The Second Party
Applejack stood out alone in her southern pasture within a small clearing that gave her a promising look at the midday sky above. Behind her were the trees that had recently been picked bare yet there were no baskets or wagons filled with her family’s fruit. The only things that remained were a few rotten fruit as well as the signs of many hooves that had been there recently, many more than one would normally expect at the apple farm, even during their family reunion. Given all of this, one could have expected that Sweet Apple Acres had recently been plundered for its bountiful crop. Perhaps by a group of pegasi who desired a free meal or the Flim Flam brothers out to get back at the family. Yet Applejack did not seem bothered by this at all. Instead she kept her focus on a spot of darkness, the only thing that broke apart the endless blue above her, as it grew smaller by the moment.
“Applejack darling,” came a voice that pulled Applejack’s attention away from the wide blue yonder. Smiling a little to herself, Applejack turned to see Rarity moving towards her. Dressed in a white bonnet hat with a blue stripe she strode down the rows of trees while avoiding patches of upturned dirt and the like.
As Rarity slowly made her way towards her, actually pausing to consider the best possible route to avoid a large patch of mud, Applejack took a moment to think about how little she had seen the fashionista these days. It wasn’t that she wasn’t seeing her at all as they would say hi and chit chat for a bit whenever it was Applejack’s turn to sell apples in the market, but their other get-togethers were getting fewer and wider apart. Perhaps it was because they had been going on less adventures together. There was less chaos in Ponyville lately, even though Discord himself was spending a mighty large amount of time with a certain pegasus. There was simply less to do around here that caused her to pull away from her farm work. And now with Rainbow gone there was nopony around to have contests with.
Applejack’s gaze fell to the green earth below her. It was an odd feeling right now. Even when she was going on all them adventures and solving all them friendship problems, there was a part of her that wished things would calm down one day. But just a little so she could help Big Mac with the farm as well as taking care of both Granny Smith and Apple Bloom. She certainly didn’t want Fluttershy to only come over when she had a pest problem, but that’s how things were now. Or to have Pinkie Pie visit a bit more often. Heck, she wouldn’t mind it one lick if Rarity came over to try and get her to model or something.
“Howdy Rares,” said Applejack after Rarity had taken the long way around, walking past six trees instead of hopping or walking over the mud. “What brings ya around these here parts?”
“Well darling if you must know,” began Rarity, fluttering her eyelashes to get some dirt out of them as she spoke. “I was on my way home after picking up some fabrics; a garish ordeal ever since Spikey-Wikey left. Without his help, picking out the right shades has been an absolute mess. Not to mention when I’m done transporting everything back to my boutique. Did you know I have to bribe Sweetie Belle to help her own sister? It’s madness I tell you! But anyways, I noticed something above your orchard and saw one of those, ah, interesting zeppelins. You know, like the one that took Twilight to Thunder Valley. I thought that, maybe, Twilight had come back for a visit?”
“So ya came here all quick like?” asked Applejack.
“Heavens no!” replied Rarity as she brought a heart to her chest. “I ran home as quickly as I could to pick out the perfect ensemble to see our dear friend after so long. Then I had to write a quick note to the spa informing them that I was canceling my three o’clock appointment. A lady, no matter what the emergency, should always be courteous to those she makes appointments with.”
Applejack could only smile for a brief moment before shaking her head slightly in amusement. It was nice to know that while some things changed, others stayed the same. “Sorry ta tell ya Rares but Twilight ain’t here. Never was.”
“She isn’t?” asked Rarity, slowly turning her head to where the zeppelin had once been. “But what was that zeppelin doing here then?”
Applejack let out a small sigh. “Just here ta pick up some apples,” explained Applejack. “See, a couple of days ago, Ah get this here letter from Twi asking me if Ah would be willing ta donate some of my harvest for some big shindig she’s got planned. Must be having a hard time since she mentioned it was a morale booster.”
“Did…Did she say what it was?” asked Rarity looking worried. “Was it Rainbow Dash? We haven’t heard from the dear since she left. Was she hurt on the way to Thunder Valley?”
“Didn’t say,” replied Applejack. “But Ah don’t think it was Rainbow. Knowing Twi, she would have sent a zeppelin ta pick us all up so we could all be with her if that were the case. Just thinkin’ it would be more like she’s having trouble with ruling the place. Have my own trouble just lookin’ after one farm so it must be mighty tough for that filly.”
“Yes,” said Rarity slowly. “I suppose it would be.”
“So Ah sent a letter ta Princess Celestia ta give ta Twilight telling her it would be alright,” continued AJ. She then paused, grinding the ground with her hoof a little before she spoke again. “Thought she might be coming over myself, though didn’t get my hopes up too high. Thought it might make for a good surprise ta ya’ll. But she couldn’t make it. Sent a whole bunch of them guards she’s got ta help with the crops. Nice gesture Ah suppose but would have been better ta see her again.”
