you say... how dare you think Piste would do anything like that to you, that I would!”
 
Piste grabbed the enraged mare and dragged her away from Max, as he picked himself up and blinked, rubbing his face where she’d slapped him. “I think I deserved that,” he muttered.
 
“No, Max, I wouldn’t do that to you. We only got together once you were gone,” said Piste quietly, hurt showing in his eyes.
 
“I’m sorry, but it was on my mind. I know I should trust you more.” Max wished he hadn’t destroyed one of his oldest friendships.
 
“No, I understand.”
 
“I... I guess I do too,” said Zephyr, folding her wings back.
 
“Now, do you have your route planned out for your tour?” asked Piste, thankfully changing the topic.
 
“Yeah, I was up most of last night sorting it out.”
 
“Maybe we should have a look over it. You know how bad a navigator you can be.”
 
“I’m not that bad!”
 
“Says Mr the sun rises in the north!” said Zephyr with a giggle.
 
“That was only once, and I still say the Princess had had too much to drink that night!”
 
“What’s this?” asked Piste, raising an eyebrow.
 
“He didn’t tell you?” said Zephyr. “It was one Hearts and Hooves. He set up a picnic and left me a note telling me how to get to it, all written in romantic language, ‘fly towards the rising sun for half an hour to find your true love’. It took me all day to find where he actually was.”
 
“I don’t think you looked that hard,” grumbled Max. He’d ended up frozen after lying half buried in rose petals for several hours. Then he sighed. “We had some good times, didn’t we?”
 
“Yes, but they didn’t last.”
 
“No, they didn’t. I’m glad you’re happy together,” said Max, looking between his friends.
 
“And I’m glad you’ve found somepony as well, Max,” said Zephyr.
 
Max startled. “How did you...?”
 
“I was busy and I asked her to read out your letter, Max,” explained Piste, looking a little awkward. “Sorry, I didn’t know what was in it.”
 
“No, that’s alright, it’s not that much of a secret.”
 
“Fragrant sounds nice,” said Zephyr.
 
“Yes, she is,” said Max a little awkwardly.
 
Piste broke the silence after a few moment. “So...maps?”
 
“Right, they’re in my new place.” He started to lead his friends towards this house. There was still some tension between them, but he hoped he had mostly cleared the air. “I’m certain this tour is going to be the best thing possible for Nulpar.”