//------------------------------// // 18) Harvest Festival: Day 1, The Return // Story: Climbing the Mountain 2 // by Talon and Thorn //------------------------------// It was so very good to be home, thought Max as the trees started to thin. Ahead of him, he could just about make out Sadlzburg in the distance. It was almost as if he could feel his home town calling to him, drawing his hooves on fast. Next to him, his younger companion had to break into a trot to keep up. From this distance, only the largest of the town’s landmarks could be seen – the town hall, the saw mill and the hotel. Squinting, Max thought he might even be able to make out his own manor house. It was rather strange thinking of it that way; it didn’t really feel like a home to him. He’d only spent a few days in it so far, but Sparks and her adopted family had put a lot of effort into building it for him so he should at least be appreciative. Oddly, there was what looked like a large cloud building hovering over the town, a blocky structure. He couldn’t think of anyone in town who might make such a thing. Then it struck him that it could have something to do with Fragrant and her weather ministry mission. Could they have brought their own lodgings? As the two earth ponies made their way out of the woods separating the towns of Pinegraves and Sadlzburg, the area around them began to fill with fields. Many had had their crops already harvested, their potatoes, grain, or vegetables already stored away to feed the people of Nulpar for another year, but there was enough food still in the ground to keep most of Sadlzburg’s farmers busy through the next month and maybe beyond. The harvest festival did not so much mark the end of the harvest as the time it would start to be sold. It was the largest festival in Sadlzburg’s calendar, but it wasn’t just a time to have fun; it had a commercial side as well. The festival covered five days most years. During that time, ponies, donkeys, griffins, goats and other rarer species flocked to Sadlzburg from all over the surrounding province, increasing the town’s population by half. Most of the visitors came to purchase the newly harvested food; some they would take home when they left, but other orders would not be fulfilled until later in the year, in some cases not until the next year. Taking advantage of the farmers’ sudden good fortune, other settlements would bring their own goods to trade: wood from Pinegraves, wool from Herdstone, fish from Neighagra, metal and coal from Snowtown and manufactured goods and tools from the Ayrie and Sharpside. It was the biggest market in the whole of Nulpar. Given the number of people and the amount of money changing hooves, a fair was normally set up and various games and competitions took place at the same time, adding to the festive feel of the event. Normally, most of the trading would be concluded by the end of the third day, leaving the last two days purely for having fun. Max sighed. It would be nice to be able to relax after his long journey, but he suspected he’d find the next few days just as stressful, if not more so, than the last few months. He still had a lot to do; he needed to roll out his new ideas to the people of Nulpar and he guessed not everything would go down well. Still, now was probably the time to do it; there would be more of his people here than at any other time of year, and given the number of invitations he’d made to various leaders on his trip hopefully they would all be in attendance. Of course, as soon as the festival was over he’d have to be off again. It was most of a day’s trot to Praris, then a week by train to Canterlot, provided there were no unexpected delays this time. That would get him back to the capitol at most a day or two before court was due to restart. As the town drew closer and closer, Max could see several fields full of tents ringing the town. He frowned. It was not uncommon for some ponies to decide to camp out for the festival. Even with most of the families in Sadlzburg taking on boarders, and Welcoming Hearth, the local hotelier, having her busiest time of the year, there wasn’t always enough room for all the visitors. Still, this was unprecedented! So many ponies! “Looks like it’s going to be the biggest festival ever!” said Max to Noble. “I wonder what’s so special this year? Must be a bumper harvest.” Noble looked over at the older pony with a frown. “You really don’t know?” she asked. “Know what? I didn’t organise the festival this year. That was Piste’s job. I only got a quick look at the plans. What’s special?” he asked. She rolled her eyes. “How can you be so dumb?” she asked. “It’s you, Max. You’re the reason so many are here!” “Me?” asked Max in surprise. “Why would they all come here for me?” “Maybe they actually want to meet the stallion who holds their futures in his hooves? You travelled half the province telling ponies to meet you here to discuss the future of Nulpar. You didn’t think some would actually turn up to see you? Those who didn’t see you in person heard about you from their neighbours – you’re probably the most talked about pony in the province!” Max froze in place, causing his companion to almost crash into him. “Really?” he asked. He knew that he’d asked the mayors and the like from the rest of the province to come, but most of them normally attended the festival anyway. He hadn’t expected