“Now, now dear,” said Rarity as she placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “We will have none of that. You said it yourself: Twilight is very busy. She is a queen right now…or something very similar. But the point is that she now has a nation to run and I don’t think she can run around like she used to. And it was a very nice gesture on her part to send help.” Slowly Rarity withdrew her hoof while a frown appeared on her face. “Still, it would be nice to at least hear from her again. I mean if she can’t come here in pony, she could at least send us a letter again.”
At that moment, Applejack’s eyes widened in sudden realization. She had almost forgotten that Twilight had sent them something. The orange mare almost bucked herself for forgetting about them. Without saying a word to her friend, she took off her Stetson hat to reveal a small stack of black and white pictures. Well, not exactly black and white, as there were some browns and such in them that made them look a bit murky in the farmer mare’s opinion. In all honesty it was a little weird. Given how many gizmos and gadgets that them folks in Thunder Valley seemed to have, they would have come up with colored pictures by now like they did in Equestria. Then again they hadn’t mastered clean flying vehicles.
“Twilight did send us these,” proclaimed AJ as she showed them to her friend. The top picture showed Twi and Spike standing in what she believed to be Twilight’s new office. The purple alicorn was wearing some fancy dress with what looked like a metal corset while Spike was his own natural self. Honestly she was glad her friend was dressing up in those over the top fancy dresses. It showed that she was still the same old Twi. And despite the quality of the pictures, it was nice of her to send them. Applejack had already looked through them while the thestrals were first starting to help collect the apples. Each one showed Twilight with a different thestral or two with their names printed on the back. It was nice to see that Twilight was getting along with more ponies than she had since her past letter.
“What is this?!?” screamed Rarity so loudly and suddenly that it caused AJ to jump. When the orange pony landed on the ground she looked at Rarity to see that her eye was twitching madly with slightly curled lips. Slowly she brought the picture closer to her face, holding it now with her magic. She seemed to be studying the picture of Twilight closely before moving to the next showing their friend with a pair of maids. Rarity made a sound of annoyance as her eyes narrowed, moving on to the next where Twilight was standing next to Overkill. Following that, the pair looked at a picture where Twilight was with a pair of stallions: one seemingly overexcited on Twilight right while the one on the left looked more annoyed than anything else. Picture after picture Rarity tore through them without uttering a single intelligible word, just slight mutterings that Applejack could barely understand. It was only when they were back at the top that the white unicorn gave back the pictures to Applejack.
“It’s…horrible!” cried Rarity with a shutter. “While I can appreciate the fact that Twilight is trying to assimilate into their culture, and there is some merit to these designs that interests me just a tad, I cannot allow this to stand!”
“Ah, Rares,” began Applejack as she looked at her friend with worry. Honestly, she didn’t get what Rarity was getting all worked up about. She had seen maids working at both Canterlot Castle and the Crystal Empire that wore outfits that looked mighty similar. As for the rest, well she was never big on fashion at all. She thought that they looked nice at least. Yet whatever she was going to say to her friend was quickly silenced as Rarity continued her rant.
“Their entire fashion looks positively ghoulish!” cried Rarity again. “Spiders, web designs, bats, and who knows what else. The color scheme for everything is simply too dark for their furs. It’s a fashion travesty over there. If any of those ponies ever set hoof in Canterlot they would be treated like eyesores! Or worse!” With that, Rarity galloped out of the field leaving behind a wide-eyed Applejack who was surprised to see the white unicorn trample through the mud.
-x-
“Well doesn’t somepony look like the belle of the ball,” said Smoldering Smile to the three other mares as Nightingale trotted out past the curtain that separated the main room from the apartment’s single bedroom. However, none of the mares really used that room for sleeping. Rather it was used to hold the various dresses for their special ‘dates’ as it were. Instead all of them slept on mattresses scattered around the large main room of their apartment, which by the standards of the area was very nice. The wallpaper hadn’t completely peeled off showcasing the brownish floral design that comes from such an aged product, the hot water was too often turned off, and the locks were very recent. For all five mares it was certainly a leg up from where they had all resided prior.
Nightingale acted as if she hadn’t heard what her fellow tail raiser had said, almost humming to herself as she moved to look at herself in the least cracked mirrors they had. Tonight was wearing a gift that Golden Spike had given her after their last ‘date’. It was dark red with frills that had a gear shaped partner to them.
“So, what does Golden Spike have planned for you tonight?” asked one of the mares, leaning close to Nightingale as she checked her makeup. “A weekend trip on one of his trains? Perhaps you can get a little of the VIP treatment.”
“No, nothing like that,” replied Nightingale beaming. “Just a trip to the castle.”
“Is that all?” asked Smoldering with a frown. “Doing that tonight? Well isn’t he an old cheap client.”
