67. Remnants of the Past
Opal only manages to drag me for maybe five seconds before I throw off her hoof irritably. “I can walk on my own, thank you very much,” I snap at her after she looks back to see what's wrong. “I don't know why you ponies think it's okay to arbitrarily touch me.”
“Oops. Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away,” Opal apologizes, giggling slightly despite the fact that I just snapped at her. Her enthusiasm isn't dampened at all, though. She gestures to me with a hoof. “Come on then! I want to show you my collection!”
“Collection of what?” I grumble, following her with a sigh. I just met these ponies, and that was only for business. I don't see why this pony would go out of her way to try and be friendly right after we just met. Not to mention I don't really care to see whatever collection of junk that she may have.
“I'm an archaeologist! As such, I collect minor artifacts that aren't deemed useful by the Science and my departments,” Opal reveals, her excitement rising. Hold up, she's collecting artifacts? Does that mean that she has a bunch of human shit just lying around? “I thought you might want to look at what I have. Maybe you'll recognize some of them.”
So I'm probably right. While I'd really be heading back to Ponyville right about now, I'm curious to see what kinds of things she's managed to find. I'm not expecting anything major, though, if these things she's got aren't considered important enough for a proper museum. That reminds me. I should check around and see if there's a human museum at some point. Not now though. I just want Celestia to get done so I can go home.
“Whatever. I doubt you have anything other than piles of scrap, anyway,” I reply, because if she had anything more intact, I bet she wouldn't be able to keep it.
“Eh, but they're human piles of scrap,” Opal jokes, nudging me playfully. I raise an eyebrow at how overly friendly she's being. “That makes them so much more mysterious. Now come on, we're almost there.”
Opal leads me to a door situated in a rounded corner of two hallways set at a right angle. I'm guessing this is one of the towers. Sure enough, the door is labeled, telling me that we're walking into the Archaeology Tower. So what, does every major corporation that's funded by the royalty have its own tower? Because I know the Science Department has one.
The tower is pretty big, but I don't get much time to take it all in, because Opal is leading me up a set of spiral stairs. “Not much longer. My quarters are in the top of the tower, because I'm the head of the department and all,” Opal explains. Suddenly I'm suspicious. She's taking me to her room? As in, her personal room?
“Why are you taking me to your room?” I demand, all kinds of potential answers to my own question running through my head.
“To see my collection, of course,” Opal answers as if it should have been obvious. Right...she keeps her collection in her room. What I'm thinking right now is that this could get awkward pretty fast, especially considering she's a fanatic for human relics. If that extends to me, I might have to smack her down like I did to Lyra.
“I got that, but why your room? Don't you have a museum for this?” I press. Suddenly a thought strikes me. It's paranoid, but sometimes paranoia can save lives. I glance at her eyes as she comes up with a response. Thankfully, her eyes look normal, without a trace of green in them. Whew. I mean, the chances of that happening were pretty slim, but at least now I feel better about this.
“Not here, silly. This is a restricted area for anyone other than members of our department. You're with me though, so it's fine,” Opal explains. “I could take you to the museum in Canterlot, but as the project lead for this expedition, I'm going to be very busy. This is easier, and...I'm also being a little selfish.”
“Selfish?”
“Yes.” Opal giggles as if she'd just done something naughty. “The museum would likely pay you to look at their artifacts, but...I got you first.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. This pony is getting a little bit creepy now.
“I have all these artifacts that are too ruined or too small to be studied that I've been collecting. I thought you might know what some of them are,” Opal elaborates. Okay, now that makes a little more sense. I don't know why she couldn't just say that. She wants me to do something for her. In essence, she wants a favor out of me.
“Okay, and why should I do that? What's in it for me?” I reply, crossing my arms. Opal looks at me in surprise, and then she sighs when she sees that I'm serious. She slows to a stop on one of the foyers of the staircase.
“I wasn't meaning for it to be a business transaction. I just thought I'd share my fascination with you,” Opal expresses sadly. Ugh, and now she's trying to guilt me into doing it. Seriously?
“Don't fucking guilt me. You just said that the whole reason you brought me here was so I could identify some artifacts for you,” I point out to her, not putting up with her bullshit.
“I wasn't trying to guilt you, and I brought you here because I wanted to share my collection with someone who could appreciate it more than the average archaeologist,” Opal responds, looking at me straight in the eyes.
“And the fact that you could use my knowledge had nothing to with it?” I repeat, unconvinced.
“You are so stubborn!” Opal complains, pouting. “I'm just being friendly, that's all. You're reading way too deeply into this.”
