Prologue - Two Letters

Miss F Posey
Dunromin
Everfree Close
Ponyville
North Everfree
NE6 PV51

My Dearest Fluttering

It has been far too long since I last wrote to you, my dear. I could tell you that I have been busy, that affairs of state have gotten in the way, but really, that is no excuse for my lapse, so I send you my apologies. Now that this session of court has finally come to an end, I have the free time I need to pen this missive to you. I hope you are well down there in Ponyville. I shouldn’t, but please forgive me if I worry about my favourite niece sometimes; I know you are a grown mare but you really are very precious to me, and I would hate it if anything were to happen to you.

I am glad to receive your last letter about your animal friends. I am relieved that Mr Bear’s cubs are healthy and that Angel is well. I know how much you care for all of your pets, but I am also very glad to hear that you are feeling better to the extent that you have been making new pony friends as well. You have previously told me of your friendship with your mailmare, Ditzy Doo, who I guess will be delivering this letter to you. My colleague Baron Max apparently met and played with her daughter, Dinky, at the gala; he can be so foalish sometimes, but very sweet, and he certainly seemed to like her, a very personable filly apparently. I have also heard that you have made a new friend, another of the element bearers, Carrot Top. I talked to her briefly at the gala, she seemed nice, although rather nervous. She was drinking rather heavily; is that normal for her? Even the princess's student Trixie Lulamoon told me that she knew you, and that the two of you had visited the local spa on several occasions. If this is true, then I am proud that you feel confident enough to spend time with other ponies now, and that you visit Ponyville itself. I hope that as you recover from your incident your circle of friends will grow.

If Trixie is indeed your friend, then I owe her an apology. I did not immediately believe her; she has something of a history of falsehoods and your previous letter made me believe that she was persecuting you in some way. I remember when Trixie first came to court, she was such a sweet filly then, but I fear the attention went to her head over the years. However, from what I have been told by the Princess, becoming the element of Magic and making friends with the other element bearers seems to have tempered her ego somewhat. I would not have previously thought that she was the kind of pony you would easily associate with, but if she is your friend then I am glad to be proven wrong. Friends can be found in the strangest of places, can’t they? Even ponies you would expect to have nothing in common with can become close to you.

From my brief talk with Carrot Top, I understand that you are going by Fluttershy to the ponies of Ponyville rather than using your true name. You know how I feel about that nickname, dear. I know it is your own decision, but it is somewhat belittling and I don’t like to think you are ashamed of your heritage. Our family historians would point out that we are descended from Commander Hurricane himself, although as you know from your history lessons that is hardly a great accolade given how… generous… he was with his seed. Still, I like to think that our family have managed some great things over the years; Cloud Buster Posey did create the first weather factory almost two thousand years ago now, and tens of thousands would have died in the year of drought last century if it hadn’t been for Spring Posey’s leadership. I have no doubt that one day you will be known amongst our illustrious forebears for whatever you choose to do with your life. Still, you know my feelings on this issue and it is your own decision to make. I will support and love you regardless of what name you choose to be known by.

Putting aside such issues, there is much I need to tell you. So much has happened to me in the last four months since I last wrote to you. Has it really been that long? In some ways it seems longer, in others a blink of the eye. Much has happened; some things wonderful, some things terrible, and some both at the same time. I will start with the most wonderful. I have met somepony, Fluttering, somepony who has become very special to me, somepony who had turned my carefully ordered life upside down, somepony I think I may even love.

You may remember that I mentioned in my last letter that I had been appointed by Luna to act as a sort of teacher to a new member of Court: Baron Mounty Max of the newly formed province of Nulpar. He had rather gallantly – and stupidly – tried to protect me from some spurious allegations at court, and caused rather a ruckus in the process. The Princess thought it was best that I mentor him in courtly etiquette, or maybe she saw something already growing between us, who can tell the mind of our monarch? I originally believed that the duty might be onerous in the extreme, teaching such a bumpkin how to behave at court; surely it could not be done. But as I spent more time with him, I found there was more to Max than there seemed to be on the surface. True, he is headstrong and blunt and it sometimes seems like his special talent is saying just the wrong thing at the wrong time, but he is also honest, and pure, and has the deepest green eyes I have ever seen. I feel I could fall into them and quite happily drown there. Listen to me, gushing like a school filly at my age. As you can tell, I am quite taken with him. It has been, well, a long time since I had somepony special, and my last relationship did not end well. Maybe I have forgotten what it is like to have somepony, but the world just seems so much brighter around him. Meetings that to me would have been painfully banal are, through his eyes, a chance to make a better Equestria. He gives me hope, Fluttering, hope for better tomorrow, hope I only now realise I have slowly been losing over these long years at court.

My relationship with Max has not been entirely easy. In fact, it almost came to an end even before it began. It took me quite some time to work up the courage to ask him out despite his obvious, and rather flattering, interest in me. You know that like yourself I often have difficulty dealing with other ponies. Although my various little techniques may help me to face the whole of our government and our monarch without shaking, asking out a stallion turned out to be quite a different prospect. I finally managed to broach the subject shortly before Hearts and Hooves Day, only to find out that he had already been propositioned by another mare, a much younger mare. You remember Buttercup, do you not? Baron Field’s daughter? I recall the two of you spending some time together during your time at court. Well, she had asked Max to escort her to a ball hosted by Vicereine Puissance, and my reaction was, well, it wasn’t very mature of me. I was very hurt by the prospect of losing Max to somepony almost half my age, but in a way some good came of it; the strength of my feelings, however negative, helped me see that what I felt for Max wasn’t just some crush but something more. I don’t know all of the details, but Max and Buttercup’s relationship did not last long. I cannot really hold a grudge against the poor filly given what she’s been through these last few weeks, but I will talk more on that later.

Max and I continued to tip hoof around our feelings for many weeks, and maybe we would never have gathered up our courage to take things further if it hadn’t been for the gala. I know the event was covered in the press and there has been much discussion about what truly occurred – I cannot say I fully understand it myself – but I do know the drinks were spiked with a certain potion that caused those affected to speak their minds; a sort of truth poison, I suppose you could call it. Well, Max and I were poisoned, and after spending the evening together dancing and talking, our minds were only on each other – the poison forced us to reveal what we thought of each other. It was terrible and terrifying, Fluttering, and it was wonderful and joyful; to have to speak my mind, to have to reveal how I felt, it was liberating to know how Max felt about me and to tell him how I felt. I could never have done it without aid, but now that I have, I don’t know why I ever waited. I think a future started that night, Fluttering, a good future. We have been together ever since. I hope I can rely on your discretion on this matter, because I would like my relationship with Max to remain secret for the moment. We both know what pressures the press can put on the relationships of courtiers. Although it is inevitable that they will find out sooner or later, I would like to avoid that for as long as possible.

Sadly, not all of my recent experiences have been as good as my relationship with Max. The recent disaster in Ponyville caused me much anguish; it sadly seems that the quiet little town that you chose for your convalescence has not been as quiet as we had hoped. I am truly sorry about the curse that was placed upon your home by an agent of Corona. I must admit that I arranged for some of my servants to check up on your wellbeing after that event. Please forgive my invasion of your privacy, but I could not bear to think that anything had happened to you. It is to my shame that I must admit that it was partially my own fault that it took so long for aid to be dispatched to Ponyville. I am, as you know, on the committee that organises such aid, as is Viceroy Night Light. Unfortunately, the viceroy allowed his feelings for his daughter to cloud his judgement and he attempted to take revenge against representative Trixie, and indirectly the whole population of Ponyville. He tried to sway the committee, and even threatened me, to stop aid being provided. His actions were reprehensible, but I cannot help but think what I might have done in his position; if something had happened to you, would I have acted the same? I like to think that I am more stable, but I just hope I never have to find out. As it was, I found it all too easy to bow to his wishes given his power, and it was only a discussion with Trixie that made me see how much harm Night Light and my own actions were doing. I brought the issue to the attention of the Princess and she brought the viceroy to heel.

I was rather surprised to be aided in this venture by Marquis Jet Stream; the feud between our families has burnt for many generations now. I remember how poorly you were treated by her son, Jet Set, at your Cuteciñera, and Jet Stream herself has been a thorn in my side at court for many years, always looking for some weakness to leap upon. Still, Max suggested I tried to bury the hatchet between our two families and to my surprise it seems to have worked, it seems times are changing between our families and for the better.

Even more distressing to me than the events in Ponyville was what occurred after the Gala. The Princess, the recollection still makes my hoof tremble, the Princess confronted the court with all of its corruption and misdeeds. The creature that had caused the disruption of the gala had passed information on to the Princess; apparently it knew the secrets of all the court members. I am sorry, my dear, but my own darkest times were among them. It is to my deepest shame that I am forced to admit that during my early days at court I bribed an official to obtain funding for Cloudsdale. It seemed the right thing to do at the time and helped the ponies of our city, but I know it was wrong. I sometimes feel I was cursed by that event, that many bad things that have happened to me since have their root in that one act of corruption. I am sorry if I am not the pony you thought I was; I hope that you can forgive me my hooves of clay, Fluttering. I could plead that I am only mortal, only a pony, that I cannot be expected to be perfect, but as a member of the night court, a higher standard is expected of me. A standard I did not meet. You, maybe more than anypony, recognise the stress of being at court, but it is still no excuse. Maybe it is for the best that my crime has now been brought to light; maybe finally I can atone and move on.

The Princess was rightfully furious at us for our corruption, and threatened to disband the court. Her anger was terrifying; if Max hadn’t been there to help me cope, I don’t know what I would have done. He was my rock, Fluttering, he held me through my darkest night, and it was his belief that the court could be better, that I could be better, that made me think the corruption could be dealt with. When he holds me in his embrace, I just feel so safe, like nothing can ever hurt me again.

I will not bore you with the details, but a group of courtiers, a small group to start with, put together a proposal to tighten up various regulations and reform and strengthen the body charged with rooting out corruption within the court. We hoped that this would be enough to restore the Princess’s confidence in the court. Of course, no regulations would be sufficient without the majority of the court being willing to follow them, to want to carry out their jobs properly, but I hope – I have to hope – that although the court has some bad seeds, the majority of courtiers want to be good ponies. It was slow, hard, work to start with, to get the support of the court, and without Max’s presence I fear I might have fallen into despair, but slowly more and more of the court came on board.

Final salvation came from an unexpected direction: Baron Fields. The poor old stallion gave a speech at his retirement party, revealing the mistakes he had made during his life, and pleaded that the court put their differences aside and work together for a better future. It was inspirational, truly his brightest hour, but sadly it was also his last. You may have read the story in the papers, but not long after the party came to a close, the baron died peacefully in his sleep. It was sad, you may recall his part in how I got my cutie mark, but I like to think it is how he would have liked to go. He will certainly be remembered. His speech and the events surrounding it finally focused the court, and after his funeral we presented our proposal to the Princess in his name. I fear she might still be unsure of our worthiness. We have a long, hard, road to reclaim her trust, but I think she forgives us for the moment. Only time will tell.

I think that more or less brings things up to date. Now that court has closed for the summer, I have returned to Cloudsdale and my duties here. I do miss Max terribly; I am considering writing to him as well, although I understand the postal system in his province can be rather unreliable, and I would not want our correspondence to be intercepted. Still, I will see him again in a few months even if that does seem a very long time now.

As my duties are light for the next few weeks, maybe it would be possible for me to come and visit you? Maybe even meet your new friends? It might even be possible for you to come home for a visit. It has been quite some time since I last saw my favourite niece, and it would be good to catch up in person. I know your parents and your brother and sister miss you.

Your sister sends her love, by the way. Forming is acting as my proxy at court for the summer. I do worry about her after, well, after what happened to you, but she seems to be fitting in well. I think she likes the attention; she has always been a bold one. Your brother is apparently spending the summer with his sports friends, something about hurricane riding, you know how he can be. Your mother is of course worried, but I think your father is rather proud of him – he was just as much a daredevil at that age, you know. Vicereine Wallflower asked after you as well; apparently her two-headed dog has recently sired a litter of puppies and she asked if you wanted one. I think they might be a little large for you, but I did say that I would pass the offer on.

Once again I have to tell you how proud I am of your progress in making new friends. I know how hard it can be, maybe better than most, but you are doing well and I can’t wait to hear about the time you have spent with them recently.

Yours sincerely

Duchess Fragrant Posey

Mr O Piste
Town Hall
Sadlzberg
Nulpar

Hi Piste

I’m writing to you from the little town of Flip Flop on the border of Caneighda, apparently named after a character from a book one of its founders was reading when they started the mine that eventually grew into the town. I know this because when the mayor found out I was a baron, he spent the morning showing me around the local museum. It was nice enough but you know me, I like to actually get things done rather than just watch things so it got a bit boring after a while. Still, I had a nice chat with Top Dollar, that’s the mayor, about how things are run over here, gives me some ideas for home.

I’m stuck here for the moment because there is apparently a problem with the train, so me and Mrs G will be trapped for at least another day. Mrs G has struck up a friendship with some of the locals and she’s happy to just chat, but after a morning of looking around that museum I feel I’ve got to do something, so I thought I’d write to you to pass the time. As you might guess I won’t be back when I planned, my best estimate is that it’ll probably be quite late in the afternoon of the 10th before we get to Praris, we can find a place for the night then head on up to Sadlzberg by the afternoon of the 11th, but there could be more problems with the trains making us later, so basically expect us when you see us. We can sort out where I’m going to stay when I get there. If nothing else turns up, Hearth will have some spare rooms unless Sadlzberg’s suddenly became a major tourist destination while I was away.

Of course it’s possible that you won’t get this letter until after we arrive. I don’t know if you’re still doing the mail runs now that you’re mayor, so if this letter arrived after us, oh well.

It really seems too long since I wrote to you. Well, I’ve written to you at least once a week for the last half year or so, but that was all work stuff. I mean wrote to you just to tell you how things were going. I miss you, you know, having somepony to bounce ideas off of, someone who really knows me, a friend. There’s Mrs G of course, but, well, you know how she can be, it’s like talking to Mum, there are some things you just can’t talk about. There’s Fragrant, I really need to tell you about Fragrant, but it’s like she’s from a different world sometimes, Cloudsdale and Canterlot are both so different from Nulpar. She doesn’t always understand me, although she always seems interested in my stories of home. Plus it’s nice to have a stallion to chat with. I’ve made a few friends here, Mellow Dramatic, Baron Fields, rest his soul, but no one I’m really close with, no one I grew up with. It’ll be good to see you and the rest of the gang again once I get back. I’ve got so many questions. How’s Chilly? I bet she’s all grown up by now, probably looking to take over her mother's job. Has Hearth gotten her place in the hotels guide yet? Sealbhach finally found the nanny for him? Is Tender Heart any better? I really do miss you guys.

I guess I should tell you about Canterlot and my time there. The city is huge! There are buildings you could probably fit the whole population of Sadlzberg into with space left over. The castle itself is like a labyrinth. I’m glad there are pages around to show you where to go or I would still be looking for my office. The city is on top of a mountain – when I saw it from the train, I just knew I had to climb it. To be honest it was a bit of a disappointment, it wasn’t that much of a challenge; not as easy as, say, Snowtop, but certainly no Broken Back or even Widowmaker. Still, there’s a great view from the top when the sun rises over the city, or even seeing it glimmer in the moonlight. I’m glad to have done it, even if it did make me a bit late getting to the station. Fragrant was the only one of the group assigned to meet me that was nice enough to wait for me.

I know this is the second time I’ve mentioned her. I talked about her a bit in some of my more official letters, Duchess Fragrant Posey of Cloudsdale, my mentor at court. After I made a bit of a scene at an inquiry, the Princess decided that I needed to have somepony to show me the ropes. It was rather embarrassing at the time, not to mention just a little terrifying to meet the Princess, but I thank her every night for that decision.

You see, the court isn’t what I thought it was going to be, everything seems so complicated, nothing’s easy. It seems so shady, there’s so many webs of contacts and feuds and I don’t understand why it’s that way. It seems almost everypony at court has forgotten what they’re supposed to be doing, what the actual people of Equestria want. One of them, Archduke Bobbing Fisher, the minister of war, threatened to interrogate the griffins up at the Eyre just because their ancestors came over from the kingdoms. He thought they were some sort of spies, as if Bloodstrike would do that. He even challenged me to a fight over them. I won, in a way, and he backed down. I think he sort of respects me now, he doesn’t seem to have taken the matter further so I suppose all’s well that ends well. Another member of the court, Duke Greengrass, tricked me into voting the wrong way over some appropriations bill. I still have no idea why, maybe for his own amusement? He really doesn’t seem to take his job seriously. Still, he runs Caneighda and this town seems alright, so he must be doing something right. I just don’t understand why he acts that way. Doesn’t he understand his responsibilities? If it wasn’t for Fragrant I would have been totally lost. She showed me what to do, put up with all my mistakes, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay her for what she’s done for me.

I don’t want to make it sound like the court is entirely full of bad ponies, it’s not. There are some perfectly nice courtiers. A nice old stallion, Baron Rolling Fields, sort of took me under his wing, not that he has one, he’s an earth pony. I even dated his daughter, Buttercup, for a bit, but that didn’t work out. I don’t want to burden you with all the details, but like I said the court is a darker place than I thought it would be. There are other good ponies, Baron Mellow Dramatic is nice, although a little high strung, and there’s Duke Sands, Vicereine Wallflower, some others. It’s just most of them seem more interested in how they can make things better for themselves rather than the common pony, hopefully that’ll change now.

I’ve done what I can for Nulpar and its population while I’ve been here, but like I said it’s harder than it seems. I’ve put through a few requests for aid, the clinic should get more funding next year and maybe some farming subsidies, so Greenleaves should be happy, but it’s slow going. Not much hope on the roads or railway yet I’m afraid. I’m writing up a bill to try and get some grants for us and other remote towns in Equestria, but according to Fragrant it’s more or less unknown for anypony to put though a bill in their first year. I’m not going to let that stop me though, Nulpar deserves this and I’m going to get it for them.

You might have noticed that I keep mentioning Duchess Posey, well, she’s become very special to me. She truly is an exceptional mare, wise, kind, but she’s no push over. She’s got this sort of graceful strength to her, she might be demure but I’ve seen her fight for what she believes in. I was rather taken with her when I first met her, she was one of the nobles assigned to meet me at the station, she was so beautiful she left me tongue tied, she has the softest pink mane, the most delicate blue eyes and she really fills out a pair of socks, her legs just don’t seem to end, they go all the way up to heaven! I certainly didn’t think anything would come of it, you know me, I’m not that much of a catch and she’s a powerful duchess so I did what I could to try and push aside my feelings. That might be part of why I dated Buttercup, to take my mind off Fragrant, but it never really worked. By the time the end of the court’s session came around I was a mess. I thought I should at least try to ask her out, sure she’d probably just let me down gently, but then I’d know for certain that I didn’t have a chance and that would be that, I could move on.

They have a big party to celebrate the closing of the court you see, it’s called the Grand Galloping Gala and Fragrant asked me to escort her to it. As you might guess I was a little on edge, I’m not exactly used to formal events, but I dressed up as best I could and went with her. There were drinks and dancing and apart from a strange hiccup over some foals Fragrant seemed to be having a good time. And you know what, so was I. Then it came to the crucial moment to tell her how I felt, I just couldn’t say anything, I was too chicken. I just didn’t want to see the pity, or worse disgust, in her eyes as she told me that no, she wasn’t interested in me that way. I hate to think what would have happened if things had just ended there, but luckily (?) somepony spiked the drinks with some sort of truth potion and all my feelings just cascaded out and, and I still find this hard to believe, she said she felt the same way. Unbelievable, I know, but true.

We’re, well, I suppose we’re dating now. She wants to keep it quiet, so keep it under your hat. I don’t really understand it, but apparently the press tend to make a big thing of nobles dating and Fragrant doesn’t want them to find out. It’s a shame, I just want to tell everypony, I’m so happy, but I guess she knows best.

Unfortunately just after the gala the Princess summoned the whole court to a meeting and really tore into all of us about how bad a job we’d been doing. You know what I said about the court seeming dark? Well, it was worse than I’d thought, not one of the courtiers was clean, not one! Not even me, I had to do something, something dubious while I was there. I can’t tell you everything, I don’t want to implicate anypony else, in the end it was my own decision and I bear the responsibility. I don’t know why, but Luna singled out Fragrant, she shouted at her! Despite others doing far worse, it was heart-breaking, Fragrant totally fell to pieces, she was crying! Luna even threatened to disband the whole court if we didn’t do better. I did my best to get Fragrant home and make her feel better but it was a struggle. Still, after a good night’s sleep she recovered and pulled herself together. She came up with a plan to prove to the Princess that most of the court really wanted to do better. As I said, she really is an amazing mare. She put together this bill to put more safeguards in place to stop any further corruption at court, and then started to convince the nobles to agree to it all.

It was a long hard struggle to get the support she needed, but she managed to do it. Baron Fields gave a speech at his retirement party which got a lot of ponies onto our side. Sadly it was too much for the old stallion and he died in his sleep that night. It was tragic, but I like to think it was how he wanted to go, helping Equestria to the end. It helped hammer home the situation to the rest of the court and eventually most of them came around and we delivered our proposal to the Princess at his funeral. I don’t think she’s entirely happy but she seems to have forgiven us for the moment.

So that brings things up to date. After half a year in the big city I feel like I’ve accomplished very little but I’ve got myself a marefriend, not exactly what I’d planned (she’s a pegasus, so please don’t tell mum until I can find some way to break it to her, you know how she feels about that) but I think it’s worked out rather well. It’ll be nice to be home for a few months, to be back among normal folks, and I’m sure I can find something to keep myself occupied with while I’m back. Well, as long as this train ever gets going again that is.

See you soon (hopefully)

Yours Sincerely

Max

1) Homeward Bound

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“There we are, Mrs G,” announced Max as he looked up at the horizon. “Home sweet home. We’re almost back to Sadlzburg.” Even if he hadn’t been able to see the town, he could feel it in his hooves. Whether it was some facet of his earth pony heritage, his own personal talent, or just his imagination, Max had always thought that he could feel a difference between each place he visited. Canterlot felt old and powerful to him, like a sleeping giant. Sadlzburg felt warmer, faster, more active… He frowned. …and maybe a little smaller than he remembered.

Max and Mrs G’s train had arrived into Praris station after sundown yesterday, and had spent a night in the town’s hotel before setting out the next morning to make the trek to Sadlzburg – the capital of the province of Nulpar. The route between the two was still little more than a large track, so the going was hard. Even so, it seemed further than Max remembered. He suspected he was out of shape; months of fancy living in Canterlot had taken its toll. He glanced up at the sun; it was already starting to lower. He used to be able to make the journey in less than half a day, given good weather. Still, they should be in town well before sundown.

“I see it, dearie,” confirmed Mrs Grobnar. The old goat had been quiet for most of the journey, but Max could tell she was eager to get home and see her family again. He wondered what had happened while they’d been away. He’d gotten regular letters from Off Piste, his best friend and now lord mayor, but they had been mostly business. His mother had sent him some correspondence as well, but although full of gossip they hadn’t given him much of an overview of life in the town.

“I’m sure Brian, Conn and Sealbhach will be happy to see you,” said Max, referring to Mrs G’s sons.

“I’ve missed them. They’ve written, but it’s not the same. Well, Conn’s been doing most of the actual writing, you know Brian’s not that good with his letters, but even Sealbhach sent me a card or two.”

Max nodded along with the old goat, while keeping an eye on their surroundings. Sadlzburg was positioned in the middle of a deep but wide valley carved out of the surrounding mountains. A medium sized river ran down the centre, with the town on one side and thick forest on the other. The rest of the valley was farmed; fields of potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables stretched out to each side as well as some of the hardier grains. Nulpar as a whole wasn’t known for its crops, but this area was one of the most fertile in the province. The town made a profit supplying food to neighbouring settlements as well as harvesting the wood from the forest. The growing season around here wasn’t long, so the farmers had to work as hard as they could during the few months available to them. Most of this area actually belonged to his family; he was in fact the major land holder. He’d never bothered to find out exactly how much, as his mother and Mrs G kept track of that sort of thing, but most of the farmers paid him some form of rent, be it in money or goods. They’d paid him town taxes separately when he was lord mayor, and he’d always preferred to collect in services then; most of the weather patrol were drafted that way, along with various other public services. It generally seemed to work out. He supposed now that he was baron he should be charging further taxes for administering the province, but he hadn’t really done much administering to make a charge worth it yet. One more thing to add to his workload, he supposed.

“Hey, Max!” came a cry, shocking him from his thoughts. He glanced up and saw a green coated earth pony mare galloping through the fields towards him. He recognised her as Greenleaves, one of his friends and an unofficial member of the town council, the closest thing he had to an agricultural advisor. Now that they were drawing closer to town, there were a few other farm ponies about, working the fields. Attracted by the cry, they looked over towards him; most gave him a smile and a nod as he passed, one or two even called out a greeting, but a few frowned. “Glad you made it back safely,” said Greenleaves as she came to a stop next to him. She threw a rather muddy hoof over his back and pulled him into a rib-cracking hug. Despite being slightly shorter than average, Greenleaves managed to be one of the strongest Ponies Max knew.

“We had some problems with the trains but nothing too serious,” gasped Max. “Nice to see you again, how’s things?” he asked. Seeing Greenleaves was like a breath of fresh air. It just made him feel that he was home and everything was going to be alright.

“About the same as usual, really. Not a bad crop this year, not going to break any records, but we’re not going to starve either. Could do with Sunbeam making a bit less snow and more rain of course, but I don’t suppose I can complain.” She said the last bit pointedly at a nearby stallion, who humphed and turned away with his muzzle in the air.

“What was that about?” asked Max, puzzled. Maybe things weren’t alright after all.

“Nothing, really. Honeybun’s been shooting her mouth off as usual. It’s just some of the guys have been actually paying attention to her for a change. Never a good thing.”

Honeybun had been a perpetual thorn in Max’s side in Sadlzburg during his time as mayor. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to annoy the local barmare, but she seemed to disagree with almost everything he did, and didn’t hesitate to tell anyone who came near what she was thinking. Given that she ran the only bar in town, that meant most of the town knew exactly what she thought on every issue. “What’s she been saying...” began Max.

“Mathair!” came a cry from down the path. Max looked up and saw a huge grey-coated billy goat rushing towards them, followed by a much smaller black nanny. “Mathair!” cried the billy again.

For a moment a wide smile flashed over Mrs G’s face. Then she quickly hid her reaction and put on a slightly annoyed expression. “Brian!” she called. “Calm down!”

Not heeding his mother, the large goat gripped Mrs G tightly and hefted her into a hug. “Failte is furan,” he cried.

“I missed you too,” muttered Mrs G, returning her son’s hug. “Now put me down!”

Somewhat gingerly, Brian released his mother, before giving her a more demure goat greeting by gently bumping his head against hers. He was Mrs G’s oldest son, about Max’s age; his father had been one of the Tor, the wild goats that roamed the mountains. He had left Mrs G and returned to his own people when Brian was only a few years old. As a result, Brian had started to learn Equestrian quite late and still had difficulty speaking the pony tongue. Many took this as a sign of his stupidity, and Max had to admit that Brian wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, but he certainly wasn’t as dumb as many made out.

“Good to see you,” said Max in the local goat tongue. Most of the town’s population could manage at least the basics of the language.

“Thanks, baron,” said Brian, in the same language, reaching down and bumping hooves with Max.

The smaller nanny had by now caught up with their group and was waiting behind Brian, looking a little nervous. “Welcome back, Mrs Grobnar,” she said, bending at the knees slightly to give the goat equivalent of a bow.

“Thank you, Caoimhe,” said Mrs G. “How’s your father? The lumber business doing well?”

“He’s well, business is good.”

“I work there almost full time now,” said Brian, looking proud. He stepped a little closer to Caoimbe and gently leaned against her. “Caoimhe has been very kind to me. She cooks for me and helped me at work, she knows all about different types of trees. I like her a lot.” He looked a little uneasy before his mother. “We’ve been dating.”

“Is that so?” said Mrs G, narrowing her slitted eyes.

Caoimbe also looked rather scared. “I hope you approve. Your son is very kind and gentle. I enjoy spending time with him.”

“She’s really nice, mum,” said Brian, looking over at Caoimbe with his eyes glittering. “And pretty, and she doesn’t mind how dumb I can be.”

“You’re not dumb!” exclaimed Caoimbe. “Don’t listen to things like that,” she scolded him gently. She turned back to the older Nanny. “I... I think I love your son,” she admitted.

Mrs G narrowed her eyes for a moment and looked the small mare up and down. “Well, I should hope so. Now, when were you planning on telling me you were pregnant?”

“How?!” exclaimed Caoimhe eyes widening, “I only found out a few days ago.”

“I have my ways,” said Mrs G with a smile. “A grandmother knows.”

“Beo-leatromach!” exclaimed Brian, staring wide eyed at Caoimhe. “Beo-leatromach!” he repeated before giving a bleat and toppling over into the dirt. His lover dropped to her knees in panic to examine him.

“Don’t worry,” said Mrs G, prodding her fallen son. “He does that, he’ll be fine. You know, I expected my first grandchild to be from Sealbhach, and probably an accident. Still, welcome to the family dear.”

Brian’s eyes blinked open and Max and Greenleaves started to help the large goat get to his hooves. “Beo-leatromach!” he repeated again. Caoimhe backed away a little and looked down at the ground fearfully.

“I meant to tell you earlier, but the time never seemed right. You’re happy about this, right?” she asked nervously.

“Posam!” he proclaimed. “Marry me!”

A look of shock passed over Caoimhe’s face. “You’re sure? You...”

“Marry me!” he repeated carefully and gently, taking one of her hooves in his own. “I love you.”

“Yes! Yes!” she cried, a wide smile crossing her face as she practically bounced in place.

“You’re witnesses?” said Brian, turning to Max, Mrs G and Greenleaves.

“Yes,” agreed Max with a smile. Three witnesses of such an agreement was all that was needed for a goat wedding. Of course, their divorces were just as simple as well.

“Of course!” agreed Greenleaves a soppy smile in her face.

“Yes,” said Mrs G solemnly.

Brian leaned forwards and kissed his new wife passionately. She gave a squeal as he hoisted her onto his back. “A’chailleach Beo-leatromach!” he roared as he galloped off down the road.

Mrs G sighed as she watched her son race off down the road, shouting at everybody he passed on the way. “His father was just the same,” she said. Then her smile faltered a bit. “I better get off after him. The ponies will want a wedding their way, and a party I expect. I’ll need to get that organised. Also I should start on knitting something for the kid.”

“I’ll see you later,” said Max with a smile. “You can go spread the good news to the rest of your family. I’ll find Piste and see what’s been happening while I’ve been away.” Mrs G nodded and started off down the path. Max turned back to Greenleaves. “Well that seemed like a good omen. I didn’t get to go to a wedding in Canterlot. Now what’s this about Honeybun?”

“Well you know her, never happy. Since you left she’s been spreading rumours that you don’t really care about us anymore, that now you’ve got all sort of posh friends you won’t help us,” said Greenleaves.

“Oh come on! Why would anyone think that! I love this town!” said Max, gesturing in the direction of Sadlzburg. The town’s outermost buildings were now in sight.

“We know that Max, but there are always some ponies willing to listen to her. It’s just a few more than normal. Lots of folks weren't happy when the Equestrian Revenue Service starting looking into their business. The tax collectors weren't very polite, downright suspicious, almost treated us like criminals.” She frowned and snorted.

Max winced a bit. Before Nulpar was formed, national taxes were always a bit sketchy; sometimes the nearby tax offices remembered they existed, sometimes they didn’t. One of the first things he’d had to do as baron was to provide as full details as possible about the province to the ERS. He didn’t think they’d been too happy with the lack of answers he had to many of their questions. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to talk to the townsfolk, explain it all to them. If they want help from the rest of the country, they have to pay their taxes like the rest of the country.”

“Well, I know that but...”

“Well look who finally decided to come back to town!” came a cry from nearby. Max’s head snapped up. While he and Greenleaves had been talking, they’d made their way into the town centre. Quite a few ponies, goats, donkeys and the like were starting to gather around. “Got tired of all your fancy friends?” Max glanced over at the approaching mare, yes, as expected it was Honeybun. She was a short but stout pegasus pony, and if you looked close enough you could make out alternating dark and light stripes in her dark yellow coat. It was an unusual colouration and now that Max had seen zebras, he wondered if Honeybun had one or two somewhere in her family tree.

“Come on, Honey,” said Greenleaves, putting herself between the approaching mare and Max. “The baron’s only just got into town. Give him time to settle in at least.”

Max stepped forwards and gently pushed Greenleaves aside. “Good afternoon, Honeybun,” he said politely, trying to sound cheerful. “I’m glad to be back. Canterlot was nice, but not a patch on Sadlzburg.”

“What was it you said before you left?” said Honeybun, her rather stumpy wings beating rapidly. “That you were going to get us some help? So exactly what help did you get us, eh? Help taking away our money? Help making our lives harder?” She pointed an accusing hoof at Max.

There was a rumble of agreement from the crowd that was starting to form around Max. “Hey,” exclaimed Max, “I’ve done what I could!”

“And what exactly was that then?”

“I’ve gotten the clinic better funding for more equipment. Housemartin could take on an assistant even.” He was quite proud of that. It hadn’t been easy, but Baron Fields had been on one of the medical committees and had told him what to apply for.

“Really? First I’ve heard of it.” Honeybun actually looked a little impressed but she quickly hid it. “When will this happen then?”

Max winced a bit, this wouldn’t go down well. “It’ll be next year when the grant gets paid but...”

“Next year? I guess we’ll just have to make sure we don’t get sick in the next few months then!” said Honeybun sarcastically.

“These things take time, Honeybun, you can’t expect things to change overnight!”

“We expect something for our money! What are we paying the court for? I read the papers, didn’t the Princess threaten to disband it for corruption? Where did our money go, Max? To fund another big party for the nobles?” There were louder cries from the crowd.

“Please calm down,” said Max, trying to quiet the crowd. “Yes, there were some problems at court, but things are changing for the better! I’m doing all I can to get help for Nulpar, I applied for lots of grants, to help with the road building, better post, farming grants, lots of things, it just takes time to get through the committees!”

Honeybun stepped forwards putting herself in Max’s face. “We don’t need more empty promises, we need action! Weren’t you going to fix everything, Max? Isn’t that what you said?”

“I never...” began Max

“Come on, people! What’s going on here? Make room!” came a cry from nearby and the crowd started to open up. To his relief Max saw his old friend Off Piste approaching him. “Max!” he cried, “Good to see you!”

“And you too, Piste,” said Max, moving forwards to give the other stallion a quick hug, glad to have some distraction from Honeybun.

Piste turned back to the crowd. “Come on, Honeybun, Max only just got back. Give him a break.”

“He needs to explain what he’s been doing all this time!” she complained.

“And he will,” said Piste.

“I will,” agreed Max, nodding. He just wasn’t sure exactly how yet.

“He just needs some time, he only just got back, he’s been travelling all day. Give him a day or two and I’m sure he can answer all your questions.”

“Yes,” said Max gratefully. Some time to sort things out would let him get his head straight, give him time to decide how to explain things to his people.

Around them the crowd seemed at least partially mollified by the idea. Honeybun, however, wasn’t as easily appeased. “We want answers, Max! What are you doing to help us?”

“Isn’t it about time you opened the bar?” asked Piste. “I think there’s quite a few people around here who look thirsty after a hard day in the fields.”

There was a roar of approval and much of the crowd started to migrate towards the town pub. Honeybun seemed torn for a moment, but saw that most of her supporters were starting to leave and turned to go. “You haven't heard the last of me, either of you!” she mumbled.

Piste took Max by the leg and quickly led him into the nearby town hall. Greenleaves followed close behind.

“What was that about?” asked Max, feeling rather stunned. He’d never known the townspeople to act like that before.

“I’m sorry, Max. Honeybun’s been making trouble for months now. I just can’t control things like you used to,” he wrung his hooves.

“You seemed to be making a good job of it just then. I’m glad you arrived when you did.”

“If I was as good as you, I’d never have let her get so out of control.” Piste hung his head.

“Piste,” said Greenleaves, “she’s always been a trouble maker, she’s not your fault. Max going to Canterlot just gave her something else to complain about.”

“Honeybun is both our problems,” said Max. “Still, I’m sure if we can just get everyone to sit down and listen, we can sort things out.”

Piste nodded. “I suppose so, Max.”

“Well, I’m sure you boys can sort something out,” said Greenleaves. “I better get back to the farm, I’ve got a lot to do. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Greenleaves,” called Max as the mare headed out of the town hall. Then he turned back to Piste. “Now, like I said, it’s good to see you. How have you been?”

“Um, good, I guess. It’s not been easy these last few months. You made being mayor look easy, any chance you’ll take the job back?” He gave a weak smile.

“And you can try being baron?” replied Max with a grin. “You’re welcome to give it a go, but I think it’s even harder!”

“You never told me there was so much paperwork!” said Piste, gesturing towards the mayor’s desk, which was covered in stacks of paper.

“That’s mostly my fault, I’m afraid,” said Max. “There didn’t used to be so much, but since I became baron I’m afraid I need reports on almost everything. But I’ll give you a hoof now I’m back.”

“Um, well, Conn has something to say about that,” said Piste, looking a little shifty.

“Where is he anyway?” asked Max, looking about for Mrs G middle child. “Isn’t he supposed to be your assistant?”

“Oh, his brother rushed in a little while back shouting something about getting married and dragged him away.”

“Ah, well, I guess I should probably head over to Hearth’s and get a room. We should try and get as many of the town council together to have a meeting tonight.”

Piste shook his head. “You can stay here, Max. You don’t need to get a room.”

“I can’t take your place, Piste. You live here now.”

“Well, not really. I tried for a week or so but it never really felt like home. I kept my own house and I stay there most nights. I shifted all your stuff back in here – it’ll take a bit of work to make it liveable, but not that much.”

“Oh, well, if it’s free,” said Max. It would be nice to spend the night in his old bed; the one in Canterlot had never quite felt right.

“It’s always felt like your place even when you weren't here,” said Piste, shrugging.

“Well if you’re sure... It will be nice to spend the night somewhere that feels like home. I’ll get onto sorting the place out, unpack my saddle bags, then I better go and see mum and tell her I’m home.”

“I’ll give you a hoof. You should probably spend the evening settling in. I can get the council together for tomorrow once you’ve made yourself at home,” suggested Piste.

“Maybe we should get to work right away. We’ve got a lot to do,” said Max, turning towards the door. Piste stopped him with an outstretched leg.

“One night won’t make much of a difference, Max.”

“I suppose you’re right,” said Max, pausing for a moment before turning and making his way towards the stairs leading up to the bedroom.

It was dusk by the time Max gently pushed open the door to his mother's cottage. As expected, it wasn’t locked; only the most paranoid ponies bothered in Sadlzburg. Wanting to surprise her, he silently made his way to the sitting room. To his surprise he found a pony that wasn’t his mother sitting in one of the chairs. Doctor House Martin gave a gasp as Max entered, then relaxed. “Don’t do that!” snapped the older unicorn. “You could have given me a heart attack!”

Max swallowed. He’d forgotten that his mother was dating the grumpy doctor. Well, not so much forgotten as tried to push the fact out of him mind. It didn’t seem right, his mother being with anypony; he knew it wasn’t rational but he just didn’t like it.

“What is it, Martin?” came his mother’s voice from the kitchen. She nudged open the door and stuck her head into the room. “Max!” she cried upon seeing her son and rushed towards him as quickly as her bad leg could carry her. The tray of tea that had been on her back went flying, only to be caught in House Martin’s aura and gently rested on a table. “When did you get back?” she asked, nuzzling her son.

“A few hours ago, mum,” said Max, returning the gesture.

“So how was Canterlot? I got all of your letters but I’ve got so many questions.”

“Um, I guess I should be on my way now, give you some time with the boy,” said House Martin, getting up from his seat.

“Oh, you don’t have to go, you know,” said Early Delivery, moving away from her son.

“No, you’ve got some catching up to do and I’d just be in the way. I’ll see you tomorrow,” said the unicorn. He leaned down and kissed Delivery gently on the lips, making Max squirm. “Baron,” he confirmed with a nod as he made his way from the little house.

“So, um, mum, how are things?” asked Max, sitting on one of the seats and moving the tea tray closer. Delivery took a seat opposite and took one steaming mug of tea and sipped it. Max tried the other and almost gagged, finding it sickeningly sweet. How many sugars did House Martin take?

“Not bad. I helped with Sugar Cube’s foaling last week, twins, it was a bit touch and go but both mother and fillies are alright. The father fainted twice, but that’s normal. Piste is still checking up on me every few days like you asked. It’s nice of him given how busy he is now, and I’ve got Martin to look after me as well, he’s here more often than not. Still, I can see you don’t want to hear about my love life, how’s yours? That Buttercup girl you wrote to me about sounded nice. You didn’t really say why you broke up, maybe you could get back together?” She sounded hopeful.

“She did something I wasn’t comfortable with, mum,” said Max, sinking into his chair. He didn’t want to get into what Buttercup had done, and what he’d done to cover it up.

“In bed?” asked his mother, raising an eyebrow. “You shouldn’t be so uptight about that sort of thing. Do you know that before he met me, Martin hadn’t even...”

“No! No, nothing like that,” cried Max, desperately trying to stop his mother before he found out something that would mentally scar him for life. “It was something at court, something morally dubious.” Buttercup had been carrying out illegal treatments on her father to keep him well enough to continue working. Max couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be tempted to do the same if his mother wasn’t as healthy as she was.

“Oh, I suppose that’s a problem, then. It’s just she sounded like a nice match for you and, well, you know time is moving on and, well, grandfoals would be nice.” She gave a grin.

Max felt his face start to glow. It wasn’t something he’d put too much though into, really. “Well, um, there is somepony else I’m seeing.” He winced slightly. He hadn’t planned to bring up Fragrant like this.

“Oh, really? What’s she like?” asked Delivery leaning forwards excitedly.

“She’s very nice. She’s kind and wise and beautiful, powerful too. She’s the duchess of Cloudsdale.”

“Cloudsdale?” Early looked confused. “That’s one of the cloud cities, isn’t it?” Her face paled. “Oh Max, wings again?”

Max sighed. Why did his mother have to be like this? He loved her, but some of the things she came up with... “Yes, she is a pegasus, mother, just like Doctor House Martin is a unicorn.”

“Well, we’re not likely to have foals, not at my age! But think of your foals, Max! Poor feeble little mites probably hardly able to fly, if they have wings.”

“There is no evidence that the children of mixed tribe couples are any different from anypony else of their tribe!”

“No evidence! You remember Red Dawn over Sharpside way? Father a unicorn, mother an earth pony, he had all those terrible headaches! Magic it was, him without a horn, it just built up in his head, killed him it did!”

“Those headaches were nothing to do with his tribe, and he died because he got drunk and walked off the side of a mountain!”

“Because of his headaches! It’s just not right to mix the blood!”

Max rested his head on a hoof. “Look mum, can’t you just be happy for me? I really like Fragrant.”

Delivery sighed. “I suppose I can, Max, but I just thought you might find a nice earth pony mare to settle down with after what happened with Zephyr. That girl was nothing more than a gold digger, Max, I never liked her, and now she’s moved on to Piste...”

“Wait, what?” exclaimed Max, looking up.

“She’s dating Piste. Has been since just after you left. Didn’t he tell you?”

Max’s stomach dropped. Piste hadn’t told him anything about that. He supposed it was none of his business, but why was he keeping it secret? There couldn’t have been more behind his and Zephyr’s break up, could there? No, Piste was his best friend; he wouldn’t do something like that to him, would he? “No... no, he hasn’t mentioned it yet.”

“Well, she was quick enough to get her hooks into him once he was mayor,” continued Delivery. “I don’t think she even gave him a second glance before.”

“Zephyr’s not like that, mum. You know we broke up because my job was taking up too much of my time.”

“Well, Piste isn’t quite a driven as you are, Max. He’s not doing a bad job as mayor, mind, just maybe not quite as good as you did.” She sipped her tea again. “So how long are you staying?”

Max was glad of the change of topic. “Probably about two months, give or take. The court starts again then. It’ll give me time to deal with any issues here. Honeybun certainly seems angry.”

“Oh, her, just stirring up trouble,” said Delivery dismissively. “Her family and your father’s never got on. Her mother saw herself as a shoe-in for the mayorhood, you know. Never happened.”

Max frowned. He’d never heard of that before, and after he’d talked to Fragrant about stopping a feud between her family and Jet Stream’s here he was finding his family had the same problem. Leaning back in his chair, he gave a yawn. “Sorry,” he muttered, “I’m just getting used to being up during the day again. My body thinks I’ve been up all ‘night’.”

Delivery glanced out the window. “Well, it is getting late. Where are you staying?”

“Piste is putting me up in the town hall for the moment.” He wondered if that might be something to do with Piste and Zephyr's relationship. Did he want to keep Max away from his home? “I better be off for the night.” He clambered out of the chair.

“Well, sleep well, dear. I’ll see you in the morning,” said his mother, standing with difficulty, her lame leg wobbling a little.

“Night, mum,” said Max as he left the house. “It’s been good to see you again. I missed you.”

Despite how tired he felt, Max found it difficult to get to sleep that night. His body kept telling him he should be getting up rather than going to bed, and his mind kept running in circles over today’s events. He hadn’t expected to be hailed a returning hero, but he had expected a better reception. Was Honeybun right? Had he been failing Sadlzburg, not getting them enough help? He thought he’d done all he could, but could he have done better? He thought about Fragrant, Buttercup, Baron Fields, Fisher. Had they all just distracted him from doing his job? No, he couldn’t believe that.

Why hadn’t Piste told him about his relationship with Zephyr? Was he worried about how he would react? And how did he feel about it? It had been a while since their breakup; she could date who she wanted, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel some jealousy there.

Max sighed and rolled over in bed. This really wasn’t the homecoming he’d been expecting.

2) Betrayal

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Wiping a final tear from her eye, Fragrant Posey carefully closed and locked the cloud-forged gate to her family cemetery. She always found visiting her parents’ memorial soothing, but others brought back extremely painful memories in her. She paused for a moment to gather herself before walking into the lush greenery of her estate. Plants were normally rare in a cloud-city such as Cloudsdale, but Fragrant’s special talent was hydroponics; the science of growing plants on a water medium, such as clouds. Although she didn’t have as much time as she wanted to personally experiment, she funded and oversaw several teams who developed new breeds of plant suitable for the cities unique environments. The results covered much of the area around the Posey estate, and were quite a profitable side-line for her brother’s company.

Fragrant paused and sniffed a nearby bloom. Her nose was enticed by a subtle lemon like scent, wonderful, just as she’d hoped. It was good to spend a few days relaxing at her ancestral home now that the court was closed for the summer. It gave her time to catch up on the happenings of Cloudsdale and to work on a few personal projects, such as this plant. Of course, the timing of her holiday was not entirely coincidental; she had made sure it coincided with her yearly estrus.

From discussions with her friends, she understood that her yearly cycle was normally mild compared to many other mares’, rarely lasting more than four days with her only symptoms being particularly vivid dreams and a slightly raised libido which was easy enough to deal with by herself. Not for her the desperate urge to jump random strangers in the street that Fleur had once reported. She was sure the mare had been exaggerating, although her lover Fancy Pants had seemed both happy and exhausted to the point of collapse by the end of her heat.

This year, however, had been worse than normal. Maybe her body realised that she now had somepony who could help quench her hormones and was acting accordingly. Alternatively, she’d heard that a mare’s last few heats were particularly fierce, as her body tried for one last time to persuade her to bear a foal before the chance was lost forever. Fragrant didn’t think that was the reason – she was rather young for the menopause – but still, it was not beyond possibility. She hoped that wasn’t the case. If you had asked her a few months ago, she would have said she had no intention of having a foal, but now, well, maybe there was the slightest glimmer of desire there.

Unfortunately, the cause of her change of opinion was hundreds of miles away from her at the moment. Mounty Max, her paramour, was spending the summer in his own province of Nulpar in the far north of Equestria. Although Cloudsdale was currently heading in that approximate direction to spend the rest of the summer in cooler climes, it would not be passing closer than two hundred miles of him. She had measured. During her most hormonal moments she had been gripped with the urge to visit him, and had had to fight against herself not to demand the cities pilots make all speed towards her beloved. She was glad she had restrained herself; moving a whole city off course just to make a ‘booty call’, as her nephew would no doubt call it, would be rather embarrassing.

However, even though she kept control of her conscious mind, her unconscious continued to fixate on the grey earth pony. In a particularly vivid dream at the height of her heat, she had pictured herself as a female version of the pegasus hero, Commander Hurricane, and Max as the leader of a small earth pony settlement which had resisted one of her raiding parties. When she and the rest of her forces had arrived to deal with the upstarts, Max had challenged her to single combat to save the lives of his ponies. She could no longer remember the exact details of the battle, but her fevered mind had conjured up visions of Max’s muscled form repeatedly slamming against her own and the two of them rolling around in the dust in a mass of limbs. The fight had finally come to a close when she pinned him to the ground between her legs; he had struggled but had finally spent the last of his strength and had lay there beneath her, looking so vulnerable. Unable to resist his charms, she had ordered his village spared and taken him captive to join her harem. Unfortunately, it had been at that point that her maids had decided to awaken her. Still half in the dream, she had demanded they have Max washed and brought to her bedchambers so she could further enjoy the spoils of her victory. When she had finally fully woken up, she and her staff had shared several very awkward moments before she finally gathered her wits together enough to dismiss them.

She had no doubt the story was all over the estate by now. So much for keeping her relationship with Max quiet. Still, she trusted her staff to keep her secrets, or she used to think she did. She had not too long ago found a spy amongst her personal staff: a maid who had been passing on her itinerary to the press. She had been furious and had sacked the traitor on the spot. She truly hoped there were no others like her.

She shook herself from her thoughts. Recalling her dreams had brought a flush to her cheeks and a certain tingle rather further back along her body. Maybe her hormones hadn’t entirely burnt themselves out yet. Should she take another day off before returning to her duties? No, she had spent too much time putting aside her work already, work that would now be piling up and requiring her attention. Sighing, she took one last look at the garden before returning to her personal office. As expected, piles of uncompleted paperwork has started to build up. The estate’s seneschal, Skyla Dash, and her current personal assistant, Saltpeter Principle, had tried their best to deal with the situation, but neither of them had Notebook’s instinct for that sort of thing. Her normal assistant was spending the summer in Canterlot, acting as Max’s proxy. Max didn’t have anypony else to rely on while he was away, so she had offered Notebook; he had filled in for her in the past so he knew the ropes, and with her niece, Forming, acting as her proxy this year, he wasn’t needed in her service.

Sighing again, Fragrant carefully sat on the cloud seat positioned in front of her desk and considered where to start. Glancing around, she noticed an envelope embossed with a large seal. Lifting it from the pile of other correspondence, she examined it. It was the mark of her friend, and mentor, Vicereine Wallflower. Fragrant hadn’t been informed of any correspondence arriving from her – it must have fallen through the cracks. Picking up a letter opener with her mouth, she carefully prised the missive open before unfolding the contents, and began to read the message in Wallflowers blocky mouthwriting.

Dear Fragrant

My apologies for not passing this message to you in person. It is pure cowardice on my part, I’m afraid. I have wrestled with my conscience long and hard to decide whether to send this note to you but I believe that you deserve to know the truth. As part of our agreement with the Princess we said that we would disclose the identities of all the informers we held within other courtiers staff, and as you know in my case that was a large number. However, I did not disclose everypony. I did not inform you of the agent I placed among your people. Please, I ask you not to think too harshly of my agent, although employed by myself I believe his loyalty to you was true. If you need to blame anypony, blame me and my lack of trust. However, it is only right that I inform you that my agent is none other than...

The letter gently fluttered to the ground, falling from Fragrant’s nerveless hoof. She stood silently for a moment, her mind running round and round over the information she had just received. It didn’t make any sense. How could he? After so many years? How? Why? She felt numb. It was just too much. There had to be some explanation, some reason. Why would Wallflower do this to her? She had always been her ally, her friend even, she’s introduced her to her wife! The cold numbness started to clear to be replaced by a burning heat. With a snarl, Fragrant slammed a hoof into the antique writing desk, leaving a large dent. Wings spread wide, she stormed from the room.

Less than half an hour later, Fragrant’s personal air chariot made an unscheduled departure from her estate, heading east at its maximum speed and making a beeline towards Canterlot.

“How could you!” growled Fragrant, advancing on the traitor. “After all I’ve done for you!”

Notebook sat impassively across a desk from the angry mare. “I am sorry...” he said calmly.

“Sorry! Sorry!” she cried. “I trusted you, I made you my personal assistant, I thought we were...” She tried to bring herself back under control, to still her wildly flapping wings and thrashing tail. “And all this time you were employed by Wallflower to report on my activities, to spy on me! Why did you do it? For money? Did she promise you more power? What did she offer you?”

“Nothing.”

Fragrant gawped. “Nothing?” she cried in astonishment. “You just betrayed me for free!”

“It was my duty as a member of the Royal Diplomatic Corps, as ordered by my superior Vicereine Wallflower.”

Fragrant was once again taken aback. “You literally are a spy!” she gasped.

For the first time Notebook showed some emotion, smiling slightly. “A failed spy, I’m afraid.”

“Then everything you’ve told me about your past is a lie? You didn’t train as an actor before joining the weather service?” She was intrigued despite herself.

“Actually, that was true. I was an actor, not that successful of one, but enough to catch the attention of the RDC recruiters. You might be surprised how much in common actors and spies have. They trained me for field work, and that included a good amount of bureaucracy – again, you might be surprised how much spies and personal assistants have in common. However, I didn’t quite make the grade. I probably would have been given a role somewhere in the more administrative sections of the RDC, but Wallflower herself contacted me with a mission. She said she would place me within your ministry, and I was to work my way into your inner circle and report back to her of any wrongdoings.”

“And so you told Wallflower about everything I did, spilled all my secrets to her, invaded my privacy, pretended to be my friend!” She tried to hold back her tears of anger and sadness.

“I told her nothing,” said Notebook, standing from his chair and holding out a hoofkerchief.

Fragrant frowned. “But you said...”

“I was instructed to report back any evidence of wrongdoings on your part, and there were none. I could find nothing wrong. I did not pretend to be your friend... I am your friend. Or I was.” His mask broke, and a look of sadness settled on his face as he looked down towards the ground. Fragrant reached out and took the scrap of cloth, slowly dabbing her eyes. “I’ve always meant to tell you, but it’s not easy. I know how much you value privacy and how much this hurts you. I’ve been dreading this day all the more since Wallflower told me she was telling you of my role. I haven't been sleeping well. I was expecting you a fortnight ago – I guess your time of the year got in the way of you opening your mail?”

Fragrant nodded. He knew her so well, and that was the problem. If he had just been any other member of her staff, she might have been able to forgive him, but he had been her personal assistant for almost ten years now. The betrayal was just too close to her. She’d trusted him to look after Fluttering and Forming during their times at court – she’d trusted him with her family!

“I really am sorry for how you had to find out, for all of this, but I’ve never wanted to hurt you,” continued Notebook. “Please, can you forgive me?” he pleaded, looking her in the eyes.

She looked at the contrite pony in front of her and thought of all the times they had spent together; the support he’d provided her with, both personal and professional; the time she’d comforted him after he’d found his stallionfriend cheating on him, unless that had been a lie too. Had it really all been based on lies? How much was real? She shook her head. “No,” she said. “I can’t. You’re fired.” She tried to keep her voice level.

A look of shock passed over his face and he almost staggered back, resting a hoof on the desk to stop himself from falling. “You can’t do this!” he gasped.

“I am sorry. I cannot trust you any more, not after this. I will pay you full severance and provide good references, but you can’t work for me anymore.” Her face was blank.

“No, I mean you can’t. I don’t work for you at the moment. I had to technically resign to take up a role as Max’s proxy for the summer.”

Fragrant frowned. That had not occurred to her. “Very well. I will contact Baron Max about this and he will decide what to do with you, but you will not be welcome in my employ.”

Notebook nodded and slumped against the desk. “I truly am sorry that things ended this way. If things could have worked out differently...” He stopped. “I’m sorry. I did enjoy our time together. You were my favourite boss, and one of my best friends.”

“I wish things had been different as well, but I cannot forgive this. I hope you do well with whatever you choose to do with your life.” She turned and stiffly walked from the office.

Once outside, Fragrant glanced around to make sure nopony was watching before leaning wearily against the wall. Why did this have to happen? Why now? Things had been going so well, Fluttering was feeling better, the court was being reformed, she had Max. And now, treachery so close to her, from someone she trusted implicitly. Could she truly trust nopony? Would Max do the same someday? No! She couldn’t let herself think that way, couldn’t lose all hope. This wasn’t even really Notebook’s fault. There was further betrayal here. He had been put up to it by Wallflower, the next pony she had to speak with.

Fragrant’s temper had cooled by the time she finally made her way through the bureaucratic hurdles to get an appointment with the vicereine. Despite her close friendship with Wallflower, it still took several hours for her request for a meeting to make its way to the earth pony. However, the invitation was immediately accepted, as if Wallflower had expected her, and the two of them met in Wallflower’s study. The large wood-panelled room was heated by a roaring fire despite it being summer, and portraits of Wallflowers ancestors, stuffed fish, and several crossbows hung from the walls. Fragrant had refused the drink a servant had offered her, but Wallflower had a large tumbler of some golden liquid by her chair. The earth pony’s huge double-headed dog sat quietly at its mistress’s hooves, apparently sensing the tense atmosphere between her and Fragrant.

“Why?” asked Fragrant as soon as she was seated facing the older mare. “Why were you spying on me?”

“Because I am a vicereine,” intoned Wallflower. “I am maybe the second most powerful pony in Equestria, the world even, and I don’t hold that power without making sure I know everything my enemies are doing.”

“Enemies!” exclaimed Fragrant. “I thought we were friends, you trained me, you were my mentor, I introduced you to your wife!”

Wallflower sighed. “We are friends m’dear, but we might not always be. You are a powerful pony. The weather ministry could be quite a weapon if you ever used it as such. I have to make sure you don’t misuse that power.”

“Like you have?” said Fragrant pointedly. “When have I ever done anything wrong?”

“You paid a bribe, according to the Princess.” Fragrant flinched. “Look, it’s nothing personal. I have tried to place agents in many nobles’ staff, although most of them weren’t as close as Notebook was to you.”

“You really thought I’d abuse my power? Why would you ever think that?”

“You’ve not always been all that stable. Remember how you were after Greenhorn left you because of...”

“You have no right to bring that up!” screamed Fragrant suddenly. Her eyes flashed and her wings spread wide.

Wallflower’s face paled at Fragrant’s reaction. “You… you’re right,” she stuttered. “I’m sorry, that was a low blow on my part, but you have to admit we’ve all had bad times in our lives, and some of us have the power to ruin the lives of a great number of ponies. Look what Night Light did. Although I’ve heard his daughter’s come out of hiding, given herself up, so maybe we can put that nasty business behind us now.”

Fragrant rested her hooves in her lap for a moment. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to stop herself from shaking. “Why... why have you told me? I would have been happier in ignorance.”

“You’re a smart mare, m’dear. I think you would have found out sooner or later. Maybe Notebook would have told you himself. Maybe this way is better.”

“Ten years, ten years he’s been my assistant and another five in my employ. Was this really the best time to tell me?”

“I told you because, as you yourself have pointed out, the court needs to change or Luna will disband us all. I did what I felt I had to do at the time, but it wasn’t the right thing.” She shook her head. “I’ve hurt you and many other ponies and it needs to stop. And I’m sorry for what I’ve done, I truly am, m’dear.” Wallflower sighed and took a sip of her drink. She seemed older than she had a few minutes ago, more withdrawn.

“I suppose I should thank you for that, at least,” sighed Fragrant. “But you know how I value my privacy. I don’t think you could have found a better way to hurt me.”

“I think Luna has plans for you, I do too, but you’ve always been, well, fragile. See what happened after the gala. We were all hurt, but you seemed to take it worse. If you’re going to play with the big fillies, you’re going to need to be able to deal with this sort of thing. To not take things so personally. This is the way things work. I have my bright young things in the diplomatic service, Night Light and Puissance have their own agents, Fisher has his military intelligence assets. Notebook wasn’t the only mole in your staff, was he?”

Fragrant shook her head. Many other nobles had revealed their agents in her ministry, and she doubted all of them had been revealed. Still, she’d hoped Wallflower was better than that. “And isn’t that just the sort of thinking we’re trying to stamp out with the courts reforms? We shouldn’t sink to the level of the bad seeds. We need to be better than they are.”

Wallflower was silent for a moment, tapping a hoof on her muzzle. “That might be why Luna has plans for you,” she muttered. “You’re right, which is why I told you, but you’re a fool if you think the new regulatory body by itself will fix everything or that it won’t have to use the same methods as I have.” She leaned forwards. “Do you think we can still work together after this? Can you be professional?”

Fragrant scowled. “I do not think you have been all that professional. But yes, I can continue to work with you, although I do not know if we can continue to be friends. Not now. Maybe later.”

Wallflower sunk back into her chair. “Fair enough. Maybe I can regain your trust.”

“May I go?” asked Fragrant, getting up from her chair.

“Of course.”

Fragrant paused at the door. “Did Holly know what you did?” Fragrant had long been friends with Wallflower’s wife; the two of them had been roommates at university. Wallflower’s betrayal had been a surprise, but for Holly Bush to know... she couldn’t believe that.

Wallflower sighed. “No, she did not. I told her the same time I sent you the letter.”

“And?”

“And I spent several nights sleeping with Liebe, Toleranz and the rest of my babies in one of the spare bedrooms. But she’s come around now. She knows that what I did was for the best.”

“And was it? For the best?”

“I think so,” mumbled Wallflower. Then she looked up. “Don’t blame him.”

“Who?”

“Notebook. He was only acting on my orders and he never reported any wrongdoings to me. Never reported at all really, just said nothing was wrong.”

Fragrant nodded. “I know, he told me. I didn’t entirely believe him, though.”

“What are you going to do with him?” asked Wallflower.

“I fired him,” said Fragrant sharply.

“I think you should reconsider,” said Wallflower. “I think he’s more loyal to you than me.”

“That might be true, but I can’t forget what he did.”

“It is your decision, but I would be happier if you were angry with me rather than him.”

“I am angry with both of you,” said Fragrant coldly as she left the room. “I don’t think either of you could have thought of a way to hurt me more if you’d tried.”

Fragrant struggled not to slump against the wall as she left Wallflower’s rooms. How had things managed to turn around so quickly? Only yesterday she had been happy, looking forwards to a new tomorrow for the court, a better tomorrow. Now, one of her friends had been spying on her on behalf of another. She could just about understand why Wallflower had done it, she knew how other courtiers could be, why – say Blueblood or Fisher – needed to be kept under a watchful gaze, but did she really deserve the same? Or was she being hypocritical by thinking that? Why did things have to be so complicated? So murky?

What should she do about Notebook? Could she ever trust him again? Was it even really his fault? She couldn’t just forgive him. Maybe he didn’t pass on any secrets to Wallflower, but he could have at any point. He had lied to her.

She sighed again and started to trudge back towards her estate here in Canterlot where her sky chariot awaited for the trip back to Cloudsdale. She didn’t think she could stay in the capital at the moment, not after what she had just found out. She needed somepony to talk to, somepony who she could trust. She didn’t want to burden Forming with the news, not as she was acting as proxy for the first time. Her brother, maybe? She could trust Thunderous, but sometimes she thought he could be to controlling; she was still trying to find out exactly what he had told Cloudia’s daughter to get her to agree to look after Fluttering. It was likely that he would agree with Wallflower. She needed someone not ground down by life at court. She needed Max!

Nulpar was some way off, but not that far. She could be there in a few days. But what of her duties? Cloudsdale needed her, there was so much to do, and she had ministry duties as well. Maybe, maybe she could hold on for a while, finish off her work in Cloudsdale… and then, well, as a new province Nulpar should probably have its weather situation reviewed. A full team would be needed, and it wouldn’t be out of the question to visit herself, even if only for a few days.

A week, maybe two, and she could see Max again, be in his arms again. Well, maybe that was going a little far, but at least she could talk to him and then maybe, just maybe the world would make sense again. She hoped.

3) You Can't Go Home Again

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Max was awoken by the crowing of the cock and groaned quietly as he rolled off of his bed. He stood blinking for a few moments, trying to remember where he was. His room in the town hall was at once familiar and strange to him, creating an unsettling cognitive dissonance. After a moment, he decided to try and ignore it and find something to eat. It was clear that Piste hadn’t spent much time in the town hall’s living quarters for a while, but Max eventually managed to find a bag of oats and some dried fruit that didn’t smell too bad, and mixed up a bowl of porridge over the wood burning stove. He was glad Piste had left the water barrel and wood store stocked; he didn’t fancy going out and maybe bumping into Honeybun again until he got his head sorted out. He munched his way through his breakfast without much enthusiasm. He guessed he was spoiled by the food he had in Canterlot; the selection here on the edge of Equestria wasn’t anywhere near as good. Still, it was enough to keep him going.

He had just finished washing up when there was a knocking on the door. Frowning, Max made his way to the front of the town hall, and opened the door to reveal a tall aquamarine unicorn mare with her yellow and white mane tied up in a severe bun. “Good morning, baron,” she said with a curtsy.

“You don’t need to be so formal, Hearth,” he said, gesturing for her to come in. “I was just thinking of going out to see you, actually. How’s business?”

“Very well, thank you.” Welcoming Hearth was the owner of the town’s only hotel. The building had once been a large barn, but had since been refitted to be able to hold the town’s small tourist population as well as anyone who found themselves homeless for any reason. It also hosted most local social events or gatherings. “Certainly it’s been booming since Nulpar was formed. All sorts of ponies want to see what the new province is about: hikers, skiers, we get all sorts.” She looked around for a second before leaning forwards and whispering confidentially, “Why, the week before last we had a very strange group, half a dozen mysterious ‘travellers’, most with Califerlong accents unless I miss my guess. Didn’t want to say where they were going, just passing through, apparently, but they did ask a few questions about mount Bodach.”

“Bodach?” It was a particularly treacherous peak over a week’s travel to the north of Sadlezburg; even pegasi avoided it due to the strong winds near constantly blowing around it. When he was much younger, Max had climbed it as a dare, and almost died doing so. As far as he knew, he was the only pony to ever do so. Although he’d heard some goat tribes used the ordeal as a coming of age ceremony.

“Yes. They didn’t say why, though. It’s not exactly a tourist attraction. Now, I would never spy on my guests,” she smiled coyly, “but a few of their bags may have fallen open while I was cleaning their room. They were quite well equipped – ropes, pitons, sample jars, all sorts of tools, excellent quality too.”

Max frowned. That was odd, could they be surveying in some way? He didn’t think Nulpar had much in the way of useful minerals; there were a few mining camps in the northwest, but they weren’t that fruitful. Maybe somepony else knew more than he did; it wasn’t usually that hard. “Thanks, Hearth. I’ll look into it.”

“Anyway, has anypony else arrived yet?” She looked around.

“No, why would there be anypony else around?”

“Piste called around last night and said the council was meeting this morning.”

“Oh, I suppose they are, really. I just wanted to catch up on things. Nothing official.”

“I understand.” There was a further knocking on the door. “I guess I’ll make myself comfortable while we wait for the others, then.” She stalked off towards the meeting room while Max turned to the door again. Behind it were three familiar ponies; two pegasi – a white mare and a yellow coated stallion – and a green earth pony mare. “Breeze, Sunbeam, Greenleaves. Come in.”

“Morning, Max,” said Greenleaves as she entered the town hall.

“Rock Steady send his regards, Breeze,” said Max as Arctic Breeze brushed past him.

“Rock Steady?” The ex-guard frowned. “That’s a name I haven't heard in a long time. How’s he doing?”

“He’s well. He lets me use the guards’ gym. Oh, and I’ve got a present for little Chilly. Did you bring her?” He looked about for the foal.

“She’s not so little anymore, she’s past my hock already. She’s being looked after by my mother,” said Sunbeam. “She’s looking forward to being a big sister.”

Max looked back and forth between the two pegasi. Now that it was mentioned, Arctic Breeze did look a little plumper than he remembered. “Congratulations!” he cried. “No one told me!”

“Thanks,” said Breeze with a grin. “It was a bit of a surprise really. You should have seen Sunbeam’s face when I told him.” She giggled slightly as her husband frowned.

“When’s he or she due?”

“I’m about four months gone, so late next winter.”

Wow, I really have missed out on the things happening at home, thought Max. “Well, you better take the weight off them.” He gestured to the meeting room.

“I’m perfectly fine, it’s not like I’m going to break,” said Breeze huffily. “I get enough of that from him,” she nodded to Sunbeam.

He frowned. “I just want to look after you and the foal, you know.”

“Five years in the guard. I think I can take care of myself better than you can,” grumbled Breeze as the two of them trotted into the other room.

Max was about to join them when a further knock sounded from the door. Wondering why he bothered to shut it, he opened it again. There stood one of the few crystal ponies living in Sadlzburg. “Max!” she cried in joy, and he had to momentarily shield his eyes as her internal radiance doubled. Leaping forwards, she first gently bumped her head against his and then wrapped her forelegs around his neck in a tight embrace. “I didn’t think you’d ever get back!” Shimmers ran up and down her back.

“Good to see you too, Sparks,” gasped Max. The hug made breathing rather hard. Sparks, or Sradagach to go by her true name, was one of the few crystal ponies living in Sadlzburg; she had been found as a filly by some lumberjacks, and had just been wandering by herself with no clue as to there she had come from. She had been adopted by a family of goats; in fact, Caoimhe was one of her foster sisters. Whether it was her upbringing, her origin or her nature, she had ended up rather excitable.

“So what was it like in Canterlot, I’ve heard it’s really high up, so high you can see the clouds below and the pegasi put special clouds there so that anypony can jump onto them and go bounce! Did you see the Princess? What’s she like? Does she bounce on the clouds too?”

Max gently detached himself from the eccentric young mare. “No bouncy clouds that I saw, I’m afraid.” He’d have to ask Fragrant about that; it was probably something Sparks made up, but you never knew. “But the city is up high, not quite that high but higher than the Eyrie. Yes, I saw the Princess, I’ve even spoken to her once or twice. she’s very nice... most of the time.” He shuddered, remembering her anger as she had castigated the court. “You know, if there were bouncy clouds, I think she might use them.” He grinned.

“Oh, I’ve got a present for you!”

“Really? You didn’t have to.” He had bought a few knickknacks from Canterlot for his friends, but they didn’t need to get him anything.

“You’re a baron now! That means you need to have a palace so I...” She was interrupted by a further knock from the door.

“Just a second, Sparks,” said Max, opening the door again.

“Um, morning, Max,” said Piste, looking nervous. Behind him stood a slightly calmer looking pale yellow pegasus mare.

Max blinked. “Good morning, Piste, Zephyr,” he said through gritted teeth, a wave of emotions washing through him at the sight of his old marefriend. He’d thought he was over her, that he’d moved on even before leaving Nulpar. He was with Fragrant now, he reminded himself. Still he couldn’t help but feel a rising tide of jealousy, no matter how irrational.

“Hi, um, yeah you might not be expecting this, well you see Zephyr has been helping me out for a few months now, she, um, asked how she could help and she’s good with paperwork and well you see...” Max watched his friend squirm for a moment before deciding to get it over with.

“Mum told me about the two of you last night,” he said.

“Oh, well, that, um...”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, Piste?”

“Well I didn’t, you know... I wondered if you’d...”

“He was worried how you’d take it, Max,” said Zephyr, stepping forwards.

“Yeah,” agreed Piste lamely.

“I, well, I’d be lying if I said I was entirely ok with it.” He felt a churning in his chest. He couldn’t decide what he felt. Relief? Anger? Betrayal? Jealousy? He certainly wasn’t at his best. “But you and me split up.” He indicated Zephyr. “You’re free to do whatever you want. I didn’t expect you to be interested in another mayor, though.”

“Piste is different from you, Max, he has time for both me and Sadlzburg. He doesn’t try to fix all the problems by himself. I don’t want things to be awkward. Do you think we can work together, Max, the three of us? Can you be professional?”

Max scowled. He didn’t think he was the one being unprofessional. Then he sighed. “Yes, I think I can work with you, if you can work with me?”

“Good,” said Zephyr, striding off into the other room. Sparks glared at her as she went, her head and neck throbbing with a baleful red light.

“Look Max, I meant to tell you but, well, she was your mare for a long time and, well, I didn’t think me and her would, you know...” said Piste.

“Yeah, I know, Piste. I’m happy for you, for both of you.” He thought it was probably a lie. “We can talk about it...”

There was another knock at the door, and Max threw it open with more force than was really needed. Behind it stood the last of the ah-hoc town council, a trio of goats.

“Good morning, dearie,” said Mrs G, then she paused. “You don’t look very happy. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just been a hard morning, Mrs G,” sighed Max. Mrs G gave Max a hard look for a moment, then pushed on past him. “Conn, Sealbhach, good to see you,” said Max to Mrs G’s younger sons as they entered the room. “Brian not coming?”

“Well I wouldn’t say that, it is his honeymoon after all,” said Sealbhach with a cheeky grin. “Even if he’s already knocked up his nanny. I haven't seen him all morning. I guess he and Caoimhe are busy.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“He’s telling everybody about the wedding reception,” said Mrs G, scowling at her youngest son. “It’s tomorrow in the town square. You’re all invited, of course. House Martin is working so he won’t be able to make this meeting.”

“Welcome back, Max,” said Conn as they entered the meeting room. As usual, it was bursting at the seams to hold all the members of the town council. A space at the head of the table had been left for Max, with Piste standing to one side. “Look, there are some things we need to talk about. I don’t think you’ve...”

“Right, everybody,” said Piste, cutting off the goat. “We’ve got a lot to go through today, and for a change you won’t need to listen to me waffle on because Max is back.” He gestured to the seat. Smiling at his friends, Max made his way to his place and sat down.

“It’s nice to be back. I’ve missed you all.” There was a polite round of applause. “Now, to hit the ground running, I’ve got some new ideas I’d like us to try out. For instance, we might need to set up a province militia or at least plan it. The defence committee provides grants for that sort of thing. Breeze, you have the most experience at military matters. Do you think anyone might be interested?”

The mare thought for a moment. “Maybe a few. Lone Star used to be in the military.” Max nodded, thinking of the old bounty hunter. He would be a good start. “And there are always a few of the older foals asking me to tell them about the life in the guard. Maybe something for them to do, to find out what the military is really like. Do you know something we don’t, Max? Something about Corona?” Sunbeam moved closer to his wife and rested a wing on her back.

“No, nothing like that! Just an idea in case anything happens. A unit might be useful if there’s anything like the avalanche at Innsbuck again.” There were nods around the table.

“But a province militia isn’t really a town issue, is it, Max?” said Conn.

“Well, I suppose not, but I’m just throwing out some ideas for the moment. Anyone else got anything they want to talk about?”

“Well,” said Hearth, standing up, “I thought we could go over the plans for the Fall Festival. It’s still a few months away, but with all the out of provincers coming this year I think we need to start organising early.”

“Out of provincers?” asked Max. The Fall Festival was one of the biggest events on Sadlzburg’s calendar. It was held after most of the crops were brought in, and involved not only the town’s citizens but people from miles around who all gathered to trade their goods as well as having a good time.

“Oh, of course you probably don’t know. We managed to get a few VIPs coming to look over our produce this year. A regional director for the Apple Trust, somepony from Fisher Farming, even a few business ponies from Califerlong.”

“Wow! How did that happen?” He’d been trying to get more out of province investment in Sadlzburg for years.

“Um, well, I was talking to some of the officials down in Praris and they gave me some names to try,” said Piste. “But it was Zephyr who actually managed to convince them to come. She’s got quite the knack at that sort of thing.” He gave the pegasus a peck on the cheek, then froze in place for a moment before turning back to Max, his cheeks glowing. “Oh, um, sorry.”

Max tried to drive down another burst of jealousy. “That’s alright, Piste. He turned back to the rest of the council. “Well, that all seems like a good idea. So, Greenleaves, how are things going with the farms? Do we have a range of things to show off?”

“Max,” said Conn. “Look, you shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Doing what?” said Max, looking confused.

“Running this meeting. This is the town council. Ok, most of us aren't elected, more like advisors, but you don’t have a place here.”

“Yes I do, it’s my town!”

“Well, it’s not, really. You run the whole of Nulpar now, but the powers of the province and town government are separate. You don’t have any power here – Piste is the mayor now. He can invite you into the meeting, but you shouldn’t running it. Look, I don’t want to cause trouble, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be!” The goat looked awkward.

“Oh,” said Max as a wave of silence blew over the room. He hadn’t really thought about it that way. He’d just assumed that now he was back in Sadlzburg things would go back to the way they had been. He hadn’t thought about how his position had changed, but if anyone knew the rules, it would be Conn. It was right, but it still hurt – he’d put so much into Sadlzburg over the years, and now, to not have any say in it? He felt like he was untethered. “I’m sorry, Piste,” he stuttered. “I didn’t realise.”

“Hey, don’t worry, Max, you’re much better at this than I am anyway,” said Piste, raising a conciliatory leg.

“No, that’s not true, you’re just as good a mayor as I was. Better, even. You certainly got through to Honeybun yesterday, and you’ve done things with the fair I didn’t even think of.” Max stood from his seat, “You should be sitting here, not me.” He stepped aside.

“No, Max!” cried Piste.

“No, you should be doing this, it’s your job.” Gingerly, Piste sat at the head of the table. “Good,” continued Max. “Now, is there anything else I haven't thought of? Remember, my order to point out if I’m being stupid is still in place.” There were a few fragile laughs around the table.

“Well,” said Conn. “As baron, you’re supposed to be helping the whole province, but so far you’ve only really worked for Sadlzburg.”

“I’m helping all my people,” said Max.

“Really?” said Conn. “You've got more funding for the clinic, but there are a lot of other settlements that don’t even have one, and from what I’ve seen the farming grants only cover this area as well. You should be thinking about the rest of the province.”

Max opened his mouth to try and refute Conn’s argument, then stopped. The goat was right. It hadn’t really occurred to him, but when he thought of Nulpar he was really thinking for Sadlzburg. True, the town held a sizable proportion of the province’s population, but it wasn’t the only town, let alone the only settlement. “You’re right,” he admitted slowly. “Anything else?”

“Well, it’s not strictly wrong, but...” The goat looked awkward. “You shouldn’t really be staying here. The town hall can be used by any resident of the town if they need a roof over their head, but, well, the baron isn’t considered to exactly be a resident. If anyone else needs the space, we should, well, throw you out.” Mrs G glared at her son, who flinched.

“We wouldn’t go that far, Max,” said Piste.

“No, rules are rules,” said Max. “I can move out. I’m sure Hearth has a few rooms.”

“Well, I’m not full, but most of my better rooms are booked,” she admitted. “But I’m sure I can find you some space somewhere.”

“My surprise!” cried Sparks, leaping to her hooves with her face literally glowing. “I almost forgot.” She grabbed Max by the hoof and began to drag him from the room. “This way, look!”

“Sparks, what are you doing, where are we going?” asked Max as the younger pony lead him out of the town hall and through the streets of Sadlzburg. The rest of the council followed them, looking just as bemused. Sparks was eccentric most of the time, but this seemed strange even for her.

“Almost there!” she cried as they approached the outskirts of the town, near the sawmill that her adopted family owned. Max wondered if whatever she was going to show him was in her home, but she led him past and away from the town. “Look!” she cried, pointing to a medium sized building on a small hillock a little away outside of town.

“What?” asked Max, “What is it?”

“It’s your mansion! Every baron should have one! You didn’t have one so I made it.” She looked down and nervously scraped at the ground with her hoof. Her internal glow faded for a moment, apart from some patches on her sides. “I made it for you.”

“You made me a house!” exclaimed Max. “All by yourself?”

“Well some of the guys helped. It’s not really finished, it needs towers and, oh, a moat, and a banqueting hall, but it’s good enough to stay in. Do you like it?” she asked, looking up at Max, eyes wide.

“It’s... it’s....” The building was rather plain from the outside, little more than a large wooden cabin really, similar to the majority of the buildings that made up the town. It looked like it had at least two floors and was probably big enough to hold a large extended family. Despite its construction seeming a little rough in places, it looked sturdy enough. “It’s perfect!” he exclaimed.

“Really?” cried Sparks jumping up and down, glowing brightly. “I was worried it wouldn’t be enough!”

“Sparks, you really didn’t have do all that yourself. It must have cost a lot. Let me pay you for it.”

“No! You’re going to be the best baron ever, so you deserve the best estate ever!”

“Well, if you say so.” Max made a mental note that if he ever got round to levying taxes for the province, Sparks wouldn’t be paying any for a long time. “Any problems with it, Conn?”

The goat considered for a moment. “Well, it could be considered a bribe, I suppose.”

“Oh,” said Sparks, her ears drooping and her glow going out.

“I do really appreciate the gesture, but let me buy it from you. Compared to Canterlot, the going rate here’s not that much.” He hoped it would work out, anyway; he’d spent an awful lot on his place in Canterlot, but he could probably just about afford a house here as well.

“Well, ok, but let me show you around!” grabbing Max by the hoof again, Sparks dragged him towards the house.

Sparks ran the party through a quick tour of the house. It contained a large ‘throne room’ on the ground floor which Max thought would make a reasonable meeting room once the large chair set at one end was moved and replaced with a table; there was also a kitchen, bathroom, two offices and half a dozen bedrooms. The furnishing was sparse, but would certainly support him at least in the short term. In all it looked like a place he would be happy to live in, at least for a while.

“I still can’t believe you made all this in a few months, Sparks,” said Max. “It’s perfect. If I can’t stay in the town hall, I can stay here, and if anyone wants to talk to me they can come here. There’s space for me and Mrs G to work from as well.”

“You really don’t have to move out of the Town Hall if you don’t want to,” said Piste, “Whatever Conn says, no-one cares about the rules.”

“No, rules are rules, and the town hall is for the mayor, and that’s you now.”

“But it’s your place, Max!”

“No, Piste, it’s yours now. You’re doing as good a job as I was, probably better, and you need to show the town that you are the mayor. Plus it’s big enough for you and Zephyr, and maybe even a f-family... I more or less grew up there.”

“Um, well, no need to go that far yet,” said Piste, sweating nervously as Zephyr looked at him with a calculating gaze.

“Good. Now, Mrs G, what do you think of the place?”

“Seems nice. I think we can work from here,” agreed the nanny.

“Conn?”

“The baron should have an official residence. This fits the bill,” he agreed.

“Good. Now I better get to settling in while you finish off your meeting.”

“I can invite you to sit in, you know,” said Piste.

“Like I said, you’re mayor now. You don’t want me looking over your shoulder all the time. Just tell me anything you think I need to know once you’re done. I’ll start moving in while you’re doing that.”

Slowly, the rest of the council made their way out of the house and headed back to the town hall, leaving only Max and Mrs G behind. Max let out a long sigh and looked around the bare walls of his new residence. “We better get to work, then,” he said.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this, dear?” asked Mrs G.

“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” He slumped into the ‘throne’ Sparks had set up for him. “I didn’t think things would be like this. I thought I’d come home and things would be like they used to be. Now I find out everything’s different.”

“Well, Conn could have told you about that a bit earlier, or in private. I’ll have a word with him.” She scowled.

“No, it’s not his fault, I should have known that sort of thing myself. I knew things would change, but not this much. Piste’s with Zephyr, I’m not mayor any more, it seems like the people don’t like me anymore. Are they right? Didn’t I spend enough time working for them?”

“It’s just talk. They expect everything fixed like that. We both know these things take time.”

“I know, but how do I tell them that?”

“You’ll figure something out, you usually do. Anyway, things are different, but you’re different too. You’re not the pony you were six months ago.”

“I suppose so. I need to act like a baron, not a mayor, think bigger.” He paused for a moment. “I wish I knew how. I wish Fragrant were here. She’d know what to do.”

“And is that the only reason you want her to be here?” asked Mrs G with a grin.

“Well, probably not,” admitted Max.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Well move in here, I guess. Have a think about what I’m going to do, decide how I become the baron Sadlzburg... no, Nulpar needs. I have to figure out how I’m going to run the whole province. There are probably some who don’t even know I’m baron. I’ll need to think about it.”

“Remember what I said, you’re not too good at thinking. Try feeling instead.”

Max considered that. It normally worked, but his feelings told him that he should be act like a mayor, and that Zephyr shouldn’t be with Piste. He didn’t think that would work this time.

“I’ll see what I can do. Now, let’s get my stuff from the town hall and get settled in,” he said.

It didn’t take long for Max to move his possessions from the Town hall to his new home, christened Mounty Hall by Sparks, and only a bit longer to find out where to put them all – he still had plenty of space left over. He ended up spending most of the rest of the day trying – and failing – to get some work done. He adopted the office closest to the main bedroom (It was furnished; Sparks seemed to think he needed a bed large enough for three or four ponies for some reason. Two seemed fine to Max.) as his own and soon the floor was covered with screwed up scraps of parchment. He was trying to write a series of letters to the various leaders of the settlements of Nulpar to introduce himself as baron and to ask them what he could do to help them, but he couldn’t get the words to come out right; how to introduce himself, how to explain things. He was just starting on another version when a bell rang, startling him and causing him to scratch the pencil across the paper. Hissing angrily, he looked about for the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the front door. He stood and stomped angrily to the door and threw it open. “Who is...” he began then looked down at the mare in front of him. “Oh, sorry, mum, I didn’t know it was you!”