Now Nightingale frowned as she turned to look at her roommate. “Please don’t say such things! He’s one of the sweetest, gentlest stallions I’ve ever met. He hasn’t once tried to pressure me into his bedroom. He…makes me feel special.”
Nightingale could see the other mares sharing a look, one that she knew too well. That she was living in some fantasy where he would sweep her off her hooves to live a better life. A fantasy that would end when they did the deed and his true face would be shown, leaving her in tears. Perhaps it was nothing more than a dream. Golden Spike had so much wealth to his name and she was just a gritless street filly who worked as a tail raiser. It had all the makings of a fairytale ready for reality to smash into thousands of pieces. But Nightingale couldn’t help but hope that there was something more. Golden Spike, a stallion with enough wealth to hire an entire household’s worth of maids that he could do with as he pleased, had chosen her. He had never done anything to her even though he knew he could. Instead he treated each of their outings as if they were true dates. Like he was truly found of her and desired to win her heart rather than taking her body.
And it was working.
Perhaps the others were right that she was living a dream right now. Yet Nightingale wished for this dream to last for as long as possible. To hold onto hope for just a little while longer before she woke up.
Ears began to twitch as the doorknob rattled. All heads turned to look at the main entrance right before it opened, revealing Lady Gray. She stood there in one of her finest dresses eyeing them all in a cold, business-like fashion.
“Listen up ladies,” she said as she stepped into the room. As she did, Nightingale and the other mares quickly formed a line similar to the way stallions lined up in the military. Once lined up, Lady Gray stood next to Smoldering who was at the end where she whipped out a notepad. “Now then, Smoldering, I have two clients who have requested you. One is a simple nopony who is paying big grits for some fun around midnight. Make it quick so you can be ready for your sunrise appointment. He runs a grit lending business out of Gaslight Lot. Be sure to get him to talk about his business and home life while showing him a good time.”
Nightingale looked down the line, watching as Smoldering fought to keep herself from rolling her eyes, for she knew the drill by now. Anypony who worked for Lady Gray for more than a week would know how things worked. Lady Gray would set up the appointments for the tail raisers who went out to meet with high paying clients, ordering them to spy on them while working. They had all been trained by Lady Gray herself on how to make innocent small talk, getting the target to loosen his or her lips. Sometimes they would even use hard cider for the more stone walled clients before sneaking around their homes or looking through their belongings as the clients slept. Repeated failure to find anything useful was harshly punished. As for the tail raisers who stayed in the dingy brothels that Lady Gray had in various cities across the country, she had lower expectations. The thestrals who went to those places were not of the sort to have such high level information or were in positions that Lady Gray cared about. But that did not mean that they were not expected to find out as much as they could when they could. For if a tail raiser at one of these establishments did find something of worth they were greatly rewarded. What she wanted this information for, well, the mares all had their own guesses. Most guesses being blackmail and the like.
After speaking to two other mares Lady Gray stopped at Nightingale. Briefly she looked at the notepad before a smile crossed her lips that caused Nightingale to feel a lump of dread in the pit of her stomach.
“Nightingale, I am canceling your appointment with Golden Spike,” she said, causing Nightingale’s eyes to open wide. “I shall be going in your stead to the castle.”
“But Lady Gray, Golden asked for-” Smack! Nightingale’s head turned to the side after Lady Gray’s hoof made contact with the side of her face, silencing her. Already the mare could feel it starting to swell a bit before she had a chance to look at Lady Gray. Said mare was looking at her with a frosty hatred.
“I said I shall go in your stead,” said the mare coldly, eyes narrowing at Nightingale. “Perhaps the last time you went to the castle went to your head. Had I known that was where you were being taken I would have gone in your place! Such an esteemed location is too good to be wasted on scum like yourself.” Before Nightingale could say or do anything her mane was roughly grabbed by Lady Gray and brought within an inch of her face. “Let me make this clear to you: You belong to me! I took you in, all of you, and provided you with a better life than anything you could ever hope for. Without me your body would have been found in the river long ago. Or maybe even curled in the trash. Would you like me to send you back out there with any of the precious gifts I gave you? No nice dresses? No grits to send to your family? No functioning breathing masks?”
“N-No,” whispered Nightingale as she trembled.
“Then learn your place,” snarled Lady Gray as she released Nightingale, letting her drop to the ground. “When I say I am taking your client I am taking your client. Be grateful I am giving you the night off.” All Nightingale, as well as the other mares there, could do at this moment was to stand there and nod.
-x-
“Princess, this is insane!” cried Crystal Chime as she raced behind Twilight. “How could you do this?” Tonight she was dressed in a similar outfit as she had done when they had first met with the only difference being a three part gear shaped mane piece she wore on the side of her head. With the heavy make-up on, she looked almost like a clown that Twilight had seen at several of Pinkie Pie’s parties. Even more so with the look of horror she had with this situation.
