Guest Chapter: Manehatten Crisis I
The Manehatten Crisis: Part I
by guest writer Ponibius
Ephor Swift Blade is one of the more controversial ponies of the Lunar Rebellion. Historians have disagreed vehemently over the ephor’s role in the war, with opinions ranging from him being a manipulative warmonger, tribalist, and secret Lunar cultist to a staunch patriot of Pegasopolis and capable administrator. Soon after the war, Swift Blade was typically either vilified by loyalists or at the very least dismissed by the Lunars. His role as the ephor in charge of Pegaspolis’ logistics won him little love by the glory-driven pegasi. As the paterfamilias of a minor clan, likely he was only able to become an ephor by being extremely proficient at seeing to his nation’s various needs that did not relate to the battlefield. His role within the Ephorate and lack of combat prowess resulted in him being mocked as the worst warrior of Pegasopolis by his peers.
In many ways, he became a convenient scapegoat for many of the miseries of the war to historians and in popular memory. This was in no small part due to some of his actions during the war, and also to Sunbeam Sparkle’s efforts to make sure he was cast as a villain in the official histories penned afterwards. The reasons for Sunbeam’s own hostility to Swift will become readily apparent in Shadow’s own memoirs, and the fact he wasn’t one of the more prestigious and beloved battlefield commanders of the war resulted in him being the odd ephor out to the rebels.
There is also the fact that Swift Blade serving as a scapegoat for the various woes of the war helped with postwar reconciliation. It made it much easier for two formerly hostile groups to work together when they can blame a third party that neither of them liked for their past troubles.
It was only centuries later that Swift Blade was examined by revisionist historians. As historians sought other explanations for the cause of the war—such as economics, political trends, and the forces of history—Swift’s role was often lessened or even dismissed entirely. This also lead to many seeing the ephor as patriot of his cause, an invaluable administrator to Pegasopolis, and a visionary for his time.
The document I am about to present is often one cited by both supporters and opponents of Swift Blade. We are fortunate that the ephor’s journal managed to survive the war, and it provides an invaluable look into his thoughts and views on the events around him. For the purposes of this edition of Shadow’s memoirs, we will be drawing upon an excerpt from his journal involving the Manehatten Crisis.
After Pegasopolis had suppressed the loyalists in Manehatten, Provisional Chancellor Fair Deal formed the Free Earth Pony Provisional Government to fill an otherwise unstable power vacuum. The new government then sought to manage their part of the war effort and initiate their interpretation of Apple Tree’s platform of reforms he had envisioned before his assassination. This period of the earth pony government was plagued by administrative difficulties and loyalist resistance. While the Ephorate did much to stabilize the earth pony government, both by putting down rebellions against it and giving other assistance, there was still a great deal of instability as the government tried to regain a balance in the midst of a war.
As Pegasopolis’ main representative to the provisional government, it was Swift Blade’s job to work with the earth pony rebels and to ensure the Ephors’ interests were represented. This was widely considered a punishment assignment by Acting Commander Rightly Doo due to Swift’s use of warlock aid in the defeat of Duke Polaris. While pegasi had a generally dismissive attitude to administration and non-combat and non-weather related duties, Swift’s job within the Pegasopolian hierarchy was still an objectively important one. Something readers will see as a few of his decisions had a significant impact on the Lunar Rebellion.
“The provisional government is bankrupt,” Tax Deed said.
The Minister of Finance’s statement caused me to stop and consider the implications. “Broke?” I had been called to Tax Deed’s office to discuss the supplies Pegasopolis needed to wage the war. It had started less than optimistically.
Tax Deed leaned against the back of his well-worn chair. Most of the furniture looked old and used, and there did not seem to be enough of it to properly furnish the room. I supposed the Minister had not had time to buy new furniture after his recent promotion. “I mean we are out of money. There are no more bits in the coffer; the budget has been stretched to the breaking point, we are in the red, the—”
I held up a hoof to forestall him. “I understood what thou meant. What I wish to know is why, and how that will affect the war.”
“Both of those questions are complicated.” Tax stood up and walked over to a nearby cabinet. Looking at the beige-coated pony, I could readily tell from his slim frame that he was unaccustomed to the hard farm work that was the daily toil of most of his kind. He also spoke with a calm, cultured tone common to the earth ponies of Manehatten rather than the twang more readily associated with his country kin. The black vest he wore only affirmed my impression of him as one of the bureaucrats central to the government of the earth ponies. Admittedly, I liked the sense of steady competence and professionalism he gave off. It reminded me a bit of myself, though I was a warrior of Pegasopolis and he a mere earth pony bureaucrat. “So if you will allow it, let us start with the why and then work to what that means for us.”
“Seems reasonable,” I said while Tax pulled out a couple of mugs and a bottle of apple cider. “I am curious how the earth ponies have found themselves in such a predicament. I was under the impression that your finances were sound.” I might not like the Sun Tyrant, but even I had to admit that she has been wise enough to ensure the earth ponies always had a balanced budget. From what I had read, it was always tempting for material-minded governments to borrow now and worry about the consequences later.
“To put it simply, we did not plan for a war such as the one we have found ourselves in.” He motioned with the bottle of cider, inquiring as to whether I wished to join him in imbibing. I nodded, and he started pouring.
“The war did catch us all unaware,” I allowed. If somepony a year ago had told me we would be fighting a war to remove Queen Celestia from her throne, I would have called them a fool. ‘Twould seem the course of history drags us in unexpected directions, and I had not considered just how little she cared about the pegasi as our Commander or how much she had come to favor the unicorns over the other breeds. Still, the war had offered Pegasopolis a number of opportunities which I planned to seize upon. “Though I am curious as to why the earth ponies do not have the bits for this war when they have been able to provide for other wars.”
Tax Deed finished pouring the drinks and placed a mug in front of me. “The war has disrupted our ability to collect taxes; ponies loyal to Queen Celestia have refused to pay taxes to what they see as an illegal government. Further, there are instances when Solar militias have either driven off tax collectors, seized the funds they gathered from law-abiding citizens, or killed the collectors outright.”
“I see.” That made sense, given that the earth ponies had been fighting one another since Apple Tree’s assassination. While most of the conflicts amounted to little more than skirmishes between bands of militia, the battles had been violent from the reports I had received. It had been a surprise to me and had made Pegasopolis’s intervention to end the bloodshed all the more important. Who knows how many earth ponies might have died in Manehatten alone if the Ephorate had not moved into the city? The city itself might have been burned down in the chaos.
Of course, the violence likely never would have happened in the first place if not for the Sun Tyrant’s neglect of Equestria as a whole. If not for that, then she likely would not have been seriously challenged in the election to start with. That had lead to Celestia—or at the very least, her supporters—cheating and turning the ballot boxes into a mockery. I could not say who had falsified the vote on her behalf, but it was largely irrelevant in either event. Even if she did not directly partake in cheating, she had likely encouraged her supporters in one manner or another to do so in order to let her maintain her power.
But the causes of the war mattered little at this point. There was a war to fight and win, and we needed the earth ponies’ money to fight it. “At least Commander Rightly’s campaign should help thee with tax collection,” I stated plainly. “From the reports I have read, most of the earth ponies still loyal to Celestia have been suppressed now that Duke Polaris’ army has been defeated, and moreso with the liberation of Fillydelphia. Not to mention that Commander Rightly has given me some units with which to deal with any flareups which might occur.” My own daughter, Skilled Blade, was patrolling the region around Manehatten to keep the peace.