“Good evening, dear, I brought you something to eat. I know you can forget sometimes.” She held out a plate covered by a bowl.

“Oh, thanks,” said Max, taking the offering and sniffing it deeply. He was rather hungry, now that he thought about it. “Would you like to come in?”

Delivery looked around at the new house. “It’s rather large, isn’t it?”

“Sparks doesn’t do things by half, apparently,” said Max, stepping aside to allow his mother to pass.

“I won’t stay for long. I have a pie cooking for Brian’s wedding reception tomorrow.”

“That was a bit of a surprise to me, he never seemed the marrying type,” said Max putting the food down on a table.

“Oh, he and Caoimhe have been together for months. We all saw it coming sooner or later.”

“Well, I missed it all. I seem to have missed so much... everything changes.”

“Sadlzburg is the same old place it’s always been. Maybe it’s you that’s changed?”

“I don’t feel any different. You know, I never thought I fit in in Canterlot. Now I come back and I don’t think I fit in here anymore, either. I think Piste is doing a better job at being mayor than I ever did.”

“Now, I wouldn’t say that,” said Delivery, frowning. “He’s been a bit unsure of himself, you know. Easily led he is, Zephyr has been pulling his strings.”

“Is that a bad thing?” asked Max cautiously. He didn’t want to get into an argument with his mother about his ex.

“Maybe, maybe not,” admitted Delivery.

“It’s not like anyone can run the town by yourself,” insisted Max, “You do need some help from your friends.”

“Maybe you could take that advice yourself,” noted Delivery, “Mrs G told me about the council not being able to help you. It’s not fair, not after all you’ve done for them!”

“Rules are rules, mum, and the town isn’t all of Nulpar. I’d forgotten that.”

“It’s not like we have that many rules around here,” said Delivery, scowling. “The council’s mostly voluntary anyway, apart from Piste.”

That made Max stop for a moment. The council was mostly just interested citizens rather than an official body. Maybe some of them would like to help him with Nulpar instead of the town? It would be good to be able to work with his friends, but would he just be stealing them from Piste?

“Anyway,” said Delivery, “I better be off, I don’t want my pie to burn. Martin’s keeping an eye on it, but he’s got terrible timing.”

“Oh, I better get back to work as well, letters don’t write themselves.”

“Who are you writing to?” asked Delivery with a raised eyebrow.

“Everyone, all the leaders of Nulpar that I can think of, but I can’t think what to write. It seems arrogant to just announce that I’m in charge,” said Max with a shrug.

“Well, you are.”

“I know, but I don’t know how to word it.”

“You always were better at dealing in ponies in person,” agreed Delivery.

“Yes, but most of them live all over the province. It’s not like I’ll be able to talk to them all in person.” He paused. Actually, maybe that wasn’t true. He had a few months until he was due back at court. Maybe he could arrange something.

Early Delivery smiled. “I can see you’ve had an idea. You’ve got your thinking face on.”

“Maybe. It’s probably a bad idea, but it is an idea.”

“You can tell me about it later. I better be off,” she said, turning back towards the door. “Don’t forget to eat your supper.” She gestured to the cooling plate still sitting by the door.

“Yes, mum,” said Max absentmindedly, as he stretched out a large map of the local area and ran a hoof over it.

Tutting at her son’s distraction, Delivery left him to his work.

The next day disappeared in a flash as Max found himself rushing from pillar to post to put the first phase of his plan in motion. He found it rather surprising that the various parties involved actually accepted his suggestions, in many cases seeming quite pleased with the plan. Now he just needed to announce it to the rest of Sadlzburg. Fortunately, Brian and Caoimhe’s wedding party was being held the next day, and the majority of the population as well as a few outsiders would be present. He’d asked the bride if he could speak, and to his surprise she had accepted. He’d have thought that most mares wouldn’t have been happy with their spotlight being stolen on their special day, but the nanny seemed sanguine about it. It wasn’t that uncommon for official announcements to be made at such events when the whole community was gathered together, particularly in summer when many didn’t have much free time.

The party itself seemed to be quite a success; given it wasn’t too long after midsummer, it mostly took place outside, although tables were set up in Hearth’s hotel’s main hall. The food had been provided by most of the town, with each family bringing a separate dish. There was, as always, some competition between individuals; the fact that his mother and Cinnamon Swirl both cooked blackberry and apple pie caused a little bit of a ruckus, but he loyally considered his mother’s to be better, although he did have to sample both several times to make sure. After all, he’d forgotten to eat last night.

Between talking to his friends and trying the food, Max tried to avoid Honeybun and her cronies. He hoped his speech today would help mollify them, but he wasn’t naive enough to think it would solve all his problems.

As the night drew on, the various families and friends started to give speeches about the happy couple, who sat at the primary table holding hooves. Mrs G sat next to her daughter-in-law, looking proudly out at the guests while Caoimhe’s father sat next to Brian, looking rather stern. Further down the table sat Brian’s brothers and Caoimhe’s siblings, including Sparks, her adopted sister. Max sat near the end of the main table, next to Piste and Zephyr. The three of them had made awkward conversation all night, unable to break the unexpected ice between them.

Further down the table, Sealbhach finished his rambling speech about his brother’s misadventures when they were young, resulting in loud chuckles echoing around the room. The handsome goat winked to a nearby mare, causing her to blush, and sat down again. It was Max’s turn to speak.

He got to his hooves and turned to face the crowd of ponies, goats and donkeys that sat in front of him. He knew almost all of them, at least peripherally, but for once they seemed so distant from him. He glanced over to Honeybun, who looked like she was considering interrupting, and he started to speak before she could. “Friends,” he started, hoping it was still true. “We are gathered here to celebrate the joining of these two goats and the forming of a new life from them. This day is truly theirs. However, hopefully they will forgive me if I use this chance to talk about another beginning.” He paused for a moment, letting his words carry across the hall.

“As you all know, the province of Nulpar was formed by the Princess about half a year ago, and I was put in charge of that province. My job as the mayor of Sadlzburg stopped then.” Now that he was on a roll, the words poured from him; he might not know what to write, but he knew what to say. “Some have been saying that I’ve abandoned the town, that I don’t care anymore. No!” he cried with unexpected passion, causing some of the crowd to jump. “My heart will always be in this town, always. I was born here, as were my parents and their parents before them, but it doesn’t need me anymore. It’s grown beyond me. Piste and the rest of the council are doing a fantastic job of running it now.” He gestured at the mayor, who blushed a little. ”Probably better than I ever did. It doesn’t need me anymore. That’s not to say I won’t do my best to help.” He glared at Honeybun. “I will, but there are other towns, other ponies, other goats, other griffins, other donkeys in Nulpar that also need my help. They don’t have ponies like Piste to look after them, so they need me, and I need to listen to them. You will all need to be patient. Help will be coming, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but next year and the year after. But I need to be able to speak to all of my people, all the people of Nulpar, and to that end I will be leaving Sadlzburg tomorrow.”

There was a collective gasp from the floor. He’s already told some of his friends what he’d planned, but now that he said it in public, even they seemed shocked. He held up a hoof to try and calm the room.

“I intend to spend the next few months traveling around Nulpar, introducing myself to my people and asking them what I can do for them. Those who I cannot personally visit will be invited to a meeting during the autumn festival here in Sadlzburg, to discuss the future of the province. In the meantime, any issues you want to raise while I’m away will be dealt with at my new home. Mrs Grobhar and Conn will be acting as my deputies while I’m away.” The billy seemed to have a better idea of the responsibilities of a baron than Max did, so he had asked him to leave the council and work for him. To his surprise, it hadn’t taken long for him to make a decision; much of his role as Piste’s assistant had been taken over by Zephyr, apparently. Likewise, Arctic Breeze had agreed to be the leader of the province guard, despite it currently consisting of two ponies, including herself. Sparks has also been overjoyed to work for him, although Hearth had gently refused, saying she preferred working for Sadlzburg rather than Nulpar. “I will also be recruiting more people to help me administer the province, so that Piste can put all his effort into doing the best for you all.” He stopped speaking and looked out at the shocked faces of the crowd. Honeybun stood and was about to speak, when Piste interrupted her.

“I’d just like to say,” he said, “that although I’m sad to see Max go after he just got here, I agree with his idea. We have to starting acting like a province rather than just a bunch of scattered settlements. And although Sadlzburg is of course the most important town,” this received a few cheers, “we are not the only one. It will certainly be a good idea to have all our neighbours come to the Autumn Festival, where we can see what we can trade with them.” Another cheer went up around the room. Honeybun looked like she might try to interrupt, but seeing which way the wind was going she sat down again.

After the speeches, the party became a lot less formal. There was drinking, music, drinking, dancing and drinking to celebrate the happy couple. Max tried to keep his head down; he didn’t want to intrude on their happy day any more than he already had. He spent his time chatting to various friends he hadn’t had a chance to meet since his return. Most of them seemed happy with his plans and had some suggestions, often wildly unfeasible, as to what he could do for the province. He listened and took on board what he could. He was just listening to Whitefeather about her suggestions for a full time postal system when his mother joined in.

“Max, I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you before you left,” she said, glancing meaningfully at Whitefeather.

The hippogriff took the hint. “Oh look, my drink’s empty, I better get another. Good to talk to you again, Max,” she said before nodding and striding off into the crowd.

“Hi, mum,” said Max cautiously. She didn’t sound that pleased.

“So you’re going to go gallivanting around who knows where for the next two months? After you only just got back?”

“Well, yes. You gave me the idea, actually, getting to meet the other settlements in person rather than writing to them.”

“I meant ask them to come here, not for you to go to them!”

“Going to them shows I really care what they actually want. Having them come to me makes me look like I’m more important than them.” It made sense to him.

“You are, Max, you’re a baron now!”

“That means I work for them, not that they work for me.”

“At least take somepony with you. You know how dangerous it can be out there.”

“It’s not that bad out there, mum, and most ponies are busy this time of year. I don’t need any help. I can do it by myself.”

“Max.” She leant forwards. “You know what happened to your father. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Oh, that was what this was about! He leant forwards to and rested his head against hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful, mum. This is summer, not winter. The weather’s fine.” His mother didn’t seem too convinced. She threw a hoof across his back and hugged him tightly. “I’ll see if anyone wants to come with me on each leg of the journey,” he promised.

She pulled back. “I know I’m being silly, but I worry, you know,” she admitted.

“I know, mum.”

She rubbed her eyes a bit. “Well, if we’re not going to have much time together, we should catch up some more. So tell me more about the place you bought in Canterlot. You said it was as big as the town hall? And with three bedrooms? So there’d be space if me and Martin decided to visit?”

Later, when night had given way to morning and his mother had made her way to bed, Max looked around for the pair of ponies that he both wanted and really did not want to confront. Piste and Zephyr were helping to tidy away the furniture, now that the party was more or less over. They were chatting to each other in an easy sociable way; in a way it let Max pretend they weren't lovers, in another it made him feel worse that they got along so well.

“Piste,” he called.

“Oh, hi, Max,” said his friend, dropping the table he was carrying. “I think your speech went down well. Honeybun’s still grumbling about you abandoning us, but not many are listening to her. Still, you didn’t need to lay it on so thick about me doing such a good job, though.”

Zephyr gently bumped against his flank. “No talking like that!” she admonished. “You are doing a good job.”

“She’s right, you know,” said Max. “I never would have managed to get those VIPs for the harvest festival.”

“Well that was mostly Zephyr,” said Piste, gently kissing the mare on her cheek. “It just looks like I did it all because I’m mayor.”

“And you think my time as mayor was any different? It was you guys that came up with most of my best ideas. I just put them into action, and took the credit for them.”

The three of them laughed. Then Max looked down. He really didn’t want to have to say this, but he knew it would eat at him if he didn’t, if he didn’t hear it from his friend’s mouth. “Look, there’s... there’s something I want to ask you, Piste. I know the answer, well, I hope I do, but...”

Piste looked confused. “What is it, Max?”

“You’re with Zephyr now, but were you... were you together while she was with me?” For a moment there was silence. Then Max’s head was snapped back as a hoof was smashed across his face, knocking him to the ground.

“How dare you!” cried Zephyr, her wings spread wide. “How dare you say... how dare you think Piste would do anything like that to you, that I would!”

Piste grabbed the enraged mare and dragged her away from Max, as he picked himself up and blinked, rubbing his face where she’d slapped him. “I think I deserved that,” he muttered.

“No, Max, I wouldn’t do that to you. We only got together once you were gone,” said Piste quietly, hurt showing in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, but it was on my mind. I know I should trust you more.” Max wished he hadn’t destroyed one of his oldest friendships.

“No, I understand.”

“I... I guess I do too,” said Zephyr, folding her wings back.

“Now, do you have your route planned out for your tour?” asked Piste, thankfully changing the topic.

“Yeah, I was up most of last night sorting it out.”

“Maybe we should have a look over it. You know how bad a navigator you can be.”

“I’m not that bad!”

“Says Mr the sun rises in the north!” said Zephyr with a giggle.

“That was only once, and I still say the Princess had had too much to drink that night!”

“What’s this?” asked Piste, raising an eyebrow.

“He didn’t tell you?” said Zephyr. “It was one Hearts and Hooves. He set up a picnic and left me a note telling me how to get to it, all written in romantic language, ‘fly towards the rising sun for half an hour to find your true love’. It took me all day to find where he actually was.”

“I don’t think you looked that hard,” grumbled Max. He’d ended up frozen after lying half buried in rose petals for several hours. Then he sighed. “We had some good times, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but they didn’t last.”

“No, they didn’t. I’m glad you’re happy together,” said Max, looking between his friends.

“And I’m glad you’ve found somepony as well, Max,” said Zephyr.

Max startled. “How did you...?”

“I was busy and I asked her to read out your letter, Max,” explained Piste, looking a little awkward. “Sorry, I didn’t know what was in it.”

“No, that’s alright, it’s not that much of a secret.”

“Fragrant sounds nice,” said Zephyr.

“Yes, she is,” said Max a little awkwardly.

Piste broke the silence after a few moment. “So...maps?”

“Right, they’re in my new place.” He started to lead his friends towards this house. There was still some tension between them, but he hoped he had mostly cleared the air. “I’m certain this tour is going to be the best thing possible for Nulpar.”

Author's Notes:

Thanks to RDD and G&C2 for their feedback on this chapter and Mooncalf for editing.

As their background probably won't come up much in the story itself I'll but some details of Max's town council here just to show I put some thought into them (although you might find that they are quite similar to some of the mane-6)

Mrs G - Max's goat assistant, see the rest of the story for more details.

Conn - Mrs G's middle son, a studious and somewhat humourless intellectual, he runs and lives in the Sadlzberg 'library' as well as acting as Off Piste's assistant.

Sealbhach - Mrs G's youngest son, somewhat feckless and lazy but socially adept. Has a reputation as a ladies, um, goat and boasts many lovers amongst both mare's and nanny's

Brian - Mrs G's oldest son. Renowned for being very kind if as thick as two short planks. Has trouble speaking Equestrian

Arctic Breeze - Left Nulpar to join the military where she was stationed in Canterlot and reached the rank of Sergeant. Once her term was up she returned home to marry her childhood sweetheart Sunbeam. She works part time in the weather patrol when not busy with her foal.

Sunbeam - The only 'official' member of the town council. He is the head of the weather patrol and it's only permanent member. He is normally quite quiet and shy, he often relies on his wife to deal with other ponies.

Chilly - The two year old daughter of Sunbeam and Arctic Breeze

Off Piste - Current Mayor of Sadlzberg and previously Max's deputy. No a born leader, is happier letting others make the difficult decisions.

Greenleaves - A distant relative of Max's, both of their families was involved in the founding of Sadlzberg. Greenleaves' family runs one of the largest farms in the area employing a large proportion of all general workers in the area.

Welcoming Hearth - Owner of the local hotel. Her family used to farm the area but after the death of her parents she decided to change to tourism, she is known as the centre of much of the local gossip.

House Martin - The local doctor. Retired to Sadlzberg after many years practising outside the province. He is know for his grumpy manners and bad temper.

Sparks - Once of the few crystal ponies in Sadlzberg. She was found wandering in the woods as a foal and was adopted by a family of goats which run the local saw mill. Rather eccentric.

Zephyr - Piste's assistant and girlfriend. At times she has also acted as local school teacher and helped with the weather patrol.

Comments as always, are welcome.

4) Nulpar Tour : Day 1, Innsbuck

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Max swung his gaze around the village. It certainly looked better than it had when he’d last been here. Half a year ago, on the longest night of the year – which had turned into the longest day due to the return of Corona – Innsbuck had been hit by an avalanche. Max had led a group of rescuers to help, but they had arrived too late to save over a dozen of the inhabitants. Most of the buildings had been buried or crushed under the weight of the snow and the following rockslide. Still, he supposed it could have been worse; most of the community had survived, and they had apparently made good on the rebuilding, although there were still a few half-finished buildings here and there.

He had set out from Sadlzburg this morning, and following his mother's request, he had travelled along with a wagon full of timber pulled by Wooden Block and his son Chip, both carpenters by trade. They had first made quick progress to the nearby settlement of Saddleback. The road between Sadlzburg and Saddleback meant that there was almost constant travel between the two, so the populace mostly knew him and his new position; in fact, some of them had been at the wedding celebration where he’d announced his tour of Nulpar. Still, he had spent a few hours in the town square explaining himself and some of his plans as well as taking questions from the ponies there. He’d formally invited the mayor, Minty Fresh, to the autumn festival in a few months, and had shared a rather fine lunch with her before setting off on his way.

The journey to Innsbuck had, without a paved road, taken much longer, and it was late afternoon before the party had arrived. Block and Chip had quickly hurried off to start the last phase of the village’s reconstruction, leaving Max to talk with the village’s leader, Tomato Chutney.

“Looks like the rebuilding’s going well,” said Max, surveying the village.

“It’s not been easy,” said Chutney, a red coated earth pony stallion. “Or cheap. And life’s hard enough out here as it is. Any chance you could get the Court to cough up any help?”

Max hesitated. He’d looked into the issue; there were some emergency funds, but most of them were meant to be used immediately after a disaster. By the time he’d gotten to Canterlot, it was too late to apply for them. Others required the province itself to provide equal aid, and he simply didn’t have the funds – another reason he might need to levy taxes, which wouldn’t make him popular. “I’ll look into it, but probably not.”

Chutney snorted for a moment, then nodded. “I guess we’ll have to do what we can for ourselves.” He glanced around to see if anypony else was watching. “I think I’ve found out what caused the avalanche.” Max pricked up his ears. He’d assumed it was something to do with Corona’s return. “I don’t know for certain but it sounds like one of the weather pegasi, Dive Bomber, wanted to make the party early. It looks like he dumped his cloud’s load of snow in one place just outside town rather than spreading it out like he should have. Wouldn’t have taken much to set it off.”

“Does he know what he did?” asked Max. A trial could be tricky.

“Nope. He was in one of the buildings crushed by the snow. We don’t need to worry about what to do with him. I’ve been keeping it quiet – his family still lives here.”

Max nodded. That seemed for the best. Still, he supposed he should give some sort of safety briefing to the other weather ponies; most of them were volunteers, hardly professionals. “How are the villagers coping with the losses?”

“Everypony lost somepony they knew, but they’re bouncing back well. Everypony is in the same boat.”

“How’s Tender Heart?” asked Max, referring to the unicorn who had saved several foals by raising a shield to stop the snow. She had overtaxed herself and ended up in a coma. Her son, Brave Heart, had appealed to the Princess herself for aid, but there were limits to even her power. She had, however, promised medical assistance.

“Well, there wasn’t much even those fancy Canterlot doctors could do for her, but she’s been stirring a little. Seems to be getting better, but we’ll have to wait. Do you want to see her?”

Max nodded, and they headed off towards one of the new buildings. “I’m sure you’ve heard, but I want to invite you to a meeting of all the heads of Nulpar in Sadlzburg during the Autumn festival.”

“I’ll be there,” said Chutney. “It’ll be good to meet the others. I don’t get away much.”

“We need to sort out what Nulpar should be doing now I’m at court.” They knocked on the door of the mid-sized house and nodded to the large stallion who answered.

“How is she today, Sure?” asked Chutney.

“Not bad. She’s been dreaming. The boy’s in there with her,” grunted the stallion. “Go on through if you want.”

The room containing Tender was small but brightly lit by the setting sun, and several vases of purple flowers were placed around the room, filling it with a mouth-watering scent. The mare herself was laid out in a bed in the centre of the room; she looked a little thinner and paler than the last time Max had seen her, but all things considered she seemed well. Brave Heart was sitting next to her, reading a little hesitantly from a book. As they entered, he put it down and turned to them. He had a medal on a ribbon around his neck.

“Baron Max!” he cried. “Have you come to help Mama?”

Max winced. “Sorry lad, but I’m just here to check up on her.” The sleeping mare’s eyes were flickering beneath her lids. Max chose to assume that was a good sign.

“Oh,” said Brave looking crestfallen. “She likes me to read to her and Nurse Stitching says it’s good for her.”

“I’m sure it is. What are you reading?”

“Um, Advanced Magical Techniques for Foals.” Strong held up the book. “It’s got a lot of long words in it, but I can understand most of it. I told Uncle Sure what the Princess said about going to her school and he thinks it’s a good idea, but I want to wait for Momma to wake up so I can tell her.”

“I’m sure you won’t have to wait long,” said Max in what he hoped was a confident tone. The foal nodded. “Now, I won’t disturb you anymore, so you can get back to your book.”

Max gently shut the door behind him as he and Chutney exited Tender’s room. “I really do hope she gets better,” muttered Max.

“Me too,” replied Chutney. “She was a good nurse. Marvellous Stitching’s not bad, but she has a bit too much Canterlot in her – not really at home out here. Of course, she’s only supposed to be here for Tender, but give her her due – she’s helping out where she can. Sure seems quite taken with her.”

“Well, I better get out and talk to some of the villagers while there’s still light. Is there anywhere to spend the night? I’ve got a tent if needs be.” He prodded the heavy duty saddlebags on his flanks and back.

“You’ll spend the night at my place and I won’t hear anything more about it. The wife’s making her pinecone casserole, it’s to die for. Well, it’ll make you want to die anyway.” The larger stallion gave a wink.

5) Nulpar Tour: Day 2, Neighagra

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The night passed quickly. To his relief, Max found Pickle’s casserole to be very edible, and the spare bedroom to be comfortable, if cramped. He parted company with Chutney early the next day, asking him to spread the news to the settlements to the north about the meeting in the Autumn. Max himself set off east with a tinker who was touring the various small farms that dotted the area. He was a little worried they might not make his next stop by nightfall as they wormed their way from settlement to settlement. Still, it gave him a chance to talk to a number of local ponies; most knew of him by reputation, and he got several hugs for his part in helping Innsbuck despite how small his own contribution had actually been. He was quite tired by the time he and his companion finally arrived at the town of Neighagra, where he hoped to spend the night.

The town was small, larger than Innsbuck but nothing like Sadlzburg. It sat in the shadow of the Broken Back Mountains, which ranged across much of Nulpar. The town was set up next to a large lake, which fed the river which in turn flowed all the way down to his home town. Across the lake, he could see and hear the massive waterfall as tons of water crashed hundreds of meters down the side of the mountain. The town was home to a fishing industry, which provided food for those ponies and other creatures so inclined to eat them, as well as a small tourist industry for the trickle of interested ponies who braved the wilds to see the sights, and in the winter ski on the mountains or skate on the lake.

To his surprise as he approached, Max noticed a blue-painted sky carriage parked on the outskirts of the town. He frowned. He couldn’t think of anyone in the whole of Nulpar who would own such a vehicle; they were very expensive and quite rare. It looked very similar to the one owned by Fragrant. The thought brought a bit of pain to his heart; he missed her, but it would be a few months before he had a chance to see her again. Maybe Neighagra was starting to attract a higher class of tourist? It occurred to him that Fragrant had told him that her nephew was keen on extreme sports; could he be visiting for the climbing or the falls? If it was him, it would be an amazing coincidence, unless Fragrant had told him about this place.

Nodding his thanks to his travelling companion, Max made his way into the town, his curiosity piqued. He headed towards the guest house near the centre of town; if there were any visitors that would be the only place they could stay. As the building came into view, he saw Barrel – the stout pegasus mayor of the town – in conversation with a rather svelter pegasus mare in a flowing blue gown, her long pink mane and tail blowing in the breeze. Max’s heart almost stopped in surprise as he saw her. What was she... how was she... He broke into a gallop and came to a skidding halt not far from her, his jaw hanging open in surprise.

“Ah, Baron Max. I’ve been waiting for you,” said Fragrant Posey.

A wide smile on his face, Max leaned forwards to nuzzle Posey. He only realised at the last minute that there were several other ponies around, and converted the gesture of affection into a more socially acceptable friendly hug, although it went on for a little longer than was proper. He felt Fragrant tense for a moment, then she relaxed into his grasp.

“Fragrant... Um, Duchess Posey, what are you doing here?” asked Max once he released the pegasus. Her presence was certainly welcome, if unexpected.

“Well, Baron Max,” she said with a smile, “I discovered that my ministry was due to carry out a review of the weather service to Nulpar now that it is formally a province, and I thought that given our good working relationship it would be polite for me to lead the investigation myself.” A gleam in her eye seemed to translate that to Max as I missed you. “I had expected to find you at Sadlzburg, but when I arrived there last night I was told you were on some sort of tour of your province. The mayor was good enough to give me a copy of your itinerary, and I decided to meet up with you here. Mayor Barrel here has been good enough to fill me in on his town’s weather services.” She gestured to the other pegasus, who Max had more or less forgotten about.

“Hi Max,” drawled the mayor. “Haven’t seen you around these parts for a few years. You still smarting over that drubbing I gave you at horseshoes?”

Max sighed. Barrel was obsessed with that game; almost everypony that came to the town got challenged. “Well, I’ve been busy with Sadlzburg and things.”

“Yeah, I’d heard some crazy rumour you were made baron.” the pegasus slapped Max on the back with a wing. “Good on you. Can’t think of a better stallion for the job. Anyway, what brings you out here? I thought you’d be too busy for a social visit.”

“Well, that’s sort of the point. Now that I’m in charge of the whole province, I thought I should make sure I get a chance to talk to everybody. See what they want me to help them with.”

“Well, I think I can probably chew your ear off for a few hours about our problems. Seems like this beautiful lady here wants to spend time with me too. Now, don’t get me wrong, Max, but she’s prettier than you.” He winked.

“I was just discussing with Mayor Barrel the role of the weather ministry now that Nulpar has been formally recognised. We are required, of course, to provide a certain minimum of weather services to all Equestrian citizens. Areas may choose to opt out and use the monies to purchase their own weather, but we are still required to test and regulate all weather personnel.”

“Well, most of our weather ponies are volunteers, normally as a way of getting out of paying taxes.” Max nodded. It was a standard practice in most of Nulpar. Sadlzburg only actually had one permanent weather pony. “But from what you’re saying, you could provide training and support for them?”

Fragrant nodded. “Your system is similar to many of the other more rural provinces. My ponies should be able to help you. We will also need to set up weather stations to deal with the areas not already covered by the town-based weather ponies, but a full review will be needed first. That is something I will need to discuss with Baron Max.”

“Sounds good. We can always do with a hoof. Weather’s a tricky thing. Still, at least we don’t have any problem with getting water vapour.” He gestured towards the waterfall in the distance. “It’s almost like having our own cloud factory.”

“Indeed, you are well supplied for water. Have you ever considered selling it? Cloud export regulations have recently been relaxed.”

“Oh, your cloud bill! How is it working out?” asked Max.

Fragrant scowled. “Not as well as I had hoped. There have been some teething difficulties. But I am sure they will be dealt with soon enough.”

“Selling water, you say,” said Barrel, rubbing his face with a hoof. “That sounds interesting.”

“It may not be very practical, since the larger cloud cities do not pass near to here, but some of the smaller settlements may consider diverting. It may even be practical to set up a factory in province depending on local need. Further details can be sorted out with my assistant Saltpeter or one of the weather companies. Maybe even my brother’s.”

“It’s something to think about, but anyway, where are my manners? It’s getting late. We ain’t got too much night life out here, but let me take you out to dinner somewhere. You too, Max, we can talk further there.”

“Thank you Mr. Barrel, I accept your invitation.”

“Yeah, thanks, Barrel, I’ve been on the road all day. Just don’t try to feed me fish again. You know I can’t stomach it.”

“Hey, that was a honest mistake, but the look on your face when you realised what you’d eaten...” The pegasus laughed loudly.

“Now, Mr. Barrel, I will retire to my hotel room to freshen up. I am sure Baron Max will also want to arrange a room for the night.”

“Oh, right, of course,” agreed Max.

“I’ll see you in a few hours then, your ladyship,” agreed Barrel with a bow.

Fragrant nodded in return and she and her servants turned towards the hotel, Max following behind.

Fragrant looked around her room. It wasn’t much, really; it was smaller than her bedroom in the castle, let alone her estate. It was large enough to hold a double bed and a wardrobe and not much else, and the toiletry facilities were primitive, although at least she assumed it wouldn’t be emptied out the window. She had been shocked to be informed that if she wished a bath, she would have to give an hour’s notice for the water to be heated, and that one of the staff would bring the water to her room. Still, she had to take into account the location; it might even do her good to see how less fortunate ponies had to live. She was just glad that Cloudsdale was more advanced.

There were one or two advantages, however. The view out of the window over the lake was spectacular. The sun was just starting to set behind the mountains, throwing out a rainbow from the falling water. Despite all the efforts her people put into constructing artificial rainbows, you never could quite match the glory of a natural one.

There was a knock from the door and she turned, frowning. She had given Saltpeter and her chauffeurs the night off, so who else could be calling? Oh, of course! “Come in Max!” she called, moving towards the door. It opened to reveal the grey earth pony in question. For a moment Fragrant felt a pang of worry; had his feelings towards her cooled during their time apart? Then he lunged forwards and covered her lips with his own. She gave a surprised squeak for a moment, then opened her mouth to let his tongue enter. She was dimly aware that the door was still open and somepony could walk past at any time, but in a way that only made her feel more passionate.

After a long moment, Max broke away from her, leaving both of them panting. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was... I missed you!”

“I quite understand,” said Fragrant, returning a gentler kiss before making sure to close the door. “I have missed you too. When I was made aware of this inspection, I just had to come along with the team. I wish I could have given you some notice. I was worried that I would not see you when I found you were not in Sadlzburg.” She wanted to pour forth her real reason for visiting – the betrayal that had upset her – but now did not seem the time. Later, after they had caught up. She slumped against the bed and gestured for Max to join her. There really wasn’t anywhere else to sit.

“I didn’t plan to leave, but I got there and...” He paused for a moment. “One of my friends pointed out that all my plans were for Sadlzburg and that I should be thinking of the whole of Nulpar. It hadn’t occurred to me, really, so I decided to go on this ‘tour’ to get to meet all my people wherever they live.”

Fragrant nodded. “It is easy to get fixated on your capital and not remember the more remote parts of your province. I have carried out similar tours in the past, although they were normally rather grander than just myself. It is generally easier to have the regional leaders come to you.”

“Oh, I’m planning something like that as well,” said Max. “Wait a minute, I thought you only ruled Cloudsdale.”

Fragrant giggled at his confused expression. “I rule the sky province of greater Cloudsdale. It in fact covers about a third of the skies over Equestria, specifically the southern and eastern parts. I am responsible for two other full cloud cities and several hundred smaller settlements. Individual cloud homes may remain under the control of earthbound authorities, but larger conglomerates belong to me. Really, your understanding of how Equestria works is most lacking.”

“I guess Miss Blackboard didn’t think it would be very useful.”

“As an incorporated city, Cloudsdale itself is actually the part of the province I have the least direct control over. In the same way as Sadlzburg has its own government, so does Cloudsdale.” Max gave a little flinch, and Fragrant paused. Was Max having some sort of trouble with his city? Maybe a disagreement with the mayor? Certainly there could easily be friction between different branches of government; she had personal experience of that. She waited for a moment to see if he would tell her what was bothering him.

“Um, so will you be around long?” asked Max, changing the subject.

“My teams will be in your lands for at least the rest of the year. I’m sorry, it was a bit of a breach of protocol not to tell you they were coming, but you are rather difficult to contact out here. I myself can only spare a few days before I will need to return to Cloudsdale.” Max’s face drooped and he looked absolutely adorable for a moment. “I am sure we can find some time to ourselves while we are here, although unfortunately it seems like we will both have our own duties to carry out.”

“Yes, but it’s good to see you anyway.” He leaned forwards into a hug, and she joined him.

“It’s good to see you too. How long will you be spending in town?”

“I was going to leave in the morning, just stay long enough to chat with Barrel and anypony else who wants to talk to me.”

“Oh.” Fragrant’s disappointment was tangible.

“I might be able to stay a bit longer, but I’ve got a lot of places I want to go to and I’ve got to get back to Sadlzburg for the Autumn festival.”

“Of course, I would not want to delay you. Your ponies must come first,” she said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “I suppose we should just make the best of tonight, then.”

“Yeah, although Barrel might be a bit of a third wheel. Don’t get him talking about fishing, griffons or horseshoes. You won't get a word in all night.”

“I will try not to.” She stood and walked over to her bags in the corner. “I guess I should start getting ready. The water for my bath should be arriving soon.” She reached into the rather dainty saddlebags embroidered with her family crest and her cutie mark, and to Max’s astonishment her leg disappeared up to the shoulder.

“How do you do that?” he asked.

“Do what? Oh, the bag? It is enchanted to hold more than normal. It is very useful, but expensive. Now, what do you think will suit me best of tonight?” She pulled out a long gauzy sky blue dress, followed by a rather ornate red outfit, and finally a shorter simpler black number.

Max seemed to consider for a moment, looking back and forth between Fragrant and the clothes, and his eyes gleamed. “You know, we’re not much for formality up here. I doubt anyone else will be wearing anything.” He frowned. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you naked.”

Fragrant swallowed nervously. She briefly considered explaining to him why she preferred to keep herself covered when possible, but he would consider her at best silly, at worst mad. “It would not be proper for someone of my station to go to a formal meal unclothed. It would be disrespectful.”

“Oh well.” He frowned for a moment. “The black one.”

Fragrant held the fabric up against herself. Yes, it would be suitable. It looked professional, although the length was decidedly last season; she understood the latest fashion was for the hem to reach the floor so the wearer seemed to float across the floor. This dress would reveal most of her legs... and that would be why Max had chosen it. He seemed to consider them her best feature. She’d always considered them too long, they made her look ungainly; still, it wouldn’t hurt to reward him a little. “The black one it is, then. You should get back to your own room. You look like you could do with a bath as well.”

Max looked a little crestfallen – he had probably thought he could watch her change – but agreed, and after giving her a quick nuzzle left to his own room just across the hall. Fragrant had just finished laying out her dress when there was another knock on the door. She opened it to reveal a member of the hotel staff, not much more than a filly really, balancing a large steaming container of water on her back while dragging a bath which looked like it had been made from the bottom of a barrel and was hardly big enough to contain her. Fragrant tried to suppress a shudder and invited the girl in.

The dinner went better than Max had expected. Fragrant had worn the stunning black dress he had picked out. In his opinion everything she wore was stunning, but this was particularly good, showcasing her long, slender legs to best effect. He himself hadn’t packed any clothes at all for his trip apart from a reliable weather cape, which probably wasn’t suitable for a meal. As predicted, no one else in the restaurant was wearing much. Barrel had on a bowler hat. The mayor had once again tried to get him to try the local fish, and once again he had refused. To his surprise, Fragrant had accepted the offer and had taken several small mouthfuls of the local delicacy, noting it was quite similar to something she had tried at a diplomatic visit to the court of a griffon king. As expected, Barrel had been his normal verbose self, and after a few drinks had spent much of the night regaling Fragrant with various tales of life in Neighagra. To his surprise, Fragrant had actually managed to steer the conversation onto business matters, and they had spent at least some of the night talking about the province’s weather management and what Barrel thought Max could do for the town. Barrel thought that if the town only got some advertising in the rest of Equestria, tourists would flock to the place. Fragrant had pointed out that although the area was picturesque, it did lack some rather basic amenities, and did not have the facilities for too many more visitors. If it wanted more tourism, it would first need to deal with these issues.

Eventually the evening came to a close, and Max escorted Fragrant back to her room. They stayed in the doorway for quite some time, talking over the events of the last few weeks since they had last been together. Max carefully edited his rendition to remove any reference to Honey Bun or Zephyr; Fragrant didn’t need him bringing her down with his problems. Eventually they had finally parted with a kiss and Max returned to his room.

He lay awake for some time, thinking to himself, the roar of the falls the only sound in his room. He was glad that Fragrant was here, but it all seemed so brief; just one night together, then he and she would be off again. It didn’t seem fair. If only he could stay for longer. He supposed he could, really; he didn’t need to visit every settlement, did he? But what would he miss out? He’d never liked Sharpside much for a start, but his personal preferences shouldn’t have anything to do with this; everyone in Nulpar deserved a voice.

It just didn’t seem fair.

6) Nulpar Tour: Day 3, Wilderness

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The next morning swung around too quickly for Fragrant. Life in Neighagra seemed to start with the rise of the sun, and she awoke to see the fleet of small fishing boats making their way out into the lake and a sizable herd of farmers bringing their wares into the town; there was apparently some sort of market due today. Maybe she should visit later. She doubted there would be anything she needed, but it would be nice to walk amongst the common pony for a time. Nopony here would likely recognise her.

She splashed some tepid water over herself to make her presentable. She had decided to forgo a full bath, given the effort it took here. Really, it seemed like this whole trip had been wasted effort; she hadn’t been able to bring up the subject of Notebook with Max, and he wasn’t talking but she was sure he had his own problems, which she didn’t want to add her own on to. After getting dressed in a yellow summer dress, she made her way down to the hotel’s dining room where she found that Max and Barrel had already started. It was a shame the other pegasus had invited himself to the meal; she would have preferred to have spent some time with Max along, maybe find out what was bothering him.

Still, the meal went pleasantly enough, although Mayor Barrel didn’t stop talking for most of it, even when eating. All too soon the time came for Max to leave.

“Hey, Max,” cried Barrel as the baron got up from the table. “I almost forgot. Care for a rematch at horseshoes before you go?”

“Can we just say you won by a landslide and call it a day?” asked Max with a sigh.

“Now don’t be like that, Max. You’re a good player and I’ve got a touch of arthritis in my playing leg these days. You might win.” Max raised an eyebrow. “Well you might!”

“Ok, let’s get this over with then,” said Max, dragging his hooves out of the hotel. Fragrant followed the two stallions, and the three of them came to a stop next to a well maintained grassy area outside the town hall. Not too far away was a sandy square with a stake stuck into it.

While Barrel went to get the equipment needed, Max tried to explain the game to Fragrant. She could understand the basic objective, to get the horseshoe around the stake, but finer details of how close a shoe had to be to score and where it was depending relative to the other player’s shoe went over her head. She had never been much of a sportsmare; she had played a little sky hockey and some fencing at school, but had never been that good at it.

Barrel returned with an ornate case containing a quad of shiny horseshoes, which he held out to Max for him to choose his weapons. After a bit of thought, Max had selected the pair with red marks on them, and positioned himself at the throwing point. Carefully balancing the shoe on his muzzle, he threw it towards the post with some force; it struck the ground just in front of the stake, maybe two hooves away.

“Not bad,” muttered Max, taking up his second shoe and tossing it towards the target. This time it actually hit the post, but bounced away, ending up further away than his first throw.

“A good start,” said Barrel, floating over to the starting point. “But let me show you how it should be played.” With a grin, he casually tossed a shoe down the pitch with a wing, hitting the post first time.

“Arthritis, right?” said Max dryly.

Barrel grinned. “In my playing leg, so I use my wings instead.”

Fragrant found the rest of the game rather exciting. A small crowd of locals started to gather around the pitch and most started to cheer for the mayor. Not wanting Max to feel let down, she added her support to his side, maybe being a little more vocal than she’d intended. Max lost, of course – the large horseshoe emblazoned on Barrel’s flank might have had something to do with that – but she thought he still played a good game.

“Congratulations,” said Max, shaking Barrel’s hoof when the game came to an end.

“Thanks,” said the mayor. “You’re getting better. Want a rematch?”

“Sorry, but I better get moving. I’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

“Sure. How about you, duchess? You want a game?”

“I am afraid I’ve never played before,” said Fragrance, rather surprised to be invited.

“Well, now’s your time to start,” said Barrel. There was a shout of agreement from the crowd, which suddenly seemed much larger than she’d thought it was.

She swallowed rather nervously. “I don’t think I’ll be a very good opponent.”

“That doesn’t matter, it’s all for fun,” said the stallion with a grin. Fragrant glanced over to Max, who nodded with a smile.

“Very well.” She stepped forwards nervously and took one pair of shoes from Max. They were quite bulky and certainly heavier than anything she’d ever worn before.

“Just aim at the post and throw it,” suggested Max. “Try using your hoof to start, it’s the easiest way. Just get an idea of how far they go.” She nodded and readied one of the shoes. Concentrating fiercely, she tossed it towards the other end of the pitch. The metal semicircle flew from her hoof and thudded to the ground about two body lengths away. A chuckle went up from the crowd and Fragrant blushed in embarrassment.

“You want to spin it as it goes, not just throw it underleg,” said Max. “Like this.” He positioned himself alongside the mare and held her leg with his own, gently positioning it. Fragrant tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the feeling of Max’s body pressed against her own, and to instead concentrate on what he was trying to teach her. She stared at the post and, biting her tongue, threw the projectile as Max had told her. This time it flew much farther, reaching the post but landing almost a whole body length off to one side.

“Not bad, for a first try,” said Barrel, taking up his position and beginning to throw his own shoes.

Fragrant lost of course, but that didn’t really seem to matter much; a good portion of the crowd – led by Max – seemed to have taken her side, and to her surprise cheered her on. As the game progressed, she got better. It only took a few rounds for her to start to get near to and eventually hit the stake, and she gave a little unladylike squeal when she finally managed a ‘ringer’. She was surprised how much she actually enjoyed the game, and nopony seemed to care that she was a duchess. It was nice to be able to spend half an hour just enjoying herself, spending time with Max; she wished it could last longer. Then a crazy thought hit her. Maybe it didn’t have to end, at least not now. He couldn’t stay, he had his duty to his people, but maybe she could go with him? For a while anyway? No, it was a crazy idea, spontaneous, not thought through, so unlike her! But did she really want to be herself at the moment?

“Max,” she said before she could talk herself out of her idea. “Could I talk to you for a moment?”

“Huh?” he said, having just started to strap his bags on. “Of course. What do you want to say?”

“Well, I’m here to investigate the weather services in your province. My teams will be spreading out through the countryside over the next few months, but they will probably only see the larger settlements. I wonder if it would be possible to accompany you on your tour? It would be a chance to visit the smaller settlements.”

Max’s mouth dropped. “You want to come with me?”

“Well yes, I would like to spend the time with you. Don’t you want to?” she asked, a little forlornly.

“I would love to,” said Max with a wide grin. “But I didn’t think you’d be interested in seeing the wilds of Nulpar.”

“I think I will enjoy it, though it will not be for very long. I must return to Cloudsdale within the week, but I think a holiday would do me good.”

“Well, if you want to come, I’d be happy to have you along. There’s so many things I can show you.” He grinned happily, seeming for a moment like an excited puppy. “But what about your servants?” He frowned.

“Oh.” She really should bring them with her, but that would spoil the whole idea of spending some time with Max. She saw her chauffeurs and personal assistant amongst the crowd that had been watching the game. One of them was kissing one of the local mares; from their conversations while they thought she was not listening, she knew that Hot Rolls claimed to have quite a reputation with the fillies, and it seemed to wasn’t entirely false. “Hot Rolls, Royston, Saltpeter,” she barked. The three servants jumped in surprise and Hot regretfully disengaged himself from his admirer before they trotted over to her.

“Madam,” said Saltpeter with a bow. He was recently promoted from regional weather management to her personal office. He was taking some time to settle in, but she was sure he could handle a little more responsibility.

“I will be surveying the local area with the Baron for a few days. Please return to Sadlzburg and take over the work there.” The grey stallion looked rather intimidated and for a moment she wished Notebook was present – he would be able to deal with this. “I am sure you will not find it too difficult. The survey teams are well trained; you will only need to collate their findings. It should not be much different from your previous job.” The stallion nodded.

“Rolls, Royston, if you could pick me up in four days, the Baron and myself should have reached...” She turned to Max who had begun to unfold a map.

“Um, Snowtown,” he said, drawing a hoof across the map.

The two chauffeurs drew close and noted the location.

“Shouldn’t be a problem madam,” noted Royston.

“I’m sure the Baron will take good care of you in the meantime,” said Rolls, waggling his eyebrows. Then he winced as his partner kicked him with one of his hind legs.

Fragrant blushed. She assumed one of her maids had talked about her dream. It was probably all over the estate by now. Maybe she should change her mind? No! She was going to be spontaneous for once and she had made her mind up. “Good,” she said with a nod. “I will see you in a few days then. Baron Max, if you would lead on? I am eager to start our journey... no, our adventure.” She smiled.

“Well, I certainly didn’t vote for you!” said the donkey glaring down at Max. “And I certainly don’t want anything you’re sellin’!”

“No, I don’t think you understand...” began Max. He and Fragrant had spent what remained of the morning walking through the hilly area to the east of Neighagra and had come across several small farms, mostly subsistence farming with some sheep on the side for wool. Rather embarrassingly, most didn’t seem to know that the province of Nulpar had been formed or that he had been appointed as baron. Several hadn’t heard of him at all and one claimed to not even have heard of Sadlzburg.

“No, you don’t understand,” interrupted the farmer. “We’re honest folk up here, we don’t need any hucksters claiming to be something they're not! You don’t even look like nobility! You could have put some effort into a costume, you look like a scruffy nerf herder! At least your lady friend here looks the part.” He nodded to Fragrant, who gave a polite curtsey while trying not to laugh at Max’s expression. “Ma’am.”

“Who you talking to, Ornery?” asked a middle aged unicorn mare as she cantered over to the group.

“Just a wandering bunch of lunatics, dear,” said the donkey.

“I’ve been trying to explain to your, um, husband here that I am Mounty Max and I’ve been made baron of this province by the Princess. I’ve just, well, popped by to see how I can help you people.”

“You don’t look much like nobility,” said the unicorn, sounding like her husband.

“That’s what I said,” agreed Ornery.

Fragrant stepped forwards. “I assure you that my companion is telling you the truth,” she said. “I am Duchess Fragrant Posey of Cloudsdale, I am here to survey the weather situation of this province. I see you are trying to cultivate Fagopyrum esculentum, um, Buckwheat.” She gestured to a field of rather shrivelled-looking plants nearby.

“Yes,” said the Donkey cautiously.

“They do seem rather under-watered and maybe not well suited for this soil type, although they normally do well in rocky soil.”

“We get most of our rain from them down in Neighagra,” said the unicorn a bit defensively. “They’re late this week.”

“I understand. My people will be doing their best to try and provide a better service. There are several breeds of Buckwheat that may perform better in this type of environment, you know.”

“Well, it’s not like we can get fancy seeds easily up here.”

“Yes, although Baron Max’s plan for road building will make it easier, and once this market is opened up I am sure companies such as Fisher Agriculture and Sunshine Seeds will be expanding into the area.”

“That sounds very interesting, um, duchess.” The unicorn smiled. “Why don’t you and the baron come back to the house and we can talk about it? My oldest, Mark, has some book learning about that sort of thing, I’m sure he’d be interested.” She turned to her husband. “Ornery, make yourself useful and head off back to the house and start heating the water for drinks.”

He looked like he was going to argue for a moment, then seemed to give up. “Yes, dear,” he said before galloping off.

With a smile Fragrant turned to Max who stood there, mouth open. “How did you do that?” he asked.

“It only takes the right words to turn any situation around. Maybe I will teach you someday.”

“And the plant stuff?”

“My talent is for hydroponics; I hold a degree in botany as well as weather management. I do not get to use it as often as I would like, but I try to keep up to date with farming practices when I can. Now we should join our hosts.” She carefully floated into the air to prevent her dress getting too muddy and started towards the distant farm house.

“Yes, dear,” muttered Max.

Fragrant glanced up at the sky. The sun was near the horizon; it would not be long until the Princess put it away for the night and brought the moon out in its place. Boosting herself a short distance into the sky, she ran her gaze over the surrounding area. They had reached a rocky plateau in the foothills. Many miles ahead a mountain range rose into the sky, but there were no sign of habitation in the immediate vicinity. It had been several hours since they had passed the last farm. She frowned and returned to ground level. “Is there a village nearby where we will be spending the night? I can’t see anything.” She asked Max.

“Oh no, our next stop is the Eyrie, it’s still most of a day’s travel away. We’ll be spending the night in the wild,” said Max cheerfully.

“In the wild?” she asked, trying to keep the trepidation out of her voice. She should have guessed that Max would have planned to camp for some of the trip.

“It’s not that bad. There aren't really any dangerous animals and it’s quite warm this time of year, so a tent provides plenty...” He paused. “You did bring a tent, didn’t you?”

Fragrant smiled awkwardly. “I didn’t really think one would be needed.”

“Don’t you have anything useful in those bottomless bags of yours?”

“They are not bottomless, merely larger than they seem. And no, I mostly have clothes and some toiletries...” Her voice trailed off. “I take it there will be no toilet facilities out here?” She looked around as if an outhouse might appear from nowhere.

Max tried to keep a straight face as he pointed a hoof towards a nearby scrubby bush. Fragrant did not seem impressed. “I’m afraid most of the settlements won’t provide much more.”

Fragrant shuddered a bit and then tried to put a brave face on it. “Well, I suppose I should find out how the common pony lives. It will be good for me.” Her ears drooped a little.

“At least you can use my tent,” offered Max. “As I said, it’s not that cold and it won’t be the first time I’ve slept out under the stars.”

“That will not be necessary, pegasi are quite resistant to the cold. I will be fine.” She glanced about and was glad to see one or two wild clouds dotted about. “A little work and I should be able to fashion a bed for myself. I dare say I might spend the night more comfortably than you.” She hoped. It had been a long time since she had last had to fashion something from clouds for herself. Still, she assumed it was something that you didn’t forget. “Now, what will we be eating? Will we have to graze?” She glanced down at the scrubby grass below her. It didn’t seem too appetising. Still, she felt her stomach rumble a bit; she supposed it would be better than nothing.

“No, I’ve brought rations, dried fruit, mint cake, packed hay, plus I think given a bit of effort I might be able to find some berries and stuff. Not a feast, but enough to keep us going. Grazing doesn’t get you far, anyway. You use up more energy than you get.”

“Well, excuse me for not knowing how to survive in the wild. My tutors must have forgotten to cover that part of the syllabus,” said Fragrant huffily.

“Sorry!” said Max, walking over to the pegasus. “I know this isn’t much of a holiday for you. You’re doing a lot better out here than I thought you would. Imagine what Mellow or Blueblood would be like out here.”

Fragrant smiled and leaned gently against Max. “I’m sure he’d be complaining that the dirt needed to be cleaned before he would step on it.”

“Yep. Now, you get started on your cloud and I’ll have a look around for food, then get a fire started. You haven't lived until you’ve eaten at chateau Max.” He gave her a quick nuzzle, then set off towards a nearby copse of trees and bushes. Fragrant watched him go for a moment before turning with a grimace towards the bush he had indicated earlier. Before she started working on the cloud, she had some urgent business to take care of.

It took some time for Fragrant to get her cloud bed to her satisfaction. Once she got into the work she found it quite enjoyable, as she hadn’t done anything like this since her school days. Her first few attempts were rather poor, but she eventually managed to gather enough of the wispy wild cloud that covered this area to make a usable perch. She even spent a little time personalising it by carving a few pillows and even forming a canopy over it just for show. While she worked, Max put up his own sleeping arrangement; she was surprised how quickly a collection of sheets and sticks were converted into a small tent.

Once he had finished, Max made the food he had foraged for into their dinner. He had managed to obtain a small pile of berries and some flowers he had identified as not poisonous. Put together with the supplies he had with him, it produced an edible if not particularly large feast. The condensed hay was rather crunchy, but the flowers made it edible and the mint cake and berries made a pleasing sweet. Once they had finished, he offered her a drink from a bottle of mead he had brought with him; she accepted and found the sweet drink palatable but not really to her tastes. It was a shame she hadn’t thought to bring any wine.

After their meal Max quickly put together a small fire to keep out the night's chill. Fragrant lowered her cloud almost to the ground to allow her to lie next to Max, while keeping it far enough away from the fire to prevent it evaporating. They talked quietly about Max’s plans for Nulpar for some time as they watched the moon rise in the sky.

“There was one pony in Sadlzburg who kept looking at me quite strangely. She seemed to be the mayor's assistant as best I could tell, although I do wonder if they might not be more than that... she seemed quite familiar with him.” The mare had been staring at her when she didn’t think she was looking, and several times it seemed she had wanted to ask something but didn’t get around to it.

“Assistant?” asked Max in surprise. Then he lowered his gaze. “That would be Zephyr,” he mumbled.

“Your ex-marefriend?” asked Fragrant in surprise. That might explain some things. “Does she know about us?” She gestured back and forth with a hoof.

“Um, yes... I know you want us to be a secret, but I had to tell Piste, he’s my best friend, and it just sort of got out from there.”

“I see... well, I guess there won't be many reporters out here,” said Fragrant a little icily. “But you will need to be more careful when we return to Canterlot.”

“You know, I don’t know why we should be secretive. Why can’t we tell the world that we’re together?”

“It is not as simple as that, Max.” She reached out a hoof and laid it on his shoulder. “The press can be very invasive. We would not get a moment’s privacy.”

“I suppose you’re right,” said Max.

“I am. Besides, think of it as giving us more time together, just the two of us.” She frowned for a moment. “So this Zephyr, is she with Piste?”

“Yes, they became a couple not long after I left.”

“Oh, how do you feel about that? It seems rather insensitive of them.” A moment of panic passed through Fragrant. What if Max still felt something for his ex? He would certainly have more in common with Zephyr than herself.

“They can do what they want, but it’s awkward,” he grunted, staring into the fire.

“What other surprises will I find around here?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Will I constantly be bumping into your cast-offs? A mare in every town?”

“No, well, a few, one or two,” he mumbled blushing a little.

“One or two?” she asked. She had meant this as a joke but she was actually quite curious now. How many lovers had Max had? She was certain he was more experienced than she was in these matters.

“Well, um, four I guess, here in Nulpar.”

“Four? As I understand it, that is not that many. Have I met any of your others?”

“Well, maybe... my first was Whitefeather, she’s a hippogriff, we were both young, it didn’t last that long I just wanted to get mum angry I guess, it was a bad time for me. We’ve stayed friends. Then there was Piste, we both decided to try the other half of the population as it were, didn’t work out, we found out we preferred mares.” Fragrant nodded; she’d experimented with her own gender as well but had found she preferred stallions, or a stallion anyway. “It was about then I dated Zephyr for the first time – well, the second, maybe, we’d met at school and dated once or twice but it wasn’t that serious. We were on and off for a while and while we were off Mum set me up with Celery Stalk, she thought I should try out an earth mare, she was a nice enough girl but there never really seemed to be a connection, you know? She eventually moved to Praris and I stayed here. Then I made up with Zephyr again and, well, we were together for five, no, six years.” He wrung his hooves for a moment. “She wanted me to give up being mayor, settle down, have foals. I did want to, but, well, Sadlzburg seemed to need me so I kept putting it off. In the end she gave me an ultimatum, her or Sadlzburg, and the city won out.” Fragrant dropped off her cloud for a moment and gave him a nuzzle.

“I know how important our work can be, how many ponies we help. I wouldn’t ask you to choose.”

“Thanks. I just hope we have enough time for the two of us.”

She smiled gently. “We can make the time we need.”

Max hugged her back. “So what about you? Is there a pile of heart-broken stallions around Cloudsdale? Will I have to fight a bunch of evil exes for your hoof?”

“Hardly! I have only had two lovers in my life.” She did not like the direction this conversation was taking; it led to a part of her life she didn’t like to talk about. Still, Max had been open with her. He deserved the same from her, even if it hurt. “You have met the first, Holly Bush.”

“Wallflower’s wife?” asked Max in surprise.

“We were roommates at university and, well, we were very close for a while, but eventually I decided I preferred stallions to mares and we split up. We stayed friends and I introduced her to Wallflower after I went to court.”

Max nodded. “And your stallionfriend?”

Fragrant took a deep breath to try and steady herself. “His name was Greenhorn. I also met him at university while I was working on my master’s degree. Like me, he had some talent with hydroponics. We... we were very close for quite some time.” She squeezed her eyes closed to stop the tears falling. “We were betrothed but then... then...” She turned away from Max and staggered back into her cloud. With a flap of her wings, she raised it into the sky. “I... I am sorry, I do not... I cannot talk about that time in my life... it hurts.”

Max looked up in surprise, reaching out to hold Fragrant as she floated out of reach. “Fragrant!” he cried.

“I... I’m sorry, that relationship did not end well. I would rather put it behind me.”

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to bring back bad memories for you.” Max peered up at the cloud above him.

Fragrant wiped her eyes and concentrated on breathing for a moment. Then she looked down at the grey stallion below her. “It was a long time ago, and you did not know. I... I am tired. Maybe we should call it a night. I am sure we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow?”

“Yes, if you’re sure you’re alright?”

“I will be fine,” she said, doing her best to burrow into her cloud.

“Good night, then,” said Max, still looking up.

“Good night Max.”

7) Nulpar Tour : Day 4, Eyrie

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Max’s eyes snapped open and his gaze darted around the tent. It was dimly illuminated by the early morning light, and apart from him and his equipment it was empty. Definitely a dream, then. He tried to relax. His unconscious had definitely been busy last night; it had conjured up a vision of Fragrant who, apparently feeling the cold, begged to enter his tent. Once inside, she had asked to cuddle with him to warm herself, and then one thing had led to another and soon things had gotten very hot indeed.

After a few minutes it was clear he wasn’t going to get any more sleep, so he decided to get up and maybe get a start on breakfast. He’d planned to make it to the Eyrie before nightfall, which shouldn’t be too much of a trek, but still they didn’t have too much time to waste. Pushing his blanket aside, he struggled over to the door and pushed his head through. Outside, the sun was starting its climb up the sky. The weather looked good, there was hardly a cloud in the sky... He blinked. Where was Fragrant’s cloud? A surge of panic flashed through him. Could something have happened to her? Had she left for some reason? Did he talk in his sleep?! Energized, he jumped out of the tent and almost tripped on a guy rope, and began to search the sky. To his relief, he found what he was looking for almost straight away. Fragrant’s bed had drifted a short distance during the night, but he could see her long pink tail hanging down from the cloud only a hundred or so feet away. He gave a sigh of relief, feeling his heart rate slow. Panic averted, he turned back to the tent to see what supplies he had left. There was some of the fruit from last night left, some oats; it was a shame there was no milk but keeping it fresh would have been next to impossible. Dry muesli it was then, not exactly the breakfast of the Princess, but it would keep body and soul together. He quickly mixed together two bowls and trotted over to Fragrant’s cloud.

“Fragrant,” he called gently. He waited a moment then tried again a little louder, “Fragrant!”

“Huh,” came the reply. Fragrant’s bleary-looking face popped over the side of the cloud. “What?” she asked, not sounding or looking very much like a duchess right now; her mane was dishevelled and her coat matted. Max thought she looked adorable.

“It’s time to get up.”

She blinked a bit and then looked up at the sun and back at Max. “Oh, morning.”

“I made breakfast.” He held up one of the bowls.

“Oh, um, thank you. Give me a minute, I’ll just make myself presentable.” She ducked back onto the cloud and there was the sound of some frantic activity. Max waited for rather longer than a minute, noting that the cloud itself seemed to be shrinking a bit. What could she be doing up there? Eventually, Fragrant strode off the cloud and hovered in the air next to it, looking, if not her normal immaculate self, then much better than she had when she first woke up. She had even changed her dress. She shot out a leg and struck the cloud, which instantly became a downpour, causing Max to jump aside to avoid getting wet.

“Oh, sorry,” she said as she floated down to the ground and took the bowl from him. “Thank you.”

The two of them returned to his camp and sat down, eating their breakfast in silence. Max considered apologizing for last night, but Fragrant didn’t seem interested in bringing the matter up, so he decided to likewise keep quiet. After they had finished eating, Max visited a nearby stream to quickly wash himself and the breakfast things before packing up his gear and loading it back onto himself. “Our next stop is the Eyrie,” he announced, pointing at a mountain range rising in the distance.

“That’s an unusual name,” said Fragrant.

“It’s a mostly griffon township. A group of exiles from the Kingdoms founded it almost a century ago now. They used to keep to themselves, but the latest mayor, Southern Breeze, has been trying to set up more trade links with the other settlements. I think you’ll like her.”

“I see,” muttered Fragrant, looking up at the mountains. “Are there many other settlement in the area?”

“No, there might be the odd hamlet about, but I don’t think there’s anything of any size for a day’s trot, maybe more.” He pointed up at the peaks. “We call those the Broken Backs. They stretch through most of Nulpar. It’s pretty hard going around here, not much good growing land or much in the way of resources. It’s a wonder the Eyrie survives, really, but I guess they’re all too stubborn to move.”

Fragrant nodded. Cloudsdale had an expatriate griffon community and she’d had to deal with the griffon Kingdoms of occasion as well; she knew how obstinate the large predators could be. “I guess we should be on our way then. It looks like it will be a long journey.”

“Yes,” agreed Max. “Although if we make good speed we should get there before sun down. Getting up there might be a bit of a problem, it’s quite a climb to the town itself. It’s on top of a mountain.”

“I might be able to help,” said Fragrant, a little unsurely. Max was quite heavy and that was without his luggage, and she wasn’t that strong a flyer. Still, that was something to worry about when they got there. Maybe the locals could help.

“We’ll see,” said Max, folding up his map.

As Max had predicted, the path he and Fragrant took towards the Broken Backs was desolate. The only ponies they met on the way was a small family of tinkers coming the other way. The mother and father were quite friendly, and their older daughter seemed very taken with Fragrant’s dress; the younger filly seemed ecstatic to have somepony to talk to. While the two groups stopped to take cover for midday and share their food, the filly insisted she get to explain every one of the family’s goods to the strangers, from the most ordinary horseshoe to the most exquisite jewellery. While she was showing Fragrant her wares, her parents explained to Max that they had just been trading with the Eyrie and were now heading towards Neighagra.

Eventually the two parties said their goodbyes and set off in opposite directions. Fragrant had gained a rather attractive, if overpriced, shawl which she wrapped around her head, and Max had made a rather good deal on some maps of the northern parts of the province which he hoped might be more up to date that his own.

The two nobles chatted quietly as they slowly approached the distant mountains. Fragrant could sense that Max was troubled by something that he wasn’t talking about, and made several attempts to draw out whatever was bothering him without success. Likewise, although she had come to Nulpar to talk to Max about Notebook and Wallflower’s behaviour, she found it impossible to broach the subject. Now that she was here, it seemed wrong to drag Max into her own problems when he apparently had his own.

“Here we are,” exclaimed Max, looking at the almost sheer wall of rock a short distance away.

Fragrant glanced up at it. It certainly was intimidating; not as tall as the Canterhorn, but still a mountain. Both her wings and hooves ached after a full day’s travel; she did what she could to keep fit, but today had been rather more exercise than she was used to. She wasn’t entirely sure she could make her own way to the top, much less try to carry Max there as well. “How are we going to get there?” she asked.

“Climb, of course!” exclaimed Max with a gleam in his eye as he trotted closer to the mountain.

Fragrant didn’t feel convinced, although she was sure Max was a strong climber – it was his talent, after all. But it was already late in the afternoon and she was sure even the best mountaineer in Equestria wouldn’t be keen on making the ascent in the dark. “Max, maybe we should...” she began before she was interrupted by a cry.

“Hey! They finished it!”

Frowning, Fragrant joined Max at the rock face and found to her surprise a large wooden cage, maybe large enough for a dozen ponies or a mid-sized cart, with thick ropes stretched up into the sky. “What is it?” she asked.

“It’s a lift! Southern said she was going to build it, but I didn’t believe her,” he shook the side of the cage with a hoof. “Seems strong enough.”

Fragrant wasn’t so sure and examined the device critically. “Are you sure this is safe?” she asked, but Max had already entered the cage and was examining it.

“Come on, get in!” he cried, gripping a rope with his teeth.

Fragrant wanted to suggest she follow on the outside of the cage, but Max seemed keen on trying the death-trap. She gingerly entered the cage and swallowed hard as Max shut the door and tied it shut. Now there was no way out if the thing came crashing down. He yanked a rope hard a few times, then let it go. “Now we just have to wait for them to start to pull it up. Could take a while.”

A few minutes crawled past, and Max tried the rope again. “Maybe we should...” started Fragrant, only to be interrupted as with a jolt the cage started to jerkily ascend into the air. She gave a rather unladylike yell and tried to stay on her hooves. Max leaned heavily against the wall of the cage, which started to sway slightly. Feeling rather sick, Fragrant tried to keep her eyes on her companion rather than watch the jagged rocks of the spire as they slowly moved past.

“You see, it’s not easy to get goods up to the Eyrie,” explained Max calmly. “The griffons can lift a fair bit, but not a whole wagon, and it’s not really possible for most ponies to get to the top, apart from pegasi of course. So Southern said she was going to build a lift to allow caravans to get up there. It’s not quite as big as she planned, but still, it’s very impressive.”

Yes, impressive, thought Fragrant, as she heard the cage produce a groaning sound and thought she felt the floor drop slightly.

All too soon, in Max’s opinion, the lift approached the Eyrie itself. Perched on top of the mountain as it was, it was amazing how quickly the lift could ascend; he guessed it would be slower if it held a whole wagon rather than just two ponies. “I think you’ll like the Eyrie,” he said to Fragrant, who had a hoof wrapped around one of the supports and looked even paler than her normal light yellow. “Southern and her ancestors have done a lot with it since they arrived. It was just a barren rock when they first arrived, but it’s a thriving settlement now.” Suddenly the cage gave a shudder, which caused Fragrant to instinctively throw a wing around Max. At the same time, the top of the mountain came into sight. There was a wide plank with railings along it, linking the cage to the mountain itself, and beyond that a pair of windlasses, each powered by two griffon or ponies. As she watched, they halted as the cage stopped moving and slumped against their equipment, panting slightly. Feeling embarrassed, Fragrant blushed as she unlocked herself from Max. The earth pony opened the cage and was about to step out when Fragrant – a little rudely, he thought – rushed past him. Upon exiting the cage, she spread her wings and stretched for a moment, letting out a sigh of relief before realising where she was and taking up a more modest stance. With a grin, Max followed her out.

“Max!” came a cry from behind the windlasses, and suddenly he found himself buried in a mass of fur and feathers. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Nice to see you too, Southern,” he replied, sounding rather muffled from the over-enthusiastic griffoness wrapped around him. She wasn’t actually that large for a griffon, but she still towered over Max, the white feathers of her head and wings in sharp contrast the dark brown, almost black coat of her leonine half.

“How are you!” she replied, partially releasing her grip. “I haven't seen you in months, since you headed off to Canterlot! Have they kicked you out already?”

“Court’s closed for the summer, so I thought I’d try to visit the important settlements.”

“And you thought of us first?” said Southern, giving Max another hug. “That’s sweet of you.”

“Well not exactly first, but you were near the top of the list.”

“Baron Max,” said Fragrant with a cough. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” She sounded a little stiff.

“Oh, right. Duchess Fragrant Posey, this is Talon Master Bloodstrike, or Southern Breeze as she prefers to go by. Southern, this is Duchess Fragrant Posey, minister of weather, she’s here to look into Nulpar’s weather provision.”

“A duchess? You certainly shoot high, don’t you, Max? Nice to meet you,” said Southern, turning to Fragrant and giving a short bow.

“The pleasure is mine,” replied Fragrant, copying the gesture. “You know my colleague Baron Max well?”

“Colleague, right?” She gave a wink. “I visit Sadlzburg when I can. We used to bounce ideas about modernization off each other. So, now that you’re a big wig, can you...”

“Mutter!” came a pair high pitched cries, as a large griffon swooped in to land. On his back clung two small griffon chicks, who let out the cry again.

“Hey kids!” cried Southern, opening her beak in a smile. “You remember your uncle Max, right?”

One of the chicks hopped off the larger griffon and quickly approached, while the other nervously burrowed its way into its father’s plumage. “I’d be surprised if they did,” said Max, kneeling to look at the bolder child. “What are they now, one and a half?”

“Almost two, and a talon full,” said Southern with pride.

“They’ve really grown,” said Max, rummaging in his bags for a moment before removing a pair of brightly coloured wooden figures – one a yellow pegasus, the other a light green earth pony. “I got them these from Canterlot.” He held the earth pony out to the approaching filly. She examined it for a moment before snatching it with a tiny talon and pecked at it with her beak. “There you go, Gentle.” He held out the other towards the more cautious chick, who was carefully approaching under the gaze of his father, “And for you, Gusty.” The colt reached out for the toy, only for it to be snatched away by his sister who gave an angry hiss, causing her brother to back away head lowered.

“Now, play nicely with your brother,” cautioned Gunter, the twins’ father. Gentle held up a talon rebelliously for a moment, before giving up and pushing the pegasus toy back towards her brother. He carefully picked it up and turned it around a few times in his grasp, as if trying to figure out what it was. He glanced between it and Fragrant for a moment before giving an excited squeak.

“Thanks, Max,” said Southern.

“That’s alright. I’m afraid I can’t stay more than the night, but I’m sure we can get some time to talk and maybe chat with some of your people. Is there any way you can get them together?”

“You’re joking right?” she paused for a moment. “You really don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?” asked Max, frowning.

“The wedding? Western’s finally tying the knot with Glide Path.”

“They finally got round to it? What brought that on?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Southern. “If she’s gotten knocked up, she hasn’t told me.”

Fragrant was standing politely to one side, looking a little lost. “Western is Southern’s younger sister,” he explained. “She’s been dating Glide Path for, well, as long as I can remember. I guess he finally decided to make an honest griffon of her.”

“Ah, herzlichen glückwunsch,” said Fragrant.

“Sie sprechen Griffish?” asked Southern in surprise.

“Some, my city has a substantial griffon minority. I hope your sister’s special day goes well.”

“You can both come you, know,” said Southern, turning to Max. “I sent you an invitation, I thought that was why you were here.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get it, but I’d be honoured to take part.”

“Good.” She put a wing around each of the two ponies. “The ceremony’s not until midnight, so I can show the Duchess around and then you can both get ready.”

Fragrant was rather impressed by the tour of the town; it was of rather unique construction. The Eyrie was built onto a plateau at the top of the mountain, and in the centre stood the block-like shape of a griffon fort, although it appeared to be in rather poor repair. Few ponies or griffons still lived within it, but it was used as a public building and storehouse for the community. Although it was also a potential shelter if the town were ever to be attacked.

Southern sounded a little embarrassed as she explained that this was the oldest part of the town, built when the city was first founded by griffon exiles. Driven from their own homes, they had fled south until they were well outside of the Kingdoms and had built their home for protection. There they had remained for almost a generation, interacting only rarely with their new neighbours who were themselves rather fearful of the new arrivals. The new settlement, cut off from support and in unfamiliar environments, had fared poorly, and it had looked likely the exiles would die out in the strange land they had found themselves.

It had not been until twenty years after its foundation before the population led by Southern’s grandfather had finally reached out for aid. It had come in the form of a small nomadic tribe of pegasi living in the nearby mountains. The two groups, after some teething troubles, had managed to work together surprisingly well, and the population had begun to boom, resulting in a rather chaotic mix of buildings in both Equestrian and griffon styles which filled most of the available area now. There were even a small number of cloud houses floating above the town, although these were of a blockier, more primitive style than those Fragrant was familiar with in Cloudsdale.

The town’s culture seemed to be an odd mix of equestrian and griffon as well. Fragrant noticed that several ponies were armed with knives or hoofguards that ended in blades like a griffon’s talons. As they passed, a griffon and pegasus broke into a brief wrestling match. Max looked a little perturbed, but Southern seemed blasé, so Fragrant tried to ignore it. As quickly as it had started, the scuffle ended and the two combatants wandered off, slapping each other on the back.

The settlement was mostly fed from an expanse of fields on the opposite side of the mountain, although it still needed to import supplies from other towns such as Salzberg. In exchange, the Eyrie bartered some metal implements created from iron mined in the mountains and forged by the local blacksmiths, the griffons’ dexterous claws allowing them to create small objects better than most ponies. Southern explained that if the population continued to grow at its current rate, then they’d run out of space on the mountain itself and would either need to try and build out in the manner of Canterlot, or, more realistically, have to start building at the bottom of the mountain. The newly constructed lift was the first step on such a move.

By the time the tour and Southern’s lecture was finished, Fragrant found herself rather in awe of the griffon’s vision for her people and settlement. Even more than Max, she seemed to have a dream of the future of her piece of Nulpar, which stretched far from the present. It did seem a little grandiose for the current situation, but at least it was there. She couldn’t help compare her own situation. What had she really tried to achieve in the last decade? Cloud exports had taken up much of her last year alone and that was a comparatively small relaxation of current rules. Should she be thinking larger? A significant change to Cloudsdale? She would need to put her mind to it when she had the time.

“Jangle for your thoughts?” said Max.

“Oh, sorry?” said Fragrant as she was dragged from her musings.

“Sorry if my little town isn’t very interesting to you, duchess!” said Southern huffily.

“No, sorry, it is very interesting. I was just thinking about your plans. They are most impressive.”

“Thanks. I didn’t think we’d ever get the lift working, but Gilbert turned out to be very handy with a block and tackle.”

“Gilbert?” asked Max.

“He’s a distant relative of mine from the Kingdoms, turned up about three months ago. He was looking into his family tree and found out that our ancestors had made their way down here, so he decided to look us up. Very handy really, we don’t get many visitors.”

“Yes, very,” said Fragrant, something about the timing of the arrival struck her as odd, she was sure she’d been told something about this place about three months ago. She had an inkling that there might be more to this Gilbert than Southern knew. “I think I’d like to talk to him.”

“Well, he should be at the wedding,” said Southern, looking up at the sky where the moon was quickly rising. “Huh, later than I thought. It’s not long till the ceremony. I better head home and tuck in Gentle and Gusty and make sure my sister hasn’t got cold wings and tried to fly back to the Kingdoms.” She grinned. “I’ll ask around, I’m sure I can find someone with a little space for you two to freshen up in, and give you a bed for tonight.”

“Thank you, Talon Master,” said Fragrant. “Your courtesy is appreciated.”

“You really don’t need to,” said Max. “We’ll be fine.”

“You say that, but I don’t want you stinking up the place, Max,” said Southern. “You could do with a wash.”

Max scowled a little and then surreptitiously sniffed himself, causing Fragrant to try to hide a little giggle.

Max had to admit, he did feel better after getting cleaned up. Southern had managed to arrange for him to stay with one of the griffon families living near the edge of the town. It had been a little awkward getting ready for the ceremony alongside the larger creatures, but he’d settled in quickly enough. His host was a watchmaker, one of the few in Nulpar, and had given him a lecture on his craft; it went almost entirely over Max’s head, but he was sure it would have been very informative if he had understood it. Once he had washed and packed away his gear, he had bid his host farewell and gone to look for Fragrant. She had been housed in one of the cloud buildings that slowly orbited above the town. He waited patiently below the one she was staying in. Well, he hoped it was the right one. They all looked the same to him. He expected he might be here for a while; in his somewhat limited experience mares normally took quite a while to get ready, and Fragrant certainly seemed fastidious about her appearance. He was right, and waited for almost half an hour before she left the floating building, but she made it worthwhile. She stepped from the cloud building clad in a glittering green dress and had somehow found the time to style her mane so that it was platted on top of her head. As she swooped down towards him, wings spread wide, she was illuminated by the moon, causing Max’s mouth to drop.

“Ah, baron,” she said as she gracefully landed next to him and folded her wings away. “I hope you were not waiting long?”

“Um, errr,” mumbled Max, still struck dumb. Fragrant smiled.

“Good. We should set off, we would not want to be late.”

“Well, yes, of course. You... you look really good.”

“Thank you, baron. You have cleaned up well yourself.”

Max self-consciously smoothed his mane down. He hadn’t actually packed any clothes for the trip – it hadn’t occurred to him that any would be needed – but luckily Southern had found a pony who had been willing to lend him his wedding suit. It was a little large, but more or less fit. “Thank you, but I don’t know if they’ll let you into the wedding.”

“Why ever not?” asked Fragrant with a frown.

“Well, I don’t think you’re allowed to look better than the bride.”

Fragrant blushed a little. “I am sure all eyes will be on her for her special day,” she said, starting off towards the fort where the wedding was being held.

I don’t think mine will be, thought Max.

The wedding was being held on the roof of the fort at the centre of Eyrie; it seemed to be the largest open area in the rather ramshackle town. Several long benches had been set up in a number of concentric semicircles with an empty walkway leading to the front, apparently positioned to face the moon as it made its way across the sky. By the time Max and Fragrant had made their way there, the place was almost full. Fragrant found herself a little nervous given the number of griffons around; it seemed like most of the community were present. She was surprised by the number of ponies present as well. Pegasi filled up maybe a quarter of the seats, intermingled with the larger griffons and chatting in a mix of Equestrian and Griffon that Fragrant found hard to follow. There were also a number of hippogriffs and even a smattering of earth-bound ponies amongst the crowd. Max and Fragrant herself had found a space free near the back of the gathering.

“I went to Southern’s wedding, you know,” said Max as they sat down. “Griffon weddings can be a little different from pony ones.”

“I was part of the Equestria delegation to King Gruber Kraus’s wedding, actually. Although I suspect this wedding might be a little different,” said Fragrant. “Smaller, anyway.”

“Really, what was it like?”

“It was a suitably grand event, but it seemed somewhat soulless. The union was for political reasons. This one seems more lively.”

“There you are,” said Southern, pushing through the crowds. “Why don’t you sit up front with me? I’m sure we can make room.” She gestured to the front bench, which already seemed packed.

“That’s alright,” said Max. “This is your sister’s day, she hardly knows me, better her friends and family be closer.”

“Well, if you’re sure...”

“I agree, it would not be proper for us to be at the front of the ceremony. We are perfectly happy to be back here,” said Fragrant.

“I’m sure you are,” said Southern, giving a wink. “Ok then, but would you like to be part of the ceremony?”

“Oh, well, I suppose so. It would be an honour,” said Max. He hadn’t been asked to do anything at Southern’s wedding. “What do we have to do?”

“When the couple walk back up the aisle, Max, you stand on the right, and duchess, you on the left. As they pass, say ‘Wie Sie, so das wir sein wollen.’ Got that?”

Max looked bemused. “Um, Wie see, so ras vir sein vollen?”

“Close enough. Just make sure you’re looking at each other when you say it. Very important, that.”

“What does it mean?”

“It’s sort of a blessing, bonds the couple together, good luck, that sort of thing,” said Southern vaguely. At the front of the gathering, an ancient griffon was making her way to the centre of the throng, helped by two younger griffonesses. “Whoops, I better get in place. It was hard enough to get the old bird to agree to officiate, given her burning hatred of me and all I stand for – I don’t want to annoy her any more. Talk to you later.” She leapt into the air and swooped down to the front, taking a place next to her husband.

“What did she mean about burning hatred?” asked Fragrant, frowning.

“I don’t think it’s that bad, but there are some griffons who aren't so happy about Southern’s modernisation plan.” He guessed every town had its own Honey Bun. “A few aren't even happy they accepted the pegasi in, even though that was ages ago.”

Fragrant nodded. “I can certainly see that her plans would not be universally accepted. Wie Sie, so dass wir sein wollen,” she mumbled. “It’s something about them wanting to be like us, or us like them, I think.”

“Did they do anything like that at the king’s wedding?” asked Max.

“I think so. Various nobles were lined up after the wedding. I don’t recall what was said.”

Before Max could reply, a band – making up for its small numbers with volume – started playing off to one side. At the back of the area, a short brown-coated pegasus stallion with a long bright yellow mane and wearing a rather poorly fitting suit trotted up the stairs from the fort itself, a large paper-wrapped package resting over his back. Sweating profusely and looking a little sick, he quickly made his way to the front of the gathering and bowed deeply to the old griffon. Fragrant was a little shocked to find the groom was a pony; she supposed it made sense and explained the hippogriffs present, but such mixed marriages weren't that common in her city.

“Ich Glide Path Weg hier gekämpft haben, um die Kralle Western Breeze nehmen, um meine Frau und meine Küken tragen.” He proclaimed in perfect Griffish.

The old griffon looked at him a little dubiously. “Können Sie beweisen, können Sie für sich und Ihre Küken stellen?” she said.

“Yes,” he replied, unwrapping the parcel to reveal a large smoked fish almost the size of a foal, which he presented to his inquisitor.

The old bird bent forwards and tore off a large chunk of the fish, chewing it thoughtfully for a moment before swallowing and nodding. “Acceptable.”

So far it was much the same as the previous griffon wedding she had been to, thought Fragrant. Rather smaller, though; the fish at King Kraus’s wedding had been bigger than he was.

“Talon Master,” intoned the old griffon. “Do you accept Glide Path’s petition to marry?”

Southern stood tall at the front of the congregation. “Well, he is a bit scrawny, but Western seems to like him for some reason, so why not?” she said with a shrug. The old griffon glared at Southern, who sighed. “The Bloodstrike accepts Glide Path’s petition to marry. Let any who disagree challenge me now!”

Fragrant held her breath for a moment. At Kraus’ wedding, the challenge had been accepted, and the king had duelled with the challenger. The Equestrian ambassador had explained that the fight had been scripted to show the king at his best, but to Fragrant’s eyes, it had seemed very real.

There was a moment’s silence, then the sound of hooves and talons on stone was heard from the back of the gathering. Looking back, Fragrant saw a griffoness clad in a loose sky blue dress and crowned by a garland of flowers enter up the stairs. Before her walked a pegasus mare, and surrounding her were a quartet of ladies; two griffons, a hippogriff and a pegasus, each wearing similar, if less flattering dresses. She recognised the tradition, although in a more traditional griffon wedding the groomsmen were present to prevent the bride from being kidnapped – or, in very traditional weddings, from escaping – however, having female attendants was unknown in griffon society. Were they some adaption of the pony tradition of best mare or mares of honour? The procession made its way down the aisle and stopped at the front, opening up to allow the bride past. The bride and groom looked at each other for a moment; the groom looked quite shocked with his mouth hanging open, while the bride looked aside bashfully. The ancient griffon loudly cleared her throat to get their attention before speaking again.

“We are gathered here at this time of change, as one day becomes the next.” She gestured up at the moon shining full in the sky above. “To join these two in matrimony so that their previous lives apart can end and their life together can start. This is no decision to make lightly...” She paused for a moment to allow the words to sink in. “Do both of you, pony and griffon, agree in the light of the moon to your union?”

The bride held out a wing, and the groom held out his own so their feathers overlapped. “We do,” they chorused, smiling at each other. Fragrant frowned. This was more like a pony wedding now, but it was still different to most.

“Do you, Western Breeze, sister of the Talon Master, daughter of Bloodstrike, agree to wed Glide Path? To love, protect and cherish him until the end?”

“I... I do,” she replied, her voice wavering a little.

“Do you, Glide Path, son of Landing Strip, agree to wed Western Breeze? To love, protect and cherish her until the end?”

“I do,” he replied loudly.

“The strength of their commitment is clear, the power of their love undeniable. By the light of the moon and by these tokens...” She paused as a best mare passed the couple two rather bland copper bracelets, which they clipped onto their forelegs. “I now pronounce you griffoness and colt. You may kiss,” she said with a touch of disdain then stood back as Western knelt down to allow her husband to embrace and kiss her. Next to them, Southern was wiping tears from her eyes. Fragrance heard Max make a quiet ‘dawww’ sound. She turned to him and he stood up straight, trying to seem every bit the strong emotionless stallion. She grinned and gently leaned her head against him.

“It’s almost our bit,” she whispered. Indeed, various couples were starting to slide out of the benches and take their places at each side of the aisle. Those nearest the front tended to be older, although Southern and Gunter were at the very front; nearer the back, younger couples took their place. In fact, a pair of barely adult griffons stood nearby until they were yanked out of the line by their parents. Fragrant stood where she had been instructed, looking at Max opposite her and trying to remember her line. The newlyweds started to slowly walk down the line, stopping at each couple for a moment.

“Da wir so sind Sie jetzt!” chorused Southern and Gunter as the couple passed, and for a moment Fragrant worried that she had misremembered her line, but although the next couple, and even the one after, repeated the same thing, the couples further down the line switched to the script she had been given. Finally the mismatched pair arrived in front of Max and Fragrant.

“Wie Sie, so das wir sein wollen,” said Fragrant, staring Max in the eye and fighting against her instinct to look shyly away.

“Wie Sie, so das wir sein wollen,” he replied with a smile as the bride and groom passed and made their way down into the fort. To his surprise, many of the couples ahead of them embraced, one or two kissing quite passionately. He blinked and Fragrant looked equally puzzled. He shrugged. They must have just been overwhelmed by the romance of the moment.

“Good!” cried Southern from the front, “Now that that’s over, we can eat!”