Twilight simply shook her head as she walked down the hallways out of the kitchen, a large plate of cookies held in her magical aura as she moved down the secret tunnels towards the throne room. The princess of the thestrals was wearing a more simplistic gown, one that was striped with blacks and reds, along with the corset that Just Dandy had given her. However there were patches of flour on bits here and there on her gown despite the apron she wore on top of it. As she walked her magic was also busy removing the bits of cookie batter that had struck her face, balling it up before placing it on her tongue. Beside her were two of her maids who carried similar trays of cookies on their backs. Admittedly they were much cleaner looking than the princess but none of them seemed to mind in the slightest.
The four continued to walk, Crystal Chime continuing her cries which fell on deaf ears until the passageway before them opened. Together the three in front stepped into the throne room…only to be instantly swarmed by giggling thestral colts and fillies. Some galloped on their small legs while others descended upon them from above. With so many around them it almost looked like they were running up and down the bodies of the three while Crystal Chime watched on with doubled horror. Once they had each gotten a treat they began to disperse with only a muffled thank you to show for it. And when they were all gone, Twilight and her maids stood there with expressions of ‘well that just happened’ along with empty trays.
“Well we better get some more,” sighed Moon Chime as she turned her head to look at the tray. At the same time, Twilight looked at her own seeing that it appeared to have been licked clean. More than likely it was the same for all three of them. “Your Grace,” continued Moon Chime. “Please allow us to retrieve more. That way Your Grace may mingle.”
Twilight gave a nod, giving Moon Chime both her tray and apron. “Thank you,” she replied just seconds before the two nodded. Now only Crystal Chime stood next to her looking horror struck to the point where tears were coming out of her eyes.
“You’re going to mingle with that…filth?” whined the young mare as she stared out into the crowd before the, her wing stretched out and shaking in their direction. Twilight spared this scene from the noble for only a moment before looking at the group before her and smiling. The place was, for lack of a better word, packed. Large groups of thestrals were all over the place, speaking with each other and laughing as patches of soot fell from their clothing. Yet it was easy to tell that these were not the same elites who had once graced that castle not too long ago. No, these ponies wore more simple attire of things like overalls, full body jumpsuits with built-in tool belts, and simple dresses. All of them had worn looking breathing masks around their necks as they talked to one another, sometimes breaking out into uncontrollable laughter over something Twilight couldn’t overhear. These ponies were the common folk of Automahollow. While she couldn’t see it herself, she knew that the main doors to the throne room where open with crowds of ponies going all the way towards the main entrance. Her Guards were on hoof to make sure that nopony went into areas they were not supposed to go as well as to break up any fights that might occur. Naturally with a gentle hoof. Spike was right now by the main entrance, overseeing and warming up the small amount of snacks that Chalky had whipped up for them on the cheap. Helped, of course, by donations from ponies like Applejack who had given up a part of their harvest.
As Crystal looked on in horror, Twilight was filled with pride in what she saw. This ‘morale booster’ as she liked to call it was just what the city needed. After everything that had happened since Princess Alabaster had been dethroned (as well as some things prior to that), Twilight felt like these ponies needed more than just a few good stories in the press. That Twilight was going to be taking care of them and wanted them to feel welcome in coming to her like Princess Celestia. To that end, she had asked her staff to put up posters inviting anypony who wished to come to the castle and enjoy themselves with free refreshments. Hopefully this was a trot in the right direction.
“Where is the gala?” Crystal Chime continued to whine. Doing her best not to sigh, Twilight turned to look at the mare who had somehow heard of this. Right now she looked more like a filly who was told she could not get a second helping of ice cream, crying over the injustice of it all. “I heard you were having a party! A large one like nopony had ever seen before! Not some low brow, riff-raff infused rabble!”
As Twilight let out a sigh, one that held some of growing irritation at the mare behind her, she heard the sound of the secret passage being opened once more. Turning, this time she saw that it was Chalky wearing a device on his right foreleg that ran all the way from his shoulder to the end of his hoof. Twilight had seen what this device could do within the kitchen where the white stallion had been just mere minutes ago, tubes connecting it to his furnace satchel in order to power the motor at the end of his hoof used to mix batter. Now he had a tray of apple tarts on his back as well as a more peaceful expression on his face.
“These ponies are going through the apple tarts like mad,” he exclaimed, causing Crystal Chime to jump having failed to notice him or the several other members of Twilight’s staff who were helping to bring out food. Once her surprise ended, Crystal gave them a look of contempt. Something that only made her look more foalish in Twilight’s eyes. However she ignored the spoiled mare and instead focused on Chalky as he continued to speak. “Not surprising considering the quality of these apples. Probably the finest I have seen in a very long time. You can really tell by their shine and the firmness that whoever grew these did so with a great deal of care. Not even a single speck of soot on their skin! I only wish that the rest of the ingredients I used were of the same quality. Then my tarts would be even better!”
