A Penny for your thought

by Damaged

30 - Admission

I had a book hovering before me when Stick came in. A glance up at her revealed the changeling to look drained but her attention was soon on me, channeling as I was.

Soft fangs brushed my awareness and bit gently, they sank in and the mare drank as she approached. Sensing her mood I increased my channel and let more energy flow. Real fangs joined the metaphysical ones and I sighed happily.

"What you reading?" Her words were lazy, relaxed, home.

I lifted the book, the thing wobbling a little as the mare snuggling against me drew more of my attention. "History…" It was getting harder to focus, in a very nice way.

Stick's stronger magic lifted the book from my grip, carefully placing the ribbon I had used for a bookmark before she started scanning. "I thought you were joking, this really is history."

The changeling's mood wilted a little and, sated it seemed, she left me alone to regather my thoughts. "Oh don't be like that. I had a lesson today in why I need this and to study more." Stick made a soft, inquisitive sound. "One of the guards showed me an orphanage. Oh it was a happy place, where foals could not only find a new family to support them, but learn. But they do have some missing pieces."

Much more interested in hearing my tale now, Stick snuggled herself against me. "Go on."

"The higher education systems here are woefully ill-equipped to deal with ponies at a distance. We will need to spend funds on this. The Crystal Empire lacks much unicorn magic already, it is a terrible waste if those that do grow a desire for more cannot pursue it." Stick nodded to this.

"Problem is, my delicious morsel," it was the first time Stick had used a nickname for me and I blushed deeply, "oh never stop doing that… but as I was saying, the problem is, the return on that investment is so… ephemeral."

I tilted my head at the word, Stick's growing vocabulary was making her even more attractive, in a very mental sense. "Right, so we need to talk to Cadance about some way to get a break for funding it." Something hit me. "How do taxes work here?"

Stick giggled and nuzzled me into another blush. "You really do jump topics, maybe that should have been your name, Topic Dasher?"

"I mean it. Will our new… company, will they be paying a tax?" Stick nodded. "Okay, then we ask Cadance to grant us exceptions for spending funds on such things."

Stick's eyes went wide and she nodded, almost dumbfounded. "How do you come up with these ideas? Former life?"

I nodded. "Although these systems were… well, ponies… humans, tended to abuse them horribly."

"Well, we won't let that happen, so I have some things to bring up at court tomorrow." I sighed. I really wanted to have my Stick for a day, just to snuggle and relax with. "Why the long face?"

The question almost broke the mood, almost. "I miss having you around so much. I actually forgot to catch up on food for all my lesson and practice."

Stick refocused on me, looking a little upset. "Then I will spend the morning, until just before Cadance begins court, making sure to remind a mare how much her delicious self means to me."

Those fangs brushed my awareness, it was like a switch when she did it, bringing her completely into my focus as I leaned forward and clamped my fangs down on Stick's throat. She froze, her mental touch fading. I let go a moment. "Sugar Plum."

She looked up at me quizzically. "Sugar Plum?" It was obvious that my rougher attention hadn't been a bad thing from her point of view, she was very much still in the mood.

I nodded. "Sugar Plum. If either of us say it, we stop." She blinked those big eyes at me and giggled. I wanted her in ways I didn't quite understand and latched to her throat again, getting a soft sigh of delight from her as she relaxed.

---

I wasn't quite sure of what had happened, it had been a blur. Stick had worked me to the point where I was quivering with a need to tell her the safe word but dared not.

She had done something, then, with her tongue. It wasn't a bad thing, but it had surprised me enough that she had to work to distract me from it.

"So?" Stick asked, lazing against me, our sides touching from flank to shoulder.

I searched my feelings. It hadn't hurt, it hadn't felt bad… at all. It just hadn't been as amazing as I was sure it was to others. "It was okay. I was a little…" I trailed off.

Stick waited a few moments. "Not your thing?"