To Fragrant’s surprise, the reception took place in the same place as the wedding. The whole crowd worked together, and in only a few minutes had converted the area into a dining room; tables were set up in front of the benches and food was brought in and laid out. This time Southern wouldn’t take no for an answer, and she and Max found themselves on the main table next to the mayor and not far from the bride and groom themselves. This had the unfortunate side effect of putting them near the large fish the groom had provided. Fragrant had been in a similar position at the royal wedding, although she thought that was more likely to have been a calculated insult rather than happenstance. Max was trying to hide his revulsion, but as always he wore his heart on his sleeve. She was not fond of a meat diet herself, but she recognised that it was a necessity for griffons and hid her dislike better than he did. She was a little surprised that almost all the ponies present were tucking into the meal alongside their predator neighbours, although with somewhat smaller portions. She even saw what she thought were roasted rabbits in the buffet and decided to distract Max from them.

“It’s considered good luck to eat from the wedding fish, you know,” she said.

“I don’t think I can stomach it,” admitted Max.

“He couldn’t at my wedding,” said Southern. “He ended up blowing chunks and he didn’t even eat any of it first.”

“I think the hay might have been damp,” said Max weakly.

“Well, I certainly wish your sister good fortune,” said Fragrant, taking a small portion of the fish and nibbling at it. Max looked away. “You know, you should try at least some. As a noble, you should make sacrifices for your people, and get used to their culture.” She took a fork in her mouth and held out a piece of fish on the end. “Please, for me?”

Not looking convinced, Max slowly moved forwards with his eyes closed and bit into the flesh on the fork. He grimaced and chewed quickly before swallowing. He gave a heave but seemed to be able to keep the morsel down.

“Good!” said Southern with a grin. “Now, for being a good colt, you can have cake!” She revealed a plate piled high with a gooey chocolate sponge. Max’s eyes shone.

“Did Gunter make that himself?” he asked, reaching for the plate.

“Of course.” She turned to Fragrant as Max started on the cake with a groan of pleasure. “It’s really good. You know what they say, the way to a griffoness’ heart is through her stomach. And he certainly found my heart.” She smiled fondly over towards her husband, who was talking with some other guests. “You should try some, duchess.”

Fragrant leaned over and took a small bite of Max’s cake. Her eyes widened and she took a larger bite. “This is wonderful!” she said, forgetting herself and spitting crumbs towards her host. “This chocolate!” Max grinned at her reaction and, although he looked a little forlorn, he pushed the remaining cake over to Fragrant, who continued to devour it.

“It’s not easy to get out here, although it was harder for Glide to get the fish,” said Southern. “There aren't any good fishing spots near here, well, not for anything that big. You need to go to Neighagra and you know what Barrel thinks of griffons!”

Fragrant looked up from the cake long enough to frown.

“He’s not a fan,” said Max.

“He’s a bigot. I don’t know why, you’d think we ate his mother or something. Anyway, either he overcharges or he down right refuses to trade. We had to sneak this one out via a third party. Hey, now that you’re in charge, can’t you tell him to knock it off, Max?”

“I don’t know. I’ll try to speak to him, at least.”

“Good.” She lowered her voice a little, suddenly serious. “There are a few hotheads here willing to take the issue seriously. I’ve got a handle on it for the moment, but you never know.”

Max nodded. He didn’t know it was that big an issue. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good,” said Western, smiling again. “Hey, Gilbert,” she cried over to a rather handsome griffon chatting with some ponies at another table. “Get over here and meet Max and Duchess Posey. This is Gilbert, the guy from the Kingdoms I told you about, my cousin or something.”

“We are rather more distantly related than that,” the newcomer admitted.

“Yeah, well, you’ve been a big help around here. I hope you can stick around.”

“For a while, although I will have to return home eventually.”

Fragrant looked up from her now empty plate and frowned. She had suspicions about where Gilbert would be returning to. “How are things in the Kingdoms currently, Mr Gilbert?” she asked.

“Well, there’s some tension between the outer and inner Kingdoms, but I hope it will blow over. I’ve heard a troop of border guard have more or less mutinied – they’re hunting down bandits rather than doing their real job. It’s got their leader, Gwendolyn, quite a bit of support from the outer Kingdoms.”

“Really? I would love to hear more,” said Fragrant.

“Hey, Max, while these two chat, would you like to talk to Dusty and his people? They’ve got some things to ask you about trying to apply for farming subsidies,” interrupted Southern.

“Sure,” said Max, glancing at Fragrant for a moment.

“I should be fine talking to Mr. Gilbert,” she confirmed. Max nodded and headed off with Southern. “Now, Mr. Gilbert...” she continued, her tone becoming more aggressive. She hoped she was right about who he was; of course, if he was good at his job, she would probably not know. “It was very fortunate that you turned up at the right time for this little town. Three months ago, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, well, I’d been planning the trip for quite a while, but I kept putting it off. I wasn’t sure they’d accept me here, but they’ve been very friendly.” If he was nervous, he didn’t show it.

“You know, it was about that long ago that a colleague of mine, Archduke Bobbing Fisher, learned of this place. He was worried it might be full of spies for the Kingdoms.”

“You can’t think I’m a spy for the griffons? I’m just an engineer at home, I don’t even have anything to do with any of the royalty!”

“No, I don’t think you are a spy for the griffons.” She looked down for a moment, then back up again. “I think you are a spy for the ponies! You see, I know that one of my frien...” She paused. “...my colleagues, Vicereine Wallflower, stopped Fisher from sending anypony to investigate, and she herself sent her own agents instead. She is, as I have recently found out, not very trusting. I am sure she had Equestria’s best interests in heart, but it is very unpleasant to find out that a friend, even someone who claimed to be a member of your family, is not who they seem to be!”

“I’m sorry, duchess, but that sounds very paranoid to me.” He glanced around nervously.

“Yes it does, but unfortunately for ponies in my line of work, paranoia is often the best policy.” Except for Max, she thought. Maybe she had to be paranoid so he didn’t. The thought made her eyes mist a little. “I think it would be best if you cut your meeting short and reported back to your superiors that there is nothing untoward going on here, don’t you?”

The griffon blinked at her for a moment, then opened his beak to speak. “Everything going on alright?” asked Max as he returned, interrupting whatever Gilbert was going to say.

“Oh, yes, everything’s fine,” said the griffon, glancing back to Fragrant.

“Yes, we have just finished our chat. It was most informative,” she said.

“Yes, I think I should take my leave now. I think I need to talk to Bloodstrike about something.” He gave both ponies a quick bow and hurried off.

It was odd, thought Fragrant. She had been to weddings of dozens of traditions and maybe half a dozen species, but almost all of them involved the newlywed couple dancing together in front of the guests. The style varied from the formal in Zaldia to the more wild dances of lower class Equestrians, but dancing together was almost always part of the ceremony. She supposed it was the best way to show the new couple acting as one. She felt a warmth against her flank and realised she and Max were leaning into each other heavily, and she couldn’t really blame the wine – she had only had one glass. She really should sit up, ponies might talk, but it did seem like an awful lot of effort.

Southern and Gunter were sitting next to them, beaks gently duelling. The Talon Master turned away from her husband to talk. “I’m glad the two of you were such good sports about the ceremony.”

“I was honoured to be invited,” said Fragrant, sitting upright. She felt as if something was pulling her back towards Max, but she fought against it.

“I meant the joining at the end.”

“The joining?” asked Max.

“You know ‘Wie Sie, so dass wir sein wollen’ and all that.”

“What was that, you said it was something to do with good luck.”

“Well, sort of. It means ‘as you are, so we want to be.’ It’s sort of an engagement thingy. The more important the griffon getting married, the more lucky it considered for the new couple.”

“Engagement!” cried Fragrant, struggling to keep her voice down.

“Huh!” exclaimed Max, apparently stunned.

“It doesn’t really mean anything, it’s not like its legally binding or anything,” said Southern, grinning. “I saw the two of you and just thought, what the heck.”

“That is... why... we are just colleagues!” protested Fragrant.

“Sure you are,” said Southern, pointing down at Max and Fragrant’s tails, which had somehow become intertwined. Fragrant gave a tug, and her luxurious appendage detached itself from Max’s much shorter one. His style, although apparently normal for Nulpar, was actually bordering on the obscene by Canterlot standards. She had meant to mention it to him once or twice, but she had always gotten distracted.

“Well... we...”

“Fragrant, no one cares,” said Max, gesturing at the crowd around them who were starting to take their own places on the dance floor. “No one knows you here, and they only know me as a pony who visits once in a blue moon. There are no press; gossip mongers maybe, but no press here.” He rested a leg over her. “We’re together,” he confirmed to Southern, “but not for long so far. Engagement might be a bit early.”

“Ok, sorry, but you two just look so cute, I couldn’t resist. It was just a bit of fun.”

Fragrant found she could bring herself to speak again she shrugged off Max’s leg. “I think that ‘jest’ was in rather poor taste,” she said icily.

“Look, I said I was sorry...” began Southern.

“It is late and Baron Max and myself have a long journey tomorrow. I think I will retire for the night,” said Fragrant, cutting her off. She stood up, pulling away from Max. “Good night, Talon Master.” She leapt into the air and was off.

“Fragrant!” called Max as she left.

“I’m sorry, Max,” apologised Southern. “It was just a joke, I didn’t think...”

“I know, but Fragrant, there’s something up with her. Look, I better go talk to her.” He rushed off after the fleeing pegasus.

“Sorry!” called Southern again.

Galloping through the town, Max finally caught up with Fragrant as she was about to enter the cloud building she had been billeted in. “Fragrant!” he called loudly. She turned and looked down at him. “Don’t you think you overreacted a bit there?”

She looked like she was going to argue for a moment, then deflated somewhat. “Maybe, I... I do not like others prying into my business, or knowing about my private life. It is private.”

“I know,” said Max, sitting down and looking up at the pegasus above him. “But Southern didn’t mean anything by it. She saw two ponies in love and just wanted to help.”

Fragrant seemed a little shocked by his words. “I... well...” She sighed. “I may well have overreacted. I should apologize.”

“No, she was in the wrong, but don’t hold it against her. She’s always been a prankster. Is being engaged to me really that bad?”

“No,” she said, then blinked. “I mean, we hardly know each other, it is far too early for betrothal. I do like you, Max, but that is rather quick.”

“Yeah, I know, but it’s nice to think about, right?”

“Yes,” She paused. “Should we go back to the party?” she asked.

“I think you were right, we do have a long day ahead of us and sun will be up in a few hours. We’ll probably be late heading out anyway. Best to try and get some sleep. Goodnight, Fragrant.” He turned away to find his own dwelling.

Fragrant paused and fidgeted for a moment, then called out as she swooped down to the ground. “Max.” He turned back and she kissed him on his cheek. “Goodnight. I did have a lovely time.” With that, she was gone again, back up to the cloud house and leaving him stunned, holding a hoof to his face for several minutes.

8) Nulpar Tour: Day 5, Taking Flight

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As Max had predicted, the sun was high in the sky before the two of them roused themselves and prepared to set out. Most of the town was just as somnolent, as it recovered from last night’s party. They had both left their host’s house on tip hoof, letting them rest. Max had strapped on his bags and met up with Fragrant near where they had first entered the city. That was when they saw a problem with their plans to leave; with few inhabitants around, there was no one to lower the lift to the ground. Max thought he could climb down, but it would take a great deal of time. Fragrant had considered offering to carry him down, but took one look at his luggage and thought better. Down would not be a problem; stopping might be. She wondered if she could carry it down in several trips - it would probably work, but it would take time and she would likely be exhausted by the time she finished.

“It looks like we’ll just have to wait,” said Max, glancing over the edge in a way that made Fragrant worry he might fall.

“Actually, I could give you a talon. Well, a wing, I suppose,” came a cry from behind them. They both turned to see Southern swooping down on them. She landed nearby and padded closer. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I should have thought before I acted.” She lowered her head.

Fragrant stared hard at the griffoness for a moment. “I accept your apology,” she said woodenly. “But you should think of others’ reactions in future.”

“Yes,” agreed Southern. “I guess we should all think of how others will react to our actions.” Her eyes flashed for a second, then she seemed to relax a little. “Look, to make it up to you I can help you on your way. Your next stop is Snowtown, right?” Max nodded. “That’s, what, two, three days by hoof?”

“Maybe a bit less,” said Max.

“Well I can carry you at least halfway. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

“I’m supposed to be visiting any settlements on the way.”

“You know there’s not many around here. Maybe a herd of Tors or two, one or two hamlets. It’s not like you’ll be able to see everybody in Nulpar as it is.”

“I suppose you’re right,” agreed Max. “What about it, Fragrant? Do you want to fly air Breeze?”

Fragrant extended her wings. “I am quite capable of flying by myself, you know.”

“Oh yeah, right. Are you sure you won’t have a problem, Southern? I’ve got a lot of stuff with me.”

“Nah, nothing I can’t handle,” said Southern, giving a few powerful flaps. “Remember how we used to get supplies up here before we finished the lift?”

“That wasn’t you alone.”

“Not always, but I think I can handle it.”

“Ok,” said Max, nodding. “You’re on.”

Southern nodded. “You better make sure all your gear’s strapped on tightly. We don’t want anything falling off on the way.”

“Good point,” said Max, tugging at some straps.

“I’ll just chat with the Duchess while you’re at it. You know, girl talk.” She gave a grin and padded over to Fragrant. As she approached, her smile and genial attitude fell away. “Gilbert told me what you said last night. What you accused him of,” she growled quietly.

Fragrant stood strong, using all her years of experience at hiding her emotions to stop herself from shaking. “Every word I said was true,” she said with a surprisingly steady voice.

“You can’t just call one of my people a spy. If you have a problem with one of them, you take it up with me, understand?” Fragrant nodded. “Good. Now, what proof do you have, anyway?”

“Nothing concrete,” she admitted. “But the dates match up with what I know, and I’ve recently been made aware of exactly how Wallflower operates,” she snarled. If she would spy on her own friends, she certainly would on possible enemies. “It’s just too much of a coincidence that a long lost relative turns up now.”

Southern studied the pony in front of her for a moment. “What happened to you to make you so paranoid?” she asked.

“Life at court,” Fragrant replied bitterly. “Whether you believe me or not, keep an eye on your ‘relative’. Don’t trust him and you won’t be betrayed like I was.”

The two females stared at each other for a long moment, and to both of their surprise, it was Southern who looked away first. “It doesn’t matter. Gilbert’s leaving soon anyway.”

“I scared him off?”

“Maybe. He was talking about going home anyway. As I said, if you have a problem with one of my people, you come to me. You don’t just take matters into your own hooves, duchess or not. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly,” said Fragrant icily.

“Good. Now, we’re fairly relaxed down here. If you tried that sort of thing back in the Kingdoms, you’d end up in a duel and probably laid out on the ground. I wouldn’t want that to happen to Max’s mare.”

Fragrant wasn’t sure how she felt about being called Max’s mare and opened her mouth to protest.

“I think I’m ready,” called Max, interrupting her.

“Good,” said Fragrant as the two ladies turned back to him. “We can be off, then.”

“What were you talking about?”

“Nothing important,” said Southern with a smile just a little too wide. She walked over and gently wrapped her talons around Max’s barrel. Fragrant paled a little to see the sharp claws digging into Max’s coat, but he didn’t seem to be uncomfortable - he actually seemed excited at the prospect. She felt a little jealousy at another female handling him in that way; maybe it would be better if... no, she didn’t think she’d feel any better if Max were to mount the griffoness instead.

“Ready?” asked Southern to her passenger.

“When you are,” he agreed. Fragrant rose into the air with a few flaps in time to see Southern leap forwards off the cliff, still holding Max. She felt her heart rise into her mouth as the two of them plummeted towards the ground, Max giving a cry of fear, or maybe elation. The pegasus swooped forwards in time to see the griffon catch the air and shoot up past her into the clear sky above; she was sure Max was whooping in joy this time and the feeling of jealousy returned. Steeling herself, she pushed herself forwards through the air to catch up with her companions.

The three of them shot through the air for several hours until the Eyrie wasn’t even a speck in the distance. Max and Southern kept up an almost constant conversation as they pointed out various local landmarks to Fragrant and reminisced on past experiences in the area. By the time they finally came in to land, Fragrant’s wings were aching; she was not used to long distance flight. She had thought she had kept herself in good condition, but this trip was showing that she could do a lot better to keep herself fit.

“I’m afraid that’s about as far as I can take you, Max,” said Southern as she gently dropped the stallion to the ground before landing next to him. “I need to get back before Gentle and Gusty start missing their mom. Not to mention Gunter.”

“Thank you taking me this far,” said Max, stretching his legs after the long flight. “You’ve probably cut a day off my journey, maybe more.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” said Southern, purposely not looking at Fragrant. She passed Max a canvas bag. He looked confused for a moment before sticking his head into it, and grinned. “Thanks,” he said, packing it away with the rest of his stuff as the griffoness flew off.

“What was that?” asked Fragrant.

“It’s a surprise, I’ll tell you later.” He winked. “Now, time for some lunch, I think, then back on the road. There’s a village near here I saw from the air.”

After a quick meal, the two ponies visited the nearby farming settlement, and Max introduced himself and accepted questions from the natives before heading back off to the east. By the time the sun had started to set, Fragrant’s hooves were aching as well as her wings, and she was ready to drop where she stood. Even Max looked tired, so the two of them decided to make camp where they were.

This time, the area they set up tent in was rather more open than a few days ago. It was mostly a gently rolling meadow with not even a copse of trees around, although mountains rose into the sky not that far away.

Max couldn’t even find the wood to make a fire, so their meal was cold. Still, the package Southern had left them apparently included some fruit and vegetables, so he managed to mix up a reasonable supper for the two of them. They sat close and watched the moon rise into the sky. Quietly they shared tales of their younger lives, Max of growing up in Sadlzburg and Fragrant of her years in her parents’ estate. Their lives seemed so different, thought Fragrant; it was odd that they had ended up together. They then moved on to their plans for their provinces. Fragrant couldn’t help but notice that Max didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic as he had been when he first came to Canterlot. She hoped he hadn’t burnt out so quickly. She hadn’t noticed how tired she had been of the whole thing until she had had Max to compare herself to. She was about to ask him about it when his face was split by a large yawn.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Just tired. I guess flying really takes it out of you.”

“And you didn’t even have to flap. Think how I feel! What did you think of your first flight?” she asked cautiously.

“It was great to see everything stretch out below me. It didn’t seem like I had a care in the world.” Fragrant felt another little pang of jealousy; she wanted to make him feel like that. “It was nice to see how you feel all the time,” he finished.

“Hardly. It seems like most of my problems are in air. But I do like the sentiment. Maybe we could go flying together some when. I may have to practise before I can carry you far.”

“I think I’d like that,” he said, before yawning again.

“I think you should get to bed.”

“I think you might be right,” he agreed.

Fragrant leapt into the air and landed on the cloud bed she had quickly forged earlier. It was not as ornate at the one she had made a few days ago; she hadn’t felt like spending the extra time on it. She patted the top layer down and made herself comfortable as Max tidied up their sparse camp. “You know,” he said, “it always surprises me how easily you can make those things.”

“Cloud beds?” she asked. He nodded. “They are one of the earliest use of clouds as building materials, you know. In fact, there is evidence that most early pegasus were nomadic, building new nests from cloud each night to sleep on. Over time they became more ornate and started to be reused. In fact, the earliest cloud cities may have been nothing more than a conglomeration of those nests which were moved around by the tribe,” she lectured.

“Your city is made of beds?” he grinned.

“Aren't all cities, in a way? A collection of places to sleep? Other buildings grow in time, but living quarters are always the most important, don’t you think?”

Max thought for a moment. “I guess you’re right. A city is just a place for a bunch of friends to sleep in, to work together in.” He sighed.

“Is something wrong?” she asked. He seemed rather blue.

“Nothing,” said Max, shaking his head. “I’m just tired. I don’t think I’ve recovered from last night entirely. I should turn in for the night.”

“If you are sure.” She paused. “You would tell me if something was bothering you, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m fine, Fragrant,” he said. She noted that he didn’t directly answer her question.

“Well, good night, then. I hope you sleep well.”

“Thanks. Same to you.”

Fragrant gazed down from her cloud bed at the small tent below, watching the shadows intently as Max prepared for bed until he covered the small firefly lantern and darkness ruled. She turned over and looked up at the clear sky above, admiring Luna’s sea of stars. The moon gazed down from its place in the sky. She sighed, glancing back at the tent again. Even though it was summer, they were high enough - and the night was clear enough - that it was quite chilly, but as she had explained to Max, it was nothing her pegasus physiology couldn’t handle. But still, she would have preferred to have a source of warmth... a pony shaped source of warmth, a part of her mind added. She tried to push it aside and burrowed a little into her cloud, trying to get comfortable. Max had said that they should reach another settlement tomorrow; she should get some sleep so she could be at her best to meet the inhabitants.

She lay in silence for a moment, sleep eluding her. There was something off about her stallion, she thought. He superficially seemed all right, but there was some sadness buried deeper, and she wasn’t sure what it was. Had something happened in the time between him leaving Canterlot and her visit? Something was troubling him... something about his province? Something about his duties? She wished he’d open up to her; she wanted to help after all he’d done for her at and since the gala. Once again looking down at the tent, she considered what to do. She suspected that if she just asked him, he’d try to brush her off, probably thinking that it was his problem and not hers. She would have to catch him at the right moment, when his defences were down. She considered for a moment, then smiled. She could think of a possible opportunity. It might cause a little dent in her pride, but she could suffer that for Max; it would, after all, have certain benefits for her as well.

Max was just starting to nod off when he heard a sound from outside the tent. Something was knocking against the fabric. “Max?” came Fragrant’s quiet call. He blinked blearily for a moment before reaching out a hoof to remove the cover from the lantern. It took a few goes for him to find it.

“Fragrant? What’s wrong?” he asked as he turned in his blankets.

“Max...” She paused for a moment. “I’m cold... could I... could I come in?” She sounded unsure. Max blinked; this seemed very familiar... his dream from a few nights ago had started this way. Was he still asleep?

As quickly as he could, he pulled himself towards the entrance to the tent and threw back the door. There stood Fragrant, looking miserable. She was even shivering a little. He felt a cool breeze flow into the tent; it was cold out, but he wouldn’t have expected her to react this badly, especially after what she had said about pegasi. Still, he could think about that later. “Of course, come in,” he said, wriggling aside to allow Fragrant to kneel and crawl into the tent. It wasn’t really built for two, and there wasn’t much room with both of them and his equipment. He pushed himself against one wall and held out his blankets to her. “Here, take these,” he offered. She looked warmer already. Her shivering had almost stopped.

“No, I don’t want you to get cold. We can share,” she said with a smile, positioning herself in the middle of the tent facing Max, and draped the blanket over both of them. There wasn’t much spare material, so she had to move over close enough that the two of them were touching, so they were both covered. This was very much like his dream, indeed!

Max’s eyes widened as he felt her body fit neatly against his own. He tried to keep his breathing under control. Was she...? Could she mean...? She reached out and rested a wing on his barrel, and wiggled herself into position next to him. “Thank you,” she said politely. “I’m feeling much warmer now.” So was Max. He cautiously rested a leg over her, ready to pull it back if she complained. She didn’t, and he wondered if he should take things further, but she didn’t seem to be giving him any signals that she wanted to do more than just sharing body heat. Or did she want him to make the next move? He certainly didn’t want to drive her away, so he decided to leave the decision up to her, no matter how hard it would be. He rested his head next to hers and gently sniffed, feeling her mane’s scent fill his nose. He wasn’t sure if he was going to get much sleep tonight; her presence was very distracting. Still, he let his eyes drift closed again, listening to the sound of her gentle breathing and feeling the steady beat of her heart even through the material of her dress.

“Max!” whispered Fragrant. “Are you still awake?” He roused himself. Despite his previous thoughts, he had actually started to nod off.

“Huh, yeah,” he mumbled. He felt Fragrant shift in his grip.

“Nulpar seems a nice place,” she whispered. “The ponies seem very friendly.”

“Yeah, they’re great. I’m proud to be representing them.”

“I’m sure you’re doing a great job, but you’re not having any problems, are you?” she asked.

“Well, things are different than how I thought they’d be,” he mumbled, still partly asleep.

“How so?”

“Not everypony seems to like me anymore. They don’t think I’m doing my job properly.” His eyes popped open. He’d not meant to tell her that! It was his own problem to deal with, not hers. Her ice-blue eyes looked warmly into his own.

“Max, is that really all?”

“Well, not being mayor is taking a bit of getting used to, but yeah, it just bugs me. I used to think I had the support of almost everyone in Sadlzburg, but they seem to think I should be doing more for them.” Now that he’d gotten started, his worries began to pour out. “It’s mostly Honeybun, but nopony used to listen to her. Now they do, and I’ve got a whole province of Honeybuns to look after, and I don’t know how to deal with them!”

“Oh, Max.” She tightened her grip around him for a moment, drawing his head into her mane. “You can never make everypony like you, you can’t please everypony, there will always be somepony who isn’t happy. You’ll work your hooves to the bone if you try.”

“But isn’t it our job to do our best for our people?”

“Yes, but we are mortal, we can’t do everything. I know you’re working as hard as you can for your ponies. It might not seem like much, but you are making your province better. Besides, if only a few ponies are complaining, you’re doing better than I am. I get hundreds of complaint letters every day for Cloudsdale.”

“Hundreds?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I don’t just control the city. My responsibility is for a third of the skies of Equestria, over a dozen major cloud settlements as well as hundreds of smaller outposts. I think I do a good job, over all.” She looked a little miffed.

“Well, yes, I’m sure you do.”

“You have to develop a thick skin about these things. Look at the big picture. Maybe a few are complaining, but there are many, many more who aren't.”

“Maybe the big picture is the problem. It’s why I’m out here, checking the whole province rather than just Sadlzburg.”

“Yes, I can see the problem, I have sometimes been accused of only thinking of Cloudsdale itself rather than the rest of skies. But remember, the important thing is not what other ponies say, particularly not what the press says,” she firmly highlighted that, “it’s what you are actually doing. Do you care about all of Nulpar?”

“Well, yes, but I know the people of Sadlzburg. I know some other places in Nulpar, but not all of them.”

“Well, there is no way you can know everybody in a province, not even one as sparse as this one.” Max wondered if he should feel insulted for his land. “But everywhere we’ve been so far you’ve found friends, or you’ve made friends. You will probably need to set up some sort of council or advisory board to help you administer the province. That’s partially what mayors and representatives are for.”

“Oh, I don’t think I have any representatives yet.”

Fragrant frowned. “Possibly an oversight on the Princess’s part, but you should look to recommend possible candidates. The posts will no doubt be set up sooner or later.” She paused for a moment, a plan starting to form. “You mentioned a trouble maker, Honeybun?”

“Yes, she doesn’t like my leadership. Apparently her mother was almost mayor instead of my father. Still, she did make some good points about what I had and hadn’t done.”

“Maybe you could steer her towards a representative’s role? It seems to give great amount of power, but actually involves much paperwork. It could leave her without much free time to cause trouble. My mother once did the same to neutralise an outspoken opponent in the city council.”

Max frowned. That didn’t sound very fair. “Well, some of her complaints do make some sense.”

Fragrant rolled her eyes. Trust Max to not understand the political utility of such a move. “However, it will give her the chance to air her grievances and those of the other citizens to the princess. It would keep you on your hooves and make sure you keep sight of your people.”

“I guess that makes some sense,” muttered Max.

“Sleep on it. It may be a solution to your problem.” She yawned widely and rested her head on Max; he wasn’t quite as comfortable as her cloud bed, but she knew which one she would prefer to spend the night with.

“Fragrant?” asked Max.

“Humm?”

“Did you really come out here to look into the weather control?”

“Partially. I did want to see you as well,” she admitted.

“I appreciate it, but didn’t you have a lot of other things to do in Cloudsdale?”

“Yes, but I needed to get away for a while.”

Max shifted a little. “Why?”

Fragrant lifted her head. She could lie, but she felt she needed to get the issue off her chest. He had spilt his secrets; now it was her turn. “Notebook. I found out that he was spying on me at the request of Vicereine Wallflower.” She swallowed with difficulty. “It hurt me badly. I had trusted him for many years, and her too.”

Max instinctively tightened his grip around the distraught mare and felt her wings do likewise. “Why did she do that?” he asked, bewildered.

“She thought it was for the best, so that she would know if I did anything wrong.”

“You’d never...” he insisted.

“I did, remember? It was before Notebook started working with me.”

“So he told her everything you did.”

“No.” She gave a hollow laugh. “That’s the most confusing thing. He didn’t tell her anything. He said I didn’t do anything wrong, so he didn’t need to.”

Max lay in silence for a moment, digesting this information. “What did you do when you found out?”

“I fired him. Well, I tried to, but he’s working for you, not me, at the moment, so I couldn’t. But I won’t take him on again. Never!” she said with some violence. “You should fire him, Max. I don’t think you can trust him at court, he might be spying on you too. I can suggest some possible replacements.”

Max was quite surprised by her outburst. Why did she feel so passionately about this? “I... I think you should reconsider. I’ve done some pretty stupid things in my life and I’ve always asked my friends to tell me when I act like that. Isn’t this the same? He would have reported if you did anything wrong, but you didn’t, so he didn’t. He was your friend.”

“I... I don’t... he betrayed me!” Her words lacked their previous conviction.

“Maybe he deserves another chance?”

“Maybe. I don’t want to talk about this now.” She snorted. “Can’t we just try and get some sleep?”

“Of course, but maybe you should think about it a bit more.”

“Maybe...” She paused, and then Max felt the ghost of a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Max.”

“For what?”

“For being you.”

9) Nulpar Tour: Day 6, Day Off

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Slowly, Fragrant awoke from what felt like the best night’s sleep she had ever had. Both her body and her mind felt refreshed and at peace. Her troubles were, if nowhere near solved, at least shared. She stretched languidly, then lay in place, feeling her own and Max’s heartbeats echoing through her as one. She opened her eyes to see Max’s own looking back at her, half lidded. “Have you been watching me sleep?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Um, yes, for a while.”

“You know, some ponies might find that to be creepy.”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry, I...” stuttered Max, colouring.

“But I think it’s precious,” she said, gently kissing his lips before closing her eyes again. “You know, I can’t help but think we might be carrying out this relationship improperly. We have yet to have a formal date, and yet we have shared a bed twice.”

“We’ve had dates, haven't we?” Max frowned.

“Maybe the Gala, although it was rather interrupted by a riot, and I think we can both agree that a retirement party is not the best place for a date. Possibly the wedding, although we didn’t get much time together alone. This whole trip could be considered a date, I suppose.” She snuggled closer to Max. “I don’t think it’s important right now.”

They lay there in each other’s arms for a time; maybe a few minutes, maybe an hour, maybe longer. “You know, we’ll have to get up sooner or later,” pointed out Max.

“I am trying not to think about it right now. I’m trying not to think at all.”

“We have to be in Snowtown tomorrow for your chariot to pick you up.”

“To take me back to Cloudsdale and an entire mountain of paperwork ready to swallow me,” she complained.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Sometimes I feel like nothing I do is actually important. All the paperwork never seems to get anything done.”

“But you were the one that told me how important paperwork is!”

“Do as I say, not as I do, Max.” She drew away from him and stretched again. “Still, I suppose you’re right. Oh, why can’t we just run away into the wilds and never have to see another piece of paperwork again?”

“Do you really want that?” asked Max with a grin. “No responsibility, no servants, no baths?”

“Yes, yes, no...” She sighed. “I guess it’s a nice fantasy, if not very practical.”

“No.” He gently reached up and ran a hoof through her mane, drawing tingles down her scalp. “But you don’t have to meet up with your carriage until tomorrow and we can probably make Snowtown in less than a day. Why don’t we have today off? There are certainly some sights I’d like to show you around here.”

“That... that sounds nice.” She sighed. Thinking was getting increasingly difficult as Max drew his hoof across her back between her wings. The sensation was slightly deadened by the dress she still wore. It really didn’t seem necessary right now. Leaning forwards, she kissed him again, then gave a surprised squeak as he rolled the both of them over until he was lying on top of her. She pressed her lips to his again. This felt so right, so good, feeling her body react to his and in turn his to hers. She breathed in his musk. Then suddenly there was an imagined whiff of antiseptic in her muzzle, a dreadful silence in her ears, and she felt her body stiffen.

Sensing the change in her Max drew back and frowned. “Fragrant, what..?” he started.

Trying to fight against the panic rushing through her, she wiggled out from under him. “Breakfast!” she cried. “We should have breakfast, I’m hungry, I’ll make it.” She pushed against the tent’s door, almost tearing it before she undid the ties and rushed out. She stood there for several moments, taking deep breaths of the clean air and cursing her subconscious.

“Fragrant?” asked Max again, sticking his head out of the tent.

“I... I am alright,” she said, still flustered. “Now, food?” She looked around.

“It’s in here,” said Max, looking bewildered.

“Oh, right.”

“So, um, what shall we have?” he asked, stepping around the elephant in the room. “There’s some hay left, and some of the vegetables from the Eyrie.”

“I’m sure we can think of something. We just need to, um, mix it up properly.”

“Have you even cooked before?” asked Max.

“Once or twice. I don’t need servants for everything, you know.” She considered. It had been a long time since she had needed to prepare a meal. “I may need a hoof,” she admitted.

With Max’s help, she managed to put together a serviceable breakfast, although it was more like a brunch given how late they has slept in. Once they were finished, Max pored over his maps while Fragrant did her best to clean up and change her clothes from the large supply in her saddlebags. She considered a number of outfits for a while before deciding to go with a flowery pink blouse; it was less than she would normally wear, but she wanted to prove to herself if nopony else that she was comfortable enough around Max to not need a full outfit. Plus a dress really wasn’t that practical for tramping around Nulpar.

By the time she had changed, Max had packed up the camp and was ready to set off. She asked about their destination, but he wouldn’t say anything more than that she would love it. To her surprise, he led them up towards the nearest mountain, its peak reaching up almost to the clouds. Once there, he began to unpack some equipment and began an ascent.

“Is this really necessary?” she asked, floating alongside him as he climbed.

“It’s the only route I know,” he explained, groping for a hoof hold.

“Are you just trying to impress me?” she said with a smile as the ground below moved further and further away.

“Maybe,” he grunted, taking his eyes of the cliff to turn to her. “Is it working?”

“Maybe,” she replied.

They moved in silence for a while longer. Max didn’t seem to be heading towards the peak far ahead, but instead towards a plateau off to one side.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” asked Fragrant nervously as Max made his way up the near vertical side of the cliff, his hooves feeling almost automatically for grips. “I might be able to carry you to the top if you like.” She hoped. The top of the cliff did seem quite a way away and she knew how much Max weighed. She wasn’t the strongest of flyers, anyway.

“I’m fine, it’s good to get some practise in,” said Max, glancing over at his marefriend as she hovered nearby. “This isn’t a very difficult ascent, really. I’ve done it dozens of times before.”

Fragrant didn’t feel entirely convinced, but he did seem to be making good time. She watched as one of his rear hooves felt around and positioned itself carefully on a small outcrop. The muscles of his flank and stifle bunched and stood out as he applied his strength and lifted his body an extra quarter length up the cliff. It was apparently not without effort, as she noticed several beads of sweat form and, as if in slow motion, roll down his barrel and onto his thigh, where it seemed to hover for a moment before...

Suddenly she was aware of the cliff face coming up on her right side. Giving a little shriek, she desperately tried to veer away, only just avoiding beating her wings against the hard rock. She dropped for several lengths before finally managing to get herself under control again.

“Fragrant!” cried Max, leaning back to get a better look at the flailing pegasus. “Are you all right?”

Panting, Fragrant tried to bring her heart rate back under control. “I... I am fine,” she said, her face burning red. “I just got hit by an unexpected crosswind.” She slowly gained height again until she was level with Max. She pointedly kept her gaze on the cliff and not on the movement of Max’s hind quarters. She couldn’t let herself get distracted again.

“Almost there!” announced Max as he got within a few lengths of the top of the cliff. He really hoped Fragrant liked his surprise. “Before we get there, can you do something for me?” Fragrant looked at him quizzically. “Can you close your eyes? I want this to be a surprise.” She frowned for a moment, then nodded and moved a short distance from the cliff before closing her eyes. Max quickly scrambled up to the top of the cliff and looked around. Good, this place was just how he remembered it. Maybe even better; he’d only been here once before despite the little white lie he’d told Fragrant to calm her down. “Ok, Fragrant, I’m over here. Keep your eyes closed.” The pegasus gingerly flew over towards the sound of his voice. As she got close enough, he reared up and put a leg on her side, gently drawing her back to the ground before covering her eyes. “This way, not much further,” he instructed. She complied, and his quickly led her towards the centre of the area. “Here we are!”

Fragrant opened her eyes and looked around in astonishment. The area around her was a large flat open meadow; lush grass covered most of the ground, but there were also wild flowers of all hues as well as a few tasty-looking bushes. As they watched, a flock of butterflies wheeled in the sky before alighting on the flowers. Here and there, small animals looked around inquisitively. A short distance away was a small lake, glittering in the early afternoon sunlight. “Oh, Max!” she cried. “It’s beautiful!”

“I hoped you’d like it.” He grinned from ear to ear.

She turned to a nearby patch of flowers and inhaled their scent. “I didn’t even know this type of flower grew here!” They walked through the greenery for some time, their tails intertwined. Fragrant excitedly galloped from plant to plant, examining each in turn and enthusing about their properties. Max followed, less interested in the flowers than in Fragrant’s reaction to them. He picked a few and stuck them into his mare’s mane, creating a colourful crown.

“What are these?” asked Fragrant, looking at a tall and rather thorny bush dotted with dark red berries.

“It’s a kroop berry bush. Goats like them but they can have side effects for ponies.”

“Side effects?”

“Raw, they can cause hallucinations. Cooked, they aren't as bad; they make you feel relaxed, happy and more sociable.”

Fragrant turned with a raised eyebrow. “I assume nopony around here ever makes use of that effect?”

“Um, I didn’t say that... kroop cakes or flapjacks are quite popular at parties back in Sadlzburg.” Fragrant looked intrigued for a moment. “I think your presence is enough intoxication for me, my lady,” said Max, trying to sound grand.

Fragrant turned to him and blinked before starting to laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said, once she regained control, “but I can’t believe you said that with a straight face.”

“Well, if you’re going to be like that, I won’t show you my surprise!” he said huffily.

“I thought this was the surprise,” said Fragrant, gesturing around.

“No, Southern left us a few treats from the Eyrie,” explained Max, reaching into his saddlebags and bringing up a large wrapped slice of wedding cake, which caused Fragrant’s eyes to bulge.

Fragrant led back against Max’s belly, wings spread wide, feeling the warmth of the late afternoon sun soak into her. It wasn’t just cake that Southern had provided, but seemingly a good part of the feast, and even half a bottle of wine. Their appetite sated, and slightly buzzed, the two of them had laid down in the shade of one of the larger bushes. She wasn’t sure if she had actually fallen asleep, but time had certainly passed, as it tended to. It was a shame things couldn’t just stay like this forever, just her and Max and the sun and the flowers... no work, no court, no politics, just the two of them. It couldn’t last. She pushed that thought aside. She was on holiday. She lay there, just enjoying the feeling of the food in her belly, the stallion to her back, the sun on her face and the occasional gentle tug on her head as Max groomed her mane with his mouth. It was a hedonistically primitive feeling, but she didn’t think she’s ever felt so satisfied in her life.

“You’re purring,” muttered Max, letting her hair fall from his mouth.

Fragrant opened a single eye. “Ponies do not purr,” she said. “Cats purr.”

“Then you can’t be a pony. You must be a pony shaped cat.”

“I am not a cat!” She turned both eyes to the smiling stallion behind her.

“Yes you are. You’re graceful, beautiful, have a soft coat,” he ran a hoof through her mane, “and act aloof despite being a fluffy kitten on the inside.” He gently rested his forelegs around her. “Duchess Kitty Kat.”

“Well if I am a cat, then you, Baron Bow Wow, are a dog. A big, shaggy, easily excitable, caring, loyal, dog.” She sniffed him, letting his scent surround her. “Who could do with a bath.”

“Are you saying I smell!” he asked in mock horror.

“You have been out in the wilderness for a few days now. A bath would not go amiss.”

“So have you! Maybe you could do with a bath as well.” He gave an evil grin. “And look, there just happens to be a lake over there. Maybe I should dunk you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” she squealed.

“Really?” he asked, tightening his grip a little.

With a cry she broke free and galloped across the field, bursting through a patch of flowers and giggling as she went. Max was on his hooves and after her in a few seconds. A tiny part of her noted that she could fly away, be far out of his reach in moments. The vast majority of her shouted for it to shut up; she didn’t want to be out of his reach. The two of them capered like foals, jumping and rearing as they ran through the grass, laughing as they went. First Max was chasing Fragrant, then at some unspoken signal they switched roles and Fragrant was chasing Max. Then back again. Unexpectedly, Max pounced, knocking Fragrant to the ground, and the two of them rolled around for a while in a mass of tickling hooves. They came to a rest not far from the lake, Fragrant on top and lying astride her stallion. They were both breathing hard, and staring into each other’s eyes. Slowly, Fragrant lowered her muzzle until it was only a few inches from Max’s. For a moment, it seemed that the only thing in her whole world was Max’s face. Then her head jerked up as she noticed movement, and she gave a scream of surprise.

Fragrant’s cry snapped Max’s attention away from the blue of her eyes and back to the world around him. He sprung to his hooves, looking around. About half a dozen large black-coated goats with stubby horns were standing in a rough semi-circle around them, staring blankly and chewing. Where had they come from? he thought as he instinctively placed himself between Fragrant and the new arrivals. I suppose we were so caught up in each other that the whole night court could have turned up and we wouldn’t have noticed. Max glanced over at Fragrant. She looked pretty spooked by their appearance. “Don’t worry,” he said. “They’re just a tribe of Tors.”

“What?” asked Fragrant, trying to compose herself.

“Wild goats. There are quite a few nomadic tribes in this part of Nulpar. They won’t hurt you.” He turned back to the goats, who hadn’t moved. “Hello, I’m Mounty Max and this is Fragrant Posey,” he proclaimed. None of the goats reacted. “Halό,” he tried again. “Hόigh?” Still no response. “Helo?” he tried with the third goat dialect he knew. Still nothing. This wasn’t going so well. Behind the first line of goats, he noticed more and more pulling themselves up the cliff onto the plateau.

“Well?” asked Fragrant, looking around cautiously.

“They don’t seem very talkative, or they don’t understand a word I’m saying. There are a lot of goat languages, I only speak a couple. We might have to communicate using hoof gestures.” Max stepped forwards again and lowered his head while looking up at the nearest goat in a gesture of supplication, while smiling in what he hoped was a friendly way. “Hi, we don’t mean you any harm.”

A smaller white goat with oversized curling horns popped up over the ledge and trotted over to one of the goats standing near Max. “Та яаж олох юм бэ?” he said.

“Тэд бэлгийн хавьталд орох тухай байсан гэж боддог, эмэгтэй эрэгтэй байсан,” replied the larger goat. He fellows gave a braying laugh.

“Хэн нэг болж байгааг харахын тулд сайхан, одоо ч гэсэн эргүүлэх хамгийн сайн цаг нь байсан байж болох юм. Би илүү сайн уучлал гуйж байна.” The smaller goat turned to Max. “Good evening,” he said in strongly accented Equestrian. “I apologize for the intrusion.”

“Oh, good!” said Max. “You speak our language!”

“I learnt from my ma. She used to live outside the tribe with the ponies. I am Chinua. I organise trade with the not goat.”

“I am Mounty Max, and this is Fragrant Posey,” explained Max. Fragrant made a graceful curtsy.

“My apologies for interrupting your rutting. We did not think any not goat were in the area.”

“We just happened to be...” began Max. Then he realised what the goat had just said and flushed. “We weren’t rutting, we were...”

“Playing,” said Fragrant, her face almost glowing. “We were playing.” She tried to straighten her rather dishevelled mane and discovered that one of the arms on her blouse had been ripped in their rolling about. She tried to cover the damage.

“My apologies, I do not really understand pony behaviour. If a nanny were to mount a billy in the way you did, she would be asking to bear his child,” said Chinua.

If it were possible, Fragrant’s face glowed even brighter. “No, no,” she stuttered. “We were just playing! No foals, just playing!” Her voice was growing a little shrill.

“You are not bonded, then?”

Max thought back to the griffons and the wedding, and its possible implications. “No, we are not bonded.”

“Oh, I am sorry!” said the goat, giving an embarrassed bleat. “I must be insulting you and your sister! Forgive me!” He crouched low in supplication.

“We’re not family,” said Max, wondering how it was possible for the goat to have considered the pink maned pegasus next to him to be his sister. He glanced around at the growing number of black goats; they all looked quite similar to him, but he assumed that to each other they looked quite different.

“We are just good friends,” stated Fragrant smoothly. Mac glanced over to her, surprised how much her word hurt. She gave him a small soothing smile back.

“What brings the two of you out here?” asked Chinua. “We are a day’s travel from the nearest pony town. Are you lost?”

“We are travellers on our way to Snowtown,” explained Max. “I am the Baron of Nulpar. I’m travelling the province to meet my people.”

“I am sorry, but what is Baron of Nulpar? I do not know these words.” He sounded apologetic.

“Baron is a sort of leader, like a triath,” suggested Max, hoping that made sense to the goat. “And Nulpar is, well, here.” He waved a leg to indicate the whole area.

“This field?”

“No, bigger, all the land you can see and beyond!”

Chinua frowned. “All the pony lands? You are Moon Khan?” He looked confused.

“No, no, of course not!” exclaimed Max, horrified.

Fragrant couldn’t help but giggle at the vision of Max dressed in the Princess’s vestments. “Max rules over only part of Equestria, but the part nearest here.”

“Yes,” said Max, nodding. “I’m in charge of this area. I help the Moon Khan, I mean Princess Luna, look after everybody here, including all of you. I suppose I should talk to your tribe, ask them what they want me to do for them.”

Fragrant looked over at Max sharply. She didn’t think he would be able to do much for them; they hardly seemed civilised. She glanced around. It seemed like almost a hundred goats were present, spreading out around the meadow; some were starting to collect food while others were unloading supplies from the bags they carried. A few of the goats were erecting tents, while others of the tribe had dragged theirs up the mountain intact. She supposed that Max was right; they were part of Nulpar, even if they seemed to be beyond Max’s purview.

“You should talk to Jurgaghan, our chieftain,” suggested Chinua.

“He speaks Equestrian?” asked Max hopefully.

Chinua let out a laugh for a moment. “No, but I should be able to change the words for you.”

Jurgaghan turned out to be one of the oldest goats in the tribe; his originally black coat was peppered with grey. He was also one of the largest, at least a head taller than Max and Fragrant. He sat on a sort of throne made out of branches, which looked like it was built to be carried by other members of the tribe. Two much younger mares - his guards, or daughters, or wives, thought Max - sat one to each side of him. As they had approached, Chinua had given a deep bow and Max had followed suit. Fragrant, despite appearing to be quite intimidated by the mass of goats around her, had only given a nod as to an equal. Max supposed that that itself was actually quite an honour; the goat chieftain led maybe a hundred goats, whereas Fragrant controlled a third of the skies above Equestria. Although now might not have been be the time to point that out.

Chinua broke into a longish speech of which Max understood not a single word; he assumed he was introducing them and passing on what they had told him earlier. When he had finished, the old billy sat back, scrutinising them. Then he turned and spoke to Chinua, who in turn translated.

“Jurgaghan asks how you became his leader, why he should follow you?”

“Well, the Princess just sort of chose me...” Max had asked himself the same question. To Max’s surprise, Fragrant stepped forwards.

“Max was chosen because he had worked hard to help his people. He arranged for roads to be built for them, and he even risked his life to save a nearby settlement from an avalanche. He is a good stallion and you should listen to what he has to say.”

Chinua nodded and translated again. Jurgaghan’s brow furrowed and he leaned forwards again. Even the nannys around him seemed interested. He replied via the younger goat. “You have sacrificed for another tribe? Gave blood for them?”

“Well, I suppose so. There was an avalanche in a neighbouring village, and I saw some foals about to get crushed so I grabbed them and ran. I got hit by a rock.” He explained feeling a phantom itch on his flank where he had been cut.

“Maybe you are worthy, then, but what would you ask of us?”

“I’m not really your leader. I’m here to pass on your requests to the Princess, not to tell you what to do.”

There was another quick exchange between the two goats. “Why should the Moon Khan care for us? She is a great leader of ponies, but what has she done for goats?”

“Maybe... maybe Equestria doesn’t do much for goats at the moment, but I want to change that. I want to tell the Princess about your people.” There had been that mix-up a few months ago about legislation using the term ‘somepony’ rather than ‘someone’. He’d meant to try to do more about that, but things had gotten in the way. Maybe he should look into it again.

“And what will you tell her about us?”

Max opened his mouth, then stopped. The truth was that he didn’t know that much about the Tors and how they lived. Most of the goats he knew, like Mrs G, had lived among ponies for generations. Tor sometimes came to Sadlzburg and other mostly pony settlements to trade, but they didn’t normally stay for long. “What would you like me to tell her?” he asked cautiously. “How can I help you?”

Chinua and Jurgaghan conferred for a few moments. “We do not need your help. The land provides us with all we need.”

“All the time?” asked Max. “It must be harsh out here without pegasi to control the weather or earth ponies to tend plants. Are you sure you don’t need any help? Mrs. Grobhar told me that...”

Jurgaghan’s eyes bulged wide and he jerked to his hooves. “Gràinne Grobhar? Of Sadlzburg?” he asked in one of the goat tongues Max understood.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, surprised by the reaction. “I never knew she had another name. She’s always just been Mrs. G to me, I suppose you might mean her mother or a relation?”

“She would be younger than me by a decade or so. She lived in Sadlzburg a long time ago.”

“That sounds like Mrs. G. She works for me, she’s my assistant.”

The old goat laughed. “Well, if Gràinne works for you then you must be worth listening to.” He seemed to think for a moment. “We do not need help in the way your ponies need help. We can live off the land. But true, the land does not always support us. We do sometimes require help but we are happy to trade for this, but trade can be hard when you do not speak our tongue or we yours. Maybe that is what we need, for you to be taught our language and us to be taught yours. Could you do this?”

Max thought about it. There were already a few tutors who travelled through the land, teaching for money, and some of the larger settlements had schools, of a sort anyway. Maybe he could work on having the tutors staying with the Tor for a while and some of them coming to pony settlements to teach. “I may be able to do something about that...”

Fragrant frowned. Max and the goat leader were talking at length in some language that she didn’t understand. She wanted to ask what was being said, but she also didn’t want to interrupt; it looked like it was important. She was glad that Max seemed to be growing into his role as representative of the people of his province; maybe she should try to organise something similar for her own lands. When was the last time she’d actually visited some of the smaller cloud settlements? Seen them first hoof, rather than in a report prepared by somepony else?

Still, it was a shame that this had interrupted their ‘holiday’. She’d hoped to be able to spend the rest of the day with just Max, maybe gazing up at the stars together in each others’ arms. Maybe even more, if she could somehow overcome her body’s strange reaction to their intimacy this morning. True, she was rather nervous about that part of their relationship; it had been a long time since she had been with a stallion, and although the basics had of course not changed, she was no longer the filly she had been back then. Age had taken its toll; she didn’t want to disappoint Max. She shook herself. Now was not the time for those thoughts. She hadn’t even been on a proper date with Max yet; there was plenty of time for... other things later, regardless of what her heat-driven subconscious might say.

Looking around, she was surprised how quickly the goats had transformed the field around them. A small settlement of tents had been strung up as if by magic as the tribe made camp for the night. Cooking fires had been started and numerous small pots hung over them to start to prepare food. Off to one side, some music could be heard as a small band started to warm up.

To be honest, the goats scared her a bit. There were so many of them and they seemed so alien - their slitted eyes were inequine. She knew she shouldn’t be so quick to judge them, but they just seemed so wrong! The fact that she didn’t speak their language didn’t help either; she had no idea what they were talking about, when they even did talk. Most of the camp’s business seemed to be carried out silently. It was unnerving. She shuffled a little closer to Max.

“Miss Posey?” asked Chinua, causing Fragrant to start. “Are you alright?”

“I...I am fine, thank you,” she said, trying to steel herself.

“Would you care for a drink?” He held out a skin.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Kumis. It’s made from milk we trade with the low-land cows,” he explained. Fragrant paused for a moment. She knew that goats could eat things that would be harmful to ponies. Was the drink safe for her? “It is safe for ponies,” continued Chinua as if he could read her mind. “Look.” His horns and the wineskin glowed briefly. “That would remove anything which would cause disease.”

“I didn’t know that goats could do magic!” said Fragrant in surprise.

“My kind are rare amongst our people. Unlike your unicorns, we are not a breed apart; any goat may be born with the power. Although it often runs in families. My mother also had the ability.” He held out the drink again.

Cautiously, Fragrant accepted it and took a mouthful. It was thick and creamy with a spicy flavour that burnt her throat a little, going down. She liked it, and took another swig, feeling the warmth spread through her stomach. “Thank you,” she said.

“You are welcome. Would you care for a tour of the camp?” he asked.

Fragrant looked back to Max. He still seemed deep in conversation with the chieftain. She hoped he was being more diplomatic than normal, but there was nothing she could do to help him this time. She still felt a little nervous but they did seem friendly.

“Yes, I think I would,” she said, standing up and following the small goat.

Chinua led Fragrant around the camp, pointing out various groups of goats who were setting up tents, collecting food, cooking, repairing equipment and a dozen other jobs. They all seemed to work together like a well-oiled machine. They came to a halt where a semi-circle of younger goats sat, watching an older goat singing some sort of yodelling song supported by a small band. “You certainly have interesting music,” she said politely to her guide.

“Is not music. Well, is music, but,” he paused for a moment as if looking for the right word, “is school, song tells history, and what food is good, and all sorts of other things. We don’t have writing so we teach by singing.”

Fragrant nodded. It was an interesting concept. She sat down just outside the circle of young goats and listened for a few minutes. It didn’t mean anything to her, but occasionally the pupils would repeat what their teacher said, presumably confirming they had learnt something. Chinua passed her the skin again and she took another drink. It really was quite good; she would have to see about getting the recipe. In front of her, the old goat stopped singing and the young goats started to get up and scamper around the camp. The band started to play a more lively song, and several adult goats joined the group, talking quietly to each other. Fragrant felt something pulling her leg and looked down to see a small doe tugging at her blouse with her teeth. Chinua uttered something angry-sounding at the child, and she stepped back, bleating something softly. Chinua smiled. “She asks why you cover yourself when you are such a nice colour.”

Fragrant blushed a little, looking down at her light yellow coat. Almost all the goats she had seen in the camp were plain black, so she must took rather exotic to them. “Well, I wear clothes because they make me feel brave. They let me pretend to be somepony else.” She paused for moment. Should she be telling the goats this? “And they make me look nice,” she added.

Chinua translated, and the young goat sat on her haunches for a second, considering. Then she bleated back something. “She wishes she had something to make her look nice.”

Fragrant smiled. “Tell her she looks very nice.” She reached into her saddlebag with a wing, watching her foal’s eyes go wide as most of her wing disappeared into the magical bag. She rummaged around for a moment before withdrawing a silk scarf she doubted she was going to be wearing again, and tied it around the small goat’s neck. She spun around in place for a moment, trying to look at it. Then, with a bleat of thanks, she rushed off into the camp.

“That was kind of you,” noted Chinua, handing her another drink.

“She was very cute, and I have lots of clothes, probably more than I’ll ever need.” Her stomach interrupted growling loudly. “My apologies,” said Fragrant, blushing. She must be hungrier than she thought. She was feeling a little light headed too. At least the milky drink was doing something to satiate her.

“No! I am being a bad host. I will get you food.” Before she could say anything, he rushed off and returned a few moments later with a bowl of some sort of soup resting on his back. “Eat,” he instructed.

Fragrant looked at the meal somewhat unsurely. It seemed like a random mix of ingredients boiled in water; she recognised a few nettle leaves and quite a few grains, but there were also some red berries and other greenery she didn’t recognise. Steeling herself, she took a mouthful. It didn’t taste that bad, although it did contain a mismatch of flavours; the berries were rather bitter and the leaves not as fully cooked as she would prefer. Still, it seemed edible. She tried a second mouthful and washed it down with another taste of the kumis. She looked up and saw the young goat from before trotting over, looking proud as she was followed by a group of hopeful-looking does and a buck or two as well. This was probably going to be painful for her wardrobe, she thought, and had to bite her tongue to stop herself laughing out loud.

“Max! Max!” cried Fragrant. Max looked up from his discussion with Jurgaghan. He blinked. When had it gotten dark? He must have gotten more wrapped up in the conversation that he’d thought, for some reason the old goat seemed very interested in Mrs G and her family. For the first time, he noted that Fragrant wasn’t sitting next to him anymore. He looked for the source of her voice. Head and ears swung from side to side as he surveyed the crowd. There she was, galloping through the camp somewhat unsteadily; several times she bumped into a passing goat, calling a quick apology before continuing. There was something off about her beyond her current actions, he thought. She wasn’t wearing anything! He didn’t think he’d ever seen her without at least one item of clothing on before. Maybe she’d taken her blouse off because it had gotten ripped? He felt a bit guilty about that. The duchess finally came to a stop near Max and wobbled in place a bit. What was wrong with her?

“Fragrant! Are you alright?” asked Max.

“I’m fine! I feel great!” replied Fragrant brightly. Her eyes seemed a little glazed. “You’ve got to come and see this!” she cried, grabbing Max’s hoof and yanking at it, almost overbalancing him.

“What is it?” he asked, following her back through the camp at a more reasonable rate. They came to a stop near a large fire where much of the tribe seemed to be gathered. A small band was playing off to one side.

“Just stay here for a minute and I’ll show you. No peeking, it’s a surprise!” She leaned forwards and kissed Max sloppily on the cheek. Max’s eyes bulged. There were several dozen goats around, although none of them seemed interested. Fragrant had never been so affectionate in public, not since the Gala. He sniffed the air.

“Fragrant, are you drunk?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not! I’ve only been drinking this milk stuff,” she replied, raising a wineskin and taking a gulp. “I didn’t think I’d like it, but it’s growing on me.”

Max took the container and sniffed. “This is Kumis! It’s fermented, it’s quite strong. How much have you had?”

“I don’t know, maybe a bottle full? I wondered why my hooves felt all tingly.” She waved a hoof then stared at it for a moment before looking around blinking. “Everypony, um, everygoat is drinking it and no one looks tipsy.”

“Goats can hold their liquor really well. Maybe you should sit down for a bit?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m on holiday, right? I can afford to let my mane down a bit. Now wait here!” She rushed off into the crowd. Max slumped down. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Fragrant’s condition. She certainly seemed to be a peppy drunk at the moment. Maybe he should take a few sips of the kumis as well? Before he could take a drink, Fragrant had returned and leant against him heavily.

“Look!” she instructed with an outstretched leg.

Max looked where she was pointing and saw a small line of goat children approaching. Each of them was wearing one of Fragrant’s dresses, even the bucks. All of the clothes were too large for their wearers, but they had been folded up to more or less fit. The progression proudly strode forwards, getting amused looks from most of the rest of the camp. They came to a stop in front of the two ponies and all gave bows. Fragrant grinned and stomped her hooves. “Now turn!” she cried, circling her hoof. The children happily trotted in little circles; one particularly small doe almost tripped up but quickly regained her footing. Fragrant nuzzled up to Max. “Can we keep them?” she asked. “Fluttering used to love to play dress up, you know... it’s been too long.” She turned to the children. “Well done! You all look incredible!” She opened a coin purse and brought out several bits, giving them to each of her models who looked a little confused. One of them sniffed and tasted the coin, before they trotted off in their outfits. “That was fun!” exclaimed Fragrant. “What shall we do now?”

“Maybe you could sit down and...” started Max. Then Fragrant’s ears pricked up and she glanced over at the band.

“Dancing!” she exclaimed. “We should go dancing! It’ll be like the Gala but less stuffy!” She grabbed Max’s hoof again and pulled him after her.

To Max’s surprise, they weren’t the only couple moving with the music; a number of goats were also dancing, although they seemed to be following a slower and more formal pattern compared to Fragrant, who appeared to be following music in her own head. Still, Max found he actually quite enjoyed himself. Fragrant frequently pressing her body to his certainly didn’t hurt; she frequently ran her hooves down his body as well and even gave his flanks a few quick squeezes. The music finally came to an end and Fragrant staggered away from the dancefloor. Her legs folded and she would have fallen if Max hadn’t caught her. “Oh, dizzy,” she moaned.

“I think you might have had enough excitement for the night,” said Max.

“Ooh, are you going to put me to bed, then, baron?” she asked, her tail writhing.

“Well... um, I think bed might be the best place for you.”

“For both of us, I think.” She leant forwards and kissed him.

Max fought very hard against his immediate reaction to her. She obviously wasn’t in her right mind right now, it would be taking advantage of her... why did doing the right thing have to be so hard?! “I think it might be best if I spend the night outside. The weather’s fine.” He gently started to lead her into the camp.

She made a grumbling sound. “I’m your Duchess Kitty Cat remember, don’t you want to pet your cat?” she pouted, “I won’t bite,” she started to nibble at his neck, “Much.”. Gritting his teeth against the sensation, he glanced around the camp. For a moment he wondered where he was going to put her, but then he noticed that some goat must have unpacked his tent. That was very good of them.

“Max!” moaned Fragrant, nuzzling him. “Why won’t you spend the night? You’re comfortable, warm and shaggy. You’re my Baron Bow Wow.”

“I really don’t think that would be a good idea,” he said, grinding his teeth slightly.

“Are you sure?” she said as they reached the tent. She slumped forwards and clumsily started to wiggle through the door. Max tried unsuccessfully not to stare at her upraised plot as her tail flicked aside. “If you change your mind, you can always come inside where it’s nice and warm.” She turned her head and gave a wink while giving her flanks a little shake. Then the tent flap swung closed and all that remained of her was a giggle.

Max stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open, before carefully turning around and planting himself a short distance from the tent. Around him, the rest of the goats’ camp also seemed to be going to sleep, with only a few guard goats still awake. He folded his legs beneath him and closed his eyes. Behind him, he heard a gentle giggle from Fragrant; he tried to block it out, to not think about breaking into the tent and accepting everything she was offering. He thought instead about the route they would take tomorrow, how to get to Snowtown. Then he realised what they would be passing and shards of ice shot into his heart. It would be the first time since he found out the truth. He shivered. He wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.

10) Nulpar Tour: Day 7, Snowtown

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Consciousness slowly clawed its way back to Fragrant’s body. Her head was pounding and she felt stiff and feverish. She tried to roll over and instantly regretted it as her head and back protested at the movement. She froze in place again, trying to minimise the pain. What had happened to her? She hadn’t felt like this since... she was hung over, she recognised that much. It had been a long time since she’d overdone it enough to feel like this; in fact, she didn’t think she’s ever felt this bad before. Either she’d really drunk too much, or it was just a sign of her age. Once she’d been able to drink for most of the day and still put in a full night at court, but that had been a long, long time ago now.

How had she ended up this way? She tried to concentrate through the fog that covered much of her memories. She and Max had decided to spend the day having fun, they’d run through the meadow like foals, then the goats... that milky drink, far too much of it, then dancing with Max... then... oh! She’d tried to seduce Max! She carefully felt around the tent with a wing. She felt her and Max’s belongings, but no other ponies; he’d apparently been a perfect gentlestallion. She couldn’t decide if she was happy about that or not. His restraint was admirable, but she couldn’t help but think that if she was seducing somepony, she expected them to be seduced.

She carefully cracked open her eyes, then slammed them shut again. Even the diffuse light in the tent hurt them. She waited a few minutes, then tried again. There was still a pounding behind her eyes, but it was just about manageable. She righted herself and started to scramble around in the tent. She realised that she was still wearing her bags; no wonder her back hurt so much given her awkward position. She then realised with a shiver that she was naked and had been for much of the night. She didn’t think she could face the world like that right now; she felt bad enough as it was. Reaching into her bags, she realised they were mostly empty. She remembered giving much of her wardrobe away to the young goats. She sighed. Those clothes were probably worth more than they would see in a year or more. Still, she thought with a smile, they had looked cute in them. Looking through her remaining collection, she decided on a sensible mid length green dress. It took her longer than she’d hoped to put on. She sniffed. There was the scent of something cooking on the air. Her stomach complained for a moment and she struggled to bring it under control; she certainly didn’t want to vomit in Max’s tent.

“Fragrant? Are you alright?” came Max’s careful voice from outside. He sounded a little upset. Not surprising, given her behaviour last night.

“Muffergal,” she moaned, trying to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her mouth. She tried again. “I... I am awake,” she admitted. “I do not feel well.”

“It’s no wonder after what you drank last night. A bottle of kumis would put most ponies under the table.” Fragrant took a moment to thank her pegasus metabolism. Although her tribe could not match the hardiness of the earth ponies, at least their quicker metabolism would normally deal with the consequences of a night's drinking quicker. She might feel like death warmed up now, but she should be fine in an hour or two. If she lived that long. “I’m putting some breakfast on, porridge, do you feel up to it?” Fragrant didn’t think she’d ever felt less like eating, but she knew at least getting something into her stomach would speed up her recovery.

“I think I will be able to manage something, in a little while.” She slumped down again and tried to gather her senses. “I apologize for my behaviour last night. It was unbecoming. I hope I did not offend our hosts.”

“I’m sure they’ve seen worse. It was interesting to talk to the Tor. I don’t see them much over in Sadlzburg. I’m glad I can do something to help them.” Suddenly the door to the tent was thrown open by a horrible, vicious, demonic pony. Fragrant squealed as the bright sun shone into her eyes. “Oh! Sorry!” said Max as he pulled the door shut again. She panted for a moment internally cursing both Max and Corona, before recovering her composure. Max slowly opened the door again and ran a hoof through the supplies, grabbing a few items and taking them outside. Cautiously and with eyes slitted, Fragrant followed him. She grimaced at the pain but managed to lift herself to her hooves, the fresh air clearing her head a little. She looked around. To her surprise, the meadow was empty; the entire goat tribe had disappeared with hardly a sign they had ever been here.

“Where did they all go?” she asked

“They were gone by the time I woke up. They left behind some supplies, though.” Max gestured to a small fire he had built, above which a few pots hung. “You should get a drink,” he gestured to the lake, “it’ll make you feel better.” Nodding, Fragrant made her way over to the clear water and started to somewhat self-consciously lap at it. She quickly realised how thirsty she was and began to gulp down the pure liquid. Finally, she submerged her whole head, feeling the cold soothe her headache. For a moment she considered leaping into the lake, but decided against it. After a long moment, she surfaced. Tossing her wet mane aside, she took a deep breath.

“Here,” said Max as she returned to the small camp. He passed her a steaming mug.

She cautiously sniffed it. “Is this coffee?” she asked the wonderful, handsome, heroic pony in front of her in wonderment.

“I think so. The goats left it behind. I don’t know where they got it from; it’s hard enough to find in Sadlzburg.”

She took a sip and enjoyed the feel of it spreading through her, returning life to her tired body. She sighed. “I am sorry for the position I put you in last night. You were every inch the gentlestallion, and I was hardly a lady.” She blushed avoiding eye contact with Max.

“Fragrant, you are never anything but a lady to me, and we never need to talk about that again. You did some silly things when you were drunk. Who hasn’t?”

“Thank you for being so understanding.” She took another sip of her drink.

“Now if you were to make the same offer sober, well I don’t think I’d say no.”

Fragrant concentrated very hard on not spitting out her drink for a moment before letting the comment go. “I guess our holiday is over?”

“I’m afraid so. We’ll need to make good time if we’re going to get to Snowtown today. We wouldn’t want to worry your people.”

“It’s a shame. I enjoyed our time together.”

Max nodded. “So did I, but we’ll see each other again in a month or so.”

“I suppose so. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Max, unhooking the pot and dishing out a dollop of greyish gelatinous gloop. Fragrant felt her stomach turn again.

The pair set out once breakfast had been finished and Max’s equipment was stowed away. They followed the path the goats had arrived by; it was less steep than the sheer cliff Max had climbed yesterday, but there was no sign of the Tor. Once they descended, Max headed towards a distant mountain and they began to clamber over a broken plain. They talked little; Fragrant still felt drained by her hangover and also felt a blanket of depression weigh down on her. By this time tomorrow, she would be well on her way back to Cloudsdale and her mountain of paperwork. Max seemed likewise subdued. Shortly after lunch, Max started to slow in his progress, spending long moments peering down a cliff which marked one side of the path they were following.

“Come on, Max! We need to keep up the pace if we want to get to the town by nightfall,” said Fragrant. Her hangover was making her snappy.

“Sorry, but can we... can we stop here for a bit?”

Fragrant frowned. The view was nice, but there did seem to be better around. “Why?” she asked. “Are you alright?” Could he be sick? The thought brought a bit of panic to her breast.

“Yes, I’m fine, but it’s private. I just need a few minutes.”

“Of course,” said Fragrant, sitting next to Max and looking down the steep cliff. Her companion slumped down, staring into the middle distance. She didn’t like to see him like this. She didn’t think she had ever seen him less like himself. Whatever could be wrong?

“My father died near here,” said Max without inflection. “He tried to get to Snowtown in winter, got lost in a storm and fell off this cliff. He died almost instantly.”

Fragrant blinked. She was not expected that. “I... I am sorry.”

“We didn’t know what happened to him for months. He just didn’t come back. Eventually he was found by some miners from Snowtown. I... well, I always thought I’d end up as mayor, but I thought I had years, that I could travel first, but everyone expected me to follow in his hoofsteps.”

Fragrant rested a wing on Max’s back. “My fate seemed planned out as well. I was the oldest child, I would be duchess someday. It was a bit of a surprise when my talent turned out to be botany. Still, I... I like my job, I want to help ponies do what is best for them.”

“Me too,” agreed Max, turning to her. “But you see, they lied to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was a report on my father’s death. Somepony, Mum, I think, tried to hide it away so I wouldn’t see, but I uncovered it one day. He didn’t die from the fall, you see. He broke two legs but he was alive, but there was no way he could get back up the cliff again. They found him in a cave, he’d managed to make a fire, several. It was days, maybe longer, before his wounds, or hunger, or thirst, took him. He died all alone far away from anyone who cared for him.” Max sniffed. “And the ponies in Sadlzburg don’t seem to want me anymore, and Canterlot can be so strange, and Piste and Zephyr...” He trailed off.

“Max!” cried Fragrant, pulling him into a deep hug, wrapping her wings around him to try and protect him from the world. “I care, I will always care, I’ll always be here for you, you’re not going to die alone! And your people, Piste, they all care. It might not seem like it but they do, you are so loved.”

They remained there for a while, wrapped together. Eventually Max pulled back. “Thank you,” he whispered. “We should be off. Can you... can you give me a few moments, alone with... with Dad.”

“Of course,” said Fragrant. “Take all the time you need.” She trotted off a short distance

“Hi Dad,” he started. “I know I don’t visit often. Mum’s fine, but she’s... she’s moved on. I know you’d want her to do that, but it feels wrong you know?” He paused as if waiting for a reply. “That was Fragrant who was here with me. I think you’d like her. She’s kind and she puts up with me. I’m glad you got to meet her. I miss you, you know, I think you would have made a good baron, probably better than me, you’d know how to deal with Honeybun.” He stood there in silence for a moment, seeming to listen to the sound of the wind. “Bye, Dad,” he whispered, before turning back to where Fragrant was waiting.

Whatever Max had felt he needed to say back at the cliff seemed to have improved his mood, thought Fragrant. She herself was feeling better as well, the last wisps of her hangover evaporating like morning fog. She still felt a little melancholy about having to leave Max this evening, but she managed to put that out of her mind for the moment.

On the way to their destination, she and Max came across a pair of ponies trying to repair a damaged wagon. They were apparently a pair of brothers who worked a mine up in the nearby mountains, bringing their product down to Snowtown. As he lent them a hoof, Max explained that there were small deposits of coal and iron in the area, and most of the miners worked in small family groups. They all traded with Snowtown, which had a large smithy that converted their ore into useful tools, and even exported some into the nearby province of Rushia via a larger town called Sharpside on the border of Nulpar.

Once the wagon’s wheel was patched up, the four of them happily carried on down the road. As with the other ponies they had met along their route, Max had introduced himself and explained about the formation of Nulpar and his role in it. Fragrant had found herself rather amused by Max’s annoyance when the two miners told him they hadn’t heard of him or even Nulpar; they did after a little prompting remember Max’s home town of Sadlzburg, but seemed surprised it was the capital of the province rather than Sharpside. Max seemed downright angry at that suggestion, and sulked for much of the rest of their journey.

Eventually, as the sun was starting to lower towards the horizon, Max pointed out the town of Snowtown, a short distance away up a steep hill. Fragrance felt her heart sink at the announcement. Her time with Max was almost over. For a brief moment she seriously considered the insanity of asking Max to run away into the wilds with her, to never return to Cloudsdale, to never have to deal with the court again, to not have to make up her mind about Notebook or Wallflower. But that was all just a pleasant fantasy. She had her responsibility to her people, her family and her country, and she had to follow it regardless of what her heart told her.

“That should do it,” gasped Max as the wagon came to a stop amongst others like it, set up near the smithy. He’d only been in town a few times before, and he was always surprised by the size of the place; it was practically a factory compared to the small back room facility that serviced Sadlzburg.

“Thanks, Mr. Baron,” said Crumbly Cliff, as he unhooked himself from the other prong of the wagon. Max wasn’t entirely sure the earth pony believed he actually was a baron.

“Yeah, if you want to join us in the pub later, we’ll buy you a pint,” offered Heath, Crumbly’s half-brother, as he used his aura to make sure the wagon’s brake was fully engaged.

“I might take you up on that in a bit,” said Max, wiping the sweat from his brow. Whoever had decided to set up the town at the top of a hill certainly hadn’t had to drag loads of rock up to it. “But I’ll need to see to the duchess first.”

“Right you are,” said Crumbly, heading into the foundry to announce their arrival.

“Maybe we can talk a bit about your road and railway plan,” said Heath. “Anything that means we don’t have to drag this thing up here every week.” Max nodded distractedly as he glanced around for Fragrant. The pegasus had been flying a little way in front of them, trying to catch sight of her carriage; they were several hours behind schedule, and it should have arrived by now. He glanced up to see her slightly bedraggled figure silhouetted against the setting sun. Beautiful. He secretly hoped there had been some problem and the carriage wasn’t here; then they could spend another night together. He’d really enjoyed their time together, their talks, showing her around Nulpar; he really didn’t want to have to wait almost two months before seeing her again. She gracefully dropped to the ground again, next to him.

“I can see it parked next to a large stone building that way.” She pointed further into the town.

“Oh, that sounds like the town hall. I guess we should head to there, then.” He sounded dejected. Fragrant glanced around for a moment, and then leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “What?” he asked, pleasantly surprised.

“I might not get a chance to do that again for a while,” she explained, blushing a little, “once we’re in public.”

“Not that long, I hope. I still don’t understand why we have to keep this secret. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong!”

“I know, Max.” She took his hoof. “And out here in Nulpar there isn’t a problem, but in Canterlot and Cloudsdale there are journalists who would give their right hoof to get details of a noble romance. If they found out, we would have no peace. Believe me, I know.” She shuddered a bit.

“Very well,” sighed Max. He glanced up at the moon. “Isn’t it a bit late for you to head back now?” he asked. “How about we both spend the night here. I can even show you the glacier that gave this place its name tomorrow. It won’t take long.”

“We’ll see, Max. I agree, it is getting late, but I did tell Saltpeter I would be back at Sadlzburg tonight.”

The two of them trotted through the streets of the town, watching the inhabitants heading home for the night. To their surprise as they turned the corner to the town hall, they were greeted by a rather out of tune fanfare from a small band, and a rather amateurish-looking banner proclaiming, “Snowtown welcomes Dutchess Posey.” Both of them stood a little shocked for a moment, before a tall pegasus mare rushed over to them.

“Duchess Posey?” she asked. “I’m mayor Glacial Stream, it is such a great honour for you to be visiting us, I’m sorry but we only found out at the last minute when your chauffeurs arrived, we must have missed your missive but we’ve done what we can to make you welcome, I’m sure I can give you a tour of the town despite the lateness of the hour and we can probably host a feast and...” She continued, apparently without taking a breath.

“Thank you,” said Fragrant, gently interrupting, “but this isn’t an official visit. I just happened to be in the area on a trip with my colleague, Baron Max.”

“Max?” the mare asked surprised, blinking at the baron.

“The leader of your province,” prompted Fragrant with a frown. Max, still looking a little stunned, waved a hoof.

“Oh, right. I heard something about that. Nulpar, um, Max, right.”

“Uh, yeah, what happened to Mayor Burning Coke?” he asked.

“Oh, retired two, almost three years ago now. I’m his successor.”

Had it been that long since he’d last visited? thought Max. He guessed it must have been at least five years, actually; it had been that long since he’d had enough time away from Sadlzburg. “Good to see you, then. I’d like to get a chance to talk to you about the recent changes and what I can do for you up in Canterlot.”

Glacial nodded and looked back and forth between the two nobles. “Oh, right, that sounds good, baron, but um, the duchess, would you like to discuss anything, you head the weather ministry, don’t you, and run Cloudsdale?”

Fragrant smiled at the somewhat starstruck pony. “If I am able to stay, I will of course listen to any weather issues you have, but I think you would find some of my subordinates more helpful. They should be arriving soon to carry out a full audit of the province. I think you may find the baron more worthy of your time right now. My apologies, but I should talk to my chauffeurs.” She trotted over to the two stallions stationed near the carriage.

Glacial stood a little open-mouthed for a few moment as the Duchess walked away, before snapping her head back towards Max. “Right... sorry, baron, I didn’t know you were coming. The chauffeurs only mentioned the duchess.”

“That’s all right, I didn’t really publicise this, I just thought it would be a good idea to talk to all the people of Nulpar. I met a few miners on the way here, they certainly thought better roads or a railway would be useful. I’ve been trying to organise something over in Sadlzburg.”

“Oh yes,” agreed Glacial. “Railroads would be perfect, we even produce much of the materials you’d need here, coal and iron, not enough at the moment but if the mines were modernised!” Her eyes gleamed; he’d obviously struck a personal interest. “I don’t know about Sadlzburg, that’s a fair way off, but if you could get a link all the way down to Neighvosibirsk via Sharpside, it wouldn’t be easy, you’d probably need to tunnel but just think of the possibilities!”

Max did. He hadn’t really put that much thought into this side of Nulpar; he’d always thought of Sadlzburg. The route would be harder from here, but it could connect to a more central hub of the Equestrian railway. But was it worth it? The population of Sharpside and all its neighbouring towns probably wasn’t much more than Sadlzburg alone, but they did produce iron and coal rather than food. Which was more important?

He was shaken out of his thoughts by the return of Fragrant, and she did not look pleased. “I am afraid I will have to leave right away. There has apparently been some problem back in Sadlzburg that requires my personal attention.”

Max’s heart sank. “Is it anything serious?” What had happened to his town?

“No, it is merely an internal weather ministry issue, but I am needed.” She smiled sadly. “It is my duty.” She turned to the mayor. “I am sorry, Mayor Stream, that I am unable to enjoy your town’s hospitality.”

“I, I understand,” said Glacial.

“If there is anything that you urgently require me to look into, you should pass a copy of it to my staff now while I say goodbye to the baron.”

“Oh, right... ok,” said Glacial, rushing off.

“I’m sorry,” said Fragrant, resting a hoof on Max’s shoulder. “I did hope we would have more time. I have really enjoyed our time together. Nulpar is such a wonderful place, as unspoiled and handsome as its ruler. Maybe you could visit Cloudsdale one day?”

“I’m sure it’s just as beautiful as its ruler,” he said, resting his head against hers. “I’ll miss you.”

“As will I, but it is only a few months before we will see each other, and we will have the memories.”

Max so wanted to close the space between them to kiss too, to hold her to himself, but there were other ponies around, so he pulled away from her instead. “I’ll be counting the days.”

“I hope you manage to deal with your difficulties. Your plan to meet your people seems to be working so far, and I hope you can get over your more personal problems.”

“You too. I do think you should give Notebook a second chance.”

“We will see, Max.” She moved forwards again and gave him a hug. “Goodbye.” She broke away again.

“Goodbye!” replied Max, waving as she walked over to her carriage and boarded it. Glacial rushed out of the town hall, trailing papers as she went, and half passed, half threw the folders she held at Fragrant. Now loaded, the carriage’s chauffeurs began to flap their wings, raising the craft into the night sky and away. Max stood there, continuing to wave until after the carriage was out of sight. He sighed and looked around. Glacial was standing politely nearby. “Right. Now, what was it you were saying about railways?” he asked her.

11) Nulpar Tour: Days 8-10, Sharpside

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Dear Fragrant

It’s been less than two days since I last saw you and I miss you already. It was so much fun to travel with you, to see Nulpar through your eyes. It sometimes takes somepony else to show you how wonderful the world we live in is. I loved spending time with you away from work. Maybe we could make this an annual trip thing, or you could show me around Cloudsdale next year, or would I just fall through the clouds? Even if I did, it would give me a reason to hold on to you all the time. As if I needed one!

Anyway, I thought it might help if I wrote to you. I’m not sure if I’ll actually post these, or maybe give them to you in person, or just keep them, but I think it’s a good idea to put my thoughts down.

After you left, I spent most of the next day talking with Glacial and her people. She’s put quite a bit of thought into how to construct a railway over here, how they could use the iron and coal they have to make it cheaper to build. I never really considered building in the east of Nulpar. Well, back when I was Mayor of Sadlzburg it wasn’t my territory. I can sort of see her point, it does make sense to export our resources, Rushia needs them, but most of the mines in her area are quite small, maybe run by only a single family. It’s easy to say they’d expand to meet demand but I don’t think it would be that easy. Same with the railway – just building the tracks is one thing, but you’ve got to get a company interested in running actual trains there. Still, it is something to think about.

Anyway, I set out mid-afternoon on my way to Sharpside. It’s the second biggest town in Nulpar; about half as big as Sadlzburg, probably a bit smaller than that even. Still, that means it’s much bigger than Herdstone, the next largest town. I had meant to make it to Sharpside by the end of the day, but I stopped off in a village called Welton and the ponies there were so friendly I just had to spend the night. The whole population, a few as that was, gathered outside, and they played music and we danced, it was great fun, it was a shame you couldn’t be there. I set off again the next morning, one of the locals suggested I see her cousin in another village called Westfield a few hours away so off I set and I got chatting there and they suggested I headed north east because there’s a field of really nice wild strawberries there and...

Eventually I figured out that I was avoiding going to Sharpside. The fact is, well, I don’t like the place much. There’s nothing all that bad about it, but it just always seems so dull to me. Sadlzburg has a sort of rustic charm to it, all those bright little houses. Sharpside always seems so designed to me, lots of blocks of dull stone buildings, all the same. As for the ponies, well it’s no secret that there’s a rivalry between Sharpside and Sadlzburg, we produce most of the food for the province, they take in raw materials from the surrounding settlements like Snowtown and make them into manufactured goods. I know that’s important, but if they didn’t have food they’d all starve, right? They just seem so proud of what they do, stuck up really.

You know, when I first became baron, the mayor of Sharpside, Iron Trotsky, wrote to me asking when I was going to set up my capital in his town! I had to explain to him that I would be staying in the province's largest city when I wasn’t in Canterlot, and Iron sent back a load of numbers and figures which supposedly showed that Sharpside was ‘bigger’ in some way, he just wouldn’t let the issue go.

Most of his people are like that as well, there’s a bit of a culture difference between Sadlzburg and Sharpside you see. Sadlzburg was founded by a bunch of settlers from Ambelon, including my great grandmother and we’ve kept their happy go lucky spirit. Sharpside was settled a bit later by ponies from Rushia, and they’ve kept their dour and fatalistic nature, I find it a bit off putting.

Still I’m baron of the whole province now, I have to try and put my prejudices aside and do what I can to help them as much as I help Sadlzburg and the rest of Nulpar. I’ve just finished an early lunch (including strawberries, they are very nice) and I can probably make the town in an hour or so, I can chat with Iron, stock up on supplies and probably be away before the end of the day, I can spend the night in a smaller village or even camp out.

I better set off now, to make sure I’m not too late. I’ll write to you again later.

Yours sincerely

Mounty Max.

Sharpside was, for some unknown reason, perched on the edge of an overhang that sat over deep ravine. Each year, the edge of the cliff would crumble a little more, and every few years it would take one of the town’s buildings with it. All sane ponies avoided that particular edge of town, which was sensibly fenced off, and new buildings were built on the other side of the settlement to replace those lost to gravity. In that way, the whole town slowly crawled away from the abyss. Why they were here in the first place was beyond Max; they just seemed too stubborn to move. Although the fact there wasn’t that much extra flat ground around might explain it.

Max approached the settlement through the rather sparse farmland surrounding the town itself; here and there ponies were working the fields. The year’s first harvest had probably already been brought in, its crop’s growth boosted by the magic of the town’s earth ponies, while the second harvest was well on its way to maturity, ready to be picked in a few months once autumn rolled around. Oddly, there seemed to be a few fields left fallow, covered in lines of large boulders rather than crops. Which was odd given the premium on fertile soil in the area. None of the farmers seemed to take much notice of Max as he passed; the few that looked up from their work didn’t make eye contact, quickly returning to their tasks. It seemed a rather poor welcome to Max.