“Well I’m glad you approve Chalky,” said Twilight. “Because I am hoping to do some trading with Equestria in order to get more produce like this. Hopefully the other Dukes and Duchesses will agree with me.”
Chalky didn’t answer right away, his ears twitching slightly at the sound of wings flapping. Before anypony noticed anything, a scruffy thestral stallion flew overhead and took one of the tarts. Both Chalky and Twilight watched him as he landed not too far away from them, splitting the tart in two upon landing and sharing it was a mare who seemed happy to see him. Together they ate the small treat, smiling as they did so. They were not the only ones. Twilight could still see many of the colts and fillies nibbling on the cookies that the white stallion had made. Other small apple based treats could be seen in the hooves of smiling stallions and mares alike while they held tea ups which they themselves had brought held on holsters on their belts. Carefully, Twilight turned her head slightly to look at Chalky, seeing that he was smiling more broadly and his eyes were beginning to moisten.
“I hope so as well,” he said at last.
“Wouldn’t mind that myself,” came another voice. One that Twilight had only heard once before and she could never forget it. She, Chalky, and Crystal turned to see Just Dandy walking towards them with a pleasant smile on his face while being flanked by four of his ‘friends’. He looked just as shabby as any other pony there, wearing a simple vest with fraying edges with a zig zagging copper gear pattern on it as well as a dusty old bowler hat. The others around him had similar attire on with the exception of the mares in his group. They were dressed in simple black dresses with red corsets and hats worn on the sides of their heads.
As Just Dandy took off his hat in a show of respect, Crystal began to move away. From what Twilight could see without taking her eyes off Dandy, Crystal was walking backwards as if afraid to turn her back on this stallion. Moments later Twilight heard a rip followed by the bratty mare’s cry of outrage before tumbling to the ground. It must have been a sight for Dandy’s friends began to chuckle.
“Sorry about that lovely,” said Dandy, his eyes on where Crystal had been. “Seems the poor dear don’t like me company much. Shame really. Been told I’m quite the charmer once you get to know me.”
Unable to help herself, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don’t be,” replied Twilight as Dandy put his bowler hat back on. “When she heard that there was to be a party at the castle, she assumed that it was going to be a gala like when Princess Alabaster was in charge.” Twilight let out a mirthless chuckle. “When she got here she was saying things like ‘I’m so glad you came around’ and ‘It will be so good to see the ballrooms filled again.’”
Dandy chuckled at that. “Doesn’t seem like the miss agrees with that anymore. Guess the company doesn’t sit as right as she hoped.” Dandy then paused for a moment eyeing Chalky for a moment. “Well now, aren’t you a sight. Didn’t know there was a white thestral still in Automahollow. Fancy that. Now where are my manners? The name is Dandy, Just Dandy at your service. And you are?”
“Chalky,” replied the white stallion, his voice becoming far less cheerful than it had been a minute ago. He eyed the smaller stallion before him like he was a spot of grease on the floor of a kitchen before turning away. “Princess, I’d had better be getting these to the table.” Then, without saying another word, began to walk away.
“Best be careful around him lovely. Getting an odd feeling about him that don’t sit so right,” said Dandy as his friends began to walk away as well making Twilight feel slightly uncomfortable. Not that she felt like she was in danger or anything like that. Instead it felt like it was just the two of them, a stallion and a mare, with the rest of the ponies here separated from them by an invisible bubble. Alone with the stallion who had given her this wonder corset and had k-kissed her hoof. Was it getting warmer all of a sudden?
“W-Well, some might say the same about you,” replied Twilight after clearing her throat. “You know. That you are rumored to be a gang leader, and I’m not saying you are, so you could be a threat to me.”
Dandy placed a hoof over his heart before expressing mock shock. “Would they? Well then they clearly don’t know this young Dandy as well as they might think. I am many things, but a stallion who would take advantage of a helpless mare is one thing I am not! Not that I am saying that you are helpless in the least. I still remember how easily you can pick me up.” Both he and Twilight shared a laugh at the memory. When they stopped, Dandy looked at the crowd in a thoughtful way. “Been a good while since I’ve seen these ponies in such high spirits. You are certainly doing a good job.”
Twilight blushed again, the desire to hide her face with her wings being almost overwhelming. The only thing that stopped her was remembering the lessons that Count Raven had taught her; that, as royalty, she was beneath such things. That she had to remain strong in body, mind, and emotion while in the public eye.
“Thank you,” she managed to say, pausing briefly to clear her throat as she gestured to Dandy to follow her. Together, the two moved into the crowd. Many bowed in her direction while others gave the princess their thanks for the evening. As they did this, Twilight’s eyes were suddenly drawn to their wings, causing an idea to form in her head. Quickly, Twilight turned her attention to Dandy. “You know, I think there might be a way to raise everypony’s spirits even higher. But I may need your help for that.”
