//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Intriguing 
// Story: Dessert Eaters Support Group 
// by stupidhand14 
//------------------------------//

        To say Celestia was unamused was an understatement.
        In front of her, across the table, was her sister enjoying a very delicious looking breakfast, with a full array of delicious foods. Dark brown pancakes, topped with whip cream and a tall glass of mineral water on the side. In front of Celestia was a lot of greens and reds. Lettuce, grass, oats, apples, and other supposedly healthy foods were arrayed before her. 
        “Come, Tia, eat up,” Luna told her, motioning a hoof at the healthy food. “You can’t go about your day on an empty stomach.”
        “Then perhaps I can have at least something to spice up the meal?” Celestia inquired. She lifted her fork in her yellow glow, beginning to pick at her salad.
        “Perhaps later,” Luna answered, which naturally meant no. She cast Celestia a sly smile. “Maybe if you are good little filly and eat all your vegetables, I’ll give you a treat.” Her smile only grew as Celestia’s face turned to shock. Her mouth hung open in shocked anger, while Luna began to laugh.
        “You cannot treat me like a child, Lulu!” Celestia glared at her sister, who only continued giggling at her plight. “Stop laughing!” Celestia continued to glare at her sister until, finally, the laughter stopped.
        “My apologies, Tia, but you had to see your face.” Luna’s smile came back in full force, and she nearly broke down into hysterics once again. “It was priceless.” The smile lasted for a time before Celestia’s glare finally wore it down.
        “Is this all you wished to do for this morning; tease me with food?” Though Celestia’s mouth was drawn, Luna could see the hints of delight in the back of her eyes. However, she decided to relent, for the moment.
        “No, not only tease you.” Luna picked up her fork and took another bite before continuing. “I was wondering if you’d return to the support group today.”
        “Of course I will.” An eyebrow rose on Celestia face. “Did you doubt my word, sister?”
        Luna’s only response was to stare directly back at Celestia, her eyes saying everything that needed to be said. How did she get so good at this? 
        Before Celestia could say anything further, the bell rung, signalling it was 10:00 o’clock. Luna looked down at the salad in front of Celestia. It still had its shape, and only a small portion was missing. 
        “Is it Monday?”
        “Yes, it is.” Luna looked at her sister for a second, her head cocked. “Why do you ask?”
“We have to get going,” Celestia informed Luna, getting up from the table. “Monday means I have to host the court, and it won’t wait for me forever, and you need to go to bed.”
        “Don’t forget your salad.” Luna levitated the plate towards her sister. “You have barely touched it, and you need your strength.”
        “I can’t eat this during court.” Celestia put the plate back down on the table, though it didn’t stay there. Instead, Luna sent it right back over to her. “This isn’t funny, Luna.”
        “You can eat during court, we’ve done it all the time.” Luna’s oblivious smile caused an old pain to stir in Celestia’s heart. She schooled her face, forcing it to become blank.
        “Luna, we can’t… That tradition hasn’t been in practice for the last 500 years.” Luna’s smile faded, her lips drawing in a small line.
        “Oh.” The two stood awkwardly, staring at each other.
        “Get some rest, Lulu. I’ll see you when the sun is ready to set.” 
        “Good morning, Tia.”
        Celestia walked out of the room, heading for court. Today, it would be held in the ceremonial throne room. Walking in, she was greeted with the sounds of many ponies. Nobility, dressed in the fineries, guards, dressed in their armor, and workers, dressed in their liveries were all in attendance. Celestia ascended the steps to the throne and took her seat. As soon as she sat, the room turned quiet.
        “Court may now commence!” the guards announced.
        “Who brings in the first proposition to discuss?” Celestia asked to the crowd. The order should have been of importance, but that was so rarely the case. Instead, it was whoever had the most influence when it started, which meant Fancy Pants was the first up.
