Part IV, Chapter 5 - Detrot, Part 2 - A Point of Interest
Thorax awakes with a yawn as he gets out of bed. He looks around at the simple room he rented last evening. It was sparse, with only a bed, a small dresser, a table with a chair, and a radio off to one side in a corner. According to the mare who ran the inn, it was an older radio that used vacuum tubes instead of the newer crystal radios that were more prevalent in the empire.
The inn itself was a few blocks from the train station in an older part of town. According to what a guard had told him, it was a neighborhood that didn't have a lot of "riff raff", which Thorax supposed meant crime.
It was hard for him to imagine ponies and crime going together, but it was only a few months ago that ponies were trying to frame him for abducting a foal and then also attacking them as well. The only thing he couldn't imagine a pony doing was killing another pony, and he hoped he wouldn't have to find out any different.
Going into the bathroom, Thorax drew water in the tub and looked at the toiletries that were provided to him.
As with most of the hotels Thorax had managed to stay in during his original and less free trip through Equestria, a variety of shampoos were provided for use by the room's occupant. In addition to this, a curry comb and brush were provided to take care of a pony's coat, mane and tail. A check of a small medicine cabinet also turned up some basic first aid supplies and some small wooden rods with cotton wrapped around the ends; Q Tips, if he remembered what Sunburst had called them directly.
With the bath drawn and an acceptable temperature, Thorax stepped in and allowed himself to lay down in it, opting to soak for a few minutes before actually cleaning himself. As he did this, he gave some thoughts about what he wanted to do today.
Detrot had once been a strong city, but had went through struggles more recently. Their claim to fame at current was being the last stop in Equestria before traveling to the Crystal Empire. Before that, they were known all over Equestria and the world for their carriages.
There were once numerous companies that manufactured them and sold them across the world. Each one had their own unique features, but chief among them was elegance. A pony that could afford a carriage was somepony special, and nobles often competed with one another to have the most opulent carriage their bits could buy.
While there were still carriages made in Detrot, their quality had waned as the city experienced an increase in poverty; the princesses did what they could to help the city, he was told, but there was only so much help they could offer.
Fortunately, the increased tourist trade going to the Crystal Empire seemed to be helping the city recover.
As he washed, Thorax thought back to a conversation he'd had with Sunburst, which gave him his idea for what he could do in Detrot: take a tour of a carriage factory. There were still a few in Detrot, but what happened that day that prompted that conversation had got Thorax set on visiting one factory in particular.
Some time between Thorax's trial and leaving for Equestria
Sunburst and Thorax decided to take a walk outside in the Crystal Empire. It was getting closer to Hearth's Warming, and the city had been decorated in garlands and wreaths, as well as tall candy canes that looked good enough to eat. Unfortunately, they weren't real, being made from fiberglass and painted to resemble the smaller, edible treats.
"I can't believe I'll get to celebrate a pony holiday," Thorax said to Sunburst, "and the most important one too!"
Sunburst chuckled. "Yeah, well, it will certainly be a fun experience for you. Hopefully you'll enjoy the parade that Princess Cadance is setting up."
Thorax stopped to look at Sunburst. "Parade?"
Sunburst nodded his head. "Yeah. The Crystal Empire celebrates Hearth's Warming a bit differently than Equestria does. It's treated as a time when we can give the Crystal Heart a little bit of an extra charge so the spell that protects the empire doesn't falter."
Thorax winced a little, feeling a bit guilty that, in his early days, he'd fed off the excess love and had no way to return it. Sunburst saw the changeling's reaction and caught on to what he was thinking.
"Don't feel guilty, Thorax" Sunburst said to him putting a hoof on his withers. "You needed to eat and it was the only way anypony knew to do it that was safe."
"I know" Thorax replied. "It's just... I wish there had been a better way. Even now, I wish it was better. I hate what happens to you guys when you let me feed."
"Don't feel guilty, Thorax!" Sunburst says a bit forcefully. "Friends help each other out and don't want to see them suffer, especially when they choose to suffer in silence! If we tell you it's okay to feed, then it's really okay. Don't feel bad about it."
