//------------------------------//
// Cash For Colons? 
// Story: The People's Republic of Twilightlicious 
// by GeodesicDragon 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight stood at her office window, watching as the people below finished loading a truck with meat. Fluttershy stood by Twilight's side with a large smile on her face.

"I'm so pleased that your nation has decided to go vegetarian, Twilight," she said. "Maybe now all those animals can live their lives in peace, without fear of being eaten against their will."

"We actually voted to ban the more horrific abuses," Twilight replied. "But when nobody could agree on which method of killing was the worst, we decided on this instead." She paused. "It's not exactly banning meat-eating altogether, but it's close."

"Surely it's worth it, though?" Fluttershy asked. "I was with a flock of chickens earlier, and – even though I can't communicate with the animals here – I could tell that they were really happy."

"If that's the case, then they won't be happy for long," Raymond said as he entered the room. "We've struck a deal with the Equestrian Apocalypse, to sell them our surplus meat and animals."

Fluttershy gasped. "That's not very nice!" she squeaked. "Those animals deserve to live long and happy lives!"

Raymond sighed. "I'm sorry, Miss Fluttershy, but the Apocalypse's Finance Minister offered us a lot of money — money that this nation sorely needs if it is to live long and prosper."

Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Did you know anything about this?" she demanded. "Did you give your blessing to this deal?"

"What? No!" Twilight shot back. "It must have been something my advisors agreed on when they voted to ban meat-eating." She put a wing over Fluttershy's back. "I would never have authorised such a deal if I had known about it."

Fluttershy nuzzled her. "It's okay, Twilight," she said. "I don't blame you for any of this — I blame your advisors."

Twilight nodded. "I'll talk to the leader of the Equestrian Apocalypse, and make sure that the animals are treated kindly."

Raymond scoffed. "Good luck with that," he grumbled. "You are dealing with a nation that recently passed a law saying that people need a license to have children — and that anyone who fails the test to obtain such a license has to be 'fixed.'"

Twilight and Fluttershy shuddered as the door opened to reveal Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The four of them walked in and sat down in front of Twilight's desk.

"I've never seen so many dead animals before." Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her mouth, as if trying not to vomit.

"Those vehicles won't be here for much longer, Rainbow Dash." Rarity patted Dash on the back. "Just... try not to think about it."

"Workin' on a farm means that I've had to witness a few of mah cows and pigs passin' on," Applejack said. "Just one o' them there 'lorries,' I think they're called, was filled with more dead animals than I've seen on Sweet Apple Acres in ten years."

"We should remember them," Pinkie said, her mane and tail not as puffy as they usually were. "I can put together a small party — not to celebrate their deaths, but to celebrate the lives they've had."

Twilight and the others nodded solemnly, but were broken out of their thoughts by Raymond loudly clearing his throat.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, but we still have work to do." He opened his folder and leafed through it. "I'm not sure if you are aware, but blood and organ transplant numbers are down across the country. As a result, hospitals would like to offer people an incentive – money, in other words – for donating."

"Is the situation really that desperate?" Rarity wondered aloud.

Raymond nodded. "It certainly seems that way," he replied. "There are two people currently waiting to speak with you. One is Doctor Bruce al-Zahawi, administrator of the hospital here and the other is Georgina de Groot, a social commentator. Will I bring them in?"

"Please do." Twilight motioned towards the door and sat down.

Raymond dipped his head and walked over to the door. As soon as he opened it, he was nearly knocked over by the two people who stormed in. They stopped in front of the desk, bowed, and then sat down without being asked.

"Your Majesty," one of them said. "I am Bruce al-Zahawi, chief administrator of Twilightlicious' biggest hospital, and I am here to beg you for your assistance. We remain critically short of blood plasma and various organs, especially hearts. A good heart is hard to find — but if we were allowed to pay for donations, we'd get more of them and could save more lives. Plus the donor takes home a few hundred bits in compensation." He paused. "Unless it was a post-mortem donation, of course, then we'd pay the family."

"Great idea," Georgina said sarcastically. "Except for one thing. You know who's going to be selling their organs? Poor people! They'll be so desperate for money that they'll sell their own kidneys... well, a kidney. This is just another way for the rich to buy themselves a better life at the expense of the poor, and it must be outlawed."

"But if it means saving lives, surely we can allow hospitals to pay people a few hundred bits for donating?" Twilight asked.

"And where would the hospitals get all of the money they need to pay people?" Georgina replied. "You'd have to increase taxes to justify the sudden increase in the healthcare budget!"

"A tax increase is the last thing we want," Bruce interjected. "But as of this moment, we are out of ideas. People are going to die without the life-saving transplants they need."

"Don't play the sympathy card!" Georgina snarled.

"Better to be sympathetic than a penny-pinching sack of—"

"ENOUGH!" Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted. "You two are driving me crazy with your pointless arguing! Look, just leave it to Twilight's advisors. They'll vote on it, you'll have a decision soon, and then everypony can shut up and move on."

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "Not exactly the most... eloquent way of putting it, but she does have a point. I will bring this issue to my advisors, and they will debate." She smiled politely. "You will both hear from me first thing tomorrow."

Bruce and Georgina both nodded mutely, then stood up and left without uttering another word between them.

"Straight to the point as always, Rainbow Dash." Twilight facehoofed. "Next time, let me intervene in arguments, okay?"

"Sorry, Twi." Dash chuckled sheepishly. "But I had to do something, because they were just getting so... childish."

"People are very passionate about their beliefs here," Raymond offered. "You'll find that arguments like that happen all the time."

Dash shrugged and turned her attention to the window, her wings twitching in eager anticipation, while Twilight cleared her throat.

"Raymond, could you please fetch my advisors? This is an important issue, and I'd like them to debate and vote on it as soon as possible." Raymond nodded and left the room. "As for us, girls, I think we need to go out for lunch — because Rainbow Dash looks ready to explode if she doesn't get some flying done."

Dash grinned, her wings continuing to twitch madly as she followed Twilight and the rest of her friends out of the office.

Fluttershy turned off the lights, and soon all was quiet once more.