Three Mares, Brain Injury, And A Dream

by Nyronus

Chapter 2 - "—when we find the devil in the details—"

The rest of the train ride had gone by in companionable silence, and soon enough – was it just Chrysalis, or was Equestria surprisingly compact? – they were in Dodge Junction, though it was getting late in the afternoon. At some point, Chrysalis's increasingly-manic mind had really embraced this 'be your best Applejack' idea, and now she was determined to make the negotiations with Cherry Jubilee a success.

Why not? She had nothing better to do! And the idea of ponies asking her to replace Applejack full-time filled her with vindictive glee.

And somehow, that didn't get her bonked! Bonus!

So in the spirit of being the best Applejack, Chrysalis struck up a conversation with Diamond as they disembarked.

“Now remember, sugarcube, the key to a good negotiation is information. Y'gotta know what the other pony wants!”

“Really?” Diamond cocked her head. “My dad says the key to a good negotiation is leverage. Having something they need.”

Chrysalis tutted. “But y'gotta know what they need, first! And everypony's got secrets – some they even keep from themselves. Ponies might not even know what they want before you point it out to'em! Once you have that you’ll be able to—hrrrrrr—get a good deeeeal. That's the secret to good business.”

Getting bonked mid-sentence wasn’t great, but at least it kept her from saying something unfortunate.

“So, I just need to figure out a way to learn what she wants...” Diamond Tiara’s expression narrowed in contemplation.

Chrysalis struggled not to slur her words, and they came out without any of Applejack's accent.

“Start with the basics! Look around, ask the locals. Or do research! Look into her history! Once you know a pony's core motivations, you can expand that out to how they go about filling those needs.” Chrysalis, acting as best Applejack, smirrked. “Like if a pony wants to, say, make her dad happy and prove herself, you can predict what she'll do and what she wants based on that, see?”

Diamond Tiara blinked in surprise, and smirked right back, “I see what you're saying. So with Cherry, I just need to figure out what she wants out of her business in general, and then I can figure out a way we can work together?”

Chrysalis nodded. Good! Smart foal, that was refreshing. Most ponies were idiots—but, but! This one was sharp! Years of teaching nymphs in the hive had made her very appreciative of a good student.

They were rare.

Chrysalis paused, waiting for a bonk, and when it blessedly never came she continued trotting along. She knew she had let the accent slip a few times, but Diamond seemed content to ignore it, so did it matter? Maybe Applejack was better without it! Be your best Applejack! She hazarded going even further.

“Bear in mind, this can go both ways. Once she knows why you're here, she could try to use your desire to impress your father as leverage herself! Don't be afraid to walk away! Your father would be just as impressed with that sort of hardball approach as a successful deal. Always negotiate from a position of power – if you can't walk away from a deal, then you don't have room to negotiate.”

Diamond Tiara looked ahead and her expression settled into one of determination.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already learned not to let anypony push me around.”

Such steel! Of course, Chrysalis was leaving out that all of this was also the secret to a good kidnapping scheme, but Chrysalis wasn't going to tell Diamond that. Not now, anyway. Perhaps later? This foal did seem to have the potential to be an excellent villain—

BONK!

Hah! Bonk her all you want, harmony hammer, but Chrysalis was good at this! Or at least she certainly believed so. Primed with her masterful (in her mind) advice, her protege confidently strode beside her as they made their way to Cherry's ranch.

The mare in question was speaking with a bulky blue earth pony stallion with a grey mane. Chrysalis and Diamond waited a respectful distance away for them to conclude their conversation, but Chrysalis subtly used a bit of magic to make her ears just a tiiiiny bit bigger, more sensitive, and eavesdropped.

Information was power, after all.

“Aw, shucks, little lady, no thanks are necessary. I was just doin’ what any decent pony woulda done for their friends – and I consider everypony out here in Dodge Junction my friend, ahuhuh,” said the stallion, instantly and violently getting on Chrysalis’s nerves.

“Oh, no, mister Gladmane!” Cherry replied. “If it hadn’t been for you, my ranch would be out of business, and all of Dodge would be in ruins! You have to let me pay you back proper. Come ‘round tomorrow, and we can work out that partnership we talked about.”

“Well, if you insist, I’d be happy to, thank you, thank you very much. Now, I’d best be off to city hall – they wanna give me a medal, can you believe that? Me! Ahuhuh.”

With that, the stallion turned to leave, and Chrysalis was left twitching in sheer distaste for his very existence.

The way he studied Cherry’s every move when he thought she wasn’t looking. The anticipation and annoyance he hid under a quick smile. The way his eyes lit up with hunger when she said the word ‘partnership.’ Who was this conniving snake of a pony? Chrysalis might not been a fan of – hurk! – friendship, but even she knew it just did not work that way! That disgusting saccharine oh-so-friendly secretly-backbiting attitude! He was like everything she hated about ponies rolled together!

In fact, why not direct all of her vengeance towards ponies towards this one in particular? She would make him suffer! She would utterly humiliate him! Expose his fraud for all to see! Make him rue the day he was born!