The stallion raised an eyebrow at this even though his smile never left his face. “Oh?” he asked in an amused tone. “Now what could a simple stallion from the streets do to help our princess?”
“Well,” began Twilight slowly as she got her thoughts in order. “Right now there is a plan in the works to create Thunder Valley’s own professional flying team. One that will help entertain the masses by putting on good shows and, more importantly, represent our country in things like the Equestrian Games. I have a coach all set up but I will need talented fliers for the team. Think you might know some ponies who fit that bill?”
“Hmm,” went Dandy as he rubbed his chin with his hoof. “Might know a few good sets of wings in the alleyways around town and a few others outside.” He then looked at Twilight. “But, don’t you think that you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself lovely? Everypony knows that the castle’s saddle bags don’t carry as much as they used to. And here you are making all sorts of business deals and throwing free parties for the poor. Last thing I want is for a nice lovely like yourself to be kicked to the curb for caring too much.”
“Thank you,” said a touched Twilight as she placed a wing over her heart while her blush deepened. “But don’t worry about that for right now. I’ve been selling plenty of Princess Alabaster’s old things all over the castle which is helping our finances. I’m even scrapping some of her other projects that she had started.”
“Other projects?” asked Dandy, his smile vanishing as he looked at her. Twilight nodded. For a brief moment she wondered if she should continue and explain what she had found along with Wild Theory. But in all honestly there was no real reason not to. She was literally having it scrapped and his grits had gone to pay for it. Plus it seemed hard for Princess Alabaster’s name to get anymore tarnished than it already was this the populace. So why not?
“While we were looking through Princess Alabaster’s things, me and Dr. Wild Theory made a discovery,” she said. “It seemed that she had commissioned a new zeppelin to be built; one that would serve as her new castle. From the looks of it, it looked like it was meant to be a twelve story mansion that could fly around the country at a whim. It didn’t take me long to decide to scrap it.”
The sound of breaking glass or china echoed through the room, its source coming from behind Twilight. Quickly turning around, she noticed the familiar face of Golden Spike. However, he seemed more distant this night. There was no sense of joy in his expression nor was he constantly looking at the mare next to him. Probably because this mare, the one who had dropped her teacup, was not Nightingale. She was a grey colored mare about the same age as Twilight, staring in her direction with wide and unblinking eyes.
But only for a moment when she noticed Twilight looking in her direction.
“Oh my,” she said, stepping over the remains of her cup as she approached Twilight and leaving Golden Spike behind. Twilight felt a little…uneasy as this mare walked towards her. Something about the focused, fixated look she had on her and her alone. “Please, forgive me your majesty for that slight slip of my hoof. It was an honest mistake on my part. It’s just I thought I heard you say that Princess Alabaster was using our grits to build a new flying castle? And you decided to just scrap it?”
“That’s right,” replied Twilight as she tried not to take a step back. Instead, she lit up her horn to pick up the pieces of her shattered cup before teleporting them into the trash. The last thing that she wanted right now was to have one of her guests step in it before the maids took care of it. “In fact, some of the proceeds for the scrap job went to pay for this event while the rest are being diverted into several other areas that are in desperate need of funding. We are getting uniforms for our flying team, money is going into reopening the schools, and a few other things here and there.”
The mare continued to stare at her with those unblinking eyes for a moment longer, before finally taking a breath. The grey mare then took a step backwards as her expression became more controlled. “Yes, that is what this country needs right now,” she said, her voice now coming out smoothly. “I am terribly sorry for that little outburst. It’s just that I happen to know many ponies who have been working on similar projects over the years. There is a chance you heard about this, but several years ago there were many thestrals trying to create mobile homes. One of those was my uncle who sank a great deal of his grits into the project. Oh it broke his heart to see his efforts fall apart before his eyes.”
“Yes, that is tragic,” agreed Twilight with a nod. If she was telling the truth then it would explain why she had reacted that way. If she was telling the truth, that is. Yet Twilight’s scientific side was piqued. Mobile zeppelin homes? She knew very well that zeppelin cruises were all the rage these days in Equestria due to the fact that they were not bound solely to the water allowing them a greater variety of travel paths. Yet even with skilled earth pony hard work and ingenuity along with unicorns magic there was a limit to how long those zeppelins could stay in the air. Even Princess Celestia would grow tired after using her magic for too long! It certainly would be amazing to see something like that.
As she thought about this, however, Twilight began to think of the downsides to such a feat here in Thunder Valley. It was impossible to miss the amount of soot that rained from the sky caused by their zeppelins. Imagine if they were up there longer, pouring down more of the black flakes to the surface below. As hard as it was to imagine, Twilight felt like the air would become even harder to breathe than it already was and their water would become even more polluted. Then there was a simple matter of safety. What would happen during the day, when thestrals were asleep and one zeppelin collided with another? Or a fire happened? Or an engine malfunction? Perhaps she should have a talk with Wild Theory to see if he shared these concerns.