"Besides, I think allowing you to feed from us is showing you a great deal of trust. You're honestly not going to find many ponies in Equestria willing to feed their love to a changeling, at least ones that aren't under some kind of mind control anyway."
Thorax wanted to counter Sunburst's argument, but he was right; nopony in Equestria would willingly feed a changeling. He had to count himself lucky that he had friends willing to do that for him.
Before the conversation could advance any further, a glint of light coming off some metal caught Thorax's eye. It was coming from a carriage sitting in the street. It was decorated in silver and painted a dark blue, the finish on the top coat making it appear as though it were made of sapphire.
"What's that?" Thorax asks while pointing.
Sunburst turned his attention to where the changeling indicated and let out a whistle. "That's a dandy" he says upon seeing the carriage.
"But what is it?" Thorax asks again.
"That," Sunburst responds while pointing, "is a very nice carriage from Detrot. It's a city just south of the empire and the first stop on the train line going towards Canterlot. Going by the fancy decoration on the front, I'd say that's a Cheval carriage."
"Cheval?" Thorax parrots.
Sunburst nods. "They were the finest built carriages in the world at one point in time. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both have their own personal carriages, as well as one they use for official functions. Princess Cadance actually has one that was given to her by the owner of the company as a coronation present. Apparently, he owed a debt to her for helping him with a spat he had with his wife at the time."
"So that carriage is supposed to be, like, top of the line?" Thorax asked.
"When it was built originally" Sunburst replies. "That one looks about twenty or thirty years old. The carriages will last for quite a while if they're properly cared for. Nowadays the carriages are built with more inexpensive materials and will wear out faster. I hate saying it, but a new carriage would probably only last about ten to fifteen years at the best. Going by the amount of care that went into making that one, I'd say it has a chance of going on for at least another thirty years or so, if not longer."
"Wow" Thorax said in amazement. "They sound really special. Where did you say they make those?"
"Detrot," Sunburst replies, "though I think the company wanted to make a new factory in Manehattan or Fillydelphia. In the old days, the carriages were crafted from wood, and the area around the city was full of good quality lumber. Nowadays, they're made from steel, and Detrot doesn't have a lot of steel ore in the areas surrounding it, so they have to import it by train. Them making a new factory in a port city on the coast would help them to keep the cost for a new carriage down because they wouldn't be spending as much to import it since they're closer to a shipping port."
"How come they haven't done that?" Thorax asked.
"A few reasons" Sunburst explains. "First is the cost of building the factory. As big as it would need to be, it could cost almost five hundred million bits."
"Wow" Thorax says in disbelief, understanding how bits work better thanks to Sunburst.
"Yeah" Sunburst agrees. "Besides cost, there's the time it'll take to build, securing materials to build with, the necessary permits, and not to mention a little bit of hoof greasing."
"Hoof greasing?" Thorax parrots in confusion.
"There's lots of unscrupulous ponies working in construction" Sunburst tells Thorax. "It's not uncommon for building plans to 'not meet building code requirements', or a permit wasn't approved, and the pony paying for it all has to fork over a little extra."
"That doesn't sound right" Thorax says with a frown.
"It isn't," Sunburst agrees, "and the princesses and guards all do their best to catch these crooks in the act or, at the very least, dissuade them from that sort of behavior in the first place. Unfortunately, persuasion doesn't always work."
Thorax nods somberly at Sunburst's explanation. It reminded him of his first day of asylum and how he learned Equestria wasn't as innocent and loving as he once thought.
"Besides all the money and construction aspects," Sunburst continues, "there's also the workers at the factory they already have. If they move to a new factory, they'll likely shut down the old one and all those ponies will be out of work. Those workers will tell other ponies about being fired because of the move and it'll make the company look mean and greedy, and fewer ponies will want to buy their carriages."
"So there's a few hurdles they'd have to deal with if they wanted to move?" Thorax deduces.
Sunburst nods. "I'm sure something will be worked out eventually. Perhaps some of the ponies working for them are willing to move to where the new factory will be built, or the company will give them a good severance so they can subsist until they find new jobs. Of course, Detrot as a city isn't having such a good run of it as far as money is concerned."