... No bonk? Oh, did this mean she was allowed to smite this pony?! She couldn’t pass up a chance like that! Maybe this meant the powers of harmony hated his guts, too? Made sense; Chrysalis could recognize those tricks of his, he was clearly up to no good. In fact, he reminded her of...

No, no, clearly he was so odious it was obvious to everyone, with even the power of harmony being unable to fault her desire to smite him into a crater. There were no troubling connections to consider! Everything is clear and unambiguous here just—curses and spite from the powers below! Cherry had turned her way and was walking up to her and Diamond.

Nothing to worry about! Chrysalis was positive her impeccable acting talents were up to the task. Besides, for some reason, Cherry seemed distracted and on the verge of laughter, and kept glancing up at her ears. A distracted mark is an easy mark!

“Well howdy, Cherry!” Chrysalis led strong. ‘Howdy’ was a surefire way to sound like Applejack!

“H-heh, er, hah, um, howdy, ‘Applejack,’ “ Cherry replied, clearly deeply distracted by something very funny. Something about how she’d said ‘Applejack’ bothered Chrysalis – there was an odd amount of emphasis on it – but, no problems. Gladmane must have told her a great joke shortly before she listened in, Chrysalis deduced.

“So what brings you back around these parts? Especially this close to Hearth's Warming?” Cherry regained her composure. Her eyebrows waggled. “Didn’t place second in another competition, did ya?”

Chrysalis cast her mind through her opposition research. Second place? Applejack? Really? It took her a moment to try to figure out what Cherry could possibly mean, but she vaguely remembered something and seized upon it, and made sure to lay the accent on extra-thick.

“Ah, well, y’know, losin’ the Iron Pony thang ‘gainst Dash – I might fancy myself a mighty strong pony, if’n I do say so, but she’s somethin’ else, aheh... but nah, I came here for this little lady here, she was hopin’ to do business with you” Chrysalis gestured at Diamond.

Cherry raised an eyebrow and smirked, but shrugged. Yes! Score one for opposition research! It really was a good thing Chrysalis was so thoroughly prepared, or else she’d have definitely blown her cover there. Instead, Cherry seemed charmed by what she’d said – she was even on the verge of laughing, which was always a good sign! She was straining so hard to hold it in she couldn’t even look Chrysalis in the eye, and had taken to staring just above her head.

Chrysalis could appreciate someone trying so hard to keep a serious demeanor for business.

“So, this here’s Diamond Tiara,” Chrysalis relieved the pressure on Cherry by moving along without her, gesturing at Diamond, “She’s a friend o’ the family, and her father runs Barnyard Bargains. They’ve been real good to us Apples, so y’mind givin' her a minute’o’your time?”

Chrysalis noticed that Diamond was blushing profusely and glancing between them, eyes low. Aww, was she embarrassed? Still, now that she was being addressed, she seemed to firm up and meet put her head high and back, presenting a strong front for Cherry. Chrysalis privately wished even half of her changeling soldiers had some of that poise.

Invasions are not the time to fly around gawking and smiling like a dopey idiot at the pretty buildings, moron! She shouldn’t have to say this!

Huh, no bonk. Even the powers of harmony had to agree her soldiers were morons. She wasn’t sure what to think of that.

“Oh?” Cherry seemed surprised, and gave Chrysalis an appraising look, her eyes slowly tracking across every inch of her, top to bottom, lips pursed. Which was clearly because she was turning over the business proposition in her head, Chrysalis decided. Cherry looked over at Diamond. “And is that so, little lady?”

“It is,” Diamond replied, before launching into a clearly-prepared pitch: “Barnyard Bargains now has outlet partners in Canterlot, Manehattan, and the Crystal Empire, and we’re prepared to offer a substantial discount on transportation for your produce! With our exclusive distribution network, you could save up to twenty percent or more on your overhead!”

“Twenty percent?” Cherry replied with a start. “My oh my, that is a temptin’ offer, but I can’t agree to anythin’ when I’m so close to having a new partner. But I’m sure Gladmane would love to hear about all this! He’ll be around tomorrow if you wanna talk then.”

Chrysalis praised herself for only twitching at hearing that pony’s name again.

“That’s fine!” Diamond chirped up. “I expected it might be too late to negotiate today, so I already got permission to stay in town tonight. There’s a hotel here, right?”

“Oh nonsense, honey, you can stay at the ranch,” Cherry said, before fixing Chrysalis with a half-lidded look. Was she sleepy?

“You can, too, of course, darlin’. Never a bad thing, havin’ a big, strong pony like you around, after all.”

What an odd thing for her to mention. Oh well, free room and board! And look, Diamond Tiara was blushing furiously and studying the ground! What a humble little pony. Chrysalis was hardly going to look this gift horse in the—actually, why was Cherry licking her lips?

“R-right,” Chrysalis squeaked, and the three made their way inside. On the way, Chrysalis realized she’d forgotten to set her ears back to the proper size, and did so discreetly.

Good thing nopony had noticed! If they had, she’d have had to destroy everything—

BONK!

Comments

[Eroraf86]

I'm always down for a little villainous righteous smiting. Especially if Gladmane's involved. F that guy.