30) Month 2 - The Committee
“Now are you sure you’ve gotten everything down?” asked Fragrant for what seemed to Max like the hundredth time.
“Yes,” he said with exasperation, “I’ve got all your notes, I read up on cloud cities and the rules about them, it was all very interesting.” He gestured towards the large pile of papers and books on the desk which took up much of the third floor of the tower comprising his office.
“And you’ve read my notes about how to chair a meeting?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” He leaned forwards with a smile and rested his head against his marefriend’s. He felt her relax a little, she seemed very stressed about her trip. “Just forget about work for the rest of the night. Enjoy your niece’s concert. Just relax!”
Fragrant sighed as she slumped down into a seat. “Thank you Max. Thank you for agreeing to take my place at my meeting today.”
“It’s not a problem. You could do with the time off.” He didn’t really understand why she was so worried about this. The meeting seemed simple enough and her trip sounded like fun; it was a shame he couldn’t make it as well. He hadn’t had a chance to meet Fragrant’s niece Fluttering yet. She was apparently something of a recluse but Fragrant certainly loved her.
“I’ll have to think of some way to make it up to you,” she said a little suggestively.
“I’m sure I could think of a way or two,” said Max wiggling his eyebrows and grinning at the potential implications.
“I’m sure you could Baron Bow Wow,” replied Fragrant playfully.
“Actually,” said Max a little more seriously, thinking about Fluttering again, “There is something I’d like. Is there a chance I could meet your niece? She does sound interesting and she’s about the only one of your family I haven't talked to.”
Fragrant looked surprised by his request. “Fluttering?” she exclaimed. “I don’t know. She is a very shy filly. She doesn’t do well with strangers.”
“She’s a member of your family, so I’d like to meet her sooner or later. Maybe you could ask her after the concert?” He wondered if he was maybe being a little forward. Meeting your partner's family didn’t usually occur until later in a relationship.
Fragrant seemed to consider for a moment. “I’ll ask her,” she said with a nod, “but she might not be willing. She can be very sweet but...” A look of sadness crossed her features. “Well, she still has difficulty coming out of her shell.”
“That’s all I can hope for.”
Fragrant thought for a moment. “If you really do want to meet my family, well, what were your plans for Hearthswarming?” She sounded a little bashful.
“Hearthswarming?” said Max with a frown. He hadn’t really thought all that far ahead. It was still early autumn after all. “Well, I was planning to try to get back to Nulpar after the court closed for the holidays so I could spend the Twelvetide there with Mum.” He considered for a moment. “But with the trains being how they are, I’d probably only get to spend a week there before I’d have to head back. Why, what did you have in mind?”
“Well... Maybe you could spend some of the holiday with me, in Cloudsdale? It would be a chance to spend time with my family,” she offered.
Max bit his lip for a moment. “I’d love to, but I’ve always spent the holidays with Mum.”
“She could come too. I would like to meet your family as well.”
Max’s eyes widened at the offer. His mother, well she disapproved of him dating outside of his tribe. He was sure she’d be polite to Fragrant and her family, but it would almost certainly be a very awkward meeting. Maybe if she had another year or two to warm up to the idea? “I don’t know, with her bad leg, I don’t think she’d make it to the station, and I don’t think she’d like to leave the province. All her friends are there!” It seemed as good an excuse as any.
Fragrance seemed to consider for a moment. “Maybe we could come to a compromise? You could spend Hearthwarming in Cloudsdale, and I could arrange a sky carriage to get you home for the New Year? You’d still get to spend a week with your family then.”
Max smiled. “I think that might work. We can sort out the details later since we still have a few months to go.”
“It’s never too early to plan.”
“You’re right, but there’s something about being a little spontaneous as well. Now, you better be off. Isn’t your train leaving soon?”
“I have enough time to get ready,” she said while standing up. “Now remember to not let Baron Thunderbird talk too much. Once he gets started, you’ll be there until tomorrow, and Viscountess Nighting Gale will bring up Cloudholm again. Let her do her thing then get a vote to reject her proposal at least until the next meeting.”
“I know, I know. You wrote it all down!” exclaimed Max shaking the relevant sheet of paper. He’d have to find some way to stop her before she went through the whole thing again. She could be such a worry sometimes. And he had the perfect plan.
“If you have any questions before the meeting, just talk to Saltpeter, and make sure you...” Fragrant was cut off as Max placed a leg to the back of her head and pulled her into a deep kiss. She stiffened against his grip for a moment before returning his affections quite enthusiastically.
“Everything will be fine,” he said when they finally broke contact, “Enjoy the concert.” That certainly distracted her, he thought feeling rather proud.
“Thank you,” she said giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she left the room.
Max looked back at the pile of papers on his desk and smiled. He was sure things were going to go fine. It was just one small committee after all. What could possibly go wrong?
“Did you manage to arrange everything for the morning, my lord?” asked Notary, glancing around the room at the boxes and bags which filled much of it.
“Almost, but there are a few last things I need to move into place before I can proceed with my plan. But There is an... issue which has come up. My father.” Greengrass leaned forwards over his desk and rested his head on his hooves.
“Your father? But surely he’s to be expected?”
“Yes, but he’s sent me a telegram saying he’s taking the earlier train. Mother tried to stop him but he insisted. He’ll be here in less than an hour, too soon to try that trick with the signals again.”
“Do you think he suspects?”
“No, he’s apparently decided to lend a hoof in my dealings for a while, to try and keep me ‘on the straight and narrow’ as he puts it. He probably has no idea what I’m planning, but I can’t let him find out now, not when I’m so close!” He slammed a hoof against the table.
Notary shied away a little. “Surely he is no threat to your plan. He is an old stallion. The few times I have met him he has seemed harmless... sweet even.”