"Oh?" Thorax responds inquisitively.
"The carriage market has changed a good bit since Cheval first started making wooden carriages. Ponies aren't as willing to spend bits on something like that carriage over there, which forced them to look for materials that don't cost as much. That led to lower quality product, which led some of their more well off customers, who would usually buy a carriage like that as a statement piece, to view them as being sub-par and make them look elsewhere for a company whose product they thought was of a quality worth their bits."
"It's a vicious cycle that doesn't have a good out, which is why Cheval wants to move to a port city to cut their cost on materials and shipping. If they do that, then they might be able to start making a higher quality product again."
"I hope so" Thorax said as he looked at the carriage again. "Those look amazing."
"They are," Sunburst agreed, "and seeing them made is even more amazing. Watching unicorn steel smiths shaping the frames and the bodies and then uniting them on their assembly line is a sight to behold. Magic and engineering in sync with one another, almost like a dance of sorts."
"Wow" Thorax remarked. "I hope I can see it someday."
"I'm sure you will, Thorax" Sunburst said with a smile. "We should get going. I have to watch Flurry this afternoon and I'd like to visit a shop quick so I can get a gift for Starlight."
"Okay" Thorax agreed as the two continued down the street, the changeling looking back briefly to get one last look at the opulent carriage sitting on the street.
With his first stop here in Detrot, Thorax had the perfect opportunity to visit the Cheval factory and tour the assembly line. Finishing his bath, Thorax got out and dried his carapace with a towel, then adopted his Crystal Hoof disguise. He checked himself in the mirror quickly before stepping back out into his room.
After he took the tour he'd wanted, Thorax would have to decide how much longer he would spend in Detrot, and where he would go next. He could head east for Manhattan and Fillydelphia, south towards Canterlot and Ponyville, or west towards Van Hoover and San Fransiscolt. All had their own appeal, and he knew that he was going to visit all of them before he returned to the empire. Putting the decision off, he chose a hat and scarf to wear before exiting the inn.
"Do you plan on staying an extra day?"
Thorax jumped as he closed the door to his room and took a few steps. Turning around, he saw the mare he rented the room from.
"Um, I'm not completely sure" he admitted to her. "I'll have an answer when I get back."
"Okay" she said to him. "I'll mark you down as a yes, and if you change your mind, just let me know."
"Okay" Thorax says before he turns to leave, then sees the mare get a key for his room. He was about to ask what she was doing, but then realized she was going to change the bed linens.
"Excuse me for a second" he says as he trots back to his room.
The mare looks at him for a moment with confusion. "Is something wrong?" she asks.
"No" Thorax replies. "I just forgot my saddlebags."
It was the truth. Thorax had nearly forgotten his saddlebags and the bits he would need to take the tour. He also wanted his passports so the mare wouldn't find them. He didn't think she would snoop through his things, but he wasn't taking the chance. Once he had his bags, he left the inn.
Moving towards the main part of the city, Thorax realized he had no idea where the Cheval factory he wanted to tour was located. He wasn't overly worried; there had to be a pony he could ask about it somewhere. For the moment, he decided to continue trotting down the street.
As he did, he realized there were suspicious eyes on him. He saw nothing when he looked around and was a bit confused. A part of him then worried that he'd been found by an infiltrator and could wind up attacked as soon as he was somewhere more private.
Then, he realized what the strange feeling of being watched was.
Hawkeye had guards following him. They could've been any of the ponies on the street, as they would likely not wear their armor and draw attention to themselves. With this thought in mind, Thorax did his best to not think about the guards; they were only doing their job protecting ponies and following their orders.
While he wasn't wild about this situation, the commander had kept her word; nopony tried to stop Thorax as he entered the main part of the city.
Detrot was actually a little bit smaller than the Crystal Empire. What made it seem bigger were the large building that reached high into the air. "Skyscrapers" Thorax remembered as he walked. He was looking at one building in particular when he walked into somepony.
"I'm sorry" he said as his attention turned to the pony he ran into, or rather, the griffin.