“Whatever. Let's just get this over with so I can go find Celestia,” I grumble, having lost patience with her. Just being friendly. Right...acting friendly the moment you meet someone. I'm not telling her a damn thing unless she makes it an even trade.
Opal is silent, but she does start climbing the stairs again. She's walking a bit more stiffly than usual, which tells me I must have hurt her feelings. Eh, she'll get over it. To her credit though, I am interested to see what she has.
The staircase continues further upwards, passing an open area where other ponies are working on the way. We pass by it too quickly for me to get a good look at it, but I'm guessing that's where they analyze whatever they find. I wonder what they do when there's no artifacts to study.
Finally, the staircase terminates at a foyer at the top, where the door to her bedroom is located. She opens it with her magic and ushers me inside with a smile, her enthusiasm returning slightly now that I'm here.
“This is a room? Looks more like a museum in and of itself,” I comment upon walking inside. There's multitudes of shelves and glass cases lining the room, displaying items that I can't make out from here. The one artifact that stands out is an old worn statue of a bearded human holding a book. It's a piece of shit, as far as its condition is concerned. It's missing an arm and a leg, and that's not even counting the wear and tear of age pockmarking its surface. Looks like something you'd see in a town square or something.
“Doesn't it? I've been collecting artifacts my whole career,” Opal agrees excitedly, my earlier remarks going forgotten in the presence of her prized artifacts. She canters over to the statue I looked at. “Have you seen this one before? I'm dying to know if he has a name.”
“Not a clue, sorry. I was a student, not an art enthusiast,” I say with a shrug. Opal looks a little disappointed.
“Aw, okay,” she sighs with disappointed, and then she comically pats the statue as if it were disappointed too. “Sorry, buddy, looks like I'm still going to be calling you Mr. Book.”
Mr...Book. I don't even with this chick. I wonder if she names all of her artifacts. Or is this statue just special?
“Feel free to look around! I'd love to see what you think about the other things I have,” Opal insists, gesturing to the whole room. I wordlessly do so, approaching the first table that has items on it.
As I'd expected, there's a lot of scrap here. On this one table, I can see pieces of old circuit boards, or old figurines whose features have long since weathered away. And, huh, this piece looks like a flash drive. Or, what's left of one. That eroded protrusion definitely looks like a USB output to me.
On the shelves up above that table, there's old mugs and cups that look like they're made of plastic or some kind of ceramic. There's other kitchen related items up there as well, such as tarnished silverware or small plates.
“Oh, where are my manners? I'll make you some tea while you're looking,” Opal suddenly says, moving to the kitchen portion of the room. Yes, this room has a kitchen. It's a pretty large room. I guess it comes with being the head of the department.
I shrug and continue looking. Unfortunately not much here is recognizable or particularly interesting to me. There's some old wires, pipes, pulleys, and other such junk that could be considered artifacts by these ponies.
Then I spot a rectangular box looking piece on one of the upper shelves. Hold on a minute is that what I think it is? I reach up and grab the object, bringing it to my face. Much to my amusement, it's exactly what I thought it was.
Sitting in my hand is a beaten and worn cell phone. Except it's not just any cell phone. It's a Nokia. It's a goddamn Nokia. I promptly burst into laughter, setting the phone down on the nearest table. I just can't help myself. This would be something that would last over 3000 years. Go fucking figure.
“Is something funny?” Opal asks curiously, returning with a platter carrying two steaming cups of tea. With her magic, she sets the platter between us and allows me to take one of the cups from her.
“Just the fact that this piece of shit is still in one piece after three thousand years,” I tell her breathlessly after I compose myself. Goddamn Nokia. Shitty phone, but certainly made to last. When she tilts her head in confusion, I show her the old phone.
“Oh, it was indeed interesting how this particular artifact managed to remain in such good condition, despite the passage of time,” Opal observes, though she still looks confused. “I don't see how that's funny, however.”
“You wouldn't. It's only funny to a human like me,” I respond, still chuckling a bit at the irony. With that out of the way, I sip at my tea and move down the room, looking at what else she has on display. Sadly though, nothing else there has quite the impact as that shitty old phone did. Not a lot is in good shape here. They really are just pieces of junk that aren't worthy enough for proper study or display.
Finally, once I finish looking over everything, Opal and I take a seat on her plush couch so that we can finish our tea. I eye her curiously. “So why are you messing around up here with me when you have an expedition to plan?” I ask, that particular thought having just occurred to me. Opal cringes at that.