"Not… really. It was right to tell Silver. Stick I would let you do things I couldn't… well, imagine even thinking about letting others do. It wasn't as terrible as I feared, but it was sort of, well, just okay I guess. It felt okay." I let out a deep sigh and slumped a little, rubbing my cheek into her neck, one ear-tuft brushing her chin.

The changeling tilted her head a little and captured my ear tuft. I expected her to reestablish the bite mark in it but she just nibbled gently. "Not your thing though."

"No." I sighed and just relaxed again. "Relationships are complicated." Then something occurred to me. "Stick, do… do you want to do more?" It terrified and thrilled me all at once.

Stick sat quietly, just working her smaller teeth slowly at my ear. It would be relaxing if it weren't for the fact there was her pending answer hovering over me. "I do. But I am patient and-"

"No, Stick, patience may not be enough." I nosed in stuffing my snout tighter against her.

"Silly pony, you told me yourself, life is change. Today you might not be up to more down that path, tomorrow you might. Consider it yourself, did you ever think you might let somepony do what we did?"

It did surprise me. I thought on it in the pending silence, my ear still under her ministrations. Eventually I found my answer. "No, Stick. As a sick and, well, dying human, I had no thought at all that an amazing changeling mare would steal my heart and do such naughty things."

"Then how do you know, with more of me in your life, that you won't seek more?" Her words made me rail a little, I was what I was.

It hit me then, like a hammer. That was the thing wasn't it, I was what I was, the formal tag of asexual was itself just as bad as gay, straight. "Okay, it might have been a little fun. But lets not jump head-first into these things. Foal steps."

Stick giggled and nuzzled at my ear, rubbing her fangs against the base of it in the best scratching that a pony could manage. My eyes drooped a little and I lost a little track of things. She stopped eventually, the attention having disarmed me almost completely. "And yet here my mare is, preferring a good ear-nibble to all the carnal offerings I could provide."

I tried to fight her off then, giggling and attempting to roll her over to her back. But the scratching started at my other ear and took all the struggle out of me. She was right, dammit.

---

Having made the announcer aware I had business today, I made my way to where I usually sat, curling up my hooves beneath me. They had my attention a moment, it was only a month ago there had been holes in them, the involuntarily given love that had sustained me had eaten away at my very body. After Queen Fast, Penny was the best thing that has ever happened.

I was torn from my ruminations by the call to stand and I did so, head held high. Cadance looked every bit the princess she was and I suddenly realized how good it made me feel that I worked to help her and her ponies.

My name was called and I cursed my ill luck. I really would have rather had some petty squabbles to have been before me. I kept that from my smile of course.

"Ah, Stick. More business? It seems like every other day you bring odd requests to my court. Whatever will we have today?" The princess was smiling at her words, a warmth in them that made me warm too.

"Princess, while we work to establish more and more proposals for businesses, my assistant has discovered a great lack in one part of your wonderful empire, and it might even pertain to other cities in Equestria too." This baited the hook, not for Cadance, I knew the princess of love would be unable to resist Penny's plans. This was to make sure the others present thought the same way.

Cadance could see my game. "Well then, don't keep us all waiting." There was a touch of emphasis on 'all' that had me smile inwardly.

"She visited a school, well more to the point an orphanage. Oh no, it was run most wonderfully, but the mare lamented that some of her students who wanted to seek a higher learning would have to miss out on their chance as the academies for unicorns simply didn't stretch out far or often enough to find these little miracles."

The princess gave a little sigh and a nod.

"Our thought was to approach one, or even several. To establish a smaller version of their own great teaching places. After all, it is but a train trip between us." This had the alicorn's absolute attention. "My assistant makes plans already to bring some knowledgeable ponies in to consult, former alumni of those organizations."

"But?" Cadance knew it was coming, after all, if we had come up with a way to just do this we would already be doing it.

"But, as you astutely put, it costs bits. The investment in the future, through teaching colts and fillies is priceless beyond measure so we were hoping we could push some of our profits to keeping such projects viable. In short, we would ask a reduction in our tax tithe for funds spent to such ends."