In all honesty, there had been a few minor incidents since Rightly had moved on to Canterlot, but none had been overly serious as of late. No group of earth pony militia—a loosely used term, as they oft consisted of nothing more than farmers and shopkeepers—could hope to stand up against Pegasopolis’ warriors. Really, we had experienced more trouble with skirmishes flaring up again long after our soldiers had left an area, only to immediately die down upon word that we were coming to a settlement. It had been slightly irritating. Still, the problem manageable.
Tax took a sip from his mug. “We are of course thankful for your help to the provisional government. Shame that it only alleviates the problem, rather than solving it. Funding a war like this is very expensive. This is not like your little war with the gryphon reivers which was easy enough for us to manage with the resources we give you normally. This is a real, all-out war we are looking at.”
“You have managed in the past.” I sipped at my own mug and found the hard cider to be enjoyable, if significantly stronger than I was used to. Some years ago, the other ephors had agreed for me to take over the distillation of Pegasopolis’ alcoholic beverages—both so that the strength of the drinks could be made manageable and the amount each pegasus received kept them from indulging too strongly. Standardization and concentration of production also helped reduce the odd number of explosions that occasionally happened when pegasi operated their own distilleries.
Of course, Lyequinegus’ philosophies frowned upon drinking alcohol in general, considering it could lead to inebriation. Then again, Lyequinegus disapproved of many things such as putting spices on one’s food or having sex for anything but procreation. (1) Still, it was not that difficult an argument to my fellow ephors for me to control everypony’s alcohol rations in such a direct manner.
1. While Lyequinegus did warn of ‘excessively indulging in the pleasures of the flesh,’ it was rare in his actual laws to forbid such things. After all, the founder of Pegasopolis was a firm believer in self-discipline, not having the state lead a moral crusade. Many of the restrictions cited by Swift were later additions by Lyequinian philosophers.
Thus, I was not accustomed to the strength of the earth pony drink, and made sure to nurse my mug to prevent overindulgence. “The war to end the gryphon raiding of our northern frontier took thirty years, and this theater is of a similar scale.”
“And the conflict with the gryphons took nearly twice as long to pay off,” Tax said sternly, putting his mug down. “Which brings me to the biggest reason we are broke: unlike in previous wars, we cannot borrow money.”
That caused me to quirk an eyebrow. “And why not?”
The belabored administrator ran a hoof through his combed-back mane, sending a few dark green strands. “Because the two main sources we normally borrow money from are either unwilling or unable to loan us money. We would ordinarily ask Unicornia for a loan, either in the event of a war or some unforeseen disaster like a particularly bad harvest season. In truth, Unicornia possesses most of the hard cash in Equestria. Much wealth is created by their craftponies, businessponies, and merchants while most of the earth ponies’ wealth is tied up in land. While we do have our own merchants, they tend to favor bartering instead of using coin or credit.” He shrugged. “It is more sensible when most earth ponies are farmers by trade.”
“I do see where this would lead to a problem for us,” I conceded.
A smile crept into his features, but with a hint of sadness in it. “And oddly enough, Queen Celestia does not seem willing to give us a loan to remove her from her throne.”
I could not help but snort a little at the quip. “Aye, I will make sure to talk to her about her lack of generosity after she surrenders to Commander Rightly. Given she talks so much of it as a virtue, one would think she would know better.” I leaned back, the concerns of our discussion starting to weigh upon me again. “But in all seriousness, who else do the earth ponies borrow money from?”
The smile disappeared from his face as the levity was immediately crushed under the weight of duty. “We would also be borrowing from the banks at a time such as this. Unfortunately, due to recent changes in the laws, there are currently no operating banks amongst the earth ponies.”
“And why is that? The provisional government did not choose to close all the banks, did they?” While I knew logistics very well, I admit that some of the more complicated concepts involving money, borrowing, and finances escaped me. I could probably learn how all of it worked if I put the effort forward, but I had little need to as an ephor. My main duties were to determine what Pegasopolis needed to do its duties, not labor over the details on exactly how Unicornia and the earth ponies provided.
Tax Deed shook his head. “Neigh, ‘twas other factors that resulted in the closing of the banks. Namely, two of the decisions made by Provisional Chancellor Fair Deal and his supporters.” He took a quick drink of his cider before continuing. “First, the Chancellor passed a law that forgave all debt amongst the earth ponies.”
Realization dawned upon me. “Ah, I see. When that law was passed, many ponies would have lost a great deal of money. Especially the banks.” My agents in Manehatten had told me that the Provisional Chancellor was a self-described champion of his fellow earth ponies, even if he was of magnate stock, and had been a staunch supporter of Apple Tree during his meteoric rise. Many earth ponies had been hopelessly in debt, either to the banks or their local magnates. ‘Twas not hard to imagine that Fair Deal had been made the Provisional Chancellor by promising to forgive everypony’s debt. Shame that had consequences for continuing the war.
“Indeed.” Tax nodded. “That resulted in the closure of several banks due to their newfound inability to collect the funds needed to continue operating.”
I sipped from my drink, thinking the problem over. “And the second reason for why there are no more banks?”
Tax rubbed his eyes, and I could feel the weariness resonating from him. “The final straw came when the provisional government decided to—against my sincerest recommendations—seize all the cash belonging to the accounts of the magnates or ponies of wealth.”
He let out a harsh chuckle, and I found myself feeling sympathy for the beleaguered bureaucrat. From his tone, I guessed that he had argued fiercely with his superiors. “Even before the bill passed beyond the committee, there was a run on the banks. It was a complete panic. Everypony thought they were going to lose their savings, not just the rich. By the time the ink dried on the law there wasn’t a single bank still open.” He tipped his mug back and emptied its contents. “And now there is nopony from whom we can easily borrow the money we need for this war. Hay, we will be lucky to keep the government’s doors open at this rate.”
“Troubling.” I rubbed my chin. “How will this affect the earth pony government’s ability to support Pegasopolis against the Sun Tyrant? I shall be honest with thee, Tax Deed. Acting Commander Rightly Doo stationed me in Manehatten to make sure his army will receive the steady stream of supplies and support it needs to conduct a siege of Canterlot, and it sounds as though the earth ponies will not be able to do their duty for Equestria.”
In truth, Rightly had effectively exiled me to Manehatten—unjustly, in my opinion—for accepting the help of warlocks. Warlocks, I might add, whose aid allowed us to achieve a decisive victory over the Solars. In truth, Rightly’s punishment was a slap on the hoof. Likely I would have been stationed or requested to go to the city to perform the very task to which I now dedicated my efforts. The problem was that I had been publicly humiliated by Rightly; even if I would not be on the front most of the time in order to manage the army’s logistics, I had been completely denied any of the glory of battle as would normally be my right as an rphor. I should have been with the army on its final march on Canterlot and for the siege itself, but ‘twas not to be so. Still, Tax Deed did not need to know any of any of the internal conflicts amongst the Ephorate or my own woes. Pegasopolis must maintain the appearance of unity and strength.
Tax spread his forelegs in a neutral shrug. “My word on it, I do not like being the bearer of foul tidings, but the facts are what they are. Without any money, we cannot purchase the food and other supplies you need no matter how much they might be needed.”
That made the blood in my veins run cold. “Thou art telling me we have no supplies beyond what we already possess?”
He spoke with a firm finality. “Aye, though it brings me no pleasure to say so.” He leaned forward against his desk to look at me seriously. “Did the army bring enough supplies with it to finish the siege?”
