Alternate Beginnings: Year Two

by Doug Graves

9 Questions

The two story mansion looms ahead as Rainbow flies through town. The mare shudders at the thought of going into the manticore's den, but her herd is counting on her. She slowly wings closer to the Rich house, thinking over what she is going to say. She tries to calm herself again, knowing she doesn't want to antagonize Spoiled Rich, she just wants answers. Answers she will beat out of the mare if she-

'Bad Rainbow Dash!' she chides herself. She knows she is regressing too quickly. It isn't too late to back out, try to make sure she can keep her temper under control. She would have liked to practice with Doug a couple of times, like when she was preparing for her Wonderbolts interview, and she is kind of regretting it now.

Rainbow lands outside the porch leading to the main house. She trots up the steps, raising a hoof to knock on the ornate door. To her surprise, the door opens before she can mar the wood, the butler Randolph giving her a disdainful look. He glances up at Rainbow's raised foreleg before staring at her eyes, a pointed look to the ground. Rainbow gives a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her head as she nervously laughs. Randolph merely continues to stare at her, the pegasus finally taking the hint and putting her hoof on the ground. He glances down at the soft 'clop', then back up at Rainbow, asking, "What can I do for you, Mrs. Dash?"

Rainbow gives Randolph a funny look before laughing, "Oh, Mrs. Dash is my dam, call me Rainbow Dash, or just Rainbow, please."

Randolph nods, "Very well, Rainbow Dash, what can I do for you?"

Rainbow smiles, "I wanted to know if Spoiled Rich is here."

Randolph nods, "Yes, she is."

The two stare at each in silence for several seconds. Rainbow coughs, saying, "Um, I was hoping to speak with her." Randolph continues staring at Rainbow as she stammers, "Can I talk to her?"

Rainbow thinks she sees the barest hint of a smile as Randolph replies, "I don't know, can you?"

"Fine." Rainbow sighs, "May I please come in and talk to Spoiled Rich?"

Randolph smiles, "Now, that wasn't too hard, was it? Are your hooves clean?"

Rainbow lifts a hoof, examining the underside. After a few seconds she says, "I dunno, yes?" She looks up, squawking in alarm as a towel flies through the air directly at her! She snatches it with one of her hooves a split second before it impacts her face, a dirty glance at the grinning butler. On inspecting the towel she can see where she was gripping it, and gives a embarrassed smile as she cleans her front hooves off. She starts to go inside but Randolph is still standing in the doorway. When he doesn't move she sighs again, sitting down and toweling the traces of dirt off her hind hooves. "There, are you happy, can we go now?" she asks, hoofing the towel back to Randolph.

The butler takes the towel with a disdainful look, dropping it off in a side basket before leading Rainbow inside. Their hoofsteps echo through the mansion, the emptiness beginning to creep Rainbow out; the ceilings are too low for her to comfortably hover as they make their way through one opulent room after another. She sees one of the other mares in Filthy Rich's herd, a Silver Set, who has two foals with her, one pink and one gray. They arrive at the top of one of the staircases and Randolph stops, giving a polite knock on the door. He calls out, "Mrs. Rich, you have a visitor, one Rainbow Dash. Would you like to meet her?"

The door to the study opens, revealing Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich inside. Mr. Rich stays at his desk while Spoiled walks up to the entrance. She grins at seeing Rainbow before turning back to Filthy, smiling at him and walking out of the room. He gives a polite nod to Rainbow before turning his attention back to the papers on his desk.

Randolph closes the door behind Spoiled Rich before the mare turns to Rainbow. She raises her head, looking down her nose at the pegasus before walking past her. Rainbow follows as Spoiled Rich asks, "So, Rainbow Dash, what brings you to my humble abode?"

The two walk into the library as Spoiled Rich continues, "Randolph, bring me a glass of sparkling water and two tea biscuits."

Rainbow pauses, both a little miffed at being interrupted and unsure if she should ask Randolph for something, or if Spoiled Rich is going to ask her if she would like anything. She hesitates, finally saying, "I wanted to talk to you about Doug."

Spoiled Rich flatly stares at Rainbow, "Whatever do you mean?"

Rainbow huffs, her voice getting angry, much earlier than she wants, "Well, why are you doing it? What did he do to you that made you want him out of Ponyville?"

Spoiled Rich laughs, a high, piercing sound as Randolph returns to the room. She takes the water, taking a sip and placing the glass on a nearby table. Randolph sets the tea biscuits next to the water, bowing his head to the two of them and leaving the room. Spoiled Rich settles down, saying, "Rainbow, it isn't what he did to me. It is what he did to you!"