Greengrass snorted. “Sweet? Notary, this is my father we are talking about. He may have chosen to waste the opportunities he was granted but he still spent decades at court. Don’t let his appearance fool you. He is far, far shrewder than he seems.” Greengrass grinned. “After all, I did not fall all that far from his tree. I just put my skills to more useful ends. No, we will need to find some way of distracting him while we get the last pieces in place, but we can’t do it directly, because he’ll know something's up. No, I need a cat’s paw, a patsy to deal with him,” A wide smile started to spread across the duke's face. “And I know just the stallion!”
“How are things going, Mrs G?” asked Max as he came down the stairs from his office. He was surprised by how untidy the room was at the moment. Most of the filing cabinets were open and much of their contents were spread across the two desks which filled much of the lowest level of the tower. At the sound of his voice, Mrs G’s head popped up from behind a stack of reports.
“A bit busy at the moment, dear,” she said with a sigh. “We had another request from the Internal Affairs Bureau. They want to go over your finances. It would be much easier if you kept your receipts,” she continued in a stern tone.
Max grimaced a little. He wasn’t used to having to keep records of everything he did. “I’ll give you a hoof. I’m sure we can sort things out, it’s not like I have all that much finance anyway.”
“Don’t you have Fragrant’s meeting to deal with?”
“That’s not for a few hours, and I think I’ve read all I need to, I should have some free time.” Well, a little, thought Max. He actually had quite a pile of his own work still to do, but Mrs G looked like she was drowning right now.
“Thanks, dearie. I’ve been getting a bit behind,” she admitted.
“Maybe I should look into getting you a bit of help. You’re not getting any younger,” joked Max.
“No!” exclaimed Mrs G with some venom, “I can cope by myself!”
“I’m not saying you can't,” said Max soothingly, holding up a hoof. “You just need some help now and then. Fragrant’s got a whole department of ponies to help her.”
“Well, you don’t run Equestria’s weather, do you? No, I can handle things. Look, if you want to help, why don’t you get me a donut from the banqueting hall? I’m feeling peckish and they normally sell out.”
“Are you sure? I can help you here?”
“Food first, filing later. All of these papers are starting to look very edible,” threatened the old goat.
“Fair enough,” said Max with a smile, “But I’ll help you out when I get back.”
Mrs G turned back to the papers with a grunt as Max trotted out of the door towards the canteen.
Tapping his hoof against his muzzle Max tried to come to deal with one of the hardest decisions of his political career, a puzzle which could have ongoing implications for years to come.
Which of the remaining donuts would Mrs G prefer?
His assistant normally went for ring donuts but the only one remaining was on the small size. The jam-filled one was his own preference, but he knew the old goat didn’t like getting the filling caught up in her coat. Decisions, decisions. His reverie was broken by an impatient cough from behind him. He looked back to see a short queue of courtiers had built up. Shrugging, he grabbed both of the pastries and placed them on a plate before resting it on his back. One for him and one for Mrs G. She could choose which one she wanted in person. He quickly set off back towards his office. That was one of the few issues with his new rooms, they were a little further from the canteen than his old one.
His journey was suddenly interrupted as a brown coated stallion appeared in front of him, leaping out from a doorway which Max would have sworn was a wall a few seconds ago. The figure bumped into him, sending Max staggering and the plate previous balanced on his back flying. Max grimaced, waiting for the sound of smashing china but to his surprise it didn’t come. Instead the other pony managed to catch the falling plate and its contents on his head as it went tumbling past.
“Sorry about that Baron,” said Duke Greengrass, “I should have watched where I was going.”
“No damage done,” said Max, brushing himself off and accepting his cargo back.
“Good. I’m sorry I can’t stop to talk. So much to do at the moment,” said Greengrass, starting to turn away down the corridor.
“Oh, right. Bye then,” said Max.
Greengrass froze for a moment, seemingly struck by an idea. “Say, baron, you wouldn’t happen to have a few hours free this morning would you?”
“Um, well not really. I have to help my assistant with the Internal Affairs Bureau audit and I’m chairing a meeting later.”
“Ah, yes, the IAB audit. They really are most insistent, aren't they? I’m sure they have good intentions, but they can be rather pushy about getting what they want can’t they?”
Max had the suspicion that the bureau might have rather more interest in Greengrass than himself, given some of the rumours he’d heard about the younger stallion and his own personal experience with the Duke’s ‘games’. “It’s important that we’re accountable to our people,” he said a little stiffly.
“Well of course,” replied Greengrass with a rather fake smile. “I’m rather busy with them myself, but something’s come up needing my attention, a family issue.”
“Oh, nothing bad I hope.” Max felt a sharp pang of regret about his previous thoughts now.
“No, no, nothing like that. My father’s visiting and he’s arriving a bit earlier than expected. I have to go meet him at the station and entertain him for the rest of the morning. Really, I should put the good of the court first, but he is my father. I can’t just have him wandering Canterlot alone, can I? Not at his age.”
Max felt a phantom pain in his ear as he remembered meeting Greenmeadow, Greengrass’s father, at Baron Field’s retirement party a few months ago. He’d seemed nice enough, even giving Max some good advice on how to deal with a disagreement between two courtiers, but he had a rather physical way of illustrating his points.
“I don’t suppose... no you’re busy,” continued Greengrass hesitantly.
“What?” asked Max.
“You couldn’t collect dad, could you? Keep him busy for a while, just until five,” pleaded Greengrass, “It would be a really big favour, I know, but I’ll pay you back.”
“I don’t know. Mrs G really does need my help,” said Max hesitantly.
“Oh, I know, but I had a chance to look through your road proposal bill, and Caneighda does have some woefully poorly serviced settlements. I think it would really benefit my people if it did go through whenever you submit it. I might be something of persona non grata at the moment but I’m not entirely without connections, you know. I might be able to persuade at least a few of the court to help out.”
Max paused. It was a rather tempting offer. He had gotten some support from the court now that they’d had some time to review his bill, but every little bit helped. Mrs G did need his help with the paperwork but it didn’t need to be done right now, did it? He could help out tomorrow.