“Trust me, I know exactly how much work is ahead of me. But because you and I are going to be working together, I thought I'd get to know you a little first,” Opal explains with a friendly smile. Ugh, those words. “Get to know you.” I have heard those words so many times, they've lost whatever meaning they might have had.
“That's not really necessary. Literally all I'm going to do is tell you where to start digging, and maybe tell you what things are once we start uncovering things,” I point out. “Nowhere in this deal does it mention that we have to be friends.”
“What the...aw, why not?” Opal pleads, poking out her lower lip. You know, for an adult mare who's the head of the Archaeological Department, she acts way too much like a foal. “You're mean. Why are you so mean when we've only just met?”
“I'm not getting into this with you,” I groan, not in the mood for more friendship bullshit. I have all the friends I need, really, and I'm certainly not going to accept her two seconds after meeting her. It's like they think I'm obligated to be kind just because they act as such.
“Well, I hope you change your mind. We have a long partnership ahead of us, so I hope we can at least be civil,” Opal expresses, drinking from her tea. That much I can agree with. I'm going to be stuck in the forest with this mare, so provided she doesn't get too pushy, it shouldn't be a problem. It could be worse. I mean, I could be working with Pinkie. I think I would go insane within the space of a day. “What do you think of my collection?”
“It was pretty much what I expected. You said that all the valuable or intact stuff is taken for study, so that leaves you with scrap...though I'm curious as to how you got to keep that statue,” I reply truthfully, pointing at the statue of the bearded man.
“Oh, Mr. Book? We unearthed him in the ruins beneath Trotsdale. He was studied quite a bit, but unfortunately there's not much of use on him. There's no labels, markings, or anything that would have helped us learn more about him,” Opal relates, calling the statue by that utterly stupid nickname again. I'm half tempted to figure out what it is just so she'll stop calling it that. It's just so stupid. “But I liked him, because he looked so educated and calm. So I managed to persuade the project lead to part with it. I call him Mr. Book.”
“Would you stop calling him that?” I finally snap, getting annoyed.
“Why? It's cute!” Opal objects, wrinkling her snout indignantly.
“It's stupid!” I correct her, rubbing my forehead.
“It's stupid cute,” Opal corrects me right back, pursing her lips stubbornly. “Unless you have a better name for him, I'm calling him Mr. Book.”
“That's so dumb,” I groan, a headache forming just from this one conversation alone. Opal seems to find my annoyance amusing, considering she's giggling into a hoof. I finish my tea and set the cup aside, now bored with this interaction. “So are we done here? I'm sure you have a lot of work to do.”
“I suppose we are. It doesn't look like I'm going to make any headway here after all,” Opal agrees, sighing with disappointment. Damn right you're not. As far as I can see, you're annoying and childish with an over the top fascination with humans. Talk about a combination for disaster. “Hold on, let me clean up the dishes and I'll take you back down.”
I look around as she gets up and takes my empty cup from me. Sure enough, there's a window on one side of the room that's fairly accessible. Feeling a little daring, I get up and approach it as Opal turns on the faucet in the kitchen and starts washing the dishes.
Unfastening the latch, I throw the window open, letting in some of the cold air. We're extremely high up, but that's fine with me.
“Seth? What are you doing?” Opal asks in alarm as she feels the cold air on her coat. She turns to look just as I throw myself out the window. “Aaah!”
“Later, motherfucker,” I remark, flaring my magic and flying away from the tower just as Opal sticks her head out the window. The look on her face is fucking great. I just jumped out of the fucking window of one of the highest places in the castle. I have always wanted to do something like this ever since I learned how to fly.
Of course, now that I'm out here, I have no idea what to do now. Celestia said she would send somepony to get me when she was ready. Technically I could have just waited with Opal until that happened, but she was getting annoying. Not to mention I got to freak her out by throwing myself out a window.
I fly down towards the gardens, because that's where I usually meet Celestia. Plus it's a nice place to kick back and relax. Though to be honest, it would be better if I'd thought to bring the Clock-Maker with me. But I left that with Twilight because I plan to read that at her place. Whatever. Worst comes to worst, I can take a short nap.
The garden is easy to spot from above. I end up landing in the clearing where the Discord statue is, the grass flattening under my feet. I'm sure glad these shoes Rarity got me forever ago can be fastened, otherwise they'd have fallen off a long time ago.
“S'up, Discord,” I say to the distorted statue of the ridiculous looking god offhandedly. Not that I really care how he's doing. I wonder if he can hear me in there?