Rainbow cocks her head to the side, taken aback. "What do you mean what he did to me?"

Spoiled Rich moves to one of the shelves, pulling out a magazine. She opens it to one of the centerfolds - a picture of Spitfire, Soarin', and Fleetfoot during their respective rookie years at the Wonderbolts - and throws it on the table. "Remember this, Rainbow? What have you been doing the last year?"

Rainbow looks down at her hooves. She dejectedly replies, "Well, I've been working on the weather team."

Spoiled Rich nods, placing the magazine next to the tea biscuits. "And what about your interview? I remember seeing you outside, training so hard for that. What ever became of all that hard work?"

Rainbow looks up, "So my life took a different turn than I thought it would. That doesn't make that training a waste, or what you are doing to Doug right now any better. So, why are you doing it?"

Spoiled Rich shakes her head, taking another sip of her water. "Rainbow, I'm merely trying to prevent what happened to you from happening to anypony else in this town. I don't know what kind of magic Doug wove to get you to drop what you were doing and act as a broodmare for him. I do know that I won't sit idly by; I can see he is trying to get Pinkie Pie to be the next one!"

Rainbow stomps a hoof on the ground, "Hey! I was the one who made the choice to ask Doug to help me during my heat! It might not have been the best call in hindsight but it was my choice, not magic on his part!"

Spoiled Rich smirks, "It's obvious, Rainbow, that you've made your choice. By your own admission it was the wrong one! I'm just trying to stop anypony else from making the same misguided choice you made. By keeping Doug out of Ponyville I will stop this from spreading further."

Rainbow glares at her, "Maybe it seemed like the wrong call, but I couldn't be happier with how things have turned out! And you can't control everypony from making these choices, or from falling in love! It's Pinkie's choice whether or not she dates Doug, not yours!"

Spoiled Rich shrugs, "Maybe Pinkie Pie is too far gone already; I could see the way she looked at him yesterday. But that is just the first of the reasons that I believe Doug should stay out of Ponyville. I know you might not agree with all of them, but I am not the only one who finds his stench revolting, or his lack of manners appalling."

Rainbow rolls her eyes, her voice steadily getting louder, "Well, maybe that's personal preference, but that's not enough to ostracize a pony like that! I know for a fact that Doug didn't intend to get any of us pregnant, but he did the right thing regardless! He isn't looking to make us his broodmares or any such nonsense! He cares for us and is happy right where he is! And so what if he doesn't know all of our customs? He's more than willing to learn, if you just give him the chance!" She ends up fuming, a heated stare at Spoiled Rich as her muscles clench.

Spoiled Rich smirks, "Are you willing to put your bits where your bark is?"

Rainbow grits her teeth, "What do you want?"

Spoiled Rich calmly states, "Pinkie Pie joins the herd or not, the choice will be up to her. However, she may not join the herd until after her heat has finished, and she does not get pregnant this year. Aside from Pinkie Pie, Doug will court no other mares, from Ponyville or otherwise. If he can stick to that for five years? Then I concede that I was hasty in my evaluation of him and all restrictions are lifted. As a show of good faith, I'll spread the word that he is to be treated as nothing, not even worth their time to antagonize when he goes to and from Rarity's house. That is, if you give me your word that he will keep to his restrictions and treat us with the proper respect. Oh, and this is a limited time offer; it expires as soon as you leave this room. So, did you come here in good faith, Rainbow?"

Rainbow nervously looks around the room. Spoiled Rich lifts one of the tea biscuits to her mouth, chewing softly. She begins pacing back and forth as Rainbow stammers, "Um, I don't know if I can, I..."

Spoiled Rich looks at Rainbow, "Oh? Do your herdmates not know you are here?"

Rainbow shakes her head; at Spoiled Rich's stare Rainbow says, "No, they know that I'm here."

"Well, then, I hope that they have at least a little faith in you to make the right decision. They wouldn't have sent you all the way here if they didn't trust you, right?"

"Hey!" Rainbow shouts, "I know my herd trusts me, and they have never hinted otherwise!"

Spoiled Rich resumes her pacing, "Oh, so it is yourself that you don't trust? What ever happened to that headstrong, confident mare that was going to take the world by storm? She got grounded by a Grave?" At Rainbow's startled look she continues, "Oh, please, it was easy to find out. One of the first things I did was go to Mayor Mare, find out if this Doug Graves was here legitimately or not. Turns out somepony had the foresight to fill out a citizenship application for him."