so many of his people to turn up to see him. “Yes!” sighed Noble in exasperation. “I... well, I hadn’t really thought about things that way.” It was a huge responsibility when you considered things – that certainly didn’t help his nerves. Ever since he’d arrived back in Nulpar, almost two months ago now, he’d been worried he was doing things wrong, that he wasn’t the right stallion for the job. He had salved his fears a bit by assuming Nulpar could manage without him, like it had before he’d been ennobled, but if almost the entire province was looking up to him, well, that was scary. He glanced around the makeshift camp surrounding them. The occupants were gathered in small groups, chatting amongst themselves, cooking, singing and laughing together. One entire field had been converted into a hoofball pitch, and a large crowd had gathered to watch a match. It was never organised, but each year a tournament would form between the various settlements represented. Betting often took place and there were quite some boasting rights if your team won. It all seemed so normal. None of it needed him. Noble couldn’t be right, could she? “Are you sure?” he asked. “It might just be a popular fair this year.” Noble walked over to a nearby tent where an old mare was watching over a gaggle of foals as they cavorted nearby. “Excuse me,” she asked politely. “Have you seen Baron Max?” “Not yet, my dear,” replied the mare in a crackly voice. “I hear he’s up in his mansion, but I’m sure he’ll be out to make some sort of proclamation before the week's out. I heard he was over in Snowtown a month or so back. He was showing some other big wig around. He’s probably got some plan to shake things up around here! I wouldn’t normally have come, not with my arthritis, but it’s not often you get to talk to a honest to Luna baron, is it?” “No, not that often,” said Noble. She looked over at Max, who looked even more uncomfortable. The trot into town itself wasn’t quite as awkward as Max had feared. Although, as Noble had predicted, a fair number of ponies wanted to say hello, shake his hoof or tried to ask a favour, it wasn’t an overwhelming number. Still, he was probably lucky that not all of his possible fans recognised him, and that it was midday, so much of the population were taking cover from the tyrant's eye, either drinking in Honeybun’s bar, eating dinner or just lazing the time away. His hooves automatically wanted to make their way to the town hall, his home for many years, but he forced himself to turn and make his way towards the newly christened Mounty Hall. He supposed he’d get used to living there sooner or later. He was a little surprised to find that the mansion itself seemed to be quite the hive of activity. Despite the sun being high in the sky, a number of ponies and other species were tracking in and out of the building. Max recognised several of the local leaders as they passed. Barrell, the mayor of Neighagra, gave him a friendly slap on the back as he passed. “Ah, Max! Glad to see you back. Thanks for putting us all up for the festival!” he cried. Before Max could ask what he was talking about, the pegasus had taken to the air and swooped away. Shrugging, Max made his way into the house and headed towards the offices that Mrs G and her son Conn had staked out as their own. “I should check up on what’s happened while I’ve been away,” he explained to Noble. “I’ll introduce you to my team, and I’m sure we can find something interesting for you to do; maybe you could write some sort of letter of complaint to the Califerlong Institute of Geology. Apparently the team they sent to survey Nulpar should have asked for permission.” Noble nodded. “I should be able to do that. What level of compensation are we going to ask for? I can look up the correct fine if we involve the courts, but it might be better, and quicker, if we settle it between ourselves.” “Oh, well. I’d like a copy of the report they’re making. Anything above that is a bonus.” Max hadn’t expected much more than an apology. Opening the door into the mansion’s largest office, Max was surprised to find it almost full. As expected, Mrs G was present, sitting behind the large desk placed in front of the far wall, but her entire family was also packed into the room. Her middle son, Conn, had his head buried in a filing cabinet, presumably looking something up. Sealbhach, her youngest, was seated at a smaller desk looking rather bored as he read over some paperwork. Her daughter-in-law, Caoimhe, was apparently overseeing Sparks, who was standing on Brian’s back, hanging a picture on the wall. “Hi gang. I’m back!” called Max. “Max!” cried Sparks, leaping from her perch with the the picture forgotten, glomping Max in a big hug. As she squeezed, her skin lit up momentarily, shining brightly enough it was almost painful to look at. Behind her, Brian dovce for the discarded picture before it could shatter on the floor. “Hi Sparks!” replied Max, returning the hug with rather less enthusiasm before gently peeling the excited mare off of himself. “Mrs G, Brian, Conn, Sealbhach, Caoimhe,” he nodded to each of the goats once he was free. “Good to see you all again. How have things been?” “Busy,” said Mrs G rising stiffly from behind the desk and giving a small smile. “Seems like everyone wanted to see you once they heard you were back from Canterlot. Shame you decided to leave again so they all had to wait.” “Who’s this beautiful filly you’ve brought with you?” asked Sealbhach, gliding across the room and taking Noble’s hoof before kissing it. She quickly pulled the limb back as if it had been burned. “My name is Noble Fir,” she said haughtily. “Max has agreed to take me on as part of his government.” Mrs G cocked her head. “Silver Fir’s daughter?” she asked. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. In the corner, Conn flinched, causing his head to slam into the filing cabinet. “Yes,” said Max hesitantly, wondering why the rest of the room seemed to be taking this news so badly. “She’s been studying law over in Ambelon. I thought she might be able to lend a hoof here.” “Plus my mother thought that Max’s advisers could do with a bit more variation,” she pointed out. “Not all from one town.” “Yes, well, we all know what your mother thinks, don’t we,” said Mrs G darkly. “I don’t know what you mean,” said Noble, scratching the ground with a hoof as a challenge. “Of course you don’t!” “Um, I really don’t,” said Max hesitantly. He hadn’t expected Noble’s appearance to be controversial. Mrs G turned to Max. “You know why Pinegraves broke away from Sadlzburg, don’t you?” “Something about wanting to harvest different parts of the forest, wasn’t it? I wasn’t very old at the time, but I remembered Mum and Dad talking about it.” “Other parts of the forest!” she snorted. “They just didn’t want to work alongside goats!” Max frowned. He knew that Caoimhe’s family ran the saw mill and were quite important in the local lumber business. When he considered it, he supposed most of the lumberjacks locally were goats, but certainly not all. “That’s not true!” cried Noble. “Your people forced our families out! Made it so we couldn’t make a decent living! You still charge us a fortune to use the saw mill!” “We charge a reasonable amount!” said Sparks, her foster sister Caoimhe nodded along. “You just expect us to work for free!” “Those folks up at Pinegraves can’t be trusted,” insisted Mrs G, advancing on Noble. “Ready to betray you at the first chance, ready to run off and leave you-” Conn placed a hoof on his mother's shoulder. “Mum,” he said gently, “This isn’t about dad.” “Dad?” muttered Noble, her brow furrowing. “You’re Dileas’ son!” Max racked his brain to try and think what that meant. Then his eyes widened. Mrs G’s second husband! The old nanny had been married three times in her life, each husband fathering one of her sons. The first had been a tor who had returned to his people when Brian, and Max, had only been a few years old, while the third, Sealbhach’s father, had died of natural causes about a decade ago. The second, Dileas, had run off with a mare called Bristlecone Fir twenty five years ago. She must have been related to Noble! No wonder there was tension between them. It was plain to see the tension between them as Noble Pine took a step forwards and lowered her voice into a near-snarl. “Mum never saw Aunt Bristlecone again after your father seduced her!” “Seduced her!” snorted Mrs G. “If your aunt hadn’t gone around raising her tail to anyone who...” “Stop!” ordered Max, causing all eyes to lock onto him, Mrs G glare almost causing Max to back away. It was rare for him to see the old nanny truly angry; it was a very intimidating sight. “Look,” he said, trying to calm down the situation, “I don’t care what’s happened between your family and hers, Mrs G. I need everybody to work together for Nulpar. Please!” He really didn’t need all this right now. He expected to have enough trouble over the next few days without his friends fighting. Most of the room’s population looked away, shuffling their hooves, but Noble and Mrs G continued to glare at each other for a long moment. “Very well,” said Mrs G eventually. “I’m happy to let bygones be bygones, for the moment.” She held out a hoof. The younger mare paused for a moment, then reached out and shook it. “Apology accepted. I... well, maybe my aunt might not have been blameless. I’ve never actually met her, and I don’t think the charges for the saw mill are all that unreasonable. You have to make a living.” The room seemed to let out its breath. Although Max did think the apology seemed a little half hearted, it wasn’t like her aunt’s behaviour had anything to do with Noble. “Good!” he said. “Now that that’s settled, I guess you’ll want to know how my trip went.” “We’ve heard some of it, Max,” said Conn. “There are visitors in town from most of the places you stopped off at.” “And more that still want to meet you,” said Mrs G, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve got quite a following.” A feeling of awkwardness washed through Max again. “Yes, well, I should probably talk to them later or something. Anyway, I made it to most of the settlements I’d planned to, although there were a few incidents on the way...” “A dragon!” exclaimed Sparks. “A real live, whoosh, fire breathing dragon!” She mimed breathing a sheet of flame. “Yes,” said Max with a nod. “She’s called Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim.” “That's quite a mouthful,” said Sealbhach. “Yes, but apparently it’s not a good idea to leave any of it out. It’s insulting.” “And she’s got a library?” asked Conn. Max smiled. He wasn’t surprised that the goat had picked up on that – he did live in Sadlzburg’s library after all. “Yes, but she’s not happy