The town itself seemed just as unwelcoming as its inhabitants. Unlike Sadlzburg, the majority of the buildings were made of stone, mostly carved out of the nearby mountains and carried into the city. The buildings were set out in regularly shaped blocks of homes, rather than the rather more individualistic style of Max’s town. Off in one corner of the town was a number of larger buildings topped with long chimneys from which thin clouds of smoke emerged; nearby were a few pegasi using clouds to absorb the pollution before taking it away for disposal. Max sighed at the sight. There were more than the last time he’d been here. Iron would certainly be bragging about the increase; he was very proud of his town’s industrialisation.

Max’s first stop was at the general store; he needed to buy food for the next leg of his journey. Midnight’s Folly, the next town on his itinerary, was several days travel away and there weren’t that many stops on the way, small villages mostly; they might not have much spare food, so this would be the last chance to stock up. Entering the building, Max noted that the shop was smaller than its equivalent in Sadlzburg. The donkey behind the counter looked up from her paper, but, apparently not finding the baron interesting, quickly returned to her reading.

Max glanced around the shelves. There were plenty of canned goods around, which would be good for his travels, but not much in the way of fresh food; the little that was present he recognised as being transported from the farms of Sadlzburg. He felt a little swell of pride that his home fed much of the province. Making his selection from the cans available, Max noticed that most of them were stamped with the symbol of Fisher Agriculture. He supposed it made sense since Rushia was only a few days trot away, but it was a bit disquieting to think of Archduke Fisher’s influence reaching into his own province.

Checking over a can as he picked it up from the shelf, Max tutted, noting that the prices were rather steep; from his experiences in Canterlot he’d found out that most food in Nulpar was comparatively cheap, although almost everything else was expensive. Here, even the food seemed quite dear. He’d have to keep an eye on his budget; he hadn’t brought all that much money with him on the trip. Still, he shouldn’t have too much trouble as long as he didn’t go overboard.

Glancing around the other goods, he noticed a small gas stove displayed proudly near the middle of the store. He trotted over and prodded it with a hoof. It looked like it would be useful on the road; much quicker than having to collect firewood each night, and probably hotter as well. He glanced at the price tag and flinched. Maybe not. Plus, how would he get new gas canisters for it?

“You goin’ to buy anything?” growled the shop's owner in an unfriendly tone.

“Oh, right, sorry,” said Max, lowering his ears. He returned to the wall of cans and picked out a few that caught his fancy, as well as some fresh food from the store’s small collection. After a bit of thought, he took a whetstone to keep his knife sharp. He’d probably need to use it to open the cans; they had keys attached, but he’d never had much luck with them in the past. He paused, then grabbed a box of oatcakes as well.

He took his choices to the owner and quickly paid for them before starting to pack them into his bags. “Anything happen in town recently?” he asked. He might as well get to know some of the locals while he was here.

The donkey seemed to consider for a moment. “You from off west right?” she asked. Max nodded. “Well, you might not have heard about the roads we been building out here, planning to go all the way to Neighvosibirak! Bet you don’t have anything like that out there!” Max frowned. He’d been arranging for roads to be built around Sadlzburg for several years now, but he hadn’t heard of anything being made over here. Neighvosibirak was maybe three days trot from here, much further than anything Max had planned; even Praris was only a day's travel away from Sadlzburg. “Course it’ll take a while,” continued the donkey, “but we’re hard workers. Things slowed down a bit last year, there was an outbreak of Red Lung, lost a few good ponies.” She shook her head. “Bad business.”

Max shivered a little. He hadn’t heard of that. “I’m sorry,” he said. Red Lung was a nasty disease, easy enough to treat if you caught it quickly enough and had the right medicine on hoof, but if you didn’t, well, it wasn’t a good way to die. There hadn’t been a serious outbreak in Sadlzburg for years, but he knew it could devastate smaller communities. He was surprised to hear it striking in Sharpside, though.

“It happens,” said the donkey fatalistically with a shrug. “Anything interesting happen over in your neck of the woods?” She leant forwards, apparently eager for any more gossip.

“Well, the mayor of Sadlzburg got made baron of this province.”

“I heard about that. Bad choice if you ask me. I hear he’s a bit woolly, not gotten much done... no offence, but you lot over there don’t know how to make hard decisions. Now if Iron had gotten the job, well, we’d certainly have seen some changes by now.”

“None taken,” muttered Max with poor grace. He thought he’d had to make some hard choices in his short career. “Well, I’ll pass that on if I ever meet him. I better be off, I’ve got a meeting with your mayor.”

The donkey nodded and turned back to her paper.

Sighing, Max made his way through the streets of Sharpside towards the town hall situated near the centre of the settlement. He passed a few ponies, donkeys and goats on his way, but they didn’t seem any friendlier than those in the fields or the shop. He finally arrived at the door to the sturdy building and rapped on the door with a hoof. He waited a moment, briefly considering that Iron might not be in and he should just head on to his next stop. But before he could even turn away, the door was opened by a white coated and maned young earth pony mare who peered at him. “Hello? How can I help you?” she asked with a light Rushian accent.

“Oh, um, I’m Baron Mounty Max,” said Max. The mare was a little familiar, but he couldn’t put his hoof on where he’d seen her before. “I walked to talk to the mayor, but if he’s busy I can...”

“DAD!” she yelled, turning away from the door. “IT’S THE BARON!” She turned back to Max. “He should be with you in a moment,” she said calmly, at a more normal volume.

There was a crash from somewhere inside the building. “No need to shout, Paste!” came a more strongly accented cry as Iron came into view. He was a large stallion, maybe a head taller than Max, with a dark yellow coat and a white mane. “Ah,” he growled. “Good to see you, Max.” He said a little icily. “I mean baron!” He gave a deep, and maybe slightly ironic bow.

“Uh, there’s really no need for all that, Iron. I’m the same stallion I’ve always been.”

Iron straightened up. “I was expecting you a few days ago. Glacial sent a messenger. I did think you might have forgotten about us.” He paused for a moment. “Ready to see Nulpar’s real capital?” he asked.

“I got delayed,” explained Max. “And no, Sadlzburg is going to stay Nulpar’s capital,” he continued in an exasperated tone. He didn’t want to have to go over this again.

Iron scowled. “Baron, you have to accept that Sharpside is a better location for you to make the seat of your government than Sadlzburg. We have so much more here!”

“You have far less people!” exclaimed Max.

Iron waved a hoof. “People are easy to come by. We have workshops, resources, connections. I will show you!” He gave a short hacking cough before clearing his throat. “You will see we are much better here!”

“People are what make up the province!” exclaimed Max. “Without them everything else is... is just things! Plus who feeds your people? You get most of your food from our farms!”

Iron snorted. “Food is not all.” He turned slightly to show his hammer and sickle cutie mark. “You need to diversify!”

There were interrupted by the white mare. “Would you like a drink, baron? Dad?” she asked.

Max turned to her. “Dad? Paste?” he asked in disbelief. “You’re all grown up!” The last time Max had seen the mare had been maybe a decade ago when Iron’s daughter had only been a foal. Now she was fully grown.

“Always, my little filly,” said Iron, reaching over to the young mare and ruffling her mane.

“It has been a few years since you were last here, baron,” said Paste, glowing a little as she tried to straighten her hair again.

“Best assistant I’ve ever had,” said Iron, hugging his daughter. “Hopefully she’ll take over from me, after my time. Would be nice if she ran more than a town in the middle of nowhere.” He glared at Max for a moment.

Max nodded in understanding. “Look, Iron, I don’t think I’m going to be changing my mind any time soon, but I want to make something of all of Nulpar, not just Sadlzburg, and not just Sharpside. I am here to do what I can, so after we’ve had a drink,” he nodded to Paste, who trotted out of the room, “you can show me what you’ve done with the place.”

“Da,” said Iron with a nod.

Max was a little surprised that Iron started the tour on the outskirts of the town, rather than taking him straight to the workshops he knew were the mayor’s pride and joy. Instead, the two stallions found themselves in one of the fallow fields that Max had spotted on his way into town. Seen up close, the field looked even stranger; neat rows of boulders filled it, each separated by maybe two body lengths. As they watched, teams of ponies were rolling each of the stones a few hooves to the side.

“What is this?” asked Max, puzzled.

“Is new,” said Iron. “Rock farming! I read about it in magazine, found some experts willing to check out the area. This place is very good for rocks, should produce a good crop in two, maybe three years.”

“A crop? Of rocks?” exclaimed Max. Had Iron lost his mind?

“Crystals in rocks, good for storing magic, make lights, wands, all sorts of things. Have to keep moving them around to keep them in tune with background magic. Take a long time to charge them, but very valuable when finished. Rock farms more common down south, we the first to try them up here,” said Iron. His chest swelled with pride before he gave another cough.

“Are you sure you’re not being conned?” asked Max, trying not to grin. This would certainly be a story to tell back in Sadlzburg, that Sharpside had started to try and grow rocks.

“No!” exclaimed Iron, scowling at Max. “You can feel the magic, here, try.” The larger stallion drove his front hooves into the ground and closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly as if listening to something. “Magic!” he announced.

Frowning, Max wiggled his hooves into the dirt a little more cautiously. He was surprised to feel a very faint pulse flowing through the ground like a slow heartbeat. Surely there couldn’t be something to this, could there? He had to just be imagining it, right?

“You’ll see,” said Iron. “A few years and we’ll be making our own magic items here. Can Sadlzburg do that? Another reason why we should be capital of Nulpar!” he insisted.

“This is start of our new road,” said Iron, proudly gesturing at the paved area stretching out ahead of them as far as Max could see. “One day this will lead all the way to Neighvosibirak. It will take half the time to get there, maybe even less. Then we can get proper trade going. It will be much easier to deliver our goods, no more dragging carts through the mountains.”

“Yes, I know, we’ve got the same sort of thing back home. We’ve connected up a few of the local villages and towns,” said Max proudly. “We haven't made it to Praris yet, but give it a few years. When did you start all this anyway? We’ve been going for what, five years now? We’ve got some real experts after all this time,” said Max, giving a grin. It felt good to be able to one up his rival.

“Just last summer,” admitted Iron with a scowl. “You give me idea, but we laid down more road than you did in the first year.” He stamped a hoof on the road, causing one of the stones to shift slightly. “We would have done more but...” He sighed. “There was disease.”

“I heard about the Red Lung, how many did you lose?” asked Max gently.

“About a dozen,” admitted Iron quietly. “Good mares and stallions.”

“There’s medicine for Red Lung, why did you lose so many?” asked Max.

“Prescription died the year before last, and we haven't managed to get another doctor since. Who’d want to work here? We sent somepony to Neighvosibirak as soon as we realised what it was, but that was a week's journey there and back. By then it was too late for some. Soothing Herb does what she can but she’s hardly trained.”

“Why didn’t you tell us, we could have done something!”

“It’s a week to Sadlzburg and the same back. What could you do, help us dig graves? It is not your fault, is way things are.”

Max slumped. Fatalistic as he was, Iron was right, but there had to be something he could have done. Sadlzburg was lucky to have Doctor House Martin – Max had worked hard to get the old doctor more funding – but should he have actually tried to get doctors for other settlements? He couldn’t do everything, but how could he decide what was best?
“Is in past now, road is the future. We reach Neighvosibirak in a few years. Praris is nowhere town, end of the rail line, Neighvosibirak is important stop!”

Max scratched his head. Iron did have a point. Praris, although larger than anywhere in Nulpar, was actually quite a small town by the standards of Equestria. Neighvosibirak was a major metropolis despite being on the edge of Rushia. “Well, Praris won’t be the end of the line for much longer. I’m going to get it extended all the way to Sadlzburg!”

Iron looked at him for a moment. “How that going?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not as well as I hoped,” admitted Max, “but I’m making some connections.”

The larger stallion nodded. “I tried the same. It’s not as easy as you’d think, is it? But not impossible.”

Max nodded as well. “Yeah, I know, getting a company to build track and agreeing to run a service. Sounds easy, but just getting someone to listen...”

To Max’s surprise, Iron threw a sympathetic leg around him, almost knocking him over. “You baron, you manage it sooner or later, probably later. I’ve got some things sorted out, but I’ll go over them with you later. First I want to show you something...”

The room was stifling from the heat from the forges at the back. Around him, tables of ponies worked like cogs in a great machine. Iron and other metals dug from the nearby mountains or brought in from Snowtown was smelted and then shaped in any number of devices before being stacked up in carts ready to be taken to wherever they went to. To Max, the whole process seemed soulless; the lines of ponies worked almost without talking or even acknowledging each other presence. It wasn’t like the farming around Sadlzburg where the workponies had to care for the plants they grew – here, the workers seemed indifferent to their tasks.

“Impressive, is it not!” cried Iron, struggling to make himself heard over the sound of the hammers.

“I suppose so!” agreed Max without much enthusiasm.

“We make most of the tools used in Nulpar here, we even export some to Rushia!” He coughed in the smoky atmosphere.

“Most of the workers don’t look very happy,” said Max, pointing to them.

“They are just concentrating.” Iron scowled. “Unlike you westerners, we don’t feel the need to wear our hearts on our sleeves all the time.”

Max frowned. He didn’t think his people were like that; sure, if they were enjoying themselves they smiled, but Iron made it sound like they were over the top about it.

“We can ask them!” cried Iron, steering Max towards a side room.

Once the door was shut, most of the noise from the factory floor was silenced. Within the break room stood or sat about a half dozen tired-looking ponies. Along one wall was a long troughs of water which several of the workers were guzzling down. “How are things going?” asked Iron. The workers responded with a number of grunts. “The baron would like to ask you about work.”

“Hi,” said Max, waving a hoof. “I’d just like to know how things are. The work here looks hard.”

“Sure is,” said a large mare, the light green of her coat just about showing through a layer of soot, “but it was harder on the farm I used to work at. The pay's good, its regular hours, and it’s interesting.”

“Yeah,” said a younger stallion. “We make a whole lot of stuff here.”

“You gonna help this place grow, baron?” said another mare wearing a forepony’s cap. “Iron’s been talking about setting up a railway for years. It’ll make it so much cheaper for us to get stuff down to Neighvosibirak, and faster.”

“I’ll certainly do what I can,” said Max. “I’ve got a lot of plans for Nulpar.” Mostly for Sadlzburg, he thought guiltily. It hadn’t occurred to him that there might be other places that would need his help. Still, the route from Sharpside to Neighvosibirak was longer than from Sadlzburg to Praris. It would probably make more sense to concentrate on the latter first.

“See,” said Iron, “the workers are all happy, this is a good place. Now you see why you should set up capital here. We have rock farms, roads, factories, soon railways. What does Sadlzburg have? Farms?”

“Sadlzburg has ponies, more than here. We’re hardly hicks, you know,” said Max, scowling. “Yes, you’ve done a lot with Sharpside, you should be proud, but it’s my decision where my capital is, and it’s going to be Sadlzburg, where the ponies I know are, where the people seem happier with their lives!”

Iron scowled deeply, staring at Max. “If you want to see ponies enjoying themselves, come with me...” he said.

To Max, the final building he was shown around seemed incongruous to the rest of the town. From the outside, it didn’t look much different from the rest of the settlement – a squat stone building, maybe bigger than most, but not really outstanding – but from the inside its purpose became clear. It was a dance hall, the floor covered in sturdy wooden boards. At one end was a raised area for a band to perform from and around the walls were a number of trestle tables for a range of refreshments. At the moment the room was largely bare, but a small number of ponies were moving around, putting up decorations and generally cleaning the place. They were quietly chatting to each other; if Max didn’t know he was on the opposite side of the province, he would swear he had been transported back to Sadlzburg.

“We hold dances here at least once a week,” explained Iron proudly. “We work hard but we play hard, baron. It is good to keep up morale, and let ponies let off some steam.”

“It’s very impressive,” said Max, looking around.

“If you can stay until the day after tomorrow, you can see we aren't so emotionless as you might think.”

“I don’t think that,” said Max, sounding a little embarrassed. That was just what he had thought. “But I’m afraid I’ll probably have to leave tomorrow. I’ve still got a lot of places to visit.”

“That is too bad. I bet Sadlzburg does not have a place like this.”

“Well, we hold most of our dances outside,” explained Max, feeling he should stand up for his town's honour. “And during the winter we can normally clear out a barn.”

“A bit primitive, but I’m sure you do the best you can,” said Iron, waving a hoof dismissively.

“We’re very good dancers!” exclaimed Max. “We won a contest against Praris last year!” he continued with some pride; they’d already split up by then, but Zephyr had been part of the team. “We just don’t need a place like this to practise.”

“Maybe we should have competition,” suggested Iron with a grin. “Sharpside against Sadlzburg, see who is best. We try not to beat you too badly.”

“Maybe we should!” said Max, turning to face Iron.

“Good! How about at harvest festival? There should be enough outsiders there to judge.”

“You’re on!” said Max.

“Good, I’ll bring our best team, we’ve been practicing.”

Max opened his mouth, then paused. “Have you been planning this?” he asked.

“Maybe,” said Iron with a smile. “Now, it is getting late. I insist you eat at my place, you will like it.” It sounded almost like a threat coming from the big pony’s mouth. “I am a good host.”

Max opened his mouth to say that he had to leave, but it was already later than he’d planned; the tour had taken most of the afternoon. He would almost certainly have to spend the night here now.

“I have spare room for you at town hall,” said Iron as if he could read Max’s mind. “And wagon train leave tomorrow heading up river, you can join them, better than having to be alone.”

Max sighed and gave a nod. It made sense.

The sun was setting by the time the two stallions got back to the town hall, and Iron rushed off to prepare a meal for his guest, leaving Max to talk to his daughter. The young mare seemed a little intimidated by him. He’d only seen her a few times before; he assumed her mother had passed when she was young as he’d never met her.

“Your father gave me a tour a tour of the town. He’s certainly done a lot with the place over the past few years,” said Max, trying to break the ice.

“Yes, he’s had so many ideas, the rock farming, roads, more workshops, he’s always so busy,” said Paste looking down at the ground. “I... I wish he’d slow down sometimes.”

“It’s a big responsibility running a town,” said Max. “Doesn’t he have some locals to help him?”

“Some,” she admitted. “But he does a lot by himself. I help with what I can. He wants me to take over from him one day, and I think I’d like that, but I wish he’d try to do just one thing at a time, rather than all at once. His idea for the railroad is great but... it’s just another thing on his plate.”

Max nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help out, but I’ve got the whole province to look after.”

“I know that, but this place is dad’s life. I don’t think he sees it that way.”

It’s easy to just see your own part of the big picture, thought Max. He had the same problem, and Iron’s tour had opened his eyes to what was happening over here. It was hard. He knew Sadlzburg; he knew what it needed, he knew the ponies, he wanted to help them. But then there was here as well. Sharpside needed help as well, as did the Eyrie, Snowtown, Innesbuck, and other places as well. How could he choose between them?

“I’m worried about his health,” continued Paste, breaking Max from his thoughts. “He works too hard. Last year he...”

“Dinner is served!” announced Iron grandly, entering with several plates of food resting on his back.

The first course was some sort of cold pickled cabbage soup, which Max found very tangy. The main course was a mixture of diced boiled vegetables, which Max had tried the last time he was in town; he found it a little bland compared to the first course, but kept quiet rather than insult his host. The final course was a sort of ring of dough with soft cheese in the centre, which Max found delicious, and very filling. They made some small talk over the meal, mostly about Canterlot and the rest of Equestria. In his own home, Iron seemed rather less combative than he had been earlier.

“Thanks Iron,” said Max politely. “That was great.”

“See, Sharpside isn’t all work, we have food and drink as well.” He held up a half bottle of a clear liquid. “We drink, and I talk about train tracks, you see my plan is best!”

“I think I’ll leave the two of you alone,” said Paste, heading to the door. “I agreed to meet some friends.”

“Don’t stay out too late!” he cried as she shut the door behind her. He turned back to Max. “She has a coltfriend,” he confided surprisingly genially. “Burning Heat, he is a good colt, we have talked and he treats her right. I have forbidden her from seeing him!”

“What?!” exclaimed Max.

“Ah, baron.” Iron threw a hoof over his guest’s back while pouring a glass of vodka. “You obviously do not have any children. I tell her I like him, he becomes like nothing to her, she looks for a ‘bad colt’ tries to shock me. I disapprove of colt and that puts spark in the relationship.” Max wasn’t entirely sure on that reasoning, but he guessed it worked for the mayor and his daughter. “You should think of this thing. Now you are baron you need an heir.” He grinned. “You and Zephyr working on that?”

“Um, me and Zephyr aren't together anymore, we haven't been for a while,” explained Max.

“Apologies,” said Iron, lifting his glass.

“An heir isn’t really something I’ve thought about recently.” He supposed it was important, but it seemed a bit early to discuss anything like that with Fragrant. From what she’d told him, she hadn’t had a lover in almost twenty years. Maybe she didn’t want to have foals, and he... he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He liked the idea of children, in theory, but he didn’t know if he had the time. It was one of the reasons Zephyr had left him. Still, with Fragrant... it was something to think about at another time. He took a mouthful of his drink and tried to avoid grimacing as the presumably homemade drink burnt his throat. “Now you wanted to show me something about trains?”

Iron’s plans for linking Sharpside up to the rest of Equestria via rail turned out to be very detailed; more than Max had planned for Sadlzburg, really. He had to admit that connecting to the line at Neighvosibirak did make a lot of sense; it was already quite a hub of travel, and from there it was easy to get to most of the rest of Equestria whereas Praris was at the end of the line. Still, the distance between Sharpside and the larger city was greater and required passing over, under or around several small mountains, whereas the Sadlzburg link would be over fairly clear ground. He could see advantages and disadvantages to both routes.

“It’s not just being able to build a line,” argued Max. “It’s getting a company to want to run the rolling stock. I’m planning something at court to make it cheaper but it could be a while before it comes through. But even when it does, you still need a company willing to invest in the line.”

“Da, and I have that,” said Iron, slamming down a hoofful of papers onto the table. Max picked them up and started to flip through them.

“Iron Horse trains?” asked Max. He’d tried to get an interview with the company a few years ago, but hadn’t been successful at the time.

“Da, I had to work until my hooves bled to talk to them, but when I did they like the idea. They want to build, but...”

“But?” said Max. He guessed it would be a big but.

“But, they want us to put up a third of the cost.”

“How much is that?” asked Max, not really wanting to hear the answer. Iron poked a hoof at a number on the papers. “That’s... that’s a lot,” said Max.

“We could make it back in few years, decade at most. We have iron, coal, other things the rest of Equestria needs, if we can get it to them. Once line started, is easy to expand to Snowtown and beyond. Lots of ore in the mountains.”

“A line from Sadlzburg would cost half as much, maybe less, and I’ll have enough difficulty getting the money together to try that.”

“But what would a line to your city actually do?” asked Iron, getting exasperated. “What would it carry?”

“Ponies! It would let my people get out into Equestria! And food, the fields of Sadlzburg produce a lot!”

“How many of your people actually leave Nulpar? A few a week! And food, who eats your food? We do!” Iron slammed his hoof on the table. “Sadlzburg’s food feeds Nulpar! If it goes out of the province we’ll just have to bring more in! But iron, coal, stone, tools, we don’t need this! This we can send away! Make profit!” Iron was panting hard. “Make something for my daughter to be proud of!” He began to cough, a great hacking sound. Max looked on worriedly.

“Iron, are you...” he began. The larger stallion held up a hoof as he slowly got his breathing back under control. “You’re not well!”

“Not well,” said Iron with a grin. “Baron, I am dying.”

“Dying?” asked Max, astonished.

“Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but eventually. Red Lung,” he explained, sinking into a nearby chair. “I thought I was lucky at time, but got checked out in Neighvosibirak when I was talking to Iron Horse. Disease tore me up inside, Max. I’ve got five, maybe ten years if lucky.”

“I’m sorry, I... I didn’t know,” said Max, sitting opposite the mayor. This... he didn’t know what to do about this. It wasn’t what he was expecting. Iron seemed so strong, so larger than life.

“Nopony knows. I don’t want to burden Paste, but I want to leave her as much as I can, more than just a small town in the middle of nowhere! You need to help me, baron!” He gasped again, fighting back another coughing fit. “You’ve seen the numbers, is good deal to build track from here, make more money than line to Sadlzburg.”

“But I’ve made promises to my people in Sadlzburg. I’ve told them for so long I’ll build them a railway.”

“We are all your people, baron. As for promises, well, you can build one later, or never.” He shrugged. “You have to make hard decisions.”

“I don’t know...” agonised Max. “I don’t want to break my word. I don’t want to upset anypony.”

“Bah,” scoffed Iron. “Are you baron or baby? If I was baron I would already have trains running through here!”

“Hey! It’s not that easy,” complained Max, standing up.

“Is as easy as you make it. You worry about what others say rather than what’s best for Nulpar. It is clear Sharpside would do better with the railway than Sadlzburg. But no, you worried that you might hurt your people’s feelings! That you might make them cry!” snorted the larger stallion. “Is pathetic. If you don’t have the guts to make the decision, then stand down and I will!” He took a step towards Max.

“No!” cried Max, stamping a hoof in anger. “I am the baron, it is my responsibility. I will do what is the best for my province, and I will decide, nopony else! If I have to hurt my friends I will, but I won’t let you intimidate me into making a bad decision!”

Iron glared at Max for a moment and then a smile broke over his face. “Good. For first time you sound like baron, like somepony I could actually follow.” He leaned forwards. “I have connections, I know some ponies in Canterlot. They showed me list of ponies that could have been baron. I was on that list, but then you had to be big hero and get job. I wonder if I would be better.” He sat back again. “Maybe now I wonder little less.”

“Look, Iron,” said Max, trying to reign in his temper. “You’ve put forward some very good points for building the railway here, but Sadlzburg has some advantages as well. I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to raise the funds for either yet. I’ll take on board what you’ve said, but as I said it will be my decision. But you’ll probably right, I need to think about the whole province, not just my people. That’s what my whole tour’s about.”

“Good,” said Iron, nodding. “You think about it, then you see my plan is the best, but...” He sighed. “If you do take another decision I... I will follow you. Just make sure my daughter, my people, are looked after once I am gone.”

“I will,” said Max grimly. “But you’ve got years left you can look after them, years with Paste.”

“Yes, you are right,” said Iron, taking another sip of his drink. “No more arguing now. Let us talk of better things.” He held up his glass. “To Nulpar,” he toasted.

“To Nulpar,” agreed Max.

12) Nulpar Tour: Days 11-25, Mount Bodach

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Dear Fragrant

I haven’t managed to write for a few days, I got a new job! No more ruling Nulpar for this stallion, I’m working on a caravan now! Well, only for a while. I was just about to leave Sharpside when Iron mentioned that there was a trade caravan heading north and I decided that it would be a good idea to ask if I could tag along. Mum did ask me to travel with others whenever possible. Prudence, she’s the donkey in charge, seemed ok with the idea once she’d asked a few questions, and literally counted my teeth, that was a little odd. Anyway, she and her people have been good company for the last week or so now, each evening once we’ve made camp they have story-telling competitions. I’m not sure I believe half of them, Prudence tried to make me believe that there’s a secret hidden city of stallions kept eternally youthful by a magic fountain in Nulpar. Still, if I have the time, it might be an idea to check out the area she described, just in case.

Once we left Sharpside we headed north and then followed the Gullywine, Nulpar’s second largest river, west for several days. It was hard going, having to pull those big wagons all day. Still, its doing wonders getting me back into condition, I think I was getting a little flabby with all that Canterlot food and not much exercise.

Things were going quite well until we finally decided to ford the river, it’s not as deep and fast as it would be in spring after the thaw but it was still a daunting task. Most of the crew had done it a few times before so they knew what they were doing. They attached empty barrels to the side of the wagons to make them more like boats and we took them across one at a time, all of us swimming as hard as we could. The first two trips went well but then disaster struck the third wagon, one of the ropes slipped or snapped or something and we lost about half the contents into the river. Prudence was furious, I was just glad I wasn’t Short Trip, the pony in charge of loading that wagon, he got quite the tongue lashing.

Luckily the other wagons didn’t have the same problem once we double-checked them. Prudence wanted us to spend all night trying to retrieve the lost goods but it was too dark and we were all exhausted. It wasn’t much fun around the campfire that night I can tell you. Prudence had us up at first light checking down river for anything that had washed ashore. Despite our best efforts we didn’t find much I’m afraid, and what we did wasn’t much use. Maybe someone downstream will have a windfall in a few days.

After that we’ve been carrying on west for a few days now, apparently we’ll reach the city of Midnight’s Folly tomorrow, I’ve heard of it but not visited before so it’ll be something new for me.

See you soon

Max

Dear Fragrant

Midnight’s Folly is probably the strangest town in Nulpar, certainly the strangest I’ve seen so far. It’s less a single town and more like a collection of buildings spread over a valley. There’s a decent sized farm in the middle of the main street! Most of the actual houses are carved into the valley walls, they’re more like caves than real houses, still the locals seem to be happy enough with them.

They’re a tough people, they seem to mostly survive on bloody mindedness, the fields in and around the town only just provide enough for them to eat. They rely on regular shipments from other towns like Prudence’s caravan. Speaking of her, she actually paid me for coming with them, I tried to refuse but she insisted and told me I had a job with her if I ever wanted it, so I guess I have some backup if being a baron doesn’t work out.

The town mostly makes its money from quarrying, they carve out blocks of rock from the cliffs around the town and in the spring make rafts to float them downstream to Neighvosibirak. It’s not a method of travel I’d thought of before, it’s a shame I didn’t arrive earlier to I could see it in person.

It took a while for me to convince Lucky Dip, he’s the mayor of Midnight’s Folly, that I actually was a baron, apparently that news hadn’t made it up here yet but once I did he and his people were very friendly. They threw a huge party to celebrate the founding of Nulpar, even if it was half a year late. They had a lot of suggestions about how I should run the province but most of them weren't that practical.

They even gave me a present, a book! It was second hoof of course, books are not that common up here, it’s called ‘Daring Do and the Griffon's goblet’. I flicked through it about it about some mare searching for hidden treasure and having all sorts of adventures on the way. A bit farfetched for my tastes, but it will certainly be something to distract myself with on my journey. A very generous present really.

It was a bit of a surprise, but I wasn’t the only guest in the village, there were a few ponies and elks passing through. They belong to something called the Order of Legends, apparently they try to record everything that happens in the whole world, particularly any heroic deeds that are carried out. They’re supposed to wander the world most of the time, the ones I met had spent the last few years in the border zone gathering tales then they take it back to some sort of island off to the west and store it there.

They were leaving in a day or two so I asked their leader, an elk called Muninn, if I could tag along. He agreed and we’ve been traveling together for a few days now. They’re not bad company, a little cagey maybe but interested in everything I have to say. They did say they wanted to know about heroes so I told them about what Tender Heart and Piste did last year at Innsbuck, and of some of the things that happened in Canterlot, I made sure to tell them about baron Fields. It’s nice to think of the old stallion’s life being recorded for posterity.

Anyway we’re due to go our separate ways tomorrow. Muninn and his people are heading south, whereas I’m off north. It’s pretty barren up there, you can go days if not longer without seeing anypony. It’s a shame the order can’t stay, I’d been glad of the company. Still maybe a few days alone will give me some time to think about things, to try to decide what to do back in Sadlzburg, how to develop Nulpar, stuff like that.

Yours sincerely

Mounty Max.

Dear Fragrant

I really wish you were here, I wish any pony were here really, but you most of all. I think it’s been five, maybe six days since I last saw anyone. It’s all very well to say that it’s nice to have some time to yourself but there’s also too much of a good thing. Ponies are meant to spend time with other ponies, and I think I’m going a little stir crazy. I gave a speech to a pile of rocks yesterday, it was mostly practice and to hear the sound of my voice, but I did feel a little put out that the audience didn’t stomp at the end.

Anyway, putting aside my incipient madness, I’ve been heading roughly north for a little over a week so far, its hard going making my way over and around various mountains. It’s a challenge and I am enjoying myself, it would just be better if there was somepony around to enjoy it with. I’m almost at Mount Bodach, it’s the tallest mountain in Nulpar, once I get there I’m going to turn east for a bit and head to Dragontooth pass, that’ll get me into the eastern reaches of Nulpar. According to the new map I got when we were on the way to the Eyrie, there are quite a few villages over that way, then, if things go to plan I’ll loop back around and head west and then south back to Sadlzburg, hopefully.

As hoped I have managed to use my free time to think about the various suggestions my people have given me about running Nulpar. They are certainly a varied lot and their ideas were just as disparate, still most of them want to talk to each other, an official postal system would be a start, if I can afford it. Roads and rails would make that, and a lot of other things, easier but I know how difficult and expensive that will be given how rocky Nulpar is. I know you said I might have to wait a year before putting forwards my rail grant bill, but I don’t know if my people can wait.

It’s another thing to think about and I have plenty of time to think out here. Still, I better set off again. Mount Bodach’s only a few hours away and the view is magnificent.

Thinking of you.

Max

Max carefully packed away his quill and paper. He wasn’t likely to be able to get any more out here. Then, straightened up and scanning the area around him, he felt a little surge of pride as looked up at the behemoth towering over the other peaks around. Mount Bodach. As far as he knew, he was the only pony to have climbed it, maybe even the only person. Although he suspected that one or more of the Tor tribes had probably scaled it at some point.

Clambering to the top of a cliff, Max tried to get a better view. He briefly considered trying to repeat his feat, but quickly thought better of it. He had come very close to dying on his first attempt, and it would probably be quicker to go around the mountain rather than try to go straight over it anyway. He blinked for a moment as he noticed a flash of colour on the mountain’s grey sides. What was that?

Narrowing his eyes, Max thought he could just about make out a few tents positioned near the base of the mountain, out of the wind. Max frowned. Who could be out here? As far as he knew there weren’t any settlements for miles and not much reason for anypony to be passing through. His curiosity piqued, Max started to clamber down the cliff and towards the tents. If nothing else, it would be nice to have someone to talk to after so much time alone.

It took a little longer than Max had expected to scrabble over the loose slopes leading to the camp. As he remembered from his last visit, over a decade ago now, the wind constantly gusted in the area around Mount Bodach and blew his mane this way and that. As he approached, he saw a nearby pony wearing a hardhat and tapping away at a boulder with her hoof. “Hello!” he cried.

The pony turned towards him, revealing herself to be a young light grey earth pony with a purple mane which somehow held its shape despite the wind. “Greetings,” she said in a bored sounding tone. “We weren't expecting to see any other ponies in this area.”

“I wasn’t really expecting anypony either. What are you doing here?” asked Max.

She frowned as if he’d asked a silly question. “Looking at the rocks,” she explained in the same monotone.

“Maud!” came another, more emotive, voice. “Do you have those samples yet?”

“Not quite, professor,” replied Maud. “This pony interrupted me.”

“Who?” came the voice as a second, older, mare came into view. She was a unicorn with a thickly curled white mane and a dark grey coat. “Oh, who are you?”

“Hi, I’m Mounty...” began Max.

“Mounty? Isn’t that the baron’s name? Not related to him, are you?” she asked before Max could finish.

“Actually...”

“Silly question, really,” she said, cutting Max off again. “What would a baron or his family be doing in a place like this?” She gestured around the mountain.

“Well, you see...”

“I’m Professor Honey Bear, by the way. Rude of me not to say that earlier.”

Max paused for a second and was a little surprised that the mare didn’t continue.

“Oh, um, pleased to meet you. What are you doing here?”

“I guess I could ask you the same question.” She raised an eyebrow. “We’re here for the rocks.”

“I’m just passing through on my way to the settlements in the north. You see, I’m...” explained Max. Then he paused. “What rocks?” He glanced around. There were certainly lots of them around, but he didn’t think there was anything special about them. Or was there? He remembered something about a rock he’d taken from around here...

“All the rocks, really. I’m from CalGeo, the Califerlong Institute of Geology. We’re carrying out a geological survey of the whole of Equestria, and given that Nulpar just got named a proper province we thought we’d come and take a look. Some quite fascinating formations around here. Maud,” she turned to the younger pony, “take that sample back to camp while I show Mr Mounty about.”

“Yes, professor,” murmured Maud, quickly looping a rope around the boulder, and to Max’s astonishment, she started to drag it away without any apparent effort.

“Ah, students, useful things,” muttered Honey. “Now as I said, we’re carrying out a full survey of the province. We’re just collecting samples right now, but once we get them back to CalGeo we can review their make up and get a better idea of what makes this place tick. What is it that you do anyway, Mounty?”

“Oh, um, well...” He was a bit suspicious of this strange mare. He didn’t know anything about any survey; he was fairly sure he was supposed to be told about that sort of thing. Or maybe he had been and he hadn’t noticed. “I’m a post stallion!” he said, thinking quickly and reaching a hoof into his bag. In addition to the ones he’d been writing to Fragrant, he’d picked up some letters in Midnight’s Folly; Nulpar didn’t have an official postal system (another thing on Max’s to do list), so anyone traveling long distance just picked up any letters due at their destination and dropped them off when they had the chance. Not the quickest, or most secure system, but it mostly worked out.

“Ah, well, I guess you travel around a lot for that. Nulpar isn’t the most easily navigable of places, is it?”

“No... I hope you haven't had too much trouble?”

“Oh, we came quite prepared. We brought an expert. Hey, Wings!” she bellowed.

Max looked around and noticed a strange looking pony trotting over. He was a pegasus, just. His wings were tiny and apparently malformed, seeming bent almost backwards. His coat was an icy blue, but his mane a fiery orange. “Honey?” he asked as he approached. Max’s eyes widened as he recognised the figure.

“Mounty, this is Ten...” began Honey.

“Ten Wings!” exclaimed Max his mouth dropping open. He recognised the stallion from a picture in Mountaineering Quarterly; the pegasus had been unluckily born with crippled wings but had felt a strong instinct to fly, an instinct he had used to become one of the greatest climbers of his age. Max couldn’t believe that he was actually here! Next to him Honey scowled at being interrupted.

“Yeah, nice to meet you...” said the new arrival.

“You were the first pony to climb Mount Eventide...”

“There were actually two of us there.”

“To scale all the major peaks of the Macintosh mountains in a single season!”

“Well that depends on how you describe major...”

“You were the first to climb the west face of the Mattershorn!”

“I guess you have me there,” said the Pegasus with an awkward smile.

“Oh, Luna, I’m... I’m such a fan of yours, Mr Wings!” gushed Max.

“Well nice to meet you, then,” said Ten Wings, holding out a hoof which Max took and pumped enthusiastically. “Do any climbing yourself?”

“Well a little, as a hobby really, and to get around. It’s my mark.” He shifted to give the mountaineer a look at his flank.

“Huh, snap,” said Ten Wings, revealing the image of crossed rope and ice axe on his own side. “You know much about this area? Pays to have a little local knowledge, I always say.”

“Well, I don’t like to brag,” said Max bashfully, “but I’m the only pony I know to have climbed that,” he pointed up at the nearby mountain.

“Really? I thought that only...” said Ten Wings, rubbing his chin.

“Hum?” said Honey, looking off distractedly towards the camp.

“Oh, nothing. So, any tips you can give me, Mounty? What face did you scale?”

“Well I started on the south since it looked to be the simplest, but once I was about a third up...”

“If you two fellas are going to talk shop, do you mind if I leave you to it?” asked Honey. “I want to keep an eye on the students. Don’t want to leave them unsupervised too long, you know. They’re enthusiastic, but they miss more than they notice.”

“I think I can take good care of our friend,” said Ten Wings, nodding at Max.

“Good, good, nice to meet you, Mr Mounty,” said Honey, taking off towards the camp.

“Would you like another helping, Mr Mounty?” asked Tectonic Shift. She was one of the camp’s students, a crystal pony, her coat a deep ruby glittering slightly in the firelight. Apparently she was from the crystal empire, studying in Calgeo.

“Thanks, but I’m full,” said Max, covering his plate with a hoof. To his joy, he had gotten to spend much of the afternoon talking with Ten Wings; the pegasus took his time extracting every bit of information Max had about Mount Bodach, even asking him to drawing a rough sketch of the peak with a possible route marked out on it. That done, Max couldn’t resist asking Ten Wings about his career, and the mountaineer seemed happy enough to chat about this previous climbs. Max was astounded that he’d managed to just bump into one of his heroes; he did consider asking for an autograph or something, but he didn’t want to seem too overbearing. By the time they had finished, evening was drawing in, and Ten Wings invited Max to have dinner with the rest of the party. Breathlessly, Max agreed. He had offered to cook for his hosts, but they had refused, insisted that he was their guest to look after, and that it was Shift’s turn. Max was a little worried about what the crystal pony would produce; he had heard rumours that their diet included rocks. Certainly, back home Sparks did tend to eat some strange things, but she had been raised by goats. He was pleasantly surprised by the meal, which was made up of layers of potato and macaroni with a layer of stewed apple on the top. “What did you say it was called?”

“Älplermagronen,” said Tectonic in lightly accented Equestrian. “I’m not the cook my grandfather was, but I like to think I’ve picked up a few of his skills.”

“More than a few, dude,” said Geode, or Geodude as the others referred to him; another of the students, a dark brown-coated unicorn with a long untidy blond mane. “That was awesome, and far less crunchy than when Maud cooks.”

“Limestone is good for the bones,” said the grey mare dully.

“So,” said Geode, levitating a guitar from somewhere. “How about a sing song, dude? Just the thing for a quiet evening around the campfire.” He lazily strummed a few chords.

“We really should go over the day's findings before bed,” said Honey, a little half-heartedly.

“Come on, dude, we've got guests! There’s more to life than just rocks!” There was a rumble of agreement from around the camp except Maud who looked shocked, showing more emotion than Max had seen from her before.

“Ok,” said Honey, throwing her hooves up in defeat. “I’ll go first, then.” The rest of the camp all gathered around and she got herself comfortable. To Max’s surprise, the professor seemed quite talented, singing a well-known folk ballad in a silky contralto. By the second verse, the whole camp had joined in the song about the tribes leaving their original home and arriving in Equestria.

Next up was Maud, who droned her way through a rather toneless poem about types of rock; it didn’t mean much to Max, but the geologists all seemed to nod along so he assumed it made some sort of sense.

Tectonic’s piece was a rather saucy ballad from her homeland. She wasn’t – in Max’s opinion – that great a singer, but her performance was rather more active than her colleagues, dancing around the fire as she told the story of a mare awaiting the return of her lover and what they intended to do together when they met. Geode certainly seemed appreciative of the mare swinging her flanks around, and the occasional eye contact between the two suggested that the performance may have been put on for the unicorn alone.

It took a bit of coercion before the next student – a pegasus mare with an icy blue coat and white mane – was willing to take her turn. Max didn’t think he had heard her say more than two words before. She was apparently called Crystal Dreams. To Max’s surprise, once she has screwed up her courage – and her eyes – and did start to sing, she was rather good, belting out some modern song that he was sure he’d heard some of the younger pages back at Canterlot sing. It might have been by somepony famous, but they didn’t get much new music back in Sadlzburg. The entire camp broke into applause by the time that Crystal had finished, and the mare gave a shy bow before scuttling back to her place next to Geode.

The stallion himself also performed in a modern style similar to the shy pegasus; the song was apparently of his own composition, a love ballad which judging by the eye contact was aimed at one crystal pony in particular. Looking around the camp, Max saw a look of quiet amusement on Ten Wings and Honey’s faces. Apparently any relationship between the two was at best an open secret.

Next, Ten Wings took his place. To Max’s surprise, he sang rather tunelessly in another language. Max wasn’t an expert, but he thought it might be pegalopian; it sounded rather grand and operatic to his ears, but he stomped anyway when it came to an end.

“Your turn, dude,” said Geode once Ten sat down again.

Max gulped nervously. He had guessed this moment had been coming, but he’d sort of put it to the back of his mind as he listened to the other entertainment. He wracked his brains for a song.

“Come on, Mounty, you need to pay for the food,” said Tectonic with a grin.

“Just a minute,” he protested. The only thing that came to mind was an old lullaby his mother used to sing to him as a foal, about the princess watching over her little ponies while they slept. It probably wasn’t that appropriate, but it was all that he could think of. Taking a deep breath, he started to sing. He was surprised at how vivid an image it conjured up, of nights huddling under the sheets as winds howled outside. By the time he was finished, he wasn’t that surprised to find his cheeks wet. Even though he was closer to home than he had been for most of the last half year, he suddenly felt very homesick. He really should write a note to his mother and tell her he was alright; given how winding his route was, it might get to her before he did.

Once the camp had all taken their turns singing, they broke down into smaller groups. Maud and Honey started to go over some of the samples the team had collected while the other three students continued to chat. Tectonic and Geode seemed to be trying to get some time alone but Crystal seemed to be something of a third wheel. He was just about to try and distract the filly to allow the other two a bit of privacy when Ten Wings interrupted.

“I think we might have a few more things to talk about, Mounty,” said the pegasus.

“Oh, right, of course,” agreed Max. He thought they’d gone over everything, but he certainly wasn’t against spending more time with his idol. The two of them moved a little distance away from the campfire and Max started to spread out his maps and drawings again. “I thought you’d sorted everything out?” he said.

“More or less, but you can never plan too much.” Max shrugged; he’d always been a bit more spontaneous about things. “So, would you like to do the ascent with me?”

Max’s immediate response was to want to shout ‘YES!’ Getting to actually go climbing with his hero! It was a dream come true. But his ears dipped as he thought about the actual situation. It was a two, maybe three days’ trip to the top of the mountain; probably the latter if they were collecting samples on the way. There and back would make it six days – he didn’t have the free time. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to make my way east. I’d love to climb with you but I’ve got duties.”

“The mail must get through, eh?”

“What? Oh, yes,” said Max, remembering his cover story. He’d almost forgotten why he’d kept his identity secret.

“Look, you said that the east looked like it had the clearest run, right?” Max nodded. “Then why don’t we set out together? You can start the ascent with me, give me some last advice, and then head off your own way. It shouldn’t take more than a day out of your schedule.” Max nodded again. That seemed to make sense.

“Ok,” he agreed.

“Good, it’ll give us some more time to talk. I’ve got some things I think you’ll like to hear,” said Ten mysteriously.

Max frowned. “Couldn’t you tell me now?” he asked.

“Not while we’re in camp,” said the pegasus before he headed back to the fire.

That was odd, thought Max, following Ten.

Max yawned as he made his way across the foothills of the mountain with Ten Wings. He’d tried to get an early night, but had been awoken by what he suspected was Geode making his way to Tectonic’s tent in the middle of the night. Fortunately, if that was the case, whatever they did next was silenced, possibly magically. The incident had made him wonder what Fragrant was doing at the moment; the thought of sneaking from his house to hers at night like the young lovers nearby brought a smile to his face. As he’d drifted off to sleep, he supposed that the secrecy around their relationship did add a certain spice.

He’d woken early and packed up his gear with Ten Wings before saying his goodbyes to the rest of the camp as they awoke. Then the two of them had started off towards the mountain. To his surprise, Ten let Max take the lead and they followed a rough trail skirting the bottom of the mountain before making their way, roped together, up the cliffs themselves.

They had made fairly good time, and by midday the base camp itself was out of sight and the land around was spreading out below them. They stopped for lunch on a large overhang that gave some cover from the ever-blowing winds and the noon-day sun above.

“This is the life, right, Mounty?” asked Ten, looking down from their perch. “Top of the world.”

Max grinned with agreement. “Everything down there just seems so small, it makes my troubles seem so insignificant. Up here it’s just us and a mountain, a real challenge between pony and the elements. It’s a shame I can’t go all the way to the top with you.”

“The offer's still open if you want.” Max shook his head. “Since I was born with these things,” Ten waggled the stumpy wings on his side, “this is the closest I can get to flying, you know. It never feels quite right on the ground, you know... well, I guess you don’t, really,” he added a little awkwardly.

“Maybe a little,” said Max. “I might not be born for the skies, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like being up here.” He passed a sandwich he’d been given at the camp to the pegasus before starting on his own. “Ow!” he cried as his teeth caught on something hard. He spat it out. “A rock?”

“Ah,” said Ten Wings. “One of Maud’s, then,” He examined his own, removing some gravel. “You know, I swear that girl’s half dragon. She likes stones in her food.”

“What would that make her? Dracoequine or something?”

“I think they’re called Kirin, actually. But no, just strange. She says her family farm rocks. How does that work?”

“Actually, I’ve seen that. Something about magic items, I think.”

“Huh,” mumbled Ten, digging into his sandwich again. The two continued to eat in silence for a bit before starting to plan the rest of their day. It was time for Max to go his own way back down the mountain, and for Ten Wings to make his way towards the summit. Max started to unwrap the maps again, but Ten Wings stopped him. “I don’t think we’ll need to see them anymore, baron.”

“What do you... oh.” Max’s eyes widened. “You know who I am?”

“Well, unlike Honey I did my homework. Only one pony has climbed that mountain,” he nodded up at the peak above them, “Mounty Max, Baron of Nulpar.” He pointed a hoof at Max. “You didn’t even try a false name.”

“Oh, well, I guess you’ve got me there.”

Ten Wings sighed. “I was expecting one of your staff. I didn’t think this would rate you coming in person.”

“Expecting? Why?” said Max, sounding confused.

“We didn’t get clearance from your office for this expedition,” said Ten Wings with a frown.

“It needs clearance?” asked Max, raising his eyebrows.

“Well... yes... I sort of thought you’d know that. It’s why you’re here, right?”

“Um... I’m sort of new at this. I didn’t know anything about this all.” Well, Welcoming had mentioned something about it back in Sadlzburg, hadn’t she? It hadn’t seemed that important at the time. “What’s wrong with what Honey’s doing?”

“She should have asked you for permission to carry out the survey. When she hired me, she said something about it being better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and that her grant was fairly specific on when she had to have the survey done by.”

Max blinked a few times, trying to think over the situation. It seemed odd that there was a grant for studying Nulpar. Maybe it was because the province was new? “You knew this was wrong, but you still came?”

Ten Wings flushed a little. “Well, they were offering quite a bit of money, and come on, who wouldn’t want the chance to climb that!” He gestured up at the bulk of the mountain looming over them. Max had to agree. “Why are you here undercover, then, if you didn’t know we were here?”

“I really was just passing through. I meant to tell Honey who I was, but she just...”

“Didn’t let you get a word in edgeways?” finished Ten Wings. Max nodded and the pegasus laughed. “I guess I should have just kept my mouth shut, then. Would have saved us all a lot of bother. So, you going to fine us? Throw us out of your lands?”

Max sat back and though for a moment. He knew that what Honey and her team were doing was technically wrong, but if they’d asked, he probably would have said yes. It wasn’t like they were going any harm. But a rule was a rule. What could he do? He could probably head back there and have it out with her, as uncomfortable as that sounded. But then what? Throw her out of his province? He didn’t have time for that, and maybe not the right. “I guess I’ll have to make a complaint against CalGeo then,” Ten Wing’s nodded. “There should probably be a fine or something. I’ll have to look it up.” Well, Mrs G or someone would for him. A thought struck him. “Can I get a copy of the report they’re making?”

Ten Wings seemed to consider it. “Not really my side of things, but I guess so. They work for a public university and it’s about your province. You can probably get it without too much trouble.”

Max nodded. Who knew, maybe they would find out something useful about Nulpar.

Max was feeling a little maudlin once he and Ten Wings had to finally go their own ways. It had been nice to have somepony to talk to about his hobby and... well... nice to have someponies to talk to, full stop. By his reckoning, it would probably be at least three days before he even got near a village and had anyone to talk to again. When he had gotten up, he had insisted that he help with the breakfast, and this time the rest of the camp agreed. But they had also insisted that he refill his supplies from their stocks, resulting in his bags being rather heavier than he’d planned. It had been late morning before he was finally on his way.

He looked back and could see the tiny figure of Ten Wings continuing his way up the mountain. He wished him luck on his ascent. Turning again to face his next destination, Max couldn’t help but wonder about the circumstances behind the expedition being there in the first place. Was it just chance that a geological survey was being carried out? It certainly seemed useful to him; if they found anything useful, then it might help his plans to develop his province. Did he have an unknown ally somewhere? Or was there somepony else who benefited? If so, he couldn’t think of who they might be.

He sighed. It would be niggling at the back of his mind for the rest of the day now. He shrugged as he started to clamber over a small rise. At least it would give him something to think about.

13) Nulpar Tour : Days 26-31, Dragontooth Pass

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Dear Fragrant

After my stop off at Mount Bodach I headed east. I still can’t believe I met Ten Wings! I was so lucky, what are the odds I just bumped into one of my heroes in my own province? And to get to actually go climbing with him!

Anyway I headed off towards Dragontooth Pass to get to the eastern reaches of Nulpar. I guess it got its name from how jagged a lot of the mountains are over there, as far as I know there are no dragons in Nulpar, well that I know for certain anyway. To be honest there’s not that much in the east, a few scattered subsistence farms, some mining camps and one or two nomadic groups, but if I want to talk to everybody I’ll have to cover them.

I stopped off at a small village on this side of the pass to stock up on supplies, it was a really small place, I don’t think it even had a name. The ponies there was a little reserved to start off with but they warmed up eventually. They told me that the pass had been blocked for about two years now since there was a big rockslide. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard about it, news can travel slowly here but I didn’t think it was that slow. The ponies in the east must be using the southern passes to get out instead. The locals have apparently been spending some time trying to clear it, but it’s been slow going. It’s probably something else I’ll need to see if I can help with, there’s so much to do. I don’t know how you rule most of the sky when it seems hard to just look after a little patch of land and a few thousand ponies.

I spent quite a bit of time going over my maps with my hosts looking for an alternative route, there were three options;

1) I could ignore the area entirely. I really don’t want to have to do that, all my people deserve a voice.

2) I could double back and try to approach from the south. It’s probably the easiest route but it’ll mean two weeks delay at least. It’s time I don’t have if I want to get back to Sadlzburg by the end of the summer.

3) I can try to overcome the blocked pass. The locals have told me it can’t be done but I’m fairly confident in my skills, not to toot my own horn but I’ve done things other ponies considered impossible before, even Ten Wings himself seemed impressed when we were climbing together.

So it looks like option 3, at least I should get a look at the challenge. It’ll only take a day or so to get there, and if I’m lucky I could be over the blockage in a few hours then off to the mysterious east!

Wish me luck!

Max

Dear Fragrant

It took me a bit longer to get to the blocked part of the pass than I thought, it’s starting to get dark already. I can see why the locals have taken so long trying to clear it, it’s huge! I’ve no idea how so much rock can fall but it’s completely covered the pass, it’s at least a hundred feet high as well. It seems to mostly be quite loose rock, with only a few larger boulders sticking out. It’s certainly going to be a challenge, but I think I’m up to it. I’ll give it a good look over tomorrow and plan a route. Normally I’d just do it by instinct but Ten Wings spends so much time planning his ascents, so I should probably do the same.

If things go to plan my next letter should be from the other side, I might even make it to another village.

Write to you again soon.

Max

Dear Fragrant

Things haven’t gone to plan. This wall of rocks is a nightmare! It’s not the height, I’ve gone much higher before, it’s how loose the whole thing is. In some places I sink in almost up to my knee. The slightest misstep sets off a miniature rock slide, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve started to get somewhere only to slide back again. There’s not even many places you can secure a line.

It’s been two days so far! Two days! For the first I didn’t know what I was doing, I came up with a plan but after a few slips the whole structure looked totally different. I had to start again and again until the light started to go and I had to give up.

I thought I’d gotten the hang of it today and I did make a bit more progress, I found a section of larger rocks that were a bit more stable and followed it but it turned up to be a dead end. Four hours or clambering from rock to rock and I end up surrounded by a sea of pebbles again! It took almost as long to come back down again. It’s so frustrating.

Still I’ve spent the rest of the day planning tomorrow's ascent, this time I’m going to make it, I can see a path of boulders leading all the way to the top, I just need to stick to that and I should be up and over by noon.

Wish me luck!

Max

Dear Fragrant

I hate this place!!!! I never want to see another bucking pebble as long as I live!!!

Sorry about that, I needed to vent a little. It’s been three days now, three! I climbed mount Bodach in less time than that and I’m still at the bottom of the wall. I had it all planned, I had a route, it went all the way to the top, but I swear the whole thing just shifted mid climb. Suddenly the path wasn’t there anymore and I was stuck half way up. I must have spent hours moving a few lengths this way or that trying to find just one stable hoofhold but there was nothing! It’s like this whole valley is taunting me!

I’m going to try again tomorrow, and this time, no planning! No thinking! I’m always better when I act on instinct, so I’m just going to go, just let my hooves decide which way I’m going to go, they haven't let me down before.

I’m going to climb this wall even if it kills me!

Max

Max looked down from the boulder he was currently clinging to. The valley floor was maybe seventy feet below him. He initially made good time today; he’d gotten about as far as he had the previous day by the time that the sun was directly overhead, but then, as before, the path had started to peter out. He’d found fewer stable hoofholds and had to pass more and more areas by rope and even then it was a struggle to find secure holds to affix pitons. Still, by late afternoon the top of the rubble pile had been in sight. But there his path had stopped. All around seemed to be little more than loose gravel held precariously in place, and there was no obvious path to take.

Snarling, Max stamped a hoof in frustration. He’d have to go back now and take another route. More delay. He stamped again; worryingly, the ground beneath him shifted slightly at the impact.

Trying to smother his anger, Max sat down for a moment and tried to survey his situation in more detail. There had to be some other way over the rockslide. Maybe he could go around the whole thing? But that area was unexplored; who knew how long it might take to get through? He examined his immediate area. A large boulder stuck out from the pile maybe seven or eight lengths away; beyond it, there seemed to be more stable ground leading to the top and over. Could he make it? A quick check showed no secure site for a rope to be attached between here and there. If he was going to get there, he’d have to jump. It was foolhardy, even dangerous, but it was the only route he could take if he didn’t want to have to give up for the day. He sighed. Being a pegasus would have made this whole thing much, much easier.

Nodding to himself, he made his decision. He was going to give it a go. He backed up as far as he could to give himself a run up, and checked that his last rope was securely attached and that it had enough slack left to make the distance. If he missed, he would no doubt be bounced off the wall a few times; not pleasant, but the rope should prevent him from falling to his doom. Taking several deep breaths, Max tried to focus on his target. He dug in his hooves, feeling his muscles tense, his heart pump and the adrenaline burn through his veins. It was things like this he lived for – him versus the mountain. After another moment of mental preparation, he slammed back with his hind legs and drove himself forwards, picking up as much speed as he could. As quickly as he could, he shot forwards along the ledge, the distance being eaten up by his thundering hooves. At the last possible moment, he slammed down, his hind legs again driving himself into the air.

The world seemed to slow as his body flew across the gap. This must be what flying was like! Defying gravity's summons, the air flowing around his suddenly hyperaware body, tugging back at him. Was this how Fragrant felt all the time? She had offered to go flying with him; what would it be like to share these feelings with her? Then time returned to normal as his front hooves crashed into the edge of his target. His hind legs flailed in the air and his chest slammed into the edge of the outcrop, driving the breath from his body. He desperately flailed around for a grip on the boulder as he felt himself slipping back. One forehoof locked into a small groove in the rock, and he heaved with all his might, halting his slow motion fall. His hind legs, still wheeling in space, finally caught on something and he forced his body back onto solid ground.

Panting and dazed, he looked around. He’d made it! The top of the rubble pile was only a short distance above him; he’d be over in less than an hour, and the trip down the other side should be much quicker. He grinned widely at his success.

The smile quickly dropped from his face as he heard a rumble from behind. He turned, eyes wide, to see his previous perch slowly detaching itself from the wall and tumbling down into the valley below. He felt a tug on the rope attached to his middle as it drew tight. The other end was being pulled down by the falling rubble! His hooves blurred as he untied it before it could yank him from his hooves and down the cliff.

Shocked, he watched half of the slope roll away as the rocks rearranged itself. That had been close! Fragrant would have never forgiven him if he’d gotten himself killed trying to climb this wall. He slumped down and watched as the rock slide came to a halt. Still, at least he was almost over the top now; if he was lucky he’d be in the next village within a day. He stood and turned, already planning the last leg of his journey when he felt a rumble under his hooves.

Suddenly, with a roar of stressed rock, the lump of cliff he was standing on detached itself from the surrounding substance and began to slide, almost gracefully, through the pile of rocks below it. Smaller rocks and boulders were thrown up by its passing and rained down upon Max. Sorry, Fragrant, he thought as he hurled himself aside to avoid a lump of rock larger than he was. He needed to find some sort of shelter. He scanned the area around him. Through the rain of small rocks he saw two large shards of rock forming a rough arch; it seemed his only option and he staggered towards it. Upon crawling under the shelter, he curled up as best he could hoping the protection would be enough. Then something slammed into the side of his head and everything went black.

Gasping for breath, Max regained consciousness. Something was pressing down on his entire body! He couldn’t breathe! His eyes snapped open, but there was nothing to see. He was trapped in the dark! He panicked, trying to flail around with restrained limbs at whatever was holding him down. He managed to budge one forelimb, and suddenly there was light as a rock just over his head was dislodged and knocked aside. He seemed to be buried under a pile of loose rocks. He tried to rein in his emotions and take stock of his situation. Craning his neck, he looked around. The rocky outcroppings seemed to have performed their job of protecting him from larger boulders, but left him cocooned under a thick layer of smaller debris. His head ached and he felt bruised over much of his body, but he didn’t seem seriously injured. He shuddered with relief. He didn’t want to have been trapped here to die slowly, like his father. The thought renewed his panic and he clawed his way out of the pile of rubble covering him.

Standing slowly, he looked around. The boulder he had been standing on had slid all the way down the slope and now stood almost at the bottom. He was almost exactly where he had started this morning. He hung his head. All that work, almost dying, and he hadn’t achieved anything. He glanced up. The fresh rockslide had lowered the pile blocking the path. At least next time he wouldn’t have as far to climb. Hopefully with a fresh day...

No, he told himself, he was letting his pride stop him from thinking clearly. He’d lost much of his equipment, almost died; he was in no position to try and climb again. He should never have come this far, either deciding against it back in the village or stopping once he saw the scale of the wall, but his stubbornness wouldn’t let him. Even if he had made it over the rocks, he’d have to do it again in reverse coming back.

Sighing, he moved a safe distance back down the valley and started to unpack his tent again. Luckily, his bags seemed to be mostly undamaged. He checked over his maps to see what options remained. He could try to go around, but it was untested terrain over mountains; he had no idea how long it would take. He was going to have to accept that he wouldn’t be able to visit this part of his province. The thought burned a bit, but there didn’t seem to be a way around it.

Tracing a hoof over the maps, he decided on a new route. He’d have to backtrack to that last village again, hopefully I’ll be able to pick up some supplies there, then head west towards Hoofington. There wasn’t much else up here. Wait a minute. He glanced back and forth between two maps. The one he’d gotten from Sadlzburg didn’t show anything, but the one he’d purchased on the road to the Eyrie did show a settlement: Norton. He’d never heard of it, but then it wasn’t like he’d ever visited all of Nulpar before. He hadn’t originally intended to travel that far north, but the change of plans did give him some free time. Maybe the map was wrong, but even if it was it shouldn’t affect him too much. He had to pass through that area anyway.

Feeling happier now that he had a plan, Max dug out a can of fruit from his bags and set about opening it to make supper.

14) Nulpar Tour: Days 32-38, Norton - Part 1

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Fragrant

Sorry I haven’t written for a while but I’ve been feeling rather sorry for myself. After the disaster at Dragontooth Pass I made my way back to that little village. I guess I was lucky to be alive, but my bruises didn’t agree. It didn’t help that I only had the hard ground to sleep on. I really wished you had been there to make me feel better, you’re much softer to sleep with than the cold ground. But my favourite pillow was hundreds of miles away, so I had to soldier on.

I spent a day or so in the village and the ponies there were very kind, although I think they had a good laugh at my foolishness trying to take on the pass when they told me it was blocked. I think I have to agree with them, it was a boneheaded idea.

Anyway once I felt a bit better I headed north, there’s no real paths up here but I made quite good progress taking a meandering route around the various peaks which dot that part of Nulpar. Once again I’ve gone several days without meeting anyone, there’s some signs that goats have been camping there in the last few weeks but if they’re still about I didn’t see any.

It’s now been about five days since I left the unnamed village, and for the first time I’ve actually seen real signs of life. Its a few hundred feet below me now. About two dozen buildings nestled next to a moderately sized river. I can just about make out a few farms scattered about within a half dozen or so miles. It’s all quite picturesque really. I can’t make out any inhabitants from here, but judging by the size of the settlement there probably wouldn’t be more than a hundred souls. There’s a pass leading away from the area to the south west, that’ll be handy when I have to leave, much easier than clambering over a mountain, quicker as well. That’s not really an issue as Dragontooth Pass being blocked means I’m about a week ahead of schedule.

I’ve probably got several hours hard climb to get down there, but it’ll be worth it to actually get to talk to another living pony.

I’ll write to you again once I get a chance to speak to them.

Missing you.

Max

There seemed to be something very wrong about this village, thought Max as he passed the first building. Not a single pony, or any other species for that matter, could be found on the streets. It was like a ghost town; here and there were discarded tools, a half filled basket of washing with the rest still on the line, a child’s doll just lying there in the street. Where was everypony? He was sure he had seen a few ponies down here on his journey down the mountain. Where had they all gone?

Max stepped out onto the main street, the only street really given the size of the village, to be greeted by yet more nothing. He looked around, a deep frown on his face. His eyes flicked to the side as he noticed motion from a window as the curtains were drawn. Peering through the glass, he could make out a pair of frightened looking yellow eyes looking back; then they widened and the owner dropped out of sight.

What was going on? Was everypony scared of him? He considered knocking on the door of the eyes’ owner’s house, but doubted they would answer. He continued to slowly trot down the street, passing the few buildings that made up the settlement. There was still no sign of anyone on the street, but now that he was prepared, he could see signs that he was being watched from almost every window. What were they all so afraid of?

At the far end of the road was the largest building in the village, although that wasn’t saying much; it was the only two story structure around and was a little grander than the others, having some stone in its construction. He hoped it was some sort of town hall; maybe he could get some answers there. He noticed there was a red and white striped pole sticking out from the wall. Maybe he was wrong, maybe it was a barbers’ instead. Peering closely, he could make out movement behind the swing doors as an orange coated figure rushed past.

He was almost at the door when something crashed into his side, knocking him from his hooves and sending him sprawling. Before he could recover, a figure landed heavily on him, forcing the breath from his lungs. He gasped as a wooden pole was jammed across his throat and pulled tight preventing him breathing.

“Think you own this place!” cried his assailant. She sounded like a mare. “Think you can just waltz in here by yourself and take whatever you want!”

Max tried to gasp out a reply, that he didn’t know what she was talking about, but couldn’t manage a word. He tried to buck off his attacker, but her grip was too strong. His vision was starting to turn red around the edges.

“We’ll see how much Guntram values your stinking life!” snarled the voice, seemingly from a great distance. “Hopefully more than the foals he’s taken!”

Max tried to struggle to his hooves, but his legs didn’t seem to work right, flailing randomly instead. They felt so heavy.

“Stop it, Bread! Stop it!” came a different voice. Max saw an orange blur move past him and suddenly the constriction around his throat was gone. He took a great gasp of air into his lungs, not caring about the pain from his bruised throat. Air had never tasted so sweet as he took another lung full, before being wracked with coughs. There was some sort of argument going on behind him, but at the moment he was too busy trying to stay conscious to pay too much attention to it. After a few moments, he felt strong enough to flop around bonelessly, and he tried to look back at whatever had attacked him.

There were two of them. One was a brown-coated unicorn mare, wearing an apron and holding a wooden paddle – similar to the ones used by bakers to put bread in an oven – in her shimmering green aura. She was angrily facing off against a lanky earth pony stallion, his orange coat ruffled and his green mane thinning. “They don’t have any earth ponies, Bread!” exclaimed the stallion.

“That we know of!” snarled the mare, stamping a hoof. “Maybe they’ve had reinforcements, Big Wig! Who else could he be?”

“Max,” gasped Max, trying to join in the conversation. “Baron... Mounty...” He coughed again and tried to slow his breathing. “I mean, I’m... Baron Mounty Max, who... who are you? What’s going on... why did you... attack me?” Painfully, he got to his hooves, swaying in place for a second before he got his balance.

“Baron!” explained the stallion incredulously. “Baron of where?”

“Nulpar...” Everypony seemed confused by the name. “Here!” he explained.

“He’s clearly lying!” cried the mare again. “He’s one of them!” She advanced again with her wooden weapon.

“Wait,” said the stallion, putting a hoof on the mare’s back. “Look, stranger, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but you ain’t in Equestria right now. You’re on the edge of the border zone. No one rules this place.”

Max frowned. Had he travelled further north than he’d thought? No, he was certain he was still in Nulpar. He guessed they mustn’t have heard about the province’s formation. “No,” he shook his head, “Nulpar was formed by Princess Luna about half a year back. She put me in charge. Norton is definitely part of it.”

“Norton? This is North Town.”

“North Town?” Was he in the wrong place, or did the map just name it wrong? He wasn’t that bad with maps. He guessed it must be the latter.

“Anyway, why were you put in charge?” asked the stallion.

Max shrugged. “The princess seemed to think I was the best pony for the job. I used to be the mayor of Sadlzburg.”

“I’ve heard of Sadlzburg,” said another pony. Max looked around and noticed that a mixture of ponies, goats and donkeys were emerging from the houses and cautiously making their way over to him. Worryingly, a few of them were carrying improvised weapons. “It’s some big city down south. Must be several weeks travel, maybe more.”

“So what are you doing all the way out here? And by yourself?” asked the orange stallion.

“I’m visiting all the province, to see what I can do to help you all.” To Max’s surprise, this caused a small cheer to pass around the crowd.

“You hear that! The baron’s here to help us! His soldiers will show off that gang, no problem, we’ll get our kids back!” cried a goat in the crowd.

“Um, I don’t understand,” said Max. “I don’t have any soldiers. What’s going on around here?” He glared at the mare who had attacked him. “Do you try to strangle all the strangers that come to town?”

“I’m sorry about Bread Basket here,” said the stallion. The mare didn’t look all that sorry about her actions, but at least she wasn’t holding the wooden pole like a weapon anymore. “We’re all on edge right now.” He straightened up. “My name’s Big Wig, I’m... well, I’m the village speaker.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Max, holding out a hoof which the speaker cautiously shook. “Now what’s been going on here?”

“It started about two months ago,” explained Big Wig with a sigh. “A few bandits, griffon mostly, arrived from the north. It’s not that usual up here, we tend to get some of them every few years or so. Mostly they steal a few things before we drive them off, but these decided to stay. Well, we were just forming a posse when they raided the town, only it wasn’t food or valuables they were after...”

“Our children, they took our children,” snarled Bread. “They took them and we did nothing about it! Nothing!” she sobbed, leaning against a pale yellow mare standing next to her and resting her head in her mane.

“No, there wasn’t anything we could do. They’re trained fighters and we’re just a bunch of farmers. They hurt some folks pretty bad when they tried to stop them.”

“That’s easy for you to say!” growled Bread, striding towards Big Wig. “They didn’t get your son, did they!” There were some similarly unhappy grumbles in the crowd, which had gathered around them.

“Now that ain't...” said the stallion, backing away a few steps. “That ain’t fair, it was just luck he wasn’t with the rest when they attacked.”

“So you got no reason to want to do anything about them, your son’s safe, but Pizza... Pizza’s... anything could happen to him... anything,” she sniffed. The other mare ran a comforting hoof through Bread’s mane.

“You haven't done anything about this after all this time?” asked Max.

“What can we do?” asked Big Wig. “They treat the kids ok, they even let a few of us stay in their camp to look after them.”

“Some of us!” cried Bread. “I haven’t seen my son for months!”

“That’s because you caused trouble, you tried to free them! That’s no fault but your own!” cried Big Wig. Then he looked a bit sheepish.

Max frowned. “Isn’t that a bit harsh?” He ventured, “If it were my children being held, I’d do all I can to free them.” He didn’t want to think what he’d do if something happened to Fragrant, or his mother.

“Yeah, you’re right, baron. Sorry, Bread,” said Big Wig, looking down. “But it’s not that bad. The foals are looked after, and all the bandits ask for is food, and... well... anything we got of value, but there isn’t much of that here.”

“How many of them are there?” asked Max.

“Only eight,” said Bread. “We could easily take them if we tried.” A chunk of the crowd cheered at this, while others shook their heads.

“Before they hurt our children?” said Big Wig. “Eight good fighters, with weapons too. We got what? Twenty good strong ponies in town? Maybe we could take them, but there would be blood, lots of blood. Maybe if the farmers would help us, but they won’t.” He shook his head and there was more grumbling from the crowd.

“Why not?” asked Max.

“Most of them are too scared. The ranches are scattered around and about. Each is run by a single family with maybe a dozen ponies at most, counting the children and elderly. If they wanted, the bandits could wipe ‘em out one at a time. If they leave their homes, well, they might not be there by the time they get back.”
Max nodded. He sort of understood that, but if they gathered them all together, even if the settlement was small they could probably outnumber the bandits five, even ten to one. They’d have to surrender in that situation, wouldn’t they? He didn’t know. He’d never been in a real fight before. “How about getting help from other settlements?” he suggested.

Big Wig snorted. “Our nearest neighbours are over two days away, and they only got maybe two dozen ponies. They won’t help. Besides, the bandits are set up on the pass out of town. They’d see anyone who tried to leave unless they went over the mountains, and not many can do that. Pegasi might make it out, but most of the bandits can fly as well. I don’t know what it’s like down south, baron, but up here you have to look after your own, on your own.”

“Which we’re not doing!” cried Bread. “You just want to wait and wait and wait, until they... until they hurt our children!” A good chunk of the town’s ponies roared in support, several waving improvised weapons.

“No!” exclaimed Big Wig, quieting the crowd. “If we wait long enough they’ll get bored and move away, and we’ll get our foals back and nopony will get hurt. They won’t want to stay here for the winter. Another few months and they’ll be gone!”

“You don’t know that!”

Max had to admit that Big Wig’s plan did seem tenuous, but also that attacking the bandits seemed dangerous as well.

“So what are you going to do, baron?” asked Big Wig.

“Who, me?” asked Max in surprise.

“Well, you said the Princess put you in charge. You should know what to do.” The stallion looked relieved, probably glad to be able to pass the problem on to somepony else.

“Oh, well...” started Max looking out at a small sea of expectant faces around him. What was he going to do? Should he try to fight the bandits? Somepony could get hurt or worse. Should he go for help? He could get out without being seen, but as Big Wig had said he doubted any of the nearby settlements could help much. He had asked Arctic to set up a militia for this kind of thing, but she was all the way back in Sadlzburg. What could he do? He wished Fragrant was here. She’d probably just be able to get the bandits to give up by force of personality. Maybe that was what he should do. He knew he had to do something and soon. The villagers had assumed he had an army; maybe the bandits would, too? It was a plan... sort of. “I’m going to confront the bandits!” he announced, sounding more certain than he felt. “I’m going to make them return your children, and I’m going to make sure they are punished for what they’ve done!” Around him it was silent for a moment, then the crowd burst out cheering. They surged forwards, pushing aside an unhappy looking Big Wig and to Max’s surprise raised him onto their backs, bearing him through the village’s street. Max wished he felt as good about this as they did.

“Are you really sure about this Baron?” asked Big Wig nervously. He, Bread Basket and a few of the other villagers had escorted Max the short distance to the only break in the mountains that surrounded the settlement.

Max really wasn’t, but he tried to sound positive. “Yes, I’m sure that once the bandits realize that they’re not just fighting the village but the whole of Nulpar, the whole of Equestria, they’ll be away with their tails between their legs.” Now that he’d had a little time to think about the plan, it didn’t seem such a good idea. Could he really scare the bandits off by himself?

“Well, I hope so,” said Big Wig. “Now we better not get closer. They’ll see us coming.”

Max cocked his head, looking confused. He didn’t see any sign of the bandits around. Bread pointed up into the sky. “There,” she said. Max shaded his eyes against the afternoon sun and caught sight of a faint brownish shape hovering lazily in the air. There was a glinting of something metal, presumably a weapon of some type. “They’ve always got eyes in the sky,” muttered Bread. “No way of getting in without being seen, unless there was some sort of a distraction,” she said pointedly, lowering her voice. “Look baron, do you really think Guntram and his people are just going to give up and go home because you ask them to?”

Max glanced over at Big Wig who was talking to another one of the group, a petite middle aged mare with a white coat and pink mane. “Maybe not,” he admitted.

“I didn’t think so. If they didn’t have our foals, they would have to leave. They can’t stand up to all of us.” Max nodded. “So if we could find a way to get them back, this would all be over...” She closed her eyes. “Everything would be perfect. I can’t believe that after months of not being challenged, they’re keeping constant guard anymore. If you can distract them for a bit, me and a few likeminded ponies could at least scout around the area. See if we can find a way into the camp and a way to get the foals out.”

Max nodded again. It made sense. “Ok, but don’t take any risks. Don’t get spotted.”

The unicorn’s eyes flashed for a moment. Then she calmed and nodded. “Of course, baron.”

“I know you miss your son, but you don’t want him to get hurt, do you?”

“Of course not!”

“Good. So just check out the camp. If we’re lucky, then the bandits will just leave, but if we’re not then you at least have a better idea how to rescue them if your need to, right?”

“Right,” agreed Bread.

“My wife, Snowdrop, will show you the rest of the way,” said Big Wig, stepping over to them while gesturing at the mare he had been talking to. “She’s delivering the supplies.” Bulging saddlebags covered her flanks.

“They let us have up to two ponies at a time in their camp to look after the foals during the day, and one at night,” explained the mare in a deeper than expected voice. “It’s my turn tonight.”

“Be careful,” said Big Wig, hugging his wife. “Don’t do anything that might cause Guntram to hurt the foals, baron.”

“Guntram?” asked Max.

“The bandit leader. He seems reasonable, some of the time,” he said nervously. “But show him respect, he’s got a temper.” Big Wig rubbed a leg, which for the first time Max noticed had a bandage tied to it. His nervousness increased.

“Thanks for the information.”

Big Wig nodded and hugged his wife again before he stepped back. “Come on, baron,” said Snowdrop, starting to trot down the path as the rest of the ponies headed back towards the village. Trying to hide his fear, Max followed her as she waved up at the sky. The flying bandit must have noticed as it swooped down towards the camp ahead of them.

It took several minutes for Snowdrop and Max to reach the Bandits’ camp in the middle of the pass. It was a rough affair, consisting of a few sturdy looking tents set up around a large, and currently extinguished, camp fire. Off to one side, a larger but more fragile looking tent stood; a dozen or so foals were currently playing outside it. Two stallions stood nearby, keeping an eye on them; presumably the villagers allocated to the duty.

As soon as they got within sight, several of the camp's inhabitants moved to meet them. At the fore was a shortish griffon, maybe the size of a large stallion, with orange-brown fur. His coat was mostly covered by a mismatched set of armour, but the parts that could be seen were marred with various scars, including one that cut through his left eye, leaving it creamy and sightless. A long sword was strapped to his side, and a crossbow to one of his talons. Behind him came a much larger griffoness, easily head and shoulders above the male; her coat and feathers were almost pure white, and a mace – almost as long as Max’s whole body – rested almost casually over her shoulder. Like the male, she was covered in a mix of armour; mostly padding with a few patches of chain mail here and there.

Above them flew another pair of griffons, one male, one female. They looked almost identical apart from their sex, both with dusty grey coats and black and white feathers. They had crossbows strapped to both of their talons, which they were pointing threateningly in Max’s direction. Unlike their companions they did not wear armour, presumably to allow them to fly unimpeded.

Near the tents were a pair of pegasi, a mare with a red coat and a blue mane and a stallion with a light blue coat and mane. Both wore padded armour and were stretched out on rocks, apparently sunning themselves, but their eyes kept flickering between Max and the spears propped up near them, presumably ready to snatch them up and use them against the intruder at a moment’s notice. A unicorn with a light purple coat and a black mane was leaning against a rock near the foals. As Max watched, his horn glowed on and off lazily.

It was the final member of the company who caused Max to really stare. It was a moose, or at least he thought it was; he’d never met once in the flesh before. He was huge, at least as tall as Princess Luna, dwarfing even the giant griffoness. He stood motionless in front of the children's play area, one hoof wrapped around a great axe which looked like it could take down a tree with a single swing. He only had one antler; hung from it were chains and spikes that looked like they could form a reasonable weapon by themselves. All that remained of the other was a jagged spike. His form was covered in chain mail armour with a few plates of metal covering more vulnerable points.

Max swallowed hard. They were rather more intimidating than he’d hoped. Maybe he could at least distract them long enough for Bread and her people to get a good look at the camp. He screwed up his courage and stepped forwards, trying not to look scared. “Guntram?” he asked, looking at the scarred stallion. He hoped he had picked the leader; he was fairly sure the name was male, but you never could tell with griffon.

The figure ignored Max, instead looking at Snowdrop. “You’re late,” he said. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about your poor children. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to them, would you?”

“I’m sorry, but Paint and Book could look after them for a bit longer,” said the white pony apologetically.

“That don’t matter. I say when you take over from them, and you do it when I say and no when else. Maybe you ponies don’t get to look after them no more, maybe we leave them to Gunda’s maternal instincts instead.” Behind him the big griffoness let out a hissing chortle and clenched her talons. “Get.” He nodded towards the foals. Snowdrop gave a slight smile to Max before scuttling over towards the children's area. “Now,” said Guntram, turning to look at Max with his good eye. “Who are you? I thought I knew every one of the prey in this fly’s arse of a village, but I haven’t seen you before.”

“I... I am Mounty Max, baron of this province,” said Max, straightening as much as he could and trying to copy Fragrant’s best ‘I’m an important noble’ stance. How did she make it look so easy? “I am giving you the chance to return those foals to their families and leave peacefully.”

“Baron?” asked Guntram, tilting his head to the side. “Well, of course, your majesty. We’ll be on our way straight away. You hear that, lads,” he shouted, dripping sarcasm and causing Max’s stomach to drop. “We’ve been given our marching orders by the baron here!” He turned back to Max with a taunting smile on his beak, and his female companion laughed again. “Where do you think we are, ‘baron’? Equestria? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Nobody, pony or otherwise, cares about these worthless peons or their stinking spawn.” He gestured at the foals and their caretakers. The little ones backed away behind the adults.

Suddenly Max found an anger growing in him. These ponies might not have much, but they were his people! They managed to survive in one of the harshest environments possible and they managed to prosper. They deserved better than this. “I care!” he exclaimed, taking a step forwards. “It is my land you’re trespassing on, my people you’re terrorising. I will protect it!”

Guntram’s eyes widened in surprise for a second. Then he frowned. “You and whose army, baron? There’s eight of us and only one of you, little pony!”

“I’d be a fool to come here by myself,” bluffed Max. “My troops are waiting nearby. Now return the foals and there won’t be any need for bloodshed.”

Guntram narrowed his eyes, and Max tried to stop himself from blinking. This had to work. “You know what,” said the griffon after a moment. “I think you are a fool. If you did have an army with you, you’d have tried to take us by surprise. It would be the only way of stopping us from using our little hostages over there.” Max felt a cold shiver run down his back. His bluff had been called. Now his only option was to try to cause a distraction so that Bread could do her thing. His eyes scanned the camp, but saw no sign of sneaking ponies; maybe she’d already come and gone. He tensed himself, preparing to leap forwards, when Guntram gestured with a talon and the two flying griffon pointed their crossbows at Max. “Don’t try to do anything even more stupid,” he warned.

“You’re the one being stupid,” replied Max. “Sooner or later the villagers will have enough of you. You can’t stand against all them.”

“Those sheep? They’re too scared to make a move, even if I didn’t have their foals. Now let’s see who you really are, ‘baron’.” Quickly, the orange griffon reached forwards and grabbed Max’s saddlebags, tearing them from his back. Max started to rear, but the crossbows and the griffoness’ mace stopped him. She gave another hissing giggle; that sound was really starting to get on Max’s nerves. He tried to stop a shudder as Guntram tore the bags to pieces, scattering their contents around. The book he’d been presented in Midnight’s Folly splashed into a shallow puddle. Max winced; the bags had been a gift from his mother several years ago. “Reflector!” yelled the griffon. “You can read pony scribble. What does this say?” he held up a few of Max’s notebooks and letters. The purple unicorn quickly trotted up, flanked by the two pegasi, who had roused and armed themselves. He took the books in his aura and quickly scanned through them and some of Max’s correspondence. Max fumed as the unicorn looked through not only his notes but also the letter’s he’d been writing to Fragrant. It just didn’t seem right, another pony reading them.

“It looks like he’s legit, boss,” said the unicorn at length. “He’s on some sort of tour of a place called Nulpar.”

“That’s this province,” explained Max. “The princess formed it this year, and all of its population are under her protection. Maybe I don’t have an army, but someone else will come eventually. You can’t fight the military.” This actually seemed to worry the pegasi who looked around nervously, as if soldiers could jump out on then at any point.

“Your princess is hundreds of miles away, and she don’t care about this little speck,” said Guntram. “It’s just like her to decide to carve out a little more pony lebensraum from the border zone, though. Still,” he traced a talon down one of his facial scars, “a baron might be worth something to someone. You think your princess would pay to have you returned in one piece? If not her, someone else might.”

“The princess would never deal with you!”

