//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 What is the life of a business man? // Story: Heroes Of The Realms // by Ninyn //------------------------------// The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked up and down Ponyville all bummed, "How are we supposed to get our cutie marks girls?" squeaked Applebloom. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both shrugged. Applebloom looked around and thought of all the different quests they had completed together even though they hadn't gotten they're cutie marks. Sweetie Belle then squealed and the others turned towards her, "I just remembered something Rarity was talking about the other day with Twilight! There's a pony in Canterlot that deals with all kinds of magic. He's supposed to be an ambassador of the realms I think. Something along the lines of business. Raven Ale if I remembered correctly. He's also supposed to be super mysterious! Maybe he can help us get our cutie marks!" she said. Applebloom and Scootaloo both jumped up and smiled, "Where does he live exactly?" they asked. Sweetie Belle tapped hoof to her chin, "I didn’t hear that. I think we'd better ask Twilight to find out," she said. Applebloom's eyes widened, "No! That's not a good idea! None of them would even dare tell us anything about the other realms! We've gotta figure it out ourselves," she said quickly. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other then back to Applebloom, "Then where shall we start?" Scootaloo asked. Applebloom sighed and thought about Canterlot's layout, "Maybe we should start at the castle. We might run into Glade and Scarlet while we're there. Those two never seem to be apart when we see them," she said. Scootaloo gagged while Sweetie Belle giggled, "Then let's go!" they said. The girls cheered and headed off towards the train station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canterlot was full of visitors and no place was as busy as The Platinum Dragon Inn as tourists from other areas of Equestria visited. Raven was busy running in and out of the back room putting up new liquor and preparing food for guests. Thyme and Gidget were walking past and saw the commotion over at the Inn and both walked over to the inn taking a peek inside. Two ponies were arguing over a table and one threw a hoof at the other. Raven hopped over the counter and caught the two with his magic and threw them out of the Inn. Walking to the door Raven glared at them, "I catch anyone ruff housing in my Inn again, there will be higher prices to pay than property damage around here," he said with a snarl. Gidget recoiled and Thyme laughed, "Really busy today aren't you Raven?" Thyme asked giggling. Raven looked to Thyme and smiled, "Well if it isn't the masterpiece of Canterlot herself! What are you doing on this side of the city miss?" he asked with a bright smile. Thyme heard the commotion in the background and another pony was working on the bar, "I just got done delivering art to Princess Twilight she needed for the Delegation," she said as Raven pulled them inside and behind the bar. Raven pointed to another pony to go out front and take care of service. Raven started juggling around pans and ingredients with his magic, "Ah yes the Delegation!" he said wheezing, "That's why I've been so busy here. Who knew so many ponies could be such a handful when it came to catering!" he said finishing some plates and tossing them out the door. Gidget sat astounded at Raven's speed and precision with his magic, "How long have you been using magic Mr. Raven?" she asked. Raven froze while cooking and turned towards her with his covered eye, "Now that deary is a hard question to answer," he said looking at her. Gidget frowned, "How is it hard? You don't look that old," she said. Raven sighed and rubbed his injured eye, "Unfortunately looks aren't all what there cracked up to be now a day's my sweet filly. Miss Thyme I do not mean to be rude but could you please be on your way. I have to help Noel with the service out there. As you know he's not accustomed to seeing many faces," he said with a sly grin. Thyme nodded and said her goodbye with Gidget in tow as they left the Inn. Gidget looked at Thyme and frowned, "Did I offend him?" she asked. Thyme turned to her and gave her a sad smile, "Age and power is a sensitive subject regarding Raven Ale. Between you and me Raven's probably older than Equestria and even stronger than the princesses combined," she says. Gidget nodded, "Well I want to make something for him. Let's go!" she said heading off in a random direction. Thyme sat and looked at the filly running, "My studio and the shops are the other way," she yelled. Gidget squealed and started running the other direction. Thyme laughed and chased after her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Cutie Mark Crusaders had made it to Canterlot Castle and were exploring Canterlot Castle looking around at all the different art. Guards eyed the fillies with curiosity but stuck to their posts. A conversation between two ponies could be heard from the garden so the girls went to the stair way. They saw Scarlet and Night Glade walking through the gardens laughing and enjoying themselves. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle giggled as they ran down the steps after the happy couple. Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she followed them. "Scarlet, Glade!" Sweetie Belle called. The couple turned and saw the fillies, "Well if it isn't our favorite fillies, The Crusaders," Glade said with a smile. The girls smiled, "What brings you three to Canterlot?" Scarlet asked them. Applebloom looked from Sweetie to Scootaloo then to Glade, "We wanna meet this pony you might know since you keep an eye on Canterlot," she said. Glade smiled, "Who might that be?" he asked. Applebloom took a deep breath, "We heard that his name is Raven Ale. He's supposed to be a genius," she said. Scarlet raised an eyebrow, "I've never heard of that name before," she said. Glade sighed with a big smile, "You're looking for Raven? If you're looking for that pony he's probably at the Platinum Dragon Inn. It's on the south side of Canterlot, I beleive he actually owns the establishment. Though I don't really recall him being called a genius. Even from Nightshade," he said. Scarlet scowled, "What were we told to not talk about Glade!" she said irritated. Glade frowned, "Umm… The Birds and The Bees?" he asked. Scarlet growled and grabbed Glade by his tail and dragged him into the maze, "Umm sorry girls I can't help you anymore than that. Bye!" he said. The Crusaders looked to one another and giggled, "Those two are so funny together," Sweetie Belle giggled. Applebloom nodded, "So the south side of Canterlot and his business is The Platinum Dragon Inn? Hmm… Well Crusaders today's exploration is… Learn What the life is of a business pony!" she exclaimed. The Crusaders cheered and began to run through the streets looking for their objective. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was finally the late afternoon and business had finally died off. Raven and Noel were both finishing up the cleaning and looked around the Inn, "Alright Noel good job for today. I appreciate your service. As promised the room your staying in is officially paid off," he said. Noel huffed, "Gee thanks. Only took me the past three months under your management Raven," he said with a glare. Raven sighed, "It was that or being the caretaker of the deliveries," he said. Noel laughed, "Alright fine I get it. Thank you," he said. Raven nodded, "Grab yourself a refreshment and go cook yourself a meal. My treat for today's work," he said. Noel nodded and headed off towards the back grabbing a bottle of butter beer from the shelf. Raven smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow. Turning towards the rest of the dining area Raven clicked a button and The Inn was transformed into a fabulous dining room for the night shift. The Cutie Mark Crusaders saw the transformation and smiled with glee, "You see that girls! That’s amazing!" she said. The girls giggled softly and kept watch on Raven. Raven went behind the counter and counted the cash box out leaving a specific amount left before throwing the rest of the profit into a bag. The bag seemed very big then a small quiver happened and the bag regained its normal shape and size. "Alright Noel I'm throwing the sign up so you can have a break. I'm heading to the bank for a moment. Send the butterfly I gave you if you have any problems," he said. Noel's positive muffles could be heard from the back so Raven took that as his sign to leave. Walking out the door Raven put his phidora on. The Cutie Mark Crusaders hid inside a large barrel outside the shop and watched Raven as he departed. "Quick let's follow him! I think he might make a couple of stops before he goes to the bank!" Applebloom said. Scootaloo looked at her, "How can you be sure?" she asked. Applebloom smiled, "A pony who can handle a business like this all by himself must have some kind of trick up his sleeve!" she said. Scootaloo sighed, "If you say so. Come on let's go!" she said. Along the way they watched Raven enter a couple of convenient stores, an herb shop, and a grocery store before actually going into the bank. However at each stop they fell into holes, a pot fell on Scootaloo, and pies fell off a ledge hitting Applebloom. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were not really amused with this "geniuses" life, "Come on Applebloom we've followed this pony all over Canterlot and he's only gone to regular places like every other pony," she said. Applebloom shook her head, "No. I'm positive that he's hidin' somethin'!" she said sternly. Scootaloo sighed heavily and Sweetie Belle just fell to the ground bored. Raven came back out of the bank with his magic bag in strapped to his leg and headed down an alley. "That's not the way back to his Inn," Applebloom said. "Maybe it's a shortcut back," Scootaloo said. Applebloom shook her head and ran off down the alley way after Raven. The other two followed after her and they came to a dead end, "Where did he go?" Sweetie belle asked. The Crusaders looked from side to side and there were no doors or ladders on either building, "Maybe he teleported to his place and didn't wanna be seen using magic," Sweetie Belle said. "Then why was he so confident when he was talking to Noel earlier?" Applebloom asked. Scootaloo looked at the wall and put her hoof to it and it disappeared, "Girls he went through the wall!" she exclaimed. Applebloom squealed, "Let's follow him then!" she said with wide eyes. "I don't know… Are we sure this is safe to follow?" Sweetie Belle asked. Applebloom nodded, "Oh come on! What could go wrong?" she asked stepping though the wall. Sweetie Belle gulped, "I was afraid you were going to ask that," she said. The other two crusaders followed through and fell into an empty void and out a light spot. They were back at the Inn but inside of it! Applebloom snorted, "That's all he's~!" she was saying but Sweetie Belle pulled Applebloom under the table as Raven clicked another button that pulled up the drink shelf revealing a secret passage! Raven walked inside leaving the supplies he bought from the shops on the counter and walked in. The Crusaders quickly ran after him and made it passed under the shelf as it finished closing. The girls slowly and quietly walked down the steps and watched as Raven examined a couple of glowing items. A magic wand from Applebloom