with us borrowing any of the books. Uh, she might eat anypony who tries.” “And I thought I was tough with overdue fees!” muttered Conn. “She’ll probably be fine with the odd visit to look at them, as long as we flatter her a bit and bring her some new books.” “It must certainly be something to see,” said Conn a little dreamily. “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” Noble tilted her head. “J L Boards?” she asked. “Yes,” said Conn, a little surprised. “I like his poetry. It’s a shame he went blind.” “I’m rather partial to him myself.” She blinked a few times in confusion. “I didn’t expect anypony... anyone to know about him here.” She blushed a little. “Because he’s a goat? What, did your parents raise you to think we only eat books?” muttered Caoimhe darkly. “Well, some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly,” noted Conn jovially with a wink. “We don’t have many books, but I look after those we have – no nibbling here. Anyway, I know a few organisations who would love to have a look – the Canterlot Archive, the university of Trottingham, the library of Alexandamare – I could write to them and see if they’re interested.” “Good plan,” said Max. “I can probably help with that,” said Noble. “One of my tutors at Ambelon Academy used to work in the Archive. He might have some contacts we can use.” “You went to the Academy?” asked Conn in surprise. “Just graduated, fifth in my class,” said Noble proudly. “Your parents paid for you to go?” Noble scowled a little. “Mostly,” she admitted. “I had a partial scholarship. I got eighty two percent on the application test!” “Really,” said Conn darkly. “Anyway,” interrupted Mrs G quickly, “we can sort that out later. You’ve got a few appointments waiting for you, dearie. There’s representatives from the Apple Trust and Fisher Agriculture interested in expansion into Nulpar.” “Oh, that sounds like a good thing. When are they due?” asked Max. “They’re in town already. Been here for a few days, been talking to a few of the mayors. You should probably arrange a meeting as soon as possible.” Max nodded. “Ok, maybe pencil them in tomorrow?” “It might be an idea to have one meeting with both of them together,” suggested Conn. “Or it might be better to have separate meetings. They don’t have to know what each of them is offering,” said Noble. Max tried to weigh up his options. He was sure he’d be busy over the next few days, and it seemed a bit underhanded to talk to them in secret. “I think I’ll see them both together,” he decided. “Ask Greenleaves if she’s free. She knows more about farming than any of us.” “You should probably talk to the weather ministry representative in town as well.” “Fragrant’s still here!” exclaimed Max. He was sure she would have left – maybe she found some time to come back for the festival. They could spend time at the fair! “I’m afraid not,” said Mrs G with a smile. “It was nice of her to come in person, but she was only in town for a few days, left well over a month ago now. I heard you gave her a tour of some of the settlements, just the two of you. I hope you were on your best behaviour.” She raised her eyebrows as Max blushed. “Anyway, she left a fair number of her ponies here, still checking out the province. They’re supposed to be reporting to you for the moment.” Max nodded. “Ok, I’ll try to fit in a chat with whoever is in charge of them.” “Alright,” said Mrs G, “me and your mother also need to talk to you about your recent purchases.” Max scowled. He had been expecting this; his mother ran most of the family finances and he didn’t really know how they were going, but after buying a house in Canterlot and the manor here, as well as what he spent during his trip, he guessed they weren’t doing that well. “Don’t look at me like that!” said Mrs G. “You need to get things settled before you bankrupt yourself.” She sighed. “It’s not that bad, but you need to cut down on your spending. You can’t pay for the whole province yourself.” Max nodded. “I understand.” “Good, but we can hold off for a day or two. You can have a rest for tonight at least.” “Thanks, Mrs G!” said Max. “We should probably set up a meeting with all the mayors and the like.” He thought for a moment. “The day after tomorrow?” That should give him the time to sort a few things out before presenting his plans to them. “We can get together in the main meeting room. That big table Spark’s family built should be able to fit them all.” He gestured towards the relevant room. “But for the moment, I’ll just dump my stuff in my room. Then I can go tell Mum I’m back and chat to a few folks.” “Actually, that could be a problem,” said Mrs G. Max furrowed his brow. “Problem?” he asked. “I’m really sorry,” said Sparks, shuffling forwards and looking down at her hooves. “You see, all these important ponies kept turning up and I wanted to show them how great your mansion is, so I gave them rooms here, but there were an awful lot, and I guess I sort of lost count.” She looked up at him. “I’m really sorry!” “She gave away your room,” said Mrs G gently. “We’re piled two or three to a room here, and most of the town’s the same.” “That’s alright,” said Max, resting a leg over Sparks’ back. “I’ve been sleeping under canvas most nights for the last few months. A few more days won’t hurt.” “You’re sure?” asked Sparks a little hesitantly. “You can have my room in the saw mill if