“I want my money back.”
“You do?”
“They took my Memory away. That dragon ate it. I want my money back.” Honest Joe was fuming, but his confidence diminished just a little with each demand as he stood looking up at the salespony. Honest Joe was scrawny, but he’d been used to fighting before he got involved with the Gaia Memory Farm. The merchant was probably only a hand taller than him, maybe two, but there was no reason he should be afraid.
It was probably the way he stood there, uncaring, and barely spoke unless you asked a question. The way he ignored every negotiating trick, ignored any attempt to haggle, and just said what he wanted to say. There was something about that attitude that could be truly terrifying after a while. But he was determined, he would get what he deserved.
“What would you say,” the big merchant finally spoke, “If someone bought a ring from you, say, and then came back to complain because they’d lost it, or broken it?”
“That’s not the same!”
“Why?” There he was with single word responses again. It was very hard to argue with someone like that.
“You were there. You could have stopped it. A certain amount of service is to be expected, especially with corporate customers. I want to speak to your manager!” In the back of his mind, Honest Joe was one step away from panic, but he’d managed to say it. That had been his objective in any case; he hadn’t expected to get a bit back in compensation, whatever he did. But with an excuse to see the boss, once he knew their identity he could negotiate on his own terms, maybe convince them that he’d be better at selling Memories than this too-honest hunk.
“Yeah. Fine.” And just like that, he produced a Gaia Memory from his own pockets. “I use this to call her. You might have to wait a bit, though.”
“NASCAR!” The Memory’s voice was booming, but subtly different from the Diamond one. Instead of jabbing it into his pristine cutie mark, the salespony slipped it into a slot in a wood-and-steel apparatus near the door, which promptly lit up in a dull red as if there was a banked fire inside the device. Despite the warning, it took only a few minutes for the boss to arrive.
“You called?” She was clearly feminine, and not much older than the salespony, to Honest Joe’s surprise. But her voice was used to being in control. She had come in behind him somewhere, so he couldn’t see what she looked like without turning suddenly, which would make him seem less competent. So he turned slowly, talking at the same time.
“This guy hasn’t done such a good job of safeguarding your interests in this town. I’m wondering if you–”
“Don’t even start by insulting my family,” she snapped back, cutting off the carefully rehearsed spiel.
“He’s your cousin? That’s why he got the job? Or a brother?” Honest Joe knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he’d spoken out of turn because he hadn’t expected the situation. He couldn’t take it back now, though.
“In-law. But it’s the same thing really. He married my princess, and I wouldn’t allow that unless I trusted him completely. If you think you’re better suited to running a distribution operation, you need to show your competence. Maybe by using a Gaia Memory for several months without having it destroyed or taken away.”
“But I don’t have a–”
“You could have raised the money and bought another. But you chose to complain, and we have no time for troublemakers. It would be much easier for us if you weren’t able to remember who we are.”
“No, wait, I can–”
“TERROR!”
When the screams had died away, the boss turned back to the merchant. “Anything else to report?”
“There seems to be a new Champion in town. Or a new monster. I’m not sure which. The Harmony girls said something about a Driver Dopant. Is that even possible?”
“Oh, of course. That’s why they’re still using Celestia’s Driver from a thousand years ago. The new one can’t reach them when it’s trapped inside somepony’s body. But I severely doubt that’s what you’ve seen. I will ask for a full report, and maybe there could be a bonus in it for you.”
“Could I have a vacation? I want to see…”
“She’s eager to see you again, too. Just wait a little while longer. We’ve nearly finished the second stage, and then she might even move to Ponyville with you. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Even more terse than usual, the salespony couldn’t think of any response more complex than a nod.