thought and an odd gem that had a magenta hue to it. Raven seemed very emotional about the gem and set it back on the pedestal. An orb sat on a table, with a tablecloth over it, in the back that glowed and said, "Find Truth", it said. Raven walked into another room and the girls quickly ran under the table. Raven walked. Raven came back out of the room and chuckled merrily walking back up the stairs to the Inn. The girls looked around and made sure the coast was clear, "I told y'all he had a secret! Just look at all these magical items!" she whispered. They opened the door that Raven had exited earlier and looked around. Little tiny pellets were on shelves and a book sat on a pedestal with leather covering and silver lace stitched into it. Applebloom opened the book and started skimming through the pages and found a page that read, "One's True Desire." Applebloom grinned and clapped her hooves together, "I think this spell will help us learn about our special talents! The spell requires some ingredients that are listed here… Liquid Luck, Lizards… tongue? Spiritual residue, Smooze Goo… Pegasus feather, and Unicorn hair?" she said. Scootaloo cringed and Sweetie Belle shook her head but Applebloom already pulled a feather off of her then a strand of hair from Sweetie Belle. "What about the other ingredients?" Sweetie Belle asked. Applebloom looked around , "I bet Raven's got the ingredients on his shelf in the other room," she said. The girls nodded and looked to the shelf over in the other room. Quickly using her magic Sweetie Belle pulled the ingredients off the shelf. Scootaloo and Applebloom found a tiny cauldron in a cupboard with some mini figurines. A dark metal man with a red sword, a man marked with ink with a feather in his hair and a headband were on either side. Applebloom looked over the spell and Sweetie Belle followed, "A couple of words are faded at the end of the spell… Are you sure this is all?" Sweetie Belle asked. Applebloom nodded, "I've seen plenty of Twilight's spell books. Those last couple of words are probably the creators name," she said. Together they began to mix the potion slowly until it was a bright blue and fizzed, "I think it's working!" Applebloom said. The spell poofed up and exploded silently all around the room engulfing the girls. The smoke cleared and the girls looked to one another, "Any smart thoughts?" Applebloom asked Sweetie and Scootaloo. Scootaloo shrugged, "I don't feel any different," she said. Sweetie Belle sniffed the air, "I don't feel any different but we sure smell nice," she said. The air began to crackle and the cauldron disappeared, "WHY YOU?!" a voice thundered. The girls squealed and squeezed each other as red smoke puffed up and a large unicorn poked it's head out from the smoke, "Gotcha!" the unicorn smiled as the smoke went away. As the smoke cleared and the lights went on the girls saw it was Raven. "Y-you?!" They squealed. Raven chuckled, "Of course it was me you silly little ones. I knew you were following me the entire time. Who do you think pulled all of those tricks on you?" he asked smiling. The girls looked at each other and scowled, "You mean to tell me that it was you who made the road collapse, the pot fall on us and those pies to fall from the bakery?" Applebloom asked. Raven chuckled, "The holes yes indeed. The pies were classic yet the pot was not of my doing. I ran into Pinkie Pie while I was in the grocery shop and her tail began to twitch. To both of our surprises nothing fell on us. Seems you three were the unfortunate victims," he said smiling. The girls stared at him hard, "Then if you knew we were following you why didn't you stop us then?" Sweetie Belle asked. Raven smiled, "Because I gave you a taste of what I can do deary. True talent and individuality comes from within not from using spells or items to make you do it. The person you are on the inside is what brings out your specialty. I've been around for a long time and I promise I wouldn't lie about this. Be yourself and don't be afraid of the future to come my little ponies. The greatest adventures always start when you realize what you've got to do," he said. The Crusaders listened to his words and felt the weight of them as Raven spoke and smiled, "Thank you Mr. Raven," they said. Raven smiled, "Thank you my dears. Please return home and take my words to heart. I hope to play games with you again," he said. The girls nodded and ran back up the stairs and towards the train station. Raven chuckled to himself locking his doors and returning to the inn's counter. On the counter at the end a package sat waiting wrapped in paper with gear's for its theme. "For- Mr. Raven," was on the tag. Raven raised an eyebrow and opened the package to find a curious gift. A small little mechanism with a Raven flying around his shop spun and cawed as it moved. A clear chip that was perfectly cut into a bit was taped to the side. Raven picked up the bit and read aloud, "Flip me," and did as it said. The coin sparkled and flashed the rainbow as it spun in the air. A note was inside an envelope for him: "Dear Mr. Raven I'm sorry for offending you if I did. I made you these with the help of Thyme, and Princess Twilight's magic for the bit. I hope you like it. I can tell you prefer variety over simple things so I thought maybe this would be an interesting item that you keep up front as a fun trick to show from time to time. The Raven on the mechanism before you represents you and your watchful eye over other ponies and how you protect them. I hope you like it as much as I did after it was finished! ~Gidget Cogsworth Raven smiled and flipped the coin again watching it change colors before it landed back in his hoof, "You ponies never cease to amaze me," he said with a warm smile.