“That depends.” I drank from my mug, reviewing the hard numbers of the supplies Rightly had in his baggage train before he left Manehatten. “The army brought enough food and other necessities to last about a month and a half. The war might be over quickly, but if the siege drags on...”
“Could it?” Tax asked, and I detected a mixture of hope and worry in his tone.
“Possibly; nothing is certain in war. There are very good reasons why Commander Rightly ensured the security of his supply line rather than dash straight to Canterlot.” I put the mug down after realizing it was empty. Had my discipline wavered so? I would just have to hope that a single mug of the hard cider would not debilitate my ability to think. “It does not matter either way. I will see to it that Pegasopolis receives the supplies it needs one way or another, Minister.”
“Then I am afraid there is not much I can do.” He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his head. “I can only work with the cash I have available, which is not enough to keep your army supplied. I have considered some ways we might be able to draw additional funds, but I do not have the authority to change policy without the Chancellor’s permission. And in truth, I do not have much influence with the Provisional Chancellor.” He let out a tired grunt. “Truthfully, I think the only reason they even made me the Minister of Finances was because nopony in Fair Deal’s inner circle had much clue how to do this job. A small surprise, given what they did with our finances.” (2)
2. It should be noted that according to the records, a little less than half Provisional Chancellor Fair Deal’s cabinet was even literate. Due to Apple Tree’s campaign being built off a populist movement, many of his most popular and influential supports were drawn from the less affluent (and by extension, less literate) members of earth pony society.
“Then my course is clear.” I stood up from my chair. “I will simply have to take this directly to the Provisional Chancellor himself.”
The minister frowned with consternation. “Right now? But he is in a meeting, and probably will be further engaged for the rest of the day.”
“He will see me,” I assured Tax. Waving for him to stand, I opened his office door. “Come; likely thou shalt have something important to say for this discussion too.” It struck me as prudent to bring along the pony responsible for the coffers with me to discuss a financial matter. Likely I would require the presence of at least one earth pony who seemed to know their job. Competence can often be a preciously rare thing.
He stood, glancing about as though unsure of himself. “If you insist...”
I nudged him along. “I do. For as thou wilt see, Minister, I shall not take no for an answer.”
“So what is your plan, Father?” my son asked of me. Quick Blade was a small stallion, shorter and slimmer than myself, even though I was far from a robust stallion. It always made him seem small in his blue armor no matter how it was fitted for him. At least his light-blue coat and purple mane complimented the colors of the Blade Clan; his messy tumble of a mane did little to bring him any dignity, even by the standards of the wind-swept manes most pegasi suffered as a result of flight.
“I am hoping that I can talk some sense into the Chancellor.” I continued along the hallways of the Chancellor’s Mansion. It was a beehive of activity as important-looking ponies and secretaries rushed about their business. The war had seemed to do little to change the feeling of the manor. Politics marched on, no matter the circumstances. At least most of the ponies in the hallways made way for us as we walked. The berth granted to us was likely helped in that in addition to myself, my son, and the minister of finances, two of my clan’s bondponies also accompanied me. Four heavily armed and armored ponies had a certain effect on our groundbound cousins. “If we are fortunate, then he will see reason and do what needs to be done to support our armies to win this war.”
Quick gave me that impenetrable look through half-lidded eyes which I knew hid a sharp mind. “If you say so.”
“Thou hast thy doubts, Quick?” I had known my adopted son long enough to know when something was troubling him. “What is on thy mind? Hast thou discovered something about the Chancellor?” In addition to his duties of helping me organize the supplies coming out of Manehatten, I had tasked him with gathering information in the city and beyond. He had shown more than a little talent at such things, and it was best to know what everypony was up to, especially one’s allies.
“I have.” He took a moment to consider his words. “I shall try to stick with the facts, but Fair Deal does not strike me as the type to be easily swayed from his course.”
Tax Deed nodded in agreement. “That has been my impression also. Getting in his way on an issue makes you feel like you have found yourself in front of a stampede.”
“Good to know.” I weaved around a couple of secretaries who seemed more concerned with their own conversation rather than how they were blocking the hallway for ponies trying to walk through it. “Please, go on. I desire details.”
My son continued in the slow and deliberate speech that was his manner, especially when giving a report. “He was born to a family of magnates near Fillydelphia, and was sent to school in the city to become a lawyer. At some point he gained an interest in politics—namely with furthering the cause of the common earth pony, as he would probably put it.” Quick rounded his way around a couple bureaucrats before resuming. “He ended up affiliating with several more radical politicians, and he was subsequently disowned by his family and denied any inheritance when his parents passed away. Since then, he has gained fame for taking on a number of court cases which were intended to help poorer ponies, and with his repuation as a stallion who foguht for the common pony, attained office a few times.” My son paused to think for a moment. “He supported Apple Tree during the election, and after the assassination he was chosen by Apple Tree’s followers to become the Provisional Chancellor.”
I mulled over that for a few seconds as we approached the Chancellor’s office and stopped short of the doors and turned to face Quick and Tax. “I believe I am forming a picture of the stallion. What canst thou tell me of his policies?”
“As you have likely already guessed, Father, he is working to pass several laws that he believes will help the common earth pony.” Quick bumped into a secretary, and never being a stallion of particularly firm hoofing, stumbled and nearly fell before regaining his balance. “Besides the financial policies you are already familiar with, he has also sought to reorganize the bureaucracy, set spending limits for political campaigns, and has sought to remove the rights of the magnates.”
I tapped my hoof as I mentally catalogued the Chancellor. At least some of that sounded like a worthy cause, though I had to wonder how those measures were implemented. “Is this so, Tax?”
Tax nodded. “It is, though it has caused no small trouble for me and my colleagues.” He glanced about at the other ponies gathered in the hallway before leaning in to speak softly to us. “Between so many ponies resigning for one reason or another, others being fired over incompetence or politics, and reshuffling between the departments, we have been hard-pressed to keep the government running.”
“Aye, I am aware of some of the problems.” The late unpleasantness had caused chaos in the earth pony capital, with many of Queen Celestia’s supporters fleeing to places such as Fillydelphia. “I hope the assistance of some of my fellow clanponies has helped to fill the gaps within thy bureacracy?” I took some pride in the ponies of my clan being able to do so. Determining that my clan would benefit from becoming literate, I had made no small efforts to teach many of my ponies how to read and write—especially the young, whose minds are ever so ready to learn new things. After the chaos following Apple Tree’s death, the earth pony government had been in short supply of capable ponies to run it. My efforts with my clan had put the Blades in a situation where they could help plug the gap, which was doubly fortunate now that my son had agents at all levels of the earth pony government feeding us information.
It was worth considering that at least some of my kin were unhappy shuffling papers instead of being out at the front, but we all had our own duties to bear in war.
“Your pegasi have been most helpful.” Tax sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Even if training them to do the jobs is a task in and of itself.”
Quick stepped to the side to allow a pony past him. “It is worth mentioning that the Chancellor has made enemies of many of the magnates with his policies.”
I looked to Tax Deed. “Could that cause us problems?”
Tax rubbed his chin. “Depends on if we ever plan on asking the magnates for any favors. Which ... is likely, at some point. The magnates do much in their towns, and have a lot of influence with the ponies around them. Having them oppose the new government is going to cost us sooner or later.”
“I may need to bring the topic up with Fair Deal while we are at it.” I admit that I had little love for those that focused their lives on gaining as much wealth as they could, but the middle of a war was the not time to create more enemies than one had to. “But enough delay. Let us meet with him and see what can be done over this crisis involving the budget.”
