Twilight stood motionless, watching as several aircraft flew over her office building. Her friends stood nearby, each of them also watching in silent awe at the display unfolding before them.
"It's a magnificent sight, I'll admit that much." Raymond suddenly appeared at Twilight's side. "But I'm afraid this impromptu air show isn't for entertainment purposes — it just means that the Equestrian Apocalypse is on the warpath again."
Twilight sighed. "What happened this time?" she asked.
"An assassin made an attempt on Geo's life the other day, but he failed to kill him and instead got himself captured. He was then tortured mercilessly for a week, during which he admitted to having been sent by the leaders of a country called Blackacre." Raymond and the girls flinched as one of the aircraft suddenly flew by just metres from the building. "The GDAF is on its way to bomb Blackacre's capital — and, unfortunately for us, the only way for them to get there is through Twilightlicious."
"And they know we're not exactly going to stop them from coming this way," Twilight muttered. "Oh, well, it's a good thing I know a sound suppression spell." Her horn flared with magic and the room suddenly went quiet. "Much better. Perhaps now I can concentrate on these issues without all of that noise."
Raymond smiled. "A wonderful idea, Your Highness," he said. "And let me just congratulate you for deciding to take the initiative and deal with these issues without consulting your advisors."
"If I am to lead this nation, then I must do exactly that: lead." Twilight nodded. "It was wrong of me to rely too much on my advisors, as I could easily shift the blame to them if things were to go wrong as a result of their decisions. A true leader must be ready and willing to accept responsibility, and that is what I aim to do."
"Glad to hear it, Princess," Raymond replied. "The first issue that confronts you today is a simple one: children as young as eight have been spotted gambling in some of the seedier casinos within Twilightlicious. There is a call to ban this practice, and two people from both sides of the argument for and against are outside."
"Send them in, please."
Raymond opened the door, at which two people – a man and a woman – walked in and bowed to Twilight before sitting down in front of her. They looked at each other for a moment, and the man nodded at the woman.
"Oh, I go first? Very well." she looked at Twilight. "My name is Imogen Parke, and I'm just going to cut straight to the chase. Gambling needs to be outlawed immediately. It's no wonder children are becoming sucked into the vice, with adults setting such a poor example. Gambling is a stain on this great nations international reputation and it must be stopped!"
The man rolled his eyes and sighed. "First of all, Your Highness, my name is Roger Dodinas, and I am the chairperson of the Crown Casino. Seriously, though, what's wrong with children gambling? It prepares them for the realities of life, and teaches them that success or failure is not due to hard work or intelligence, but the roll of the dice." He paused for a moment. "Besides, if kids weren't gambling, then they would be spray painting trains."
Twilight nodded. "I understand your concern, Imogen," she said. "And I agree that something needs to be done. Children must not be exposed to this sort of thing, and so it is for that reason that I am going to rule in your favour. Gambling will be outlawed at once."
"You cannot be serious!" Roger shouted. "The gambling industry may not be as large as the Arms Manufacturing industry, but it still provides much needed funding to the economy! To outlaw it would spell disaster for the national coffers!"
"Raymond," Twilight called out. "Can you tell me exactly how much money the Gambling industry puts into the economy?"
Raymond picked up his folder and flicked through it. "Not much, to be honest," he said. "Nations throughout the world use a system called the 'Kelly Criterion Productivity Index' to measure the strength of their Gambling industry, our score on which is one."
"One what?" Roger demanded. "Hundred? Thousand? Million?"
"No." Raymond shook his head. "Just one." He looked at the sheet again. "The Equestrian Apocalypse scores four, Insignificance scores negative four and the Equestrian Paradise scores negative six."
"Thank you, Raymond." Twilight smiled at him, and turned her attention back to Roger. "I'm sorry, Roger, but I hardly think that outlawing Gambling is going to put a dent in the budget."
Roger sighed. "Fine," he replied. "By your will, Princess. I guess I can find another industry to move into." With that, he stood up, bowed, and left the room.
Imogen stood up and bowed as well. "Thank you for taking my side, Princess Twilight," she said. "You're doing the right thing."
Twilight nodded and watched as Imogen left the room. As soon as the door closed, she let out a groan.
"I certainly hope I am," she muttered, as her friends gathered around her with smiles on their faces.
"So, darling," Rarity said. "How does it feel to have made your first executive decision? I must agree with Imogen, though, gambling is indeed a vile practice. You made the right choice in banning it."
"Time will tell, I guess," Twilight replied. "Okay, Raymond, what's next on the agenda for today? What issue do I deal with next?"
"Well, there have been increased calls for Twilightlicious to introduce the death penalty as a form of punishment for the most serious of crimes," Raymond said. "Several rallies have been held over the last few days for—" He was cut off by a ringing noise. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved his mobile phone. "Excuse me for a moment, Your Highness." He pressed a button on the device and held it to his ear. "You're through to Raymond Bullock, advisor to Princess Twilight, how can I help you?"
Twilight and the girls watched warily as the colour drained from Raymond's face. "He's here? Right now? Why?" He listened to the reply. "God dammit, he's not going to leave until she speaks to him, is he?" He sighed. "Fine, send him up." He ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket, then rubbed his temples.
"Raymond?" Twilight looked concerned. "What's going on? Is there another problem I need to be made aware of?"
"I don't consider myself to be a 'problem,'" another voice said. "I consider myself to be the 'solution.'"
Twilight looked slowly to her office door, at which stood a familiar figure and several heavily-armed soldiers, and gulped.
"Geo..."