“My father might even be able to help out with your work. He likes to keep his hoof in the business you know,” added Greengrass noticing Max was wavering.
“Alright then,” agreed Max after a few moments.
“Good! Good! Now, my father will be arriving at the 1 AM train from Caneighda. Just keep him busy until five, then we can all meet up at the east ballroom and I’ll take him off your hooves.”
Max frowned a bit. That was an odd place to meet up, but then he shrugged. “Ok, I just need to tell Mrs G where I’ll be then I’ll be off!”
“Thanks,” said Greengrass with a smile. “This really does mean a lot to me.”
“Excuse me, Duke,” said Max. It had been a bit of a gallop to get to the station but the train had been a few minutes late so he’d arrived in time. It hadn’t taken long for him to pick out the distinguished form of Greenmeadow from amongst the crowd of other passengers exiting the train.
“Huh,” grunted the old stallion, turning towards him leaning heavily on his cane. “No, I’m not a duke, just a baron. The new title went to my son.” He looked Max up and down for a moment. “Baron Max, isn’t it? You were at Rolly’s party. Shame what happened to him.”
“Yes, um, sir. Actually I’m here about your son.”
“What’s he done now? Got you caught up in one of his ‘games’?” The old stallion sighed. “I just don’t know what to do with that colt.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It's more of a personal issue.”
“Personal? Why isn’t he here to meet me?” Max noticed the stallion’s hoof push harder against his cane. “There isn’t anything wrong with my son, is there?” he asked, sounding worried.
“Oh, no. Nothing like that,” assured Max. “I’m afraid he’s just rather busy at the moment. He’s asked me to look after you for a few hours.”
“Oh, you’d think he’d make time, on this day if not any other.” Greenmeadow sighed. “Still, I know that work should come first. I’m glad he’s taking his duties seriously for once at least. Very well, lead on!”
Max thought for a moment. He’d galloped here but Greenmeadow was an old stallion, so maybe he should get a taxi. Before he could suggest the idea, the old baron seemed to read his mind. “I don’t mind trotting,” he said, “It does me good to stretch my legs, plus the mountain air is good for you they say.”
“Of course sir,” said Max turning to go.
“Wait a minute,” he frowned, “I’ve just remembered. You’re the one who put together that road and rail building bill! A very good idea, young stallion. It would have helped out a good number of outer provinces. Even some of the core areas are behind in general infrastructure work.”
“Why, thank you sir,” said Max with a wide grin. It was good to know there were other ponies on his— “Oww!” he cried as something bonked him in the head behind his ear. He turned to get a further sharp tap on his head from the old stallion’s cane. “And then you managed to screw it all up by a basic lack of understanding of the court!” He raised his cane again to once again jab at Max but the younger stallion ducked back.
“Look, I’m sorry about that,” said Max with a scowl. “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I saw an opportunity to get something done and took it! Yes, it was a stupid idea, but I was trying to do my best.”
“Best!” grumbled Greenmeadow, “In my day that sort of sloppiness would get you thrown out of court! Exiled even! You don’t go to court until you’ve already got everything sorted out! You should know who's going to vote for it before you even propose a bill. And if things start to look bad you don’t let it spiral out of control. Most the time you can get the chairpony or chamberlain to declare a recess. I even know a chap who got it done in the middle of a vote. Gives you time to think things out, talk to your allies and enemies, work out a compromise!”
Max glanced at the cane again nervously. “I’m sorry. I’m still new to court and I don’t know all the rules and the like.” His ears flattened. “Duchess Posey’s been trying to teach me, but I’m not that good of a pupil I’m afraid, and she’s so busy.”
Greenmeadow sighed and lowered his cane. “It’s not all that bad,” he admitted. “Your heart’s in the right place. You’re probably better than I was when I started.”
Max frowned. The little he’d heard about Greenmeadow suggested that the old stallion had been almost a saint compared to most of the courtiers, putting the good of the ponies ahead of his own and working selflessly for many years. It had been one of the reasons his son had been promoted so quickly. Greenmeadow must have read Max’s face because he gave out a barking laugh. “That surprise you? We were all young once. I wanted to come out on top of the court and was willing to do almost anything to get there as well! I came up with a plan, you see. I thought the best way to get to the top would be to pretend to work hard, then I’d catch them all by surprise when I revealed my true colours. Well, that’s what I thought for the first few years, but then I realised that I actually quite liked the work. There’s a certain gratification from getting something done the hard, honest, way. I only wish Greengrass could see that. In the end, I think I’m happier than he is. I’ve lived a good life, I’ve got a good wife.” The old stallion sighed. “Still, maybe I’ve still got time to turn my son around.”
“I don’t think your son’s all that bad,” said Max. “He’s given me some good advice here and there.”
“My son isn’t without talent at court. It’s the ends he chooses to put his skills to which cause the trouble. Besides, you can probably do with all the help you can get. Most courtiers learn for years from their predecessor before they have to step into the big shoes. You just got dropped straight into the job, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir,” agreed Max with a nod.
The older stallion clicked his tongue. “I don’t know what the princess was thinking, really. Nopony really does. Still, now that you’re here, I should help you if I can. I’ve not got much else to do until Greengrass is free. Now, what do you know about the structure of the civil service?”
Max tried to bite back a sigh. This was going to be a long couple of hours.
“So do you think you understand it now, boy?” asked Greenmeadow.
Max nodded his now slightly aching head. The journey back to court hadn’t been all that long but it had been long enough for the elder earth pony to go over what felt like a whole lifetime full of rules and procedures. Max thought he’d be lucky if he remembered one percent of what had been said. Still, some of it had seemed interesting and there were a few nuggets here and there that he thought might be useful in his plans. “I’m back, Mrs G,” he said, noting that the piles of paper around the room seemed to have grown even higher over the time he’d been away.