I stepped up to the door and was stopped when the secretary sitting by the door harshly cleared her throat. “I am sorry, milord,” the mare apologized with all the sincerity of a gryphon reiver descending ‘pon a helpless village. “But the Chancellor is in a meeting with his cabinet right now.”
“And how long will the meeting last?” I asked.
The secretary went through the motions of looking at a sheet of paper which likely contained the Provisional Chancellor’s schedule. “He will be in meetings for the rest of the day. Would you like for me to make a note that you wished to speak with him...?”
“Ephor Swift Blade.” I gave her a toothy grin. “And I do not believe I will be waiting. I have important business with Chancellor Fair Deal.” I was not going to let some uppity bureaucrat stand in the way of serving my nation.
“That is what everypony says.” She tapped the schedule with a pen. “Now, when would be a—”
I ignored her and opened the door, nodding to one of my bondponies. He promptly took position to block the irritating secretary, silencing her with a stern look. Staying out of the way was probably the wisest thing she could do at that moment.
Looking past the doorway, I saw that the room was dominated by a large oak table in the center. Around it were ponies wearing vests similar to the one worn by Tax Deed. They all looked to me and the sudden interruption. I imagined it was rather difficult to ignore a small hoofful of Pegasopolian soldiers suddenly barging into the room.
Before the earth ponies could gather their wits, I spoke in a loud and authoritative voice born from decades of experience at ordering ponies about. “I need to speak with Chancellor Fair Deal.” I gave everypony there a look that told them that I would not tolerate dissent. “Immediately.”
While the rest of the ponies in the room looked about in confusion, unsure what to do, the earth pony on the far side of the table from me stood up and placed his forehooves on the table. At a glance I could tell that the stallion was a pony of authority and one used to having his way. “Everypony, I believe we can pick this matter back up tomorrow. Looking at the ephor, I think he has something important to discuss with me.”
The cabinet looked between the two of us and silently agreed as a unit to stand up and shuffle out of the meeting room. The time it took for everypony to leave gave me an opportunity to take a measure of Provisional Chancellor Fair Deal. I had even met with him a few times, though never for long. I had an ever-increasing number of things that needed to be done, and no doubt Fair Deal had his own troubles forming a new government in the midst of a war.
Fair Deal was a large and imposing stallion in the later part of his middle years, with hard features and the aura of a pony who demanded attention. His dark brown coat and orange and red mane reminded me of the colors of autumn. As seemed to be the case with earth ponies, the more clothing one wore, the more important the pony. His light-gray suit prevented me from seeing his cutie mark. The suit seemed to be of fine quality, though it had been well worn by this point.
After all the other earth ponies had shuffled out, my bondponies closed the door to leave myself, Quick, Tax Deed, and the Chancellor alone. Fair Deal clapped his forehooves together absentmindedly. “So... What is so important that you felt the need to interrupt my meeting with my cabinet?”
“The fact that your government is having trouble supplying Pegasopolis’ army,” I stated, getting right to the point of the matter. “I have been told that your coffers are empty and there are no funds to pay for Commander Rightly’s campaign.”
“Ah, that.” The Chancellor sounded almost bored by the topic. “Do you not already have enough food to feed your ponies from what we usually give you every year?”
“Neigh.” I walked around the table to take a seat near the Chancellor while my son and Tax took their own positions on the other side of Fair Deal. “The regular shipments were disrupted by the war, and ponies need more food while on the march than in times of peace. What we received before the war is wholly insufficient for our current needs.”
Fair Deal sat at the head of the table and narrowed his eyes. “I was under the impression that Rightly took all the supplies he needed to lay siege to Canterlot.”
“Only for a short period of time,” I was quick to correct. “His siege train has enough supplies to get him to the city and begin a siege, but he will need more to see his army to victory should this become a war of attrition. That is why he took such efforts to make sure his supply lines were secure before striking for Canterlot. My Commander is in great need of food, medical supplies, tools for siegecraft, and a host of other things necessary for a successful siege.”
Fair Deal scoffed. “I hardly think the war will last much longer. Your commander has already routed the unicorns’ army, Solar resistance in earth pony territory has been crushed, and I do not think Canterlot will prove much more difficult. ‘Tis likely he already has, or soon will take the city, ending this whole unpleasant business.”
I took a moment to consider my words before speaking. He was right that we had been successful in defeating the Solars in nearly every battle fought thus far, but I could not allow him to use that fact to keep me from doing my duty. “‘Tis best not to be o’erly optimistic where war is concerned, Chancellor. Any number of things can go wrong, and so the wisest course is to prepare for the worst as best as one is able. With enough supplies to last through the summer, we can be reasonably certain of our ability to conquer Canterlot—and thus, win this war.”
“So what do you propose, ephor?” The Chancellor’s ear made an annoyed twitch. “Shall I drive my government deep into debt for supplies that might not even be needed?”
“I think some debt for a worthy cause is more than worth the cost.” One would think that would be obvious to any fool, but ‘twould seem I was not dealing with just any fool. Still, I kept tight control of the choler I felt building.
“Easy to say when you will not bear the burden of repayment. ‘Twill be the common earth pony who will have to labor for years to pay off that debt.” Fair Deal turned to Tax Deed with a disapproving glare. ‘Twas possible he was not pleased with his Finance Minister for creating a situation where one of his meetings had been disrupted. “Is there even a way to pay for the supplies Ephor Swift Blade is requesting?”
“I think so,” Tax Deed said, scratching nervously at his neck. “Considering we cannot ask the banks for loans, one option is to sell war bonds—though to generate the funds we need, we would likely have to sell many of the bonds to the magnates.” I sensed more than a hint of reluctance when Tax got to the last word of his statement. His hesitation became clear as the Chancellor fixed his Finance Minister with a withering glare, but Tax yet continued forward after swallowing. “Then mayhaps we can also accept goods in return for debt from the magnates. We could also offer tax relief to all those that give us the supplies we require.”
Fair Deal slowly stood up from his seat to look down at his Finance Minister. “So what thou art saying, Tax, is that I should go to the magnates and grovel to them?”
Tax Deed spoke slowly and carefully, as though worried that taking the wrong tone with his Chancellor could provoke him. “What I am recommending, Chancellor, is trying to cooperate with the magnates, at least the ones friendly to your government. By modifying some of your policies you could—”
“Neigh!” Fair Deal spat, silencing Tax. “I will not grovel for the magnates. Not when we finally have them on the run after so long.” He stepped over to a window that overlooked Manehatten. “I have spent my entire life fighting for the common pony. Ponies who have been toiling and suffering under their magnates for generations, losing half their crops every year to ponies who never knew a day’s hard work in their life. Always having to work for another pony instead of being allowed to reap their own harvest, on their own land.”
From what I had heard and seen of the earth ponies with my own eyes, the Chancellor was somewhat exaggerating. Though now that he had built momentum, he continued to speak, uncaring if anypony else wanted to say anything. “Now, when we finally have the advantage over them, you are asking me to throw it all away so that I can buy Rightly a few more wagons of supplies? Supplies for which earth ponies have toiled long and hard to make and shall never see the profit?” He slammed a hoof on the ground. “Neigh, I say. I am not backing up, not one step, ever.”