“You better hope she will. Gunda,” ordered Guntram, “put him with the kids.” The giant griffoness stepped forwards and physically picked up Max. “Gottlob, Gudrun, keep an eye on him. I’ve got some thinking to do.”

To Max’s surprise, the bandits didn’t tie him up or restrain him. They just shoved him into the part of the camp where the foals were kept and left him there. At first he’d considered making a break for it; the cliff walls were steep, but nothing he couldn’t handle, and the far end of the pass was only a few minutes gallop away. Then he looked up. The two griffons with the crossbows were hovering on the thermals, weapons lazily pointed in his direction. Even if they didn’t hit him, they might catch one of the foals by accident.

Snowdrop had quickly introduced him to the children’s other caretakers, Paint Pot and Book Learning; their greetings were rather subdued and they quickly headed off back to the town after Gunda growled at them. Snowdrop quickly introduced Max to the foals. They didn’t seem too upset by their situation and were excited to meet somepony new, before she unloaded her bags and started to make dinner for both the kids and their captors.

While she was busy, Max took it upon himself to try and entertain the children with stories of his travels so far. They seemed to have adapted well to their imprisonment, although most clearly missed their parents badly. Once he had finished, they started to run around in small groups, playing various games, but carefully keeping away from the bandits’ part of the camp.

Soon, Snowdrop had finished her cooking, and dished out the vegetable stew she had made; first to the children, and once Guntram had cast a careful eye over them to see that there were no harmful effects, larger portions were measured out to the bandits as well. Somewhat to Max’s surprise, the two pegasi started to make out in the shadow on the rocks they had been sunning themselves on earlier. He guessed even bandits could be lovers. The rest of the camp sat around the now lit fire and chatted quietly while sharing a large bottle of something Max assumed was alcoholic. The two airborne griffons came in to land and were replaced by the giant griffoness, who took up station above the camp, her head swivelling from side to side.

The only member of the camp who didn’t seem to be involved in the socialization was the moose. He had remained at his post for the whole afternoon, hardly moving. Despite his imposing figure, the foals hadn’t seemed intimidated by him, even using him as a platform for some of their rough and tumble games. He had only seemed to relax when Snowdrop had brought him a portion of stew – a large portion, almost a bucket full; he had slumped down and started to chew on the thick broth contemplatively. After a little thought, Max decided to try and strike up a conversation. At least he could distract him, maybe even sway his loyalties.

Plan in mind, Max strolled over to the moose. “Evening,” he said. The moose ignored him, continuing to stare into the distance.

“Um, hi, I’m Mounty Max,” he tried again and took a further step towards the moose. He moved. It was subtle, but one hoof edged slightly closer to the axe still strapped to his barrel, and Max found his hooves taking a step backwards instead. The large creature relaxed again and took another mouthful of stew.

“So, the foals seems to be taking all this well. You seem to be getting on well with them,” babbled Max. He was starting to suspect the moose didn’t speak Equestrian.

“Got two of my own,” rumbled the moose suddenly.

“Pardon?” asked Max in surprise.

“I have two of my own, baron, two calves,” said the Moose in near perfect Equestrian.

“Oh, well, congratulations.” The moose nodded. “But how can you keep these children from their families if you have your own? How can you threaten them?”

The moose's head dipped slightly. “The money I get for this job pays for their upkeep. These foals’ discomfort means my children are comfortable.”

“What! How can you do this!”

“I do not want to be here, baron, but my axe is currently pledged to Guntram, and a sellsword who breaks his promise is a sellsword who will not be employed again.”

“You’re a mercenary?” an idea struck Max. “Look I don’t have much on me...” None actually, thought Max; what he did have had been in his backpack, and the bandits probably had that now. “But we can probably sort something out, Mr...”

“I am called Endre. Maybe once my contract runs out, baron, but until then my oath is my bond.”

“How long is that?” asked Max.

“Until the next solstice, two months from now.”

Max grimaced. That was far too long. “Would you really hurt these foal for money?”

“If Guntram ordered me to... I would,” intoned Endre somewhat mournfully. “There is no honour there, but my word is my bond. Once my contract was ended, I would kill him for it, but until then I do what he tells me to.”

Max’s head started to whirl at the thinking behind that statement. “Why... why ever did you agree to work for him? How much is he paying you?”

“I did not agree to work for him. My contract was with this group's previous leader, Gerard the strong!” He waited for some reaction from Max, who just looked blank. The moose sighed and continued his story. “Gerard was a bandit leader from the griffon kingdoms. He had a true army behind him. Organised, glorious. Not this rabble.” He gestured at his colleagues in contempt. “We attacked towns, armies, even some of the smaller kingdoms trembled at our coming; then, we fought in truly honourable combat, not just bullying defenceless farmers!”

“What happened?” asked Max.

“We were raiding the kingdom of Farhills. Their queen, Hagatha, sent an army to stop us, but she did not know our strength. Her forces were badly out matched. It was a glorious battle, they fought well, but would have quickly fallen to us. Then a small group of griffon border guard joined the fray, fighting under the banner of the red shield. They were upon us before we even realised, striking at our very heart.” He made a swooping gesture with a hoof. “Their leader was a griffoness with a red crest. None could stop her.” He reached up and stroked his broken antler. “She did this to me.” He smiled almost lovingly, his eyes glowing. “She was magnificent. She slew Gerard with a single blow from her sword – it was so hot, it charred his flesh as it cut through him.”

Max shuddered at the thought of such a battle, such slaughter. He was glad Equestria was much more peaceful than its neighbours.

“Defeated, our survivors scattered. With my employer dead, my contract defaulted to his successor.” He curled back his lips. “Guntram,” he hissed in disgust. “He was the highest ranking member of Gerard’s force I know survived. He gathered this rabble and led us south into the border lands. We raided the few settlements we found until he decided that even that was too dangerous for him, and he decided to kidnap children to make himself feel safer,” he spat.

“Is there no way you could break your contract?”

“Not unless Guntram decides to cancel it, and I do not think that is likely, do you?” asked Endre with a smile.

Max shook his head. No, it didn’t seem likely. “And the others over there? Are they all mercenaries too? Will any of them turn on him?” He was probably clutching at straws.

“Ah, baron. I like you, showing up and demanding Guntram leave your lands. You have guts, but I am not your ally. I will not help you beat my comrades, pathetic as they may be. Maybe you should challenge Guntram for leadership, then you would be my employer? His pride would not let him refuse.”

Max rubbed his chin. That might be an idea, if it wouldn’t certainly lead to his death. The only serious fight he’d ever had was against Archduke Fisher, and he’d only managed to hold out for a few minutes then against an opponent who hadn’t been trying to kill him. Still, he might just be able to...

“Um, excuse me, baron,” interrupted Snowdrop. The white mare looked nervous. “Endre.” She bobbed towards the moose. “Could you help me put the foals to bed, baron?”

The moose looked up at the sky where the sun was still a short distance from the horizon. “It is early,” he said a little suspiciously.

“Oh, well, it’s been an exciting day for them what with the baron and all. I think it would be good for them to get a bit more sleep, and it would be good to get them out from under Guntram’s hooves, um, paws, I think it would be better.” She fidgeted a bit, pawing the ground.

The moose stared at her for a bit, then nodded. “Go,” he said.

Bowing, Snowdrop grabbed Max and pulled him towards the tent calling to the children as she went. “Bed time!” There was a chorus of disapproving calls, but the foals fell into line and followed. The inside of the tent was a little cramped with neat lines of blankets along each side. To Max’s surprise, Bread Basket was standing near the back wall, her mane dishevelled.

“Mummy!” cried one of the smallest colts loudly, and clambered over his fellows to get to the mare. Snowdrop winced at the sound and looked around nervously. Bread took the foal in her arms and hugged him tightly, tears leaking from both of their eyes.

“Pizza! Oh, thank the princess you’re safe. Don’t worry, I’m never going to let you go again!” she whispered.

Max quickly stuck his head out the tent door and looked around. The moose had returned to his guard position and the giant griffon still hovered overhead, but neither seemed to have reacted to the commotion. He turned back. “Bread, how did you get here?” he asked.

Still clutching her son Bread sank to the floor. “A few of us were watching you when you made your way into camp,” she said, “while you were distracting them we found a path leading up to the cliffs up there,” she nodded towards the side of the camp. “Good job keeping their interest on you!” Max shrugged, he’d just made things up as he went along. “We had just planned to scout out the area, like I told you, but Pizza was so close and I didn’t know when I’d ever get the chance again.” She hugged the squirming colt even more tightly, “I sent everypony else back to the village to tell them what happened, it might even get them to finally do something, while I headed down here, the paths not that bad, quite steep and winding but not difficult. Anyway when they captured you I managed to hide behind the tent, I yanked out some pegs and snuck in here. I can probably get the foals out the same way, if you can keep the bandits busy again,” she said.

“No!” exclaimed Snowdrop, trying to keep the overexcited foals under control. “It’s too dangerous! They’ll see you leave, they’ll catch you, they could hurt the foals!”

“You don’t think they won’t do that eventually?”

“I... I don’t know, but they’ve had them for weeks so far and nothing's happened yet.”

“What would you do if they had your son? If they had Pitter Patter? Would you let them hold him for a second longer if you could get him out?”

Snowdrop opened her mouth, but couldn’t seem to come up with a rebuttal.

“I think it’s a good plan,” said Max, taking charge. “I’ll see what I can do to get their attention for a while. Get the foals ready to go.” Bread nodded.

“But if they find out they’re gone, they’ll hurt you. They might kill you!” exclaimed Snowdrop.

“Probably not. They want me as a hostage. They think they can get a ransom. I’ll be fine,” he said with a weak smile. “Besides, this is my land. I’m responsible for you all.”

“You’re, you’re a brave stallion, baron,” said Snowdrop, resting a hoof on his leg.

“I think anypony else would do the same in the same situation,” he said with a shrug. A better pony would probably not get himself into the situation in the first place.

“We’re ready,” said Snowdrop. The foals had lined up near the back of the tent and she was lifting the back wall, ready for them to crawl under.

“Ok,” said Max. “Give me a minute or two to get their attention, then go.”

15) Nulpar Tour: Days 32-38, Norton - Part 2

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“You there! In the sky!” called Max, trying to channel a mix of Fisher, Mellow and Blueblood. “I want to talk to your leader immediately!”

“What?” screeched the griffoness guard as she swooped down towards him. Max could have just shouted over at Guntram – he was only a few dozen feet away at the fire, and in fact his ear tufts had perked up at Max’s voice – but Max thought this would be the best way to attract as much attention as possible, particularly from the griffon most likely to be watching the tent. “What do you want?” she demanded.

“I want to talk to your boss, not some flunky.” He waved a hoof at her imperiously. “I have something important to tell him!” The white griffon’s eyes went wide, and with a swishing sound she whipped out her mace. Max swallowed hard. Maybe he’d gone a bit far. Well, in for a jangle, in for a bit. “How dare you draw a weapon on me! Don’t you know who I am?!” A frown passed over her face as the mace’s head, almost as large as Max’s, hovered in the air. As a bead of sweat dripped down Max’s face, he couldn’t help his eyes flicking to one side. From this angle, he could just about see Bread and a pair of foals starting to scramble up the cliff. Glancing over, he noted that Endre was staring over at him, looking thoughtful. He didn’t seem to have noticed the escape attempt either. Or if he had, he hadn’t raised the alarm.

“What’s going on here?” came a cry, and Max turned back to see Guntram stalking over from the fire, followed by the rest of the bandits. “What are you shouting about?” Max could smell the stink of home-made alcohol coming off of him.

“I... I can’t stand this one moment longer,” cried Max, trying to get back into character. “Having to sleep in a tent, and all those,” he shuddered, “foals around. It's like Tartarus.”

“My heart bleeds,” muttered Guntram, and the giant female let out another hissing laugh as she continued to hold her mace not far from Max’s head. “Now get back in there!” He pointed back towards the tent.

“No!” cried Max, trying to distract him again. “I can pay! You wanted a ransom, I can pay it, more than you could ever want, just let me spend the night in a decent bed!”

“How can you pay?” asked Guntram, cocking his head. “You didn’t have many bits on you.”

“A baron does not carry money! Well, not much anyway, just small change. I may not have an army with me, but I do have servants. Somepony like me would always have servants. They hold my money, thousands of bits’ worth. And my supplies, you couldn’t expect me to stomach mere peasant gruel, would you? And I only demand the finest of wines as well.”

Guntram looked down at the empty bowls of stew nearby. “Go on,” he said.

“They’re camped not far from here, waiting for my return. If they don’t hear from me they’ll leave to get help. I’ll tell you where if you let me go, I won’t even tell the princess what happened, it’s far too embarrassing to be taken by common bandits.” Guntram growled. “No matter how pow... powerful they might be,” added Max.

“Show me!” demanded the griffon. “And I might consider letting you go.”

Max’s eyes darted back to the cliff; a trail of foals were winding their way up it. He had to stall for a bit longer. “No! I can’t just accept your word for this! We need this in writing!” He ducked under the large griffon’s weapon and trotted towards the remains of his saddlebags. He expected at any moment to feel a bolt or a sword blade to his back, but instead the bandits followed, blinking stupidly. Whatever they had been drinking must be potent stuff. Max grabbed a notebook from the pile of his belongings and ripped out a page with a few doodles of a train on them, before turning it over and scribbling on the back.

“What are you doing?” asked Guntram.

“Writing a contract, of course, it’s very important to deal with any possible dispute,” said Max around the pencil. He found himself scribbling down whatever came to mind, unable to concentrate properly, then started on a pretend map of the area showing where his ‘entourage’ was staying.

“What is this?” roared Guntram, tearing the paper from Max’s hooves and peering at it. “What does it say?” He tossed the paper to the unicorn, who caught it in his aura and turned it the right way up.

“I Baron Mounty Max being a baron of the night court and running Nulpar on behalf of Princess Luna do start to write an important contact between me and the bandits who have kidnapped the foals of North Town. In this document I declare that Fragrant has very nice legs which I’ll probably never get to see again, and that the bandits are all very bad ponies and griffons, and a not quite so bad moose and... This is gibberish, boss!”

“You’re trying to distract us!” cried Guntram, drawing his sword. The rest of the bandits likewise drew their weapons and pointed them at Max, who closed his eyes, waiting for the end. “Snowdrop!” roared the griffon.

Max opened one eye to peer at the tent. Snowdrop poked her head out. Despite her white coat, she looked ever paler than normal. “P...P...Please be quiet, I just... just got the foals to sleep,” she stuttered.

“Show me!” cried Guntram, swooping towards the tent, with most of the rest of his gang following him. Max made to move, but one of the twin griffons held her crossbow to his head. Guntram grabbed the tent flap and literally tore it aside, throwing away the loose fabric. The inside of the tent was empty.

“It’s not my fault!” cried Snowdrop. “It was Bread, she said she’d kill me if I told anyone, she’s crazy.” With a roar, Guntram lashed out with his sword. Snowdrop dropped to the floor crying as the blade flashed over her head and slashed into the tent wall.

“Where are they!”

“They... they... they... they went that way.” She pointed towards the exit from the pass leading away from North Town. “Bread said she knew you’d search the village so she hid... hid them in a ca... cave, not far that way. Please don’t hurt them! They’re just children!”

“Star Scream, Thunder Cracker, Gottlob, Gundrun! Get after them, bring them back, I want the mare alive... just.” He turned back to Snowdrop and viciously back-taloned her across the face, knocking her to the ground. He turned to Max, now guarded by the giant griffoness. “You tricked me!” he spat.

“Yes,” said Max, trying to back away, only to find his escape blocked by the towering mass of feathers. The griffoness giggled again. Max really hated that sound. “I think you should leave right now, because now that you don’t have your hostages, the townsponies will...”

“Shut up!” cried Guntram, slashing out at Max with his talons. They cut shallow furrows into his flank, making him cry out and fall to the ground. “I’m going to hurt you so bad, you’re going to wish...” He raised his sword.

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” intoned Endre, sounding almost bored.

“What?” cried Guntram, turning to the moose, “Are you challenging me?” he growled.

“No, it’s just that he might still be ransomable, and two hostages are better than none.” He gestured between Max and Snowdrop, who was still curled on the ground crying.

Guntram looked back and forth between the stoic warrior and Max for a moment before lowering his sword. Max let out a sigh of relief, which quickly became a cry of pain as the bandit leader smashed his fist into Max’s belly and then face. “Tie him up!” he commanded.

Max was quickly and roughly bound and thrown into the remains of the children’s tent with Snowdrop. “The kids should be back at the village by now,” whispered Max after a few minutes. He could taste the tang of his own blood in his mouth. “It was very brave of you, sending them in the wrong direction. Why didn’t you leave with them?” he asked Snowdrop.

“I...I thought I might be able to cover for them, even if only for a few minutes. I... I should have listened to Bread earlier. We should have done this when they first took the foals. What are we going to do now? What are they going to do to us?” she sobbed quietly.

“I’m sure they still need us,” said Max, trying to sound cheerful. “They’ll probably run now that they don’t have the foals.”

After a few more minutes the hunting party returned, and to Max’s relief they were empty-taloned. “We found the cave, boss,” said the red pegasus nervously. “It was pretty big, but we searched it all. No sign of them,” she admitted.

Guntram’s frowned, then turned to his captives, eyes blazing. “You lied to me!” he roared, stamping over and grasping Snowdrop by her neck, lifting her off the ground.

“We better get moving, boss,” cried the blue pegasus. “The villagers could be here any minute.”

“They’re just pathetic ponies,” cried Guntram, not taking his eyes off of Snowdrop who was gasping for breath. The two pegasus scowled.

“Yeah, but there’s a lot of them,” said the unicorn.

“So we take their foals back,” said the bandit leader with a shrug.

“It won’t be as easy this time. They’ll be ready for us,” said Endre.

“Shut up! I’m in charge here, I make the decisions!” screamed Guntram. “And I say we gut this little traitor! Then we head back into town and get those foals back, and if anypony gets in our way, they don’t stay standing!” He drew his sword and held it at Snowdrop’s abdomen. “Any last words?” he asked, loosening his grip on her throat.

“You stole our children!” she screamed with enough force to make the griffon flinch for a moment. “You made me ashamed of being glad that my son wasn’t among them! Now at least my husband can look our neighbours in the eye again, knowing he’s lost somepony as well. I hate you!” she spat in Guntram’s eye.

The griffon reared back, then started to jab the blade forwards. “Stop!” cried Max.

To both of their surprise, Guntram did. “Do you want to be next?” he asked.

“You should do the smart thing and run,” said Max, trying to sound reasonable. He couldn’t allow any of his people to suffer for him. It was he that had brought the situation to a head, after all. “Listen to your people. You’re going to get them killed.”

“Their opinion doesn’t matter, just mine, I’m in charge here!” He swung his gaze around the camp. Several of the bandits didn’t look so sure about this.

“Then I challenge you for leadership!” cried Max.

“You what?” asked Guntram, looking genuinely astonished.

“I challenge you for leadership of this group, a fight, I win I get your troops, you win... you get Nulpar,” said Max desperately. He was fairly sure succession didn’t work that way in Equestria.

“I certainly think that the baron might make a better leader,” said Endre, holding his axe over one shoulder. The unicorn next to him nodded as well. Even the twin griffons looked intrigued.

“Shut up!” cried Guntram, dropping Snowdrop. She gasped for breath and crawled a few paces away.

“Or are you chicken?” chided Max.

“What did you call me?” growled Guntram, turning to face the baron.

“Oh, sorry. You’re only half a chicken, the other half is a scaredy cat!”

“I’ll gut you for that,” hissed the enraged Griffon, advancing on Max.

“You accept his challenge, then?” said the large griffoness.

“Fine!” exclaimed Guntram. “I accept his challenge. Let’s get this over with.”

Endre stepped forwards and deftly cut Max’s bonds with his axe. “What weapon do you declare?” he asked.

“Oh, well, I don’t really know much about weapons...” began Max.

“See, he doesn’t want a weapon,” said Guntram. “I declare sword and crossbow!” He raised the former so it glinted in the final light of the day, and then carefully loaded the latter.

“That doesn’t seem very fair,” protested Max.

“Tough!”

“Um, do you have any advice?” said Max to Endre as he stretched out his cramped limbs.

The moose though for a moment. “Don’t die,” he concluded.

“Thanks,” said Max lowering his ears.

“My pleasure. I will enjoy working for you.” He gave a very brief smile, or maybe Max just imagined it.

“Let’s get this over with,” announced Guntram, positioning himself at one side of the camp opposite the fire from Max.

“The duel will start upon the count of three,” said the large griffoness, “and will end with the death, or surrender, of one of the parties. The loser’s life will be left in the talons of the winner. One...” she began.

Max flashed back to his fight against archduke Fisher several months ago. He’d won that by outlasting his opponent. The same tactic might work here, if the villagers were on the way to save him, but he wasn’t sure if he could rely on that. Maybe he could try to run? But he was certain his opponent would kill Snowdrop then. He glanced around the area. There were several cliff faces that he could probably scramble up; maybe he could out-manoeuvre his opponent? Then he noticed Guntram spreading his wings wide. Maybe not.

“Two...”

Still, he might have more luck on the cliffs. He could probably find some cover among the rocks, maybe a cave even. It would put Guntram at a disadvantage due to his larger size; maybe stop him swinging his sword? Although his talons could probably do just as good a job.

“Three!”

Before Max could even move, Guntram raised the crossbow strapped to his arm and targeted the baron. The bolt shot forth and Max hurled himself to the side, feeling the shot cut a furrow across his scalp. Unlike Fisher, Guntram was not playing with him; if he’d been a fraction of a second later, he’d be dead straight off. He had to get rid of the crossbow; even if he did manage to get to the cliffs the griffon could pick him off at range. Changing plans, Max hurled himself forwards and charged straight at his opponent over the fire.

Guntram had started to reload and was apparently surprised by Max’s bold action. The fresh bolt dropped from his beak as he switched to his sword. Max managed to leap over his hurried swing and crashed straight into the griffon’s face, bowling both of them over. Max rolled aside and leaped to his hooves, only to find Guntram had recovered just as quickly. Desperately, Max spun around and lashed out with his hind legs; his aim was true and they slammed into the Guntram’s foreleg. The griffon gave a yell of pain and snatched back the limb, then he noticed the ruined mechanism on his weapon and roared.

Max took the moment’s opportunity to turn tail and rush straight towards the nearest cliff. He leapt onto the slope and started to climb like his life depended on it, which it did. He had gotten maybe half a dozen lengths before he felt a wind whip past, followed by talons slashing against his back. Biting back a cry, Max held on and climbed even faster as his opponent circled for another strike.

He had almost reached the top of the cliff when he saw Guntram approaching again out of the corner of his eye. This time, rather than use his own talons, the griffon had drawn his sword. He was approaching slower this time, apparently moving up to hover and chop Max into pieces rather than catch him as he swooped past. The sight distracted Max, and one of his hooves slipped, dropping him a length down the cliff before he could catch a hoofhold again. The mistake saved his life as the blade flashed through the area he had been in and glanced off the rock, throwing the hovering griffon back with it. Max used the distraction to rush up the cliff and over the top just as the griffon recovered.

To Max’s joy, the top of the cliff consisted of a gentle slope dotted with large boulders. He hurled himself behind the nearest one and tried to be a quiet as possible. Seconds later, the griffon shot past and flashed up into the air, looking down on the field of rocks below him. Max hoped that griffons couldn’t see in the dark or anything; the dusk gloom was something that he could use to his advantage.

“Come out, coward!” screamed Guntram as he swooped back down to the ground. “Come out and I’ll make it quick! Otherwise, I can make it very, very slow!” Quick as a flash, he spun around a boulder, his sword raised only to find nopony there. The following few minutes consisted of a deadly game of hide and seek, as Max tried to creep from rock to rock while his opponent tried to locate him in the gloom.

Once Max broke cover too soon and ran right next to his opponent. It must have been a miracle that he wasn’t seen, or had it been? He had been on his opponent's blind side! As long as he stayed near Guntram’s injured eye he should be undetected, he hoped!

“I can smell you!” growled the griffon, prowling between the rocks, sword at the ready. “You stink of fear, it makes me hungry!” Drool pooled from his beak, making Max feel sick. However did he get into these situations? Other nobles seemed to be able to go for months at a time without ending up in life or death situations. Why was he different? He leapt from his hiding place, careful to stay on Guntram’s left side. However, this time his hoof knocked against a pile of loose stones and they fell with a clatter. Quick as lightning, Guntram struck out with his sword. Max threw himself aside, but Guntram managed to turn his blow at the last moment and the flat of the blade still smashed into the side of Max’s head. Bright stars flashed in his vision and he momentarily lost feeling in his legs as he tumbled to his side. He looked up, blinking as he saw two versions of Guntram advancing on him. Gritting his teeth, he willed his battered body to obey him, managing to get his hooves under him and stagger away with the griffon in pursuit. He couldn’t afford another hit like that.

Behind him, he heard his opponent take to the wing again. Gritting his teeth, he forced his legs to move faster. Blinking to try and clear his vision, Max saw the cliff edge coming up to meet him very quickly. “Nowhere to go now,” taunted Guntram. Looking left and right, it seemed that his opponent was correct; if he turned, his opponent would be on him in seconds, and if he didn’t, he’d be over the cliff in only a few more. Max did the only thing he could think of: he dug in his heels and skidded along the ground before coming to a halt. Surprised, Guntram shot straight over Max’s head and past the edge of the cliff, before twisting in the air, ready to come at him again.

Not thinking, Max leapt out into the air and slammed into his opponent, knocking the sword from his talons and sending both of them tumbling towards the ground far below. Guntram lashed out, cutting further furrows into Max’s side, while in return Max pummelled him with his hooves as best he could. “You’re crazy!” gasped the griffon, as he tried to regain control of his wings enough to check their fall. Not wasting his breath, Max slammed his head forwards into the griffon’s, and was rewarded by his vision whiting out again. When he could see once more, the ground was only a few lengths away and coming up quickly. With a shrug, Guntram finally managed to dislodge his opponent, and threw Max towards the ground. However, as he did so, a flailing hoof lashed out, catching him on the wing and sending him down to join his opponent.

Max hit the ground with bone-rattling force. He may even have blacked out for a few seconds, but as soon as he could, he forced his complaining body back to his hooves. He had to finish the fight. He swayed for a moment before catching sight of his opponent lying in a heap not far away. The griffon seemed almost as badly injured as he was; he was feebly trying to get his claws back under him, and one entire flank was scraped raw by his landing. Moving as quickly as he could, Max made his way unsteadily to the bandit leader. He had to finish this now before Guntram recovered.

Arriving just a few seconds too late, Max saw his opponent roll onto his unsteady limbs and turn to face him, swaying on the spot. “Surrender!” slurred Max.

“Never!” croaked Guntram as he gathered his paws beneath him to leap forwards. However, one did not take his weight, and he collapsed to one side, groaning. Giving a sigh of relief, Max rested a hoof heavily on his defeated opponent. He looked around, blinking, finally taking in the environment about him. What was going on? he thought. There was fighting all around him.

In the skies above, the bandit pegasi swooped and rolled away from a flock of townsfolk, spears clattering against the hoes and spades the locals were using as improvised weapons. As Max watched open-mouthed, one of the villagers brought their weapon down on the wing of the red pegasus bandit; there was a crack that made her attacker visibly wince, and the bandit let out a shrill screech before she plummeted to the ground. She was caught during her fall by her blue companion, and he gently laid her down on the ground before raising his hooves in surrender to his attackers.

The other bandits were apparently not giving up as easily. The giant griffoness was being guarded by several injured villagers as she lay on the ground, moaning and clutching at a head wound, but her fellow griffons were still fighting despite being surrounded by a circle of enemies. They were prevented from flying by lassos which has been caught around their legs; several ponies were yanking on them to keep them off balance and preventing them from aiming their crossbows.

Endre the moose was surrounded by half a dozen or more locals. He had reared up and was spinning in place, using his axe to force them to keep their distance. It was a stand-off; none of the ponies seemed willing to risk attacking the mercenary, whereas he seemed content to remain on the defensive.

The bandit unicorn was duelling with a number of horned villagers; he had erected a shiny barrier in front of him, which seemed to be turning any spells directed at him back at their casters, forcing them to jump for cover. As Max watched, he was finally overcome as an earth pony and a goat charged at him with their heads lowered. Panicked, the unicorn let off a blast from his horn at them while he tried to back off; it hit the pony, making him stagger but not stopping him. The two crashed through the shield, which disappeared, before their charge carried them on into the unicorn. Their combined momentum smashed him from his hooves. Before he could regain his balance, the two of them had restrained him.

“Sorry we didn’t get here sooner, baron,” came a cry from beside him. Max turned to see Big Wig standing there with Snowdrop. The stallion was bleeding from some minor wounds. “I gathered together as many ponies as I could once we found out that Bread was missing! We didn’t expect her to come back with the foals, we can never thank you enough for that! Soon as they were safe I sent out pegasi to the farms! I didn’t expect most of them to come, but they did! Almost all of them! Thanks to your distraction, we managed to catch them by surprise!”

Max grinned, and then found that even that hurt at the moment. It looked like the fighting would be over soon, and nopony seemed to have gotten seriously hurt. Suddenly he found himself thrown to one side, as the griffon under his hoof threw him off and gathered himself to his feet. Barging the shocked Big Wig aside, Guntram grabbed Snowdrop by her throat. “All of you stop fighting!” he cried. “All stop, or I tear out her throat!” The griffon was swaying slightly on the spot, but still looked capable of carrying out his threat.

Immediately the sounds of battle died down as all the fighters turned to see what was going on. “No, please don’t!” cried Big Wig, stepping forwards.

“Now just calm down,” said Max. “Things don’t have to end like this! Think this through. If you hurt her, then there’s no way you’re going to be able to get away from this.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” screamed Guntram. “You’re going to let us all go, let us leave this area, then you get this little bitch back.”

“Ok,” agreed Max. “We can talk about this, sort something out.”

“No, no talking, just let us go!”

“If we let you go, you’ll just go do the same thing again, won’t you?” asked Big Wig quietly. “Take somepony else’s children?”

“That doesn’t matter!” cried Guntram, tightening his grip on Snowdrop’s neck. “Let us go, or she dies!”

Big Wig’s eyes locked with those of his wife, and almost imperceptibly she nodded before closing her eyes.

Max’s eyes widened. “No, wait!” he cried, but before he could act, Snowdrop jerked her head forwards, blood seeping from her neck as the griffon's talons bit in. She convulsively struck out with her hind legs as she fell forwards, catching her captor in the chest and sending him flying back. Instantly, Big Wig lunged forwards, leaping clear over his wife and landing on Guntram. He brought back a hoof and slammed it into the stunned bandit’s face, then again and again.

“Stop!” cried Max, rushing forwards as quickly as he could given his injuries. Other ponies were in motion around him; one unicorn leapt to Snowdrop’s side, covering her wounds with her aura, while a pegasus quickly started to unroll a linen bandage. “Stop!” he repeated, grabbing Big Wig’s hoof as he swung again. “He’s had enough.” Big Wig turned to him, eyes wild. “It’s over!” he added. The village leader blinked a few times, then nodded before turning and rushing to his wife’s side. “Now,” said Max, feeling his body complain as he hauled the barely conscious griffon up. “Call it off!”

“We... we surrender!” mumbled Guntram through a cracked beak.

“Louder!”

“We give up! Stand down!” he shouted.

Instantly, Endre dropped to all four hooves and lowered his axe, returning to a resting stance and not even reacting when one of the ponies around him scuttled forwards and grabbed his weapon. The two remaining griffons looked up in surprise, then looked around the camp and saw that the odds were solidly against them, before surrendering with less grace.

The fight was over, and Max decided to celebrate by collapsing and passing out.

It was over a day before Max came to again. He found himself on a cot set up in the town hall, which had been converted into a makeshift infirmary for the wounded from the battle. He was pleased to find out that there had been no fatalities, and by some minor miracle, no major injuries, although almost every pony in town was left bandaged in some way, and several like him had been laid up for some time.

The bandits, although bound, were under heavy guard but likewise being cared for, if somewhat begrudgingly. Guntram’s battered head was so covered in bandages that only his beak poked out, and even that was taped up, preventing him from speaking. His giant second in command still looked rather dazed from her head injury, unless that was how she was all the time. The red pegasus looked distinctly sorry for herself. Her broken wing was strapped up at an awkward-looking angle, and her blue lover huddled close to her, hugging her with one wing while mumbling in her ear. The other bandits all looked beaten and worried; only Endre seemed unconcerned, sitting placidly a short distance from his companions.

It was lucky that, unlike Sharpside, North Town seemed to have a few trained medics; two unicorn sisters were using their magic on the injured, and Big Wig himself seemed to be adept at sewing wounds. Max assumed that the unicorns had inherited their skills rather than receiving formal training, given how far they were from any medical schools. Most of their medicines seemed much more homemade than those House Martin prescribed at home. Once they had checked him out and he was released, Big Wig and several other townsfolk praised him for his help in defeating the bandits. The immediate thanks done, the talk moved on to the stickier matters of what to do with the bandits.

“We just don’t have the ponypower to guard them long term!” exclaimed Big Wig. “Harvest is just around the corner, and given the number of injured, we’ll be lucky to bring in enough crops to feed ourselves, let alone trade. The amount of food they’ve extorted from us doesn’t help.”

“How about we put them to work?” suggested one of the other town’s ponies present. The meeting wasn’t exactly private – it was taking place in one corner of the town hall – but given the number of ponies passing through, quite a crowd was gathering once they had overheard the topic in question. Even the bandits themselves were looking over towards them with interest. “A few seasons working on the farms would straighten them out. Maybe spread them out, one per homestead?” In their corner, the blue pegasus drew his lover closer possessively.

“Wouldn’t they just fly away?” asked an earth pony.

“We could tie them down or something!” The idea seemed to gather quite some support.

“Um, I don’t think we’re allowed to do that. It would be slavery,” said Max, wishing he’d read more about Equestrian law.

Big Wig frowned. “I thought they put criminals to work all the time, help to rehabilitate them.”

“Once they’ve been sentenced, if they agree, I think. They have to get a trial first.” Max grimaced. There weren’t any courts in Nulpar yet. They’d have to be taken to Ambelon or Rushia for that. Given where they were, that was probably a trip of two, maybe three weeks.

“Why should they get a trial!” cried Bread. “We all know what they did!” She was clutching her son to her. As far as Max knew, she literally hadn’t let him go since she got him back. The colt didn’t seem pleased about this and was struggling in her grasp.

“Every Equestrian deserves a trial!” exclaimed Max. “It’s the law!”

“They probably aren't even Equestrians. Most of them are griffon, probably down from the kingdoms.”

Max tilted his head and winced a bit as stiff muscles complained. Judging from what Endre had said, that was probably true. But, again, he didn’t know what that meant; they should probably still get a trial, or hearing, or something. “It doesn’t matter. We still need to follow the law. We need to be better than they are.”

“How are we going to get them to a court, anyway?” asked a random donkey. “That’ll take weeks, and we’ll need guards to transport them. We don’t have the free ponies. I say we just cut them loose, throw them out of town, good riddance.”

“Won’t they just move on to another village?” asked somepony else.

“So what? None of them helped us. Serves them right.”

“We are not letting them get away!” came a croaky voice. Snowdrop stepped forwards, her throat still wrapped in bandages. “We didn’t sacrifice all this just to force others to have to go through the same thing. We are not doing what he,” she pointed at Guntram furiously, “wanted us to do.”

“Maybe if we split them up, sent them out one at a time?” mumbled the donkey, looking away from the white mare.

“What do you say, baron?” asked Big Wig, resting a leg on his wife's back. “You’re in charge. What should we do with them?”

Max stood up. He didn’t like having to make this sort of decision, but it was his responsibility. In some ways, the whole incident was his fault. “I’m... I’m sorry all this had to happen to you in the first place. It’s my job to protect you, I should have had something in place to have helped you...”

“You did help us, baron,” interrupted Bread. “You saved us, you saved our children when none of us were brave enough to. Thank you, baron.”

A cheer went up around the room and several ponies slapped him on the back. Max felt his heart soar at the attention. “Thank you! Thank you!” He held up a hoof for silence. “We will have to take them off for trial, and you are going to have to provide a guard, maybe a dozen strong ponies.” The cheering quickly died off. “You’ll only have to transport them to a larger town, maybe a week; once there, I’ll buy you supplies to make up for the loss.” He hoped. He’d reclaimed the money the bandits had taken from him, but this would take a big chunk out of his finances. “I’ll recommend to the judge that they be offered penal servitude here, to make up for their crimes.” He glanced over at the prisoners. He wasn’t sure how many of them would accept. He probably wouldn’t trust Guntram not to try and escape; maybe the pegasi or some of the griffons? As for Endre, who knew? He guessed judges were trained to tell if they would be flight risks or not. There was a general mumbling from the crowd. His declaration seemed to have received a mixed reaction.

Big Wig looked like he was going to argue for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, baron, I’ll organise a group.”

“You can probably wait a few days at least. The town and I could use some rest first. Plus I’d like to see the place and the ponies under better situations. See what I can do to help you.”

“Thank you, baron,” said Big Wig as the crowd started to dissipate a bit. “Maybe we can talk more somewhere else?”

“Sure,” said Max, standing with some effort and heading towards the door.

“Baron,” came a cry. Max turned to see that it had come from Endre, who stepped forwards towards him. One of the guards moved to try and push him back, but Max waved him away. “I heard your decision. You ponies seem to be a merciful lot.”

“We try to be, but we don’t accept everything.”

The moose nodded. “Maybe once my contract is up, your judge may assign me to your military. That is normally the way of things in the outer griffon kingdoms.”

“I don’t think things work that way here in Equestria.”

“We shall see, baron,” he said with a shrug.

“Maybe you should accept working off your debt here? I’m sure your children would rather you provided for them working on a farm than fighting.”

“Ah, baron, I may not understand Equestrians, but you do not understand my people. Still, as I said, we will see. It was good to meet you.”

“You too, Endre,” said Max.

16) Nulpar Tour : Days 39-45, Old Smokey

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Dear Fragrant

It’s been a nerve wracking week since we left North town, on the bright side I wasn’t lonely, with over a dozen villagers as well as the prisoners I almost had more company than I ever wanted. I never expected to work as a prison guard before. I suppose it could have been worse, but I constantly expected that the bandits would try to make a break for it, or cause trouble, or something. It was a bit surprising that they didn’t, but I guess if they felt as battered as I did they probably just wanted to try and rest as well.

I’m sorry I got hurt again, I know you worry, but really it was for a good cause. I couldn’t leave North Town as I found it. They’re my people, it’s my responsibility to look after them, it’s better I get hurt than they do. Not that I like getting hurt, I try not to, I really do, I just can't stand aside and let things happen if I can help it. It’s a bit different out here in Nulpar than up there in Cloudsdale, you’ve got lots of servants and guards and the like to look after your ponies, I’ve just got me.

Still I’m feeling much better now, you can’t keep a good earth pony down. I’ve been taking it easy and most of my bruises and the like have healed up by now. It’s this healthy mountain air!

I’ve gotten to know most of the villagers travelling with me quite well in our time together, they seem a decent bunch. One of them, Cross Stitch, was nice enough to patch my old bags together again, they’re not quite as good as new but they’re serviceable, she also fixed a few holes in my tent, which is good as the summer is starting to come to an end here, the nights are getting a little chilly.

I’ve actually gotten to know our prisoners a little as well. Guntram himself, well he’s still got his beak taped shut, which is probably just as well, judging by his eyes he probably doesn’t have anything good to say. His second Gunda is a little more pleasant, she still seems a bit confused by the whole thing, like she can’t understand what’s happening. The other griffons, Gottlob and Grundun, are twins apparently, they seem nervous, I think they worry about what’s going to happen at their trial. I’ve tried to get them to understand how Equestrian justice works, but they seem to still think they might get executed. I’m worried they’ll do something stupid so I’m trying to keep an eye on them.

The ponies among them, well it’s odd, the griffons are well, griffons, you expect them to be a little different, but you think you know ponies. The pegasi, Star Scream and Thunder Cracker, apparently grew up in the border zone between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdoms, I can understand that life must have been hard for them but I can’t understand how they ended up as they did. They clearly care for each other a lot, Star is worried about her broken wing, she’s scared she won’t be able to fly again and Thunder is doing whatever he can to make her feel better, but they don’t seem to grasp what they did, how much they hurt North Town taking its children away. The other pony, Reflector, he keeps to himself, I can’t really get a reading on him, he seems quite smart, educated even, but he just doesn’t seem to want to socialise.

Finally there’s Endre, he’s taking his captivity in his stride like it’s not a big thing. He’s talked a little about his family back in Elkheim, he seems to love them but I don’t know how he can hurt, and even kill, others to look after them, surely he could do something else? He seems to think that what he’s going is an honourable path, but I don’t understand.

Anyway, if we make good time today we should be at the town of Hoofington by the end of tomorrow. I’ve not been there before but if what I’ve heard is right it should be big enough to be able to take the prisoners off to Ambelon for trial. Then I should start on the last leg of my journey back home. I’m a bit behind schedule at the moment, but I should make it home in time for the festival, unless I get any major delays. Then once that’s over back to Canterlot and I’ll get to see you again.

I can’t wait.

Max

Dear Fragrant

I’m glad that’s finally over. Me and my prisoners finally went our separate ways today. We made it to Hoofington the day before last and to say they weren't pleased to see us would be an understatement. I thought they were going to throw us out on our ears at one point.

The mayoress, Shiny Bright, was certainly not pleased that we were bringing a bunch of bandits into her town. I had to argue with her for several hours before she finally agreed to take them off my hooves and take them into Ambelon for their trial. I even had to agree to pay her for it. Between that and getting the North Town gang the supplies they need means I’m more or less broke for the moment, I’m glad Prudence paid me for that work on the caravan. I may have to graze or scavenge what I can on the way home, although I have got some supplies left and most of the places I stop at on the way tend to feed me. I’m actually quite proud of my people on that front, they may not have that much but they’ll always willing to share what they have with visitors. It’s a point of pride and I’m very grateful for it.

After spending a day or so in Hoofington I wrote a report on what the bandits had done and got statements from the North Town folks. I left it all with Shiny, hopefully it should be enough for the court. I guess if they want anything else they’ll contact me in Sadlzburg or even Canterlot, if it takes that long.

Hooftington itself isn’t much to look at, not that much bigger than Norton. It’s in a plateau half way up a mountain. The area around it is surprisingly fertile and most of the available space is filled with farm land which supplies the settlements population, luckily that means that the food the North Town people needed was quite cheap. Hoofington acts as a base camp for a number of small bands of miners and prospectors who try to make their fortune in the surrounding area. I’d not heard of it but apparently they’ve had a few big strikes in the past but nothing significant in the last decade, they occasionally manage to find a cache of silver, diamonds or rare herbs, but only just enough to keep the place running.

Now that I can tick Hoofington off my list of places to see I can head south again back to more familiar territory. It’s good to get to see the whole of Nulpar but I can’t wait to get back to my old friends again.

On the road to home again.

Max

Dear Fragrant

It’s been quite a while since I last wrote, about a week I think. It’s not that I’ve been that busy, there are some small settlements in this part of Nulpar, enough to stop every few days to say hello at least. It’s that I’ve been thinking a lot, never a good situation for me really. As I’m getting closer and closer to home it’s getting nearer and nearer to the time when I’ll actually have to do something about all the suggestions I’ve got so far. Every settlement wants something and I don’t have the resources to help even a few of them at the moment, it’s going to be a hard decision. I don’t want to have to disappoint them, but I know I’m going to. Does Sadlzburg need roads more than Sharpside? Should North Town get special treatment given what happened there? So many questions.

Still this is my decision not yours, although I do wish you were there to give me advice, I’m sure you’d be much better at this than me.

Anyway it’s not like I’ve been spending all my time worrying, there’s some truly beautiful scenery here and I have been enjoying it. There is one thing I’ve always wanted to do and never got the chance before. I’ve always wanted to visit Old Smokey, it’s the only volcano in Nulpar, although some say that it’s actually the lair of an ancient dragon sleeping away the centuries. It’s not likely but I do want to find out, even if it is just a volcano, well I’ve never seen one of those either. I had originally intended to just go around it but as I've been making good time and have a few spare days I thought I’d take my chance and actually visit, you never know when I’ll get the time to do it again. I certainly don’t think I’ll be able do a trip like this every year, but one of my plans means I won’t have to.

Anyway I noticed something was up as I go closer, Old Smokey wasn’t living up to its name. The sky’s still a bit hazy but not a dark as I’d heard it was. Some days we could even see it from Sadlzburg but I have heard that the smoke has been thinning for the last few years. Maybe the volcano’s going to sleep, dormant, I think they call it. Certainly I had been worried about the smoke, I’ve heard tales of ponies who’ve gotten sick after staying in the area for a few weeks, and it certainly seems to have killed most of the plants and animals in the area. I’m not the most magic attuned earth pony but even I can feel something wrong in the ground, it’s like life is trying to burst forth but something's stopping it, but I think that something’s weakening and life’s getting ready to surge out again, I did see a few green shoots starting to poke out of the earth here and there and a few insects crawling around. Assuming the mountain doesn’t start smoking again this place might become beautiful.

Really the place is rather forbidding, mile after mile of barren rocks as far as the eye can see. Most of Nulpar’s not very fertile but normally there’s some growth. Here only the very hardiest of vegetation can get a grip and even that doesn’t look too healthy. Most of the smoke is gone but you can still smell the brimstone in the air. After a day of that I was ready to turn tail and head back but by then I was over half way to the mountain itself, and well, I was still curious what I would see.

It’s been two days now and I’m at the foot of the mountain itself, up close it’s not actually that impressive, bare and intimidating maybe, but as a mountain it’s not that much of a challenge. Most of it’s a fairly gentle slope and there looks like there will be lots of hoofholds. I can probably get to the top in less than half a day. Still no smoke as well, I sort of expect to wake up and see it belching out smoke and lava, but it seems inert.

I’m glad I still had some supplies with me, there was certainly no grazing here, still I won’t be able to stay long. I’m not going to get obsessed with this place like I was with the Dragontooth Pass, if I have any problems I’ll just about face and head back. I need to be in Herdstone in a week or so anyway. I’m going to get an early night and get up at first light tomorrow. I’ll get to the top, have a look around and then head back again, maybe I’ll find a souvenir, a genuine dragon scale! Or an interesting rock, maybe something to tell the survey team about if I see them again, I wonder if they’ve been here already?

Your mountain climbing coltfriend

Max

Panting hard, Max swung himself up onto the top of the peak. Gasping, he slumped to the ground. The last section of the ascent had been harder than he’s thought it would be. Still, he’d made it. Finally calming his breathing, he staggered to his hooves and looked around. The view certainly was spectacular; he could see the barren patch of earth that surrounded the mountain and how it slowly returned to a more natural green as it got further and further from the volcano. Still, it was a little disappointing, really. He’d wanted to do this for a long time now, and now that he’d done it, well, it wasn’t much different from any other peak. No lake of lava, no sleeping dragon, not even thick clouds of smoke. The smell of sulphur was stronger here, but certainly not overwhelming.

Giving a little shrug, Max set off to explore the peak now that he had conquered it. He’d have a quick look around, dig into his rapidly dwindling supplies for a quick meal, then start off back down the mountain. Maybe he could find an easier route down.

A quick scout around showed that the top of the mountain was largely flattened, but intriguingly there seemed to be a hole in it. A roughly circular crack, maybe three or four lengths wide, reaching down into the peak itself. Curious, Max leant forwards as far as he could to try to get a better view of the inside. It certainly led a long way down. The bottom was well beyond his sight; it looked like the whole peak was hollow. A warm breeze was blowing up from the depths. Maybe this really was a volcano, he thought.

Suddenly the sun came out from behind a cloud and a powerful beam of light illuminated the shaft. Squinting, Max thought he could make out the bottom of the cavern maybe a hundred feet below. And there, at the edge, something was glinting. Max frowned. What could that be? Some sort of crystal deposit? He thought about the tales of a dragon roosting here – maybe it was part of its hoard? He laughed to himself lightly. There was no need to get carried away.

Still, his curiosity had been peaked. He unlimbered the ropes he had with him. It was going to be close, but he thought he still had enough to reach the bottom, more or less. Glancing around for a strong looking rock, he quickly tied off one end and threw the other into the gap, watching it disappear into the gloom. Gripping his firefly lantern in his teeth, he gave it a shake to rouse the insects and slowly started to lower himself into the darkness.

Swinging his head around, Max tried to use his lantern to get a good look at the cavern he was in. Unfortunately the light was weak, the flies tired out by overuse, though the shaft of light from the hole in the roof helped a little. As he had guessed, the chamber was about a hundred feet tall and maybe twice that wide at the bottom. The walls were mostly smooth, apart from the occasional outcrop of crystals which reflected the little light that hit them, causing faint overlapping shadows. To Max’s imagination, the place seemed almost constructed.

Much of the centre seemed to consist of a depression mostly filled with steaming water, presumably heated by the volcano. Here and there a few rocks protruded above the liquid, many with a golden hue. Although interesting, most of Max’s attention was caught by a mass at the edge of his vision. It was hard to make out, but it looked like a pile of crystals and shiny materials rising out of the dirt and rubble. Off to one side sat a larger mound of detritus, as if the treasure had recently been uncovered.

It certainly brought to Max’s mind the legend that a dragon made its home in the mountain, and that dragons kept hoards. Max panted a little. Maybe the steam was starting to get to him, but that pile would certainly help finance his plans for Nulpar, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of a dragon. Maybe it was just a natural formation? He should at least get a closer look.

He looked down. The end of his rope sank into the bubbling water below, but there seemed to be several rocks large enough for him to stand on nearby, and the edge of the pool wasn’t that far away. Tightening his grip on the rope, he started to rock forwards and backwards slowly swinging above the liquid. Timing himself carefully, Max slipped down the rope and let go at the top of the swing. He flew through the air for a second before landing solidly on all four hooves on one of the boulders protruding from the water. He felt quite proud; he hadn’t even dropped his lantern. Surehoofedly, he hopped from rock to rock until he reached the shore. Then he stopped next to a large boulder to decide on his next move.

“So what have you gotten yourself into this time, Max?” he asked the empty air. Echoes ran around the dark chamber, twisting his words as they went.

Suddenly a crack opened in the nearby rock, revealing a faintly glowing golden eye. An inner eyelid lazily flickered over it for a moment, before the giant pupil slowly focused on Max. There was a great roar, and the boulder – and the eye it contained – rose into the air. Max stared stupidly at the scene for a moment until his brain finally resolved what he was seeing. The ‘boulder’ had been the head of some giant creature; it was slightly canine with a muzzle longer than Max’s whole body. From the back of its head protruded a pair of antler-like horns, which split into two halfway down their length. The top, back, and sides of the head were covered in a mane of pale green hairlike material, which formed a neat beard and also spread down a neck maybe four or five lengths long before merging into a golden crest that ran the rest of its long sinuous body. Two sets of comparatively short legs tipped with vicious looking talons dragged the creature out of the water. Steaming liquid spilled from its titanic form as it moved. It reared up and a huge set of membranous wings spread wide, seeming to encompass the whole of Max’s world. Its tail, easily a further four lengths long, slammed into the ground nearby, almost knocking Max from his hooves. The creature lifted its head towards the cavern roof and let out another roar as blue flame spilled from its mouth, turning Max’s rope to ash in a fraction of a second. It looked back towards the shocked pony, the golden scales encompassing its whole form glittering in the reflected light of its flame and the sunlight filtering into the cave, making it look like a shard of the sun come to life before him. For a moment it paused, seeming to await a response.

Max’s mouth dropped open, the lantern falling from it to shatter on the ground and release its flies. “Dragon!” he whispered. He remained rooted to the spot for a moment before the terror finally caught up with him, and his legs each tried to run in a different direction.

“Stay still, little pony,” the dragon hissed, moving its head closer. One of its rear legs scratched irritably at its side. Max’s legs started to backpedal away. “Still!” it insisted, freezing Max in place. “What are you doing in my lair, little pony? Who are you?”

“Baron Mounty Max,” Max replied automatically. “I was just looking around, just looking,” he babbled. “There were legends that there was a dragon here, and the smoke went away, so I came to look. You’re so big! So golden!”

The muscles of the dragon’s face shifted around for a second into what Max hoped was a smile rather than a grimace. “I am, am I not?” The creature reared up again, once again illuminating its form in the shaft of light. “Am I not the most powerful creature you have ever seen? The most magnificent? The most fearsome?”

Max nodded dumbly. “I... I didn’t think I’d ever live to see a real live dragon. Old Smokey himself!”

“Old Smokey!?” the dragon roared, a taloned arm flashing out and cutting into the ground to Max’s right. Its back writhed in seeming discomfort.

“That’s what we call the mountain and the dragon that lives here, you,” stuttered Max. “Mothers would tell their foals that if they didn’t eat their hay, then Old Smokey would come out and he’d...” He trailed off. The dragon looked less than impressed, and suddenly the old tales didn’t seem as funny as they used to.

“I am female,” she roared. Max tried to stop his eyes from making their way across her body to try and prove this statement. Maybe there was a bit of a feminine curve to her muzzle, behind the beard. “I am Vorel’aurix-levethuix,” she paused for a fraction of a second before continuing, “Maekrix-book-rasvim. In your tongue, Beautiful Golden Wizard, Ruler of the Book Treasure.”

“Um, your name’s very fitting, you are very golden and beautiful!” He frowned. Book Treasure?

There was a deep rumbling from the dragon’s chest. “Yes, I am sure you have not seen anything as beautiful as me.”

Max suddenly flashed back to the sight of Fragrant descending from the cloudhome at the Eyrie wearing that green dress, to the gala swooping down to save him and Scootaloo while wearing striped socks, and to their first meeting at the train station. “You’re very beautiful,” he agreed a little lamely. There was a pause and Max realised that Vorel was waiting for him to continue. It began to filter into Max’s mind that the dragon hadn’t killed him yet and seemed to be fishing for compliments. Could he actually talk his way out of this? “The way your scales glimmer in the sun light is breath-taking – it looks like you’re coated in a molten river of, um, gold,” he started. “Your strength is incredible, more than a hundred ponies’. Your talons, well, they’re as sharp as diamonds.” Seemingly pleased, the dragon flexed her claws, once again piercing the ground. Hoping this was a good sign, Max continued, “Your breath is hotter than a forge, your teeth are like spears, you're the largest, scariest creature I’ve ever seen, I... I like your mane?” he concluded, running out of compliments.

“Nice words, little pony,” said the dragon, lowering her head towards him so that her eyes bored into his. “Now, where did you come from? What brought you here?”

“Well, I come from Sadlzburg, it’s a town maybe a fortnight’s trot to the south, but I’ve been travelling. I’ve always wanted to climb Old... to climb this mountain, and now that the smoke cleared, it seemed a good time. Was that because of you?”

The dragon nodded. “My sleep breath prevents my rest from being disturbed, but now that I am awake,” her mouth gaped wide in a very frightening yawn, “it is not needed any more. But you should not have disturbed my bathing,” she said a little peevishly.

Max’s eyes flicked over to the still bubbling pool of water. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“A century of sleep tends to build up a certain amount of dust and dirt. I like to take the effort to look my best. Not all of my people do! Now, how long has your Sadlzburg been here, Baron Mounty Max?”

“Oh, well, my great grandmother was one of the first settlers in the area, but she was young then. Maybe a bit over a hundred years ago, it only became a full town in my grandfather's time, sixty two years ago now.” Max had had the certificate in his office when he’d been mayor. “There’s always been goats in the area and a few ponies, but we were one of the earliest large settlements,” he boasted.

“And this Sadlzburg is the closest settlement?”

“Uh, no, Hoofington and Herdstone are a closer, maybe about a week away, and there are a few farmsteads two or three days away. Nopony comes here because, well, there isn’t much here.”

“So many! So close!” hissed Vorel. “Before I slept, there was nothing for two days flight in any direction! Why must there be so many of you ponies? Sticking your muzzles into everything? Why must you be,” she screwed up her face in disgust, “so fecund.”

“Um, sorry?” said Max.

“I think I may have overslept,” mumbled the dragon. “Not even you ponies could blight the land so soon. More likely I have been dormant for one and a half, maybe even two centuries.”

Max’s eyebrows shot up. He’d been known to sleep in occasionally, but for an extra century? Well, unless there was a lake of coffee nearby, he guessed it was hard to get going after being asleep for a hundred years. As if to agree with his thoughts, the dragon yawned again, blasting Max with hot air.
“I am still weary, but I have things to do now that I know this area is swarming with ponies. You may be able to help rouse me fully, little pony,” said the dragoness, looking down at Max, seeming to measure him up.

“Harder!” moaned the dragoness, her back arching, almost dismounting Max from his position on her. “That spot just there is perfect!” she keened, her eyes rolling back in their sockets and a talon jerking out and tearing a shallow furrow into the rock floor of the cave. “More! More!” she commanded, her long forked tongue hanging from her mouth. “Don’t you dare finish yet!”

Max paused to wipe the sweat from his brow. This was hard work. He certainly didn’t imagine that he’d be spending his day doing this when he got up this morning. Still, he was always up for a challenge. He wasn’t really sure if Fragrant would approve of this, but she didn’t need to know everything that happened to him. “I... I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,” he gasped.

“You ponies have no stamina,” said the dragoness, twisting her head around to look at Max. She was panting slightly, her hot breath helping to evaporate the fluids staining Max’s coat. “Very well,” her voice rose slightly as Max’s thrusts found a particularly sensitive spot, “you may finish.” Giving a final jerk against the golden scales he was lying against, Max slumped to the ground, spent. Vorel contorted her body, coiling it around itself as she sunk to the ground. Her head not far from Max, she gazed at him, her eyes lidded. “Still, I am satisfied with your performance, little pony.” She stretched a little. “Very satisfied. I may call upon your services in future, if I feel the need.”

Max nodded tiredly. It looked like dragon back scratcher was another thing to add to his list of jobs. The golden dragoness had explained that after her long sleep, some of her scales had become damaged and were irritating her. She indicated that her talons could not quite reach certain spots, a rather terrifying sight given that her claws were longer than his forelegs. Her boiling bath had been intended to try and salve the itch, but now that Max was here, she had other options. At her bidding, he had rather nervously clambered onto her back searching for the damaged areas. He found one quickly enough; the charred remains of what looked like a large root had made its way between and under two scales, each about the size of his head. Had some sort of plant grown on top of the dragon while she’d been sleeping? He tugged at the root, but it seemed to be stuck fast; at Vorel’s instruction he had instead started to yank at the damaged scale. It had taken all his might, but eventually, with an organic squelching sound, it had detached itself from her skin, freeing the root and leaving a thin trail of steaming blood. Judging from Vorel’s gasp, it seemed that the process provided some relief. Beneath the freshly shed scale, the dragon's flesh was pale and inflamed. Max could make out a new scale starting to push up from below. Vorel had instructed him to rub the affected area, and he had somewhat gingerly poked her flesh with a hoof. It had been warm, far beyond pony body temperature. The dragon had roared at him to put more effort into it, and he had begun to scuff the injured area with his hooves, which brought forth a mumble of contentment from his host as the sting was salved. In the end, he had spent almost two hours running from spot to spot, dealing with the damage done to the dragon's skin during her long sleep.

Struggling to his hooves, he trotted over to one of the removed scales. It was less lustrous than those still attached to their owner, but still glinted in the little light that filtered into the cavern from above. Rather than being smooth, it was covered in numerous grooves and folds that glittered as he tilted it. He turned the scale over and dropped it in disgust as he found that a large group of snails had apparently colonised it. No wonder it had itched!

Vorel noticed his actions and picked up the scale between two talons. Glancing at it, she pierced her lips and blew a thin wisp of blue fire over it before returning it to Max. “Your,” she seemed to search for a word for a moment, “payment, Baron Mounty Max. A souvenir to remind you of my magnificence.” She uncoiled and stretched out again, unfurling her wings. The light in the cave refracted off of her scales and caused Max’s jaw to drop. She smiled at his reaction. “That is better. I will not feel fully clean until I have undergone a complete shed, but that will do for the moment. Now, little pony, I think it is about time to check on my hoard.”

Max glanced around at the pile of jewels and precious metals that filled a corner of the cave to almost his head height. “Isn’t that it over there?” he asked.

“No, Baron Mounty Max,” she said with gentle humour. “That is more of a snack, something to eat if I awoke hungry.” Her mouth gaped at the last word, giving Max a good view of her spear-like teeth. He gulped painfully. It looked like the legend that dragons ate gems was correct. Hopefully the tales that they ate ponies weren’t. “My true hoard is buried not far from here, and I very much hope has lain undisturbed while I slept. If it has not...” She growled. “...then I will have my vengeance on any that would steal from me.” She glared at Max again. He really hoped that nothing had happened to her hoard, because, whether he had been involved or not, he strongly suspected that Vorel would take it out on him.

Vorel led Max into the darkness beyond the shaft of light, which illuminated her sleeping chamber. With the only source of light the faint glow from the dragon's eyes, Max had to feel his way down the passageway. The walls seemed oddly smooth. There was barely enough room for Max and the dragon to walk abreast; that, and the lack of light, caused Max to frequently stumble into his host, to the displeasure of both of them.

“Keep your distance, little pony,” hissed Vorel.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I can hardly see my hoof in front of my face here, and there isn’t much room!” complained Max.

The dragon hissed. “I was smaller when I made this path,” she admitted, “and I had forgotten how weak pony eyes were.” She took in a deep breath, and for a moment Max thought she was going to use her fire breath to light the path, but instead she made two spitting sounds. A pair of glowing golden orbs were emitted from her mouth and began to orbit around her, shining on her titanic form. The light reflected off her scales, illuminating the whole tunnel. Max blinked in the sudden glare. The tunnel they were in was almost perfectly circular and sloped downwards and to the right. Looking backwards, it seemed that the whole structure formed a corkscrew leading down into the mountain.

“Did you make all this yourself?” asked Max.

“It was nothing,” said Vorel with somewhat fake modesty. “Now that I have grown, I will need to work on it again.”

“Grown?”

“Dragons grow with our hoard. I recently added to mine quite considerably,” she said with pride. “But we need to sleep to allow our minds to grow used to our new bodies. My extended rest is a sign of my increased power!” She preened a little, once again trying to pose in the light of her orbs, but was stopped by the size of the tunnel as her head smacked painfully against the roof. “Hurry,” she said a little sourly. “My hoard is not much further and I want to make sure it is safe.” She set off down the tunnel faster, forcing Max to trot to keep up.

It wasn’t long until they came to the end of the path. There, on one side, the smoothness of the tunnel has been disturbed and instead it was blocked by a rough collection of rubble. Not pausing, Vorel started to burrow through the obstruction, great claws heaving aside the rocks, while she bit at – and swallowed – others. Seemingly ignored, Max had to jump aside several times to avoid being struck by the shower of smaller rocks the dragon’s digging was throwing up as she went. Despite the speed at which she dug, it still took Vorel almost half an hour to excavate the tunnel. She seemed quite frantic by the end, when she finally broke through into the chamber beyond. Max was struck by the stench of stale air wafting out, which made his eyes water. Apparently not discomforted in the least, Vorel slithered her way past the remainder of the blockage. Waiting a minute or two for the air to clear a little, Max clambered into the chamber beyond.

The room must have been large; its walls and ceiling were beyond the light reflecting from Vorel’s scales. Max could just about make out shapes in the darkness, but nothing was glimmering. He had expected a vast pile of silver and gems; where was the hoard? He turned to Vorel. She had reared up onto her hind legs and had stretched out to apparently get a better look at the room. She seemed almost in awe, or was she shocked? Max shivered – had something happened to her hoard while she was sleeping? Had it been stolen? He started to back away slowly. He didn’t doubt she would blame him for anything missing. Vorel’s head suddenly whipped around, seeming to notice him again. “Magnificent, is it not?” she asked.

“Well, I can’t really see...” began Max.

“Of course.” She turned and spat again and again and again. Several dozen glowing orbs emerged from her mouth and took up positions around the chamber, shedding their golden light in every direction. Max shielded his eyes from the sudden light and blinked. He and Vorel were standing on a ledge about three lengths above the floor of a large chamber. It was maybe about half as tall as the one above, but just as wide around. Lines of hollows had been somehow carved out of the walls, and blocky shapes filled most of them. Max leaned forwards to look at some of the closest. Books! The room was full of thousands upon thousands of books! They covered the shelves that made up the walls and were stacked dozens deep on the floor. Suddenly something clicked in his head. “Ruler of the Book Treasure! You’re a librarian!”

“What is a librarian?” asked Vorel, not taking her eyes of the sight in front of her.

“Um, someone who looks after a lot of books. We call a place with lots of books a library.”

“Librarian.” The dragon seemed to taste the word. “Maekrix-book-rasvim,” she said a little more forcefully. “This is my book treasure, my hoard. Is it not glorious!”

“It certainly is impressive!” exclaimed Max. “There are a lot of them.” He wasn’t that much of a reader, but he’d seen the royal library once or twice while he was in Canterlot. It was bigger than this by quite a bit, but it was spread out over several wings; he didn’t think he’d seen so many in one room. He looked at the nearest shelf. The contents seemed quite eclectic; many were in languages he didn’t understand, but he could make out what looked like an old cooking book and an illustrated story book. “A very varied collection.” Oddly, none of them seemed dusty or stained despite being left for so long.

“Most of my kin do not consider books to be a true treasure,” said Vorel bitterly. “But are they not desired by your people? Do they not fight over them, and the words they contain?”

“Yeah, I suppose they do,” said Max, thinking about the few times when new books became available in Sadlzburg’s library. Everypony liked a new distraction, particularly in the middle of winter when there wasn’t much else to do.

“Come,” she commanded as she took flight, and alighted next to a pillar a little shorter than she was, set in the centre of the chamber. Hurriedly, Max scampered down to the floor of the chamber. The books there seemed less cared for than the rest of the collection. Max checked out a few as he passed; they all seemed to be in Griffish, as best he could tell. He had a suspicion that they might be the most recent addition to the hoard, and their previous owners might not have given them up entirely willingly. Although if what Vorel has said about her sleep was correct, those owners had probably been dead for a century or more by now. Still, it was probably something he’d have to deal with eventually, preferably when he wasn’t alone with a dragon.

By the time he had reached the pillar, Vorel had lifted a book from it with surprising delicacy. It was a collection of mismatched pages sewn together to make a rough book. Despite its obvious age, it seemed in perfect condition. In its cover was drawn five symbols linked together in a rough circle. “This was my first,” she said in a hushed voice. “My first book, my first true hoard. It was almost five hundred years ago, when I was but a whelp, smaller than you. One of the elders had returned to the Forge from the camel lands, bearing treasures to add to her hoard. A great number of camels foolishly followed; they, and their spirit thralls, attacked the forge itself. They were slaughtered, of course,” she hissed dismissively. “But I watched as they tried to march on the elder’s hoard. They ignored the gold and diamonds, the statues, the art; time and again they fought to obtain this alone.” She held out the book again. “When the last of them had been driven off, I crept out and took it. The elder did not recognise its worth; she only gave me a beating for my impudence rather than reclaiming it. The other whelps tried to take it from me, as they had my previous treasures, but I beat them, I beat them all. It was my first growth. I knew how important this was, how precious; it was my heart treasure!”

“What is it?” asked Max, in awe at the scene the dragon painted with her words. “What does it say?”

With careful movements of her claws, Vorel opened the book to reveal a scribble of writing in a language Max did not understand. “It is the thoughts of the camel prophet on the meaning of harmony, written by his own hoof. But the words do not matter. That the camels wanted it, how important it was to them, that is important. And it is mine, and always will be.” She closed her claws again, holding the book to her breast. “And from that to all this,” she said, gesturing around the room.

“How many are there here?” asked Max.

“Thirty nine thousand, six hundred and twenty seven,” came an almost instantaneous answer.

Max blinked. “You just know that by heart?”

“Of course, I know my hoard as well as I know my own scales. It is just as much a part of me as they are. But I must check,” she hissed. “I can’t lose even one!” With a flap of her mighty wings, Vorel leapt into the air, hovering in the centre of the chamber. Light flashed from her eyes, sweeping over the walls of the chamber like a lighthouse beacon. As it passed each book, it gave out a faint sound, like a bell being struck. The notes built upon each other to form an unearthly symphony, at once harmonic and discordant. Max was forced to cover his ears from the racket while the dragon seemed to drink in the sound. “They are all here,” she breathed, loud enough to be heard even over the sound. “Every one!” Then she cocked her head to the side for a moment and turned to Max. The sound around the chamber died down, and Max moved his hooves from his ears, finally able to hear again. There seemed to be a ringing in his head, and for a moment he was worried his hearing had been damaged. Then he realised the ringing was actually coming from his saddlebags. “Another!” cried Vorel, swooping down towards Max.

Max’s eyes widened and he backed away from the dragon as quickly as he could. “I didn’t, I didn’t take anything!” he protested.

“I do not recognise it. It is not one of mine... yet,” said the dragoness as she landed next to Max, causing the ground to shake slightly.

Max’s mind raced. He didn’t have any books, did he? His notebooks, did they count? Then he remembered the present from Midnight’s Folly. He’d forgotten about it. As quickly as he could, he tore open the top of his bags and grabbed the book. It had gotten dirty at the bandits camp, and a bit wet, but he’d kept hold of it for sentimental reasons. Reasons that didn’t seem so important now that he had a dragon literally breathing down his neck. He grabbed the book and held it out. “Here, accept it as a present from the people of Nulpar to you!”

The dragon cocked its head and looked at him strangely for a moment, before, to his surprise, her tongue flicked out and wrapped around the book. It had to be at least as long as a pony. The book was yanked from his hooves and laid on the floor between him and Vorel. “Your tribute is accepted, little pony,” she hissed, looking down at the book. “It is dirty!”

“Sorry, there were bandits, you see, and they broke my bags and it fell in the mud,” he babbled.

Vorel took a deep breath and carefully exhaled a stream of golden fire over the book. To Max’s surprise, it didn’t burst into flames; instead, it flipped open, and page by page, the dirt encrusting it was drawn off and pulled into a small ball of mud off to one side. As he watched, the water damage seemed to reverse itself, and even the slight tears in some of the pages sealed up. “Better,” said Vorel. She turned to a blank section of wall and once again breathed the golden fire over it, causing the rock to melt away and form a new section of bookshelf. Picking the book up with her tongue again, she gently placed it in its new home. “Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet,” she read. “I have not heard of this.”

“Oh, it’s quite good, it’s part of a series.”

“There are others?” she asked, turning her head towards Max again. Her eyes flashed avariciously.

“Yes, but I don’t have any with me.”

“Where?” she demanded.

“Well, most of the settlements have some books in them. Any of them might have a copy. Sadlzburg itself has a library, it’s nothing like the scale of this one, but we’ve worked quite hard on it...” he trailed off, realising what he had said. If, like he suspected, Vorel had raided the Griffons to get part of her collection, she wouldn’t hesitate to attack the local settlements. Given the mass of treasure upstairs, she could probably buy every book in Nulpar several times over, but even if he could talk her into doing so, it wasn’t likely that his people would take the appearance of a giant fire-breathing lizard with golden scales turning up in the middle of town well. At the very least, it would cause a panic.

“Interesting,” said Vorel. “I shall have to visit your town soon,” she continued, confirming Max’s fears. There has to be some way to persuade her to stay here, at least for the moment, thought Max.

“Um, what about your hoard?” asked Max.

“What about it?”

“How would you protect it while you’re gone? Couldn’t someone else steal from it?”

The dragon reared back, staring down at the small pony in front of her. “No one would dare!”

“But it’s so big and so impressive. Surely other dragons would want it, to prove they could steal from Vorel.”

“My name is Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim!” roared the dragon. “Do not insult me by using only part of it! Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim!”

“Right, sorry, Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim,” said Max, raising his hooves in a conciliatory gesture. “If you left to get more books, surely they might come and steal your hoard? Like the whelps used to do?”

“Maybe,” admitted the dragon, sinking back to the ground. She pawed it distractedly, tearing furrows in the rock.

“Now, what if you turned this place into a library?” he suggested. “Ponies would lend and borrow books then. They’d bring books to you, and you’d never have to leave your hoard.”

“Borrow?” asked the dragon curiously.

“Take away for a bit and then bring...” began Max.

“No one will take any of my hoard!” cried Vorel with enough volume to knock Max from his hooves. Her eyes were glowing, and smoke was starting to seep from her mouth.

“There are also reference libraries!” exclaimed Max, trying to stagger up again. “They don’t lend books, ponies come to them to look at the books, but not take them!”

Calming slightly, Vorel lowered her head towards Max again. “Go on,” she said with a dangerous rumble in her voice.

“Well, ponies could bring tribute to you, more books! In exchange they would get to look at your books, admire how big and varied your hoard is. I’m sure they’d be impressed by you as well, your size and strength, and your lovely scales!” Vorel spread her wings and posed again for a moment, glowing in the light of her magical globes. “The magic you can do as well!” said Max. “Ponies would love to see that!” The book-cleaning spell would certainly be useful. They could bring damaged books to the dragon. It would be certainly better than having to throw them away.

“Ponies would come here to admire me?” she asked, a little uncertainly.

“Well, who wouldn’t? Now that I’ve seen you, I certainly want to tell everypony I know about you!”

The dragoness cocked her head to one side for a moment. “I would not have to leave and hunt for books. You would bring them to me,” she muttered. “And ponies would come to admire me and my hoard. Yes... Yes, I think this will be acceptable, Baron Mounty Max. You will arrange for ponies to bring tribute to me, but not too many. Any who try to trick or steal from me will suffer... do you understand?”

“Yes, Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim,” said Max, hoping he got the dragon’s name right. “I’m sure we can sort something out that will benefit both you and the rest of Nulpar.”

Author's Notes:

This chapter very nearly didn't exist and was actually the last written of this block (although there is another chapter I'll put up in a few days it was actually written first). Originally I just mentioned that Max passed near Old Smokey and it was rumoured that the mountain had a dragon in it and that was it. However, G&C2 said that that was to good an opportunity to miss and I had to include the dragon. I was a little unsure (and still am) as I didn't want to make Nulpar 'unusual', it is of course unique but similar enough to many boarder provinces to not stand out that much . Still I did eventually change my mind and started to write and once I did I really enjoyed this chapter, it's my favourite out of this block I think, Vorel is a very fun character to write.

As always thanks to Mooncalf for editing and to G&C2 for his suggestions and for making me write the chapter in the first place and especially to Rainbowdoubledash for his help with defining L-verse dragons.

As always comments are welcome.

17) Nulpar Tour : Days 46-62, Pinegraves

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Dear Fragrant

Wow! A real live dragon! Despite the rumours I never thought I’d actually get to meet a dragon. She was so big, and scary and, well, vain. I guess Nulpar really does contain all sorts! We talked for quite a bit before she let me go, well I did a lot of the talking, she was mostly checking on all her books, but she seemed quite interested in the changes while she’s been asleep, trains, records, telegraph, photographs. She seemed quite taken with the idea of film, with ponies everywhere getting to see a recorded image although she seemed a bit let down that they’re only black and white.

The pile of gems she slept on was huge, I could do a lot of good for Nulpar with just a fraction of that. Although I’m not sure if I’ll be asking her to pay any taxes any time soon. Still I’d guess that a bunch of universities would like to send teams to look at those books though, a sort of academic tourist trade? Maybe I could charge for access? Do any of Cloudsdale’s universities want to study a dragon and her library? She seemed keen as long as they pay her ‘tribute’ which given she seemed quite happy with a single novel might not cost very much, still I’m not sure how many she would consider a ‘few’ visitors, best to keep it to a minimum.

Anyway, I’m more of less out of the barren area around Old Smokey, we might have to rename it now, Vorel’s peak? Vorel’s Library? The Golden Library? I suppose now that her ‘sleep breath’ has stopped things will start to grow again, it might even be possible to get farming here, but that’s something to think on much later.

Looking towards the future.

Max.

Dear Fragrant

It’s been over a week since I last wrote to you and the landscape is changing as I travel. I’ve been making my way south and the peaks of the mountains are starting to fall away, all that’s left are foothills now, I miss them a bit, all those challenges to overcome, still it does mean that there are more settlements around now, which means I’ve got a better chance of getting to sleep in a real bed rather than my increasingly threadbare tent. I think I’ll probably need to get another soon.

The climate’s starting to change as well, summer is coming to an end and autumn’s starting to draw in. I’ve seen a few weather pegasi about rounding up spare clouds to start on the damper weather due soon. The princess is starting to lower the sun earlier and it’s getting colder as the nights get longer, I’m glad to get home before we get the first snows.

Still I’ve got a few other towns to stop at first, Herdstone is up next, I should be there in about a day or two if things go to plan.

Here’s hoping

Max

Dear Fragrant

I made it to Herdstone yesterday. It’s Nulpar’s third largest town, its set in one of the few flattish areas among the undulating hills around these parts. The farmers who live here graze herds of sheep in the surrounding areas which results in a rich harvest of wool. In just a few week’s time they’ll transport it all down to Sadlzburg and then on to the markets of Praris and beyond.

In a way getting this far is like coming home, I’ve been here lots of times before, I know it’s mayoress Mooriel quite well, she’s a middle aged cow, in a way she reminds me of Mrs G a bit. I made sure to tell her about the dragon up at Old Smokey, she took it quite well I think, she was a bit panicked but seemed happy with my library plan, anyone coming from the rest of Equestria will probably have to stop here on the way to the dragon's hoard so it’s a plus for her. After that we spent most of a day in the town discussing future plans. When I was just the mayor of Sadlzburg I had planned to try and build the next stretch of road up to here, it would have made it much easier transport of the wool it produces, but now I’m baron I’m not so sure anymore. Do other areas need the resources more?

While I was having dinner with her last night Mooriel asked if she could come with me on the next leg of my trip. She’s planning to visit Sadlzburg for the autumn fair and hoped that leaving a little early would give her a chance to visit one of her nephews who lived in Pinegraves. That's my next stop so I agreed, it’ll be nice to have a little company on the journey.

If things go to plan I should be back in Sadlzburg in as little as three days, just in time for the start of the festival.

Max

Dear Fragrant

I’m writing this on the path to Pinegraves to give me a chance to clear my head. I like Mooriel, I really do, but it turns out I like her better in small doses. The thing is she talks and talks and talks. She just doesn’t stop, ever!

I think I’ve heard the entire life history of every one of her, very, extended family, from her son Bullie, to her second cousin twice removed, Moory. I think the only time she was quiet was when we started to enter the woodlands. They cover a good patch of south eastern Nulpar all the way down to Sadlzburg. I have to admit they do look a bit unnerving from the outside, dark and sort of spooky but I know from past experience that there aren't many truly dangerous animals in the area.

The going through the forest would have been hard if it wasn’t for the wide paths that had been carved by year’s worth of caravans traveling between Herdstone and Sadlzburg. It’s why I thought it would be easy to extend the road network up here, the caravans have already done some of the hard work.

We’ve been travelling for much of the day now and we should be coming up on Pinegraves soon. It’s the last of Nulpar’s towns on my tour and it’s both the newest and smallest. It’s got quite an interesting history, it was founded by a dissident group of lumberjacks from Nulpar when I was young. There was some argument about which areas of the forest could be cleared. The lumberjacks split into two groups, one, led by Caoimhe’s family, had remained in Sadlzburg while the other, led by a stallion called Chipboard had headed off into the forest to start their own settlement. It’s grown quite a bit over the years and Chipboard’s wife Silver Fir is in charge now, still calling it a town is rather generous, it’s more of a large village, but its inhabitants are proud of their home and I don’t want to anger them by claiming otherwise.

Ah, it sounds like Moorial wants to set off again, now she wants to tell me about her latest grandcalf.

Wish me luck.

Max

The town itself almost seemed to sneak up on the two travellers. One moment they were walking a well-used path cut through thick forest; the next, the trees had been cleared to make way for farmland, and there, not far away, was a mid-sized collection of wooden buildings. Max was recognised as soon as he entered the town itself, and one or two of the inhabitants nodded their greetings as he passed.

“I think our paths separate here,” said Mooriel as they made their way down the town's main street. “Moory lives down here.” She gestured to a side street.

“Nice spending time with you,” said Max politely. It had been nice to have some company, although a little silence would have helped. “I should be setting off to Sadlzburg tomorrow, maybe the day after. Will you be joining me then?”

Mooriel thought for a moment. “Maybe,” she said. “But I’ll probably stay a bit longer. I haven’t seem Moory for a while, we’ve got lots to catch up on. I’ll probably follow on in a few days. I should still be there in time for the festival itself.”

Max nodded. “All right then. I might see you later, if not then at the festival. I’ll mention to Silver Fir that you’re in town in case she wants to talk about something.”

Mooriel nodded. “I’ll see you about, baron.”

“‘Noon, Max,” said Chipboard, giving a casual nod. He was a tall earth pony in his early sixties; his coat was a rather dull brown, and his mane, originally dark red, now looked pinker due to the number of grey hairs present. He had been well-muscled as a youth, honed by years of chopping down trees, but since his retirement he had quickly gone to seed. He had been responsible for the founding of the town, but over the years had passed most of the responsibility of running it over to his wife. ”I mean baron,” he corrected and tried to change the motion into a bow, almost overbalancing. The large earth pony was standing in the door to the town hall, which Max thought was a rather overly grand building, given the size of the town.

Max tried to hold in a sigh. He wished less ponies would take his new title so seriously. It wasn’t like he was any different to how he’d been last year. “Max is fine, Chip,” he said. “How are things? I hoped I could have a chat with your wife about the town, maybe have a look around and chat with some of your people.”

“Of course, she heard about your tour thing, been expecting you. All she’d talk about for the last few weeks.” He lowered his voice. “She’s got this idea that you’ll...”

As if on cue, there was a cry from further inside the town hall. “Who is it, Chip?”

“It’s the baron, dear,” called back Chipboard with an awkward smile.

“Baron!” cried Mayoress Silver Fir as she rushed up to the door. She quickly came to a stop and tried to compose herself. Silver was a rather attractive earth pony mare a decade or so older than Max. Her coat matched her name, whereas her mane was made up of alternating light and dark green stripes. Her family had built themselves up over the years from subsistence farmers to become the most powerful money lenders in the area, running a credit union which stretched over much of the south west of Nulpar; it had actually funded some of Max’s development plans. It had come as something of a surprise when she threw her support behind Chipboard’s idea of founding a new settlement. “So good of you to grace us with your presence.” She gave a little curtsy.

“You really don’t need to...” began Max again.

“No, no, we should. You’re a baron, Max, a member of the Princess’s Court, a noble. You deserve our respect.”

“I suppose...” began Max, giving a grimace. “But really I’m just, well, me. I work for you and all of Nulpar.”

“The princess chose you personally, Max. She must have seen something special about you. After all, she’s the princess,” insisted Silver.

Max shuffled uncomfortably for a moment. “Anyway,” he said, changing the topic, “I should talk to you about how Pinegraves is doing. What I can do to help you more?”

“Of course, I heard of your tour. I had hoped that you’d visit us earlier,” she said a little disapprovingly.

“Well, you know, better late than never,” said Max with a shrug. “I know Pinegraves quite well as it is, but there are other settlements I’ve never seen before...”

“That does not make us any less important,” said Silver icily.

“Of course not,” said Max quickly.

“Good,” replied Silver more cheerfully. “Now, why don’t we go to talk to some of my people, then you must eat with us tonight. I’ll have our chef make something special.”

“Chef?” asked Max in surprise.

“Well sort of,” said Chipboard. “Old Mrs Sawblade cooks for us a few days a week. Does some cleaning about the place as well.”

Silver glared at her husband, who turned away, looking awkward. “Of course we have a chef, baron. I’m sure you have gotten used to such things while you were in Canterlot. I like to think things aren't that different here, for the right ponies.”

Max frowned a little. He didn’t actually have any servants back in Canterlot, per say; Mrs G occasionally did a bit of cleaning or cooking around his place when he was too busy. He should probably thank her for that. Maybe cook her something?

“Anyway, shall we be off?” said Silver, gesturing towards the door.

The tour didn’t take very long. There wasn’t that much to Pinegraves, really. Max chatted with a few groups of lumberjacks who seemed content enough with their lot, followed by a visit to one of the areas where new trees were being grown, then a quick trip to the wagon park where most of the cut trees had been packed, ready for transport. Finally, he was shown around the dozen or so businesses that made up the town proper. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen on previous trips. Still, Silver seemed very keen to point out the growth of her town and the opportunities for future investment. Max nodded along and added her ideas to the pile of notes he had from the other settlements. He was going to have great difficulty deciding what to do next. Still, at least Pinegraves had a road connecting it to other nearby settlements. It allowed its lumber to be easily transported to Sadlzburg.

After the tour was completed, Silver quickly arranged for him to get a room with one of the local families, and left him alone to settle in after making sure he knew that he was invited to dinner tonight.

“Drink, baron?” asked Chipboard, holding up a bottle of dark ale.

Max considered for a moment. He normally found the home-made drink rather too bitter for his taste, but it would be rude to refuse his host. “Just the one,” he said. He had arrived at the town hall on time, and felt a little underdressed as both of his hosts were wearing their finest, whereas he was naked. Silver Fir had told him that it didn’t matter, and after making sure he was comfortable had slunk away to supervise the cooking.

“When Silver says supervise, she means she’s going to do most of the cooking herself,” advised Chip. “Old Mrs Sawblade makes a good leek and potato pie, but she doesn’t have a clue when it comes to fancy stuff.”