The elderly goat gave a welcoming grunt. She had her head stuck into a filing cabinet and turned at the sound of their entry, catching one of her horns on one of the drawers. “A chaca!” she swore. “Oh, welcome back, Max. Baron Greenmeadow.” She nodded at Max’s guest, but Greenmeadow looked a little taken aback by the appearance of the goat servant.
Max cringed. It really looked like Mrs G could use the help right now, but he needed to look after the baron. After all, he’d promised Greengrass. “I’m sorry Mrs G, I’m going to need to show the baron around, but I’ll give you a hoof after my meeting later.”
Mrs G gave a deep sigh. “Of course,” she nodded, rubbing at her injured horn.
“Nonsense!” exclaimed Greenmeadow, “This is obviously important work. I can’t get in the way of that. I might even be able to help.”
“Really?” asked Max. He was a little surprised, as it didn’t seem like most of the other courtiers spent much if any time doing their own paperwork.
“Well, I’m used to having a little more help, but I don’t shy away from hard work! Now what are you trying to do?”
“The new bureau’s asked for this evidence of our finances,” said Mrs G pointing at a pile of forms on her desk. “But he,” she pointed a hoof at Max, “hasn’t kept most of what we need.”
Greenmeadow glared at Max whose eyes flicked nervously towards the cane the other stallion still held in his hooves. “Let me have a look at that!” he commanded, hobbling over to the paperwork before flipping through it. He nodded. “It’s not that bad. Most of this you can cover with a few signed A53s, as long as the larger items can be accounted for.” He looked up at Max. “But you need to keep better records, boy. It’s important.”
Mrs G moved over to Greenmeadow’s side and put on her glasses. “What about that?” she pointed at the paper. “I can’t find that anywhere.”
“Humm, did you submit a P10 for that grant? If so, you could use the confirmation form to cover that.”
Max stood by the door feeling a little useless as the room's other occupants started to go through the list like one of Greenleave’s threshing machines from back in Sadlzberg. “Um, is there anything I can do to help?” he said.
“You could put on some tea, dearie,” said Mrs G. After a moment, Greenmeadow grunted his agreement.
“Good,” exclaimed Max, “I hereby note that a further review of Trotsbridge’s status will be carried out in another six months.” He thought that sounded properly chairpony like. Around him, the other six members of the committee nodded in agreement. He indicated to the secretary, a rather cute young unicorn who hardly looked old enough to be out of school, that she should make a note of the decision instead of staring rather absently at him. She blushed slightly and quickly scribbled the indication into her notes.
This chairing thing didn’t seem to be all that hard after all, thought Max. He’d been nervous at first, worried that he’d mess something up, but after a bumpy start where he’d mixed up the names of a few of the committee members, things had gone smoothly. Each pony would give their report on one of the cities being reviewed, there would be a few questions and then a vote on the issue. So far, every vote had been to defer any decision until a later meeting, which was exactly how Fragrant had expected them to go. He checked the itinerary, noting there was only one further report on the schedule before any other business and then that was it. It looked like the meeting would be over early, leaving him a chance to catch up on some of his work or help out Mrs G if she still needed it. When he’d last seen her, she and Greenmeadow were still working through their list of requests from the bureau.
“Right, so next we have Viscountess Nighting Gale and the petition for Cloudsholm.” He gestured to the mare. “Viscountess, you have the floor.”
“Thank you, baron,” said Nighting Gale with a nod, her voice cracking a little. She had been quite quiet for the meeting so far, nervously shuffling the paper in front of her and looking up at the clock. She cleared her throat. “As my petition for the upgrading of Cloudsholm has been under consideration for over three years now and at no point has there been an unanimous vote to reject the position I hereby submit an immediate QB742 form—” she pushed forwards a sheet of paper with a slightly shaky hoof “—signed by both the council of Cloudsholm and myself as their provincial lord. As per this committee’s constitution, Section Six, Subsection Two, I hereby invoke my right to an immediate vote on Cloudsholm’s situation. A simple majority is needed to for the issue to pass and an immediate recommendation be delivered to the Equestria-wide City Certification committee.”
Max blinked and looked down at the form in front of him. He couldn’t make head nor tail of it. Fragrant hadn’t mentioned anything about this. She’d said that Nighting Gale might push for a vote but they usually needed unanimous agreement. His head started to spin a little and he felt a sweat start to form on his flanks. Things were going wrong! Fragrant would be so angry with him at messing up again, she’d probably never want to talk to him again! Fighting down the sudden panic, he struggled to speak. “Um, well, ok, but why don’t we...”
“I vote for Cloudsholm being promoted to a city,” said Nighting Gale loudly.
“Huh,” said Baron Thunderbird, his brow furrowed, “What's...?”
“You need to vote Baron, now!” said Nighting Gale forcefully.
“Gale, where’s this coming from?” he asked. “We’ve been friends for a long time, there’s no need to take so rash a step! When the Princess hears...”
“Vote, now!” she insisted.
“I vote against then! This is foolish and you know it!”
Max took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Maybe this wasn’t a problem, maybe the vote wouldn’t go Nighting Gale’s way.
“I vote for,” said Countess Juniper smoothly with a small smile at Nighting Gale.
“I... I abstain,” said Baron Skyfire hesitantly, his eyes locked on the viscountess.
“I vote for,” said Baronett Vector Thrust.
“I abstain,” muttered Countess Moon Moth.
“Baron Max,” said Nighting Gale with a little smile, “Your vote please?”
Max glanced around and realised that the whole of the committee, apart from himself, had now voted. Three for, one against and two abstentions, the vote was going to pass and it seemed like there was nothing he could do about it. He needed more time, time to think, time to... Wait a minute, hadn’t Greenmeadow said something about getting more time when you needed it? “I call for a recess!” he exclaimed.
“In the middle of a vote?!” exclaimed Vector.