"Watch it, bub!" the griffin says as they step around Thorax and continue walking. Thorax follows them with his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. He knew sometimes creatures that lived in cities didn't act the nicest. At the very least, the griffin hadn't tried to hurt him.
Continuing his walk, and with his attention now directed at the street where it should be, Thorax saw all sorts of businesses. There were eateries, bakeries, clothing stores, and a few offices for miscellaneous businesses he didn't know what they did.
One business, however, was exactly what he was looking for.
Situated behind a large pane of glass was a white and gold carriage, with ornate trim around each of the windows. On the glass the carriage sat behind was an image of a large bow tie type decoration, and inside it were six large letters.
CHEVAL
It was a dealership where they sold Cheval carriages. If this is where they sold them, then they certainly knew where the factory was located. Making his way to the door, Thorax stepped inside.
The interior was very white, almost like the snowy plains on the outskirts of the empire. Instead of snow on the ground, however, there was tile. In place of skies were walls painted bright white, and everything illuminated with fluorescent bulbs, with the exception of the carriages on display, which were lit with bright spotlights.
"Come in for a carriage?" somepony asked Thorax. The changeling turned to see a stallion approaching him. The overall demeanor of the stallion perplexed Thorax a bit. He wore a bright and large smile, but his emotions were nothing happy. If he didn't know any better, Thorax could swear he was exuding self loathing.
"Um, no," Thorax replied, "but maybe you can help me. I'm visiting from out of town and I wanted to see the factory. Could you tell me where it is, please?"
The stallion continued to smile politely. "Sure. Just go down the street a few blocks, and then turn left and go for the next twenty blocks or so and turn down Red Wing Avenue. The factory is at the end and you can't miss it. Big building with the large bow tie on the side."
"Thank you" Thorax said politely as he left. In truth, he was more than glad to. Even though he was sure the stallion hadn't meant to, his demeanor had given Thorax the willies.
Thorax followed the directions, going down the street about three blocks before turning left. The twenty blocks was quite a distance, and Thorax knew he would be tired by the time he got to the factory. Before he got too far, something caught Thorax's eye.
There was a carriage parked on the street. It was painted bright yellow and had a black and white checkerboard stripe going along the side. A small box on the top had a sign that read "OFF DUTY", and standing beside it was a stallion who appeared to be eating a bagel for his breakfast. Thorax decided to approach, which the stallion noticed.
"I'll be on duty in a moment" he told Thorax, tossing the remainder of his bagel into his muzzle.
"It's no hurry" Thorax responded. "You're a taxi service, right?"
"Yup" the stallion replied as he moved to change the sign to “ON DUTY”, then slip into a yoke attached to the front of the carriage. "I take it you want a ride?" he asked Thorax.
"Can you take me to the Cheval factory on Red Wing Avenue?" Thorax asked him.
"No problem" the stallion replied. "Hop in."
"Thank you" Thorax said to the stallion as he hopped into the back. The seat was fairly comfortable, though not as much so as the train seat had been. In fact, the cushion itself looked fairly flat, probably due to the number of ponies who had been sitting on it. Once Thorax was comfortable, the stallion then began trotting down the street.
"I'm guessing you're one of the Crystal Ponies?" the stallion said to Thorax, apparently starting up a conversation.
"Uh, yeah" Thorax told him. it was a true statement; since he was a citizen of the empire, he was recognized officially as a crystal pony. At least, that's how he saw it.
"Don't see too many of your kind down here" the stallion admitted, "You're the first tourist I've seen in a few moons."
"Really?" Thorax said with a bit of surprise. "I would've thought there'd be more tourists from the empire here since it returned."
"Nope" the stallion said in response. "Didn't see our first one for about six months after it returned. Polite mare, too. She came down hoping to find some descendants of some old relatives. Never found out if she tracked any down."
"I might have to ask about her" Thorax thought. "You don't remember her name by chance, do you?"
"Can't say that I do" the stallion replies. "I only met her the once."
Thorax deflated a little at that, but let the thought go. He was sure that, even with the offer to help, the mare would probably want to complete the task on her own and would see his offer as an intrusion.
