Mayor Mare lifted one hoof up and to the right as her shoulders lifted. "Very finely said, but I wonder why you've brought it to me. Even if you speak the whole truth, by your own words, I am a 'manager' of the city. What do you hope I'll do?"
A fair question, Laud figured. "There is a matter of propriety. I could go marching directly for the highest office in the land, but that would make me a brute, an intruder, and unliked deservedly." He put a hand down on her desk. "You are the local leader. If you see merit in my words, you can direct me with a reference to the next higher, until I arrive properly where I need to be, instead of clumsily forcing my way there."
She lowered her hooves and took measure of Laud for several silent moments. "How very interesting." She pulled a paper over and grabbed a quill in her mouth. "As you have undoubtedly heard, we are a monarchy. Technically a diarchy, but everyone knows which of the two makes the final decisions. She loves her sister, but this much is obvious." She scrawled something on her paper that Laud couldn't quite make out. "Which is why I'm sending you to see the lesser of the two. She has a greater affinity for what lies outside this world we know."
Spike scratched at his right cheek. "Luna?"
"The same." She put the quill down, grabbed a stamp and thud it against the paper, making an ornate seal. "I presume Twilight can arrange transportation. Good luck."
She sounded cheerful enough, but Laud could read between the lines. She was washing her... hooves of him, whisking him along as quickly as possible to be handled, one way or the other, by more powerful people. Still, it was exactly what he had asked for. He couldn't be too upset at that. "Thank you, Miss Mare." He reached for the paper and she did not stop him from claiming it. It was a letter of introduction, but he wouldn't read it in front of the mayor, that would be testing patiences. "I won't take up more of your valuable time with that, but I do wonder if you could tell me what Ponyville's main exports and imports are?"
The question seemed to perk up the politely dismissive mayor. "Our primary export remains agrarian in nature. Have you visited the orchard? It's what started this town, and we've grown since then. Many other farmers have added their output to the basket, as it were. With our growth, we have developed a healthy commercial and service sector, but as far as direct exports go, food is the number one by a healthy margin."
Spike raised a claw. "What about Rarity's clothes?"
"Ah, yes." Mayor Mare gave a slight nod. "She is a jewel of the community. Her business has expanded outside of Ponyville, however. Still, she does make one of the closest competitors for foodstuffs. Ponies pay quite a bit to have one of her outfits. You would do well to speak to her, Mister Mountbatten. She is a well-connected pony." She pushed her glasses up as she smiled. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Laud was impressed by how cleanly she got his name each time she said it. He wondered if she had spent time practicing to get it right. "Thank you, for your time. If you need to reach us, you know how to do so." It had been made abundantly clear that the mayor knew exactly where he was staying.
"Good luck." She raised a hoof in a wave. "Do let the front clerk know you're leaving."
They departed. The moment the door was closed behind them in the hallway, Spike let out a breath he had been holding. "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That?" He waved at the closed door. "You came to ask questions and suddenly went full war face, then you're back to harmless questions again. What was that?"
Laud turned for the exit and began walking. "I do not know how much time we have before the gate is properly repaired, but it scarcely pays to assume more time than there is, so I plan to move this as swiftly as I can without breaking decorum. I don't think she believes me, at least the gravity of my words, but she's done exactly as I asked." A better response than many local leaders he knew, who would have rebuffed him, possibly angrily. He had been ready for a fight, and was met with simple dismissal in the direction he wanted.
"How was your meeting?" asked the same clerk that they had passed on the way in. "Everything go well?"
Laud could see she wasn't actually looking up. She was endeavoring to be polite in a half-assed fashion. "She said to mention she was done."
"Thank you." She grabbed a folder in her mouth and dropped it in a filing cabinet. "Busy day."
Laud saw no reason to disturb the machine that seemed to be serving its people well enough and led the way to the light of day. "Did you learn anything from that, Spike?"
"Uh... not really." Spike rubbed at one arm with the opposing hand. "I mean, how can you tell when it's a good time to stick to your guns, or a good time to play it safe?"
"That's a fantastic question." Laud raised the paper he had been given. His curiosity was getting the better of him, and the mayor had not closed or sealed the letter in anyway, so there seemed little harm in a little peek. "Much of it comes down to practice, but you have to learn to assert yourself and have confidence in your own decisions before you learn when to yield in the face of other qualified opinions. Ultimately, that is what we both did. I said my part, the mayor said hers, and neither of us, in the end, changed our mind. She was mature in passing the situation to a person better able to make a decision on it."
Dear Princess Luna,
The holder of this letter, a tall bipedal stallion of unknown species, has a matter he would like to discuss with you. I'm unsure what to make of it, save for perhaps being another issue that the girls could take care of, but he is rather insistent. If you can afford a moment of your evening for him, it may prove enlightening.