“Um, I can do that right?” asked Max. Had Greenmeadow been wrong? Maybe it didn’t apply to this situation? The rest of the committee just stared at him.
“Errr, actually, as long as the meeting has gone on for at least an hour, the chairpony can call a recess of at most the length of the meeting so far,” piped up a small voice. All eyes turned to the secretary. “It’s, um, in the committee constitution,” she added rather quietly.
“How long has the meeting been going on?” asked Max desperately.
The secretary scrabbled through her notes. “You officially started the meeting at three oh six, sir.”
Max’s eyes shot up to the clock. His heart leapt as it read ten past four. “Good! Then I declare a recess of one hour and, um, four minutes!” He looked to the secretary for support and she nodded. “Good!”
There was a general grumble around the office as the rest of the committee stood and started to file out, Nighting Gale glaring at Max as she went. He considered stopping her and trying to find out what was going on but he didn’t want to waste the precious time he’d just bought.
“Thank you,” said Max to the secretary once everypony else had left. “You really saved me there, um.”
“Oh! Junebug, sir,” she replied, running a hoof through her mane and smiling shyly.
“You wouldn’t happen to know a way to cancel that vote or something would you?” asked Max desperately.
“Sorry, no. I only knew the rule about recess because, well, I couldn’t sleep because my roommate was being loud, so I read the committee constitution to help me nod off,” she admitted with a blush.
Max slumped back in his seat, it looked like he’d just delayed the inevitable rather than stopping anything, but there had to be some way to sort things out... Or somepony, somepony who knew the rules of the court better than anypony he knew. He leapt from his seat and rushed for the door so fast he sent Junebug’s papers flying.
“Baron Max, why are you in such a hurry?” asked Greengrass as Max shot past, almost dislodging the box from the duke’s back. “Did you manage to collect my father? There isn’t anything wrong with him is there?” he asked with a touch of panic.
“What, no, no, he’s fine,” said Max slipping to a halt.
“Well that’s good, he is getting on a bit now, not as young as he used to be.”
“Look, I’ve got a problem, can you... Why are you carrying that box around?” asked Max, his train of thought derailed.
“What box?” said Greengrass angling himself away from Max, which didn’t do much good as the box was almost as tall as a pony.
“The one on your back.”
“Oh that box,” exclaimed Greengrass as if he’d never seen it before. “It’s, um, papers! Requested by the bureau!”
Max stared at the large box. “Oh, aren't they heavy?”
“Yes, but I’m stronger than I look. Lots of healthy gardening you know,” replied Greengrass flexing his legs a little.
“Oh, right,” said Max tearing his eyes from the box. “Look, I need a hoof. I’m in the middle of a vote and something's going on, it’s not going how it’s supposed to. I need to get it stopped or changed or something.”
“Tell me more.” asked Greengrass sounding intrigued.
Max quickly went through the events of the meeting and how long he had to try and fix things.
“An hour!” exclaimed Greengrass, “Well, less than that now I guess,” he tapped a hoof thoughtfully against his muzzle. “What do you know about the parties involved?”
“Well Nighting Gale seems to be leading it all, but I think she’s got to the other members of the committee!”
“Interesting...” He paused for a moment, “I think I know but...” he glanced at the box on his back for a moment then back to Max, he seemed undecided. “I’m sorry, baron. Your problem sounds very challenging but I’m afraid this is very important. I haven't the time to help you at the moment.”
“Oh, sorry,” said Max sounding very worried, “Do you think your father might know something that would work?”
Greengrass smiled. “I think he might. He tends to do things by the book, but he’s picked up a few extra chapters over the years. He might not like the game, but he’s still a good player.” He seemed to consider things again for a moment. “Dad’ll probably know some way to sort things out using paperwork but I think you should consider the ponies involved rather than pieces of paper. That’s where you'll find the real fix. Still, dad can probably help you.”
“Good, thanks, bye,” cried Max as he shot off down the corridor again. For a moment Greengrass looked like he might follow but he restrained himself and trotted off down the corridor.
“I just don’t know what to do with that colt anymore, he’s got a lot of his mother in him but he doesn’t have her—”
Max crashed into his office to find the room rather tidier than when he’d left it. Most of the papers had been put back in their cabinets and Greenmeadow and Mrs G were sitting at the two desks, sipping tea. “You’ve got to help me!” he panted.
“What’s got you so het up, Dearie?” asked Mrs G.
“Vote, Nighting Gale, recess!” gasped Max. “Need help! Now!”
“Calm down boy,” said Greenmeadow, “More haste, less speed! Sit down, get your breath back, drink some tea and tell us what this is all about.”
Taking a lungful of air Max sank into a free chair as Mrs G poured another cup. “The meeting seemed to be going so well to start with...” he began.
***
“And it was a QB742 form?” asked Greenmeadow once Max had finished his story.
“Um, yes I think so, QB744 maybe?” said Max awkwardly.
“Let’s say it was a 742,” said Greenmeadow resting a hoof on his face in exasperation, “that should be easy enough to deal with, you just need to prove that there has been ongoing investigation into the issue between committee meetings. It’s no wonder Nighting Gale waited until Duchess Posey was away before trying this. Anyone with the slightest experience could deal with this.”
Max ignored the insult. He was just glad that things could be sorted out so quickly. “So I just get this evidence from Fragrant and it doesn’t matter about this vote?”
Greenmeadow glared at him. “No,” he pronounced. “You need to be able to provide the evidence before the vote concludes. About forty minutes, given what you said.”
“Right so I’ll...” Max started off towards the door but was stopped by a sharp pain on one of his hind legs. “Oww!” He turned to see Greenmeadow poking him with his cane.