The stallion took a turn to the right, leading Thorax to believe they were now on Red Wing Avenue. Looking past the stallion, Thorax could see several large buildings, with some having smoke coming out of large chimneys affixed to the roof. Training his attention to the end of the road, Thorax's eyes go wide.
At the end of the street was a large building. It wasn't tallest building in the city, but it was as wide as at least six city blocks going longways. It was made from concrete and steel, and on the side of the building was the same large bow tie logo featured on the window of the carriage dealer.
The taxi pony trotted into a roundabout and came to a stop and slipped out of the yoke. "Here we are" he told Thorax. "Your total is fifty eight bits."
Thorax got out and reached into his saddlebags to retrieve his bit pouch. Going into it, he retrieved the requested amount of bits, plus another twelve bits to serve as a tip and hoofed it over to the stallion. "Thank you" he told the stallion.
"My pleasure" the stallion replied as he placed the payment into a metal box and the tip into his own bit bag. He then retrieved a card from the bit bag and gave it to Thorax.
"This is a contact card for the taxi service" he explained. "There should be a phone inside you can use to get yourself a taxi back your hotel or inn. Just put a bit into the phone and punch the number into the dial pad. It'll connect you to the service and you can request a ride. Just tell them you're at the Cheval Factory and then where you want to go."
Thorax gave a nod in understanding. Fortunately, he remembered the address for the inn he was staying at.
The stallion gave one last wave and trotted back up the street. Thorax watches him until he gets to the turn the took and head back towards the main part of the city. Turning towards the factory, he gives the building one more good look before approaching a set of doors marked "Visitor's Entrance".
I used to work in retail, so I would have to imagine that if a changeling drone wound up in a store, meeting a retail drone would probably mess with their head and creep them out a little, hence Thorax's reaction to the sales pony.
So, a few things...
Detrot is based on Detroit, Michigan in the United States (obviously). So, with that in mind, I elected to pay some homage to the place known as "the motor city" and have something in reference to the automobiles made there. So, Detrot is known for making carriages.
Cheval, again rather obviously, is a reference to Chevrolet, a well known American car manufacturer.
In the next chapter, Thorax will get to take a tour of the Cheval factory and get to see a carriage made. And speaking of the Cheval factory...
TA-DA! Thorax's first photo on his tour of Equestria! And right outside the Cheval factory itself!
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pft, nice pun. So are they the equivalent to the Ford back in the 30s-40s?
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They're as good as any quality car you can think of, and thank you
Well, you have more faith than most guests at a hotel then, Thorax--I work as a housekeeper myself, and let me tell you, most guests have very little faith that housekeepers won't go snooping around their stuff when they're in cleaning, faith that seems to decrease further still the "lower-class" the hotel is. Apparently there's been enough nefarious housekeepers in the world who have actually done just that to create a stereotype...which is a bit unfair on me and my coworkers because not only do I know none of us do that, we're also explicitly instructed to not to by our employers, on threat of getting fired if we're ever caught doing so.
Hopefully Hawkeye doesn't interpret him touring a carriage factory as an attempt at industrial espionage. An idea that realistically should be foolish (why would changelings be interested in stealing trade secrets from a carriage factory?) but it's already been demonstrated that the anti-changeling bias typically doesn't stop to think things through logically very well.
And of course, being grumpy is also still standard operating procedure for griffons at this point in time, so there's that to consider too.
Hope the tour goes okay for Thorax!
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I'll just say the tour will be interesting
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Ooh
Oh I really hope Thorax doesn't end up getting robbed or he looses his identification papers. Let our favorite buggo be happy!
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Why does that give me a bad feeling?
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might not happen but who to say some Cops would be conventionally waiting for the tour group when they get out and they casually choose just Thorax out of the group, making the group think they're racist to crystal ponies lol. I do would like to see these idiots make an asbolute fools of themselves by making it look like they're prejudice to crystal ponies and they can't tell the public Thorax's a changeling as its literal trade secret. I mean they could, but that would mean treason lol
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The royal guard won't do anything worse than bark at Thorax. That is a definite.