you want.” “I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” said Max kindly. He was aware the younger pony had a bit of a crush on him, and he didn’t want to encourage it too much. “Actually, I have a spare couch if you want, Max,” offered Conn. “I’m not used to company, but I’m sure we can live together for a few days.” Max was about to agree when he looked over towards Noble, who looked a little down; she probably didn’t have anywhere to stay either, he thought, and judging by their short trek here she was less used to life in a tent. Maybe she could room with Sparks? Probably not a good idea, given the tension between their families. “Actually, why doesn't Noble stay with you instead?” he suggested. “I’m fine in my tent. It’ll let me stay near my people. Most of them are staying in tents as well.” Neither Conn nor Noble seemed entirely happy with the suggestion, but after a moment they both nodded. “Sure,” said Conn. “That should work,” agreed Noble. “Good,” said Max. “Now I better find a space to set up my tent.” Max, Conn and Noble made their way out of the room. The goat offered to carry the mare’s saddlebags to his home, but she rather pointedly noted that she’d been carrying them for over a day now so didn’t need any help. Max wondered if this was going to be such a good idea after all. “So here we are,” announced Conn as they arrived at the rather run-down building he lived in. “Library sweet library!” He gestured at a sign with an image of a book on it hanging just outside the door. “You live in a library?” asked Noble. “Well, it’s the building we store the books in,” noted Max. “It was Conn’s idea to ask everyone in town to donate what they could so we can lend them out.” “Actually, it’s a real official library now,” said the goat, his chest swelling with pride. “I thought I’d mentioned it before, while you were away in Canterlot I headed down to Ambelon city and met with the head of the library there. It’s a very grand building, you know, beautiful!” “It is, isn’t it,” sighed Noble. “I spent hours in there between classes. It got me through some very hard times.” She shook her head. “Sorry, what were you saying?” “Oh, I met the head of the library and…” He blushed a little. “Well, I might have name dropped you a bit, Max, and sort of suggested that you might have ordered me to to get this place named a proper part of the Equestrian library service.” He grimaced a bit. “Well, it worked and we can order books from all over Equestria now. Actually, thinking about it, the library service might be interested in that dragon, as well as the big private libraries.” “I’ve never actually slept in a library,” said Noble. “Well, it might be a little cramped with the two of us, but I’m sure we’ll survive. You can have the bed, of course,” said Conn politely. Noble looked like she was going to argue for a moment, then nodded. Leaving the two of them to settle in, Max set off towards the camp grounds outside the city, hoping to find a good place to put up his tent. It was several hours later, and dusk was beginning to fall. Max had spent most of the time setting up his tent and having a short nap as the afternoon drew on. He knew he’d be busy for the next few days, so it was probably best to rest up now. It was a bit of a shame he didn’t have a proper bed, but he’d have time for that once he got back to Canterlot. He’d decided to try and spend the evening relaxing as well. If everything went to plan he’d have a full day of meetings tomorrow, and since his announcements the day after would be controversial to say the least, he doubted he’d have much time to himself after that. So he’d decided to visit the fair for the evening. For the whole of his life, there had always been a fair in Sadlzburg during the harvest festival. The Top family had always managed to drag all their rides, sideshows, and performers to the town and put on a show. It probably wasn’t the most profitable opportunity for them – other towns were bigger and easier to get to – but they always turned up year after year. The fair had set up on the opposite side of the river to most of the town, near the tree line, and Max had to cross one of the bridges to enter. Unsure what to see first, he let his hooves take him randomly through the side shows. He stopped to watch a unicorn performer prance around wreathed in fire to the gasps of the crowd, and then moved on to see a strong pony challenging all comers to wrestle. His challenge was taken up by a griffin probably half his size again, but after only a few seconds the half-bird found herself pinned and helpless, much to the excitement and amusement of the spectators. Max was glad that, despite Noble’s assumption, he could still lose himself in the crowd, although he felt a little shabby. Most of the customers had dressed up in their finest for the event, but apart from a few close acquaintances who called his name through the crowd, most of his people seemed to ignore him. For a moment, he felt a stab of loneliness. The fair brought back memories of Puissance’s birthday party and the circus outside her home that he and Buttercup had visited. It had been much, much larger, but he thought he preferred this one. It seemed more equine, the laughter more real in some way, less artificial. It was a shame Fragrant couldn’t be here; he would have really loved to show her around. He glanced over at one