I sat there momentarily dumbstruck by the implications of Fair Deal’s words. From the sound of it, he held more hatred for the magnates than he ever could for the Sun Tyrant—and indeed, I wondered if the magnates were his true enemies rather than the enemy against whom we were waging war. For his part, Quick sat silently, and I could see him analysing the situation. I made a mental note to ask for his thoughts once this unpleasant matter was finished.
Before I could form a response for the Chancellor’s brand of madness, Tax Deed spoke. “What more do you plan on doing? A great many of the magnates are furious with you after all the money you have cost them. Would not a little compromise be better to keep harmony amongst us?”
“Once again, I say neigh.” Fair Deal turned back to us. “I plan on breaking the magnates once and for all while giving everypony what should have been theirs to start with. ‘Tis long past time we redistributed the land to give everypony an equal share. No more ponies owning more land than they can reap themselves; just a country of farmers all owning their own plot of land and benefiting from what they can harvest. As it should be.”
“Sir!” Tax struggled a moment as he stumbled to turn thoughts into words. “That would cause the magnates to revolt! And their supporters, all of whom would make ready bedfellows for the Solars. The whole land would be lit aflame once again after things have only just died down.”
Fair Deal spoke dismissively, making a slashing motion with his hoof. “If they revolt, then our militia and Pegasopolis will put them down. ‘Tis a fair price for equality ‘mongst the earth ponies.”
I could scarcely believe my ears. Nevermind his dereliction of duty to Pegasopolis as Equestria’s great confederacy demanded, he was willing to drag the pegasi into a civil war of his own design before we had even finished with the greater struggle against Celestia.
I took a moment to calm myself, grinding a hoof into the floor and counting to ten before I spoke in the calmest voice I could muster. “Chancellor, I can say with certainty that Commander Rightly will not support you in a civil war ‘mongst the earth ponies. Not when ‘tis so foolishly provoked while we are still at war with the Sun Tyrant. If you feel there is need for reform ‘mongst your breed, then it can wait until after Celestia has been defeated.”
“Or what, Ephor?” Fair Deal stepped over to me, trying to intimidate me with his bulk in close proximity. “You will let the magnates and Solars eat me alive? How willing do you think they will be to give you anything to fight Celestia? You may not be happy with the supplies I have given you, but ‘tis far more than you will get from those that would depose me.”
I sat there silently, conflicted with how exactly to deal with this mad earth pony who had somehow come to rule over his kin. Some part of me desired to challenge him to juris ungula and end this madness, but I had to pull back from that option. I could not do something so extreme without express permission from the Commander, even if the delay was costly. Rightly had sent me into exile for working with warlocks to win him a battle. I could not imagine he would be pleased with me slaying the Provisional Chancellor.
Fair Deal took my silence as a sign of compliance and stepped away from me, though still close enough to still be imposing. “I see you understand.” He waved dismissively in Tax’s direction. “My Minister of Finances may do what he can with the budget he has available to assist your commander, Ephor, but I will not drive my nation into debt nor kowtow to the whims of the magnates when we are so close to gaining freedom and happiness from our own little tyrants.”
He started towards the meeting room doors. “Now if you do not mind, I have more important meetings and business to attend to. If you have something of worth to bring to me, please go through my secretary first next time. I am a very busy stallion and cannot be bothered with unscheduled interruptions.”
He left the meeting room without another word, and I suddenly knew why so many ponies had felt as though they had been trampled after meeting him. I was nearly startled when Quick placed a hoof on my shoulder, leaning close to speak softly to me. “What are we to do next, Father?”
I sat there, staring at the ajar doors as Fair Deal made his way through the hallway. “First, send a letter to Commander Rightly informing him about this situation. After that ... I need some time to think.”
I watched as my youngest returned from her patrol. The platoon of soldiers with her landed on the sky fortress we had built over Manehatten. The fortress was intended to be Pegasopolis’ main base for the region around the city. ‘Twas not a particularly impressive structure, being only large enough to house a small battalion of our warriors, but it was sufficient for its purpose.
My daughter, Skilled Blade, shot towards me as a light-pink blur, only to make a sudden quick barrel roll to bring herself to a stop in front of me. She fixed me with a fierce grin, no doubt amused by her own stunt. Admittedly, my younger daughter was a skilled flier, and I saw little reason to chastise her for her aerial acrobatics. “Father.” She removed her helmet to reveal the short bright red locks of her mane. “I trust you are well?”
“Well enough, all things considered.” In truth, I was in poor spirits due to the supply problem before me. It would not do to show it in front of the common soldier, though; an ephor looking disheartened could easily crush the morale of everypony who saw him, and the collapse in morale could spread like a plague. As such, I made sure to appear calm and confident for everypony.
I leaned in to give Skilled a quick nuzzle, but I showed no more affection than that as I did not wish to embarrass her before her soldiers. Too much, in any event. “There are some important matters I wished to discuss with thee. Are thy warriors capable of attending to themselves while we talk?”
“One moment, I pray.” She turned to her platoon and issued orders to her sergeants to see to the needs of their ponies in the forms of food and rest. They immediately complied, and Skilled turned back to me. “Now, what was it you wished to talk to me about?”
I motioned with my head for her to follow me and I led us to the side of the cloud-fortress where we would not be easily overheard. “How fares our cause around Manehatten and on the road to Canterlot?”
Skilled took a moment to consider my question. “‘Tis going well, or at least we lose no ground. Most of the fighting has only consisted of small skirmishes. Any of the Solar militia that have stood ‘gainst us were swiftly routed. The real problem is how the traitors will often disperse when we approach their towns, only to reform and fight Lunar militias after we have left.”
I frowned as I looked out at the great expanse of land before me. There were hundreds of earth pony communities out there, and we only had so many warriors to cover it all. “So there is no end in sight to the fighting between our allies and those earth ponies still loyal to Celestia?”
“Neigh.” She let out a low rumble of a sigh, her normally bright mood darkening. “It has been most frustrating. The earth ponies seem content to bloody each other, no matter how futile or pointless it might be. We cannot be everywhere to completely stop the violence as Commander Rightly ordered.”
“‘Tis as I feared then.” I had hoped that the small battles being fought between the bands of militia would slowly whittle down after Rightly had crushed so many of the Solar forces and Duke Polaris’ army. True, the fighting was not nearly as bad as when the war first started, but neither had it altogether ceased. “Hast thou news about Froggy Bottom Bog?”
My daughter huffed as she kicked at a small mound of clouds. “I am afraid that the magus of the bog and his earth pony followers continue to harass our supply lines and inflict a toll ‘pon our allies. We lost at least one of our supply caravans to their raids.” (3)
3. The folk legend, Magus Mossy Bank, had been assigned by Sunbeam Sparkle to guard his home of Froggy Bottom Bog against the Lunars and to harass their forces and supply lines. A number of Loyalists had even fled to the bog when Rightly was securing the area before moving onto Canterlot itself. By the time the Lunars were attacking Canterlot, Mossy Banks had a significant force at his disposal.
It did not sit well with me that we had lost some of the precious supplies that had been gathered and sent to Rightly before the provisional government had come to utter poverty. “Was not the commander supposed to send some of the Long Patrol to deal with the bog magus?”
Skilled frowned. “He did send a platoon of the Long Patrol into the bog, but ... they were driven back out with heavy casualties. I have heard rumors that no more than half of the platoon survived to tell tales of earth pony ambushes, animal attacks, pegasi disappearing without a trace, and the very bog striking them down.”