“No! No running! Always in a hurry, that’s your trouble. We have plenty of time so we can think things through. We will need to report Nighting Gale on this, since it clearly goes against the spirit of the princess’ ‘new leaf’ policy.” He looked thoughtful. “I wonder why she did it? It’s a very difficult position to be put in just to get a town upgraded to a city. The others in the committee, well she probably had something on them or they owed her favours. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad on them when this all comes around, but why would she risk her own position for this? There has to be some reason.” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t suppose it matters. Our duty is clear!”
It was a good question, thought Max, but probably not his problem at the moment. He just needed to sort out this evidence thing and get the vote sorted. Then they could look into why Nighting Gale was risking this action. “Look, can we get to the duchess’s office?” he begged, “We get the paperwork and then we can investigate further!”
Greenmeadow nodded, but he still looked puzzled.
“I’m sorry, Baron, but the Duchess’s records are confidential. You need to ask her permission to access them,” said Saltpeter, positioning himself in the middle of the door to Fragrant’s office.
“But she put me in charge of her committee! Surely that counts for something?” begged Max.
Saltpeter was unmoved. “I am sorry, Baron. Yes, you have been put in charge of a single committee but that does not grant you any more access to her, or her ministries, records. You would need to get her personal permission for that.”
“But Fragrant’s not in Canterlot! There’s no way to get to her in half an hour.”
“Maybe you could try contacting her by telegraph?”
“I don’t know if they even have a telegraph in Ponyville, even if she knew I wanted to contact her!”
“Well it is good to see that you at least know where the Duchess is. She chose not to tell me where she was going,” said the servant grumpily.
“Please, surely there’s something you can do? I just need to get copies of a few records about the cloud city committee. She left me in charge of it and I really need them. Fragrant really won’t be happy if I mess this up!”
“I am sorry, Baron, but it is more than my job is worth to give you access to the files without permission. I am sure the Duchess would be more angry if I were to break our rules. Now, I am sorry, but as my mistress is currently away, I have a lot of work to do. If you would excuse me?” The stallion turned and very clearly closed and locked the office before walking away into the crowd of other staff wandering around the weather ministry suite.
Max grumbled to himself for a moment, incensed by Saltpeter’s actions. It was such a small favour he needed and he was sure Fragrant would agree if she was about. He turned to Greenmeadow. “Why didn’t you poke him with your stick or something?” he asked.
“I only use such percussive maintenance for ponies not carrying out their job,” explained the older stallion. “He was doing his job correctly, if rather over zealously.”
Max sighed. “So that’s it then? I just go back to the vote and Nighting Gale wins?”
“Maybe. Then we report her behaviour to the princess and see what action she takes.”
“Excuse me, sirs,” came a voice from behind Max. He turned to see an immaculately groomed blue pegasus standing there. “But I believe you are looking for these?” He held out a thin file.
“Notebook!” exclaimed Max, it had been awhile since he had last seen Fragrant’s ex-assistant. “What are you...?”
“I couldn’t help but overhear you talking to Saltpeter. This is the record of the review of the cloud cities, the one you were looking for.”
Max took the folder and opened it. “Thank you! But won’t you get in trouble for this?”
“Actually, my current job does give me access to that particular file, more or less, and I feel the duchess would agree that you should have it. Given the situation. I feel fully justified,” he looked back at Saltpeter, “in using my own discretion on the matter, sir.” He gave a nod.
“Thank you!” exclaimed Max again, almost feeling like hugging the other stallion. “I’ll make sure that Fragrant hears what you did for me.”
“Thank you, but there really is no need.”
Max spun and started towards the door before remembering Greenmeadow’s earlier words and slowed to a trot.
“Good boy, you’re learning,” said the older stallion as he followed him. “Now we can stop the vote and report what happened to the princess. I’m sure she will want words with the baroness.”
Max paused for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe Nighting Gale has a reason for what she’s done? Should we talk to her first?” Greengrass had suggested looking into the pony in question rather than just dealing with the situation via paperwork, “Maybe try to sort things out without bothering the princess?” He certainly remembered the castigation. Shouldn’t the court manage to deal with its issues without involving the princess?
Greenmeadow considered for a moment. “Maybe,” he admitted. “But she better have a good reason for her actions.”
“Have you come to bring me back to the committee?” asked Nighting Gale, looking up from her desk. “I thought I had a little more time?” Her office was small and placed in the bowels of the castle, not far from where Max’s original quarters had stood.
“There’s another ten minutes or so,” said Max.
Nighting Gale looked down at a paper in front of her and scribbled something on it with a flourish before folding it and putting it in an envelope. She sighed. “I take it you’ve managed to find some way to negate the vote?” She looked past Max at Greenmeadow. “I can’t imagine it would take long for you to think of something.” She sighed again. “Oh well, it was worth a try. Duchess Posey not being able to make the meeting was a boon. She would have stopped me straight away, and I doubt the others would have stood against her, despite the favours they owed me.”
“Why did you do this?” asked Max, “You know the Princess wants things like this to stop. You could lose your job over this!”
Nighting Gale held up the letter. “I know. This is my letter of resignation.” She smiled sadly at it for a moment before lowering it to the table.
“Resignation!” gasped Max, “Why? What is all this for?”
“For? I am bankrupt, Baron Max. A long series of poor decisions and even poorer investments made by my ancestors. Slowly, bit by bit, they lost their lands and their power, leaving me with nothing. I had managed to temporarily halt the decay with a marriage pact with the Silver family, but once they recognised the depth of my debt, they called the engagement off.”
“I’m... I’m sorry,” said Max.
She waved a dismissive hoof. “Thank you, but there was no love there. It was a political agreement, still...” She trailed off for a moment. “I had grown accustomed to Quick Silver being around. She was... nice to talk to.”
“That’s why you did this? For the money?” Max was astonished by the corruption still present in the court.