While waiting for Celestia or whoever it is she's sending for me, I rest my back against the statue of Discord and pull out my phone. I've still got a lot of texts I could look at. Though I really need to find some other portable means of entertainment. I should go and grab my old satchel back in Ponyville. You know, the old one that I haven't used since before the wedding happened.
I'm only there for maybe half an hour before somepony comes to get me. I half expect it to be Elegant Style, but surprisingly it's not. Instead, I get some generic guard that I've never met. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Elegant since before the wedding. I wonder if she made it out all right? Whatever, that's not important.
The guard leads me back to the same sitting room in which I met Celestia earlier today, where she's thankfully already waiting for me. The guard doesn't leave either, instead bowing his head to Celestia and moving to stand with several other guards situated near the other exit.
“Finally. I cannot even tell you how done I am with this city,” I express to Celestia before she can even greet me. “Did you know that I just got dragged up to the Archaeology Tower by that Opal bitch?”
“To show you her collection I assume,” Celestia replies, taking my abrupt greeting in stride. When I nod affirmatively, she nods knowingly. “I knew that was a possibility. There's not many ponies that take such enthusiasm in their work. I find it refreshing.”
“Good for you. It bugs the hell out of me because I feel like she wants to dissect me in a lab somewhere,” I retort, crossing my arms.
“Now, even she has lines she doesn't cross,” Celestia jokes, which gets me to snort with amusement. “But perhaps we should proceed with more important subjects. I know you've been worried about your payment.”
“Yes I have. Hence why I've only given you the general area to this place, and not actually where it is,” I point out. I know I saw her send a letter, but until I see the house and the rest of the payment, I'm not going to tell her shit.
“That's fair. I wanted to tell you that since I left the meeting room, I've been calculating a budget for this expedition, as well as gathering the money I need to follow through on my promise,” Celestia discloses. Her horn lights up and a large chest emerges from underneath one of the tables. I'd noticed it there when I walked in, but I didn't think it was significant until now. Celestia moves it towards me, the lid opening. “Take a look.”
A quick glance inside tells me that the chest is filled to the brim with bits, glimmering in the light. Wow, is this the 50,000 I've been promised? Wait...upon taking a closer look, I can make out small 100s engraved upon them. Well, shit, these are 100 value bits.
Basically, there's more than one kind of bit, which I figured out pretty quickly. I mean, it wouldn't make sense for somepony like Filthy Rich to run around carrying house sized bags of bits whenever he has to make a business transaction. So you've got 50 value bit coins, 100 value bits, and 1000 value bits, though I've only ever seen the previous two. I've heard there's even bars for massive sums, but I don't know the details.
“There's more than fifty thousand here,” I point out to her, because I'm estimating that's more around 100,000. “Why are you bringing so much money with you?”
“You're right, I have a bit more than necessary. I still need to finalize payment on your house, as well as purchase appropriate furnishings and renovations for your house,” Celestia answers, closing the chest and setting it down. “That's why I'm coming along with you to Ponyville.”
“Oh good, I can watch ponies freak out because their princess is walking around,” I comment. After all, even the ponies in the lower part of Canterlot stare at her in awe whenever she passes, so the reactions of the ponies in Ponyville should be pretty funny to watch. “Though seriously, I'm ready to go. I told Rainbow I'd be back before the end of the day, and it's already afternoon.”
“Of course. Shall we get going then?” Celestia offers, lifting up the chest once more and fastening it shut. Finally, I thought she'd never ask. Once Celestia sees my nod, she steps towards the group of guards, who immediately part and follow us once we're both through the door behind them. I guess they're our escort. Celestia turns her head back to look at me as we walk. “So how was the meeting?”
“Informative, if a bit irritating. Not everypony in there were altogether that fond of one another,” I reply truthfully, remembering Gilded Skies and his blatant insult to Opal. Though I can understand finding her annoying, he was insulting her capabilities, and as far as I can tell, she knows what she's doing. “Or of me, in the case of Shining Armor.”
“I know that there's some animosity in the group. Gilded Skies is a jaded individual. He wasn't always this successful, so money is a great deal more important to him than to the average pony,” Celestia divulges. So what, because he was poor once, that means I should excuse him being an asshole? Fucking no. “He's very good at what he does, however. Provided he conducts himself in a professional manner, I won't begrudge him his quirks.”
“Right. Let me guess, you read his mind to figure out those things about him,” I guess. Celestia doesn't answer with anything more than a giggle, which lets me know I'm right. Fucking mind reading horse.
At last, we return to that miniature runway that I first arrived in, and Celestia's personal chariot is there waiting for us...which means I'm going to have to ride in it.