Rainbow shakes her head, "No, I watched him fill that form out. He's not some ignorant monster!"

Spoiled Rich smirks, "You claim that Doug didn't mean to do what he did, so he is either ignorant of the basic facts of life or he intended exactly what happened to you. Maybe he wasn't sure of the outcome, but certainly comfortable with the possibility."

Rainbow looks up, determination in her eyes, "He knew exactly what could happen, and he has not shirked the responsibility one bit!"

Spoiled Rich meets Rainbow's gaze, staring deep into the pegasus' eyes, "Then you claim his intention was originally not to make you, and Applejack, and Rarity, and Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and soon the rest of Ponyville into his mares? Then surely you would have no trouble accepting the bargain I'm offering. A Faustian bargain if I ever saw one."

Rainbow sighs, feeling defeated. She knows she needs to make one last push though, try to get one more concession out of Rich. Then they could manage it. "So, this is as far at it goes, right? You and the rest of Ponyville treat Doug as a non-entity. You don't make fun of him, or hurt him, just ignore him. He doesn't try to interact with the Ponyvillians, he especially doesn't initiate courtship with any more of them. If they initiate anything - a conversation, a business deal, even potential courtship - that's fine, but Doug will not push anything faster or more than what the mare wants. He stays out of Ponyville except when invited or to spend time with Rarity." Rainbow pauses, looking up at the ceiling in concentration. "Did I forget anything?"

Spoiled Rich looks up from her enchanted quill, the scratches continuing on the piece of paper. "No, I think that about covers it. If he can keep to that for five years, then I concede he is not the monster I made him out to be and all restrictions are lifted. Whatever... choices your herd makes are your own." She smiles, looking over the finished contract.

Rainbow spits into her hoof, raising it towards Spoiled Rich. The earth pony looks down at it, commenting, "Oh, did you learn that from Applejack? How... quaint." She sighs at Rainbow's determined face, spitting on her own hoof and pressing it against Rainbow's. She sets her hoof down and moves over to her paper as the quill finishes a second copy.

Rainbow looks down at the contract Spoiled Rich pushes in front of her. The quill has transcribed what she said, and includes the section Spoiled Rich added. She sighs, taking the oddly light quill in her mouth and scribbles her name on the contract. She looks over to see Spoiled Rich staring out the window, not at the town in front of them but at Canterlot off in the distance.

Rainbow says in a quiet voice, "There. Are you happy? Can I go now?"

Spoiled Rich shakes her head, a small smile on her mouth. "No, Rainbow, it is I who should be thanking you. This has been excellent practice; you showed me a lot of areas in my negotiation where I need to improve."

Rainbow sputters, "Practice? After what me and my herd went through, and all you can see it as is practice? Practice for what?"

Spoiled Rich sighs, "For what is coming. I am sorry, Rainbow, but this was going to happen between Doug and the rest of Ponyville eventually." She turns, pacing back and forth while watching Rainbow, "You may not have noticed, but Doug does not have a lot of supporters in Ponyville. He has you and your herd, of course, but outside of that? There are the ponies that do not want him around and the ponies that tolerate him for your sake. This way, I was able to keep it from coming to blows and everypony gets what they want. Win-win."

"So, you're doing me a favor? I don't see it."

Spoiled Rich moves back to the window, looking up at the darkening sky. "No, Rainbow, I am not doing it for you. The nobles in Canterlot, they care nothing for towns on the outskirts, towns like Ponyville. When the night comes, and the mare that brings it, the nobles in Canterlot will throw us to the timber wolves in a vain effort to save their hides. We will need leaders here capable of making the hard decisions. With experience not only making deals but in figuring out who we can trust and who we can't. You can see this whole thing as a test of Doug's character, if you will. To see if the town of Ponyville can trust him to keep his word, if he can be trusted like any pony else."

Rainbow stares in disbelief as Spoiled Rich continues, still looking out the window, "We won't know where the next incursion will come from. Will it be the griffons? The diamond dogs? The dragons? Or will it come from within, or from a foe we never knew existed? We need to keep a watchful eye on every outsider, anypony who seems suspicious. I'm sorry you were entangled in this, but I hope you can see my reasons."

Rainbow continues staring for a moment before saying, in a very slow, measured cadence, "Well, that's cool and all, I guess. Anyway, should I see myself out, or?"