Humbly Yours,
Mayor Mare
"The girls?" What had she meant by that? "Spike, do you know of 'the girls?'"
"Oh yeah, Twilight and her friends." He was bobbing his head as he walked along with Laud. "What about them?"
"Would they be able to handle a full invasion of armed aliens?"
He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "They'd figure it out. I mean, best case scenario, it's fixed with a musical number. They do love their musical numbers."
A... musical number? Laud shook his head slowly. "I should imagine it is difficult to sing when being stabbed or slashed."
"Hey, you'd think so... You need to get to know Pinkie better." He hiked a thumb towards the building that seemed like a huge gingerbread house. "We could visit her, actually. Might not be a bad idea. We can get some victory snacks to celebrate your meeting since it went so well. It did go well, right?"
Laud neatly folded the paper to tuck away. "It went as well as it could have, save for her arranging a meeting to the top, though that might have had its own downfalls. No, this was a success. Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you speak to Twilight, about formalizing your place?"
Spike looked confused a moment before he slapped one balled hand against the opposing palm. "Oh, right, the knight thing! I mean... wouldn't that officially make me under Twilight?"
"You already are," countered Laud. "Being a knight will not change that, between you and her. Being a knight would make you higher compared to many others. For instance... Lady Rarity."
Spike began to pinken.
"You favor her, do you not?"
Spike squirmed in place. "Uh... we should--"
"--Finish this conversation," finished Laud with a firm nod. "She clearly fancies those of title, a common trait among women, and men, come to think. If you rise to the formal station you are already living, it could aid you in your... romantic quest."
"R-really?" Spike frowned a moment before he nodded. "Hey yeah, you do have a point. She does! If I... I'll have to talk to Twilight about it, but..." He looked up at Laud with a serious expression. "You said I shouldn't do it unless I plan to do it right."
"I'm glad you remembered that." The little dragon was... easy to like, in his opinion. It was like the son he hadn't had yet. "Do you fully intend to serve as Twilight's knight, to be her sword and shield, her eyes and ears? Her commands would be your reason for living, and her success would be yours. Though one hopes against it, should it prove needed, your life would be forfeit if it meant protecting her. It is a heavy task, but a sacred one, to be admired and respected. Even I can tip my head towards a loyal knight and would be honor-bound to afford them respect and some deference."
Spike's claws interwove, fidgeting among themselves. "I mean... I already love Twilight. Not... like Rarity... you know? She's... I would do almost anything for her, even if I complain sometimes." His eyes went downcast. "I mean... she made me..."
Laud stopped his walk. "Did I mishear that word?"
"What word?"
"Made. She... created you?" Was Spike a golem of some kind?
"Well... I mean..." He looked everywhere but Laud. "It's kind of complicated. So... I was an egg, like most dragons are, but I wasn't hatching... Then Twilight's asked to make it happen, with magic."
"Were you... struggling to hatch?" He could imagine an egg rocking around, the drake inside being too weak to escape. A sad fate.
"N-no. I was... just an egg..."
"She was tasked with making life from an otherwise lifeless egg?" He boggled at the very notion. "Is that possible?" And even if it was, was it right?
"Well... she didn't do so good at first." He waved his claws as if trying to do magic. "She was about to give up when she was startled and all her magic spilled out. Pow!" He punched his own palm. "I hatched."
A sudden new presence dropped down right between the two. It was a pink presence. "Hey! Are we talking about how we all got our cutie marks? I love this story! Can I go, huh huh?" Pinkie was smiling, as she tended to do, bright and cheerful. "Did I ever tell you about the rock farm I grew up on, Laud?"
"A quarry?" Laud could not imagine rocks being 'farmed' in the traditional way one farmed anything.
She waved it off. "It's more than that! Spike, tell him!"
Spike blinked at the command. "I think it's more of an earth pony thing."
"Exactly! And that's what I am." She pointed at herself. "And so is my whole family! I saw you guys out the window, looking all serious so I thought I'd come over and put some smiles on those faces." Her fore hooves raised, a cupcake balancing on either. "A little sweet to sweeten the day?"
Laud accepted the gift with a brief nod. "You are a thoughtful friend, Pinkie. Are we distracting you from your duties?"
She gasped with sudden alarm. "Thanks for reminding me!" She dashed off in a wild springing gait back into the bakery.
Spike reached up and took the cupcake she left behind that still hovered in the air a moment until just before he got to it, falling into his claws. "For an earth pony, she sure seems to have magic at times."