of the side stalls and blinked, noticing a foal he recognised: Strong Heart. The colt was standing with a small group of his peers around a test-your-strength machine. Max was glad to see the boy enjoying himself away from his mother's bedside. It showed devotion, but he was certain Tender would not have wanted her son to spend his whole life pining away over her. He wandered closer to watch what the foals were doing. A pretty yellow-coated earth pony filly of about the same age as Brave, her pink mane tied in pigtails by red ribbons, was slamming her hind legs against the machine. She was making quite a good job of it given her age and size; the marker was making its way maybe three quarters of the way towards the bell, but not quite far enough to win. The donkey running the stall shook his head at the dejected-looking filly and she started to slink away before Strong and the other foals gathered around her in a huddle. After a few moments, they seemed to come to some agreement and bumped hooves before the filly turned back to the machine, handing the attendant another coin and positioning herself before the device. Max narrowed his eyes as he noticed Strong’s horn starting to glow. Several of his friends had positioned themselves to hide the light from the donkey attendant, a corresponding sheen appearing on the filly’s hind legs as she slammed down on the pad. The marker on the device shot up the track, getting closer and closer to the top, slowing as it went. For a moment it seemed like it would fall short, but it impacted and the bell gave out a loud clang. The filly let out a loud squeal and hopped up and down, much to the amusement of the passing adults, before she turned to the donkey. He stared at her suspiciously for a moment, only to be met by wide, innocent eyes, before he shrugged and handed over a large toy cat easily half the size of the filly. She clutched it tight in one hoof before hobbling over to Strong Heart, putting her other foreleg over his back and kissing him on the cheek. His face glowed brightly but he made no attempt to push her away. It looked like Max wasn’t the only pony who found fairs romantic. He momentarily wondered if he should have a word with the lad about not abusing his powers, but it wasn’t that big a thing, really, as long as it didn’t become a habit. Anyway, he was sure those things were normally rigged, seeing as he hadn’t managed to win anything for Buttercup when they’d been dating. Turning away from the foals who were now swarming towards a stall selling toffee-dipped flowers, Max made his way towards the centre of the fair where the relatively few rides had been placed. A large carousel was juddering around and around, its carriages filled with laughing ponies in ones or twos. Max enjoyed the sight for a moment before frowning. It looked a little different from last year’s, larger for a start. He looked around. Where were the ponies powering it? He noticed a safety cage-covered belt leading away from to an area surrounded by a gaggle of interested ponies. He craned his head to look over them and caught sight of some complex mechanism, chugging away under a cloud of smoke and steam. A steam engine! No wonder so many ponies were interested in it. Belts led from it to the various rides and attractions. “Ah! Max!” came a loud cry from behind him, almost causing him to jump. He spun around to see one of the fair’s owners, Big Top, approaching. The mare matched her name in all ways but her size, being of a fairly average build, but her dress and personality never made her do anything but stand out. Her blouse and skirt were made up of patches of cloth of all shades of the rainbow with large ruffles, huge earrings pulled her ears down, and a large feathered hat covered her head. Her face was almost as thick with makeup as some of her clowns; bright blusher highlighted her cheeks, and black wax her eyes. “Or should that be baron now?” she asked with equal volume as she approached. “Max is fine, Big Top,” he said with a smile. “Thanks for bringing all of this to us.” “My pleasure,” she said, bowing theatrically. “Sadlzburg has always been very welcoming to us. Of course, this year was a little more challenging than normal, but getting our show all the way up here has never been easy. Moving Little Jenny there--” she nodded towards the chugging engine “--in carts without a decent road proved to be… difficult, but we persevered, and here we are!” She gestured around wildly with her hooves. “I’m glad you did, but why didn’t you bring the old pony-powered one if it was so difficult?” “Old Merry finally clapped out, I’m afraid,” said a second voice emanating from a taller stallion standing by Big Top. It was her brother, Little Top. He was easy to miss compared to his sister. As he tended to run the more behind-the-scenes parts of the fair, he didn’t dress half as flamboyantly; he was covered only by a thick apron and goggles. “We haven't used her for years apart from up here. Other settlements want bigger, more impressive sights. Jenny’s our smallest engine, only one we could get up here, and she’s almost obsolete now. We’re even looking into getting an electrical generator!” He continued, with a gleam in his eye. “I’ve seen one of the bigger shows use one, it’s amazing! I’ve put together a few batteries to show off those new incandescent bulbs! You should see them!” Max nodded