“No, the grants due to a city would do nothing for my fortunes. They would be payable to the mayor not myself, and even if I could get my hooves on them, they would be a drop in the ocean. No, I wanted to do something for my people before I left my post in shame. I haven’t been the ruler they deserved, you see. They work hard and they don’t have much, but they do the best they can. I hoped my last act would at least benefit some of them. To be honest, it was a long shot. The odds of it passing Night Light’s committee and the princess herself signing off on it were negligible even if I burnt every favour I had left. Still, I had to take the chance.” She shrugged. “It was better than nothing.”
Max slumped heavily into a chair. He could almost see where Nighting Gale was coming from. She had a responsibility to her people in the same way as he did to his. If their situations were reversed, wouldn’t he do the same for Nulpar? But that didn’t make what she was doing right. It was still taking advantage of a loop hole. “Surely there’s something else you can do, some way to pay your creditors?”
“Certain organisations have offered to help,” she stood from behind her desk and began to pace back and forth, “But I would not wish any of them to own me.”
“What happens to your lands and your people if you go bankrupt?”
“If a noble is judged unable to support their lands,” intoned Greenmeadow, “Then their lands are forfeited to the crown.”
“And what would the princess do with them?”
“I don’t know for certain,” said Greenmeadow after a moment's thought, “but given the small size of the province and its lack of resources it would probably be folded back into a neighbouring province.” That made Max shudder a little. Would that be the fate of Nulpar if he messed up too badly?
“Aren't your lands a sub province of Cloudsdale?” asked Max.
Nighting Gale nodded. “Once many generations ago, my family actually rivalled Greater Cloudsdale in prestige, but now, yes we are just a sub province. Still, I hope Duchess Posey will forgive my acts and treat my people well.”
“But what about...” said Max, his mind racing. “What if you stopped all this and just declared yourself bankrupt? Fragrant would get your lands but then she could let you administer them in her name!”
Nighting Gale put her head to one side. She froze in place, for a moment her only movement her tail which writhed around showing her disquiet. “Would, would the duchess do that?” she asked finally.
“I don’t know for certain, but I can ask her and, well, I have a certain amount of pull on her. It sounds like your problems aren't your fault, and you’re trying to do right by your people. You said yourself that this whole vote thing is a long shot. Why not bow out with your honour intact. Isn’t that what the princess would want from you?”
“I... I don’t know,” muttered Nighting Gale looking up at the clock in the corner. “It is time for the committee to reconvene,” she said, her voice hardening.
“Please!” pleaded Max, “Think about this. You can make the right decision.”
“I will think on it, and I will do what is best for my people,” she said pushing past him and striding down the hall towards the committee room.
Max’s heart sank. For a moment, he really thought he’d gotten through to her.
“That was a nice thing you did there, boy,” said Greenmeadow. “I remember her mother, a gambler that one, but I’ve not heard of Nighting Gale as being anything but honourable. Until this incident, anyway.”
“Yeah, I just hope it worked,” said Max, heading out of the room as well.
Max cleared his throat. “Welcome back after the, um, short break,” he said. He looked around the chamber trying to meet the gaze of each of the other committee members. Thunderbird still looked angry staring at Nighting Gale. Vector Thrust looked rather confused, Juniper was self-assured, Moon Moth even looked a little bored. Meanwhile, Skyfire was sweating enough that it looked like he was melting. Nighting Gale herself was sitting immobile, with no expression on her face. Max hoped that she had come to her senses, that he wouldn’t have to use the rolled up form clutched in his hoof. “I think that maybe Miss Junebug should go back over the minutes so we all remember what was happening.” He turned to the younger mare who blushed a little and started to shuffle through her notes.
“We started by doing a roll call and apologies were made for those who...” she began.
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” said Nighting Gale breaking her silence. She glanced down at the papers in front of her for a moment before looking back up at her fellow courtiers. “I withdraw my request that a vote be made on the status of Cloudholm. In fact, I withdraw my request for the settlement to be upgraded.” She blinked a few times, her eyes starting to glimmer with unshed tears. Frowning, Baron Thunderbird rested his hoof on hers. “I am... I am sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you all. I am very sorry,” she gripped the offered hoof. Awkward expressions were shared around the chamber. “I am afraid that due to,” she paused for a moment, “personal matters, I will be resigning my post as soon as the princess will accept my resignation.” she leaned forwards, tears dripping on the desk in front of her.
“Maybe we... maybe we should have another recess?” suggested Skyfire.
“No! No, I can carry on,” said Nighting Gale sniffing.
“We don’t have much else to go over,” said Max gently, “That was the last scheduled vote, do we have any other business?”
“I had something,” said Skyfire, “But given the situation I’m sure it can wait...”
“No,” said Nighting Gale looking up, “While I am still a member of the court I will not interrupt its running, please continue.” She paused. “I am sorry, Baron Chairpony,” she said to Max. “I do not wish to step on your hooves.”
“Huh, oh right. Yes, please continue.” Somewhat self-consciously, Skyfire stood and began to read from a scroll in front of him.
“So how did it go?” asked Greenmeadow. He had been waiting just outside the door to the committee room.
Max glanced over at the other committee members. Nighting Gale looked pale and drawn as she left supported by Baron Thunderbird. She glanced over to Max and he gave her what he hoped was a calming smile. The rest of the group were huddled together just out of earshot, apparently talking about the recent events. “Nighting Gale let it go and announced her resignation to the rest of the committee,” he said.
“Are you going to report what she tried to do to the princess?” asked the older pony, looking Max up and down.
Max considered it for a moment. what she had tried to do wasn’t right, but she had tried to do it legally. “No, it’s not like she could be punished much more harshly for it anyway. I think she took the right path, all things considered.”
“Do you really think Duchess Posey will take her on?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think Fragrant will consider it. She usually hires the best ponies for the job.” He thought about Saltpeter and Notebook. “Well, most of the time. I don’t think there'd be any other pony who knows more about her lands than Nighting Gale, and she really does care about them.”
Greenmeadow nodded slowly. “I think you might be right Baron Max. You might actually have the makings of a fine courtier, given a lot more training.”