“Princess,” continued the mare, pulling Twilight for her thoughts. “Permit me to say that, if it looked like it might have worked: shouldn’t you have finished it and kept it for yourself? It would have been the perfect thing for you: an out with the old and in with the new approach. Showing everypony here that you are a progressive mare, living in the latest dwelling around and scrapping this old, dusty castle. Surely you could have gathered more grits from this old place than that zeppelin.”
“I could never do something like that,” said Twilight instantly, her eyes becoming slightly harder as she looked at the mare. “That zeppelin was nothing more than another vanity project for Princess Alabaster. To be used by her alone with only a small section of her servants to stay in. There weren’t any offices for officials, areas for documents, or a proper conference room to meet with the Great Families! Instead she wanted things like seven master bedrooms, one for every day of the week that could hold a two story house with room to spare and a bathroom the size of a track field!” As she spoke, Twilight noticed a few of the ponies around her looking at her yet she paid them no mind. She just kept looking at the mare in front of her. “But even if it did have everything needed for a proper government to function, such a thing would never realistically work. Ponies need to know where the center of their government is. Never mind the ponies who need to protect it having to work harder just to keep track of the place and maintain a presence there, but also the ponies who work there having to fly more. Then there are those that don’t work at the castle! It’s simply more trouble than it’s worth despite the achievement.”
“Princess,” began the mare, but stopped when the sound of a forced cough was heard.
“Looks like the Princess has made up her mind,” said Dandy. “Wouldn’t you agree Lady Gray?” Twilight blinked at the sudden information she was getting. She recalled that name from when she had been looking for Just Dandy. That she ran a tail raiser business. But what was more interesting were the rumors that surrounded her. While that was a shocking piece of information, what was more shocking was Dandy. The humor his voice held earlier was gone and in its place was a tone close to that of warning. His eyes were fixed on Lady Gray in a way that said he clearly didn’t like her.
As for Lady Gray, it seemed like she had failed to notice the stallion until just now. When she first looked in his direction, Twilight couldn’t fail to notice the annoyance her eyes held. But upon looking at the stallion Lady Gray could not conceal her horror. Perhaps it was because of the look he was giving her along with his reputation as a gang leader that was the cause of this. Without bothering to excuse herself, Lady Gray all but galloped away from the pair. As she did, Twilight noticed Golden Spike shaking his head at all of this before he went after her.
“Well, that’s two mares you’ve chased off,” said Twilight after a moment. Her tone was neither playful nor was in scolding. Just simply stating facts as she turned to look at Dandy who was keeping his gaze on the retreating mare. “I take it you’ve met her before?”
“We’ve had words and nothing more, lovely,” replied Dandy, turning to look at Twilight. “Been doing a very disagreeable practice in my neck of the city. Don’t really care for it myself.” He paused for a moment to shoot a brief glance down where Lady Gray had vanished. “Nor for the mare herself, especially if the rumors are true.”
“Rumors other than running a tail raising business?” asked Twilight. Dandy nodded.
“Not the sort of stuff I’d expect the high and mighty around here to pay much attention to,” he began. “Those rumors have been spreading ever since she came to town a couple of months ago. See there was this one noble named Lady White Lightning. Came from one of those lower noble houses who had a large amount of golden grits to their name, a fancy title, and not much else. Don’t even know what they did for the courts! But Lady White, oh she took a shine to the witch Alabaster. At least that’s what I heard. Know for a fact that she never missed one of Alabaster’s parties and there were a few comments she made in the papers where she defended the witch. Heard she was even in the castle when the revolt started up, but never saw her there myself. But what I do know is that that very night, Lady White Lightning took her family fortune and vanished from sight.”
“So thestrals think that Lady Gray is White Lightning?” asked Twilight.
Dandy nodded. “That’s what they say,” he said. “Sort of fits since her name started floating around Darkmire Chapel in the south, close to where Lady White Lightning’s family lived. Been working in the tail raiser business ever since.” Dandy then paused to sigh. “But that’s just one of the nasty things I’ve heard tell about the mare. Most thestrals that come to me, they be telling stories about thinly veiled threats to join her operation. Not something they can go to the Clubbers with. He said she said situation and all. They know coming to good old Dandy gets the situation taken care of.”
“Well,” said Twilight. “Perhaps you should send a few of them to me from time to time? See if there is anything I can do for them myself? Or you could look into these rumors and see if there is anything to support them other than hearsay. I might be able to do something about it then.”
Dandy let out a laugh. “Of course, lovely, of course. Seeing her get the Arms Dealer treatment would be worth me doing a bit of extra leg and wing work. But aren’t we a sight right now. Working shop while a party goes on around us. Wouldn’t be right to let it all go to waste.”