        “Princess Celestia,” he began, a smile on his face, “I have come to resolve an issue. As you may know, the Equestrian Iron Forge company has recently put itself on the market, and I had worked out a deal with the workers on how to run the company after I had bought it. Unfortunately, those same workers are now violating the agreement they had made with me. I would request the Crown’s aid in keeping these workers honest and make the law of Equestria stand without blemishes.”
        A murmur arose from the crowd. The Equestrian Iron Forge was definitely one of the richest companies. For Fancy Pants to have simply bought it outright would have required a heavy investment.
Why did Fancy Pants buy the Equestrian Iron Forge company?
“Are the other ponies represented here, today?” Celestia asked. It was customary for both parties to be represented, though not always required in some cases.
“I sent them the notice a week ago, and their representative should be here, or will be here later in the day to discuss the topic,” Fancy Pants replied.
“What are they currently doing which would require the Crown’s aid?” was Celestia’s next question. Surely Fancy could just fire these ponies.
“I’m afraid they are not allowing any honest worker into the mines. This is hurting the prosperity of the region, as well as affecting global iron prices.” Celestia looked over the crowd. Many of them were nodding their heads, listening wholeheartedly to Fancy Pants’ proposition. Celestia would need a good reason not to accept this.
“What do you expect us to be able to do?” Fancy Pants smiled at the question, clearly prepared for it.
“I just need a hooful of your guard to either scare them out of the way or drive through their disorganized ranks and allow the honest workers back into the mines.” 
Sounds reasonable enough.
“Does anypony have concerns to express over this proposition?” Nopony raised a hoof. Many of them, in fact, nodded in agreement with the plan. Celestia could practically see the backroom dealings that occured to get Fancy Pants this meeting. Nopony seems to have anything negative to say, so I have to decide.
“The Crown does not give the national troops for private use lightly,” Celestia told the crowd. “However, we will always help agreements be upheld. After an investigation, we shall decide if is an unlawful destruction of trade and commerce, the guard will be deployed to deal with the issue.” I could just ignore the investigation… Fancy Pants has been a loyal aid and honest pony since he became lord of his house.
“Thank you, your highness.” Fancy pants moved off to the side, cleaning his monocle. Everypony in the room congratulated him silently. He had just scored a major victory, and a large amount of profit.
Outside the palace, there was a pony in a miner’s uniform that had clearly seen better days. It had many holes in it, was covered in soot, and still had a pickaxe on his back.
“What do you mean I can’t go in?!” the miner demanded to the guards blocking his path.
“We mean’s exactly what we’s said,” one of the guards answered. “You’s best be movin’ along. The Court’s in session, and you’s not allowed in there.”
“But I have to get in there!” The miner stomped a hoof on the ground. “I need to talk to the Princess, tell her about our problems!”
“Sorry, pal, but you ain’t going in there,” the second guard informed him. “Like my friend here said, you’re not allowed in. We have some… special interests that would rather you not make an appearance. If you don’t leave now, we might have to...” The guard popped a bone in his hoof and arms. “Well, you know.”
The miner quaked. The Princess wouldn’t be able to hear him. He had failed his friends, the ones counting on him. No. I can’t just give up now! He attempted to charge past the guards, but they easily caught him in their hooves.
“Disobeying an Equestrian Peacekeeper. What is the punishment for that?”
“I believe’s its a few days in the joint.” With a sneer, the guards began to pull the miner away. “C’mon, you’s gonna have a fun time.”





        It was a little after 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon. Celestia was still in her tower, and had already prepared the illusion stone to create a sleeping illusion while she was gone. Celestia focused her magic and created her illusion around herself, changing her into Sun Beam. In this new disguise, Celestia exited the hallway. 
        It was still light out, so the torches had not yet needed to be lit. Outside her room stood two royal guards, both of whom would have been startled by a new pegasus in the royal bed chambers, but Celestia had warned them earlier. Instead, they studied her as she left. They would likely have her memorized for next time.