“Celestia, why do you use these chariots?” I ask now that I've got the opportunity. Once Celestia gives me a curious look, I continue. “Seriously, you have wings. Why don't you just fly on your own? If you have that much power, you should be able to get from place to place much faster.”
“That is a very good question. Several reasons, I suppose,” Celestia begins, nodding her head understandingly. She hops up onto the chariot and takes her seat, and then gestures for me to join her. Once I'm settled beside her, she continues. “Primarily it's for personal reasons. For example, one reason is that I enjoy viewing Equestria from above, without having to exert myself. It's also nice to just sit back and relax, with the wind running through my mane.”
“And because you want the guards to feel useful, because you certainly don't need protection,” I add, just as she's opening her mouth to continue. Speaking of which, the pegasus guards have attached themselves to the chariot. They break into a run, and it isn't long before we're in the air.
“Perhaps in part,” Celestia admits. “Sometimes it is necessary to keep up appearances. For instance, I would like like a bad host if I didn't send a chariot for you.”
“Fuckin' public relations,” I grumble, though I can see the sense in what she's saying. It wouldn't do for the princess to be portrayed in a negative light, even if she could just force everypony into obedience with her overwhelming might. Except she doesn't do that because she's Celestia.
“Although necessary, they can indeed be a hassle,” Celestia agrees with a wry smile. We fall into silence for a few minutes as the chariot carries us away from Canterlot and through the skies. Though it isn't long until she feels the need to talk again. “It's been too long since I've visited Ponyville. Perhaps I'll spend some time with Twilight, and even visit Pinkie's bakery, if there's time.”
“Suddenly I'm picturing you gorging yourself on Pinkie's cupcakes,” I comment, the image getting me to chuckle. Celestia looks shifty at that comment.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” she quips with a knowing smile. The two of us share a chuckle at that. “In all honestly, that mare is really quite skilled at her work. I don't think I've ever tasted better cake.”
“I don't think I've tasted better sweets in general. I was used to the store-bought stuff that's been processed and frozen,” I agree. Celestia wrinkles up her snout, clearly finding as much distaste in that concept as I do.
Ponyville soon comes into view, barely visible through the clouds. The pegasus guards controlling the chariot angle themselves downwards, guiding us through a gap in the cloud layer and taking us lower. It looks like we're going to land right in the main square...and for some reason, there are some ponies already gathered there, as if they're waiting for us.
“Oh, it seems they've prepared a welcome for me,” Celestia observes, looking rather unenthusiastic about the prospect.
“Did you think they wouldn't? You're the royal princess of the sun, and you gave them prior notice. Of course they're going to want to make a good impression,” I point out to her. Or it could also be because they know she has the power to wipe them off the map if she wants to.
“Hm...” Celestia muses, a mischievous expression crossing her face. Uh oh, I don't think I've seen that look on her face much before.
“Okay, what are you planning? That's a face that promises misery for somepony,” I press curiously. Celestia pretends to look offended.
“Now Seth, I don't plan to inflict misery on anypony,” she assures me. But then a childish smile crosses her face. “Buuut...I feel the need to surprise them a bit. What if I disguised myself and slipped around the back?”
“Oh my god, are you seriously planning to play a prank on your own subjects?” I ask incredulously, grinning despite how stupid this situation is. Celestia giggles and nods. I chuckle to myself. “As funny as that would be, can you not? I feel like if you did that, they'd be too busy having heart attacks to help me get my house in a timely manner. I did have other things I wanted to do today.”
“Aww, no fun, Seth,” Celestia whines, earning a shake of the head from me. I guess even millennia old mares can act like fillies sometimes too. Go figure. “Very well, I shall save the pranking for another visit. Now then, it seems like the Mayor is already here...as is Twilight.”
“Again, why wouldn't she be? As far as I can tell, that mare is to you like Rainbow is to the Wonderbolts,” I remark, peering over the side. Sure enough, Twilight is there in the group of ponies that are waiting for us. I don't know which one's the mayor, though.
“I suppose you're right,” Celestia agrees, smiling. Our conversation ends as the chariot touches down, coasting to a stop just in front of the town hall.
The moment the chariot is still, I hop out of the thing, my feet plodding against the dirt of Ponyville. I don't think I need to repeat how much I prefer this place to Canterlot.
“Seth?” Twilight asks, approaching me in confusion. “I didn't know you'd be with Celestia. I thought you were with Rainbow?”