It wasn't a huge thing, after playing up how important it was that we do these things. Cadance, and hence the empire, would already be gaining income from us just from their buy in. "Oh of course, I will have Articulate Equations meet with you at your earliest opportunity, to discuss the terms of it." She shrewdly looked around at the rest of the assembled. "And of course if others wish to follow this example, they will be able to claim similar rights."

I bowed my head to Cadance. "Thank you, Princess Cadance." I returned to my seat, passing ponies chattering softly about what ways they could think to make a few bits from this. Penny was right, if just these few in the court were already trying to find an angle to make bits, there would be ten times as many who would try it more covertly.

Court seemed to be winding down for the day, after all the usual supplicants had begged their cases, but it was when a mare with a severely styled mane and tail came in and spoke quietly to the bailiff that I perked up.

"Announcing Perfect Poise of Canterlot." It was a simple announcement, no title, no mission.

The mare strode right up to the front of the court and offered Cadance a pair of letters. I blinked a little as she seemed a pony of few words.

Cadance's response to the first letter was a general excitement and perking up. She looked more than a little happy. The second had both her eyebrows and wings shoot up. It wasn't alarm though, good news?

"I have come from Canterlot directly. Princess Celestia and Businesspony Fancy Pants dispatched me equally to bring their shares of the bits for a business proposal." I trembled at hearing it. Celestia herself had decided to put in bits… wait, equally?

The princess beamed at this. "You will wish to speak to Stick." She pointed a hoof in my direction and I tried to sit straight as I could when Perfect looked at me. "I am sure the two of you have much to talk about and even more to plan."

Author's Note:

Whew. Penny expressing worry about how venture capitalism and tax law evasion fared on Earth? For good reason too!

Wait, are there ponies in there somewhere...

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Comments

[Daremo]

sated it seems - sated it seemed
was gotten - passive voice here
Plumb - plum if referring to the fruit, and not a typo if you mean it as 'measure' or 'test'
*****
Penny, Stick and the Princesses* are set to be successful in their venture capital business, due in large part to being the first out of the gate. As soon as other ponies catch on, the competition may grow quickly, and with competition comes the temptation to cheat. I have faith that they will figure out practical ways to prevent and discourage unfair practices, however.

Penny and Stick remain sweet and heartwarming whenever they are together, even when there are a few hiccups along the way.

*Penny, Stick and the Princesses is the name of my Joan Jett and the Blackhearts coverband.

[Damaged]

6882249 All fixed. Hiccups are inevitable, it is how they are dealt with that defines a partnership

[Daremo]

6882318 - That is absolute truth.

[harts fire]

ok this story just got vary interesting. this is going to get really good shortly.

[tsaukpaetra]

Advancing the human's civilization will bring both good and bad to the economy. Here's to hoping intelligence of the ponies helps reduce the more major shortcomings...
Keep going! ;)

[Thesandman888]

6882829 Indeed but if a pony like Donald Dump Trump happens hopefully nopony listens

[Cursed Quill]

"Sugar Plum. If either of us say it, we stop."

Safewords are only necessary if you're doing play where you want one of you to be saying no without meaning no. Otherwise...you can just say no, or stop, or what-not.

Having made the announcer aware I had business today,

SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY! The latest in the love court! In the throne corner, we have defending champion, Princeeeeeeesssssss Cadance! In the petitioner corner, a young up-and-coming new thing from out of town, Merchaaaaaaant Stick!

...and now I can't help but hear Celestia doing such an announcement.

[Damaged]

7247869

Safewords are only necessary if you're doing play where you want one of you to be saying no without meaning no. Otherwise...you can just say no, or stop, or what-not.

Yup, so what does that tell you about what she wants to do?

[Guner]

Wait, are there ponies in there somewhere...

s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/2c/26/2f/2c262fdeabb5c6ddf0c56fcb08fb4069.jpg

[Damaged]

7276775 [youtube=wlMwc1c0HRQ]