I sorta feel sorry for Laud, he and Luna have no clue what they are about to get into and that Luna has all the cards so to speak. Luna probably will not fully realize her position until after and she doesn't just let him know just how powerful the ponies actually are.
The way Pinkie treated Spike talking about his hatching, and she immediately followed it up with "Oh! Are we talking about Twilight's cutie mark, me next!" Is really, really emblematic of Spikes issues with pony society. They were talking about Spike's sheer existence, but all she heard was "so, what was that about Twilight?"
Does Equestrian even have knights? The combination of they way Spike acts and is treated, so far, is more like a... childhood manservant, really. Heck, if I am not incorrect giving a manservant as a child to another child was something that did historically happen. The only difference is that Twilight seems to at least somewhat treat him like not of a lower caste, but overall the effect is very similar.
Very good reason for why Laud didn't go straight to the princesses. There's a proper order to these sorts of things.
No, Ponyville's primary expert focuses more on magical knowledge, though she is something of a polymath. The primary export, on the other hand...
Hmm... Honestly, by Laud's definition, Spike essentially is Twilight's knight as it is. There are a few tasks he doesn't explicitly perform, but most of that description already applies.
That said, I do have to wonder if he'd really be that much higher in relation to Rarity. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Bearers have been ennobled for their deeds over the years.
Now to see if Luna will properly grasp the literally astronomical scales at work...
Or running from Avestites(Inquisitors with flamethrowers, ships, and a lot of of political power).
8338893
Typo escorted off government property, huff...
If Spike does all the duties of a knight without being one, he's just being a sap.
So, if the diarchy tells Laud no, will there be an invasion to force integration? I have a hard time envisioning ancient ponies giving up their positions to aliens because some other alien will invade if they don't.
I wonder how big a headache Laund will get when his new ship drive turns out to be 6 zap apples and a nice hot cup of tea. Navigation is controlled by a cake fountain.
Key Item Aquired. Letter Of Introduction.
Sidequest unlocked. Royal Garb.
Sidequest unlocked. Public Transport.
Sidequest unlocked. I wouldnt send a Knight out on a Dog like this.
lifted one hood - lifted one hoof
thud it against - thudded it against
would have rebuffed - would have rebuffed him
letter in anyway - letter in any way
little harm in a little peek - little harm in a small/quick peek
and neither us - and neither of us
cupcake she left - cupcake she'd left
It's interesting to me that Mayor Mare dodged the second half of Laud's question with regards to imports and he let it go. Perhaps it's only a typo.
Spike under the proper circumstances could be every bit as good a leader as Mayor Mare. He already has a lot in common with her as it is. e.g. They both speak in the same voice to start...
hoof
of us,
8339951
Fix'd
8338785
As far as I have been able to find out, 'Knight' is a title from times in Equestria's past (before the Sisters) when nobles were trained as officers to lead troops. It's more an honorific in modern times, but can be bestowed by Celestia or Luna if so desired.
I think it's become a matter of Spike grew up and fell into the role to have something important to do in Twilight's life. Twilight seems to think of Spike more like a younger brother in some ways, but she does seem to unconsciously take advantage of his willingness to do things for her over tme, as shown by her calling him her 'Number One Assistant', although that might also be indicative of both how important he is in her life, as well as as role for his future.
Looks like Laud is figuring out that Spike was effectively adopted by Twilight, which should change his perceptions. He needs a draconic squire!
8338785 Didn't Spike fantasize about being a knight? The concept must exist then.
8346946
Yeah, but it might exist like the concept exists today, where we remember knights of old, but now knights are just recognized people who did good stuff, including celebrities and the like, and squiring and having knights ride out is no longer what happens.
8347130
This is true. But even in modern times senior British civil servants get knighthoods. As Twilight's effective cabinet secretary, Spike would qualify.
There are 2 spaces between 'us,' and 'in' (although they are collapsed in comments 🤔)
Interesting. This is one of the more competent portrayals of the Mayor that I have ever read in fanfiction. Not just a stuffed suit; she actually knows how to carry herself around other governmental authorities.
Oh la la!If you say so Mayor, but don't let Luna catch you on that statement, now! Remember, she can torture you in your dreams!
3 weeks of Nightmares for Mayor Mare coming right up!
Also, this is a rather critical statement, perhaps even enough to send Luna into a relapse of her Nightmare Moon transformation, if she's confronted enough with it. Not good!
Celestia would probably chide and spank the mayor for that sentence.
And we are back to this old song and dance - Is Twilight technically Spike's mom? I seen another story that brought this question or idea up, but finally a story that brought this up fully, wonder how things will be for the two now that Laud is bringing it up
9610563
According to episode 200, no. The show has officially stated they're siblings. Yes, that means Shuning, too.