“I was. It's a long and unnecessarily complicated story,” I reply, turning my head back just in time to see Celestia descending from the chariot as well, in a much more elegant manner than what I did. “Though I doubt you're here to see me. Go glomp your princess.”
“Go what my princess?” Twilight asks indignantly, clearly not understanding what I'd just said. She probably assumes I said something vulgar...though considering how often I curse, that's not altogether an unreasonable assumption.
“Glomp. Human phrase. Means practically breaking a neck through a hug,” I explain with a flat-browed expression. Twilight sighs. While it's not as bad as she was expecting, I bet it still annoyed her.
“I'm certainly not going to 'glomp' Princess Celestia,” Twilight grumbles, moving past me and approaching the princess in question, who is talking to a tan colored pony with a greyish mane, who is wearing just a collar to signify her importance. I'm guessing that's the mayor, though I can't hear what they're talking about. So I accompany Twilight over to them.
“...honor that you're here. I've done as you've asked and left several homes open for you and Seth to look at,” Mayor Mare finishes just as Twilight and I reach them. She soon spots me...and it occurs to me that I've never spoken to the damn mayor of the town I've been living in. Is that coincidence? Or is it just because I tend to avoid town events where she's probably involved?
With a nod from Celestia, Mayor Mare approaches me with a smile. “I assume you're Seth. I've seen you around town and at a few parties,” she greets me, extending a hoof to me. “I apologize for never formally introducing myself. I'm Mayor Mare.”
“That's fine, I doubt I'd have given you much for conversation anyway,” I reply wryly, because at the time I first arrived, I was hating Equestria a lot more than I am now. I still hate Equestria, but at least the few friends I have now make it semi-bearable. While I'm talking to Double Mare here, Twilight is greeting Celestia with a friendly nuzzle. “Now then, I'm interested in seeing what kinds of houses are available.”
“Of course...I was just about to show the princess what I have to offer,” Mayor Mare responds amicably. She gestures to me, and then the two of us join Twilight and Celestia. Twilight seems like she's talking about something she's learned recently, which surprisingly seems to interest Celestia. Though I guess it's not that surprising. I know next to nothing about Celestia except that she reads minds, likes trolling ponies, and eats too much cake.
When Celestia notices us coming, she stalls Twilight's rant with a hoof. “I'd love to hear more, my dear student, but I'm afraid I came here on business,” Celestia says ruefully, much to Twilight's disappointment. “However, I've made plans to stay in Ponyville tonight. Perhaps we can spend time at your library later?”
“Oh, I would love that!” Twilight exclaims, looking like she's on cloud nine. Though the fact that Celestia is staying overnight is rather curious to me. She's just here to buy me a house and shit, give me my money, and leave, right?
“Excellent. I shall see you later this evening, then,” Celestia replies, and then finally she turns to Double Mare and me. “Shall we get started? I assume there will be some touring to do, after all.”
“Damn right there is. If there's more than one house to look at, I want to pick the one that suits me,” I agree, inwardly happy that I get to basically shop for houses without actually having to worry about the price.
“Understandable. If you would both come inside, I can show you the costs and locations of each house,” Mayor Mare suggests. Celestia and I let her lead us into the town hall, or that giant structure that I've never really given a second glance.
Inside, I can tell it's basically just another office building. If all of the town's affairs are handled here, then there's probably an area for record keeping, storage, offices for town officials, and other such things that you'd expect to see in a town hall.
In other words, there's nothing interesting at all to look at until we reach Mayor Mare's office. The mayor opens the door for us, allowing us to enter before her. There's two other ponies in here as well, one of which I recognize, though I'd very much wish I didn't.
Filthy Rich, as well as one other pony I don't know, is sitting in chairs around a small square table. They look up upon our entry, and then they both bow their heads in respect to Celestia. Filthy Rich smiles at me. “A pleasure to see you again, Seth,” he greets me. My first response is to scowl. Yeah, I still don't like you.
“Why the hell are you even here?” I demand as Celestia and Mayor Mare take their seats at the desk as well, and the latter starts shuffling through some papers on the desk, arranging them in an orderly fashion.
“I asked Mr. Rich to be here, as Princess Celestia mentioned in her second letter that the house would require furnishings as well,” Mayor Mare answers for him.
“My shop, Barnyard Bargains, possesses the best selection of furniture and other accessories that will make your house truly a delight to live in,” Filthy Rich adds, looking proud of himself. Great...like I want this guy anywhere near my house.
“Right...can't say that I've ever been there. But I'll take your word for it,” I reply. I guess it could be worse. It could be his little bratty daughter. I turn to the other pony next. “And who are you supposed to be?”