Spoiled Rich knocks her hoof on the table twice and the door opens, Randolph sticking his head inside. "Yes, Mrs. Rich?"

Spoiled Rich nods in Rainbow's direction, "Please see Mrs. Dash outside."

Rainbow glowers at the name while Randolph turns, leaving the door open, "Very well, please follow me, Rainbow Dash." The two make their way outside as Randolph asks, "Did you have a productive visit, Rainbow?"

Rainbow sighs, looking at the contract in her hoof. "Yeah, I suppose I did. Well, see ya around!" She takes off as Randolph smiles, closing the front door behind him.

Comments

[Heidao]

There are so many loopholes that can be exploited. Only being allowed to enter Ponyville proper when visiting Rarity or when invited, means he cannot intervene on matters of his herd that happen within it, without breaking his contract.

Rainbow, you should've just left

[Shadowblade019]

What bull.

[Moonlit_Stardust]

9178555

She's not exactly Wrong though, I mean they don't know it yet buuuuut You have Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Tirek, The Changelings (More than Once), Gilda, Sunset and Starlight to name a few. The Nobles WOULD leave them to Die too so long as Canterlot is safe.

[Spiritus Arcane]

You know, there was a far better way to solve this than entering into a legally dubious contract: let Granny Smith off the leash. Apple Bloom may be the only one of the foals related to her by blood, but she probably considers all three her granddaughters in this timeline, and if she shoved her hoof up Filthy's flank far enough she could probably "persuade" him to reign Spoiled in.

And if that didn't work, hit him where it really hurts, in his wallet. I bet the loss of all Sweet Apple Acres (and potentially any other Apple family members he might be in business with) products to his direct competitors, including zap apple jam, would hurt his business more than it seems here. Heck the farm would probably get a better deal out of it too.

[Doug Graves]

9315338
Heh, the dangers of letting Rainbow Dash do your negotiating.

The problem is that Filthy Rich has deeper pockets than they do. And the Apple family... they ain't doing so hot right now. And, in a price war, the deeper pockets has a pretty big advantage. Neither side wants that, though it would be entertaining watching Granny's weathered hooves cow Filthy / Spoiled Rich.

[EnderHooves]

This is a case of "I see your reasoning, and I understand it, but I still hate it, and you."
She has a few points, I'll give her that, but we don't really have a way to tell if the town really feels that way without her interference.
I do wonder where this will go, considering we've got all the way up to where twi shows up written.
I wonder if she'll ever be reformed, but greed is a powerful force that doesn't like to change on its own.

[AuthorGenesis]

9315338
However, if this is an RGRE then the decision making authority is with the mares, rather than the stallion, as in patriarchal human society.
This is only speculation, but Rich might know what is going on, but might not do much more than voice his disapproval. And that's if he isn't being cowed into submission through physical violence or psychological traumas. Of course, he might not know what Spoiled is even doing if he is focused on his entrepreneurial empire instead of having to babysit his lead mare.

I do find it curious that neither Doug nor Rarity has thought to look through the towns laws or even the national laws to either verify that what Spoiled is doing is legal, or to notify the proper authorities that somepony is performing acts of treason and sedition.

[DarkPhoenixx]

Um......this is just odd

A Faustian bargain

Does this refer to a deal w the devil as it would her on Earth.....or since Faust created MLP: FiM would that be more like a deal w god, so to speak?

[DarkPhoenixx]

9315338
I agree. Granny is another mare that you dont want to f**k w the family of. Bc once taken off the leash so to speak Granny Smith can be a monster lol
I thought when the grandsire was mentioned that Granny was gonna have him deal w Spoiled.

[Doug Graves]

10113628
Ah, the joys of having references that mean the exact opposite. Spoiled is using it in the 'great deal' sense.

[Jack-Pony]

9140515
The contract didn't specify whom could invite him in. So, AJ, or any of the herd could. You're right, there ARE a lot of loopholes to be used!

9887283
Stallions still are the larger, stronger of the two sexes...and what do you think happens when you push your stallion too far? Herd splits and infighting, changes of lead mare, etc. Not the kind of things a lead mare wants to tango with.

[Truthseeker]

Yep, racism and hate for its own sake. Nothing that happens to Spoiled will be enough.

I also noticed that Spolied never mentioned that Doug could go to the hospital, which means he is barred from doing so. Spoiled could hire some thugs to beat Doug to death and the hospital would be out of reach. Seems like something she would do.