“I’m more of a leek and potato stallion anyway,” said Max, shrugging.

“Me too, really,” admitted Chip. “But Silver says we should be ‘posher’, like this place is for the posh.” He gestured around at the town. “She’s always been a bit ambitious, wanting to better herself. I try to support her best I can, but I’m a down to earth earth pony.” Max nodded. “Just as well. You becoming baron was a surprise, or she’d have fought you for it,” continued Chip with a grin. Max frowned. He’d found out that Iron had been on the short list. Had Silver’s name been on it to?

“Dinner’s almost ready,” said Silver, sticking her head around the door. “If you could just make your way to the dining room.” She nodded towards the long table, which filled up half of the room Max was already standing it. He frowned again. Weren't they already in the dining room?

Chipboard picked up on Max’s confusion. “This half of the room is the sitting room, that’s the dining room. Doesn’t make much sense to me either,” he whispered. “Thanks, dear,” he said more loudly.

Max took his place at the table with Chip next to him. “I did ask Mooriel to come as well, but she already had plans,” said Silver. “So it’ll only be the four of us. An intimate gathering.”

“Four?” asked Max, looking around. To his surprise, a younger earth pony mare entered the room. Her mane was a blazing red and done in a braid which wrapped around her shoulder. Her coat was a familiar silver, like her mother’s. She was wearing an intricate dress similar to something he thought he’d seen Fragrant wear once; the bodice was tied tightly with silk ribbons while the dress itself was cut around her legs and flanks, flaring out far behind her. She picked at the outfit somewhat uncomfortably, before her eyes locked with Max’s. Then she scowled, quickly dropping her gaze.

“Noble?” asked Max. He hadn’t seen Chip and Silver’s daughter for years; she spent most of her time at some boarding school in Ambelon, if he remembered correctly. She certainly looked old enough to have finished school now, though.

“That’s my girl,” said Chip proudly.

“Hello, baron,” said Noble somewhat woodenly as she moved towards the table and started to sit down in front of her father.

“Not there, dear,” cried Silver, as she entered with an ancient pegasus mare who had four bowls of soup precariously balanced on her back. “Opposite the baron, like we discussed. Don’t you look pretty in your new dress?”

“I suppose so,” mumbled Noble, taking her place and drawing her legs tightly under herself.

“Don’t you think she looks pretty, baron?” asked Silver, taking her own place opposite Chip as the soup was served.

“Um, yes, very pretty,” said Max, looking around the table. Silver was staring at him intently, Chip had started on his soup, and Noble was pointedly looking away from him. Something was going on here. To take up some time, he bent down and lapped at his soup. It was, to his surprise, cold. Glancing around again, he noted that nopony else seemed to be complaining, so it was probably supposed to be served that way. It tasted of tomatoes and garlic – not all that bad, really. “This is good,” he commented.

“Thank you, baron. I expect you’re used to Gazpacho from your time in Canterlot?” said Silver. “We do our best, but it’s hard to get the best out here, as you know.”

“Well, the food in Canterlot’s nice, but really I prefer Nulpar cuisine. There’s just something about a good, simple, filling meal.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, we can...” began Silver looking almost panicked.

“I... I didn’t mean I don’t like this, I’m sure whatever’s been prepared will be wonderful,” said Max. Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut. He quickly lapped up the last of his soup. “So, are you back from school for long, Noble?” asked Max, hoping to change the topic to something less troublesome.

“I’ve finished college now,” said the young mare, perking up a little.

“She graduated fifth in her class,” said Chip. “Very talented.” The young mare glowed at the praise, giving a genuine smile for the first time.

“Wow, that’s impressive. What was it you were studying again?” asked Max.

“Law and Business management,” said Noble. “It was very interesting. The class as a whole had to set up and run a business for our last project. I had the idea of selling wooden dolls for foals. It took a lot of effort,” she scowled a bit, “but eventually the rest of the class agreed with me. We had a few problems, but they sold well. We donated the proceeds to charity.”

“What are you planning to do next?”

Noble shrugged as her mother started to clear the table. “I did wonder about becoming a lawyer, or going into politics, or maybe business. I’ve got a few ideas.” She glared at her mother for a moment. “But life doesn’t always end up where you want it to,” she muttered with a scowl.

“I’m sure you can do whatever you want to, dear,” said Silver sweetly. “But it’s good to see all the opportunities available before you decide on one.” She started to dish out the main course. Max recognised it as a vegetable curry. He smiled. It was one of Fragrant’s favourites, he didn’t used to be keen on it, but he’d begun to get the taste over the last few months. Chip didn’t seem so keen himself; he was looking down at his plate morosely. The meal made Max wonder what Fragrant was doing now. It would be a few weeks until he next saw her; she was probably at Cloudsdale carrying out her duties there, or maybe she had already returned to Canterlot.

“Don’t you think so, baron?” said Silver, dragging Max’s attention back to the meal.

“Sorry?” he asked, looking up.

“I said that Noble might even want to think about settling down, maybe see about some foals?” Her eyes flickered back and forth between her daughter and her guest.

“Mother!” gasped Noble, turning a bright red. “I’m only twenty-one! I have years before I have to think about a family. Besides, there’s nopony I’m interested in.”

“It’s never too young to start thinking about starting a family deal. I wasn’t too much older than you when I met your father. You never know when you’ll find the right pony for you. Isn’t that right, baron?”

“Oh, um, yes, I suppose so,” mumbled Max. Could Silver know about him and Fragrant? Was Zephyr, Piste or his mother gossiping?

“It’s very important to have heirs when you’re nobility, isn’t it, baron? To have a child to pass the role on to.”

“Well, yes, I suppose so,” said Max. It wasn’t really a matter he’d given much thought to. He wasn’t even sure who would take over if something happened to him. Mrs G? His mother? Piste? The thought of having a foal, well, he hadn’t really considered it in the past, but now he had Fragrant. Was it something they should talk about? Would that be too hasty? They had only been together for a few months, and hadn’t done anything which could... well, result in foals, hadn’t talked of marriage or even engagement. Still, it did seem right in some way. The thought of a child, part him, part Fragrant; somepony he could raise to love Nulpar like he did, to look after the province after he was gone. He hoped Fragrant felt the same way. She hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but she did seem close to her nieces, from what he’d seen.

“Baron?” said Silver.

“Sorry, what?” asked Max, shaken from his thoughts again. He should be paying more attention to his hosts.

“I asked if you were seeing anypony at the moment,” said Silver a little bluntly.

“Oh,” Max blinked. What was he going to say? Fragrant would want him to lie, but he didn’t want to; he wasn’t ashamed of their relationship. “There is a mare I’m interested in, in Canterlot, but things haven't gotten very far.”

“Oh,” said Silver, looking rather disappointed. “Might it not be better to seek a mate in Nulpar? Someone who understands our issues? Somepony young, vibrant, and smart to help you run the province? To be your baroness?”

Max scowled. Fragrant understood Nulpar’s needs, and she might not be that young but she was certainly vibrant and smart. He didn’t need anypony else. “I think we should talk about something else,” he said coldly. “I am here to investigate the province.”

“Of course, baron,” said Silver, turning pale even through her coat.

“Sorry,” said Max placatingly. “But maybe we should talk business? I’m only here for one night.”

“May... maybe we could discuss the possibility of setting up a saw mill here in Pinegraves. It is rather inconvenient to have to use the one in Sadlzburg.”

Max tried to hide a grimace. This was a long-running dispute between the two settlements. Since the smaller town had been set up, it had been forced to use the larger’s facilities, for which they were charged an appropriate fee – or so the sawmill’s owners said. The lumberjacks of Pinegraves considered it little more than daylight robbery. “I’m not sure that’s something I can do much about. It’s private property. I can’t use public funds to make a sawmill for you.”

“Actually,” interrupted Noble, finishing her meal, “as baron, you can secure grants for private individuals within your province if you believe the benefit is for the province as a whole. You could even nationalise the Sadlzburg saw mill if necessary, although that would likely result in a challenge against you by the current owners, and it would probably go to the whole court eventually. There’s even precedent for a semi-nationalisation agreement like that between the weather ministry and Posey Weather.”

Max blinked. That sounded very... complicated.

“Told you she did well at school,” said Chip, elbowing Max. As they talked, the final course was served up; some sort of chocolate sponge covered in custard.

“That’s... very interesting,” said Max. “I’ll have to talk to some of my friends... um, advisors about that.”

“Actually,” said Silver, her eyes widening as if she’s just had an idea. “That might be a part of the problem.”

“Problem?” asked Max.

“Well, your tour is supposed to help you get the views of all of the ponies in your province, right?”

“Yes...”

“But your advisors are all from Sadlzburg, are they not?”

“Well, I suppose so, but I am hoping to...”

“And quite a few are, well goats," Max frowned what did that have to do with anything? "So maybe you should take on some more help,” interrupted Silver, her smile widening. “Why, Noble would be perfect to help you with the province government, far better educated than anypony else you might find locally.”

“Um, I hadn’t really... I suppose that makes sense.”

“Mother!” hissed Noble. “Were you going to ask me about this before... selling me to the baron?” Her eyes flashed.

“Now, dear, you did say you thought about going into politics, and what better opportunity would there be than this?”

“Well I suppose, but you could have...”

“Why, in a few years you could almost be running the province,” suggested Silver, causing Max to look around a little nervously. “On your behalf, of course,” she hastily corrected. Still, Max couldn’t entirely argue. Noble was young, but she seemed to know her stuff, and it did make sense to have staff from all over the province rather than just focusing on Sadlzburg. “Why don’t you go with the baron to Sadlzburg when he sets off tomorrow?” suggested Silver. “I’ll be along in a few days for the festival anyway. You can see what you think. If you don’t like it, well, you can come home with me.”

“Well,” said Max. He thought he should maybe get a bit of a say in this issue. “That sounds like a good idea,” he said cautiously. “If you’re interested, Noble?”

The younger mare looked back and forth between Max and her mother. “I suppose so,” she eventually ventured.

“Good. That’s settled, then,” said Silver with a wide smile.

By the next day, Max was starting to have second thoughts about the whole thing. He did think he would need more help to run Nulpar – he had some ideas that would require a lot more pony power – and recruiting from some of the other settlements made sense as well, but shouldn’t he have a bit more control over the process? Noble Fir seemed to have the knowledge he needed, she probably knew more about organisation than he did, but she wasn’t much more than a filly, and she didn’t seem all that keen on the idea.

He sighed as he packed the last of his gear and prepared to set off. He supposed he could at least take her with him. If things didn’t go well, then she could return home with her mother in a few days after the festival. He could get to know her better on the trip to Sadlzberg. If they made good time, they might even get there by tonight, although more likely it would be tomorrow.

He headed down the stairs into the sitting room, where Chipboard and Silver were fussing over Noble. The mare had a large pair of saddlebags strapped on to her and seemed ready to leave.

“You’re still ok with coming with me?” asked Max. “You haven't changed your mind?”

“No,” said Noble positively. “I’ve thought about it, and this is good for me. Getting in at the start of a new government is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Chipboard sidled up to Max as his wife made sure Noble had packed everything she’d need. “Look after her, will you?” he asked nervously. “She’s a big girl, but I don’t want anything happening to her. Anything,” he emphasised.

“Don’t worry, I’ll look after her like she was my own,” said Max. The older stallion seemed somewhat relieved.

“Good,” he said with a nod.

“Now, I hope the two of you have a good time alone on the way,” said Silver, giving her daughter a hug. “I’ll see you in a few days, dear.”

“See you, mum,” said Noble returning the hug before repeating it with her father. “And nothing is going to happen, mum.”

“We’ll see,” said Silver as she waved the two of them off.

The two of them walked in silence for a while, following the road that Max himself had helped lay a few years ago.

“I’m sorry about how I acted last night,” said Noble eventually. “This really is a great opportunity for me. Not many ponies get to be involved in the formation of a new province government. It’s just mum spending all night trying to fix us up.” She lowered her head. “It was just so very embarrassing.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Max. “That was what that was all about!” Noble looked at him incredulously. “I really didn’t notice. She was acting a bit strange but I just thought...”

“Really! You didn’t notice! She couldn’t have been more obvious if she’d served me up with dinner wearing socks and slathered in butter!”

“Well, I did say there was somepony I was seeing,” mumbled Max.

“Mum can be so embarrassing sometimes,” continued Noble, not paying much attention. “She’s such a social climber, always trying to ape ‘nobility’.” She made signs with her hooves. “But she’s never even left Nulpar! Let alone actually met a noble! Well, apart from, well, you know, you. And I’m not sure if you count.”

Max felt a little hurt by that remark, but tried to put it aside. “You might have a point, but I suppose it’s good to have a goal in life.”

“Well mine certainly isn’t to become the trophy wife of some stallion old enough to be my father.” She stamped a hoof. Max frowned a bit; he wasn’t quite that old. Noble noticed. “It’s not just that you’re old,” she explained. “Even if you were younger, you’re not really my type.”

“You prefer mares?” he guessed.

“Not so much. I don’t know, ponies just don’t seem to do it for me, you know,” she mumbled. “Maybe something a bit more exotic.”

Max frowned then shrugged. “Um, ok.”

“Sorry, it’s just things haven’t worked out how I thought they would in my life. Mum and Dad sacrificed quite a bit to get me into the Ambelon academy, you know. They thought it was such a big thing, but, well, it’s second tier at best and none of the other students really wanted anything to do with the filly from the village nopony’s heard of and with the social climbing name. It’s the curse of my life, like calling your daughter Princess. Who does that?” she asked the air around her. “I’ve not exactly come out of school with the best network of contacts, and you know it’s not what you know, it’s who. Not that I don’t know a lot,” she looked up at Max, “I just didn’t think it would be this way. It was supposed to be a lot easier.”

She suddenly seemed so young to Max, so unsure and nervous. He really wanted to give her a hug, but given what she’d said about him, that might not give the best impression. “I felt, I still feel, the same way about court, you know. It all seems so new and strange to me, not how I thought it would be, but you just need to have some good friends to show you the way. You’ll get by.” He gave her a wink.

Noble seemed a little buoyed by her outburst, and the two of them walked together in a companionable silence for a while. “Maybe we should start talking about work, baron?” she suggested eventually.

“Call me Max, almost everypony does.”

“Thank you, Max. You can call me Bell. Only my parents call me Noble.”

“Ok, Bell. What do you want to know?” asked Max.

“What plans do you have in mind for Nulpar? How can I help you, bar... Max?”

“I’ve got big plans for the province. I can start to put them into practice when I get back to Sadlzburg. You see, first I plan to...”

Interlude - Meanwhile in Canterlot

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Fragrant Posey leaned back in her seat and savoured the feeling of the wind in her mane as her hair billowed out behind her. This really was the best way to travel, she thought. Looking down, she admired the ornate carvings on the side of the vehicle she currently rode in. Her sky chariot really was one of her most treasured possessions.

The craft allowed her to quickly travel between her family home in Cloudsdale and her office and estate in Canterlot without having to work up a sweat herself. It was quite the status symbol as well; the enchantments required to keep the craft – and others like it – in the air were quite expensive. Normally only nobles could afford to rent one, let alone actually own their own. There were larger versions of such craft, of course; the guard used some which could carry whole squads, but they required half a dozen or more pegasi to pull them. Hers was rather more luxurious, although it could only seat three comfortably – or four with a bit of a squeeze – plus luggage, but didn’t require more than two chauffeurs and had various other added features.

She glanced out at Hot Rolls and Royston as they drew the craft though the air. She felt a little sting of guilt. It did seem a little harsh that she relied on their labours so much. Still, they were well-paid for their efforts. Her gaze momentarily locked onto their flexing flanks and she was stung by another, stronger, burst of guilt before she hurriedly averted her gaze. Long hours powering carriages had resulted in her chauffeurs having rather impressive physiques, but they were her staff; it was not right to ogle them! Besides, she had her own stallion whose hindquarters were just as picturesque, if not more so!

Her heart ached a little. It had been over a month since she had last seen Max, and it would likely be at least a further week before they were together again. She hadn’t received any correspondence from him since their last meeting; given the state of Nulpar’s postal system, that wasn’t that unexpected, although it was a little disheartening. She had considered writing her own missive to him, but she knew any letter was unlikely to reach him until shortly before he was to return to Canterlot at the earliest. His tour of his lands would take him out of contact for most of the summer. Still, she missed him and his breezy disposition.

Her mood soured, Fragrant waved a hoof at her craft’s controls and a transparent magical barrier formed around the carriage, blocking the wind. Seeking a distraction, she turned to her companion in the carriage: her current assistant, Saltpeter. He was a tall brown-coated pegasus with a speckled black and white mane in his early middle age. Although he had come to her highly recommended from his time in regional weather management, she was still getting used to him as her personal assistant.

She had to admit the report he had produced on Nulpar had been very thorough. Still, it irked her a little that he had cut short her time with Max over a few weather patrols being a day or two late; given their unfamiliarity with the province, that was to be expected. Still, to give him the benefit of the doubt, she would have felt terrible if something had happened to any of them. Saltpeter was studiously looking away from her at the moment, taking pains not to meet her gaze. They had only shared a few words in the whole journey. She sighed. She missed the easy camaraderie she used to share with her previous assistant Notebook. Then she grimaced at the thought of her treacherous ex-assistant. She would have to make a decision on his fate soon enough. Max had suggested she forgive him, but his betrayal, the invasion of her privacy, still hurt.

“I haven’t asked you before,” said Fragrant, trying to start up a conversation. “Why did you apply for the role as my personal assistant? It is somewhat of a step from weather management.”

“Oh, well,” stuttered Saltpeter, apparently in surprise. “I felt I could do with a change. I’ve been working in weather management most of my life, I was already the PA for an area manager, there wasn’t much above that apart from your personal office.”

“How are you finding your work so far?”

“It’s rather different to what I was used to, more complex than I expected, but I’m sure I should pick it up in no time,” he said positively.

“Good,” replied Fragrant. There was a rather uncomfortable silence for a few minutes as both of the chariot's passengers waited for the other to say something. Trying to distract herself, Fragrant glanced ahead. There, in the middle distance, the Canterhorn was growing larger, the city of Canterlot at the moment only a white blur on its side. She estimated she had about half an hour before they would arrive at their destination, slightly ahead of schedule.

It was good to be home again. The thought made her frown a little. Maybe Canterlot was more of a home to her than Cloudsdale; after her long years at court she may well have spent more time there than in her actual ancestral province.

Her journey with Max had made her think how little attention she actually paid to most of her holdings. Even when away from court, she only really thought about the city of Cloudsdale itself rather than the rest of the province. She had looked into arranging a tour of the smaller cities and towns of her realm; not only of the galas or official openings she normally attended, but actually meeting with the common folk. However, with her greater responsibilities, she couldn’t be as spontaneous as Max. She could not just set out with only her saddlebags and walk around her province. It covered almost a third of the skies above Equestria, after all. Still, although it took almost a month to arrange, she had managed a tour of a few of her other cities. That had been somewhat eye-opening. She had assumed most of her holdings were little different from Cloudsdale, but she had found significant variation between different cities and different requirements. She had been inspired to pen several draft bills for the next session of court; they still required much work, of course, but they were at least something to help all her people.

A thought occurred to her. “Is this your first time in Canterlot?” she asked. The stallion turned and looked around for a moment, as if she might have been talking to somepony else.

“Oh, um, I’ve visited a few times, your ladyship, but I’ve never stayed there very long. Certainly never lived there.” He gave an awkward smile. “Never actually lived on the ground, really.”

“Ah, well, I’m sure you won’t find it that hard to adjust. It’s not all that different.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. A cloud house is much the same no matter what it floats over.”

“Ah, I am afraid that would not be possible. The capital has very stringent zoning regulations. No cloud buildings are allowed over the city and its surrounding environments.” From what she remembered of her history, that rule had been down to competition between pegasus nobles, which had resulted in a small cloud city forming over the Canterhorn, blocking much of the sunlight from their ground-based peers.

Saltpeter’s face dropped at the news. “Oh, I... I didn’t know...”

“Like I said, you will get used to it soon enough. You may stay in my estate for as long as you wish. There are lots of spare quarters for staff.”

“Thank you, your Ladyship, but I should get a place of my own as soon as I can. I’m bringing my family over.”

“You have foals?” she asked, a little surprised.

“Two of them, both colts. Charcoal is eight and Brimstone is two. They certainly keep Quicksilver, my wife, on her hooftips,” he smiled.

“I am sure they will all enjoy living in the city. It is good to keep your family close.” As well as her short tour, Fragrant had many other duties during her time away from court. Briefings on the status of her ministry, details of implications of various bills implemented during the last session of court, the list seemed almost endless. It had meant she had far less time to spend with her family than she had hoped.

She had seen Thunderous and Edelweiss frequently enough, although even then their schedules had rarely matched up long enough for more than a hurried meal each day. She’d only gotten to see her nephew Dangerous a few times; the colt always seemed to be busy running between one trip with friends or another. His father had been trying to talk to him about taking on a role in the family business, but the boy seemed to be enjoying his youth far too much at the moment. Fragrant couldn’t really blame him; she often wished she had had more time before having to take up her mother's role at court. He deserved to have time to enjoy himself while he still could, although Thunderous didn’t agree. She hadn’t had any time to visit poor Fluttering at all, although they had shared a few letters. Maybe she’d get a chance to visit before court formally began? The filly only lived a few hours from the capital.

“My Lady?” said Saltpeter, shaking her from her thoughts.

“Sorry?” said Fragrant, turning back to him.

“I said, do you wish to go over your schedule for today before we land?”

“Oh, yes, I think I have most of it down. I will need an hour or so with the guard to update my security clearance. That is always somewhat tedious. Then the rest of the morning at the ministry, catching up on things. A few meetings with other courtiers in the afternoon, and finally a meeting with Vicereine Wallflower.”

“Pardon me, my lady?” The stallion looked a little confused. “I don’t have anything down about the vicereine here.”

Fragrant looked over at the notes. “Are you sure? I always meet her on my first day back in Canterlot.” She had considered changing her plans after what the vicereine had done, but she had to keep up at least a working relationship with her ex-mentor.

“I do not think you mentioned it.”

“I thought I had.” She thought back. She was sure it had been discussed last week when her trip back was planned, but she wasn’t that sure. Notebook would have known her habits without her having to mention it. “What is in its place?”

“A few meetings. One with Duke Sands, tea with Fancy Pants.”

Fragrant clicked her tongue in frustration. “You will have to send my apologies. You should probably go in person.” Saltpeter looked a little nervous. “Do not worry, I am sure they will understand.”

“My lady.” He still looked a little unsure.

“Now, we should go over the schedule for the rest of the week. I will have to move the meetings to another day.”

Feeling a change in the direction of the chariot, Fragrant realised that they must have almost arrived. Putting aside her papers, she glanced down and saw the city coming up to meet them. They passed the towers of the castle before preparing to land on the roof of her family estate. Peering down, she noticed the lime green figure of her niece Forming waiting for them. From what Fragrant had read in the various reports from her office, the girl had done very well in her role as her proxy for the summer. Although nothing of great note had occurred during that time, she had kept on top of the day-to-day tasks her role required, as well as the few minor emergencies. In fact, there was only once that she had needed her aunt's help: a particularly difficult negotiation between two rival provinces. The filly had been rather distraught that she had needed the assistance, but Fragrant had been quick to point out that knowing your limitations was just as much a skill to be learnt as was dealing with such disagreements.

She smiled as she saw Forming waving at her as the carriage came into land. Feeling spontaneous, she alighted from her craft before it even touched the ground, swooping down towards her niece. She tried to ignore the slight throbbing of her back muscles. Since her trip to Nulpar, she had asked her personal trainer to work on her flight muscles. Although she had not told her why, she rather hoped she would be able to fly with Max somewhen in the near future. He had seemed to enjoy it when that Gryphoness had carried him. So far, despite laps around the estate each day as well as an extra half hour workout, she couldn’t really feel much improvement. Although Tough Love had said she was making good progress.

“Forming!” she cried as she landed next to her niece. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Aunt Fragrant,” replied Forming, the larger mare leaning down to muzzle her aunt.

“How are you?”

“I’m well. Everything has been going fine, most of the court are still away and nothing very serious had been happening with the weather ministry.” She shuffled her hooves a little and looked down. “I’m sorry about the Mineighsota thing.”

“There really is nothing to apologize for, dear. Even after twenty years on the job, I still can’t always get ground and air authorities to agree on weather coordination all the time. You should have seen the mess I made if it when I started. Airhaven still refuses to get within a hundred miles of Manehatten!”

A slight smile spread across Forming's face, which caused Fragrant to smile widely. She really was very proud of her niece. She just wanted her to understand that she didn’t have to take everything on at once. “You didn’t have to come back so early, auntie. I would have been fine for another week or more.”

“I usually try to get back to court early if I can manage it, lets me settle back in and talk to the other courtiers as they return.” Fragrant waved a hoof. “Plus I don’t want to take up all your time carrying out my duties. University starts again in less than a month. You should get some holiday, don’t push yourself too hard.” She couldn’t have another repeat of what happened to Fluttering on her conscience. Still, her sister seemed much better suited to the role.

“Thanks,” said Forming, covering her mouth as she yawned, “but I’m fine.”

“Have you been up all day?” asked Fragrant. Another reason she tended to return early was to allow herself time to adjust back to a nocturnal schedule. She should have arrived earlier in the day, or later, so her niece didn’t need to stay up so long.

“It’s ok,” said the larger mare. “I needed to finish some things off, and I got a quick nap earlier this morning. I’m fine to spend the day with you.”

“Nonsense!” insisted Fragrant, gently pushing her niece towards the door leading into the manor. “You need your sleep. You’re a growing filly!”

“I think I might be done growing by now,” said Forming, looking down at her aunt.

“Well, you might be right,” said Fragrant, blushing a little. Of course her niece wasn’t a foal anymore, but she still didn’t want her to overdo it. “But you should still get some sleep. I’ll be spending the day settling in and meeting up with some friends, anyway. We can meet up this evening to go over things. I have a surprise for you!”

Forming’s ears pricked up. “A surprise?” she asked. “What is it?”

“You’ll see,” said her aunt with a grin.

Once she had made sure that Forming had gone to bed for the day, Fragrant settled back into her rooms in the mansion. The maids had kept her chamber well-aired, and she had brought little in the way of luggage – the house already contained most of what she needed, so it didn’t take long.

She briefly checked in with her butler, Loyal Service, but there wasn’t much she needed to be told. A few changes to her staff, but nothing unexpected. She was quite pleased to hear that one of her maids, Clothes Horse, had given advance notice that she would be going on maternity leave next spring. She asked Loyal to remind the filly that her contract included full health coverage, so she should make sure to get regular check-ups as her pregnancy progressed.

As she made her way through her home Fragrant, noticed a number of extra cloud sculptures here and there. It was good to see that her niece had found time to keep up with her hobby while she had been working. She had even converted one of the spare bedrooms into a studio; it was a good way to deal with stress. Maybe she should consider setting up a greenhouse to work on her plants here in Canterlot? She wasn’t sure if she would have the time, but it was something to consider, thought Fragrant as she made her way out of the mansion and started the short trip towards the castle.

Even when court was not in session, the castle was never truly peaceful. The wheels of government continued to roll all year round. Even at the quietest of times, guards continued to patrol, pages rushed here and there, and servants did their duties in the background. Still, Fragrant couldn’t help but think of the castle as a vast sleeping beast, just stirring into life as courtiers slowly filtered back in. One of the reasons she tried to return to work early was to enjoy the zeitgeist of this period, the feeling of things starting to get back up to speed. Still, this year things felt a little different. Maybe slightly more manic, more fearful? More courtiers had stayed at their offices during the summer, maybe afraid to return home, or trying to look busy for the princess? Other offices were almost empty, much of the staff removed as part of the general purge. In some ways, maybe it was a good thing, a new start; in others, the loss of so many familiar faces was somewhat frightening.

Putting the feeling aside for the moment, Fragrant continued on her way, stopping at the offices of selected courtiers and saying her greetings to the nobles already in residence as well as leaving messages for those who would be arriving soon. It was polite – and useful – to touch base with the members as they arrived, to get a feeling of the shape of the next court session. Over the summer, an unprecedented number of courtiers had stepped down, so there would be a large number of new faces at court this year; more ponies to meet and to get a feel for.

Eventually she made her way to her own offices within the building. She was glad to see that everything seemed to be running smoothly. Saltpeter had started to set up there by the time he arrived; the stallion seemed a little overwhelmed by the size of the operation, but she was sure he would get up to speed quickly enough. She called a meeting of her most senior staff to make sure she was briefed on anything she needed to know. Her ministry’s staff, although not as corrupt as some others, had also had a number of informers removed over the summer. This had led to a wave of promotions, but filling all the roles left hadn’t been easy; she could foresee a difficult few months ahead while the new staff settled in. Still maybe a change would be good. A shakeup could lead to new ideas.

She asked her staff about Forming’s actions while she had been gone. Although one of two were a bit hesitant they gave a mostly positive report on her actions. Fragrant wanted to make sure her niece hadn’t been hiding any problems. If she couldn’t cope, she wanted to know as soon as possible – she couldn’t stand a repeat of what had happened to Fluttering – but it seemed that Forming was much more suited to her job than her sister had been.

On her way through the castle, she found her hooves making their way towards Max’s office several times. It had become almost part of her daily routine to visit him over the last court session. Really, it was a wonder it had taken her so long to expose her feelings for him, when she thought about it.

Even now, she knew she had to visit that office, even though she wanted to keep as far away as possible. That office would only have one occupant at this time, and it would no longer be her beloved. Notebook, her treacherous assistant, was currently running Max’s affairs while the latter was away in his home province.

Fragrant knew she would have to deal with him sooner or later. Max would return in a few weeks and Notebook would be out of a job. She had originally planned to just return him to her service, but then she had found out that he had been spying on her for Wallflower, and after that she had wanted nothing more to do with him. Max had counselled her to forgive him, but her heart still wanted to punish him. He had betrayed her! He had invaded her privacy! But he had had her best interests at heart, had he not? He had been put in place to warn the vicereine if she became corrupt. Hadn’t that been an act of good? He had helped her so much over their years together. She had considered him a friend. Could that all be a lie? She didn’t know. She knew she had to make a decision sooner or later, but not right now. First she had to see her other betrayer.

The Wallflower estate was the biggest in the city; only the castle and its grounds rivalled it in size. It took up an entire tier of the city, placed on the opposite side of the mountain to most of the other residencies. Given the premium spent on space in the mountain-bound city, it represented an enormous status symbol, only possible because Wallflower's family had, in the dim and distant times, founded Canterlot itself around the mountain, which even then had been known as the lair of the mysterious alicorns. The manor house itself was actually comparatively small when measured against others found in different parts of Equestria, although its cellars cut deep into the rock as just as much of the house was below ground as was above. The house was surrounded by many smaller buildings, and even some decent-sized open areas acting as parks and farms. It was an even greater sign of Wallflower's wealth that she could own so much space on the mountain and not even build anything on it.

Despite visiting the estate quite frequently, Fragrant could never quite shake off the feeling of awe at entering it. At seeing the lines of portraits of earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi stretching back through time. Her own lineage was probably just as long, if not longer, but there was something about seeing another's family spread out this way, staring down at the intruder and judging her. Shaking herself from her daze, Fragrant informed the estate’s butler of her arrival and her business with his mistress. The elderly stallion nodded and invited her into one of the luxurious sitting rooms before disappearing to collect his employer.

Fragrant lounged in one of the plush chairs while she waited for Wallflower. She had for a moment considered ignoring the vicereine’s invitation after what she had done, but the less emotional, more political side of her recognised that, despite her actions, Wallflower was still her most powerful ally at court, and she would still have to work with her in future. She might not like it, but it was a necessity.

With a click, the door swung open, and Fragrant turned in her seat. She was surprised to find that it was not Wallflower who stood there, but her wife, Holly Bush. “I’m sorry you’ve been kept waiting,” said the pale blue coated mare. “Flower is out with her dogs again. She tends to lose track of time. I’ve sent a runner to get her, so she should be back soon.”

“I understand,” said Fragrant, sinking back into her chair as Holly took a position opposite her. They had been close at one point, very close; lovers for most of a year, Fragrant’s first, but over the years they had drifted apart. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time they had talked outside of a formal situation.

“How are you?” asked Holly after a moment.

“I’m well. I just got back to Canterlot today. Forming has done a good job while I’ve been away.”

“Yes, I’d heard. You must be proud to know your legacy is in good hooves.” She sighed a little, distractedly cleaning her glasses. Wallflower and Holly had never adopted; the vicereine’s heir was currently one of her nephews. Fragrant had met the colt; he seemed a nice enough unicorn, a little dull maybe. “Look, I’m sorry about what Flower did,” said Holly, leaning forwards. “I would have told you if I’d known. I know how much it must have hurt you.” Fragrant frowned, sinking lower in her chair as Holly continued. “She didn’t mean it as an insult, you know. She had agents in most of the higher nobilities' staff.”

“And that makes it all right?” asked Fragrant with a raised eyebrow.

“No... but she wasn’t singling you out, or if she did, it was because she saw how important you were.” She sighed. “She can be so thick-headed sometimes. She finds it hard to see things from other ponies’ perspective, you see, but she really does try to do things for their benefit.” She sighed again. “It’s maternal, in a way. She sees it as her responsibility to look after them.”

“It did not seem that way,” said Fragrant huffily. “It was an invasion of my privacy.”

“Would you say the same if it was Fisher or Greengrass she had been keeping an eye on?”

“No... yes, yes, it would still be wrong,” said Fragrant forcefully. “We are supposed to be the good ponies. We can’t do things like that.”

“She’s told everypony she had agents keeping an eye on. Most of them took it better than you.”

“And that makes it all right?” repeated Fragrant, leaning forwards. “I thought she was my friend!”

“She is your friend. I am your friend. Friends look out for each other. Look, I’m sorry, I know how you feel about your privacy, what the papers did to you, but Flower was really trying to do the best for you. Maybe we could get together and just talk? Like we used to? I have some new orchids from Gia Suc to show you.”

Despite herself, Fragrant found her interest peaked. “Maybe I can find some time in my diary,” she said. Without the time cleared for her aborted trial last season, she would be much busier for the rest of the year. Still, she should have a free afternoon or two.

“Good,” said Holly with a smile. “I think you’ll...” She was interrupted by the door opening and Wallflower entering, followed by her huge two headed dog. The plump mare was panting slightly. Her hooves were still covered with somewhat muddy boots, and a cloth cap covered her head.

“Sorry,” she panted. “I lost track of time.”

“The dogs again?” asked Holly with a raised eyebrow. The Orthros barked loudly in agreement.

“You know how much they like a good gallop!” She turned to Fragrant. “Thank you for coming. I know you tend to start court early, and there are some things we need to go over.”

Fragrant nodded. “I am at your service, vicereine.”

Both Holly and Wallflower winced a little at her formality before the latter took a seat, her pet slumping to the ground at her hooves.

“If you’re going to talk business, I’ll be off,” said Holly getting up. “Would either of you like a drink?”

“Lemonade please,” said Fragrant.

“I think I could do with a little pick me up,” said Wallflower. “Maybe a brandy.”

Holly leaned forwards and gave her wife a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll get the servants to bring both of you lemonade.”

“Yes dear,” said Wallflower, a little crestfallen.

With a smile, the pale blue coated mare left the sitting room.

“She thinks I drink too much,” muttered Wallflower. Next to her, the dog growled quietly. “You too?” she asked, patting one of the dog's heads, making its tail thump against the ground. “Now,” she said more clearly, “as I told you a few months ago, I hope that my... actions won’t stop our business relationship.” Fragrant glared at her sharply. “You’ve always been a good ally... a good friend to me, and given what happened after the Gala, I need all the allies I can get.”

Trying to force down her annoyance, Fragrant nodded. The two of them were the major driving force behind the proposed changes to court to try to reduce the previously rampant corruption. Despite her personal feelings about Wallflower, they did still need to work together if possible. “I understand,” she said.

“Good. Now, Luna seemed to accept our proposition at old Rolling’s funeral, but we still need to work out all the details and finalize it all. The Princess could just implement if by herself if she wanted, but I think she’d like us to formally vote on it as soon as possible. Show we’re all in agreement about it.”

Fragrant nodded. She had expected that. “I’ve been working on the full text. I’ve kept in contact with others in the court to run the drafts past.”

“Good, good,” said Wallflower, nodding as a servant glided in with a tray containing two glasses of lemonade. “Add a snifter of something a bit stronger to mine, will you,” she commanded.

“I’m sorry, madam, but your wife gave me very strict instructions,” explained the servant apologetically.

“I pay your wages, you know,” muttered Wallflower, taking a sip of the drink and scowling.

“Yes, madam, but your wife is the one who decides where you’re sleeping.”

“She’s got me there,” said Wallflower, taking a larger mouthful. “Now where were we? Oh yes, I think we should try and get the vote as one of the first after the opening ceremony, right in the early night motions.”

Fragrant nodded. “That makes sense. It could be considered business held over from the last session. I’m not sure if we’ll get all the issues worked out by then. With so big a bill, others are sure to try and add a few riders at least.”

“I’ve talked to Nightlight and Puissance about that. After a bit of jaw wagging, we’ve all agreed to make sure that doesn’t happen. I don’t think anyone will stand against all of us.”

“That should work,” agreed Fragrant. She couldn’t think of a time when a bill all three viceroys agreed on didn’t pass unchanged. “Still, we’ll probably have to leave some of the details to be worked out later. We can’t agree on it all in only a few more weeks.”

“Fair enough. I think the Princess will understand. I just hope none of the new starts will decide to make things difficult.”

“There will be a lot of new courtiers this year,” said Fragrant, nodding. “Almost unprecedented.”

“Almost one in five. A lot of the rot decided to jump ship while they could, and good riddance. But,” she sighed, “some of the good wood decided they couldn’t take it either. On top of that, you’ve got the normal attrition. Some of the old duffers getting on a bit, probably would have called it a day anyway. It’s going to be a bit chaotic for a bit, trying to show everypony the ropes. It’ll probably be the youngest court for a generation.”

“That might not be a bad thing. Less stuck in our ways, more open to new ideas.”

“You might have a point there, but also inexperienced, all looking to make a name for themselves. Could cause problems. We need a way to teach them how things are done.”

Fragrant considered for a moment. “There is the squire project I suggested. It... well, it worked well for Baron Max.”

Wallflower raised an eyebrow. “I doubt it would work quite that well every time, do you?” Fragrant blushed a little. She hadn’t personally told Wallflower about her relationship, and she really didn’t feel like telling the older mare now. Still, Wallflower had noticed the attraction even before Fragrant had admitted it to herself. “Still, it might be an idea. Maybe strengthen the bond with the sponsors at the ennoblement ceremony. It was its original purpose, after all.” She rubbed her chin for a moment. “Anyone new you want to take under your wing?”

Fragrant considered for a moment. She felt that Max probably still needed help, but she should probably do what she could to help any other new courtiers. “Maybe Buttercup Fields? She did seem to be taking her father's death badly, but I can see she’d make an excellent courtier. She’s practically been running her father's office since she left school, so she knows the ropes.”

“Sounds fair,” said Wallflower, nodding. “There’s a new baroness I’ve had my eye on for a while – Slime Ball’s replacement, gal called Soft hoof. She’s got some interesting suggestions and the most gorgeous Golden Retriever...”

Most of the rest of the meeting was fairly normal. They went over the other changes at court and already proposed legislation, as well as any future suggestions they had. Wallflower seemed a little more open to Fragrant’s suggestions than normal; the younger mare wondered if it was her way of apologizing for what she’d done.

Finally the meeting came to an end and Wallflower stood up, her knees cracking a little. “Oh, what did that niece of yours say to my suggestion?” she asked.

“Forming?” asked Fragrant in confusion.

“No, the other one, Fluttering. I asked you to ask her about adopting one of Liebe and Toleranz’s pups.” The dog’s two heads popped up as they recognised their names.

“Oh, that.” Fragrant paused. She had been somewhat torn about asking her niece. Fluttering so loved all her animals, but Orthoses were so large and fierce. She had eventually given in and passed on the suggestion to Fluttering; her niece was a grown mare, after all. The response had been very enthusiastic. “She said she would be honoured.”

“Good,” said Wallflower with a wide grin. “You can see the litter and pick one out now!”

“Oh, I’m sure whatever one you choose would be fine,” said Fragrant nervously.

“No, no, I won’t hear of it. Unless your niece is going to come in person, you’re the next best thing. There needs to be a proper bond between dog and mistress, doesn’t there, sweetums.” she rubbed her hoof on her dog’s back and it barked the affirmative.

“No... I don’t think Fluttering will be able to make her way to Canterlot,” said Fragrant. If there was anything that might get Fluttering to come up here, it would be an animal, but she doubted even that could get her niece to visit such a crowded city right now.

“Then it’s settled. You should come out and have a look,” said Wallflower, grabbing Fragrant’s hoof.

The two mares and the two-headed dog quickly made their way out of the manor house itself, and into one of the many kennels surrounding it. The sound of all the dogs within barking hit Fragrant almost like a physical blow, and she had to struggle to force her way into the building. It seemed each of the kennels' many inhabitants all wanted to greet their owner with a lick, and Wallflower almost disappeared under a pile of furry flesh before, with a few bellowed orders, she sorted the animals out. Followed by their slightly cowed but still buoyant entourage, Wallflower and Fragrant made their way further into the building, until they came to an open straw-covered area where another two headed dog laid on its side. Around it, a number of smaller Orthoses rolled around in mock battle.

“There we are!” exclaimed Wallflower. “My Liebe and Toleranz are such studs, aren't you! One of the finest litters I’ve ever seen. Which one do you think Fluttering would like?”

Fragrant looked down a little nervously. Even as puppies, Orthoses were big animals; each was the size of a foal several years their senior. As she watched, the animals were pouncing and wrestling with each other, their little jaws snapping at each other as they played. They didn’t look very safe to her. “I’m not sure...” She glanced over to one side and noticed another puppy partially covered by the straw. It was a little smaller than its siblings; most of its back and its left head were black, whereas its belly, legs and right head were white. It was keeping well away from its siblings, huddling down in its bedding. “What about that one?” she asked.

“Him? He’s the runt of the litter. Timid little thing, you probably don’t want him. How about this one?” She lifted up another of the puppies, who struggled in her grasp as she patted it. “Look at her coat, it’s so sleek! She’ll be a prize winner for sure!”

Fragrant looked down at the timid puppy again. His right head was looking up at her with big blue eyes, while the other glanced nervously over at his brothers and sisters. He was shaking slightly, seemingly scared by the commotion. She gently, as not to scare him further, extended a hoof towards the orthos, placing it just in front of him. Cautiously, both heads stretched out and gave Fragrant a sniff, before resting a paw on her hoof and barking a greeting. To her surprise, its little tail started to wag gently. “No,” she said, not taking her eyes off of him. “I think this one is just perfect.” She reached over, causing the puppy to cower back for a moment, and gently lifted the young dog out of the straw. He went stiff before relaxing and resting both of his heads against her. “He reminds me of Fluttering,” she said, hugging the puppy to her. “Does he have a name?”

“Not yet, none of them do. That’s up to you,” said Wallflower with a smile. “I think you might have bonded.”

Fragrant held up the puppy in front of her. It licked at her hoof as she examined it. “I’m not sure what to call him,” she said. “I think I’ll leave it up to Fluttering.”

Once Fragrant had returned to her estate, she left Fluttering’s new pet in the care of her staff. It was a sweet little thing; now that she had its trust, its earlier nervousness seemed to have faded from at least one of its heads as it examined its new environment. The other still looked around nervously as it wandered the room she had put aside for it to be temporarily housed in. The small dog had quickly charmed its carers, and when she had last seen him he had been almost smothered by a small pile of cooing maids. Fragrant had even briefly considered keeping it and purchasing another dog for her niece, but she really didn’t have enough time to truly care for a pet. Just keeping up with Max was tiring enough.

By the time she had settled the puppy into its temporary home, the sun was starting to set, and she only just had enough time to bathe and get dressed before it was time for her combined breakfast / supper with Forming.

Her niece was wearing a light pink dress cut in the latest style; unfortunately, Forming was significantly differently shaped compared to the mares the dress was designed for, resulting in the outfit hanging rather awkwardly on her. It was a rather sensitive topic Fragrant would have to bring up with her niece somewhen; Fragrant knew Forming loved trying to keep up with the latest fashions, but it might be better to find a style that better matched her body type. Still, that was not something to talk about now. This was a meal to celebrate her niece's success. Fragrant had made sure the chef had made her niece's favourite foods, and the two of them made casual conversation while they ate.

“And as the ball ended, Viceroy Night Light himself complimented me on my work on the export of clouds to the camel lands. I told him it was mostly your idea and I’d just implemented the last bit of your plan, but he said that I’d implemented it perfectly!”

Fragrant look a sip of her drink and smiled as her niece made her way through her story. She had heard that Night Light’s daughter had turned herself in over the summer. It wasn’t entirely clear what was going to happen to her, but the viceroy’s disposition seemed much improved now that she was safe. She couldn’t entirely forgive what he had done to her, but he seemed to be trying to work back into her graces, and of course his comments were entirely true.

“His son Shining Armour was there was well. He’s so very handsome, it was just a shame his dance card was full... I would have given almost anything to spend just a few minutes in his arms.” She sighed.

Fragrant felt like pointing out that Captain Armour had recently been romantically linked to Princess Cadenza, but she didn’t want to break her niece’s fantasy. Besides, there was no reason any stallion shouldn’t want to spent time with Forming. She was such a nice, happy filly.

“You did implement everything well,” said Fragrant, pushing aside her plate. “And it wasn’t all my plan. You changed things when they needed changing. I’m very proud of you – with a few more years' practise, I’m sure you will be ready to take over from me when the time comes. I’ve talked to all of the staff in my office,” Forming stiffened slightly, “and none of them have anything bad to say about you.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” said Forming, taking the last bite of her own meal. “I haven't had a chance to ask how your summer was.”

“It was mostly uneventful. I carried out a tour of some of the smaller settlements in Cloudsdale and looked into possible ways to integrate cloud cities into the growing telegraph network.”

“I heard you spent some time in one of the northern provinces,” said Forming a little slyly.

Fragrant coloured a little. “I spent a week or so in Nulpar. As a new province, it required a full review of what weather services it will need in future. The work is still going on, actually.”

“Nulpar,” said Forming, tapping a hoof to her chin. “That’s Baron Max’s province, isn’t it?” She grinned.

“Yes, it does happen to be, I did spend quite some time with Baron Max, um, exploring his province.”

“Exploring his province?” Forming raised an eyebrow. “Is that what they called it in your day?” She struggled to constrain her laughter.

Fragrant tried to sound offended, but couldn’t quite manage it. “I don’t know what you are talking about! But I did enjoy the time we spent together.” It was nice to spend the time with her family, where she could really say what she felt. “We spent several days together touring his holdings, it is most picturesque, you might even want to visit yourself someday. Anyway, your surprise, I have a present for you.”

Forming straightened, looking around as if there might be a parcel hidden somewhere in the room. “You really don’t have to, auntie.”

“No, you have given up part of your holiday to help me and your work has been exceptional. You deserve a reward. You need to return to university in only a few weeks, and you should have a good time until then.”

“What have you gotten me, then?” asked Forming.

“Come with me and I’ll show you,” said Fragrant with a smile as she stood from the table.

Fragrant led her slightly confused-looking niece to the top of the mansion where her sky chariot was parked. “Are we going somewhere, auntie?” asked Forming, looking around.

“I am not, but you might be,” said Fragrant with a smile.

“I don’t understand.”

“I am giving you my sky chariot to do what you want with until university starts. You, and any of your friends, may go wherever you wish and do whatever you want... have a good holiday, dear!”

Forming's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. “Re... really!”

“Yes, dear, you deserve it.”

“Oh! My! Gosh! Thank you auntie, thank you.” The large filly leant forwards and took her aunt in a crushing hug. “Oh, thank you!”

“That’s alright,” gasped Fragrant, trying to return the hug. “I know you’ve always wanted to go to Whinnyworld.”

Forming released her aunt. “Oh, Upper Crust will be so jealous! Maybe Twinkle Shine will want to come, or even her brother! We could go to Mareami beach or Los Pegasus! We’ll have so much fun!” She galloped over to the craft and ran a hoof over it.

“Maybe you could take your first trip to see you sister?” suggested Fragrant hopefully. “There is a present to deliver to her.” Forming looked up and her ears drooped a bit. Forming had used to look up to her big sister a lot, but since Fluttering’s breakdown, their relationship had been a little more strained. It was Forming who had first found her sister after her... episode. Fragrant hoped that spending a little time together would help bridge the gap between them.

“I’ll... I’ll think about it,” said Forming before she hopped into the craft and stretched out on the seat.

Smiling at her niece’s actions, Fragrant turned to the chauffeurs and passed them a large bag of bits. “This should be enough to cover any accommodation and costs. There is also a bonus for the two of you.”

“Thank you ma’am,” said Royston with a bow.

“And if you could both make sure of my niece’s safety during her trip. There might be a number of ponies who might try to take advantage of her better nature.” She probably didn’t have anything to worry about, but she knew how dangerous the world could be. “If you could report back to me anything problematic that might occur during her holiday. She is normally a very sensible filly, but I think she deserves a chance to let off some steam after her hard work.”

“You want us to spy on your niece, duchess,” asked Hot Rolls, stiffening a little.

“Of course not, I just...” Fragrant stopped. She just wanted what? She just wanted to make sure her niece was safe by asking her staff to report on her actions? Wasn’t that exactly what Wallflower had asked Notebook to do to her? This was different, wasn’t it? Forming was only a filly, she needed to be protected. She glanced over at her niece. No, Forming was a grown mare by now, had been for a few years. She had a right to her own privacy, to make her own mistakes. Was she really no different from Wallflower? Surely she was? “Just tell me if anything... if anything... if she does...” If she does anything wrong? And Notebook had decided that she didn’t do anything wrong, so he didn’t report to Wallflower, but it had still hurt. Did she want to do that same to Forming, make her feel the same way about her aunt? Surely this was different – Forming was her niece, not her peer – but was it? Holly had said that Wallflower looked on the court in a maternal fashion. Was it really any different...?

“Ma’am?” asked Royston looking concerned.

“Oh... er... no, no, of course I don’t, forget about that. Just make sure she has a good time, keep her safe.”

“I’ll look after her like she was one of my own,” he replied. Hot had turned and was grinning at the young mare in the carriage behind them as she bounced her flanks up and down on the seat. Royston kicked out at his partner. “And I’ll make sure he’s on his best behaviour as well.”

“Right, of course,” said Hot, wincing a little.

“Can I... can I take it for a spin now...” asked Forming, setting down in the seat.

“It’s yours for the moment, dear,” said Fragrant, trying to push her revelation to the side for the moment. She didn’t want to upset her niece. “Just try not to wear Rolls and Royston out too much.”

Forming nodded and tried to compose herself. “Giddy up!” she commanded.

Hot Rolls turned to his partner before grinning and winking. As one, the two chauffeurs reared up with a whinny and slammed their hooves back down onto the roof, before galloping forwards as fast as their hooves could take them and driving down with their wings. The chariot shot forwards at near top speed, and Forming gave a little squeak of surprise as she was driven back into her seat, which quickly became a cry and joy as the craft shot off into the air towards the rising moon.

Fragrant stood watching as the craft dwindled into a spot in the distance. The smile dropped from her face. She had a lot to think about.

Sleep did not come to Fragrant that night. She found herself tossing and turning on her cloud bed. She felt so conflicted. Deep in her heart, Notebook’s actions still hurt; the feeling of betrayal – of invasion – cut so very deep. She had been so sure she could trust Notebook, had told him so much over the years. It hurt.

But in her head, she understood that he had dealt with the situation as best he could. He had carried out his duty to Wallflower, to Equestria, to ensure she remained on the straight and narrow, and he had not passed on a single confidence to another. He had served her faithfully.

On the third hoof, would she ever manage to trust him again? She had just seen how easy it was to want to look after somepony you cared for, and to invade their privacy for just that reason. The road to Tartarus truly seemed to be paved with good intentions... how easy would she find to continue down that road in future?

On the fourth hoof, should she not practice forgiveness? She had made her mistakes in the past, had she not, and she had been punished, so very harshly punished. Max had suggested she forgive Notebook. Wouldn’t that be the noblest solution? The Princess herself had practiced a harsh form of forgiveness when she had chosen not to purge the court for their transgressions. Shouldn’t she act the same?

She gave a frustrated growl and rolled off of her bed, landing heavily on her hooves. She didn’t know what to do. Her heart tore her one way and her head the other... and she had run out of hooves.

Snorting, she wrapped herself in a robe and strode out of her room and through the mansion. Maybe a flight would clear her head. As she was heading for the central shaft which connected all the floors of the house, she paused outside the room containing Fluttering’s puppy, listening she could hear a little whimpering. Her heart would out to the puppy, it was probably the little creature's first night away from its mother and family. It was likely lonely. She opened the door and peeked inside. The dog was lying on the pet bed provided for it. Its ears popped up as it looked up at her and its cry’s stopped. Carefully, Fragrant approached and sat down next to it. The puppy crawled nervously forward and rested its heads onto her. She leant an arm over it, feeling its little tail wag slightly as it settled down.

She sighed. If only she could be more like this little innocent creature. It did not care what she had done in the past, only that she was kind to it now. Should she be the same way to her errant employee? He truly had had the best interest of Equestria in his heart and had judged her actions to be for the best. He had not truly betrayed her, even when he had had many chances. But she still could not get past it, him watching and judging her constantly. It was not his fault, really; previous events had made her so sensitive, but she felt the way she felt. Still, her feelings should not affect his life.

She sighed. She could only see one fair response now, one path than satisfied both her heart and her brain. Gently she lifted the now sleeping puppy from her and placed it in its bed, resting a blanket over it and watching it twitch slightly. Hopefully Forming would take it to Fluttering soon, or she might have great difficulty giving him up.

Straightening, she headed towards the door. She had her mission now.

Taking a deep breath, Fragrant knocked on the door.

“Come in,” came Notebook’s slightly surprised-sounding voice from the other side. She gently opened it and entered. “My lady,” said Notebook, getting up from his desk. “I was not expecting you yet.”

She gestured for her ex-servant to sit. “I hope I am not interrupting anything?”

“No, running Baron Max’s office is much easier than your own. Is there something I can do to help you?” he said a little stiffly. “Do you need something from Nulpar? I’ve had a few run-ins with your niece while she was standing in for you, she asked for my help a few times, if that was all right with you? She has the makings of a good courtier, once she has a bit more experience. You should be proud.”

“I am, although I think you may have taught her almost as much as I have over the years. Anyway, I am not here on official business. I am... I am here to talk about you.”

“Ah. Have you decided to report my actions to the Princess, or the new oversight committee?”

“No, no, you did not do anything that would require their intervention. I...” She took a deep breath. “I am offering you a position on my staff.”

“My lady!” exclaimed Notebook, a wide grin crossing his face.

Fragrant held up a hoof. “Wait! Listen to all that I have to say first.” Notebook’s smile dropped. “I... I recognise the situation you were put in, and I can accept that Wallflower did what she did for the best of reasons, but I cannot, at this time, work alongside you. This is mostly my own failing, not yours, but I can not... can not forgive or forget what you did. I am sorry.”

“I see,” said Notebook. “I am truly sorry for what I have done to you, then.”

“I cannot take you on as my assistant. However, I can offer you another job in my office. There is a position open as a liaison with one of the area weather heads. I think you would be well suited for it; it has slightly better pay and conditions than your last role. We would meet on occasion, but not continuously.”

“I see,” said Notebook. “And if I choose not to take this position?”

“Then you are free to do whatever you want. I will pay redundancy and provide you with excellent references. Your hard work over the years deserves no less. Your service has been exceptional. If you have enjoyed your time here,” she looked around the office, “I will recommend you to Baron Max. He... he has been more forgiving than me.”

“That is very... fair. I am sorry for breaking your trust in me.”

“I am sorry for being unable to get over this issue, but,” she looked down at the desk, “I can’t.”

“I understand. I would like to take up the new role in your office.”

Fragrant’s eyes flicked up. “You are sure? You can have some time to consider the position.”

“Thank you, but I think I have made up my mind. This way I hope I can eventually reclaim your trust, and your friendship.”

“Very well,” said Fragrant, holding out a hood. “Welcome back to my service, then.”

18) Harvest Festival: Day 1, The Return

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It was so very good to be home, thought Max as the trees started to thin. Ahead of him, he could just about make out Sadlzburg in the distance. It was almost as if he could feel his home town calling to him, drawing his hooves on fast. Next to him, his younger companion had to break into a trot to keep up. From this distance, only the largest of the town’s landmarks could be seen – the town hall, the saw mill and the hotel. Squinting, Max thought he might even be able to make out his own manor house. It was rather strange thinking of it that way; it didn’t really feel like a home to him. He’d only spent a few days in it so far, but Sparks and her adopted family had put a lot of effort into building it for him so he should at least be appreciative.

Oddly, there was what looked like a large cloud building hovering over the town, a blocky structure. He couldn’t think of anyone in town who might make such a thing. Then it struck him that it could have something to do with Fragrant and her weather ministry mission. Could they have brought their own lodgings?

As the two earth ponies made their way out of the woods separating the towns of Pinegraves and Sadlzburg, the area around them began to fill with fields. Many had had their crops already harvested, their potatoes, grain, or vegetables already stored away to feed the people of Nulpar for another year, but there was enough food still in the ground to keep most of Sadlzburg’s farmers busy through the next month and maybe beyond. The harvest festival did not so much mark the end of the harvest as the time it would start to be sold. It was the largest festival in Sadlzburg’s calendar, but it wasn’t just a time to have fun; it had a commercial side as well.

The festival covered five days most years. During that time, ponies, donkeys, griffins, goats and other rarer species flocked to Sadlzburg from all over the surrounding province, increasing the town’s population by half. Most of the visitors came to purchase the newly harvested food; some they would take home when they left, but other orders would not be fulfilled until later in the year, in some cases not until the next year. Taking advantage of the farmers’ sudden good fortune, other settlements would bring their own goods to trade: wood from Pinegraves, wool from Herdstone, fish from Neighagra, metal and coal from Snowtown and manufactured goods and tools from the Ayrie and Sharpside. It was the biggest market in the whole of Nulpar. Given the number of people and the amount of money changing hooves, a fair was normally set up and various games and competitions took place at the same time, adding to the festive feel of the event. Normally, most of the trading would be concluded by the end of the third day, leaving the last two days purely for having fun.

Max sighed. It would be nice to be able to relax after his long journey, but he suspected he’d find the next few days just as stressful, if not more so, than the last few months. He still had a lot to do; he needed to roll out his new ideas to the people of Nulpar and he guessed not everything would go down well. Still, now was probably the time to do it; there would be more of his people here than at any other time of year, and given the number of invitations he’d made to various leaders on his trip hopefully they would all be in attendance. Of course, as soon as the festival was over he’d have to be off again. It was most of a day’s trot to Praris, then a week by train to Canterlot, provided there were no unexpected delays this time. That would get him back to the capitol at most a day or two before court was due to restart.

As the town drew closer and closer, Max could see several fields full of tents ringing the town. He frowned. It was not uncommon for some ponies to decide to camp out for the festival. Even with most of the families in Sadlzburg taking on boarders, and Welcoming Hearth, the local hotelier, having her busiest time of the year, there wasn’t always enough room for all the visitors. Still, this was unprecedented! So many ponies!

“Looks like it’s going to be the biggest festival ever!” said Max to Noble. “I wonder what’s so special this year? Must be a bumper harvest.”

Noble looked over at the older pony with a frown. “You really don’t know?” she asked.

“Know what? I didn’t organise the festival this year. That was Piste’s job. I only got a quick look at the plans. What’s special?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “How can you be so dumb?” she asked. “It’s you, Max. You’re the reason so many are here!”

“Me?” asked Max in surprise. “Why would they all come here for me?”

“Maybe they actually want to meet the stallion who holds their futures in his hooves? You travelled half the province telling ponies to meet you here to discuss the future of Nulpar. You didn’t think some would actually turn up to see you? Those who didn’t see you in person heard about you from their neighbours – you’re probably the most talked about pony in the province!”

Max froze in place, causing his companion to almost crash into him. “Really?” he asked. He knew that he’d asked the mayors and the like from the rest of the province to come, but most of them normally attended the festival anyway. He hadn’t expected so many of his people to turn up to see him.

“Yes!” sighed Noble in exasperation.

“I... well, I hadn’t really thought about things that way.” It was a huge responsibility when you considered things – that certainly didn’t help his nerves. Ever since he’d arrived back in Nulpar, almost two months ago now, he’d been worried he was doing things wrong, that he wasn’t the right stallion for the job. He had salved his fears a bit by assuming Nulpar could manage without him, like it had before he’d been ennobled, but if almost the entire province was looking up to him, well, that was scary. He glanced around the makeshift camp surrounding them. The occupants were gathered in small groups, chatting amongst themselves, cooking, singing and laughing together. One entire field had been converted into a hoofball pitch, and a large crowd had gathered to watch a match. It was never organised, but each year a tournament would form between the various settlements represented. Betting often took place and there were quite some boasting rights if your team won. It all seemed so normal. None of it needed him. Noble couldn’t be right, could she? “Are you sure?” he asked. “It might just be a popular fair this year.”

Noble walked over to a nearby tent where an old mare was watching over a gaggle of foals as they cavorted nearby. “Excuse me,” she asked politely. “Have you seen Baron Max?”

“Not yet, my dear,” replied the mare in a crackly voice. “I hear he’s up in his mansion, but I’m sure he’ll be out to make some sort of proclamation before the week's out. I heard he was over in Snowtown a month or so back. He was showing some other big wig around. He’s probably got some plan to shake things up around here! I wouldn’t normally have come, not with my arthritis, but it’s not often you get to talk to a honest to Luna baron, is it?”

“No, not that often,” said Noble. She looked over at Max, who looked even more uncomfortable.

The trot into town itself wasn’t quite as awkward as Max had feared. Although, as Noble had predicted, a fair number of ponies wanted to say hello, shake his hoof or tried to ask a favour, it wasn’t an overwhelming number. Still, he was probably lucky that not all of his possible fans recognised him, and that it was midday, so much of the population were taking cover from the tyrant's eye, either drinking in Honeybun’s bar, eating dinner or just lazing the time away. His hooves automatically wanted to make their way to the town hall, his home for many years, but he forced himself to turn and make his way towards the newly christened Mounty Hall. He supposed he’d get used to living there sooner or later.

He was a little surprised to find that the mansion itself seemed to be quite the hive of activity. Despite the sun being high in the sky, a number of ponies and other species were tracking in and out of the building. Max recognised several of the local leaders as they passed. Barrell, the mayor of Neighagra, gave him a friendly slap on the back as he passed. “Ah, Max! Glad to see you back. Thanks for putting us all up for the festival!” he cried. Before Max could ask what he was talking about, the pegasus had taken to the air and swooped away.

Shrugging, Max made his way into the house and headed towards the offices that Mrs G and her son Conn had staked out as their own. “I should check up on what’s happened while I’ve been away,” he explained to Noble. “I’ll introduce you to my team, and I’m sure we can find something interesting for you to do; maybe you could write some sort of letter of complaint to the Califerlong Institute of Geology. Apparently the team they sent to survey Nulpar should have asked for permission.”

Noble nodded. “I should be able to do that. What level of compensation are we going to ask for? I can look up the correct fine if we involve the courts, but it might be better, and quicker, if we settle it between ourselves.”

“Oh, well. I’d like a copy of the report they’re making. Anything above that is a bonus.” Max hadn’t expected much more than an apology. Opening the door into the mansion’s largest office, Max was surprised to find it almost full. As expected, Mrs G was present, sitting behind the large desk placed in front of the far wall, but her entire family was also packed into the room. Her middle son, Conn, had his head buried in a filing cabinet, presumably looking something up. Sealbhach, her youngest, was seated at a smaller desk looking rather bored as he read over some paperwork. Her daughter-in-law, Caoimhe, was apparently overseeing Sparks, who was standing on Brian’s back, hanging a picture on the wall. “Hi gang. I’m back!” called Max.

“Max!” cried Sparks, leaping from her perch with the the picture forgotten, glomping Max in a big hug. As she squeezed, her skin lit up momentarily, shining brightly enough it was almost painful to look at. Behind her, Brian dovce for the discarded picture before it could shatter on the floor.

“Hi Sparks!” replied Max, returning the hug with rather less enthusiasm before gently peeling the excited mare off of himself. “Mrs G, Brian, Conn, Sealbhach, Caoimhe,” he nodded to each of the goats once he was free. “Good to see you all again. How have things been?”

“Busy,” said Mrs G rising stiffly from behind the desk and giving a small smile. “Seems like everyone wanted to see you once they heard you were back from Canterlot. Shame you decided to leave again so they all had to wait.”

“Who’s this beautiful filly you’ve brought with you?” asked Sealbhach, gliding across the room and taking Noble’s hoof before kissing it. She quickly pulled the limb back as if it had been burned.

“My name is Noble Fir,” she said haughtily. “Max has agreed to take me on as part of his government.”

Mrs G cocked her head. “Silver Fir’s daughter?” she asked. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. In the corner, Conn flinched, causing his head to slam into the filing cabinet.

“Yes,” said Max hesitantly, wondering why the rest of the room seemed to be taking this news so badly. “She’s been studying law over in Ambelon. I thought she might be able to lend a hoof here.”

“Plus my mother thought that Max’s advisers could do with a bit more variation,” she pointed out. “Not all from one town.”

“Yes, well, we all know what your mother thinks, don’t we,” said Mrs G darkly.

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Noble, scratching the ground with a hoof as a challenge.

“Of course you don’t!”

“Um, I really don’t,” said Max hesitantly. He hadn’t expected Noble’s appearance to be controversial.

Mrs G turned to Max. “You know why Pinegraves broke away from Sadlzburg, don’t you?”

“Something about wanting to harvest different parts of the forest, wasn’t it? I wasn’t very old at the time, but I remembered Mum and Dad talking about it.”

“Other parts of the forest!” she snorted. “They just didn’t want to work alongside goats!” Max frowned. He knew that Caoimhe’s family ran the saw mill and were quite important in the local lumber business. When he considered it, he supposed most of the lumberjacks locally were goats, but certainly not all.

“That’s not true!” cried Noble. “Your people forced our families out! Made it so we couldn’t make a decent living! You still charge us a fortune to use the saw mill!”

“We charge a reasonable amount!” said Sparks, her foster sister Caoimhe nodded along. “You just expect us to work for free!”

“Those folks up at Pinegraves can’t be trusted,” insisted Mrs G, advancing on Noble. “Ready to betray you at the first chance, ready to run off and leave you-” Conn placed a hoof on his mother's shoulder.

“Mum,” he said gently, “This isn’t about dad.”

“Dad?” muttered Noble, her brow furrowing. “You’re Dileas’ son!”

Max racked his brain to try and think what that meant. Then his eyes widened. Mrs G’s second husband! The old nanny had been married three times in her life, each husband fathering one of her sons. The first had been a tor who had returned to his people when Brian, and Max, had only been a few years old, while the third, Sealbhach’s father, had died of natural causes about a decade ago. The second, Dileas, had run off with a mare called Bristlecone Fir twenty five years ago. She must have been related to Noble! No wonder there was tension between them.

It was plain to see the tension between them as Noble Pine took a step forwards and lowered her voice into a near-snarl. “Mum never saw Aunt Bristlecone again after your father seduced her!”

“Seduced her!” snorted Mrs G. “If your aunt hadn’t gone around raising her tail to anyone who...”

“Stop!” ordered Max, causing all eyes to lock onto him, Mrs G glare almost causing Max to back away. It was rare for him to see the old nanny truly angry; it was a very intimidating sight. “Look,” he said, trying to calm down the situation, “I don’t care what’s happened between your family and hers, Mrs G. I need everybody to work together for Nulpar. Please!” He really didn’t need all this right now. He expected to have enough trouble over the next few days without his friends fighting.

Most of the room’s population looked away, shuffling their hooves, but Noble and Mrs G continued to glare at each other for a long moment. “Very well,” said Mrs G eventually. “I’m happy to let bygones be bygones, for the moment.” She held out a hoof. The younger mare paused for a moment, then reached out and shook it.

“Apology accepted. I... well, maybe my aunt might not have been blameless. I’ve never actually met her, and I don’t think the charges for the saw mill are all that unreasonable. You have to make a living.” The room seemed to let out its breath. Although Max did think the apology seemed a little half hearted, it wasn’t like her aunt’s behaviour had anything to do with Noble.

“Good!” he said. “Now that that’s settled, I guess you’ll want to know how my trip went.”

“We’ve heard some of it, Max,” said Conn. “There are visitors in town from most of the places you stopped off at.”

“And more that still want to meet you,” said Mrs G, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve got quite a following.”

A feeling of awkwardness washed through Max again. “Yes, well, I should probably talk to them later or something. Anyway, I made it to most of the settlements I’d planned to, although there were a few incidents on the way...”

“A dragon!” exclaimed Sparks. “A real live, whoosh, fire breathing dragon!” She mimed breathing a sheet of flame.

“Yes,” said Max with a nod. “She’s called Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim.”

“That's quite a mouthful,” said Sealbhach.

“Yes, but apparently it’s not a good idea to leave any of it out. It’s insulting.”

“And she’s got a library?” asked Conn. Max smiled. He wasn’t surprised that the goat had picked up on that – he did live in Sadlzburg’s library after all.

“Yes, but she’s not happy with us borrowing any of the books. Uh, she might eat anypony who tries.”

“And I thought I was tough with overdue fees!” muttered Conn.

“She’ll probably be fine with the odd visit to look at them, as long as we flatter her a bit and bring her some new books.”

“It must certainly be something to see,” said Conn a little dreamily. “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”

Noble tilted her head. “J L Boards?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Conn, a little surprised. “I like his poetry. It’s a shame he went blind.”

“I’m rather partial to him myself.” She blinked a few times in confusion. “I didn’t expect anypony... anyone to know about him here.” She blushed a little.

“Because he’s a goat? What, did your parents raise you to think we only eat books?” muttered Caoimhe darkly.

“Well, some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly,” noted Conn jovially with a wink. “We don’t have many books, but I look after those we have – no nibbling here. Anyway, I know a few organisations who would love to have a look – the Canterlot Archive, the university of Trottingham, the library of Alexandamare – I could write to them and see if they’re interested.”

“Good plan,” said Max.

“I can probably help with that,” said Noble. “One of my tutors at Ambelon Academy used to work in the Archive. He might have some contacts we can use.”

“You went to the Academy?” asked Conn in surprise.

“Just graduated, fifth in my class,” said Noble proudly.

“Your parents paid for you to go?”

Noble scowled a little. “Mostly,” she admitted. “I had a partial scholarship. I got eighty two percent on the application test!”

“Really,” said Conn darkly.

“Anyway,” interrupted Mrs G quickly, “we can sort that out later. You’ve got a few appointments waiting for you, dearie. There’s representatives from the Apple Trust and Fisher Agriculture interested in expansion into Nulpar.”

“Oh, that sounds like a good thing. When are they due?” asked Max.

“They’re in town already. Been here for a few days, been talking to a few of the mayors. You should probably arrange a meeting as soon as possible.”

Max nodded. “Ok, maybe pencil them in tomorrow?”

“It might be an idea to have one meeting with both of them together,” suggested Conn.

“Or it might be better to have separate meetings. They don’t have to know what each of them is offering,” said Noble.

Max tried to weigh up his options. He was sure he’d be busy over the next few days, and it seemed a bit underhanded to talk to them in secret. “I think I’ll see them both together,” he decided. “Ask Greenleaves if she’s free. She knows more about farming than any of us.”

“You should probably talk to the weather ministry representative in town as well.”

“Fragrant’s still here!” exclaimed Max. He was sure she would have left – maybe she found some time to come back for the festival. They could spend time at the fair!

“I’m afraid not,” said Mrs G with a smile. “It was nice of her to come in person, but she was only in town for a few days, left well over a month ago now. I heard you gave her a tour of some of the settlements, just the two of you. I hope you were on your best behaviour.” She raised her eyebrows as Max blushed. “Anyway, she left a fair number of her ponies here, still checking out the province. They’re supposed to be reporting to you for the moment.”

Max nodded. “Ok, I’ll try to fit in a chat with whoever is in charge of them.”

“Alright,” said Mrs G, “me and your mother also need to talk to you about your recent purchases.”

Max scowled. He had been expecting this; his mother ran most of the family finances and he didn’t really know how they were going, but after buying a house in Canterlot and the manor here, as well as what he spent during his trip, he guessed they weren’t doing that well.

“Don’t look at me like that!” said Mrs G. “You need to get things settled before you bankrupt yourself.” She sighed. “It’s not that bad, but you need to cut down on your spending. You can’t pay for the whole province yourself.”

Max nodded. “I understand.”

“Good, but we can hold off for a day or two. You can have a rest for tonight at least.”

“Thanks, Mrs G!” said Max. “We should probably set up a meeting with all the mayors and the like.” He thought for a moment. “The day after tomorrow?” That should give him the time to sort a few things out before presenting his plans to them. “We can get together in the main meeting room. That big table Spark’s family built should be able to fit them all.” He gestured towards the relevant room. “But for the moment, I’ll just dump my stuff in my room. Then I can go tell Mum I’m back and chat to a few folks.”

“Actually, that could be a problem,” said Mrs G.

Max furrowed his brow. “Problem?” he asked.

“I’m really sorry,” said Sparks, shuffling forwards and looking down at her hooves. “You see, all these important ponies kept turning up and I wanted to show them how great your mansion is, so I gave them rooms here, but there were an awful lot, and I guess I sort of lost count.” She looked up at him. “I’m really sorry!”

“She gave away your room,” said Mrs G gently. “We’re piled two or three to a room here, and most of the town’s the same.”

“That’s alright,” said Max, resting a leg over Sparks’ back. “I’ve been sleeping under canvas most nights for the last few months. A few more days won’t hurt.”

“You’re sure?” asked Sparks a little hesitantly. “You can have my room in the saw mill if you want.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” said Max kindly. He was aware the younger pony had a bit of a crush on him, and he didn’t want to encourage it too much.

“Actually, I have a spare couch if you want, Max,” offered Conn. “I’m not used to company, but I’m sure we can live together for a few days.”

Max was about to agree when he looked over towards Noble, who looked a little down; she probably didn’t have anywhere to stay either, he thought, and judging by their short trek here she was less used to life in a tent. Maybe she could room with Sparks? Probably not a good idea, given the tension between their families. “Actually, why doesn't Noble stay with you instead?” he suggested. “I’m fine in my tent. It’ll let me stay near my people. Most of them are staying in tents as well.”

Neither Conn nor Noble seemed entirely happy with the suggestion, but after a moment they both nodded. “Sure,” said Conn.

“That should work,” agreed Noble.

“Good,” said Max. “Now I better find a space to set up my tent.”

Max, Conn and Noble made their way out of the room. The goat offered to carry the mare’s saddlebags to his home, but she rather pointedly noted that she’d been carrying them for over a day now so didn’t need any help. Max wondered if this was going to be such a good idea after all.

“So here we are,” announced Conn as they arrived at the rather run-down building he lived in. “Library sweet library!” He gestured at a sign with an image of a book on it hanging just outside the door.

“You live in a library?” asked Noble.

“Well, it’s the building we store the books in,” noted Max. “It was Conn’s idea to ask everyone in town to donate what they could so we can lend them out.”

“Actually, it’s a real official library now,” said the goat, his chest swelling with pride. “I thought I’d mentioned it before, while you were away in Canterlot I headed down to Ambelon city and met with the head of the library there. It’s a very grand building, you know, beautiful!”

“It is, isn’t it,” sighed Noble. “I spent hours in there between classes. It got me through some very hard times.” She shook her head. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Oh, I met the head of the library and…” He blushed a little. “Well, I might have name dropped you a bit, Max, and sort of suggested that you might have ordered me to to get this place named a proper part of the Equestrian library service.” He grimaced a bit. “Well, it worked and we can order books from all over Equestria now. Actually, thinking about it, the library service might be interested in that dragon, as well as the big private libraries.”

“I’ve never actually slept in a library,” said Noble.

“Well, it might be a little cramped with the two of us, but I’m sure we’ll survive. You can have the bed, of course,” said Conn politely.

Noble looked like she was going to argue for a moment, then nodded. Leaving the two of them to settle in, Max set off towards the camp grounds outside the city, hoping to find a good place to put up his tent.

It was several hours later, and dusk was beginning to fall. Max had spent most of the time setting up his tent and having a short nap as the afternoon drew on. He knew he’d be busy for the next few days, so it was probably best to rest up now. It was a bit of a shame he didn’t have a proper bed, but he’d have time for that once he got back to Canterlot. He’d decided to try and spend the evening relaxing as well. If everything went to plan he’d have a full day of meetings tomorrow, and since his announcements the day after would be controversial to say the least, he doubted he’d have much time to himself after that. So he’d decided to visit the fair for the evening.

For the whole of his life, there had always been a fair in Sadlzburg during the harvest festival. The Top family had always managed to drag all their rides, sideshows, and performers to the town and put on a show. It probably wasn’t the most profitable opportunity for them – other towns were bigger and easier to get to – but they always turned up year after year.

The fair had set up on the opposite side of the river to most of the town, near the tree line, and Max had to cross one of the bridges to enter. Unsure what to see first, he let his hooves take him randomly through the side shows. He stopped to watch a unicorn performer prance around wreathed in fire to the gasps of the crowd, and then moved on to see a strong pony challenging all comers to wrestle. His challenge was taken up by a griffin probably half his size again, but after only a few seconds the half-bird found herself pinned and helpless, much to the excitement and amusement of the spectators. Max was glad that, despite Noble’s assumption, he could still lose himself in the crowd, although he felt a little shabby. Most of the customers had dressed up in their finest for the event, but apart from a few close acquaintances who called his name through the crowd, most of his people seemed to ignore him.

For a moment, he felt a stab of loneliness. The fair brought back memories of Puissance’s birthday party and the circus outside her home that he and Buttercup had visited. It had been much, much larger, but he thought he preferred this one. It seemed more equine, the laughter more real in some way, less artificial. It was a shame Fragrant couldn’t be here; he would have really loved to show her around.

He glanced over at one of the side stalls and blinked, noticing a foal he recognised: Strong Heart. The colt was standing with a small group of his peers around a test-your-strength machine. Max was glad to see the boy enjoying himself away from his mother's bedside. It showed devotion, but he was certain Tender would not have wanted her son to spend his whole life pining away over her.

He wandered closer to watch what the foals were doing. A pretty yellow-coated earth pony filly of about the same age as Brave, her pink mane tied in pigtails by red ribbons, was slamming her hind legs against the machine. She was making quite a good job of it given her age and size; the marker was making its way maybe three quarters of the way towards the bell, but not quite far enough to win. The donkey running the stall shook his head at the dejected-looking filly and she started to slink away before Strong and the other foals gathered around her in a huddle. After a few moments, they seemed to come to some agreement and bumped hooves before the filly turned back to the machine, handing the attendant another coin and positioning herself before the device.

Max narrowed his eyes as he noticed Strong’s horn starting to glow. Several of his friends had positioned themselves to hide the light from the donkey attendant, a corresponding sheen appearing on the filly’s hind legs as she slammed down on the pad. The marker on the device shot up the track, getting closer and closer to the top, slowing as it went. For a moment it seemed like it would fall short, but it impacted and the bell gave out a loud clang. The filly let out a loud squeal and hopped up and down, much to the amusement of the passing adults, before she turned to the donkey. He stared at her suspiciously for a moment, only to be met by wide, innocent eyes, before he shrugged and handed over a large toy cat easily half the size of the filly. She clutched it tight in one hoof before hobbling over to Strong Heart, putting her other foreleg over his back and kissing him on the cheek. His face glowed brightly but he made no attempt to push her away. It looked like Max wasn’t the only pony who found fairs romantic. He momentarily wondered if he should have a word with the lad about not abusing his powers, but it wasn’t that big a thing, really, as long as it didn’t become a habit. Anyway, he was sure those things were normally rigged, seeing as he hadn’t managed to win anything for Buttercup when they’d been dating.

Turning away from the foals who were now swarming towards a stall selling toffee-dipped flowers, Max made his way towards the centre of the fair where the relatively few rides had been placed. A large carousel was juddering around and around, its carriages filled with laughing ponies in ones or twos. Max enjoyed the sight for a moment before frowning. It looked a little different from last year’s, larger for a start. He looked around. Where were the ponies powering it? He noticed a safety cage-covered belt leading away from to an area surrounded by a gaggle of interested ponies. He craned his head to look over them and caught sight of some complex mechanism, chugging away under a cloud of smoke and steam. A steam engine! No wonder so many ponies were interested in it. Belts led from it to the various rides and attractions.

“Ah! Max!” came a loud cry from behind him, almost causing him to jump. He spun around to see one of the fair’s owners, Big Top, approaching. The mare matched her name in all ways but her size, being of a fairly average build, but her dress and personality never made her do anything but stand out. Her blouse and skirt were made up of patches of cloth of all shades of the rainbow with large ruffles, huge earrings pulled her ears down, and a large feathered hat covered her head. Her face was almost as thick with makeup as some of her clowns; bright blusher highlighted her cheeks, and black wax her eyes. “Or should that be baron now?” she asked with equal volume as she approached.

“Max is fine, Big Top,” he said with a smile. “Thanks for bringing all of this to us.”

“My pleasure,” she said, bowing theatrically. “Sadlzburg has always been very welcoming to us. Of course, this year was a little more challenging than normal, but getting our show all the way up here has never been easy. Moving Little Jenny there--” she nodded towards the chugging engine “--in carts without a decent road proved to be… difficult, but we persevered, and here we are!” She gestured around wildly with her hooves.

“I’m glad you did, but why didn’t you bring the old pony-powered one if it was so difficult?”

“Old Merry finally clapped out, I’m afraid,” said a second voice emanating from a taller stallion standing by Big Top. It was her brother, Little Top. He was easy to miss compared to his sister. As he tended to run the more behind-the-scenes parts of the fair, he didn’t dress half as flamboyantly; he was covered only by a thick apron and goggles. “We haven't used her for years apart from up here. Other settlements want bigger, more impressive sights. Jenny’s our smallest engine, only one we could get up here, and she’s almost obsolete now. We’re even looking into getting an electrical generator!” He continued, with a gleam in his eye. “I’ve seen one of the bigger shows use one, it’s amazing! I’ve put together a few batteries to show off those new incandescent bulbs! You should see them!”

Max nodded along with the excited stallion. He’d seen some electrical lights back in Canterlot; they seemed an interesting toy, but he wasn’t all that certain they’d catch on. Gas or magic seemed much more practical. Max tuned out the excited nattering of Little Top as he continued to cry the praises of the new technology. It hurt Max a little to hear the old carousel was gone; he’d had some good times with Zephyr on that ride. It was also a reminder on how out-of-the-way Nulpar was, and how desperately he needed to build roads. It just wouldn’t be an autumn festival if the fair couldn’t get here.

“Anyway,” interupted Big Top, bringing Max back to the present. “It’s been nice talking to you, but I’ve got a lot more guests to entertain. I hope you’re enjoying the show so far, and be sure to mention us to your colleagues up in Canterlot. Patronage is always welcome!” She turned away while her brother melted into the crowd, making his way towards the steam engine. Max smiled at her words. He couldn’t really see many of the other nobles spending too much time at a fair, although Puissance had arranged one for her people.

Max turned around, trying to decide what he should do or see next. Maybe he should look at the electric lights, or the clowns? Try his hoof at the crossbow game?

“Max!” came a familiar cry from nearby. With a smile, Max turned to see his mother trotting over towards him. He hadn’t had a chance to catch up with her yet. His smile sank a bit when he saw one of her arms intertwined with Doctor House Martin’s. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about their relationship; he wanted his mother to be happy, but it also seemed to be wrong for her to be with another stallion, even though it had been many years since his father's death. “I heard you’d gotten back to town,” she continued, releasing the doctor and hobbling over to hug her son. “Why didn’t you come to see me?” she asked in a slightly scolding tone.

“Sorry, I only got in a few hours ago. I got caught up in things. It’s good to see you again.” He nuzzled his mother before gently releasing her. She was wearing a white summer dress with little red roses embroidered on it. He guessed it had been homemade. Still, it looked good on her, making her seem years younger.

“Good to see you lad,” mumbled House Martin as he approached. He was wearing a blue jacket and a bowler hat. It seemed almost everypony but him had dressed up, thought Max. He tried not to scowl at the stallion.

“So how was your trip?” asked Early. “Did anything dangerous happen?” she asked a little nervously.

Max thought of the rockslide he’d gotten caught up in, the bandits he’d fought, and the dragon. “It was mostly just a lot of walking,” he ventured. “I got to meet a whole lot of new people.”

“That’s good. You know I worry sometimes.”

“I tried to be careful,” he said, feeling rather ashamed. maybe he should have tried a little harder. “I tried to make sure I was traveling with somepony else when possible, like you asked.” ‘Possible’ hadn’t been all that common, of course. Not many people wanted to travel far from their homes.

“I heard about that Fragrant mare,” said Early, causing Max to swallow nervously as he considered just exactly what his mother had heard, and from whom. “She spent a day or so here when those new weather teams moved in. She seemed nice, all things considered.” She sounded a little unsure.