along with the excited stallion. He’d seen some electrical lights back in Canterlot; they seemed an interesting toy, but he wasn’t all that certain they’d catch on. Gas or magic seemed much more practical. Max tuned out the excited nattering of Little Top as he continued to cry the praises of the new technology. It hurt Max a little to hear the old carousel was gone; he’d had some good times with Zephyr on that ride. It was also a reminder on how out-of-the-way Nulpar was, and how desperately he needed to build roads. It just wouldn’t be an autumn festival if the fair couldn’t get here. “Anyway,” interupted Big Top, bringing Max back to the present. “It’s been nice talking to you, but I’ve got a lot more guests to entertain. I hope you’re enjoying the show so far, and be sure to mention us to your colleagues up in Canterlot. Patronage is always welcome!” She turned away while her brother melted into the crowd, making his way towards the steam engine. Max smiled at her words. He couldn’t really see many of the other nobles spending too much time at a fair, although Puissance had arranged one for her people. Max turned around, trying to decide what he should do or see next. Maybe he should look at the electric lights, or the clowns? Try his hoof at the crossbow game? “Max!” came a familiar cry from nearby. With a smile, Max turned to see his mother trotting over towards him. He hadn’t had a chance to catch up with her yet. His smile sank a bit when he saw one of her arms intertwined with Doctor House Martin’s. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about their relationship; he wanted his mother to be happy, but it also seemed to be wrong for her to be with another stallion, even though it had been many years since his father's death. “I heard you’d gotten back to town,” she continued, releasing the doctor and hobbling over to hug her son. “Why didn’t you come to see me?” she asked in a slightly scolding tone. “Sorry, I only got in a few hours ago. I got caught up in things. It’s good to see you again.” He nuzzled his mother before gently releasing her. She was wearing a white summer dress with little red roses embroidered on it. He guessed it had been homemade. Still, it looked good on her, making her seem years younger. “Good to see you lad,” mumbled House Martin as he approached. He was wearing a blue jacket and a bowler hat. It seemed almost everypony but him had dressed up, thought Max. He tried not to scowl at the stallion. “So how was your trip?” asked Early. “Did anything dangerous happen?” she asked a little nervously. Max thought of the rockslide he’d gotten caught up in, the bandits he’d fought, and the dragon. “It was mostly just a lot of walking,” he ventured. “I got to meet a whole lot of new people.” “That’s good. You know I worry sometimes.” “I tried to be careful,” he said, feeling rather ashamed. maybe he should have tried a little harder. “I tried to make sure I was traveling with somepony else when possible, like you asked.” ‘Possible’ hadn’t been all that common, of course. Not many people wanted to travel far from their homes. “I heard about that Fragrant mare,” said Early, causing Max to swallow nervously as he considered just exactly what his mother had heard, and from whom. “She spent a day or so here when those new weather teams moved in. She seemed nice, all things considered.” She sounded a little unsure. “It was a bit of a surprise she turned up,” said Max. “If I’d known she was coming, I would have introduced you. I think you’d like her if you got to know her. She keeps worrying about me as well.” Early met her son’s gaze for a moment, then smiled. “Well, she can’t be all bad, then. Still, she caused a bit of a kerfuffle, bringing in all those new pegasi in. And with all these extra folks wanting to turn up to see you, we’ve certainly been busy while you’ve been on your trip.” “I’ve been busier than I’d want to be as well,” muttered Doctor House Martin. “Anything serious?” asked Max, remembering the red lung epidemic that had struck Sharpside. He didn’t want anything like that here in Sadlzburg, certainly not with all the visitors. “Nothing too bad. The usual trips and bumps from the usual idiots, as well as a few ponies overdoing the celebrating. There was a batch of wet hay that had been left in the sun to ferment going around some of the camps. I’m not sure what was growing in it but it was enough to have those eating it flying, even if they didn’t have wings.” Max nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. “Young Piste has managed to keep on top of most of it, but I’m looking forward to that extra help you said was coming next year. I’m not getting any younger. Still, they say you’re as young as the mare you feel,” he laughed, giving Early’s flank a pinch. She blushed and giggled a little before giving the stallion a kiss on the lips, making Max feel a little sick. His plans for medical support in Nulpar had changed a little since his announcement, but now probably wasn’t the time to mention it. “I’ll see what I can do,” said Max a little stuffily. “But I’ve got other things to think about at the moment, and maybe you should act a little more like a professional. My mother was your patient,” he added with a scowl. “Professional!” hissed House Martin, glaring back at the younger stallion. “From what I’ve heard from Early, you’re mixing work and pleasure