“A Princess’s work is never over,” countered Twilight before she was surprised by Dandy holding out his hoof. Looking up at his face, Twilight saw that Dandy was smiling at her in a way that caused her cheeks to redden even more. It was clear, even to a socially awkward pony like her, what he was asking her. But…should she, a princess, accept this offer from a stallion with a reputation like Just Dandy’s? Would that not reflect-
“P-Princess?” Twilight let out a yelp and jumped in the air at the sudden voice that spoke out behind her. She turned around and saw that it was a mare about the same age as her own mother. She wore a ragged bonnet on her head and held an overused handkerchief in one hoof close to her face. Twilight could see it on the mare’s face that she had been crying recently, most likely whipping they away before speaking to Twilight.
“Yes?” Twilight asked gently.
“I…I heard that you were taking petitions,” the mare began, tears threatening to reappear. “Forgive me. I-I know you must be very busy tonight but I need your help. I just…I just don’t know who else to turn to.” With that, the mare suddenly threw herself onto Twilight as a dam burst. The mare began to cry openly onto Twilight’s shoulder loudly, quickly soaking Twilight gown. Not that Twilight minded at all. Quickly she shot a look at Dandy and he understood what she was silently saying.
“It’s alright,” said Twilight as softly as she could while leading the mare towards her office. “You can tell me everything.”
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Nice to see more.
Omg update yeah and a really good one too, also gray is most likly the queen and using the lighting family disappearing as a cover, but anway thx for the update enjoyed it
Eh, me thinks you might be kicking the puppy a bit too much with Lady Gray, i mean to me it seems you are dead set to make reader hate her and i am not certain that makes a good villain.
But anyway good reading,
Nice Rarity will make her way to Thunder Valley, can't wait to see how that does for her, I honestly though that they Twilight would look more like a great villain from intriguer noble and would just scare any Equestrian nobles that comes her way. I had honestly though that Twilight would get a riot in her hooves for just serving the apples for how delirious the are and that the population would start demanding to import more Equestrian Apple family Apples and would really get theastrals interested in learning more about the outside from that point on ward. I think Twilight can come with an arrangement with Dandy in over looking some of the least blatant criminal activities that is actually his, and would over look the worst in the moment if it help lead to improve the living condition or helps tipping off to prevent plots against Twilight. I can't wait to see what recrutes RD will get for her stunt team.
Nice chapter, keep it up.
And bets are still on about the truth about Chocky
Aaaaaahhhhh, loved this chapter!
The morale boost was definitely needed, and seeing the masses happier just fills my imaginary eyeballs with joy.
*sees new chapter* *happiness noise*
How long till pinkie goes?©
rarity can not get that her idea of fashion is not the truth.
Another great chapter, can't wait to see what happens next. Are the rest of the mane 6 going to end up living with Twilight there?
It is good to see Twilight sticking to her guns and trying to make here corner of the world a better place.
I particularly like the interactions with the totally not a game leader.
Such a great story!!!! Want moreeeee
9834636
Don’t! It’d be fun seeing her suffer...
Ok, sarcasm off. He’s right, a sympathetic villain is the most interesting of villains. If you could write her that way, it put more depth into her charchter wise.
also, I can’t shake off a bad feeling about Just Dandy...
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9834636
Well there are many types of villians. This one is just one of those you are not supposed to have any empathy for. I will agree that sympathetic villains are more interesting and complex but this is not a complex character. But I will try kick the puppy less
9835524
Every Celestia and Luna needs their Discord, a neer-do-well that may not have a heart of gold, but probably tarnished silver at least. Thus Just for Twilight.
I love this.
ALL HAIL GOOD QUEEN TWILIGHT!
I say it evey time and ill say it again. I love this story.
I afraid that Rarity will add to mich "Equestria" to the works and will not go over well with the Thestrals.
Also the homebody apple horse misses adventure and friends. Good addes touch. Was wondering when we would see how her friends are holding up.
Nice to see an update as well as how Twilights friends are doing
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I think this might help with trade or push to improve their environment. You want fresh produce? Pressure plant owners to clean up their act. Heck I can see these ponies nervous about trade since they have never done so with another country.
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Guess we'll see
So the basic design of this “flying mansion” would be the Thestral/Equestrian version of a real world multi million dollar super yacht. Although I hope that they saved the blueprints for a ‘Thunder Valley One’ of sorts, to be only used when their queen is traveling beyond Thunder Valley for diplomacy and promoting trade; pretty much convert 5 of the 7 master bedrooms as offices for the various ministries, save the biggest of the master bedrooms as a grand conference room, and leave the final master bedroom as the Queen’s Stateroom. Perhaps when Thunder Valley is on a better financial footing, they can attempt my concept.
Rarity... Rarity darling no, bad idea! That path leads to war!
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Well maybe not war but it's still a bad idea.
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Not a problem