“Ahem. I am Brick Road, a real estate agent for the properties here in Ponyville. It will be me that you will be buying your house from,” the mahogany colored earth pony reveals. He then looks at Celestia expectantly.
“I thought I should gather everypony necessary to complete this transaction,” Mayor Mare explained, glancing to Celestia worriedly. “I hope you don't mind.”
“No, this will makes things easier. Now, I believe you should direct all inquires to Seth, as my purpose here is to provide the funds,” Celestia responds, indicating me with a hoof. Mayor Mare nods, and then passes me a stack of papers.
“Very well. Let's get started then. If you'll take a look at these for me?” she suggests. Peering down at the papers, I can make out a map of Ponyville, as well as several floor plan layouts, each of which are labeled and color coded carefully.
Oh good. I've always liked floor plans.
So much writer's block with this chapter. It didn't help that Nightmare Night happened either, so I didn't start writing this chapter until Sunday night. It went slowly from there, until finally I managed to crank this fucker out.
Anyhow, I just used this chapter to explore a bit of Opal's character, as well as get Seth back into Ponyville. I still have a bit of loose ends to tie up before I start the meat of this arc.
Leave your comments and tell me what you think! I'm going to go eat candy until I pass out. 
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Poor Seth, he has no choice but to go through the boring details.
Dang, I was hoping she had a Sinistar arcade game
i can see why this chapter would give a lot of writers block problems, mainly some parts are just so slow compared to the other chapters. i will say though the jokes here lighten it up a bit like Mr.Book and Celestia's attempt at a prank.
I'll be honest. My interest in this story has taken somewhat of a dip up until this archeological dig arc and my main grief with it lies in Seth. I know his character is a dick and all, but it's taken too far. It's like somebody wrote a skit about someone being almost a caricature of a dick in another civilization. That and I've been waiting to see him break down and talk about how life was in the past. It's not even a defensive measure for him to be a dick to Opal and deny her knowledge he could spout in under a minute because he's just such a greedy, defensive cunt. He's gotten somewhat better over time, not being a total asshole to Rainbow sometimes but it just feels so...unnatural. Like his character bio was "misanthrope had a girlfriend who was a complete bitch and now he is a mistrustful shit-stain to everyone he meets."
I still like the story but his lack of character change throughout the story is kind of killing my interest in the story.
Other than that, the story is fab.
Moar
When i first begin to read this episode, I was thinking one think... "Why is Seth talking with the cat of Rarity?" After I remember what happened in previous episode.
Good Work
You know, My Spirit Will Go On by Dragonforce really fits this story...
Being a cynical son of a bitches as always...sigh...
That is not a way to live a life.
I still don't know why I keep reading this even though I don't like the main character at all...
Welp, I will get my answer..
The battery is powered by the soul of a Giantdad.
The battery never dies.
5232667
Yeah, I kind of agree. He should of at least started opening up by now, right? I've been thinking the same thing. It's just annoying to constantly watch him be a little cunt to everyone around him.
To be honest, I skimmed the part with Opal. So, like 1/3rd of the chapter, I guess? I basically didn't read that part. Because I already knew what it was going to be.
On the plus side; choice. On the downside, it's a house in the center of town. Adaptation required. Idk. Tired. Story char dev I guess?
**radio static**
Operator: This is restricted airspace. Turn back now. I repeat, no flying-fucks permitted in this airspace.
**radio static**
Let me by saying this story is quite good and staying strong for 67 chapters. Its understandable that you put alot of work into this story and the people are a little annoyed that the main character still hasn't turn down the tough and rude act. Do hope that for myself that he will finally realize that everything he has is gone and time to move forward and finally comes to terms for himself they are not out to get him. But let me say this, I do love a good realization (or real life situation) romance story. Putting some effort into the characters with emotions is so interesting. Along the lines of jealousy and tactics. Hope to see more updates...cheers mate
Sorry about the delay, but I'm back and ready to comment
Starting off it seems Opal has certainly done nothing to gain Seth's approval. While not as oblivious (at least not that we've seen) as Twilight, she certainly doesn't seem to grasp social cues all that much, else she'd likely have known to shut up about her human stuff with Seth. It's looking like the rest of the archaeological trip, Seth is going to become more frustrated by her and her quirky bubbly attitude (probably to Rainbow's amusement). It seems her special talent for archaeology and human studies specifically has made her want to get to know Seth better. If she paid any attention to his attitude or even just noticed how everypony else tends to act around him, she would have realised how her desire to learn more about him was irritating him. I suspect she may even get a little jealous of his friendship with Rainbow during the expedition. She certainly has wide selection for her private study. I'm curious whether 'Mr Book' is just some made up statue or whether it exists in real life anywhere. Also hilarious about the Nokia phone. They can make some sturdy bloody phones.