I had to wonder what type of magics he might have been using to ward off the Long Patrol. In my readings, there had been tales of magi who had used unique and exotic forms of magic to use the land ‘gainst their enemies. Mayhaps the magus had used such a magic, or perhaps the Long Patrol had merely suffered from misfortune. ‘Twould not be the first time an expedition had been sent with a reasonable expectation for success only to fail miserably.
I waved the matter off. “We will let the Commander deal with the matter. He has more of the Long Patrol at his disposal, and what we have is stretched as is.”
“If that is your will,” Skilled said. “Though I do not like the idea of us doing nothing while our supply wagons are burned and the Long Patrol’s honor is insulted by some magus and his earth ponies lurking about in the bog.”
I placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and prompted her towards the fortress’ mess hall. “One of the things a leader must learn is the limits of what they can reasonably do, daughter. There is never enough to allow one to do everything one would wish to do—and thus, we prioritize.”
My daughter rolled her eyes, having heard this lesson more than once from me. “Aye, I know that.” Her wings twitched with irritation. “I just wish to test my mettle ‘gainst more than farmers and craftponies ere the war is over. This will likely be the greatest war of my time, and I will be missing out on its greatest battles.”
Ah. ‘Twas easy enough to see that my daughter was like most young warriors and desired to show that she was a great warrior worthy of renown. Her feelings were probably not helped by the fact that her older sister, Elegant Blade, was amongst Rightly’s hetairoi, and thus was fighting in what would likely be the most critical battles of the war. Rightly also liked to use his personal guard at the decisive moment of a battle, and thus give his hetairoi the opportunity for glory as they had against Duke Polaris.
All of that considered, I felt the need to reassure my youngest. I did not wish for her to feel jealous, or that what she was doing was not important. “We have our duties. We may not always like them, but Pegasopolis depends upon us doing what we are ordered to.”
“I know what my duties are,” Skilled quickly replied. “And I will do what the Commander wants of me. ‘Tis merely that—”
She was cut off when a pony landed before us. He wore no armour, and a quick look at his legband, bearing the symbol of a scroll over three lightning bolts, marked him as a courier. He was breathing heavily and likely had been flying for quite some time before arriving in Manehatten. Couriers were picked from amongst the fastest long-distance fliers in Pegasopolis, as ‘twas often seen as a good way to test young warriors with a bit of responsibility and season them a bit before they saw battle.
He gave me a quick salute. “Private Sky Charger, I have a scroll for Ephor Swift Blade.” He promptly produced a scroll for me.
I saluted back. “Private, I am Ephor Swift Blade.” Taking the scroll from him, I then waved toward the dining hall. “If thou hast no other immediate other duties, get thyself some refreshments and rest.” The stallion looked to be near the end of his endurance and in no condition to be assigned any more missions for the day. It would not do to run one of our valuable couriers into the ground.
“Aye, thank you, m’lord.” Taking that as his cue, he departed towards the mess hall.
“What does it say?” Skilled asked as I looked at the scroll. While my daughter was good at making snap decisions, she had never been good at waiting.
“Patience, I have not even broken the seal.” The scroll was sealed by red wax, and carried the sigil of the Commander of Pegasopolis. A red seal meant that the scroll contained something serious within and was to be read immediately. The only seal color that signaled something more dire was a black one, and that meant some threat equal to or greater than Celestia had manifested. These days, a black seal would most likely mean Celestia had made herself known on the battlefield.
I broke the seal, and to my surprise, instead of Rightly’s neat and flowing writing, I saw the barely legible chickenscratch of Bright Charger. (4)
4. Having read some of Ephor Bright Charger’s writing for this edition of Shadow’s memoirs, I can verify that Bright’s writing is horrendous.
Perplexed, I carefully read over the letter.
Ephor Swift Blade,
The army has encountered the Solar army in the Avalon Vale. Battle indecisive. Acting Commander Rightly Doo has been captured. Ephor Cyclone Kicker is dead. With Ephor Steel Striker’s consent, I, Bright Charger, am now Acting Commander.
My eyes widened. What sort of disaster had struck? Rightly should have routed the Solar army if they had been foolish enough to leave their walls. Had there been some sort of skirmish and some great misfortune had struck the army, resulting in one of our leaders being captured and a second slain? Another possibility was that the traitor Shadow Kicker had lead a raid against Pegasopolis’ generals in the hopes of removing our most capable battle commanders.
Curse Shadow Kicker and my own poor martial skills if that was the case. If I had been a great warrior like my mother had been, then none of this would have happened. I could have dueled Shadow when she challenged me to juris ungula, slain her, and prevented her from taking the bulk of her clan from Cloudsdale. Shame it was my curse to be infamous as the worst warrior in Pegasopolis. Especially when above all else, we pegasi valued martial prowess.
I fought down the broiling emotions welling within me to keep reading the letter.
Siege train almost completely destroyed.
My heart sank at that one line. That was one of the last things I wanted to read. I had hoped that the army would have sufficient supplies to finish the siege, that the Sun Tyrant would surrender upon realizing that she had no chance for victory. At the very least, I thought I had time to correct the problems I had in Manehatten. Either to come up with a solution on my own, convince Fair Deal of his foolishness, or wait for some development that would give me an opportunity I did not possess at this moment. Now there was no time. The army needed supplies that I could not give them.
We are foraging for what supplies we need so that we can restart our march on Canterlot. I am ordering you to do whatever is necessary to build a new siege train so that we can successfully reduce the city. Recruit any earth pony miners you can to assist our army. This is all to be done without any delay. We now expect a prolonged siege.
Signed,
Acting Commander Bright Charger
“Father?” Skilled gave my shoulder a shake. “Is everything well?”
I gave myself a mental slap. This was not the time to lose my composure, not where others could see me. I passed the letter over to Skilled, buying me time to think. Closing my eyes, I turned to thinking about what was to be done.
Bright would probably be able to forage at least some of the supplies she needed, and around Canterlot most of the earth ponies supported Celestia. Chancellor Fair Deal would be unhappy with us for seizing what we needed to wage war. In any event, ‘twas unlikely Bright would be able to forage everything she needed for a siege that could last for months—not unless she spent a great deal of time foraging a large area. Something I doubted Bright would have patience for, especially with her brother-in-law in captivity. She had always taken the protection of her family seriously.
What our army really needed was for me to provide them a steady stream of supplies. The problem lay with Fair Deal and his unwillingness to fulfill his duty of properly supplying Pegasopolis with what it needed. He, and likely many of the others on his cabinet. As long as they were in charge, it was going to be nearly impossible for me to do my duty. A duty that Pegasopolis needed me to do. If Canterlot did not fall, then this war could drag out for years, weakening all of Equestria against its enemies. Griffonia always threatened our borders, the Zebrican Empire marched closer to our borders with every year, and greater evils were waiting for a sign of weakness from Equestria. We could not afford to look weak. Not once, not ever.
I would not fail in my duty.
Skilled lowered the letter, and she looked at me with worried eyes. “Father, what are we to do?”
I gave my daughter a determined look, letting no weakness show in my demeanor. “‘Tis simple, Skilled. We are to launch a coup ‘gainst Chancellor Fair Deal.”
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Good to see this get out into the wild. I had a lot of fun making this chapter, and I hope everyone enjoyed it.
Well, I did, at least. Quite interesting! :)
I should not laugh at their misfortune. And yet: HA HA!
YAY!!!!!
Woah, when did Cyclone Kicker die?
'Tis some treachery in the Rebels ranks, or did he just have a heart attack? 
Anyways, AWESOME chapter!!! Very good work Ponibius, very good indeed. Definitely gave me a new appreciation for Swift Blade's character and his situation.