“Thanks, I think,” said Max. He wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not, but the old stallion didn’t seem to mean it harshly.
“I sometimes wish my son could be a little bit more like you. He needs to take his role more seriously. Not everything can be a game!”
“Greengrass isn’t all that bad. He did trick me once, but that was at least partially my own fault, and he has given me some good advice.” Talking about the baron reminded Max of the time. “I was supposed to make sure I got you to the palace ballroom by five and it must be at least half past by now!”
Greenmeadow’s eyes narrowed for a moment and Max could almost see the cogs turning in his head. “The ballroom?” he asked, “Now that is interesting. I don’t think we should keep my son waiting. I think he might have been plotting something.”
Max frowned. “Plotting? Nothing bad I hope?”
“Probably not, but you never know with Greengrass.”
The two of them made their way through the castle to the east wing where the ballroom was to be found. To Max’s surprise the doors were shut, so he pulled them open with a grunt while Greenmeadow stood back slightly. The inside was dark, with none of the lights seeming to be working. Frowning, Max turned to the elder stallion when suddenly there was a click and gas lamps all around the room burst into light, almost blinding the two newcomers.
“SURPRISE!” came a great roar.
Max blinked at the room full of a mixed herd of ponies. Greengrass and an older mare with whom he shared a certain familial resemblance, presumably his mother, stood in the centre while various courtiers and other ponies Max didn’t recognise stood around in a semi-circle, many of them holding drinks. Max boggled as he noticed Vicereine Puissance standing off to one side with her usual entourage. He was about to open his mouth to ask what was going on when he noticed a banner hanging from the roof.
‘Happy Birthday Baron Greenmeadow.’
The older mare trotted over to give her husband a hug, followed by their son. “Happy birthday father,” said Greengrass a little hesitantly.
“You organised all this?” asked Greenmeadow.
“Mostly. I had some help from Mum and a few others. Someponies didn’t want to come but I eventually persuaded or tricked them into coming.” Greengrass waved at Puissance, who scowled back.
“Son,” said Greenmeadow gruffly.
“What! They’re having a good time now, and I think you deserve a good party. Your retirement was a little subpar after all the time you put in at court.”
The elder stallion looked like he was going to argue but his wife stepped between the two stallions. “Now, no arguments today,” she warned.
“Of course, dear,” said Greenmeadow clutching his stick.
“Ah, Baron,” said Greengrass turning to Max. “Thank you for keeping my father occupied.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” asked Max.
“Well, you’re not exactly the best at keeping a secret, are you?” said Greengrass, his eyes glittering. “But I do owe you one for this. I’ll do what I can to drum up support for your bill. I might be a little cut off at the moment but I still have a few connections.” He gestured around the hall, although Max couldn’t help but notice that most of the guests were currently talking to Greenmeadow and seemed to be more or less ignoring his son.
“And that box from earlier, it wasn’t papers was it?”
“No, the cake. If I’d told you, dad would have found out and he’d have probably refused to have come. He prefers to keep a low profile, but I think he deserves something a bit more don’t you?”
Max had to admit that the old stallion probably did deserve a good birthday party. He’d been very helpful today.
“So how did that committee problem go? Sorted out?” asked Greengrass sipping at his drink.
“More or less,” Max wasn’t sure how much he should mention to Greengrass now, no doubt he’d hear about it sooner or later. “Nighting Gale is going to resign.”
Greengrass whistled through his teeth. “Your first time chairing a committee and you got a member to resign, that’s impressive.”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen!” exclaimed Max.
“And with her gone it’s likely her land will be passed into Duchess Posy’s control, and we all know how well the two of you get on. Very clever baron,” Greengrass slapped him on the back, “Maybe I’ve underestimated you.”
Max sighed. He didn’t think he’d be able to get Greengrass to understand what had really happened. Hopefully, he’d have more luck with Fragrant when she got back. He hoped her day had gone better than his had.
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Like I said in the Gdoc, it's nice to see Greengrass scheming over something that's actually nice and genuinely constructive for a change.
Perhaps Greengrass has found his new calling.
Pinkie: There are always two, the Master and the Apprentice.
Greengrass: I really wasn't planning on taking you on as an apprentice.
Pinkie: No, silly. I'm the Master and you're the Apprentice. Now let's go get some lightsabres.
You know, I can't help but suspect that Max and Fluttershy would get on quite well. He may be a bit boisterous, but he's still Max.
That should make for a fun interlude arc in a dozen more chapters or so.
Greengrass scheming? Could be bad. Greengrass scheming that involves distracting his father for a fair bit of the day? Honestly, that seems far more likely to be harmless or potentially even helpful.
Excellent, Max really does need some knocks to the noggin every once in a while.
Ooo, and he's going to help with the paperwork? That's actually really helpful
Well, there's why Nighten Gale manipulated events to get Fragrant out of the city for the meeting.
That recess advice already coming into play, beautiful.
Hey, and even more usefulness out of Greenmeadow.
Ahh, so that's what Nighten is up to. Admittedly, she's definitely between a rock and a hard place, but this stunt is going to go over really poorly if Max can't stop it.
Not a bad idea, and definitely better than the current stunt plus resigning.
Heh, Max should apparently participate in more committees, he has a habit of upending them
Ahh, that makes sense.
7326007
I thoroughly agree.
We established that the Court has 3^5 (243) members. Now, we need to find another Provence to send a Courtier.
7331408
There's been some discussion about that, and it's not really been decided yet.
Most of the nobility seem to be hereditary which means that any position may move between the tribes, it depends if Viceroys are special and get appointed by Luna or not. So far evidence seems to suggest that it's not, certainly Shining seems like he's going to inherit, now he is a unicorn but would it make a difference if he'd happened to be born with wings?
Well, you surprised me there. I was about ready to string Greengrass up. I'm still gonna do it, but I'll be a bit gentle with him.