as well, boy!” “Martin!” snapped Early, before Max could say anything. “That was a secret! And Max, apologize to Martin, what we do is our own business.” “Sorry,” muttered Max, looking down at his hooves. “Good. Now, would you like a drink, Max?” asked Early in a calmer tone. “Maybe a mead?” he said, looking around at the refreshment stalls. “I’ll get it.” “No, I’ll go,” said Early. “I’ll give my two favourite stallions some time to talk. What would you like, Martin?” she asked. “Just a coffee for me,” he said. Early nodded and started to hobble off. The two stallions stood there for a moment in an awkward silence. “So...” they both said together. “No, you first,” said Max. “Very well,” said House Martin. “I know you’re not entirely comfortable about me and your mother, and I’d like you to know that, well... I don’t give a damn about what you think.” He snarled. “We’re both adults and we can do whatever we want, and you’re old enough that you should be able to deal with that.” “Um...” said Max, stunned by the stallion’s bluntness. “She makes me happy and I like to think that I make her happy as well. I’m never going to be your father, lad,” he said a little more gently, “and I don’t want to be, but I hope we can at least be civil to each other? I know your mother loves you very much, and I... I care about your mother. I don’t want anything getting between you two. Now, can you be a stallion about this?” Max frowned. He didn’t think he’d been that unreasonable so far. He hadn’t really objected that much to his mother's relationship with the Doctor, even though it felt wrong to him. Still, he was sure he could at least try to deal with the other stallion if his mother was happy with him. He held out a hoof. “I think I can,” he said. “Good,” said the other stallion, shaking the offered limb. “Um... well, while we’re talking, I have a few official things to talk to you about.” “You look alright,” said the Doctor, cocking his head. “You want a tune up for your new mare? Happens to us all eventually, things not working quite as well as they used to,” he said with a grin. “What! No! Nothing like that!” spluttered Max. “Just kidding with you,” said House Martin with a smile. “This is baron stuff I guess?” “Yes. It’s probably something we can talk about more tomorrow, but they had an outbreak of red lung over in Sharpside last year.” The older stallion nodded grimly. “Bad business. I heard about that, mostly burnt out by the time news reached me, though.” “Yes,” nodded Max. “But they didn’t have any medics over there. I need to do something about that.” “Well I’m not moving out there, if that’s what you mean. There’s just not enough of us to cover the area, and that’s not going to change soon, not many want to practise all the way out here.” “No,” agreed Max. “But I’ve got some ideas I’d like to run past you. How long would it...” he started. “Here are your drinks,” said Early as she returned, balancing the drinks on her back. Max and House Martin took their beverages and sipped at them. “What were you talking about?” she asked. “Nothing very important, Mum,” said Max. “We can finish off tomorrow.” “I should be free, unless an emergency comes up,” said House Martin. “Good,” said Early, putting a leg over the withers of each of her two stallions. “Now, what do you think we should do first? I quite like the look of the carousel!” The rest of the evening passed enjoyably. The trio of ponies wandered around the fair, enjoying the various pleasures. They tried the candy floss-covered flowers on sale, tried their hooves unsuccessfully at the ball toss, and watched a troupe of performing dogs. For the night, Max got to forget that he was a baron and just got to be a spectator. Early insisted that she pay to get their pictures taken by one of the stall holders who had set up a camera. The photographer even offered to paint over the pictures once they had developed so the image could be in colour. House Martin insisted that Max and Early get a picture of just the two of them, and in turn Max told his mother that she should get a shot of her with the doctor. The only hiccup in the celebration was when House Martin caught sight of one of the stalls selling a cure-all, which had attracted quite a crowd as the salestallions extolled the virtues of their elixir. The angry medic pushed his way through the crowd and began to yell at the startled attendant, which only attracted a larger crowd. Max only just managed to break up the altercation before Lone Star or one of his deputies had to step in. Gently leading the fuming medic away from the fair, and back towards his house Early decided that it was time to call it a night and Max said goodbye to his mother and her lover. Max considered staying out for a bit longer, but he was tired after the events of the day and decided to head back to his bed as well. Returning to his familiar tent, now surrounded by many others for a change, he settled into his bedroll. Not everything had worked out quite how he imagined, but he was glad to be home, even if his stay would be brief. After spending so much time alone, it was nice to be around other ponies. Tomorrow promised more challenges, and he still had many others to talk to before he could unveil his plans to the rest of the province. Turning over, he closed his eyes and fell asleep listening to the happy sounds of the partying people around him.