Fair Deal strikes me as a Jacobin/socialist arse: kind of a mix when it comes to economic incompetence in executive office of Thomas Jefferson (seriously, not enough people know how economically incompetent he was both personally and on a national level, the man caused the U.S.'s first economic depression and died bankrupt), Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson (the latter of whom I'm pretty sure at least partially inspired this character, considering his name is "Fair Deal" after all
). In all honesty, I cannot blame Swift Blade for determining to launch a coup against him, and actually look forward to it, though I can see how he'd look villainous to both allies and enemies alike for doing so, at least from a distance.
Great addition, look forward to more guest chapters from you Ponibius, and can't wait for the next update in general!
"fought"
I don't care how he tries to spin it, I don't like this guy. If Swift Blade isn't completely evil, then he most assuredly abides by "The end justifies the means". Though Fair Deal is no better really, letting his hatred drive him to running the government into the ground all for the sake of getting sweet revenge on the magnate.
4927519
I'll admit, given that they're both opposed to Celestia I'm not a fan of either of them. The difference being that Swift Blade understands the nuances of logistics and administration, unlike the Robespierre-esque Fair Deal. Heck, I can really sympathize with Swift Blade even more in that besides Fair Deal, it seems like most of his pegasi colleagues in the Ephorate don't appreciate or understand the importance of logistics and administration. Even Shadow on the other side of things doesn't have to worry about that nearly as much considering (1) Celestia seems to be handling all administration on the Loyalist's side, and (2) their economic situation is far more stable as is. So while I don't like either of them, I can at least sympathize with Swift Blade more, if only because he's in a thankless position and, on top of that, between a rock and a hard place because of colleagues' incompetence among both the pegasi and the earth ponies.
Yeah, go and boot him out. It probably won't end well. But then again, neither does inter-class warfare.
Also, goodbye, Cyclone Kicker.
Tax Deed said bankrupt, yet Swift said broke, methinks a change was made at some point and the rest of the text wasn't altered to match.
Aaand there we go. Probably the biggest mistake that could be made right there, though Swift is in a pretty hard position.
But hey! It's not like large-scale "traditional" military forces have ever had issues dealing with local insurgent movements, right?
...Right?
Just read this chapter and the last. It's always interesting to see the enemy perspective. So Cyclone Kicker is dead. In the last chapter, he did say he was going to "make things right." Guess we now know what he meant by that. Is it just me, or does Swift Blade seem to hate Celestia a little more than the rest of the rebels? Despite that, I'm a little less certain that he's a cultist after this chapter. Still can't help but wonder who's responsible for what's happening to Lance, though. Looks like we're still missing a few pieces to fully put together the puzzle! I am as always, intrigued and dying for more! Good job Chengar and Ponibus!
Okay, let's see...
All in all, it looks pretty bad for the rebels.
Using a coup and a bit of foraging, they might just be able to gather enough resources to begin a siege on Canterlot, hoping for a swift victory, but if the big bubble of fiery death is still up, they won't be able to take it quick enough. Because the next two things that will happen is the supplies draining and the earth ponies starting a civil war, potentially removing the Pegasopolian military regime and effectively ending any further supply trains. This in turn of course weakens the war effort as the pegasi at the front will lack food, medical equipment, fresh weapons and the like.
The more time then passes, the less likely a rebel victory becomes and the more desperate the ephors grow. It is probably at that point that they'll try and employ the help of crazy cultists, with somepony (possibly Bright Charger) serving as the avatar of Nightmare Moon to spearhead a last-ditch attempt to take Canterlot in stride.
Great. Now I have that hilariously absurd mental image of uptight nobles eating fancy food in Canterlot while the besieging pegasi outside are starving. I am sure Discord would approve. In fact, if he could, he'd probably laugh his posterior off at the current situation.
Solid addition, Poni. I really like this take on Swift, as it's a much-needed point of view.
4928903
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if it were actually Sunbeam Sparkle that was initiating the changes in Lance. It would be her style if you think about it. I mean, how disruptive would it be for your enemy if an insane being of immense power suddenly appeared in their midst and declared that she was the new ruler of Equestria. We know that all most all the ponies that have had the change happen to them drove them crazy and didn't survive long term.
Hmm ... I wonder if Mossy Banks is inspired by Swamp Fox I, Swamp Fox II, Gen. Forrest, or someone else, or just a pastiche.
In any case, a nice gripping glimpse into a new POV. The new earth pony government is encountering exactly the sort of troubles Celestia predicted Apple Tree's policy ideas would produce. The pegasi contingent in Manehattan is going down exactly the road that ... somepony speculated they might, I think. I wonder what is going to become of Pegasopolis's greatest bureaucrat.
Just two nitpicks noticed:
led
"was manageable", I think.
4927377 What do you suggest Swift do then? The pegasus army is on the brink of collapse from lack of resources and Swift is the only one who actually knows this, let alone can do anything about it. The only option besides staging a coup and taking resources from the earth ponies is to turn to serious dark magics, which got him into trouble in the first place. And he still has to turn to dark magic after the coup anyways.
4928965 Discord would probably switch the pegasi's food with the unicorns' food, and laugh his head off when the pegasi don't like food that fancy and have no idea how to prepare it.
The Lunar's strategic position is really starting to remind me of the CSA. It breaks down pretty quickly below the surface although that could change. They both have a smaller military but superior pony-for-pony (or man-for-man) so they can continue to hold the initiative on the front, but they just don't have the supply capabilities of their opponent. Food and such for the Solars vs industrial capacity for the Union. Makes Applejack's calling it (I think in Winning Pony itself) the "war of solar aggression" even more amusing
Also great job as always Poni! Didn't realize it wasn't Chengar until I got to the comments... which partially just shows how unobservant I can be but meh. Showing once again why you and Chengar are two of my favorite authors
4930233 Yeah, it's a gamble. If you stage the coup, you risk losing everything but have a chance at succeeding, if you don't, then you will definitely lose, but not everything.
4928903
Sadly enough, I thought the same thing... although considering that given Bright Charger was feeling everything slipping away from her at the end of the last chapter, it is possible that she had Cyclone assassinated in order to aid her own coup in a moment of desperation (or opportunity, depending upon your point of view). She had already been hoping that Lance would replace either Cyclone or Swift in the ephorate, after all, and while Occam's Razor suggests Cyclone's suicide, a clever assassin might make his death appear to be one.
4927519
As a Solar-supporter, I dislike both of them. However, Fair Deal makes quite a bit of sense. It's easy to say, "Let's turn to the manipulative ones with power to aid us." But that says nothing about tomorrow. In leaning on their power and wealth, you give them strength to use against you. You give them footholds. Today they give you an outstretched hand, tomorrow the noose. Thinking things like "We'll deal with it then" doesn't work out against that kind of person, because they've planned far in advance of that.
The only way to deal with such people is to stonewall them, starve them of their wealth and power, and watch them until you are positive they are good and truly dead in all ways. Otherwise they will worm their way back into your groups and politics and begin taking power again in some form or another.
I've got a little more respect for Swift, not that I ever thought badly of him. I can respect someone that does what needs to be done, even if it is ingorious. It's the same reason I like Sunbeam.
Great job, Ponibius! This has been a really interesting chapter. It flowed well with the rest of the story and added a great deal to the suspense. It's really cool to see things from different perspectives, I love the addition of other characters' journals in the story. You are doing a fine job, gentlemen. Keep up the great work!