“It was a bit of a surprise she turned up,” said Max. “If I’d known she was coming, I would have introduced you. I think you’d like her if you got to know her. She keeps worrying about me as well.”

Early met her son’s gaze for a moment, then smiled. “Well, she can’t be all bad, then. Still, she caused a bit of a kerfuffle, bringing in all those new pegasi in. And with all these extra folks wanting to turn up to see you, we’ve certainly been busy while you’ve been on your trip.”

“I’ve been busier than I’d want to be as well,” muttered Doctor House Martin.

“Anything serious?” asked Max, remembering the red lung epidemic that had struck Sharpside. He didn’t want anything like that here in Sadlzburg, certainly not with all the visitors.

“Nothing too bad. The usual trips and bumps from the usual idiots, as well as a few ponies overdoing the celebrating. There was a batch of wet hay that had been left in the sun to ferment going around some of the camps. I’m not sure what was growing in it but it was enough to have those eating it flying, even if they didn’t have wings.”

Max nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.

“Young Piste has managed to keep on top of most of it, but I’m looking forward to that extra help you said was coming next year. I’m not getting any younger. Still, they say you’re as young as the mare you feel,” he laughed, giving Early’s flank a pinch. She blushed and giggled a little before giving the stallion a kiss on the lips, making Max feel a little sick. His plans for medical support in Nulpar had changed a little since his announcement, but now probably wasn’t the time to mention it.

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Max a little stuffily. “But I’ve got other things to think about at the moment, and maybe you should act a little more like a professional. My mother was your patient,” he added with a scowl.

“Professional!” hissed House Martin, glaring back at the younger stallion. “From what I’ve heard from Early, you’re mixing work and pleasure as well, boy!”

“Martin!” snapped Early, before Max could say anything. “That was a secret! And Max, apologize to Martin, what we do is our own business.”

“Sorry,” muttered Max, looking down at his hooves.

“Good. Now, would you like a drink, Max?” asked Early in a calmer tone.

“Maybe a mead?” he said, looking around at the refreshment stalls. “I’ll get it.”

“No, I’ll go,” said Early. “I’ll give my two favourite stallions some time to talk. What would you like, Martin?” she asked.

“Just a coffee for me,” he said. Early nodded and started to hobble off.

The two stallions stood there for a moment in an awkward silence.

“So...” they both said together.

“No, you first,” said Max.

“Very well,” said House Martin. “I know you’re not entirely comfortable about me and your mother, and I’d like you to know that, well... I don’t give a damn about what you think.” He snarled. “We’re both adults and we can do whatever we want, and you’re old enough that you should be able to deal with that.”

“Um...” said Max, stunned by the stallion’s bluntness.

“She makes me happy and I like to think that I make her happy as well. I’m never going to be your father, lad,” he said a little more gently, “and I don’t want to be, but I hope we can at least be civil to each other? I know your mother loves you very much, and I... I care about your mother. I don’t want anything getting between you two. Now, can you be a stallion about this?”

Max frowned. He didn’t think he’d been that unreasonable so far. He hadn’t really objected that much to his mother's relationship with the Doctor, even though it felt wrong to him. Still, he was sure he could at least try to deal with the other stallion if his mother was happy with him. He held out a hoof. “I think I can,” he said.

“Good,” said the other stallion, shaking the offered limb.

“Um... well, while we’re talking, I have a few official things to talk to you about.”

“You look alright,” said the Doctor, cocking his head. “You want a tune up for your new mare? Happens to us all eventually, things not working quite as well as they used to,” he said with a grin.

“What! No! Nothing like that!” spluttered Max.

“Just kidding with you,” said House Martin with a smile. “This is baron stuff I guess?”

“Yes. It’s probably something we can talk about more tomorrow, but they had an outbreak of red lung over in Sharpside last year.”

The older stallion nodded grimly. “Bad business. I heard about that, mostly burnt out by the time news reached me, though.”

“Yes,” nodded Max. “But they didn’t have any medics over there. I need to do something about that.”

“Well I’m not moving out there, if that’s what you mean. There’s just not enough of us to cover the area, and that’s not going to change soon, not many want to practise all the way out here.”

“No,” agreed Max. “But I’ve got some ideas I’d like to run past you. How long would it...” he started.

“Here are your drinks,” said Early as she returned, balancing the drinks on her back. Max and House Martin took their beverages and sipped at them. “What were you talking about?” she asked.

“Nothing very important, Mum,” said Max. “We can finish off tomorrow.”

“I should be free, unless an emergency comes up,” said House Martin.

“Good,” said Early, putting a leg over the withers of each of her two stallions. “Now, what do you think we should do first? I quite like the look of the carousel!”

The rest of the evening passed enjoyably. The trio of ponies wandered around the fair, enjoying the various pleasures. They tried the candy floss-covered flowers on sale, tried their hooves unsuccessfully at the ball toss, and watched a troupe of performing dogs. For the night, Max got to forget that he was a baron and just got to be a spectator.

Early insisted that she pay to get their pictures taken by one of the stall holders who had set up a camera. The photographer even offered to paint over the pictures once they had developed so the image could be in colour. House Martin insisted that Max and Early get a picture of just the two of them, and in turn Max told his mother that she should get a shot of her with the doctor.

The only hiccup in the celebration was when House Martin caught sight of one of the stalls selling a cure-all, which had attracted quite a crowd as the salestallions extolled the virtues of their elixir. The angry medic pushed his way through the crowd and began to yell at the startled attendant, which only attracted a larger crowd. Max only just managed to break up the altercation before Lone Star or one of his deputies had to step in. Gently leading the fuming medic away from the fair, and back towards his house Early decided that it was time to call it a night and Max said goodbye to his mother and her lover.

Max considered staying out for a bit longer, but he was tired after the events of the day and decided to head back to his bed as well. Returning to his familiar tent, now surrounded by many others for a change, he settled into his bedroll. Not everything had worked out quite how he imagined, but he was glad to be home, even if his stay would be brief. After spending so much time alone, it was nice to be around other ponies. Tomorrow promised more challenges, and he still had many others to talk to before he could unveil his plans to the rest of the province.

Turning over, he closed his eyes and fell asleep listening to the happy sounds of the partying people around him.

19) Harvest Festival: Day 2, The Meeting

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Max’s eyes shot open before squinting at the bright light, which was forcing its way through the side of his tent. His ears twisted back and forth for a moment, trying to locate whatever had rudely awoken him. Judging by the amount of sunlight, it was much later than he’d planned. He could make out the sound of various ponies enjoying their breakfasts and, further away, the sound of the market starting up for the day. Then came a sound of someone tapping a hoof on the side of the tent. He blinked again. “Hello?” he called, his voice croaking a little.

“Morning, dearie,” came Mrs G’s voice. “I brought you some breakfast.”

“Just a minute,” called Max as he rubbed his eyes, and struggled out of his bed roll before stretching and yawning. Then he stuck his head out of the tent flap and enjoyed a deep breath of the fresh morning air, picking up the scent of the pancakes resting on Mrs G’s back. “Thanks,” he said, taking the food from his assistant. “But you didn’t have to. I could have gotten something myself.”

“You’ve been on the road for two months. I don’t know if you’ve been taking care of yourself, you look a little scrawny.” She gently poked at his side. Max actually thought he was in better condition than he’d been for a while; all that good food in Canterlot had meant he’d gotten a little pudgy. Still, he wasn’t going to argue as he started on his meal. Mrs G produced a bowl of milk from somewhere, still warm from the cow. “You’ve got a lot to do today, and I think you need a good start.”

Max took a mouthful of milk. “Yeah, I’ve got quite a few meetings. I need to talk to Doctor House Martin, those ponies from Fisher Agricultural and the Apple Trust, Arctic Breeze, the weather ponies, probably a few of the mayors as well, Piste definitely.” He hadn’t had a chance to talk to his best friend yet, but he knew that as mayor he’d have a lot to do during the festival.

“Plus me and your mother need to talk to you about your finances,” added Mrs G. Max scowled. He wasn’t looking forwards to that. “And you should probably talk to Honeybun as well – she’s still stirring up trouble. You’ll need to deal with her sooner or later.” Max sighed. He remembered Fragrant’s suggestion; hopefully it would help. “She might be in a good mood. It's the drinks competition this evening; she’s looking to place.”

“Well that’s something, I guess.” There was normally a competition where people from all around the province would compare their various home brews; it was really just a chance to get drunk, but some took it very seriously. As mayor, Max had been asked to act as one of the judges most years. Honeybun had won a few times but not for the last few years, and not due to any low scores from Max – he did love her mead. Finishing his pancake, he gazed across the fields and noticed a goat and a pony approaching. “Oh, there’s Conn and Bell,” he said waving a hoof.

“Good morning, Bar... Max,” said Bell, suppressing a yawn.

“Morning, Bell. How was your night? Getting used to the library?”

“Well, I didn’t get much of a chance to sleep, actually,” said the mare. Mrs G raised an eyebrow and looked at her son.

“We stayed up late, reading and talking,” explained Conn quickly. “I was showing Bell around the library and I pointed out a few of my favorites, and one thing lead to another.”

Noble nodded. “It’s not that big a selection, but more varied that I’d thought. We don’t have a library back in Pinegraves. I don’t normally get a chance to discuss poetry with another pon... um goat. It wasn’t what I expected.” She gazed over at Conn for a moment, who grinned back. Then she shook herself and produced a sheet of parchment. “Oh, and we put together the letter for Cal-geo. You can actually ask for quite a bit of compensation, but we decided to lowball it a bit to make sure you get the full report they’re making. it’ll probably be worth more in the long run, particularly if they find anything unusual.”

“Thanks,” said Max, taking the letter and glancing at it before storing it in his tent for later postage. “Ok, I better wash up a bit, then. I’ve got a busy day. Conn, could you find Greenleaves and see if she’s free to help us talk to the Fisher and Apple Trust representatives? Maybe just after lunch,” he suggested. He’d learnt from Fragrant that ponies tended to be more relaxed and more likely to agree with you just after they’d eaten.

“Anything I can do?” asked Noble.

Max thought for a moment. Most of his planned meetings were with ponies he already knew; he probably wouldn’t need any legal help. “Um, could you find something about the role of a representative to the Night Court? We haven't got any at the moment, but the Princess will probably try to recruit some soon, and I have a pony in mind. It might be an idea to show her what her duties would be. See if you can make it seem exciting.”

“I think I can do that,” agreed Noble, peering over Max’s shoulder at Conn as he trotted away carrying the remains of Max’s breakfast. Then she turned back to the baron, her face a little flushed. “Max, can I talk to you about something… um… something about Conn?” she asked.

“Ok, sure,” said Max.

“He’s... well, he’s been very friendly, he gave me his bed, he’s really interesting... more interesting than most ponies I’ve met, but... well, I got to talking about the Academy last night and he just shut me out. He seemed really angry for some reason. Do you know why?”

“The Ambelon Academy? I don’t really know, he’s not...”

“He applied to study there,” said Mrs G, joining the conversation with a scowl.

“It was the Academy he tried to join?” asked Max. Conn hadn’t made it entirely clear which school he was planning to go to, or maybe he had; it had been a long time ago, about the time Max’s father had died. It was a bit jumbled in his mind.

“Yes, tried to get a scholarship. Miss Punctuation managed to get him to sit the exam for a scholarship. He did well, he’s always been a bright boy,” said the nanny with pride. “He did really well, and he had to learn most of that stuff himself, no tutors and the like. Then he got an interview, and they just rejected him.”

“Well, there’s a limited number of places each year. Only the very cream of the crop get in,” said Noble.

“Like you? My boy got ninety percent on that test, better than you. They were ready to accept him with open arms until they met him!”

“Maybe it was a particularly high scoring year?” suggested Noble a little lamely.

“How many goats were in your class?” said Mrs G pointedly.

“Well, um, none; it was all ponies, well, one hippogriff.”

“Exactly!”

“Now, we don’t know that for certain,” said Max, trying to calm the angry nanny. “I did offer to help him pay for tuition.”

“I know,” she sighed, “but he’s a proud billy, he wanted to prove to me, and himself, he could do it.” She looked over towards the retreating figure of her son. ”He’s always been a good boy. They all are in their own ways.”

“You think he didn’t get into the Academy just because he’s a goat,” asked Noble, sounding a little confused. “I’d thought, well, I thought no goat would be interested, but he... he is different isn’t he.”

“He’s hardly the only goat with brains, you know.” Mrs G scowled, then her face softened a little. “But he’s got more than most.”

“But that isn’t right! Why didn’t he say something, do something about it!” she stamped her hoof, then looked around seemingly a little surprised by her own actions.

“Would anypony have listened?”

Max looked around, a little shame-faced. he probably should have helped more back then, rather than spending time feeling sorry for himself. He thought of his investigation into the legislation that kept referring to everypony rather than everyone. He’d just seen it as too big a problem to deal with. Should he have done more? He turned and noticed a group of goats approaching, ladened down with large packs and in one of two cases pulling tents behind them. His eyes widened; it wasn’t all that rare for a few tor to turn up to trade at the festival, but a whole tribe was unusual. They seemed familiar too; most tribes were fairly individualistic, and he was sure he’d seen these before... of course, the tribe from the meadow, where Fragrant had gotten drunk! He had invited them to come, but he just didn’t think they would take up the offer. “Excuse me,” he said to Mrs G and Noble. “I better go and say hi to our new arrivals.”

Mrs G glanced over at the approaching tribe, then gave a double take. She blinked and her mouth dropped. “It... it can’t be!” she stammered, her face paling.

“Mrs G, what is it?” asked Max. He didn’t think he’d ever seen the old nanny react as strongly to anything before.

“Noble!” cried Mrs G as she started to gallop towards the tors. “Find Conn, tell him that Brian needs to be here!”

Noble looked at Max in surprise. He shrugged and nodded before following after Mrs G as quickly as he could. The nanny had come to a stop in front of the group of goats. “Тэр нас барсан байна уу? Та энд байна, яагаад тэр вэ?” she cried in a language Max didn’t understand. It almost looked like she was going to cry. What could be going on?

“Ямар ч эхнэр, би ч үхсэн биш байна,” came a voice from among the tor as the crowd separated, and the tribe's leader, Jurgaghan, strode forwards a little stiffly. Next to him stood Chinua and a few of his guards.

Mrs G closed her eyes and gave out a long sigh for a moment, before opening them again, now burning with anger. Her posture straightened and she took a step forwards towards the old goat. “Why are you here now?” she asked in the local goat dialect. “After all these years?” She took another step forwards and a few of the female guards stepped forwards to intercept her. She glared at them and they backed off again.

“цэцэг, үнэн зүрхний,” stuttered the old goat. “You know I couldn’t stay,” he continued. “I couldn’t live among the ponies, I tried but I couldn’t. I had my responsibilities, I’m khan, but I never forgot you. The pony-khan here told me of you.” He pointed towards Max. Mrs G turned her gaze on him, causing Max to step back, swallowing hard.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked dangerously.

“I... I what? It didn’t seem important, what’s going on?” asked Max in confusion.

“I didn’t tell him about us, it’s not his fault,” explained Jurgaghan quickly. “But he told me about you, about our son.”

Max blinked. He wasn’t sure that he’d heard that correctly. “Wait a minute,” he said, “Did you just say…?”

There was a clatter of hooves, and Max spun around to see Brian, Caoimhe, Conn and Noble galloping up. The commotion had attracted a good number of other ponies who were watching cautiously from around the campsite. “Mathair,” he called. “What’s going on? Who are they?” Looking around suspiciously, the large goat took his place alongside his mother.

“Brian,” said Mrs G softly, “I’d like you to meet somegoat you haven’t seen for a very long time.”

“Brian!” cried Jurgaghan, his mouth dropping and tears starting to fall. “Миний хүү! Миний хүү минь ээ! Та маш хүчтэй өссөн шүү дээ! Уучлаарай!”

Brian’s face furrowed in confusion. “Xүү? I don’t understand, I...”

“Brian,” said Mrs G, resting a hoof on her son’s back. “This is Jurgaghan. He’s your father, my first husband.”

“Father? I don’t, I... you left us, I don’t even really remember...” Looking just as confused, Caoimhe walked to her husband’s side.

“I’m sorry, my son,” said Jurgaghan, tears still seeping from his eyes. “I tried, but the ways of the ponies were just too strange for me to stay. I returned to my people, but I never forgot you or my true love.” He turned to Mrs G. “When your khan told me about... about my grandchild...” He looked towards the bulge in Caoimhe’s belly, and Brian took a step to put himself protectively between his father and his wife. “I had to come. I am sorry for not being in your life. Can you... can you accept me, if not as a father, then at least as someone who wishes you well?”

Brian looked back and forth between his father, mother, and wife; his face likewise betrayed his emotions, flicking between anger, confusion, and joy. He turned to Mrs G, who gently gestured towards Jurgaghan and gave a nod. Brian took a step forwards, then another a little faster before putting a leg around his father, and the two of them embraced somewhat cautiously. Around them a ragged cheer broke out from the tor as well as a few ponies that had understood what was going on, and even some who just wanted to join in whatever was happening.

“He tried to stay,” said Mrs G to Max, keeping her eyes on her ex-husband and son. “We agreed that it was better if he returned to his people, but... I still told myself I would punch him in the face if I ever saw him again.”

“Why haven't you?” asked Max.

“He’s more handsome than I expected him to be after all these years,” she hissed. “I don’t want to mess that up.”

After making sure that the tor tribe was settling in well – they had set up a little way from the other camps – Max left the recently reunited family alone. Understandably, Brian still seemed conflicted by the sudden reappearance of his father. The tall goat had, as far as Max knew, never really been bothered by his father’s loss; he had bonded quite well with Mrs G’s other husbands and his brothers, but Max guessed it must have been an issue. Now that he was back, if only temporarily, Brian didn’t seem to be able to decide if he should love or hate his father. He did seem to be able to decide that he was very proud of his wife and future offspring, as was the soon to be grandfather. Caoimhe seemed to be getting a bit annoyed by being poked and stared at by her husband and his rediscovered family, and as Max was leaving Mrs G had stepped in and separated the groups. The old mare seemed to be taking the reappearance of her ex-husband in her stride so far, but Max thought he should give her some time to get acquainted. He probably didn’t need her for the day anyway; Noble, Conn or another of his friends should be able to give him any help he needed.

Max quickly ran through his mental itinerary. There were quite a few ponies he wanted to talk to today, but only a few he had actual appointments with. Deciding to at least make some effort to be presentable, Max quickly popped back to his tent for some cleaning supplies before making a beeline to the river. The banks were fairly crowded with other ponies who had had the same idea and the atmosphere was social, with foals of all ages splashing about and older ponies stopping to catch up on the latest gossip. Trying to find a fairly secluded spot, Max soaped up his coat and tried to work out the majority of the grime from his travels. Apart from a mare flirtatiously asking for help washing her back, most of the crowd left him alone, and after half an hour or so a much cleaner Max had finished toweling himself off and was heading back to his tent to drop off his supplies.

The goats had set up their tent settlement while he was away, and there was no sign of Mrs G or her family by the time he got back. Hopefully things have worked out well, thought Max. He quickly considered who he should go and see first, before deciding on Doctor House Martin. The old stallion probably wouldn’t be too busy first thing in the morning, and he hoped he’d take his suggestion well; it would be good to start his day without an argument. Throwing his towel into his tent, Max oriented himself towards the Doctor's cottage and set off.

Taking a deep breath, Max knocked on the door of the large cottage that acted as Doctor House Martin’s house and surgery. Their talk last night had managed to soothe away some of the awkwardness between them; he knew the old stallion really did care for his mother, but he was still uncomfortable around the doctor. He sighed. He guessed he’d just have to get used to his mother and House Martin being together; it really wasn’t his business. He knocked again. It wasn’t that early; surely the Doctor was up? Maybe there had been some sort of emergency and he was out.

“I’m comin’,” came an angry cry from inside. “Knock the whole place down, why don’t you!”

Max couldn’t help but smile. That was the Doctor Martin he knew.

The door was thrown open. “What in Tartarus do you want?” shouted the Doctor. “Oh, morning, Max. Good to see you.”

“Morning, Doctor. Are you busy?” he asked.

“Not so much,” replied House Martin, stepping back so Max could pass. “Just these two at the moment.” He gestured to two older fillies slumped down on a pair of beds. Despite their natural colouration, both looked distinctly green and clutched buckets to themselves. One just about managed to raise a hoof to wave, while the other, overcome with nausea, vomited messily into the bucket before lying back with a groan. “Seems these two decided that now they’ve got their marks, they were old enough to try some big pony drinks, and finished off most of a bottle of Moonshine’s rot gut before their parents found them.” Both girls gave another pitiful groan. One of them mouthed something that looked like ‘kill me!’ before leaning over the bucket again.

Max winced. It was something of a local tradition to let newly marked foals have a shot of hard liquor to celebrate, which often led to an uncomfortable morning after, from what he could remember of his own party. “Are they going to be alright?” he asked as the doctor escorted him into his rather messy sitting room.

“Better out that in,” Martin explained. “They’ll feel like death warmed up for the morning, but I’m sure they’ll bounce back. The resilience, and stupidity, of youth. He gestured to a seat. “Now, what do you want to talk to me about?” Max sat down and shuffled around a bit to get comfortable. He reached under a cushion and pulled out a stethoscope. “I wondered where I put that,” muttered House Martin, taking the instrument in his aura.

“I was thinking about the red lung outbreak over in Sharpside,” started Max.

“Like I said, a bad thing, but nothing I could help with at the time. Too far away.”

“I know, but they didn’t have a proper doctor out there. Most of the settlements don’t.”

House Martin nodded. “True, not much to draw a doctor out here. Not somewhere you can make much of a living after spending all that time training. I just wanted a quiet place to retire after... well, never mind that. I don’t see that changing much.”

“You’re probably right, but most settlements have someone. A herbalist, or somepony with a mark for healing. But it’s not enough, they fall back on whatever they can, even if it’s just hope.”

“Like those snake oil peddlers last night!” snarled House Martin. “Preying on the foolish like that. It’s practically murder, letting idiots think that their horseapples will protect them from something like red lung. You never know what they put in that stuff: quicksilver, lead… the Princess should do something about it!” he yelled, waving his hooves around angrily. “Anyway,” he panted, calming slightly. “What do you think you can do about it all? Like I said, not many doctors are going to want to come here, even now that Nulpar’s been formed, and I doubt you can afford to pay many of them. You were probably lucky to just get me the money for an apprentice.”

Max flinched a little. “Actually, it’s about that,” he said cautiously.

House Martin glared at him. “Let me guess. You’re using that for something else?”

“Not exactly. We really do need more medics, but not just in Sadlzburg. The rest of the province needs help too.”

“You want to get somepony for another settlement?” asked House Martin, leaning back in his chair. “Well, you’re not going to get much for the amount you were talking about. Maybe it’ll train an apprentice, but it wouldn’t get you a real doctor. Besides, I’m not getting any younger. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep up the pace by myself.”

“I don’t want you to go on alone! I want you to teach other ponies! Lots of other ponies!” exclaimed Max. “I said most settlements have somepony they can rely on. Well, I want you to make them more reliable, make sure they know what to do in an emergency. Not only them, but other volunteer ponies too!”

“I’m not going to be able to just magic up doctors from a few volunteers, you know,” said House Martin sharply. “This land needs real medics, properly trained, not just having spent a few hours with me.”

“I know that,” said Max, slumping down slightly. Was this really a workable idea? “But surely something’s better than nothing. If there had been someone in Sharpside who’d recognised the red lung straight away, then they could have gotten proper medicine from you or Neighvosibirsk. Nopony needed to die!” He slammed a hoof on the arm of the chair with more force than he’d meant. “I’m sorry. I know it’s probably just a pipe dream, but I need to do something with what I’ve got!”

House Martin raised a hoof for a moment. “No, you might be onto something, lad. It won’t be perfect, but, well, I might be able to manage something.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Maybe, if you can get me some students. Ponies who aren't afraid of some hard work, and with at least half a brain. If you can manage that, I’ll give it a go. Take them on for a few months and see what I can make of them. At least it’ll lighten my load a little. Maybe give me a little more time with your mother.” He grinned as Max squirmed.

“Thanks,” said Max, starting to stand. “I know it won’t be easy, but please, can you try? I promise I’ll do what I can to get you some proper help, but I need time, and I don’t want people to die on my watch if I can help it.”

House Martin nodded. “I understand, Max. I’ll do what I can, maybe talk with any herbalists and what not in town. See what they need to bring them up to scratch.” He escorted Max back to the door. The two fillies on the beds seemed to have recovered a bit while they had been talking; their coats were returning to their normal colour. One of them was even starting to look around the room a little apprehensively.

“Feeling better?” asked the doctor. The two fillies made somewhat positive noises. “Good! We’ll be able to have you back to your parents soon enough. I’m sure they’ll like to talk to you about last night. Moonshine might want a word as well,” he said with a smile. Looking at each other, the patients seems to suffer an almost immediate relapse, starting to groan again. “Still feeling peaky?” asked House Martin, “Well I’ve got an old secret treatment for that. Ginger!” He levitated a sample off a table. “It’ll make you feel like a new pony.” One of the fillies cautiously opened her mouth. “Oh, you’ll only wish it went in that end!” exclaimed the Doctor with a chuckle.

Stepping out of the cottage, Max considered where to go next. It was still several hours until his meeting with the business representatives. Maybe he should catch up with Conn or Noble, wherever they had gone to. Or maybe he should look in on Piste. He didn’t really have much to say to his friend, but it would be polite to see how he was doing. Maybe offer him a bit of advice on being mayor. Max certainly knew how busy the festival could get. Nodding to himself, Max set off towards the town hall.

His journey took him through the centre of the marketplace itself. As expected, it was packed with traders of all species: local farmers selling vegetables, lumberjacks peddling building supplies, griffins from the Eyrie selling tools, ponies from Snowtown selling coal, wool from Herdstone; the whole province was represented. It made Max feel good to see how prosperous and productive his people were.

He was pushing past a unicorn selling candles when he caught sight of somepony he knew. “Hey, Arctic!” he called.

The pegasus mare turned to face him as he approached. She was wearing her armour from her time in the guard, although Max suspected that, after her first foal and with a second on the way, a few of the straps might have been loosened a little. Despite that, she was still a fairly intimidating sight, though it was somewhat nullified by the sight of her filly, Chill, standing on her back. Judging by her outfit, she was probably helping Lone Star deal with policing the festival. Most of the festival goers were law abiding, but you always had a few bad apples. Last year they had found a pickpocket amongst the crowds, and sometimes haggling got a little too heated. Most of the trouble they did have wasn’t at the market but later in the evening, when after a few drinks rivalries between settlements would sometimes get out of hoof and lead to a brawl. Normally all that was needed was to separate the combatants and give them a chance to cool down or sober up, but that was where the sheriff and his deputies like Arctic were needed.

“Hi Max,” said Arctic with a grin. “I heard you were back in town. How did things go?” she asked. On her back Chill looked at the baron with a slightly cross-eyed expression as if she didn’t quite know who he was. It was quite likely she didn’t remember him; after all, she was very young and hadn’t seen him for months. The thought made Max feel a little blue, but he quickly pulled himself together.

“Fairly well, Breeze. I made it to most of the places I’d planned to...” he gave a quick run down on his journey, the ex-soldier listening patiently until he came to his time in the village of North Town.

“Max!” she exclaimed, before taking a deep breath. “Chill, dear, can you go see your father now? Mummy’s got some bad words to tell the baron.” On her back, the little filly screwed up her face.

“Want to stay!” she proclaimed.

“That was an order, soldier!” barked Arctic, causing Max to jump. Still looking unhappy, the foal gave a surprisingly crisp salute before hopping off her mother, her little wings flapping instinctively, and trotted off towards her father, Sunbeam, who was talking to one of the store holders nearby.

“Were you bucking crazy!” cried Arctic once her foal was out of hearing range. “Of all the feather-brained, pony-apple ideas I have ever heard, that had to be one of the stupidest!”

“Well it seemed reasonable at the time...” started Max, taking a step away from the angry mare.

“Reasonable! Taking on a whole squad of bandits by yourself was reasonable! You were insanely lucky that they didn’t just kill you as soon as they saw you, that you actually managed to beat their leader, and that the village rallied to help you at just the right time... that’s Tirek’s own luck, Max.”

“I couldn’t just leave them, I’m responsible for them, what if something had happened to the foals? I couldn’t have forgiven myself.”

Arctic slumped a little, some of the anger going out of her as she glanced over towards Chill who was happily gnawing on a carrot her father must have given her. “If something happened to Chill, I don’t... I don’t know what I’d do,” she mumbled, before straightening again. “But it would be my duty to try and get help, not just charge in by myself. I couldn’t help her if I was dead.”

“They were so far away from everywhere,” protested Max. “It’s not like we have any military in the province yet. It would have taken two, maybe three weeks for me to get to somewhere in Rushia or Ambelon to get help. Even if I had found a pegasus to make the trip, it would have still taken over a week. Once I got there it would still take time to get things organised.”

“The military has units for that type of thing,” explained Arctic. “Fast response air chariots and the like, particularly if a baron was asking for help directly. Still, yeah, it wouldn’t have been much less than a week at best before they got there, but when they did a few bandits wouldn’t have stopped them,” she said with some pride.

“If we had a good road network,” said Max. “Or even railways. It could be so much quicker...”

“We don’t have that for the biggest towns yet,” interrupted Arctic. “Somewhere like Norton... well, it’ll be lucky to get anything in our lifetime even if most of your dreams come true.”

“If only the village had been willing to get help from the rest of the province...”

“If wishes were chariots,” said Arctic. “Anyway,” she took a deep breath, “I have been working on a province guard like you asked.”

“Is that working out?” asked Max hopefully, his ears pricking up. it would be good to hear that one of his ideas was going without a hitch.

“Not that well. Me and Lone Star put our heads together and came up with a list of ponies who might be interested. Most of them weren’t much more than foals really, one of two older ponies as well. We came up with a dozen or so and invited them to some drills, and, well… about half dropped out when they realised that the military’s not just about glory and getting to wear cool uniforms, but lots of hard work and standing around with a few moments of utter terror.” She shivered a bit. “I expected that, really, I’m actually surprised so many of them stayed on. We’ve run them through some training, and, well, they’re pretty lousy for the most part, but they’re trying. Still, they’re so... so...” Her eyes flicked towards Chill again. “So young.” She sighed. “I know I was only a few years older when I first enlisted, but...” She shook her head. “Anyway, they’ll need a lot more training before I’d take them off to battle.”

“I’m not planning on them fighting a war, you know,” said Max, putting a leg over Arctic. “Just to help out in an accident like Innsbuck.”

“But if we did have more bandits, they’d be the front line,” she stated. “I’ve got them helping to police the festival for some practice.”

“That’s good,” agreed Max. “You might want to ask around the other settlements to see if they have anypony who’d like to sign up.”

She nodded. “We’re not much more than a club so far. All voluntary. If you want an actual guard here then you’re going to need to spend some money for equipment and the like. If you were actually offering a wage, we might get more ponies interested.”

“Well,” sighed Max, “I’ll see what I can do, but there are a lot of other projects that need money as well. I doubt the province guard will ever be more than part time at best. I just want to make sure my people are safe.”

“I know,” agreed Arctic, nodding her head. “So any other death defying feats you want to tell me about and ruin my blood pressure?”

“Well, there was a rock slide. Oh, and the dragon,” said Max awkwardly.

Arctic facehoofed. “A dragon?” she asked wearily.

“Well you know the legends about Old Smokey? Well, I always thought it was just a volcano so I decided to climb it and there was this crack in the top so I roped down and...”

“There is a reason why the dragon task force only accepts veteran guards into its ranks, you know!” growled Arctic. “And to use her hoard as a library!”

“Is that Zephyr?” asked Max, looking away from Arctic’s disapproving frown and glad for the distraction.

“Yes,” said the ex-guard, following Max’s gaze. “I thought she was with Piste and Lone Star in the town hall, he’s adjudicating.”

Max glanced up at the sun. It was later than he expected, and much of the market had cleared out to avoid the tyrant's gaze. “Isn’t it a bit early for that?” he asked.

“Bigger market than normal means more disagreements,” explained Arctic brusquely. Max thought she might want to get back to her foal while the place was quiet.

“I should probably talk to her, then. Maybe she can arrange a meeting with Piste.”

Arctic nodded. “We can talk more about the guard later. Try not to declare war on the griffins or anything while I’m gone,” she snarked.

Smiling, Max turned and galloped off towards Zephyr. He hoped Piste was enjoying the role of adjudicator more than he had. He’d hated having to try and settle disputes at the market. Literacy was quite low in Nulpar - another thing he’d need to deal with - and many agreements were verbal, meaning most disagreements were one pony’s word against another. It was even worse when a contact was drawn up, but only one of the parties could read and the other was too proud to ask for help, even though people like Conn or Zephyr were on hoof for such services. “Zephyr!” he cried as he got near. The mare had a plate of sandwiches and a drink carefully balanced on her back between her wings.

She looked back over her shoulder. “Hi, Max,” she called with a slightly icy tone. Max tried not to flinch. He’d hoped that she’d forgiven his rather hasty words the last time he’d seen her.

“Hi, how are things?” he asked.

“Busy,” she said with a sigh, sounding tired. “Biggest festival ever, so much to organise, but I think it’s going well.” There was a touch of pride there too.

“Good! It looks like you and Piste are doing a great job!” Max grinned. “I’d like to have a chat with him later. Do you know when he might be free?”

“The Lord Mayor,” she highlighted the title, “is going to be busy for most of the day, Baron. There’s a lot for him to do while the festival is taking place. I just popped out to get him some refreshments. He’s had to adjudicate disputes all morning so far.” She glanced over to the town hall, where there was a line of ponies waiting rather impatiently outside. “He should be available for your meeting with the other town leaders tomorrow.”

Max’s ears dropped. He wished she wouldn’t be like that. “Zephyr, the baron doesn’t want to talk to the Lord Mayor. Max wants to talk to Off Piste, his best friend!”

Zephyr slumped a little. “I’m sorry, Max, but Piste really is busy. He’s got to adjudicate for most of the day, then he’s got to judge the contest tonight. Once the market slows down tomorrow he’ll probably have a ton of ponies wanting to pay their taxes and he needs to meet with the other mayors and the like. He really is very busy. I’m proud of how well he’s taking it, all things considered.”

Max sighed. it would have been nice to have a bit of time to chat with his friend, given that his announcement tomorrow might hurt him, but he did know how busy he would be this time of year. “I understand Zephyr, just tell him I asked about him will you?”

“Of course,” she nodded, and turned to go.

“Oh, before you go,” said Max remembering something he’s meant to ask her earlier. “How many permanent teachers are there in Nulpar, that you know?” Zephyr acted as part time teacher in the rather cramped school which taught the foals of Sadlzburg.

“Um... me, Black Board over in Sharpside, somepony over in the Folly, I think, and maybe half a dozen travelling tutors covering the smaller settlements, why?” she asked.

“I think we need more. while I was traveling I met some Tor, they asked for somepony to help them with Equestrian and in turn they could teach some ponies their language. On top of that we need a more literate population, if nothing else it would cut down on these disputes if both sides could understand a contract.”

“We could use a whole lot of things, but yes, teachers are one of them,” agreed Zephyr.

“I really think I can do something about that at court,” said Max, “It shouldn’t be that hard to get funding for schools, at least not in the larger settlements, but the smaller and nomadic communities will be harder. Are there any of the tutors in town?” he asked.

Zephyr cocked her head. “A few I think, what do you have in mind Max?”

“A few ideas, I might be able to learn something from them, I’ll tell you more once I’ve got some things sorted out.”

Zephyr looked like she’d like to ask more but she glanced over towards the town hall again. “I better get Piste his food.” Max nodded he was feeling a bit peckish himself. “Oh, before I go, Iron Trotsky wished me luck in tomorrow’s competition earlier, he said you knew about it, what’s up?”

“Competition?” asked Max trying to think back to what the mayor might be talking about. “Oh! Um... well you see I think I might have agreed to a dance competition between Nulpar and Sharpside while I was visiting...”

Zephyr frowned for a moment then her eyes went wide. “Max!” she cried, “What were you thinking! We’re not prepared!” Zephyr was the leader of the town’s dance troupe and often arranged competitions within or between settlements.

“Well he was going on about how their dance hall was so good and they were better than us, I wanted to prove otherwise, you can put something together right?” He grimaced.

“In a day! With them having months of notice! They’ll hold this over us for years!” Her wings shot out in anger, almost dislodging her cargo.

“Sorry I meant to tell you earlier, but well I forgot,” mumbled Max.

Breathing deeply Zephyr tried to rein in her temper. “We did plan for a display for the festival but a competition... well we can’t lose, it’s the town reputation on the line, Corona take me if I’m going to lose to Sharpside. I’ll see what I can do, but you’re going to owe me for this Max. Now get out of here before I strangle you!”

Max nodded and trotted off as quickly as he could. He certainly didn’t want to hang around Zephyr while she was in this mood, even though it was all his fault.

Max quickly made his way to the library hoping to find Conn to discuss the meeting in a few hours. However, he found the building empty but unlocked, not an uncommon situation, Sadlzburg had little in the way of crime. There was no sign of the goat or Noble, they must be out somewhere, maybe Conn was meeting with his, well what was his relationship with Jurgaghan? His stepfather? It must be very odd to just have a new family member drop in on you unexpectedly.

A quick search of the library revealed a note addressed to him attached to a book. The note indicated the meeting had been arranged and gave details, they would meet up here and the meeting would take place in one of the meeting rooms in Mounty Hall. Max pondered the book for a moment then remembered the request he’d made to Noble earlier. It was some sort of text book laying out the structure of the Equestrian government and the role of various officials in it. It might be a bit complex for what he wanted but it should give Honeybun and idea of what a representative to the night court did, actually he should probably have a look through it himself if he ever had time. He was surprised Conn hadn’t mentioned it before actually, flipping through it Max noticed that despite being well used it was only a few years old, which was unusual for any of the texts in the town's library. maybe it was one of Noble’s textbooks, it was rather generous of her if it was.

Standing there skimming the book for a moment Max decided there was no time like the present, he wasn’t keen on meeting his enemy but he needed to deal with her sooner or later and now was the best time he had before the meeting with the mayors tomorrow. Hopefully Fragrant’s idea would work, plus he could probably get something to eat as well.

When he got there the pub was packed and both customers and temporary staff had spilled out into the town square outside. As he struggled through the crowd he heard several shouts of greeting from both friends and strangers, which he tried to reply to as best he could until he made his way to the bar. He looked around for the landlady but there was no sign of her. however, he did noticed Sealbhach behind the bar, apparently helping out. “Is Honeybun around?” he cried over the sound of the crowd.

The goat passed a mug of something frothy over to a mare with a wink before turning to Max. “She’s out back, tending to the hives,” he explained, “She’ll probably be out there until evening.” Not waiting for a reply he moved on to his next customer.

Max nodded and considered. Maybe he should call the meeting off, Honeybun was annoying, but surely she wouldn’t be that much trouble. Maybe he could talk to her after the meeting tomorrow? He shook his head, no, he had to deal with her sooner or later, she was one of his people and she had issues with him, he needed to do what he could to arrest her fears. Pushing his way back through the crowd he made his way out of the bar and circled around the building to the large field behind it. This was where Honeybun got the raw materials to make her famous mead from, dotted across the field were two or maybe three dozen wicker hives. Even from here the sound of humming could be heard, and a few drones buzzed by causing Max to instinctively whip his tail around. Two sets of protective clothing hung next to the gate, and Max considered putting one on, he wasn’t keen on getting stung but he decided that the time taken to put one on would just be another excuse to delay meeting Honeybun.

Taking a deep breath Max stepped into the field and scanned around for the yellow mare. After a few seconds he spotted her next to a nearby hive. Max’s mouth dropped as he saw, to his surprise, Honeybun was dancing, hopping around the hive in a very strange manner swinging her flanks around as she went. Whatever was she doing? As he watched, a dark cloud erupted from the hive in front of her and flowed over her; she wasn’t wearing any protective gear and Max flinched expecting a cry of pain as she was attacked, but instead the swarm passed by, leaving only a few stragglers hanging onto the mare’s mane before settling onto another nearby hive.

Carefully, Honeybun tipped the hive off of its pedestal and, taking a knife in her mouth, started to hack at the contents, scooping out wax and honey and placing them in nearby buckets. It was interesting to watch but Max knew he couldn’t spend all day here. He cautiously trotted towards Honeybun, managing to get within a dozen or so lengths of her before one of the bees took objection to him being so close to their homes and he cried out as he was stung. Jumping in fright, Honeybun spun around to glare at Max, a large cloud of bees forming up behind her apparently at her command.

“What are you doing here, Baron?” she asked almost spitting the last word.

Max rubbed at his stung flank. “I wanted to talk to you,” he said, eyeing the cloud of insects wearily.

“Really? And what did you want to tell me? I’m very busy you know,” she snapped. “Wait are you here to bribe me baron?” she asked tilting her head.

“No, of course not!” said Max, “Why are you doing this Honeybun? What have I ever done to you to make you dislike me so much?” he asked. “I know your mother wanted to be mayor, but that was up to the voters not me.”

“I couldn’t care less if your father was more popular than my mother,” said Honeybun. “I don’t trust you, I know what a bad leader can do!”

Max cocked his head. “What do you mean? You’ve never even left Nulpar! What leaders have you met?”

“Look around you,” she gestured at the hives surrounding them. “Each one ruled by their own queen, the other bees do what she tells them to they live or die for her.” She pointed a hoof at the hive she had been harvesting from. “I’m harvesting honey now and the only way I can do that is to destroy most of their home. So I just ask the queen, offer her a new home and off she goes, and the rest of the hive follows her blindly, even though it probably means most of them will starve over the winter. All the queen cares about is herself, the rest of the hive can die.” She looked up at him seeming almost guilty. “It’s not a good idea to blindly follow a leader, they might end up being a queen bee.”

“Honeybun,” said Max, blinking a few times at her comparison, did she really think he’d do that? “I’m not a bee, you’re not a bee, I’m not going to let any of our people starve.”

“Aren’t you? People trust you Max, they listen to what you say, you dream of something and they take on that dream. That’s very dangerous.” She shut her eyes for a moment. “You’ve got stars in your eyes Max and I don’t think you always see the real world.”

“What do you mean? What have I missed?” asked Max, genuinely interested.

“Your road building plan.”

“What about it? It helps everyone if we can get to other settlements easier, makes trade easier too.”

“Yes, but where did the money come from?”

“Well, I paid for some of it, others out of the town funds and some others donated as well, almost everybody chipped in.”

“Yes, and where would that money have gone to if you hadn’t built those roads?”

“I don’t know, this and that, the town hall, grain silos...”

“Yes, food! Places to store it, with the roads we trade more and keep less for ourselves and have less stored anyway. What do you think would happen if we had a bad harvest? If a big wild storm came in? It’s happened before, and you can’t eat paving stones, Max.”

Max swallowed, it wasn’t entirely an unknown idea to him, he had considered the possibility but he hadn’t thought it was likely. “We’d survive, everyone would chip in to help each other.”

“Are you so sure?” she asked staring at him.

“Yes,” said Max, stamping the ground agitatedly. “I believe in my people, all of them, I want the best for them!”

“Really? So why did you just leave us as soon as you got your new role, just run off to Canterlot?” She snorted.

“I didn’t have a choice, it’s my job, I represent the ponies of Nulpar to the princess.”

“And how do you know what we want!? You haven't been here!” she said stamping a hoof on the ground. The cloud of insects behind her seemed to condense into an angry blob.

“You're being irrational,” snapped Max, pawing at the ground in response before trying to bring himself under control. “I can’t be in two places at once, but I’m doing my best to listen to Nulpar. I wrote to Piste all the time, I’ve gone out and talked to the people from all the settlements to find out what they wanted.”

“Yes, you ran away from your own people as soon as you could. you’ve spent what, three nights in Sadlzburg?”

Max, looked down, maybe she was right about that. he’d felt he needed to get away, but was that just due to Piste and Zephyr? “I know Sadlzburg already,” he mumbled. “Besides,” he said with more conviction, “I represent more than just Sadlzburg now, I’ve got to do what’s best for all of Nulpar.”

“And what have you done so far!?” she asked angrily.

Max sighed, this wasn’t an argument he was going to win. still, he had to make his offer to her. “Look I didn’t come to argue, I came to make you an offer.”

“You want to buy me off?” she asked.

“No, I want to tell you something. You don’t like what I’m doing, you think you can represent the Sadlzburg better than me, well there’s a job you can take up to do that.”

“Like you’d let anyone working for you criticise you!”

“Not working for me, for the princess,” explained Max, “Have you heard of a representative to the Night Court?” He opened his bags and took out the book Noble had left for him earlier. “This tells you all about it.”

Honeybun cautiously approached and took the book in her hoof. “Representative to the night court? Never heard of it,” she said. The mass of bees behind her had started to disperse back to their hives, but there was still enough around to look very threatening.

“It means you represent the people of Sadlzburg directly in court. you can tell the princess how things are going, and if I’m doing anything wrong you can report me.” He didn’t mention how much paperwork was needed to do that, and how much evidence needed to be gathered, he felt a little dirty following Fragrant’s suggestion, still it wasn’t a lie, Honeybun could do a lot, but she’d have to work hard at it. “The post isn’t open yet but it should be soon, you’ll have to apply, but I don’t think anypony else will be interested.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked suspiciously as she flicked through the pages of the book. It occurred to Max he wasn’t sure how literate she was, it wasn’t all that uncommon for his people to not be able to read, education was a rather rare commodity. Still, she shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding somepony to read it for her if needs be.

“Because I’m not as bad as you think I am, and I want to make sure I never am. You have a point about not storing as much food as we used to and I’ll think about it. I’ve never been afraid of having my friends point out if I’m doing something wrong.” It was annoying and sometimes hurtful when they did, but usually once he calmed down he did realise that others generally had his best interests at heart.

“I’m not your friend!” snapped Honeybun, but apparently surprised by his suggestion. her heart didn’t seem to be in it.

“No, but you’re one of my people, and I have to try and do my best for you, even if I don’t like you much. Just think about it,” said Max as he started to turn away. “Anyway even if I don’t agree with you I still like your brew, I hope you do well in the contest tonight.”

“Yeah, well, thanks,” mumbled Honeybun. “I’ll see you there.”

“Bye,” called Max and he trotted away from the field glad to be away from the stinging insects. As soon as he was out of sight he let out a sigh. That could probably have gone better, still he’d done what he’d planned to do. he had offered an olive branch, and told Honeybun of the representative role. It was up to her what she did now. He really did hope that she had some ideas rather than just arguing with him for argument’s sake, that she could help him. Still only time would tell now.

After leaving Honeybun’s field, Max headed back towards the library. His meeting with the farming representatives wasn’t far off now, so he took a detour through the market which was back in full swing now. He stopped briefly and purchased a rather overcooked carrot dog from one of the vendors before devouring it on his way. He was glad to find the library inhabited now, both Conn and Noble were present. the latter had changed into a rather severe business suit at some point, making Max feel distinctly underdressed, still at least Conn was naked as well.

“Max,” cried the goat as the baron entered. “Glad you made it. Did you get the note? We’ve arranged the meeting to take place in your manor.”

“I thought it was full?” he asked.

“We managed to at least clear a room for a few hours,” explained Noble grabbing a folder and already heading to the door. She stopped for a moment and looked Max up and down, ”You could have put some effort into looking like a Baron!” she exclaimed making Max shuffle uncomfortably.

“Sorry, I’ve had a busy day,” he explained.

“I guess you’ll have to do,” she complained brushing a hoof over his coat to apparently remove some dirt. She paused seeming to fear she’d gone too far but Max only grinned and ran a hoof through his mane trying to flatten it down. “Hurry, we don’t want to be late!” She continued before striding off through the town leaving the baron and the Conn to canter to keep up.

“She’s all business isn’t she?” muttered Max to his companion.

“Yeah,” replied Conn with a grin. “Very focused, I like that.”

Max nodded, he was glad the two of them were getting along well. “Where’s Greenleaves? I thought she was going to be with us?”

“She’s due to meet us at the hall,” explained Conn.

Max nodded. “So... what do you think of Jurgaghan?” he asked.

Conn stumbled in his stride for a moment, turning quickly to Max. “I... I don’t really know. I don’t know much about Tors, and it’s not like he’s really anything to me. Mum seems taken with him and Brian, well Brian’s been thrown but it all, he never really had a dad before, you know my father was never the paternal type and he was already grown by the time Sealbhach’s father was on the scene. I think he likes the idea, but he doesn’t know what to do about the reality... I’m sure he’ll get used to it sooner or later.”

“So,” said Noble slowing slightly to allow the stallions to catch up with her. “How are we going to work this meeting? What’s your plan?”

“Plan? I thought I’d just listen to what they have to offer and decide what’s best for Nulpar. I’m sure you two and Greenleaves can help me with that.” said Max.

“That’s it! No plan to play them off against each other? No research into what they’ve offered in similar situations before? You don’t even know what they’ll likely want from us?” she facehoofed. “Could you be less professional?”

“Well I actually did some research,” offered Conn, “Fisher Agriculture is the largest supplier of farming equipment in Equestria; they more or less dominate the magic side of the market, but they also sell more conventional stuff as well. Their prices aren't that bad compared to their competitors, mostly due to economy of scale, but their high end stuff is expensive. They prefer to sell in bulk if they can. That might be an issue given how small most of the farms around here are.”

“And the Apples?” asked Max as he glanced up. Mounty Hall was getting close very quickly now, making him wish he’d thought of this earlier. Noble was right, it wasn’t professional of him, Fragrant would have researched everything before going to such an important meeting.

“They tend to work differently, rather than supply tools they prefer to either set up farms themselves, or if there’s a company in place already doing well, buy it up. Like Fisher they prefer to work on larger scales if possible. They’re a big employer, but they tend to bring in their own management when possible and they take a lot of the produce out of province, which can be good and bad. We grow enough in town for most of the province as it is, any extra we can export, but we do want to make sure we keep enough to keep feeding the other towns.”

Max nodded as the doors of the manor house loomed in front of him. He remembered Honeybun’s words. “We do have to make sure we have enough to survive an emergency.” Well, it was too late to find out much more now. “Ok, thanks for that, Conn. Yes, I know I should have done more research Bell, but I have had quite a bit on my plate,” he said a little huffily, “I’m just going to need to do better next time and to rely on you two to help me if you can. If you have anything to say, say it.” Given how blunt Noble could be that might not have been the wisest thing to say, thought Max as Conn quickly led him through the still not entirely explored interior of the mansion and to a meeting room. A good chunk of the room was taken up by a large solid looking table which Max thought was probably more suited for a kitchen, and may well have come from it. Several chairs were set up around it, the place would be quite cramped once everypony they were expecting arrived. Indeed two of the other guests were already present.

Max’s cousin Greenleaves was already sitting at the table looking over a number of catalogues, pointing out various things as well as probably helping her read them was a pony Max didn’t recognise. He was a short stallion, probably only coming up to Max’s chin although his long flat topped horn added considerably to that height. His mane was pure black and his coat a dark green, a beard graced his face, neatly trimmed to a point. Max glanced along his flank to note that his mark was a star surrounded by a circle of cogs. Max wasn’t sure what that symbolised but it probably meant he didn’t get his hooves dirty much.

Looking up, the stallion hopped from his seat and gave a deep bow towards Max. “Baron,” he said with a faint Rushian accent. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Mechanized Harvest, I have the pleasure of representing Fisher Agriculture.”

“Oh, thank you, I’m sorry I’m late,” said Max holding out a hoof. Mechanized looked at it for a second before taking it and giving a firm shake.

“No, it is I who was early. I was just showing your representative the equipment that Fisher Agriculture can offer your people.”

Greenleaves looked up from the catalogue, excitement flickering in her eyes. “There certainly is a lot of useful stuff Max, things I didn’t even know were possible.”

“Fisher Agriculture is at the cutting edge of farming technology,” said Mechanized with some pride, “We can offer you things no other company can. As no doubt you are aware Baron, our current chairpony, Archduke Fisher, is very keen on improving farming efficiency, the largest production per pony possible.”

Max nodded, trying not to frown. He and the Archduke had not gotten off to the best of starts, hopefully their personal relationship would not affect any agreements he might come to with Mechanized. For a moment he worried that the Fisher Agriculture representative might be working some scheme directly for Fisher, but Fisher Agriculture was a huge company, there was no reason to think the Archduke even knew about this meeting... right?

Max was about to ask Mechanized to take a seat again when the door behind him opened and another pony rushed in. He too was a stallion with a yellowy brown coat and a two tone brown mane, slicked back with gel. “Howdy folks!” he called flashing a perfect set of teeth. “Sorry I’m late, I lost track of the time enjoying your town.” He grabbed Max’s hoof and shook it with enthusiasm, “Max, name’s Hayseed Turnip Truck, Apple Trust representative, I hope you and I are going to get along famously, baron.”

Max was a little taken aback by the strength of the greeting and found his hoof pumping in the air even after his guest had released it. “Oh, um Hello Mr Truck, pleased to meet you. This is Miss Noble Fir, my legal adviser, Mr Conn Grobhar my, um, assistant and Mrs Greenleaves, my farming advisor.”

“Pleased to meet you all,” said Hayseed giving a nod to each of Max’s team.

“And this is Mr Harvest, of Fisher Agriculture,” he nodded towards the last pony in the room.

“Oh, me and old Mechanised know each other quite well,” said Hayseed with a wide grin. “We sort of share the same territory after all.” The Rushian pony’s gaze looked rather less cordial.

“Maybe we should get the meeting started without taking up any more of the baron’s time?” suggested Mechanised.

“Of course,” said Hayseed settling down in a chair and taking a few papers from his saddlebags. The room’s other inhabitants likewise took their places and in moments silence spread over the table as Max wondered how he should start the meeting.

“I will be taking the minutes,” explained Noble after a few moments, taking a pencil in her mouth. “If you could make your proposals to the Baron one at a time, we will discuss them as we go.”

Max, was very glad she was present to make the whole thing look at least slightly organised. He really should have put more effort into this.

Hayseed gave a grin. “I’ll go first, unless anypony minds?” He looked around, “No? Good. Thank’s for inviting me here baron, when your representative, Zephyr wasn’t it? First contacted the Trust we just expected to talk to the local mayor, we weren’t expecting to meet the local noble as well. Still we have been meaning to talk now that Nulpar exists and all that. No idea how you can just lose a place as pretty as this,” he shrugged, “Still, bureaucrats, am I right?”

Max grinned, he liked the Apple Trust representative’s relaxed attitude, and he’d had the same thought himself in the past, although he supposed he was technically a bureaucrat himself now.

“Now the Trust takes its duty to feed the whole of Equestria very seriously and we’ve been considering expansion in this area for a while. Your lands aren't the easiest to farm but nothin’ the Trust can’t handle. I’ve been chatting with a few of the local mayors, very handy most of them are here at the moment, and we’ve worked out a few possible locations for a new Trust run farm to be set up.” He pushed over a rough map of the province with a few locations marked out in red. It didn’t surprise Max much that most of them were near Salzburg, it did have the most fertile soil in the area, however, there was one up towards Herdstone and another close to the Eyrie. What did surprise him about the plan was the scale.

“They’re big,” he stated, raising an eyebrow and passing the map to Greenleaves who looked just as surprised. The plots of land marked out were bigger than any of the local farms, easily twice the next largest, maybe three times.

“Well the Trust don’t like doing things by halves, plus there is a certain economy of scale in play. The Trust may have started off as a conglomeration of small farms but that sort of thing doesn’t pay the bills any more.”

“Is this correct?” asked Greenleaves pointing to a spot on the map, “That’s old Hollyhock’s place!”

“Well, the land is well sited near the river to help with irrigation. We’d offer a good price for it of course, if it does become our favoured site.”

“Hollyhock’s family has been there since Sadlzburg was founded, I don’t see him selling up for any price,” said Greenleaves shaking her head.

“Well I spoke to your mayor and he thought it might be possible, and well you can use your authority baron, if it looks like it’s going to be a problem.”

Max looked confused for a moment, he wasn’t sure what Hayseed meant, then Noble leaned forwards. “If you believe a development such as this is essential for your province, they you can put a compulsory purchase order on the farm and force the owner to sell at the market rate,” she said quietly.

Max’s ears drooped, he supposed that made sense and he guessed the new farm might be essential, still it wouldn’t be a decision he’d like to make. He liked the Hollyhocks, the family were pillars of the community and had helped his road building projects.

Picking up on Max’s reaction Hayseed leaned back in his chair. “It’s the preferred site at the moment, but as you can see there are others, we’d need to carry out a more in depth survey before a final decision in taken. We’ll of course cooperate with you and the local authorities to come to the most mutually beneficial solution.”

Max slowly nodded, he wasn’t entirely happy about the situation, but at least the Trust seemed to be flexible on the issue. “We can talk about the exact details later, but I think we can probably accommodate you,” he said cautiously.

“Good,” said Hayseed with a smile. “You won’t regret this baron, a Trust farm will mean hundreds of new jobs for the town, plus it’ll probably encourage more investment, ponies will know the Trust is behind you.”

Mechanised snorted. “Of course what my fellow representative won’t tell you is that most of those jobs will be low paid sessional day labourers. Most of the managers and specialists will be brought in from out of province.”

Max looked over towards Hayseed who shrugged. “The Trust pays a fair wage for a fair day's work, from what I’ve seen most of your people make less than the Trust will pay. Sure most of your local ponies won’t have the skills we need, but the specialist staff we bring in will still be living locally, and bringing their families with them, we like to keep families together in the Trust. It’ll bring in more purchasing power for your towns. Plus the Trust does value loyalty, sure a lot of work might be temporary but not all, your people do right by us, and we'll do right by them.”

Max considered the proposal for a moment. Sadlzburg already had a fair number of day labourers, many of them owned their own plots of land they subsisted on and hired out any spare time they had to other larger farms. What the Trust was saying didn’t seem very different from that.

Greenleaves raised a hoof to speak, and Hayseed turned to her. “Some of the farms already have trouble getting the help they need during harvest times, won’t your farms just make that worse?”

Hayseed seemed to ruminate on the issue for a moment. “Maybe ma’am, but it seems to me that if there aren’t enough ponies around to do all the work then word will get around and you’ll find more ponies moving in, I’m sure some of the ponies in your smaller villages will appreciate the facilities in town.” Greenleaves brow remained furrowed but she didn’t say anything further.

“Excuse me Mr Hayseed,” said Conn politely, “But so far I don’t see why you need to bring this up with the baron. Sure he can help you with obtaining the land you need, but a local mayor could do much the same. What else do you need from Max?”

Hayseed blinked a few times as if surprised by the goat speaking. “Well, there were a few other things I was going to raise.”

“Of course there are,” muttered Mechanized crossing his front legs.

“First thing is transport baron, as things stand it’s gonna be mighty expensive to get our produce to market, maybe enough to make the whole venture unprofitable.”

Max tried to stifle a groan, it always seemed to be about transport. “I have been trying to build up a road network, but it’s not something I can do overnight,” he said.

Hayseed raised a hoof. “I understand that baron, it would be a few years at least until a new farm got up to speed anyway, but before we start we’re going to need a personal assurance that you’re going to do something about it. A good road to Praris would be a good start, rail would be better, some of the crops we’re hoping to produce are perishable, we don’t want to lose them in transit if we can help it.”

Max quickly ran over his plans in his head. “I don’t think I can promise you rails in the next few years, that’s going to take time, but I’m fairly sure I can offer you a road, in a reasonable time scale.”

“That sound good baron, I’ve heard of your bill to increase road building in the more rural provinces, I’m only a local representative but I think I can tell you in confidence,” he glanced over to Mechanized, “That the Trust’s high ups are with you a hundred and ten percent, we’ve got quite a few projects all over the country held up by the lack of good roads and the like.”

Max was a bit surprised to hear that the Apple Trust was aware of his proposed bill, he hadn’t formally submitted it yet. Still it wasn’t really a secret, he’d mentioned it to several of his colleagues, one of them must have mentioned it to one of the Trust members. “I’m glad to hear that Mr Truck. If it passes I should be able to really speed up the plans I’ve made.”

“Good, now there’s one more thing. Even with the transport problem outta the way, your lands are not great for farming, and it’s gonna cost the Trust quite a bit to get a farm started. As it stands it’s gonna be quite some time until we start making a profit. Before we start anything we want to cut that time to a minimum. Now, so far you haven't set any taxes at the province level, which is very welcoming of you, but we guess it ain’t gonna last.” Max nodded, taxation was one of the issues that he’d planned to raise in tomorrow's meeting. “So, before we set up here we’re gonna have to ask for an exemption from any taxes you levy for, well let's say, twenty years.” Again Max nodded slowly, it seemed a long time but he hadn’t really included a possible Trust farm in any of his budgeting so it wouldn’t make that much difference. “And,” continued Hayseed, “we’d need a half percent off the crown tax as well.” Max’s brow furrowed, he didn’t know he could change the Equestria wide taxes as well, but surely the Trust representative wouldn’t ask if he couldn’t deliver, he looked back and forth between his assistants. Bell’s face was scrunched up in concentration and Conn was chewing his lip.

The goat leaned forwards towards the baron and whispered. “The tax has to be paid, if you agree to reduce the tax for a company then the province becomes responsible for paying any shortfall, I think, I don’t know all that much about tax law.”

“He’s right,” said Noble a little louder, before turning to Hayseed. “But there have been instances of larger companies taking advantage of such agreements by using various accounting tricks to move their profits to small operations in provinces where such agreements have been made, thus making the province hoof a significant bill.”

The stallion looked offended by the insinuation. “The Trust has never been found to be carrying out such practices young mare. Any formal contract between the baron and the Trust would lay out what is considered profits made in-province, it would be up to the lawyers to sort that out.”

Max looked over at Noble, she was the closest to a lawyer he had, so it would likely be her who would draw up any such contract, but she seemed so young and inexperienced, he had faith in her but it seemed quite a bit to put on her plate. “Maybe we could sort out something more at the local level, rather than complicating things at a national level?” he suggested.

Hayseed seemed to think things over for a moment. “Maybe if we increase the local tax exemption to thirty years?” he suggested. “I’d have to talk it over with head office, but I think they’d go with it, plus there might be a few bills coming up at court which the Trust will need some support with, we could certainly do with a few favours then, you could pay us back that way,” he concluded with a smile.

Max slammed a hoof on the table, shocking the whole room. “I will have none of that!” he cried, “We’ve only just been warned by the princess to tidy up our acts at the court, I will not take part in any corruption!”

“Whoa, whoa there!” said Hayseed holding up his hooves, “I didn’t mean anything untoward like that, the Trust has never done anything like that, never will neither. I just meant that farming's important to your province, and the Trust is a farming company, what’s good for us is good for your people as well. We’d just like to make sure you’re aware of the impact on farmers of some of the bills you vote on. Not putting any pressure on you to vote one way or another.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” said Max blushing a little, maybe he’d overreacted a bit there, but he was a bit uneasy about the idea. Still, when Hayseed put it that way, he could do with all the help he could get, and Fragrant often discussed upcoming legislation with her brother’s and other weather companies, so it couldn’t be immortal or anything. “As long as everything is above board I don’t see any harm in that then.

“Fisher Agriculture also has no wish to attract the princess’s ire, Baron.” said Mechanised, “But it has to be said that you have very little coin to spend, either in the form of bits or any other power, apart from your position at court. Now, unlike Mr Truck here my company is not looking to start new farms to compete with your citizens, we only wish to make it easier for them to do their jobs. Our tools and equipment are the best in the market, with them a single pony can do the work of three, or more, boosting your people’s output, and their income.”

“Which won’t create any more jobs,” pointed out Hayseed.

“Our equipment can clear previously unusable fields, we have breeds of crops which can grow on previously infertile land. Your farms will be able to grow and as they do, employ more ponies,” added Mechanised sounding a little annoyed. “See,” he said levitating a catalogue over to Max’s side of the table and pointing with a hoof. “As I was showing Miss Greenleaves, our new plows can break up even the hardest of soils and the ‘come to life’ spells on them mean that a single unicorn can charge and control as many as three of them at a time.”

“It looks very impressive,” said Greenleaves, “But, well we don’t have all that many unicorns in town really, and even less of them are farmers.”

“Yeah, only about one in five of my people are unicorns,” said Max glancing at the pictures in the catalogue. “They’re a bit more common over towards Sharpside but they don’t farm much over there, Iron might be interested in some of your stuff, but he’s more into manufacturing mostly.”

Mechanised blinked a few times, apparently the town demographics were a surprise to him. “Well, even so our equipment will be useful, I’m sure you could pay your unicorn citizens to donate energy to power them,” he rallied, “Plus not all of the things we sell are magic powered, we also produce manual tools and specialised breeds of plants.”

Max nodded, he remembered him and Fragrant meeting a few small farmsteads and Fragrant mentioning new crops which could grow in the province’s harsh environments. The farmers had certainly seemed keen on the idea, but they had worried about the cost of the new seeds. “And how much would these be?” he asked.

“I was about to ask that,” added Greenleaves.

“Well, they are not cheap, it takes a lot of time and pony power to create and test the new seeds. However, as the work is for the good of all Equestria we do sell them for as low a price as possible, we prefer to sell in bulk to reduce the price per unit. However your provinces size means that none of the farms really meet the minimum size for our orders, under normal circumstances...”

“That suggests this isn’t a normal circumstance?” said Conn raising an eyebrow.

“After talking to the local mayor we have agreed to sell to the Sadlzburg as a whole in this situation, it still barely meets our minimum order size but Fisher Agriculture are willing to be flexible given the situation.”

Max was a little surprised, it was the first time he’d heard of this, still he was glad to hear of it, Piste had clearly thought the situation through and came up with a solution, good on him. “I’m glad that was sorted out,” he said.

“Piste mentioned it to me yesterday,” said Greenleaves, “He’s trying to organise communal ownership of some of the gear as well, most farmers just don’t have the space to need one of those fancy automated thresher machines, but if we share it around everypony will benefit. I can see the arguments when it comes to who uses it first, still I think we can sort something out.”

“Good,” said Max with a smile. “Although as Conn asked Hayseed earlier, it does bring up the question, why do you need to talk to me about this? Hasn’t Piste already sorted things out?”

“Well, as I said, Fisher Agriculture is willing to deal with a smaller order than normal this time, but we cannot keep offering this option, our overheads are simply too high and we have the rest of Equestria to think of. Your mayor’s idea of bulk purchasing by the whole community is a good idea, maybe you could try to organise the same thing at the level of the whole province?” Max rubbed a hoof against his chin, that seemed a reasonable idea; he’d have to raise it at the meeting tomorrow. “In addition, a small favour in return for our generosity...” Max winced a little, this was it, this was the trap that the Archduke had laid for him... “Fisher Agriculture may be the best supplier of farming equipment in Equestria,” Hayseed snorted a little, but didn’t say anything. “But we are far from the only one, there are many other companies who produce cheaper, but poorer quality merchandise. Many in your province may prefer to buy from other suppliers, probably to their detriment, however, we feel that a personal statement from yourself approving our products would be very useful to our marketing team.”

Max’s brow furrowed, that wasn’t what he expected, it seemed... well it didn’t seem like much really... quite reasonable really. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive behind it, didn’t there? He looked back and former between Conn and Noble, the former looked like he wanted to say something but stopped. The latter looked towards Mechanised.

“We will of course get first view and veto of any literature produced including the baron’s name, image or mark?” she said.

“Of course,” said Mechanised, “Nothing will be produced without his say so and he will be fully involved in writing any statements.”

Noble nodded. “That seems fair.”

“Is there anything else?” asked Max, he needed to think the offers through and probably discuss them with his team before he wanted to make any promises.

“On this matter, yes,” said Mechanised. “However, I do have a request to pass on from my colleague in Fisher Mining. due to an increase in iron and steel demand in western Rushia, she would like to arrange a meeting with you about investigating the deposits in the east of your province.”

Max’s ears pricked up, that sounded like a good opportunity. He wondered if the geologists he’d discovered a month ago had something to do with that? Regardless it was certainly a meeting he would like to set up as soon as possible, he might even be able to get them to help invest in Iron’s rail plan. “If you leave me the representative’s details I’ll have my assistant arrange a meeting. I’m returning to Canterlot in a few days, would your associate be fine meeting me there?”

“That should be acceptable baron,” said Mechanised with a bow, he scribbled some details on a piece of paper and pushed it across the table to Noble.

“If that’s all then?” asked Max. Both representatives nodded. “I’m afraid, I can’t agree to either of your proposals, as generous as they may be, straight away, I’ll need some time to discuss the situation with my friends, but I hope I’ll be able to get back to you before I return to the court.”

“That’s fine with me,” said Hayseed, “I’ll be in town for the rest of the festival. I was asked to judge a vegetable competition, and I’m looking forwards to it.” He grinned.

“That is acceptable to me as well Baron, I am waiting for Lord Mayor Piste to finalise his order,” said Mechanised.

“Good!” said Max standing up and moving to shake his guests hooves as they left.

“So what did you think of their offers?” asked Max. The representatives had just left and he, Noble, Conn and Greenleaves were clustered around the table. Noble turned back to the front of her notebook and started to run her hoof across the minutes of the meeting.

“I’m not sure about the apple plan,” said Greenleaves interrupting whatever the younger mare was about to say, “I might be a bit biased, but I don’t know if we really need any more competition, particularly if they’re going to just be able to buy up the best land.”

“But they would be paying a lot back to the community in wages,” pointed out Conn, “It’ll be better for the town as a whole.”

“Tell that to the farmers forced out of business,” said Greenleaves crossing her forelegs. “Or forced to sell their land.”

Max glanced over the map that Hayseed had left behind, each of the possible farm sites required them to buy up some land, but some more than others. “What if we look into each of the possible sites and see who’d be willing to sell up?” he asked.

“I suppose,” mumbled his cousin, “I’m still not happy about the competition.”

“Well,” said Conn, “Most of your produce is sold within the province, right? To Sharpside and the like?” Greenleaves nodded. “Well the apples are mostly planning to export, it’s why they want the roads, it probably won’t affect you all that much.”

“Maybe,” said Greenleaves brightening a little. “It still doesn’t seem all that fair.”

Max nodded, he knew how hard the local farmers worked. Still, it looked like the apple plan would create a lot of new jobs and his people wouldn’t have to fork out for expensive equipment like from Fisher Agriculture. “What do you think Bell?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know much about farming really. the extra income for your ponies would be a bonus, although the loss of any taxable income from the apple farm could be significant. I’m still not sure about reducing the crown tax; even if they play fair that could add up to a lot, and you haven't even collected any of your own tax yet.”

Max frowned, he’d never had that good a head for money, but he could certainly see that the Apple plan could get expensive. It was monies he’d need to build the roads they were asking for as well as some of his other plans. Still it was hard to miss monies he didn’t have in the first place, if he turned down the apple plan he wouldn’t be collecting any taxes from them anyway. “What about their other suggestions, about helping them at court? I don’t want to be making any shady deals.”

“Well, lobbying isn’t illegal,” said Conn.

“But you’ll have to be careful the relationship doesn’t seem too cosy, particularly given the recent events at court,” said Noble, “Nothing's been finalized yet but they’ll probably be introducing new legislation to tighten things up.”

Max felt a little guilty. he’d helped Fragrant and Wallflower put together that very legislation – he probably had a copy of the draft somewhere in his bags – but he hadn’t given them more than a cursory glance, he’d just assumed the mares knew what they were doing. Maybe he should look it over and show it to Noble. “Ok, so what about the Fisher offer?”

“It seems more clear cut to me,” said Noble looking down at her notebook. “Trying to get the various settlements to agree on large scale orders shouldn’t be that hard.”

Harder than you might think, thought Max, thinking of the various rivalries between the different towns and villages in Nulpar. Still he agreed it probably wasn’t insurmountable.

“And endorsing their products is hardly a big cost, it’s quite a common occurrence really, and as long as we check the wording it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“I’ve got to admit I don’t entirely trust Archduke Fisher,” said Max, “We’ve had a few disagreements.” And he beat me up that one time, though Max, and threatened to attack the Ayrie.

“You might have to put aside your personal opinions in this case Max,” said Noble.

“I can see a few issues,” said Conn, “The smaller companies he referred to, that our farms currently get their supplies from, they’re mostly local companies in Sharpside, the Eayre or Snowtown. By supporting Fisher Agriculture you’re working against them.”

Max bit his lip, that sounded like it would be a problem.

“It might not be that bad,” said Greenleaves, “Most of the stuff Fisher’s selling us is top of the line, the day to day stuff would probably still come locally, particularly if we have to buy it all in bulk; you’re still going to have to go local if your sythe breaks in the middle of the harvest.”

“I’m not sure the local companies will feel that way if it looks like you’re supporting Fisher against them,” said Conn.

“They’ll just have to accept it,” said Noble, “They don’t make the things the province needs to increase productivity.”

“What about the loss of jobs?” asked Max, “If the farms need less ponies to work them?”

“Like Hayseed said, I think most farms will use any increased profit to grow bigger if they can,” said Greenleaves, “I certainly would.”

“And of course, it’s not like we only have to choose one of the two of them,” pointed out Conn, “If Fisher’s tools mean the farms need less workers, then they can work for the Apples.”

Max nodded. he had gotten into thinking it was one option or the other, of course they could take up both offers. “Ok,” he said, “I think we should look into both options, Greenleaves please look into which of the possible sites will make the smallest number of angry ponies, and see if any of the other farming settlements would chip in to order things from Fisher. Noble, see if you can figure out how much revenue we’ll lose offering the tax break.”

“You’ll need to tell me what you intend to tax first,” pointed out the mare.

“Oh, right, I’ll talk to you about that later,” once I’ve decided myself through Max. “And Conn, see if you can talk to a few people from Sharpside and the like, try to find out how much they’ll hate me if I support Fisher’s ponies. We’ll meet up again tomorrow after the mayor’s meeting and come to a decision.” Each of his assistants nodded and started to file out of the room. For a moment Max felt like a real courtier; he’d given orders, hopefully good ones, and now his people were going off to do his will. It almost seemed professional, not bad for a province at the edge of Equestria which everypony had forgotten about.

Then it occurred to him that his next meeting was with his mother and Mrs G about his personal finances and that he’d been spending rather lavishly recently, and he felt like a colt about to be told that he’d spent all his allowance. Oh well, he couldn’t have everything.

“So,” said Max’s mother setting aside a sheet of paper, “Do you want the bad news or the really bad news?”

Max squirmed a little in his seat. he, Early and Mrs G were setting in the kitchen of his mother's cottage. It might have been his imagination but it seemed that his chair was significantly shorter than theirs, it made him feel like a foal. “Um, I guess the really bad news? Better to get that out of the way... Am I going bankrupt?” His mother had always dealt with most of the family finances. Max didn’t really know what he actually owned, he knew a good chunk of the farmland around town was held by his family and the farmers paid rent to him, but how much he didn’t have a clue.

Early glared at him for a moment then her face softened, and she rested a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s not that bad dear, but you do need to watch your spending. you’ve bought two houses, paid to supply half a village, plus paying to run the Nulpar government out of your own pocket.”

“Not that the Nulpar government is all that much,” pointed out Mrs G.

“It’s still more than you can afford. most of the tenants pay their rent this time of year so you should be fine for a few months, but we have had to sell off a few plots of land to make ends meet so far. Now that’s gone it doesn’t pay an income any more.”

“So, um what can I do? I need to have somewhere to stay in Canterlot, I suppose I could get a smaller place, move down a tier or two?”

“That might help a bit, although the crown did subsidise that,” said Mrs G. “But no, mostly you need to actually run things properly.”

“You’re in charge of the province,” explained his mother, “But that doesn’t mean you have to pay for everything yourself.”

“I need to start charging taxes,” said Max looking down.

“Yes,” said Mrs G, “If the people want roads and guards and the like they need to pay for them.”

“That won’t be popular.”

“Paying taxes never is,” said Early, “But if ponies want all the benefits they need to pay for them.”

Max sighed. “I know I’ve got some plans but... I know most of my people don’t have a lot to spare and they’re not all going to benefit, at least not right away.”

Mrs G reached out and rested a hoof on Max’s back. “I know you don’t find that sort of thing easy.”

Early likewise reached out to her son resting a leg on him. “But I know you’ll do the right thing.”

“You have to make the hard decisions sometimes, not everybody will like it.”

“But I trust you to do the right thing. I’m very proud of you. Your father would be so very proud.”

“Thanks,” said Max drawing the two old ladies into a hug. “I’ll do the best I can.”

“You can’t do anything more,” said Mrs G.

“I’ll alway be here for you regardless of what you decide to do,” said Early.

Max let go and leant back in his seat. he felt boyed by the support from two of the mares he trusted most of all. “Ok, so no more trying to fund the whole province by myself. Hopefully we’ll be able to get something from Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim or at least ponies who want to see her books.”

“Maybe,” said Early uncertainly, “I’m not sure how many ponies will be willing to go into a dragon’s den just to read a few books.”

“That depends on the books!” snorted Mrs G, “There are a lot of foolish people out there, ponies and others who have done very stupid things over a few books. Still you can’t rely on that for your budget.”

“No, there’s a lot of things I want to bring to my people and it’ll cost, although I do have some idea how I can get them to them cheaply and show them that paying taxes is actually worth it. You see...” he began to unveil his plan.

Max trotted out of the cottage and into the dusk. Both his mother and Mrs G seemed quite positive on his plans, and Mrs G at least would point out if she didn’t think they would work.

After the meeting he’d asked Mrs G about the reappearance of her husband after so many years and the old nanny had been uncharacteristically coy about it. Jurgaghan had apparently made it clear that his return would only be for a few days and that he would be leaving after the festival. Mrs G, Caoimhe and Brian had made it just as clear that none of them would be going with him and that the new couple intended to raise their kid in Sadlzburg. The tor chieftain had eventually accepted that with somewhat poor grace and the family were trying to arrange ways for them to meet each other more frequently than once every thirty or so years.

With a sigh Max looked around, most of the stalls were shutting down for the day. From now on the market part of the festival would start to wind down and it would be more about people enjoying themselves, competitions, drinking, dancing and the like. He’d more or less finished his plans for the day so maybe he’d get a chance to join them? A quick trip back to his tent to freshen up a bit then he could decide how to spend the evening, a pint of two certainly wouldn’t go amiss, although he should probably keep it in moderation, he had to meet with the local leaders tomorrow and a hangover certainly wouldn’t make it any more pleasant.

Setting his course Max was surprised to hear someone call him name. He turned to see Silver Fir and Noble Pine standing by the credit union stand. Silver’s family had run the closest thing Nulpar had to a bank for several generations now, offering insurance and allowing farmers to borrow money to buy new equipment and the like. Max guessed they must have arrived recently. “Max!” cried Silver again, a touch of worry in her voice. “Have you seen Noble? we’ve been looking for her since we arrived.”

“I saw her an hour or so ago, she’s staying over at the library, have you looked there?” he asked.

“The library?”

“Yes, Conn Gobhar, Mrs Gobhar’s middle son agreed to take her in.”

“A goat?” asked Silver paling slightly, “Well I suppose that was rather nice of him but now that we’re here I’m sure Flaky,” she gestured to her brother standing behind the credit union stall, “Will have room for her.”

“Um, ok, she seemed quite happy the last time I saw her, she and Conn make a good team really,” he shrugged. “I’ll show you the way, I need to thank them for their help anyway. She’s been very helpful, she really does know her stuff. If she’s interesting in staying I certainly think there’s a space on my staff for her.”

“Thanks Max,” said Chip with a proud smile. “I knew she’d do well.”

“I’m glad my family could be of help to you Baron,” added Silver, a little stiffly.

Wincing slightly, Max led Silver and Chipboard through the closing up market and towards the library, flickering light could be seen from within. Max knocked on the door and then opened it. Firefly lamps lit the parlor which contained the few shelves of books the town had managed to put together. it was less tidy than its owner normally kept it, with a few stacks of books leaning against the walls. Conn and Noble were seated together on a small bench leaning forwards over a book. They looked up as the party entered, Noble’s eyes widened. “Mum! Dad!” she cried as she scooted aside from Conn before standing. “When did you get here? I was just going over some stories with Conn, I’m going to help him with a reading tonight!”

Max grinned, Conn was known for giving dramatic readings of various books. Both for foals, and given Sadlzburg’s relatively low level of literacy, often adults as well. He knew the goat often felt a little self conscious about them but Max through his performances were quite good.

“That sounds nice dear,” said Noble as her daughter trotted over and gave her a rather stiff hug, before moving over to her father and repeating her gesture with a bit more enthusiasm. Conn stood and paced on the spot, looking awkward. “But I was hoping we could spend some time together, given we haven't seen you for a few days. Then we can help you move into your uncle’s place.”

“Uncle Flaky? I’m fine to stay here, it’s perfectly fine, Conn has let me use his...” she blushed slightly, “I mean the bed, he’s been very kind to me.”

Chip looked between the goat and his daughter, and his eyes narrowed. “I’m sure he has,” he grumbled, “But you should be staying with ponies, with your family.”

Noble frowned. “I am happy here.”

“I’ve... I’ve been taking good care of your daughter,” said Conn stepping forwards. “Bell’s very talented.” He glanced towards the mare who smiled coyly.

“She’s been very useful,” said Max. “Actually, after the meeting this afternoon I’d like to offer you a permanent job on my staff Bell, if you’re still interested. You can be my legal advisor. I can’t exactly pay you that much, but I’m sure we’ll work something out. You can have a few days to think about it, if you want.”

“Thank you Max,” said Noble, “I think I’d like to stay, and help run Nulpar,” she gave a cheeky grin, “With you as Baron I think the place needs all the help it can get.”

Silver looked horrified for a moment before Max gave a chuckle. “You’re probably right, you’ll just going to have to work extra hard.”

“I think it’ll be worth it though,” she added.

Max had stood there a little awkwardly as Noble had argued with her parents about her plans for the evening. They eventually agreed that she’d help Conn with his live reading but that they should have a family supper together. The goat had suggested that he could do it alone if she wanted to spend more time with her parents but she had shut him down, insisting she had offered to help him and she would do so. She also insisted that she would spend the rest of the festival staying in the library unless Conn asked her to leave. Silver had transfixed the younger goat with a harsh stare but he had still managed to mumble out that he was happy for Noble to continue to stay with him. Once things were decided, Max made his excuses and trotted back into town while trying to decide what to do with himself. He ended up purchasing a bowl of thick mixed grasses stew from Welcoming Hearth’s kitchen, and followed it up with a bowl of chocolate ice cream from one of the vendors at the fair, which was a real rarity in Nulpar.

After he had finished his meal, his wanderings took him to Honeybuns’s bar where the annual drinks competition was taking place. Although it was hardly an official industry, each village and town in Nulpar had at least one family, and often several, who produced some sort of alcoholic beverage: beers from barley, mead from honey, wines from gooseberries, vodka from potatoes and other even stranger mixes. Most producers were quite proud of their work and brought at least a sample to the festival to show their rivals. over the years the custom had become a formal contest with various local leaders being chosen to judge the offerings.

Betting on the outcome of the competition was fairly common, and beyond that the winners could look forwards to selling the rest of their products at a premium. Max looked back fondly to his times as judge, although it had normally caught up with him the next day. He’d been to a wine tasting at Canterlot and he’d been surprised at the idea of spitting out the drink after tasting it; that certainly wasn’t the norm in Nulpar, although any judge with half a brain did take as small a sip as possible from each drink rather than pass out less than half way into the contest.

The area around the contest was packed with ponies and other species, both those interested on the outcome of the contest, and those just hoping for some freebees. Rearing up, Max tried to look over the crowds at the judges and the scoring. A large blackboard had been erected, showing the competitors’ cutie marks for easy recognition as well as the scores. It looked like Honeybun was doing well in the mead class, although her score was lower than last year’s and she had not won yet, not by a long shot. Max sort of hoped she did win, it would at least put her in a good mood and probably make her more likely to go along with his plan.

He heard loud, and rather off key singing from nearby and turned to see a large crowd of pegasus he didn’t recognise. The tune, however, was familiar, some variation of ‘Hurricane's Hundreds Strong Harem’, he was glad that it was late enough that most of the younger foals had been put to bed, or they would no doubt have a few questions about the lyrics of the bawdy ballad. Max frowned for a moment, not at the song itself – it was the time for his people to let off a little steam – but at the singers, he wasn’t sure who they were. They might be from one of the smaller settlements but there were a lot of them, well over a dozen and they harmonised quite well, suggesting they were close.

“Not just one, but over a dozen could be found – in Hurricane's Hundreds Strong Harem,” sang the strangers, ending up the song to much stamping and cheering. One of the nearby pegasus got to his hooves and only a touch unsteadily began to head towards the row of outhouses set up a short distance from the bar. On his way the stallion turned and looked oddly at Max.

“Excuse me,” he said, “Are you Baron Mounty Max?”

“Um, yes,” said Max, he hadn’t been mobbed quite as much as Noble had suggested he might over the last few days but he had found privacy a little difficult, he hoped the stallion wouldn’t take up that much of his time.

“Good Evening, sir,” said the pegasus giving a unstead bow. “I’m weather patrol manager Barometer. The duchess left her regards, sir. I meant to talk to you earlier, but I hadn’t heard you were back in town.”

Max nodded with a smile, he had meant to talk to the new weather ponies Fragrant had left but he hadn’t had the time yet. “Only got back yesterday, I’ll probably be busy for most of tomorrow.” Max thought for a moment. “How about I buy you another drink and we can chat about it now? We can probably do something more formal later.”