        Instead of dwelling on those two stallions, she continued down the hallway. On either side of it were rooms upon rooms. Libraries, studies, dining rooms, painting rooms, and artifact rooms were all around her. Each one had at least one noble or servant in it. Celestia knew the scheming that took place in those rooms, but keeping them out of the court kept it running smoothly.
        Instead, she continued walking out the front gate and out into the city. She was on a time limit, the meeting would start at 6:00. She trotted over to the rented room where the group met every Monday. With a small smile, she opened the door and walked in. It was only 5:45, so she had a few minutes to spare.
        Inside the room, three ponies were waiting. Soarin was, naturally, there and setting everything up. He was slightly moving with the music that Lyra was playing on her harp. The third member of the room was Donut Joe, who was drinking from a small cup.
        Celestia moved over to see what Soarin was working on. It appeared to be some sort of shirt, or rather a lot of shirts. Soarin, with his head swaying to the music, was painting on one of the shirts. 
        “You gonna keep watching over my shoulder or are you gonna say something?” Soarin asked, a small smile on his face as he turned his neck to look at Celestia. 
        “I was considering standing here until you had noticed me.” Celestia moved to stand right next to Soarin, looking over his hoofiwork. On big letters in the front was written, “Dessert Eaters’ Support Group” with a variety of desserts drawn on near the bottom.
        “What are these for?” Celestia asked. They aren’t going to win any awards, but at least they look nice. 
        “These are the Dessert Eaters Support Group shirts I ordered a month ago.” He flipped another shirt over and began to work on the back. “They’re gonna cost about 20 bits, which will cover most of the expenses.” He grabbed another shirt. “I’ll be giving them out at the end of the meeting.”
        “That’s… most noble of you, Soarin.” Before Celestia could get any further, she was shoved aside by Lyra, who rushed over to see the shirts. 
        “I thought you said you would allow me to see one after you were done with them,” Lyra pouted, grabbing one of the shirts in her magic. “Wow, these look nice.” Lyra looked over at Celestia, who was still dazed on the ground. “Oops, sorry about that… Sun Clock?”
        “That’s okay.” Celestia used her wings to get off the ground faster. Not her fault, I am a different size than the illusion implies, after all. Still, she really needs to be more careful.
        “By the by, did you ever pick where you wanted to go, Sunny?” Soarin asked as he continued his work. “You got about a 300 bit budget, so don’t be afraid to choose someplace fancy.”
        “What are you talking about?” Did I forget something over the week?
        “You know, where do you want me to take you for coming back this week?” Soarin smiled at Celestia, only to be met with a confused face. “Didn’t I tell you last week?”
        “Tell me what, exactly?”
        “If you keep up on the goal for a week, the first week, I take you out to a restaurant of your choice.” Soarin turned to Lyra. “Isn’t that right, Lyra?”
        “Yeah, he told me that two weeks ago and last week we went out to Hayburger.” A mischievous twinkle filled her eyes. “You should have seen him squirm when I offered him a Hayburger and drink. He nearly didn’t eat it because of his ‘athletic requirements,’ whatever that means.” 
        “And may I never go there again,” Soarin mumbled under his breath, though Celestia could hear him just fine.
        “I think I shall go to Cafe Soleil levant, tomorrow around 8,” Celestia told Soarin who looked a bit startled. “Is there a problem?”
        “Sunny, if you’re willing to wait a few weeks, I’m sure we could go there but… not even I can get a reservation there that’s less than a few weeks.” Soarin shook his head, returning to his work. “I hate to say it, but nopony except Princess Celestia or Princess Luna would be able to get in there without a reservation. But we can set a reservation for a couple of weeks, if you want.”
        Oh buck, that’s right. It is one of the respectable restaurants in Canterlot.
        “I have an idea,” Celestia said. This is going to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever said. “I can talk to Celestia, ask her if  she can help me get in there by tomorrow.”
        “That could work.” Soarin thought about it for a few moments. “It definitely could work, though I doubt Celestia will do that for a servant, no matter how beautiful.” Another compliment? 