Funniest bit was him jumping out of the tower window. Whether she had read the reports that he could fly or not, not possessing wings would certainly make someone grow bloody concerned if that person then throw themselves out a window. His exit probably left her a little miffed though. She'll probably bring it up next they meet and tell him how rude he was being (once again to Rainbow's amusement). She's certainly an interesting character, and she'll be fun to watch over the arc.
It was interesting to learn a little about the pony currency structure. The show has always been extremely vague about it, so it was interesting to learn a bit more about. Also cool for Celestia to acknowledge just how overly useless it is for her to take a chariot anywhere, what with her wings and all. I suspect were it not for presentation, she'd likely fly everywhere herself. Funny to see her once again planning another prank. I wonder how long it will be until she pulls one on Seth (then he and Rainbow retaliate
)? After they landed and split off, it was interesting to note her cutting Twilight off as he approached. Due to Seth's recent agreement to regularly visit the library, and their deal for him to stay up all night with her as she studied, it's likely the conversation was about him. I suspect there may be more instances like this in the future, especially now that he has that whole 'Study the magic of Friendship' thing hanging over him (I wonder how long it will take before he decides enough is enough and attempts to find a loophole to get out of having to study friendship. He'll likely fail but it would be hilarious to see him try). If this short conversation caught her interest, I wonder what she'd think about his fun night with Rainbow (or about Rarity and Pinkie's thoughts on the matter).
Interesting to see him having to work with Filthy Rich again. I suspect that Filthy will probably try to act polite and respectful, but Seth holds onto his grudges and isn't likely to enjoy this much at all. I wonder if Celestia would have got him involved if she knew about there bad blood (or maybe she did know and did it on purpose. She is a meddler after all). Also Brick Road is an awesome name, though you should have made him gold coated (Seth would have had a field day with him
).
Overall, a good chapter and it's given us some nice progression. Seth's not far from getting his own house (and likely and unwelcome Pinkie party house warming), though I wonder how Vinyl will feel about it. She hates that he pays rent, but hasn't otherwise had any complaints about living with him, so I wonder what her reaction to him leaving will be? Can't wait for more
Think im going to echo what other people have been saying. As much as I like Seth's character and like the fact he's a massive dick ( in my opinion this is still quite original) , i do think by now he should be opening up a bit more, if only for Rainbow. Yes i know progress has been made but I think I would like to see something more developing between RD and Seth. Lets see him cry or break down again, make him seem like he's actually just another guy who has lost all his friends and family without just being angry. Hes got magic now, but at heart, hes still just a young guy so lets see him actually needing help like we see in other stories when apparently all strong and powerful RD finally just shows her soft and emotional side off.
And if a romance thing is going to happen between him and RD, i hope its not going to just be Seth being all grumpy and annoyed, lol.
Everywhere else though is great in my opinion. Character development is still strong regardless, I like your OC's, the tone of it all is brilliant and judging by the whole changeling arc, I think the best of it has yet to come, especially considering the fact Sombra and the whole oppressed thing hasn't really been touched on yet so im very excited for that. ( also, considering you go that far which i do hope you do, imagine Seth fighting Tirek. very cool).
5257303 I disagree. I think people forget that honestly not much time has passed. He has only been in equestria for a couple months. Word count does not equal time! I think his progress is entirely reasonable. You don't undo a lifetime of jadedness in less than a year. People go through therapy for what he has got.
My dad once had a Nokia 3310 more than ten years ago that just would not die.
I played Snake and Space Impact on it so long I began going through the motions in sleep.
I love her character!
Dammit, Seth! Just befriend her! Falter under her pouty expression!
You know that Celestia obliged you to have more friendships, right? You wouldn’t want to go against her orders.
Opal is the best!
Seth is such a party pooper sometimes!
The one time Seth isn’t vulgar and she thinks he is! Kind of funny that!
I'm sure this should be 'look like' right?
6727502 2~ typos every 7.5 thousand words is awesome. I don't think he's going to go through 900,000 words worth for something easily missed.
I don't recall Seth busting any consoles. Inconsistency from rewrite or just me? Thought it was just the generator that failed.
8516876
Inconsistency from rewrite. It likely would have been much easier to post the rewrites as a separate story, but fimfictions rules disallow it.