Also, I found a couple of things you may want to fix.
ephor
...is
4928051
I agree, it seems like an ephor would be more likely to use the term bankrupt than broke. Maybe the two accidentally got switched.
oh look, R63 gale kicker, I'm not sure it you did that on purpose, or your writing skill is getting sloppy, i hope its the former
this story has basically made me realize that i actually do like politics
4927377
coup=/= murder
could just be a noriega situation, decredit him and he loses his support, on the other hand, a certain financial cordinator is literate, and understands politics well enough to be a chancellor...
4932560
It was semi-on purpose, I created all of Swift's kids, and then determined what roles he would put them in. Though there are several differences between the two, for one, Gale has a natural talent for espionage and is a capable warrior while Quick is probably more intelligence overall, more training in logistics, but has four left hooves in combat and has confidence issues.
And yes, politics can be quite interesting if written the right way. You just need to emphasis the right things.
I personally wonder if Cyclone Kicker just took his ponies and left for Freeport after finally finding out how insane both sides of the conflict are. If he took his ponies to Freeport, the rebels would pretty much have to say he died or their support would collapse. One Ephor leaving is a disagreement, two says something's very wrong.
This marks the beginning of the end for the rebellion. No infrastructure, no money, the possibility ofeven more fronts, and facing constant guerrilla engagements. Their only hope is a quick victory which will be nearly impossible without seige equipment, seizing arts from the earth ponies well only drive them away.
4926608 excellent work, I assume you are doing a couple more chapters
4936297
I'm currently in the middle of writing the Manehatten Crisis II, and I've shot an idea or two past Chengar for another.
how about swift using the pegasus "liberation" as a bargaining chip, and/or threatening to withdraw the pegasi patrols? that would get the chancellor to listen
This is...
Well...
On the upside, the politics themselves were interesting, particularly showing how the Pegasopolian eschewing of capital based economics is biting them on the ass.
On the downside, Fair Deal feels a lot like a straw radical, and we got denied a villain. The whole story has felt like it has been building up Swift Blade as The Man Behind the Man, and a general evil, manipulative prick. Now we find out that is pretty much untrue. It might be a case of reading things incorrectly, but in the end it feels like our villain just went poof. No villains here, just a lot of misunderstandings and stuff leading to tragedy. Yes that is more or less how these things happen in real life but, and I know this is just about the oldest argument there is, but if I wanted real life, I would go get a history book. It feels cheap, I guess, to me. And it kind of kills my interest in him. We already have plenty of sneaky shadowy characters trying to change things for the greater good. We don't really need another one.
And really, two of the most high profile political activists wind up being crazy nutjob radicals?
It's always interesting to see things from the other side of the veil.
Or at least a part of the other side. Things aren't looking good.
Well they never were good to begin with, but you get the idea.
Still a nice read!
4936310 excellent, I can't wait.
4936717 the Pegasi are completely reliant on the earth ponies for supplies, withdrawing support would hurt the Pegasi as much as the earth ponies, if not more so.
4937873 well perhaps to influence a descision swift could suggest having pegasi teach earth ponies literacy as planned and earth ponies teaching pegasi to farm, cross cultural teachings, like the colonialism of America
4938736
It's not that earth ponies are all illiterate, the ones in charge now are a lower class and never had the opportunity to go to school. I feel bad for swift, there aren't many options open to him.
4939005 yes i know, but i meant teaching literacy and everything language based that goes with it (reading, writing,'rithmatic,etc.)
Fair Deal shows the failure of Comunism. I actually pity Swift in this but he and the others brought on themselves for overreacting and causing the civil war.
4940263 ahh, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant to earth ponies in general.
4940367 I wouldn't say this shows the failure of communism (yet). I think the problems they are facing are more associated with a brand new government and civil war. No political infrastructure, inability to collect taxes, etc.
RIP Cyclone. Wonder how Shadow will take the news?
4940715 Fair Deal will not even seek aid of his allies to assist in the war effort because he wants to actually destroy them for his ideal existence. Communists in africa tried this and it has failed.
4940774
I know what you're saying and I agree with you. But in this case I don't think the problems they are facing are directly related to communism. They are caused by a fledgling government involved in a civil war and exacerbated by Fair Deal putting his ideals over necessity and his inability to compromise.
4941051 yes but look what his ultimate goal is. Heck most of the problem isn't even the war. It's the policies he already has.
4941078
Look, i'm not advocating communism, i know that eventually there will be some serious problems. I am, however, advocating logical thinking; you immediately blamed all of the problems on communism when the government isn't even one year old. Most brand new governments are extremely poor and ineffective regardless of political system. when you add war, especially civil war, the problem gets even worse. Fair Deal is preventing the problem from being solved, not his ideals. You have to be able to compromise and be able to but the needs of the people above your wants. You said that most of his problems aren't caused by war. I'm pretty sure having your tax collectors killed by enemy soldiers is related to war.
I love Fair Deal. I also hate Swift Blade. This was a fantastic chapter.
Hah!
Huh, well so far this doesn't read at all like the diary of someone who planned and successfully instigated a civil war.
That's both hilarious and kind of bad. Hilarious because we full well know that they don't have that baggage train anymore, and bad because an army made up of half civilized pegasi put in a tough spot like that may be tempted to do things for resources that go over poorly for the civilians in the villages around Canterlot.
Random thought, Scootaloo is a descendant of the Blade clan.
Ahh, gotta love swamp mages.
Maybe they should have thought a little harder about that before they started the damn civil war! Idiots, the lot of them.
That ought to go over well with the earth pony rebels. Or anyone else who might consider allying with the rebellion.
What I love about this story as a whole compared to others is the relative lack of faceless evils. All players are accounted for, all players' accounts are read, and no faceless evil was necessary to create the scenario before us.
Bravo!
Poor Swift Blade, if he wasn't so arrogant in his beliefs, he would be a swell guy.
First things first: Ponibius, is CK an editor of this chapter too or should your guest chapters be considered written by Twilight?
LOL... comrade Fair Fairovich Dealin has certainly accomplished 2 things...
1. He has "developed" a new, purely agriculture-based, radical branch of socialism (Farm socialism? Agricultural communism? Democratic farmponism?) which is so broken that:
2. He has set a new record in time required to render a country bancrupt using a socialist policy that the given country can't afford; since the country went bancrupt before the the act causing it has been signed, Fair Deal got an inceedible, negative time.
tl;dr - shit just got real
4945136 Uh, why?
Not so much hating Swift Blade, but loving Fair Deal. To me, he's nowhere close to being lovable because he's too damn hard-headed about his ideals and trying to carry on Apple Tree's legacy that he's effectively blinded himself to the reality that he needs the magnates, no matter how much they may deserve to be run to the ground.
4950489
I would consider this chapter to have the same editor as the others.
And I would consider Fair Deal's political philosophy to be closest to populism. Granted, Bolshevism is a bit of a hybrid between communism and populism.
And yes, Fair Deal's financial policies are perhaps ... ill advised. The middle of a war is probably not the best time to enact radical financial reform programs.
4941427
Have to agree on this point. Fair Deal's policies are certainly making the problem worse, but he's not in a very good position. Establishing a new, functioning government in the middle of a civil war is hard.
Of course, I would also say that when your government is already in a bad situation, the last thing you need to do is implement policies that make the problem worse.
Am I the only one a bit surprised none of the more radical Robespierre types hasn't suggested Roman style proscriptions of killing the magnates and taking their stuff. But alas the war's still young