        “I’m sure she would,” Celestia defended herself with conviction. “I know Celestia, and she would do anything for the ponies under her care.”
        “If you say so.” Soarin finished up with the last shirt. Turning, Celestia noticed there were significantly more ponies and griffons in the room than last time she checked. “Hey, listen, can we talk about this later? The meeting’s about to start.”





        Prince Blueblood, third of his name, was tired. For the past five hours, he had been negotiating and spying on his competitors, trying to gain the upperhand. He was the last one to leave the Hall of Intrigue, as he liked to call it. At least, he had assumed he was the last, until he saw a small room in use at the far end. Curious, Blueblood approached the door only to find a ward against eavesdropping in place.
        A standard spell. Nothing I can’t handle. Perceiving the spell was foalsplay, but keeping it hidden from the ones talking would require some extra effort. Unfortunately, that meant he had to forsake the ability to distinguish voices, in favor of one monotone.
        “So, can you do that for us?” 
        “Of course I can, but why would I?”
        “We will owe you a few future favors, all you have to do is allow us this small liberty.”
        “You understand that, as the Minister of Coin, I can’t simply allow the few of you that approached me to receive special benefits.”
        “...”
        “...”
        “What if you give this bonus to every Noble in Canterlot?”
        “I’m not sure what a reduction in taxes would do for so many ponies.”
        “Well, what would happen if more ponies like us had bits?”
        “They would be able to hire more and spend more bits…”
        “Which would help Equestria’s economy, yes?”
        “I… suppose that would be the case.”
        “Then how can you say no?”
        “Give us a moment to think.”
        “Of course.”
        “I have decided to grant your request.”
        “You won’t regret this.”
        Blueblood pulled away his magic and took off at a small gallop. This could be important information… and all information has a price. His plans were coming together. If the nobles in that room were who he thought they were, he might be able to finally have an ace up his sleeve. Smiling, Blueblood slowed down to a brisk walk as he approached a populated portion of the castle. 
        While walking, a servant bumped into him. Normally, he’d be mad, but as the mare placed a piece of paper in his pocket, he decided to let the scene pass without incident. Once in his chambers, he opened the letter.
        New Livery has been ordered. The price is small, though it will last for a long time.





        In the barracks, a group of guardsponies were gathered around a speaker. He was standing tall, and his confidence made the words he said seem like facts.
        “My equine brothers, I have something to say. You are being trained to fail.” The stallion, who had his face masked, held up a small pamphlet. “You’ve seen what has happened to the military already. You are underfunded. You don’t have the money to buy weapons, hire new soldiers, nor are you even allowed to protect anypony.”
        A murmur arose from the crowd at this. Most of them had already experienced the feeling of helplessness that came whenever a disaster came. Only a few looked uncomfortable, uneasy at what he was saying, yet they dare not interrupt him.
        “You are guardsponies, warriors… guardians. You were meant to be able to fight, yet the Princesses don’t provide you a single chance to prove yourselves or even to get actual experience. They do all the work, allowing the Royal Guard to become a mockery of what it once was. It used to be the pride of Equestria: The Iron Army. Back then, no lands were out of our view, our ambitions. No other nation rose against us and succeeded, and we can have that again. Not anymore.”
        Many ponies were hesitantly nodding their heads now. What this pony said was making sense. They all knew the stories of the old warriors of Equestria, where one guardspony was equal to three griffons and even a hydra. However, the Princesses weren’t destroying the honor of the Royal Guard. They would never do that, right? 
        Three guards, a new recruit and two veterans, immediately got up and left. They didn’t care what this crazy pony was saying. Causing dissent through the ranks would only prove problematic, and they didn’t want trouble with their superiors by not reporting it.
        “It appears I don’t have much time. I know that most of you still believe in your nation and the Princesses. Here, take these.” The hooded figure passed around pamphlets. They were roughly 40 pages thick, and had all the information inside. “Read this if you want more information, or burn them. Just remember, iron rusts when not in use. The sword that faces enemies never rusts.”