Barometer looked taken aback for a moment, then smiled. “That’s very decent of you Baron, I just need to--,” he pointed towards the outhouses, “--you know.”

“Of course, I’ll see you in a minute,” said Max starting to make his way through the crowd towards the bar. It took longer than he’d hoped to be served, but the place was very busy. He had to be very careful making his way back with the drinks on his back not to be jostled by the mob. Eventually he made his way back to Barometer who was standing at the edge of the pub. Max couldn’t see any empty seats so the two of them just slumped down outside the building along with many other patrons.

“Your health,” said Max passing over one of the drinks before taking a sip of his own. He sighed. For all her flaws Honeybun made a darned good mead. You couldn’t get anything quite like it in Canterlot. Barometer copied his although with a little less enthusiasm. “I’m sorry, would you have prefered something else?” asked Max.

“No, it’s not my usual tipple, a bit sweet, but it’s growing on me,” said Barometer taking another sip. “It’s not like you can get rainbow beer down here easily.”

Max nodded, although he hadn’t heard of that drink. “So how's the weather situation?” he asked.

Barometer blinked a few times and frowned. “Baron, don’t take me the wrong way, but you’re not much like the other nobles I’ve known, not that I’ve known many, just the Duchess and her brother I guess.”

“How so?”

“Well, she’s a perfectly nice pony, but she’s sort of distant, he, well he’s alright but it’s very clear he’s the boss right? You, well, you’re just like a normal pony.” Barometer took another sip of his drink.

“Thank you,” said Max with a grin. He wasn’t sure if the other pony would have been telling this to him if he hadn’t already had a few drinks in him. “So the weather teams?”

Barometer stared off into the distance for a moment before shaking his head. “Oh, right. Well, we’ve been here observing for a few months now and, well, your local weather teams... they’re a disgrace.” He glanced at Max expression. “Well, maybe not that bad, but they’re mostly part time, their techniques are a century out of date and their training’s non-existent!” He took another sip of his drink. “Still I’ve seen worse, far worse, actually your manager’s have show me a thing or two about weaving cloud from vapour. It’s getting to be a lost art you know, almost everything comes from factories these day, still it hasn’t got quite the same feel as real hoof made stuff,” he wiggled his wings a little.

“Sunbeam’s had a lot of practice over the years, it’s not easy to get cloud brought all the way up here, although I hear the Cloudmunger technique has reduced transport losses by over fifty percent.” Max smiled at the weather pony’s surprise at his knowledge. He was glad he’d managed to retain something from listening to Fragrant’s explanation of her cloud export bill.

“Anyway, the weather teams already in place we can work with, we can set up proper certification and fast track your managers at least, we should be able to increase productivity quite a bit if they’re willing to co-operate. Now the rest of the province will be a bigger job, it’s mostly wild weather out there at the moment. We’ll need to set up a lot of weather stations to get is all under control.” Max’s ears drooped, another drain on the province finances. “Still that’ll be good for you mostly, the ministry will have to pick up the bill, as long as your people pay their taxes, plus it should mean a bunch of new jobs for your pegasus at least.” Max’s brown furrowed for a moment, then he recalled that the weather ministry had to provide a minimum weather for the whole of Equestria unless an area, like a town, decided to take over ownership.

“That sounds great!” said Max, some good news was very welcome.

“Yeah, well we haven't worked things out yet, I’ve still got a dozen survey teams out making measurements and deciding where it would be best to set up weather posts, we prefer to use small settlements if possible, but it’s not always convenient. We’ll report back to the ministry when we’re finished, they’ll crunch the numbers and put out some plans, you know how the quill pushers can be, could be years until they finally start getting something done. Still the duchess herself seems to have taken an interest in you,” it might have been his imagination but Max thought Barometer might have winked at him, “I mean, your province, so she might get things moving quicker.” The stallion shuffled closer to Max. “How did your little ‘fact finding’ trip with her go? She seemed very disappointed when she got here and you’d already gone, wasn’t too happy that she had to come back to look into those missing scouts either.”

Max felt a little surge in his chest at hearing Fragrant had wanted to spend more time with him, also a bit of worry at how much the weather pony seemed to know. “Missing scouts?” he asked.

“A few of the lads and lasses got lost, nothing to really worry about. I told Saltpeter not to call her ladyship back, but he does worry. We found them soon enough, still you could do with better maps.”

Max nodded, he’d found that out from his own trip, he could probably make a few corrections based on his own notes. “Maybe your people could help me with that? You’ve got to be keeping some record of where you’ve been?”

“Aye, but we’ve mostly been skywards, we’ve got maps of the currents and the like, not so much the ground. still, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks,” said Max. Glancing over at a nearby table he noticed Conn, Brian and Sealbhach chatting with a group of the local goats. The town librarian looked a little glum, he’d almost certainly done his live read by now, maybe it hadn’t gone down very well. “Excuse me,” said Max to Barometer, “There’s some goats over there I want to have a few words with.”

“Of course baron,” said the weather pony who stood and stretched for a moment before trotting back to his fellows in the tavern who had started singing again.

Max finished the last of his drink and headed off towards his friends. “How did the show go Conn?” asked Max, “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“It was ok,” said Conn with his eyes locked on something behind Max. He was sipping something from a shot glass, which was odd because the goat rarely drank. Maybe things really did go badly for him. Max turned slightly to follow the gaze, there at the opposite side of the bar Noble and her parents were talking. Max couldn’t make out what was being said but there was certainly lots of gesturing involved.

“Ok?!” said Sealbhach, “He knocked it out of the park, standing ovation and all that.” Several of the other goats around nodded, Max noticed a few of the local lumberjacks amongst them.

“It wasn’t all that,” said Conn looking over towards Max for the first time. “But it did seem popular.”

“It was good, really good,” said Brian slowly, showing his weakness at the Equestrian tongue. The large goat was laid out next to his brothers, curled around his wife. He passed a piece of food from his plate to her mouth via a kiss. Caoimhe’s abdomen was already starting to swell with the life within, Max knew from his mother that goat pregnancies were only about half the length of those of ponies, she’d be kidding in only a few more months. Max grinned, it looked like married life was treating both of them well.

“It was great Conn,” exclaimed one of the other goats around the table. Max thought his name was Croabh, a bit of a hot head, certainly not somegoat he would have thought would have been listening to Conn’s story. “It’s just a shame that Fir mare tried to hog the limelight, that should have been your moment, you didn’t have to share it with her.”

“It wouldn’t have been half as good without her,” said Conn, glancing back over at the nearby table again.

“Look, you don’t have to be polite, you know what her family’s like. No one over in Pinegraves ever cared about us goats. They started that town just to spite us!”

“Bell isn’t like that!” exclaimed Conn.

“Come on Conn, Baron, she just turned up and she’s acting like she runs the place, don’t tell me you’re both taken in by her?” he snorted.

“She’s worked hard and has been very useful so far,” said Max, “She’s got my confidence. She’s got the kind of skills I need to get Nulpar up and running.”

“Oh yeah, she could go to a big posh school and get all that training thanks to her parents’ money! What do you think she was going to be before you became baron, eh? She’d have been off getting a job somewhere else, she’d never have been back to Nulpar again, she wouldn’t want to help us, but now that she might get to be important here she comes back and acts like she owns the place.” He slammed a hoof on the table causing several drinks to shake.

Conn held out a calming hoof. “Look, there’s no need to get all worked up about this!” Max nodded in agreement.

“All those ponies up in Pinegraves are the same,” muttered the goat, “Looking down on the rest of us.” There was a general mutter of support from the other lumberjacks around him. “Can’t even bear working next to us, so like kids they run off and take their toys with them, and they have the nerve to complain that we charge them too much for the use of the saw mill, they didn’t think of that when they left did they?” A ragged cheer went up.

“Look, if you have any grievances I’ll look into them,” said Max trying to calm down the situation, “I’m holding council tomorrow.”

“Yeah and they’ll be there as well won’t they?” asked the goat loudly pointing towards Nobel’s family. “Why should they get a say in how things are run?”

“Everybody gets a say,” said Max sharply.

“But some get more of a say than others,” sneered the goat, “Money talks louder than hard work! Or are you getting something else out of the deal baron? An extra sweeter, a certain little titbit at your beck and call? A little raipseach to raise her tail and let you...”

Max’s indignation was about to burst loose when he found himself shoved aside and, to his surprise, Conn, his eyes flashing, leapt over the table and slammed head first into Croabh, sending him flying back head over heels with a bleat for distress. However, despite his inebriated state, the other goat was back on his hooves in a second and rushed forwards. The two billies collided again with a cracking sound, and their horns locked as each tried to overpower the other.

Max struggled back to his hooves and looked around. A circle was rapidly clearing around the fight as ponies and goats tried to distance themselves from the wresting pair. To Max’s surprise, Brian was not moving to help his brother, instead he had positioned himself between the fighting and his wife. As he watched one of the other lumberjacks took a step forwards to help his colleague; Brian stared at him and shook his head gently and the other goat stepped back with his ears lowered.

“Come on Conn, you can take him,” yelled Sealbhach stomping on the table, not helping the situation at all.

Max was surprised by Conn’s reaction. the librarian had always been even tempered, he would have expected it to take more than a few harsh words to set him off. Still, he certainly seemed enraged as he struggled against his larger opponent, the lumberjack was pushed back a few steps before he got his hooves fully under him and his greater strength came into play slamming into Conn and starting to force the still struggling goat back. Max began to push forwards to try and break up the fight before things got further out of hoof. There was a quiet thump off to one side before a voice barked, “Ok, break this up now!”

Max turned aside to see Arctic Breeze, still in full armour and looking less than pleased. At the sound of her voice the fight seemed to go out of Conn and he stepped back. His opponent was not as affected and took the opportunity to lash out his horns, catching Conn on the side of the head knocking him down, blood spilling from a cut. With a flap of her wings Arctic was there between the two fighters, looking up at the larger goat in front of her. “Stop Now!” she ordered. With a snarl, the still enraged lumberjack lowered his head and began to charge. One of Arctic’s front hooves shot out, catching the goat on the side of the head and redirecting his charge. Arctic seemed to flow in a way Max was certain he couldn’t do even without armour, spinning around her attacker and pivoting on the spot before kicking out with both hind hooves against the goat’s flank, sending him flying to one side before landing in a heap. In another second she had a hoof resting on the fallen goat's neck. “Stay down!” she snarled, panting slightly, and this time he obeyed her.

“Right,” said Arctic, looking between the two goats, “Now what’s going on...” she paused. A gap had opened up in the circle of quadrupeds gathered to watch the fight and Mrs G passed through it, not looking at all happy. In fact, Max thought she looked more angry than he’d ever seen her before, her eyes were tight slits and energy seemed to almost be cracking off of her. As one the surrounding mob decided to take a step back, two if they could manage it.

“You!” she intoned, glaring at the large lumberjack. He swallowed painfully and seemed to try to look for a way out without breaking the older goat’s gaze. He took a step towards Arctic as if she could save him. “What is the meaning of this? Attacking my son! How dare you!” she somehow thundered without raising her voice in the slightest. “What would your mother have thought of this Croabh? She’d be spinning in her grave!” The lumberjack lowered his gaze.

“Mum,” said Conn quietly trotting up to Mrs G, “I started the fight.”

Mrs G’s eyes widened. “You what!” she gasped looking truly surprised for one of the first times Max could remember. “How?! Why?!”

“I shouldn’t have done it, but he shouldn’t have said what he said,” said Conn gritting his teeth and glancing over at the lumberjack who shuffled nervously.

“Yeah, sorry,” he mumbled.

“You’re hurt,” said Mrs G reaching out and touching the cut on her son’s face.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch,” he said, “Look I’m sorry about this...”

“It’s not going to be nothing when I get you home my boy,” snarled Mrs G. “Brawling in public like a common thug, I thought you had brains!”

Conn didn’t say anything, he just looked out in the crowd and blushed a little. Mrs G followed his gaze and seemed to deflate a little. “Oh, you’ve got too much of your father in you.”

“Um,” said Arctic picking at her armour, “I should take them both to the jail house for the night.” The town jail didn’t actually have any cells just a few rough beds for any drunks to sleep it off. Normally Lone Star or the mayor would sentence any trouble makers to some community work or a small fine once they recovered.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’ll be there to see any punishment tomorrow, and I’ll make sure he’ll be very sorry for what he did,” said Mrs G snapping her jaw around her son’s ear. He gave out a gasp of pain as she started to drag him through the crowd. “‘ust you wait until I ‘et you ‘ome” she mumbled with her mouth full. Arctic looked like she might have argued for a moment before shrugging and leading off the other goat towards the jail. The immediate excitement removed, the crowd started to disperse.

“See!” grumbled a voice nearby which Max recognized as belonging to Silver Fir. “That’s why we don’t want you staying in the library. He could have snapped at any Time.”

“We just want you to be safe,” agreed Chipboard. Max turned to see the two of them standing nearby, Noble between them. The younger pony looked very worried and a little frightened, less certain than he’d ever seen her before.

“But I don’t understand,” she said, a little whine in her tone. “He seemed so civilised, I... I really liked him, I don’t understand...” her voice petered off.

“It’s in their nature dear,” said Silver putting an arm over her daughter's back. “Now, we better help you settle into your uncle’s place, it will be a bit of a squeeze.” She started to trot away towards the edge of town. Noble took a few steps after her mother, then stopped. A look of determination starting to come over her face.

“No!” she said stamping a hoof on the ground.

“What did you say?” asked Silver looking back.

“I said No!” proclaimed Noble again, “I’m not going to go anywhere until I know what was going on,” she swung her head back and forth finally coming to a stop on Max. “Baron, you were there,” she dashed over to him. “What happened? Why did Conn attack that other goat?”

“Um,” said Max, he’d been thinking more or less the same himself. Conn had always been one of the most levelheaded people Max knew, he would be the last goat he thought would just attack someone. although what the lumberjack had been saying had been fairly inflammatory, it hadn’t been about Conn or any of his family. “Well, the other goat he, um, well he wasn’t very complimentary about your family or me really. He, well, he suggested that there was something going on between, um, me and you. I think Conn might have been trying to save my reputation, or yours I guess.” He dropped his gaze, squirming a little.

“Oh,” said Noble her cheeks colouring a little, “Oh!” she said again louder. “The idiot!” She turned and started to gallop off into the town.

“Wait!” cried Silver after her daughter, “Where are you going!”

“To be next in line to deal with that idiot once his mother's finished with him!” came the answering cry. Looking confused, her parents took off after Noble leaving Max by himself.

He frowned, feeling as if he’d missed something there. He sighed, he’d just wanted a quiet night and maybe a few drinks, now things had gotten even more complicated. He’d had high hopes for Conn in his new government but should he change them now that the goat had gotten involved in a public scuffle? And it happened just before he planned to meet all the other leaders, given the way gossip worked everyone in town would know about it by then and now something seemed to be up with Noble as well. Hopefully this was the worst thing that would happen to him.

20) Harvest Festival: Day 3, The Council

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Max didn’t sleep well that night. It wasn’t that his bed was uncomfortable, he was used to the blankets in his tent, or that the sounds of merriment around him were disturbing, he liked the sound of his people having fun. Instead it was mere mental anguish that kept him awake. Tomorrow would probably be the most important meeting of his career so far, he was going to face the representatives of almost every settlement of any size in his province, and he was going to have to put forward his ideas for running Nulpar. Oh, he had so many ideas, but so few of them were truly practical. Worse, he knew that whatever decision he made would be unpopular with at least some of his people.

Max sighed, trying to burry his face deeper into his pillow. He wished that Fragrant was here, he was sure she’d know what to do. his problems would probably seem so petty to her; he only had to worry about a few thousand ponies and other species, she effortlessly looked after a third of the skies over Equestria. Still, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. He knew he had friends: Mrs G, Conn, Noble, maybe even Piste and Zephyr, but they weren't his peers any more. Since the princess had made him baron the running of the province was his responsibility and his alone. Maybe the others could help, but only he could really get things done.

Growling, Max threw aside his pillow and to his surprise noted that the sun must have risen at some point, early morning light was faintly glowing through the fabric of the tent. He must have fallen asleep somewhen, he doubted he’d get back to the dreamlands any time soon, he might as well get up.

Struggling out of his bed, Max yawned and arched his back until he felt something crack. Sticking his head out of the tent he took a deep breath of the morning air and shivered a little, they were certainly in the dying days of summer now. Around him most of the rest of the camp was still asleep, presumably exhausted by last night's festivities. One or two ponies wandered the area, looking like they were probably going to bed rather than waking like him.

Scratching, Max trotted out of the tent and decided what to do with himself. The big meeting wasn’t until early afternoon so he, unfortunately, still had time on his hooves. He supposed he should probably go over his notes again but they wouldn’t make any more sense reading them for the hundredth time. He would need to go to Lone Star’s place to find out about Conn’s punishment. he still wasn’t sure what had caused the goat to go crazy like that last night, what Croabh has said had been insulting to both him and Bell but he thought Conn had more self control than that. He was planning to put a lot of responsibility of the librarian, Max hoped he would cope better.

Shaking his head gently, Max made his way towards Lone Star’s house.

“I don’t give a pile of horse apples what it was you two were fighting over!” growled Lone Star, his one remaining eye narrowed. “A nanny, words, some grudge, I don’t care! I’m the only one allowed to bust heads here!” The face of law enforcement in Sadlzburg was not a pretty sight, shorter than most stallions by almost a head the old sheriff was, despite his age, still a solid block of muscle. He had survived the worst that Equestria could throw at him, judging by the number of scars cutting lines in his grey coat and his one remaining eye and ear. No one knew what he had done before he’d arrived in Sadlzburg almost three decades ago now but most assumed the grizzled earth pony had been part of the military. “Do you understand?” he snarled at the two goats in front of him, both hanging their heads in shame.

“Yes, sir,” mumbled Croabh.

“Yes, I apologize for my actions,” agreed Conn.

“Good,” said Lone Star, suddenly much more sociable. “Now just shake hooves, then we’ll sort out what public service you can carry out for recompense...”

Max watched as the two billies apologised to each other. he could probably intervene in the sentencing, but it wouldn’t have been right to abuse his powers to help his friend. He had arrived at Lone Star’s place to find that things were already underway. Mrs G, and surprisingly, Bell, were already there with Conn.

The old nanny seemed rather pensive today as she watched her son undergo his punishment. “It’s not that bad,” said Max trying to cheer up his assistant. “Everyone gets a bit wild during the festival. No one will remember about this come next month.”

Mrs G looked over to Max, her face drawn, she looked older than normal. “I know, but I thought he was smarter than this. Maybe I put too much pressure on him to be the sensible one. Brian, he’s a good lad but easily lead and Sealbhach, well I think I spoiled him a bit. I just assumed that Conn would do the right thing. I never thought he’d take after his father,” she muttered.

“I doubt Conn is going to run off with a mare,” said Max with a grin.

Mrs G looked at him strangely for a moment. “No, I don’t think he’d run off, but, I don’t know, maybe I should have stayed home, looked after them all.”

Max felt a lump in his throat. “Well,” she began, “If you do want to stay I’m sure I can find someone else to help me in Canterlot, maybe Bell, or I can hire somepony new. I’d miss you, you’ve been such a great help, but your family should come first.”

Mrs G looked back and forth between her son and Max for a moment, then shook her head. “No, they're all grown billies now, they don’t need their mother any more. Brian’s got a family of his own, Conn, well, he’s moving on as well, as for Sealbhach, he’s a very talented kid, nothing he couldn’t turn his hoof to. It’s just a shame he isn’t more focused, just spends his time chasing tails.” She shook her head. “Besides, I think you might need me a little more.”

“You’re probably right, Mrs G, but,” he leaned over and nuzzled her, “I don’t think your boys, or me, will ever stop needing you.”

The old goat closed her eyes for a moment then sighed. “Thank you Mounty,” she said with more strength as Conn walked back from the Sheriff’s house, Croabh following him.

“How did it go?” asked Max.

“It looks like I’ll,” the librarian looked at his fellow goat, “we’ll, be helping to tidy up after the festival, including taking down the extra outhouses.” He shuddered a bit.

“Yeah, sorry,” said Croabh looking bashful. “Sorry to you too, Baron, and you, Miss Fir,” the goat nodded to both of them, the latter, standing nearby, was pacing on the spot looking awkward. “I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

“And I shouldn’t have taken it so seriously,” said Conn.

“No you shouldn’t,” said Noble, gently flicking one of Conn’s ears with a hoof, “It was very stupid, no matter what he said.”

“I know,” said Conn, lowering his head but keeping his eyes on the young mare, a slight smile on his face. Mrs G tensed for a moment then relaxed.

“I think we could all do with some breakfast don’t you?” she said looking at the small group. “You as well Croabh.”

Max’s stomach growed in agreement for a moment. “Just give me a minute to talk to Lone Star,” he said, “I just need to get something sorted out...”

After a brief conversation Max and his friends made their way to the market place. Most of the traders had already gotten rid of all their wares in the first two days of the festival, and some had even already started to take down their stalls, but those selling food and drink were still open and making a good trade.

They slumped into some chairs next to a stall where a family of goats was selling traditional breakfast fair. A little to her own embarrassment, Bell was rather nervous about eating goat food, and had to have it explained to her that just because they could eat things like wood and paper didn’t mean they did if something else was available. Max himself rather enjoyed most goat cuisine although, according to Mrs G, he didn’t savour the more complicated mixes of spices they often used in more formal meals.

During the meal he explained some of his plans to his friends, and the roles he hoped they would play in his new government. He was a little surprised how quickly they accepted his offer, but he guessed it wasn’t all that different to what they were already doing. Bell in particular seemed overjoyed and fought to control herself and stopping herself from breaking out into a little jig.

Once their meal was finished, Max asked them to go and find Hayseed and Combine and tell them that Nulpar would take on both of their offers pending a bit more information. He also asked them to help organise today's meeting and told them that he would definitely get there on time, and that he wouldn’t let anything distract him. He just had a few chores to carry out first.

As soon as he’d finished breakfast Max made his way towards the town hall. Part of him, quite a large part, wanted to head in the opposite direction, but he knew that what he had to say later would hurt Piste and he wanted to at least have the decency to tell him in advance, stallion to stallion. Maybe it would be more professional to let him find out at the same time as the other province leaders, but professionalism be damned, Piste was his friend.

Max came to a sharp stop as the town hall came into view, or rather the line of ponies stretching out from the town hall came into view. It reached across the town centre and beyond. For a moment Max stood confused, his brow furrowed, then he remembered what day it was. With the market more or less closed most of the towns traders and farmers would be paying their taxes for the year. usually the process took all day, or at least it had when he’d been in charge.

Looking up and down the line there must have been at least a hundred ponies and other species there, grumbling and chatting to each other as they waited. Several were glancing at him, often giving him rather dirty looks, as if he was responsible for the taxes they were paying. Trying to explain that he had nothing to do with it, that the funds were levied by the town not the province, and in fact he hadn’t set up any tax at all yet, probably wouldn’t change their minds.

He could probably push through the crowd and ask Piste for an audience, but that would be an abuse of his power. Max sighed as he joined the back of the queue. He guessed he’d just have to wait like every other pony. And wait he did, and wait, and wait, and wait. with snail like speed the line slowly made its way forwards, one step at a time as the sun crawled up the sky.

“Baron,” came a cry from nearby. Max’s head shot up, he’d zoned out for some time. He looked around at the Unicorn mare standing next to him, a large basket for groceries in her aura. It was Welcoming Hearth, the owner of the only hotel in Sadlzburg.

“Oh, hi Hearth. How are things?” he asked.

“Busy as always baron, the festival has my place packed.”

“Are you here to pay your taxes?”

“Oh no, I’ll be waiting a few weeks if possible, it’ll be easier for me and Piste, you?” she asked, “I didn’t know you’d have to pay even with your rank.”

“No, well not at the moment,” he wasn’t sure if he needed to pay or not, he did live in town for some of the year, hopefully his mother or Mrs G would have sorted it out. “I’m here to see Piste.”

“Well, it could take a while,” said Hearth looking up and down the line. “While I’ve got you here can I ask you a favour?”

“Of course!” said Max then tried to control himself, he hoped Hearth wouldn’t take advantage of their friendship and ask anything too unreasonable.

“Could you present the prizes at the events tomorrow?”

Max blinked a bit, it was traditional for the fourth day of the festival to be full of sporting competitions, races, horseshoes, a pony pull and the like. He’d used to present prizes as mayor. “I’d be honoured, but shouldn’t that be Piste’s job now?”

“Well,” the unicorn looked a little uncomfortable, “there’s some that have always been a bit put out by the prizes being given out by the mayor of Sadlzburg even though the winners are from another settlement, so I thought, well, you’re in charge of the whole province so you might be a better choice. Plus, I think Piste could do with a bit of a rest really, he’s been working his hooves to the bone sorting everything out, plus I think he might like to complete in the skiing.”

Max nodded, he knew his friend was a keen skier and had won several awards in the past. “Sure, of course I’ll help out.”

“Good, thank you Baron,” she gave a curtsy. “I better get these off back to the hotel,” she indicated the basket, “dinner won’t make itself.”

Max glanced at the sky, time seemed to have somehow passed quicker than he’d thought. it was past midday, he’d have to admit defeat. Even though a number of the crowd decided to head to cover rather than tempt Corona, there were still well over a dozen ponies between him and door to the town hall, let alone how ever many there were inside. The meeting was probably no more than an hour away now and he needed to prepare, and probably get something to eat before he got there.

“I think I’ll have to set off as well Hearth,” he said stepping out of line, “I’ve got a meeting soon.”

“Your big presentation?” asked Hearth, “Well I hope it all goes well.”

“Me too, see you later,” said Max as he headed off towards the stream. He should at least have a bath before he met the various important people of his land. Maybe it would help calm his nerves as well. Now that the meeting was only a short time away he was starting to imagine all the different ways it could go wrong.

By the time Max had actually arrived at the manor house, the butterflies in his stomach had multiplied into an entire flock, he even felt a little sick. This was probably going to be the most important meeting of his life, oddly even meeting the princess seemed less daunting. Then, he’d just been a single normal pony, Luna had to have met millions just like him over her long life, but now, now he was in charge, what he said and decided would affect the lives of everypony, and every other species in Nulpar, of his people. Even worse, he knew that some of what he said wasn’t going to be popular with his audience, in some cases they might even consider it a betrayal. His thoughts turned to Off Piste, he really wished he’d had a chance to talk to him earlier, or had he been subconsciously avoiding that? It was too late to try to look to deeply into his motives now.

The meeting was due to take place in the main meeting room of the hall. By the time Max got there it was already crowded. A great circular table had been set up in the centre with enough space to seat dozens, but it still looked like it might not be enough. Headmares, mayors and other local leaders of all species were gathered around the walls mumbling to each other. Max also recognised several of his friends and assistants: Mrs G was off to one side next to Conn and Noble. Jurgaghan and his translator were only a short distance away, both of them looking rather uncomfortable. Sparks was talking to Glacial Stream near the door while Arctic and Summer where holding hooves at the back of the room.

As Max entered the room went silent, it seemed like everyone's eyes were on him. Trying to swallow through his suddenly parched throat, the baron made his way towards his seat on a raised platform at the other end of the chamber. Despite how full the room was everyone separated to let him through. He almost wished they’d jostle him, it would make him feel less alone. Eventually after a seemingly endless walk Max came to his chair and looked down at his people. Taking his action as a prompt most of the seats in the room were filled, but there were still many representatives standing. as he watched, more were trying to force their way into the room; some of them he recognised, others, presumably from smaller settlements, were still strangers to him. Most of them looked up at him as they entered, some even bowing or curtsying.

“No, this won’t do!” Max wasn’t entirely sure if he had spoken aloud or not, but every head not already pointed in his direction seemed to have locked onto him as he hopped off his seat and moved around behind it, pushing it off of its pedestal with a crash, followed by a grinding sound which echoed around the room as he shoved it down to the same level as the others before sitting down again, his cheeks glowing slightly. “That’s better,” he said, “I didn’t come here to sit above you all. I came here to talk to you as equals, as friends.”

He glanced around the room, all the seats were taken and rows of standing ponies could be seen looking towards him and jostling for position. The few cows in the audience looming over the smaller ponies, goats and donkeys. Some of the pegasus were even floating near the ceiling, although it wasn’t high enough to make that much of a difference. There was hardly room for any of those present to move. Max took a deep breath. “Thank you for all coming here today and taking the time to listen to what I have to say,” he began. “Hopefully you’ve all heard that Princess Luna appointed me the baron of these lands about half a year ago. If you don’t, well you were probably wondering why you were here.” A subdued laugh made its way around the chamber making Max feel a little better.

“Excuse me Baron,” said Barrel, the mayor of Neighagra, from nearby. “But is it really necessary to have everypony here? We’re not going to be able to hear ourselves think, maybe only those representing the towns of Nulpar should be present? Not those from smaller settlements,” he suggested.

“Hey,” yelled a donkey Max didn’t recognise standing behind Barrel. “Why shouldn’t I be here? Stable might not be that big but we’ve got just as much a right to be here as you have, the baron’s been put in charge of us as well!”

“Maybe we should have several meetings?” suggested Moorial, “It is a bit cramped.” The cow shuffled a little uncomfortably against the smaller ponies pushing against her.

“Yeah, the... there’s hardly room to breath,” said Southern Breeze, the griffin looked almost panicked, not her normally jovial self.

“What’s going on?” came a cry from near the door, “I can’t see!”

Max sighed again, there was no way he could hold a meeting in these conditions and no way he was going to turn anyone away. Then inspiration hit. He leapt off of his chair and onto the table in front of him. “Everybody out!” he roared, startling much of the room. “We’re taking this meeting outside!” Several jaws dropped at the suggestion. “Come on, move!” he cried, “We’ve got a lot to get through and the quicker you get organised the quicker we can get started.” He clambered off the table and started to push through the crowd towards the door, driving a chunk of the crowd ahead of him. They quickly got the idea and the room started to empty as a stream of local dignitaries rushed through the halls of the manor and out into the town beyond.

Max marched at their head and led them towards the edge of town near the camp sites. He selected a small copse of trees which would give some shade and stopped there. He gestured to the crowd following him, which seemed to have grown a little on the journey and they started to form a circle around him, chatting amongst themselves as they did so. Max took a deep breath of the fresh air, this was more like it, he thought, this felt better.

“Right,” he said starting again, “I’m glad you could all make it today, I’ve got a lot to tell you, and I’m sure you’ve all got things you want to ask me as well. As I said before Princess Luna has appointed me to represent all of you, and many who aren't here, at court. To be able to do that I need you to tell me what I can do to help, but you’re also going to have to do what I tell you sometimes, for the good of everyone,” a small forest of hooves shot up in the crowd around him. He held up a leg for silence before everybody started talking at once. “In a bit, let me get through this introduction first.”

“Now this isn’t going to be the only meeting between us all,” continued Max looking around the crowd. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to be in Nulpar most of the time, I’m needed in Canterlot, but I’ll come back whenever I can. However, me being in the big city doesn’t mean you can’t get word to me when you need to. I’m going to set up a council to advise me on what’s going on, and that council’s going to be made of all of you,” he turned on the spot holding out a hoof to those gathered there, which seemed more than it had been just a few minutes ago. Various curious townsfolk and visitors had started to gather around to listen.

“My home will be welcome to everyone of Nulpar’s leaders, and anyone you designate as your representatives who want to come and discuss anything, hopefully it won’t be quite as cramped in future,” that caused a few chuckles from the crowd. “I hope you can work most things out amongst yourselves, but my deputies will be here to chair any meetings.” He took a deep breath, hoping the next bit would go down well. his chosen assistants might not be entirely popular, as he’d learnt from last night, but he was certain they were the best for the job.

“While I’m away, I’ll be leaving Conn Grobhar and Noble Fir in charge, they will speak with my voice and can pass any messages on to me.” He gestured to the goat and the pony in the crowd. Conn looked a little overwhelmed but Noble was quickly on her hooves and dragged the goat with her as she headed towards the centre of the meeting. As the two made their way to Max’s side there was various muttering throughout the crowd. some of the individuals from the more distance settlements looked a bit confused, they probably didn’t know who the two were, others looked downright angry or surprised, but most looked at least unconcerned about the decision. There was an enthusiastic stomping from somewhere behind him and Max turned to see Chipboard’s wild reaction, next to him Silver was also cheering although somewhat more conservatively. Not too far away Mrs G and her other two sons were also stamping the ground. The two families glared at each other for a moment but then smiled at the good fortune of their children. The applause spread from individual to individual around the crowd growing in strength.

Max let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding as the sound started to die down again. Noble took a few steps forward and beamed at the crowd. “Thank you,” she said, “I look forwards to working with all of you to try and do the best for all of Nulpar.”

A little more hesitantly, Conn also moved forwards and smiled bashfully at the crowd. “I’m also happy to accept the role, and I’ll do all I can to help any of you who need me,” he said.

“See, with these two you’ll hardly need me,” joked Max, stepping forwards again as his two assistants started to sit at his side. “One of the first things I want the council to talk about is what farming equipment we need. there’s a representative of the Fisher Trust in town looking about putting together an order for the whole province; if you think you’re people will need anything now's the time to get it cheaply.” A round of grumbling went through the crowd as the leaders considered the idea.

“You don’t need to do it all right now, but it’s something to think about,” said Max. “Now as you know, my position at court is normally a hereditary one. If something were to happen to me then the role would pass on to my family, my children, if I had any.”

“Well you better get to work on that then!” came a cry from a pale green mare in the crowd giving a flirtatious wink.

“Oh, um, well,” Max flushed brightly through his coat, “Anyway, I can nominate an individual to be my heir if I don’t um, have any of my own. So, um anyway,” Max tried to pull himself together. “I’ve previously assigned Mrs Grobhar as my deputy to be able to vote on my behalf at court, so I’m going to nominate her as my heir for the moment. She already helps me a lot at court and knows all about my plans there.” He stepped aside and the old goat got to her hooves and trotted forwards into the space in the centre of the circle. Once again there was a smattering of applause from the crowd.

“Thank you all,” said Mrs G with a bow, “Although Max is young and fit, so I don’t expect to have to fill his shoes any time soon. Still, you’re right,” she nodded to the mare who had last spoken. “He really should get around to increasing his family soon,” she turned her gaze to Max who squirmed a little.

“Anyway, now that that’s dealt with,” said Max clearing his throat. “It’s time to move on to more important matters. As most of you know I’ve spent the last few months touring Nulpar, stopping off at all the settlements I could find on the way so I could introduce myself and answer any questions you might have, as well as finding out what help you needed...”

“You didn’t visit us!” came a cry from the crowd. Max looked to see a canary yellow pegasus mare with a pink and white striped mane cut short hovering over the crowd.

“I’m sorry Miss...” said Mac frowning.

“Mayor Crosswind,” she barked the mare scowling, “Of Freehold, you didn’t come to our town, aren't we part of Nulpar too? Aren't we important enough?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t have a chance to visit your town,” said Max trying to wrack his brain for the location of the town. Then it struck him. “You’re on the very east of Nulpar, I did plan to visit you, but Dragon Tooth pass was blocked, I tried to cross it but I couldn’t.”

“That pass has been closed for years,” exclaimed Crosswind, “Why didn’t you use the southern passes?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t know until I’d already set my route, it would have taken too long to go around,” explained Max. “I really did want to visit, I’ve not been to Freehold before, and I did want to see if it was as nice as I’d heard,” Max was exaggerating a little, he really knew almost nothing about the place, it was just a name on a map to him, but he didn’t want to annoy the mayor any more. “You’re free to put any questions or issues to me just the same as any anyone else here.”

“Well, thanks,” said Crosswind deflating a little, “But it really would have been nice if you could have come and visit.”

“Look, can we actually get onto something important?” asked Southern Breeze ruffling her feathers, “Like him,” she pointed a talon at Barrell who was sitting on the other side of the circle of mayors, “Refusing to sell us fish!”

“Sell to you!” he cried, “It’s all I can do to stop you stealing from us! You and your lot swooping down taking the catch straight from the boats!” He stood up and shook a hoof at her. “Now we’ve got a baron he’ll put you in your place, won’t you Max!”

Max looked back and forth between the two of them. “Southern, have your people been stealing fish from Neighagra?” he asked.

“They’re just swimming there, you can’t really steal them,” she said, looking down a little shamefaced. “Yeah, maybe a bunch of us used to go poaching, now and then, but griffin aren't like ponies, we need fish or meat to stay healthy. But since I became talonmaster I’ve tried to cut it down to the minimum, we really are happy to pay market value for it, but you still refuse,” she snarled, “You just don’t like griffins, do you, bigot!”

“Bigot!” cried Barrell, stomping forwards, “Trying to stop your thieving ways, my flank! I remember a raid the year before last, my people had taken in the biggest catch of the season, a pike almost the size of a pony,” he held out his hooves to indicate the size of the fish, “They were just bringing it in when out of nowhere this griffen drops from the sky, grabs the fish and overturns the boat! Off and away before anypony can stop her, and who was that griffin, eh! It was you!”

Southern didn’t seem fazed by the accusation. “It was Gunter’s birthday, I wanted to get him something special. I’d offered to pay over the going rate for it, but you refused, so yeah I took it,” she paused for a moment, “Course, I ended up burning most of it and had to come up with another present, you know I think that might have been where Gusty and Gentle came from.” She waved at her children with their father in the audience.

“Southern!” cried Max in exasperation, “You can’t just do things like that.”

“Hey, it's his fault! We want fish, we’ve got bits, he’s got fish, he wants bits, it should be easy, but noooo!” She threw up her talons in exasperation. “He’s just got to be a bigot!”

“You griffins have been nothing but trouble since you moved here,” growled Barrell, advancing on Southern. “Somepony needs to stand up to you!”

“And that’s gonna be you right?” She bared her claws and took a step forwards as well, “Hey kids, watch this, it's part of your culture, the ancient griffin art of kicking specists flanks!”

“Stop!” yelled Max leaping into the shrinking space between the two mayors. “Stop both of you, you’re acting like foals!”

For a moment it looked like the two opponents would just shove Max aside and continue their feud, but slowly Barrell took a step back and Southern lowered her talons. “Sorry Baron,” they both mumbled, looking down.

“Southern,” said Max turning on the griffin, “You and your people just can’t take fish, and Barrel,” he turned on the pegasus, “You can’t just refuse to sell to the Eyrie, they’re a good market, not many others around here eat fish.”

“We don’t just need fish,” he grumbled, “We’ve got tourism too.”

“You know Duchess Posy was right about most tourists not wanting to stay in rooms without heating or running water. You need the fishing to pay for better facilities.”

“Yeah,” he said looking up again, “I guess you’re right Max.”

“Of course he is!” said Southern buoyantly before she was silenced again by a glance from Max. “Look what I mean is, well, sorry, I shouldn’t have stolen that fish. I’ll pay reparations or something. We’ve got some good engineers in the Eyrie, so maybe they can help out with your plumbing?” she suggested.

“We’ll that sounds, well good... I suppose.” With effort Barrell raised a hoof to Southern, and after an awkward pause. the two of them shook on the deal.

“Sounds like a deal,” she said.

Max let out his breath. That sounded workable, but there was obviously still tension between them. “You see,” he said looking around the gathered ponies. In addition to the local leaders a much larger crowd of other interested parties had now grown, apparently word of the meeting had spread and most of the town was interested in what was being said. It was almost like a show, with whole families sitting on and around blankets, eating and watching what was going on; there were even a few entrepreneurs selling food and drink. “Like I said, I’ve visited most of Nulpar, and I’ve seen plenty of strong, proud settlements, full of ponies, goats, donkeys, griffins, cows and even more, all of whom want a better future for their children, but...” he let the word hover in the air for a moment, “I haven't seen Nulpar! I’ve seen Snow Town, the Eyre, Sadlzburg, Sharpside, Herdstone, and more, but each settlement only thinks of itself, we don’t think like a province!” He looked around watching his words settle in.

“That’s to be expected, we’re not used to being united, I only used to think of Sadlzburg, that was my job when I was mayor, but now that I’m baron I need to think of all of Nulpar and I need all of you too as well. We need the Eyre to trade with Neighagra,” he pointed out Southern and Barrell, “Sharpside needs the food from Sadlzburg, and Sadlzburg needs the tools from Sharpside to grow it, we need to stop petty rivalries. Pinegraves need to work with Sadlzburg and share their resources.” He turned back to Crosswind. “Freehold and its neighbouring settlements have been cut off for years due to a rock side! And what did you do about it?” He continued before the mayor could speak, “I’m sure you did what you could, maybe you can open the pass again in a few years, but did you ask for help? Do you see what the rest of the province could do to help you?” the pegasus hung her head.

“We are a proud and independent lot! And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s one of our strengths!” continued Max going with the flow. “But it can also be a weakness, Equestria could not stand if every town, every city, every province just tried to go alone. We are strongest when we work together! I visited a village where bandits had kidnapped their children! Their children! And the people didn’t ask for help, they thought their neighbours wouldn’t help! If your neighbour came to you and told you his children were missing, wouldn’t you help?!” asked Max.

There was a rumble of agreement from the crowd, several members clutched their offspring closer or glanced at those sitting next to them. “If your neighbour’s children were missing, would you help?!” cried Max again. This time the reply was thunderous and universal, as one the entire crowd stood and yelled their agreement. “Good!” said Max with a smile. “So we need to trust each other more and work together, no longer can be just be residents of Sadlzburg, Snow Town, Norton, Freehold, Herd Stone, or so many more, from now on we have to also be Nulparians. I AM A NULPARIAN!” be bellowed.

“I AM A NULPARIAN!” yelled the crowd, many of them jumping up and down as they stomped their hooves on the ground.

Max panted from the exertion, a wide grin on his face as he waited for the cheers to die down. That had gone better than he’d expected, he knew his people would work together if given the right push. However, he only hoped he would retain their support when he brought his next points to the table.

“Good, good,” he continued once he had his breath back fully. “Now, in order to work together we need to be able to communicate and travel from settlement to settlement. Unfortunately, Nulpar’s not very well put together for that, it’s a bit bumpy,” he waved one leg up and down to indicate mountains, “that’s not so much of a problem for you up there,” he gestured up at the hovering pegasus and Griffins, “but it gets a bit wearing for the rest of us. Now we can get from town to town, I’ve proved that, it just takes time, quite a bit of time. To speed things up we need some real paved roads, not just to make it easy for ponies but also for wagons of goods, in a few places we might even need bridges or tunnels to get from A to B.” He glanced around trying to catch sight of Prudence the donkey who had lead the caravan he’d joined to Midnight’s Folly, but if she was present he couldn’t see her. “I’m doing what I can at court to try and make them cheaper to build, I’ve got high hopes to be able to get grants for that. We’ve already got off to a good start here in Sadlzburg, and Sharpside’s done some building as well, but we all need to chip in what we can.” Several of the nearby leaders nodded a bit, Max ran his eyes over them and noticed Honeybun sitting a few rows back glaring at him. “Now there’s no need to spend more than you’ve got, you need to look to your people first of course,” the mare nodded, her eyes still hard. “But anything you can spare will help, even if you can only reach your neighbour that’ll make things easier.”

Max took a deep breath, this would be the painful part, it was easy to say they needed to build roads and the like, but they didn’t have the resources to do everything at once. Things had to be rationed, and not every pony would like the decision he had made. “Those of you that know me know I’ve always planned to go a bit further than just roads,” there was a mumble through the crowd. “I’ve always felt that Nulpar should get with the times and build railroads.” He glanced over at Piste sitting at the front of the crowd, the stallion was smiling broadly, Zephyr next to him. “Now railroads aren't cheap and we’re not going to be able to build many, at least not right away, so we need to target where we’re get the most for our bits, and...” he paused for a second wanting to screw up his eyes, but forcing himself to keep them open and to keep looking at Piste. “And after I’ve been around Nulpar, I think the best place is... well, it’s Sharpside, and maybe Snowtown if we can get the track that far, they need rails to get their coal to Rushia and Iron Trotsky...” He watched as waves of emotions rolled over Piste, his smile dropping from his face as first surprise, and then disbelief, crossed it.

“Max... Max!” he stuttered his voice growing shrill. “You said you’d bring a railroad to Sadlzburg, you promised!” His voice was echoed by others and spreading through the crowd as the population of Sadlzburg reacted to the news.

“I did... I know I did Piste, and I’m sorry,” he lowered his head.

“Sorry? I don’t... this is some mistake, you promised us...” anger was just starting to blossom on the earth ponies face.

“I know I did Piste, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for all of you. I did promise, but I made that promise when I was mayor of Sadlzburg, it was my job to do the best for the town then. But now I’m baron of Nulpar, and it’s my job to do the best for the whole province. Things have changed, Iron’s got plans, he’s done some excellent work and it just makes more sense to use a railway to export coal and iron from Sharpside rather than food from Sadlzburg, most of our produce get sold in province anyway.”

“You can’t do this!” cried Piste trying to step forwards, Zephyr tried to restrain him but her face was just as hard.

“I am sorry,” intoned Iron Trotsky from nearby, “But the baron speaks the truth, it does make more sense for my people to get a railway than yours, it is fact.”

Max flinched, Iron probably thought he was helping but Piste didn’t need to hear that from him. Sure enough, the earth pony turned towards the unicorn. “You did this didn’t you!” he yelled, “You got to Max somehow, he wouldn’t betray us on his own! It was you!”

“Piste please!” cried Max, “I’m my own stallion, if you need to blame someone, blame me! I made the decision, it’s my responsibility! Now please calm down!”

Piste turned back to his ex-friend and looked for a moment like he might charge him but another voice stopped him. “I don’t like him,” said Honeybun, “But if he says this is the best for Nulpar, I believe him.” Piste looked back and forth between Max, Honey and Iron before slumping back to the ground with a growl.

“I’m not saying I’m never going to build a track to Sadlzburg,” said Max towards the locals in the crowd, “Just not right now, maybe in a few years once the Sharpside tracks made some profit.” He hoped, though Max, really it wasn’t guaranteed that a line to the mines would work, it just seemed more likely to be profitable than one from Sadlzburg. “Plus I’ve been talking to a representative from the Apple Trust and he’s interesting in investing in Sadlzburg, they want to build a big farm here, and we’re going to certainly carry on road building, we should link up with Praris in a few years tops.” Although it didn’t entirely stop, the mumbling in the crowd quietened.

“What about us!” cried one of the ponies several rows back in the crowd. “It’s alright for the big settlements, but when are we going to get roads? It takes forever to get here!”

“I’m sorry,” said Max, “I really do want to get every settlement linked up, but I can’t do it all at once, I have to start where roads can make the most difference for the most people. Nulpar’s not built to make roads easy, building them all won’t come cheap.” The complaining pony looked aside apparently not happy with the reply.

Max tried to stop his hooves trotting nervously in place. His announcement had been taken as badly as he’d expected. he’d hated to put Piste through that, if only he’d managed to talk to him before the meeting, he was sure he could convince him the decision was for the best. Still, railways only really affected a small number of the audience, most settlements hadn’t even considered such an option before. The next topic, well no one would like that one. “As I said, road building won’t come cheap, and neither will much of the other stuff Nulpar needs, teachers, guards, doctors, everything the rest of Equestria has, it’ll cost. Now, we’ve got some income, like I said, the Apples are thinking of setting up a big new farm, there’s even a dragon up on Old Smokey who might make us some money letting others look at her books.” A laugh went up from several delegates near the front of the crowd until they realised Max was serious, then further confused muttering started to spread.

“Even with that, we’re going to need more money and, that’s going to mean taxes... I’m going to introduce a three percent sales tax on all non food products in Nulpar.” Instantly the crowd around him erupted into chaos as everyone seemed to want to talk, and in many cases yell at once. He could make out questions, arguments and outright abuse. “Quiet!” he cried but his voice was lost in the crowd, several representatives started to move forwards into the centre of the circle and Max even considered that they might start a fight.

“Quiet,” came a voice from next to Max, not as loud as his own, but oddly easier to hear, “Let the baron speak!” continued Mrs G. “Stop squabbling like kids, or I’ll put you over my knee!” Only partially to Max’s surprise the noise started to die down and many of the crowd suddenly found the area away from the old goat to be very interesting, unable to meet her gaze. “Now if you want all the benefits of being part of Equestria you’re going to have to pay for it. it might mean tightening our belts a little, but it’ll be for the best.”

“Um... thank you Mrs Grobhar,” said Max, trying to take control of the meeting again. “Now I’m going to try and keep it as simple as possible, but I know you’ve probably all got questions, my assistants will be providing you with full details in the next few weeks.” As soon as they write them up, though Max, until the last few days the plan had just existed in his head. “Now, I’m not going to introduce anything for a month or more, you’ll have time to take it into account in your budgeting,” his mother and Mrs G had suggested he start the tax at the festival itself, more buying and selling took place there than at any other time but he felt that his people at least needed some time for the changes to sink in, even though it would reduce the amount he collected. “Plus the tax is lower than almost anywhere else in Equestria,” he protested.

“Now Baron,” said Glacial Stream, mayor of Snowtown as she stood clearing her throat, “I can see why you’d need the money but you know folks won’t be keen on paying, and collecting from the whole province... well most ponies are law abiding but, well, some will think they’re not getting anything for their money, and it might be difficult to prove what they have to pay.”

Max nodded. “Like you said, most of my people are law abiding, but I am going to have to hire tax collectors and... I hope they can show the people what their money is doing.”

Glacial’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? I don’t think ponies will be keen on seeing their money being used to hire others to take money from them.”

“No, but I have a plan,” he took a step forwards, he really hoped this plan would work. “Nulpar’s a difficult place to get around, but not impossible, I’ve seen that, but there are a lot of small places which don’t see outsiders very often. I think the tax collectors can fix that, because they won’t only be tax collectors! I’m planning to send them around in groups probably of half a dozen or so and teach them other skills as well. We have travelling tutors who move from village to village teaching the foals, but not enough. So the tax collectors can help with that as well! We can teach them some doctoring as well, it won’t be perfect but they’ll recognise common diseases, and they can call on real doctors if need be,” he glanced over to Iron who was nodding slowly, “And others can be taught to be sheriffs or guards, if there's any trouble they can help, they’ll also act as a postal service and carry news from the other settlements! I want us to act as a single province and these tax collectors, and so much more, can be the glue that hold us together. think of it, no more having to wait months or even years for news from other places, a regular service!”

The was a hububb as many of the representatives started to talk amongst themselves. no one like paying taxes, but everyone like hearing gossip. There was a flash and a surprised moo, as Sparks clambered on top of one of the cows in the crowd staring out over the crowds. “I think it’s a great idea!” she infused. “But let's not think of them as tax collectors, we should name them something else! As they’re going to be set up by Baron Mounty Max, I think we should name them after him! Brave souls traveling through the wilderness between settlements, bringing news, law and help! We should call them Maxies!”

Max frowned, that didn’t sound quite right. He was about to raise an objection, when the crowd started to stomp. “Maxies!” cried Talon Strike, “I like that!” Many calls of agreement were heard. Max shrugged, he guessed the name would work for the moment. He waited for the sounds to die down, he’d finished most of his announcements now. Looking around the crowds that seemed to have grown even denser he saw a sea of faces with a mix of expressions. Most seemed to look at least guardedly optimistic, but a significant minority were scowling, Piste and others from Sadlzburg amongst them, and a few just looked confused.

“Anyone who’s interested in becoming a, well, Maxie, talk to Noble or Conn once the meeting’s over, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover so we’ll need plenty of bodies. I can’t say the pay will be spectacular, but it’ll be enough to keep body and soul together. Ok, that’s all I’ve got to say for the moment, anyone else want to raise anything?”

Somewhat to Max’s surprise the rest of the meeting actually passed quite quickly. Most of the other issues were fairly minor, mostly disagreements between various settlements. Despite his earlier calls for unification it didn’t seem like most had listened, still no one seemed to want to secede from Nulpar or anything too drastic. However, there also didn’t seem to be any sudden upwelling of support for the province either. There were some queries about exactly how the tax situation would work and where the new Maxies would be visiting and when. Max had to admit that at the moment there had been little planning and it was only Noble and Conn’s quick thinking that managed to at least come up with a rough idea for the schedule. Any volunteers could come to Sadlzburg over the winter to be trained, most of his ideal tutors, House Martin, Lone Star, Arctic Breeze and Zephyr would all be present and free at that time, then once winter was over and travel became easier again they would spread out through the province. Waiting almost six months before tax collection got going wouldn’t be easy on his finances, but as his mother had mentioned he could survive on this year's income until then. He’d just have to be careful not to throw any grand parties in Canterlot. Not that he’d be doing that anyway, some of the other nobles excesses were well known. Puissance’s Jubilation had probably cost what Nulpar would produce in a decade, more even.

Once the meeting was over everyone started to go their own way. To tell the few locals who hadn’t been present at the meeting what had been said. Mrs G, Conn and Noble went their own ways to do their own things. Max felt a little lost, he had built up so much into the meeting and now he didn’t have anything more to do. He glanced Piste and Zephyr talking to each other at the edge of the nearby woods. The stallion still looked upset and Zephyr had one of her wings over his back pulling him closer to her.

For a moment Max wanted to shy away, to leave the two of them alone, but it was his own fault; he had caused Piste’s distress and he should take responsibility for it. Steeling himself he set off towards them. “Piste!” he called as he approached, “Can we talk, please,” he asked.

“What do you want!” growled the brown stallion. “Any more lies?!”

Max physically recoiled from the angry stallions accusation. “I’m sorry Piste, I had to do what was best for the whole of the province, I can’t just think of Sadlzburg anymore.”

“Why didn’t you tell me! Why did I have to learn at the last minute?”

“I... I tried to I really did, but you were so busy all the time...”

“So it’s my fault is it?” he spat, “I never asked to be mayor, you did that to me when you left!” He slumped a little. “It’s so hard, there’s so much to do,” he recovered a little anger blazing again. “But I knew that my good friend Max would be there looking after us, but now I find you don’t care any more, that you break your promises!”

“But Piste...” began Max.

“No!” replied Piste holding up a hoof in Max’s face, “You don’t get to talk! Canterlot’s changed you Max,” he said turning his back and stomping away.

Zephyr looked between the two stallions for a moment. “He didn’t mean that Max, really he didn’t,” she said, “He’s just been under a lot of pressure recently, Honeybun and the like, he really put alot into getting the railway built, to show what he could do. I’ll talk to him, calm him down... just keep away for a while.” She looked at Max once more then turned and flew away towards her stallionfriend, leaving Max standing there alone.

Max spent the remainder of the day and evening moping. Piste didn’t seem to be the only one angry with him about his decision, much of the rest of the population of Sadlzburg seemed to angry as well. Maybe not to the same level as the mayor, but he got any number of hateful glares and mumbled curses as he passed. He hadn’t understood how important the railway was to the locals, or had he forgotten? He remembered how much effort he’d put into it when he’d been mayor, but he didn’t realise that it had become so much a part of the town's personality.

Why did they all have to be so unreasonable about it all? He was still going to build roads, and probably rails, eventually, just not right now! He tried to calm down, it wasn’t the fault of the townsfolk; of course they were only thinking of their own problems, it was his job to take the larger view. It wasn’t his job to be loved by everybody, as much as he wished it was. He would just have to grow a thicker skin about this type of thing.

He hardly remembered the meeting with Conn, Noble and Greenleaves about the representatives from the Apples and Fisher Agriculture. He told them to use their best judgment to decide where to offer to put the Apples farm and to try and arrange meetings between the various settlements to put together the Fisher order.

He sighed as he made his way to bed through the town. The market was now closed after the third day of the festival, but the fair was still going in full swing. Now that the practical part of the festival was over even the most workaholic local was enjoying themselves, apart from Max. Tomorrow would be full of sports and games as the population of different settlements competed against each other. He’d always used to enjoy that sort of thing, but now it just seemed to highlight how fractured his province was, how hard it would be to get them all working together. It would also be his last full day in the province, he needed to leave by about noon on the last day of the festival to get to Praris to be able to catch his train back to Canterlot.

Given how he felt right now, it wouldn’t be a moment too soon.

21) Harvest Festival: Day 4, The Entertainment

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After a good night's sleep, Max felt a little better. Piste’s words still hurt, but what had he expected? He’d known that not everyone would have been happy with his decisions on where to invest his limited funds, he just hadn’t expected the reaction to be so strong.

Still, most of the province seemed to have accepted it. Iron Trotsky had, of course, seemed overjoyed by the idea and the stallion had done much of the preparatory work into getting a rail line for Sharpside. The discount he’d arranged from Iron Horse would make it far cheaper to build there, and of course he was right about the coal and iron that Sharpside, and the surrounding area, would be exporting. It would provide a larger income than just food from Sadlzburg, which was needed to feed the province anyway, particularly given the way it seemed to be growing. He just wished Piste could see it that way. The competition between Sharpside and Saldzberg didn’t help. It was just another sign of how divided his lands were, each town only looking to its own problems. He hated feeling so helpless, if only there was something he could do to get them all working together, to see the province how he saw it.

Max’s ears flattened as he emerged from his tent. Seemingly overnight the nearby fields had been converted to host the various sports events due to take place today. Normally he’d be looking forward to them, but today they just seemed to be another sign of the rivalry between the different settlements. Although the competitions weren’t overtly between different towns, each event was technically between individuals. However it was common for ponies to follow athletes from their own homes and the rivalry could be quite intense. Sadlzburg had had more winners than any other town for the last few years, but Sharpside was normally only been a few points behind, and other settlements like Herdstone and Pinegraves didn’t do badly either.

Max sighed, feeling some of his earlier good cheer starting to melt away. It only made things worse that he was awarding the prizes this year. Would the other settlements assume he was a supporter of Sadlzburg because he used to run the town? Or would he be considered unaligned? If so, he’d have to be careful not to favour any settlement over another. Being a Baron was hard.

Thinking to himself, Max didn’t notice Sealbhach until the younger goat was almost alongside him. “Morning Max,” he called.

“Oh, hi Sealbhach, how are you?” he asked.

“Fine, Max. Can I talk to you about something?” he asked, looking a little nervous.

“Of course.” Max felt a little worried. The goat normally just breezed through life, it was odd to see him even slightly upset. “What about?”

“You know you were talking yesterday about sending out tax collectors and teachers and guards and stuff to travel the province? The Maxies?”

“I don’t think we’re really going to end up calling them that,” said Max blushing a little at the thought. Maybe Spark’s crush was getting a bit out of hoof.

“I don’t know, I quite like the name. Anyway, can I, you know, sign up?”

“You want to be a Maxie? I mean a tax collector?” asked Max in surprise. Sealbhach had gotten through a fair number of jobs over the years: bartender, lumberjack, builder, farmer. He normally just filled in where he was needed, never settling down long, but tax collector didn’t seem like the sort of thing he’d be interested in.

“Yeah, I think I’d like to get out and about for a bit, away from Sadlzburg, try something new.”

Max frowned. “You havn’t got some nanny in trouble have you?” he said only half joking. Sealbhach was famous for being a lothario.

“No! Nothing like that, well maybe there are a few billys and stallions who might not want me around their girls.” He flashed a mischievous grin. ”But nothing more than that. It’s just...”Sealbhach let out a long breath. “Well, what with Brian getting married and having a foal, and Conn getting made whatever he is now, and mum away with you in Canterlot all the time... Well I’m not really a thinker, that always been Conn’s thing, but... well... maybe I should, you know, actually do something with my life. I think I’d like to travel, get to see the province and this Maxie thing sounds like it’ll do that.”

Max looked at Sealbhach for a moment. The billy wasn’t untalented, he’d always been quick to pick up anything he tried, but he was so changeable that he rarely put much effort into anything. still, he probably deserved a try, Max had never heard him speak of anything this passionately before. “I think you’ll be good at it, Sealbhach. I’ll add you to the list, training should start in a few weeks and you should be out and about by the spring. I just need to ask that you stick to it once you start.”

“Yeah, sure Max, I’ll try... I mean I’ll do it,” he said, straightening up.

“Good!” said Max with a smile. “Welcome aboard.” He held out a hoof which, after a moment's hesitation, Sealbhach took and shook enthusiastically.

“Thanks!” he said. “You won’t regret this!”

Soon after his impromptu meeting with Sealbhach, Max made his way to the sports fields which were scenes of mostly organised chaos. Welcoming and a number of other volunteers, were trying to arrange the various events which were scheduled to begin shortly. Pitches and tracks had been marked out and crowds of ponies and other species were starting to gather around them.

Max offered to lend a hoof where he could, and although Welcoming wasn’t happy about it, preferring the baron to take on a more ceremonial role, he managed to get her to agree to let him help set up some of the events. He was glad for the chance because it made him feel a little less useless.

There wasn’t any sign of Piste, Max guessed he was off at the skiing events outside town. he hoped his friend did well, and was glad that he actually had a chance to compete; previously as mayor Max hadn’t had a chance as he had to present the prizes, at least Max’s presence saved Piste from that. There were a few other events taking place in the surrounding area, some of the longer races, for example. The pegasus flying competitions were of course taking place in the skies above.

Once things were ready to start Welcoming made certain that Max didn’t help any more and he was firmly told that his role was to simply pass out trophies to the winners. Much of the rest of the morning and early afternoon was thus rather boring for him. Under most circumstances he’d be quite excited and be cheering his team on, but now that he wasn’t really allowed to support any one side, he couldn’t play favourites.

Still, thought Max, it was nice to see his people having a good time, and the ups and downs match was particularly thrilling, even if he never could remember exactly what all the rules were. Unfortunately, there were a few nasty moments as well. a very close one hundred lengths gallop where the judge's decision came close to starting a riot when it was announced that the Sadlzburg champion had just come in ahead of last year’s winner from Sharpside. The officials themselves were booed and there was loud heckling between the supporters of the two teams.

With a sigh Max turned his attention to the next event, the pony pull, a popular local test of strength. About two dozen sledges were being set up and loaded up with layers of bricks. Each competitor would be strapped to one of the sleds and would have to pull it and its contents fifty lengths. Anypony who didn’t manage it, or the slowest half of the field, would be out and the race repeated with more and more weight added until only one competitor remained.

The various entrants were starting to line up and prepare for the race by stretching and warming up. Almost all of them were earth ponies, their innate strength usually giving them an advantage over the other tribes at the event. Most were large and heavily muscled, used to long days pulling plows, working heavy machinery, or transporting rocks. Max recognised some of them: a pair of brothers, Tank and Traktor, white stallions from Sharpside, they had taken turns winning the competition for the last four years. A short distance away stood a stocky lime green mare with a flaming red mane, Artemis, Sadlzburg’s best hope of winning this year, she’d come a narrow second last year. Next to her was a taller and younger pegasus stallion, Rumpus, also a local, and competing for the first time but hoping to place well. Off to one side a grey coated stallion, Boulder, from Midnight’s folly, was doing a number of rapid one hoofed pushups much to the enjoyment of a small group of mostly female spectators who seemed to be getting a bit overheated at his exertions. Some of the other entrants Max didn’t recognise, presumably they were from the smaller settlements. Max hoped they had a good time and that the competition wasn’t too intense this time.

After a few minutes the crowd started to settle down and the competitors got into position, waiting patiently to be strapped to the sleds. To Max’s dismay, the crowd quickly seemed to split upon town lines, with each settlement’s natives cheering on their own team and scorning the others.

Max ran his eyes down the line of competitors trying to get a feel on who would win this year. Tank was probably the favourite, but he was starting to get on a bit, maybe a new blood would do better? Max’s eyes stopped as he reached the end of the line and he frowned. There stood a lanky unicorn stallion with a thick pair of glasses, had he wandered into the wrong event? Max thought he recognised the stallion, didn’t he work for the community bank in Pinegraves? Some sort of scribe? Quill he thought he was called. The stallion didn’t look very sure of himself, he almost seemed to be shaking as one of the volunteers running the event started to tighten the straps around him. He kept glancing into the crowd.

Max shrugged, maybe he was doing it for a dare or something. The event was open to anyone after all. His appearance was drawing some amusement from the crowds and other competitors, but Quill seemed to be doing his best to ignore it as he lowered his head and took up the strain as the organisers moved away.

Everything checked, Welcoming Hearth stepped forwards, a white handkerchief held in her aura. Around her the crowd momentarily quietened in anticipation. After a moment's pause Hearth released the material and let it float to the ground. Instantly the competitors pushed forwards. Rumpus was the first off the line, his wings extending with the effort as he heaved the heavy load of bricks after him. However, his lead was fleeting and Tank, followed by Boulder, glided past, moving like their burdens didn’t weigh anything and accelerating as they went. A cry went up from the Sharpside and Folly parts of the crowd, while those from Sadlzburg yelled at their competitors to move faster. Although slow off the mark, Artemis surged onwards, passing Traktor who seemed to be having difficulty keeping his load moving in a straight line, and then her own teammate. Up at the front Tank and Boulder were still neck and neck almost halfway to the finish line already.

Tearing his eyes from the drama Max glanced back at the start line. There stood Quill straining against his load, sweat streaming from his flanks and his teeth clenched in effort. He took a step forwards, then another, then a third before coming to a halt. After panting for a moment he put his back into it again and started to struggle forwards. Shaking his head, Max looked back towards the finish. To his surprise, Boulder had pulled almost half a length ahead of his opponent, although both Traktor and Artemis were now only a length of two behind both of them. The followers of all four of them were screaming and hollering their support

With a mighty surge, his muscles rippling in a way that certainly seemed to excite many of his fans, Tank raced forwards almost shaking his load of bricks free from the sled, but he couldn’t quite close the gap with Boulder before the latter passed the finish line. A few second later Traktor and Artemis joined them, shortly followed by Rumpus and the rest of the pack.

Volunteers moved onto the pitch and began turning the winners around and stacking on more bricks for the next lap. Those who hadn’t made the cut waited patiently to be unstrapped. A general buzz ran through the crowd as they waited less patiently. Looking back at Quill, Max saw that the frail pony had made his way about a third of the way down the track before slumping to the ground. A helper approached to help him unstrap but, to Max’s surprise, Quill waved him away and got tiredly back to his hooves, taking the strain again as he painfully took a further step.

A murmur went through the crowd as they noticed what was happening. there were a few outbreaks of laughter, but most seemed shocked by Quill’s actions. Then there was cry from the opposite side of the field. “You can do it Quill!” A rather homely young mare with a sky blue coat and a frizzy pink mane was pushing to the front of the crowd. “Quill! Quill!” she chanted. The tired stallion stopped for a moment turning towards the cheering mare. a smile spreading across his muzzle, as well as a blush across his cheeks, he started to push forwards again step after step.

A second pony joined in the chant, then another, then another. Quickly it spread across the entire crowd irrespective of their home town and Max found himself caught up in the excitement as well. neutrality be damned, he wanted to see this brave, or stubborn, stallion make it. “You can do it! Not much further!” he roared, starting several of the ponies around him.

Down on the track, several of the competitors had unhitched themselves and had trotted back to see Quill’s performance. Traktor moved to help shove the load along but he was stopped by his brother, who shook his head before standing alongside the struggling stallion and planting his feet firmly on the ground before slowly stepping forwards, demonstrating the best way to pull the sled. Quill quickly picked up the lesson and started to make progress, passing the halfway mark, then the three quarters. But now the entire crowd was screaming his name absorbed by the spectacle before them, and the determination of the thin pony.

Quill was less than a dozen steps from the finishing line when disaster struck. One of his hind legs slipped in the mud and shot out from under him, unbalancing him and slamming his head into the ground. There was a gasp from the crowd and then a momentary silence. Max felt himself tense ready to run forwards to help even though there wasn’t much he could do.

Then Quill’s head lifted and looked around dazedly for a moment before dropping back to the ground. Boulder leaned in low to the floored pony and the two shared a few words before the larger stallion stood back. “Quill!” he cried, stomping his plate sized hooves on the ground, “Quill! Quill!” the other competitors huddled around him took up the chant, followed by the crowd.

Slowly, the small stallion put one hoof, then another, then another, then another under himself and lifted himself off the ground. Taking a deep breath, he braced against the slay and heeved. For a long moment it refused to move, then slowly, inch by inch, it crept forwards. His every muscle standing out, Quill drove forwards step by step. As he approached the finish line the crowd seemed to hold their breath as one, silently willing the stallion on. Finally, with a snort of effort Quill dragged his load across the line.

Instantly the entire crowd exploded into cheers and cries, all united regardless of their species, tribe or home. The green mare who had started the cheering sprang onto the track and practically tackled the exhausted stallion, knocking him to the ground and covering him in kisses. After a few moments, both Quill and the mare were lifted onto the backs of Tank and Traktor, and to the joy of the crowd the two of them were paraded around the track.

Eventually the pony pull continued, with Traktor eventually winning although the actual outcome didn’t seem that important any more. It might have been Max’s imagination, but from then on it seemed like the competition between the crowds was more friendly; they still cheered their own sides, but they also recognised the efforts of their rivals as well. Quill’s display seemed to have united the province in a way that Max’s words alone hadn’t managed.

It was late afternoon before the events came to an end and Max was starting to feel his good cheer return again. He had spent some time shuttling back and forth between the manor and his tent packing things away for his journey tomorrow. He’d have to leave fairly early to make it to Praris in time to catch his train. If things went fully to plan he’d be back in Canterlot within a week, a few days before court was due to restart.

He’d had a chance to chat with several of the local mayors and leaders in passing. They had rather mixed feelings about his plans. Silver Fir seemed proud of his daughter's new position although her joy seemed a bit muted, Lucky Dip of the Folly and Barrell of Neighgra seemed less pleased, they both felt they and their towns had been ignored and Max had had to explain again that he didn’t have the resources to help everypony, they would just have to be patient. He didn’t bump into Iron but he guessed the mayor would be overjoyed to have the chance to put his town on the map. Maybe it was lucky that he didn’t see Piste again, he didn’t want to be yelled at by his friend again.

Still, wherever he went he heard Quill’s name mentioned. The stallion seemed to have caught the provinces imagination. He was a real local hero. Hopefully he and others like him would allow the people to see themselves as part of something greater rather than just the inhabitants of various remote settlements.

There was one more event that he had to attend tonight, the dance competition between Sadlzburg and Sharpside. Maybe he should have put a bit more thought into it when he’d challenged Iron’s people. At the time, he’d felt he had to defend his town’s reputation; but now, given the rivalry between the two towns, it was likely to break up all the goodwill that Quill’s actions earlier today had created.

Maybe he was making a mountain out of a molehill, thought Max as he made his way to the library to pick up Conn and Noble. It would probably look best if the three of them turned up as a group. That would show that his government was united and that he supported them, that would be important while he was away in Canterlot.

It was Noble who opened the door. she had apparently dressed up for the event, wearing the dress she had worn when he’d had dinner with her parents. only this time she looked much more comfortable, her mane had a circlet of purple flowers platted into it. The flowers suprised Max a bit, he hadn’t known she was dating anypony. “Come in Max,” she said stepping aside to let him in. “Conn should be ready in a minute.”

True to her word, within moments of Max stepping into the library Conn appeared from one of the side rooms. Goats generally didn’t wear clothes, but the billy had clearly put some effort into cleaning and grooming himself. Like Noble, he too had a line of asters circling his horns. Max frowned and looked between the two of them for a moment before the bit dropped. Maybe his government was going to be a bit more united that he’d planned. Conn coughed quietly and Max realised he’d been staring.

“Oh, um, sorry, I didn’t realise the two of you were, well,” he stuttered.

“It was a bit of a surprise to me as well,” said the goat, looking over towards Noble.

“Stallions! I mean billies,” said Noble rolling her eyes with a smile. “It was very generous of Conn to give me a place to stay, and then we got talking that first night and I realised how smart and gentle he was and how much I liked being with him.”

“I, well I felt the same, but I didn’t think she did,” said Conn, stepping over towards Noble.

“Attacking a lumberjack to protect my honour was a bit of a clue as to how you felt,” she said nuzzling against him. “After that we, well, we talked things out. Neither of our parents are all that happy about it, but really I don’t care, I want to give it a try, see where things go.” She turned to him.

“So do I,” said Conn, although he looked a little less certain about her declaration. He leant forwards and their lips meet first for a light peck, then for something more passionate.

Max found his attention drawn to an interesting spot of dust in the corner. His eyes darting back to see the couple still attached to each other, he coughed to try and attract their attention. It took a further two increasingly loud coughs before they finally separated.

“Oh, so we should be off to the dance then?” said Conn straightening the flowers on his head.

“Yes,” agreed Max, Trying to think about the implications of his deputies’ relationship. Goat / pony couples weren't a common situation even in Nulpar, not exactly taboo, but not common. Some people might disapprove, but given how happy the two of them seemed together he could hardly complain. There was also a bit of an age difference between then, Conn was almost a decade older than his paramour. Still, given the difference between him and Fragrant was almost the same, he could hardly argue about that. Since both Conn and Noble had equal positions in his government, there shouldn't be many complaints about their relationship. There could be some problems if they broke up, but he could deal with that if it ever came up. He shrugged. “Let’s go!”

The three of them left the library and headed towards the town square where the dance was due to take place. Max led the way while the new couple followed behind, leaning into each other and making Max feel just a little lonely.

As Sadlzburg lacked an internal venue anywhere near big enough to host the attendants, the dance was being held outdoors in the town square. The visiting weather team had made certain that no rain cloud would come anywhere near, and that the sky was clear enough that the moon and stars generated more than enough light to see by. With nothing to keep the heat in the night was getting on a bit chilly, but that was countered by the press of ponies and other species in the area and the athletic activities taking place.

Long trestle tables had been set up around the square, covered in supplies of food and drink to fuel the night's activities. A slightly rickety looking stage had been set up in front of the town hall and a local a band was playing a few jaunty tunes. The sun had only just set but some ponies were already gathered in pairs or larger groups on the floor. Around them the majority of the guests were standing around and chatting to each other. To Max’s dismay, most of the groups seemed to be divided by settlement, with very limited intermingling between ponies from different towns.

“You two better go off and enjoy yourself,” said Max, gesturing to Conn and Noble, “I’m sure I can find somepony to talk to.”

“Are you sure?” asked Conn, looking around.

“This is your first date, you don’t want a third wheel. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Try not to do anything too scandalous baron,” said Noble gently pulling Conn away towards a large punch bowl.

Now, with his associates busy, Max let his eyes flow across the square. to his surprise, he saw Barrel deep in conversation with Southern Breeze, and neither looked ready to kill the other. That was certainly a turnaround from earlier. Intrigued, Max trotted over to see what they were discussing.

“Hi Max,” cried Southern as he got close, “Good to see you!”

“Southern, Barrel,” said Max with a nod.

“Baron,” said Barrel, “We were just talking about trade between our towns. You were right about us having things that the other needs,” his tone darkened a little, “and judging from your plans we’re not going to get much support from you soon.”

“I didn’t say that, but there are other places I have to invest in,” said Max quickly.

“We understand Max,” said Southern, “We should have gotten ourselves more organised before Nulpar was formed, but this bigot here,” she said mildly.

“And this thief,” retorted Barrel, “put our personal feelings before the good of our people. Once she apologized, and proved to be hopeless at playing horseshoes.”

“Hey, I won once!”

“Out of sixteen games,” said Barrel with a grin.

“Well it’s not like a griffin has much use for a horse shoe,” mumbled Barrel. “Anyway, we got talking and his wife agreed that Gentle and Gusty were adorable,” she nodded towards the mare who was playing with the chicks under the watchful eye of their father, “Things just sort of grew from there.”

“We’ve agreed to sort out free trade in fish from the lake to the Eyrie and in return they’re going to see what they can do to improve our hotel.”

“We’re even going to try and work together to build a road between our towns.”

Max smiled wide. “That’s just the sort of thing I’ve been hoping to hear,” he enthused, “I know that if we all work together we can really make Nulpar something.”

“Let’s not fly before we can walk, but we’ll do what we can Baron,” said Barrel.

“That’s all I can ask,” said Max, “I’ll leave you two to it then, try not to work all night.”

“No chance of that,” said Southern, looking back at her husband, “Gunter definitely owes me a dance or two later. It’s been far too long since we got to let our feathers down.”

Max was about to say something when he caught a glance of a brown stallion wearing a blue sparkly suit, making his way through the crowds towards him. Piste! Max turned to try and get away before another argument broke out, in public this time, but it was too late. “Max!” cried the mayor.

“Oh, hi Piste,” said Max, “How are you feeling?” he asked nervously, a false smile covering his face.

“Max,” the other stallion looked down, “I’ve... I’ve come to apologize.” Max blinked in surprise for a moment. “I shouldn't have said those things to you.”

“No... no, you were right, I did lie to Sadlzburg, I didn’t mean to but...”

“It’s not easy being a mayor, and probably much harder to be a baron. I get that now. I was stressed and just sort of thought you’d fix everything for me. When you said you had to help Sharpside instead, well, I won’t lie, it hurt, and bringing it out like that in front of the other leaders, it felt personal.”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen. I really wanted to tell you first but you were just too busy.”

“It took Zephyr to set me straight,” Piste sighed, “she’s so much better at this being in charge thing than me, she can put her personal feelings aside when she needs to for the good of the town.”

Max winced a little, that wasn’t what he’d found when she’d broken up with him. either she’d changed or his friend was wrong about her. In any case, now probably wasn’t the time to talk about it. “You’re a good mayor, Piste. You care for the town.”

Piste looked up at his friend. “I try Max, but I can’t handle the stress, that’s why I won’t be standing for reelection next year.”

“What!” cried Max, surprising a few other guests around him. “But Piste...” he started.

“No,” said Piste holding up a hoof, “I really don’t like the job, I’m a better deputy, I need somepony to tell me what to do, to make the hard decisions.”

“But who would take over? Honeybun?” Max could see that as a nightmare scenario, he couldn’t see anything getting done if he was always butting heads with the mayor of the largest town in his province.

“It’ll be up to the townsfolk, but Zephyr wants to stand, she already does most of the organising since you left, so I think she’ll be a good candidate.”

Max opened his mouth to object, then closed it again, she did seem to have stepped up and organised things, she probably was the best choice available. “Yeah, I can see that.”

“And I’ll go back to being the deputy,” said Piste cheerfully. “I think it’s probably for the best.”

Max looked at his friend. “Well, if you really think that then it’s probably the right thing to do, but I don’t think you’ve done that badly. you’ve organised this whole festival and nothing's gone wrong.”

“Zephyr did most of that.”

“But you were in charge. don’t be so hard on yourself, learning to delegate is an important skill, something I’m not all that good at. Still, it’s your choice to make, not mine.”

“I’ll think it over some more, but I think Zephyr’s a better choice. She’s always been good at organising things, the school, the dance club, she put together all this.” He gestured around the area.

“It’s looking good, I just wish I hadn’t set up this stupid contest between us and Sharpside, I’m trying to get Nulpar working together not creating more rivalries.”

“Well, you might be surprised about that,” said Piste with a wink.

“What do you...” said Max.

“Just wait,” said Piste as the band finished their current piece and Zephyr swooped down onto the stage. like Piste, she was dressed in a costume made from a blue sparkly material. She waited a moment for Iron Trotsky to stand beside her.

“Can I have everybody’s attention please!” she cried. after a moment the sound from the rest of the party died down. “Now I’m sure most of you have heard that there is a dance contest due tonight between teams from Sadlzburg and Sharpside.” There was an excited muttering from the crowd.

“The Baron got embarrassed when he found we had a new dance hall in Sharpside,” cried Iron with a laugh, Max flushed as he felt a number of gazes fall upon him, “And challenged us to come and crush your team.” Zephyr raised an eyebrow. “What? Is true!”

“Anyway,” said Zephyr, “Although I’m sure our team is just as good at the one from Sharpside we decided to change things a bit. In the spirit of cooperation between the different settlements, like the baron was talking about yesterday, we decided to instead combine the teams and put on a single show!”

Another wave of muttering rushed through the crowd and some affirmative cries went up. A smile started to spread across Max’s face, why couldn’t he have thought of something like this? It really did seem like Zephyr might make the perfect mayoress for Sadlzburg, regardless of his previous misgivings.

“Also, in addition to our normal band, anyone who wants to come up here to play or sing tonight can book some time, regardless of where you’re from and how good you are!” There was some laughter in the crowd.

“We are all Nulparians here!” cried Iron, “Even though I think that is a word the baron made up. That or some disease.”

Zephyr made some choked sounds like she was trying not to laugh. “So,” she said when she could talk again, “Without further ado, I give you the combined Sadlzburg / Sharpside dance teams!” spreading her wings she dived into the area in front of the stage which cleared out as the rest of the Sadlzburg team appeared from the crowd, all dressed in blue.

“Sorry Max, this is my cue,” said Piste as he also joined the rest of the team. The Sadlzburg dancers all huddled to the left of the dance floor while the Sharpside team approached from the right, dressed in red. Lively music started from the band on the stage now reinforced by musicians from their rival town.

The performance started with the folksy music prefered in Sadlzburg, the dance troop in blue moved through their paces sweeping from left to right while the red clad dancers of Sharpside froze in place. Then the music suddenly shifted to the more martial style of Sharpside, although the first tune still continued in the background. The blue dancers became statues while the red troup started to march from one side of the dancefloor to the centre before reversing and returning to their original positions. Once again the balance of the music shifted and the Sharpsiders stopped allowing the Sadlzburg team to restart their routine. Once again the music shifted and the positions were reversed.

This time the two tunes remained intertwined and both groups moved at once still remaining on their own sides of the dancefloor. Until suddenly Zephyr span out of her own side and into Sharpside territory, a lone speck of blue among the red. At the same time, one of the red dancers, Max thought it might be Iron’s daughter, marched into blue territory. Each orphan dancer took on the movements of the area they were in, Zephyr taking up the more martial movements while Paste Pot began to be swung around by a partner in blue.

Slowly the force apparently keeping the two teams apart broke down as pony after pony moved from their own side to the other creating an ever changing glittering mix of red and blue. Some took on the dance of the other team while others continued their own moves on the opposite side. The music likewise was now a mix of the two tunes so well intertwined that it wasn’t possible to tell that they had ever been separate.

Suddenly the music stopped and all the dancers froze in place around the floor. The crowd erupted into stomps of appreciation and cheers. While showing his own appreciation Max noticed a few pegasus hovering above the floor pointing down at the dancers, their faces glowing with awe. Intrigued, Max reared up to try and get a better look, it look him a few moments to figure out that the line of blue clad dancers was forming an outline of a mountain peak, the flag of Nulpar! His own cutie mark!

Finally the dancers broke apart. Zephyr, now panting, took her place back on the stage alongside Iron. “Thank you!” she cried as the cheers started to die down around her. “Like the baron said yesterday, it’s amazing what we can all achieve when we work together! But we’ve hogged the dance floor to long now, so I’ll leave you in the capable hooves of the band. Remember, if you’d like to play your own music, talk to Welcoming Hearth over there.” She pointed over towards the unicorn who returned a wave before Zephyr hopped back off the stage into the crowd.

Max pushed his way through the audience and caught up with Zephyr and Piste by the drinks stall. both were gulping down mouthfuls of water, froth visible on their flanks. “That was incredible!” infused Max, “You put all that together in one day since I gave my speech to the leaders?!”

“Well,” painted Zephyr, “It turns out the Sharpside colts and fillies aren't all that bad at this.”

“And our lot are amazing, but still we spent most of the day practising it,” said Piste, “And Needle had to sew us into these costumes rather than fit them. Which might be an issue given how much we’re drinking.” Zephyr glared at her coltfriend.

“You didn’t get a chance to enter the skiing competition?” asked Max.

“I can do it next year,” said Piste with a shrug.

“We all thought it was worth it as a show of unity,” said Zephyr.

“It was, it really was,” said Max. overcome for a moment, he reached forwards and hugged both of the ponies in front of him, barely stopping himself from kissing them. he’d been lovers with both of them at different times, but Fragrant might have something to say to him if he started with them again now, particularly both at once. He pulled back. “Thank you, I really needed a symbol to show that the whole of the province can work together and I think that was it.” He looked back and saw that the grouping of the crowd had started to break down, with ponies and other species from different settlements starting to talk and dance together.

“You only needed to ask Max,” said Zephyr, “You don’t need to organise everything yourself, you can delegate. Why do all our mayors need to learn that?” She nuzzled against Piste.

“I’m trying to, really,” said Max, “I’ve got the whole council thing set up, and Conn and Noble running things here.”

“Yes, but you can never have too much help. you have any issues just tell us, even if you don’t think we want to hear it.”

Max nodded, “I’ll try.”

“Good,” said Piste, taking Max by the leg, “Now let’s see if we can find you a dance partner or two!”

The rest of the night was probably one of the best parties that Max had ever gone to. The food and drink was plentiful, although he had to hold himself back from drinking too much of Honeybun’s brew because he had a long journey ahead of himself tomorrow. As promised, time was given to anyone who wanted to sing or play on the stage with the results varying from the terrible to the amazing, one filly even got her cutie mark on stage after her performance, much to the joy of the crowd and her family.

Max got to learn quite a bit about the other settlements as well. A band from the Aeyrie put on a demonstration of their music, and Max watched open mouthed as bands of griffin and pegasus from that town, including Southern and Gunter, shot through the sky weaving in and out of each other in what was something between a dance and a battle.

The weather team, although technically not Nulparian’s, also joined in, giving a demonstration of Cloudsdale opera sung in the original Pegalopalisian.

Even the Tor staying in town put on a show. Their music had a lot of call and response in it, which the crowd quickly picked up even though they didn’t have a clue what they were saying. Mrs G and Jurgaghan showed off a surprisingly physical performance of goat dancing, Brian, Caoimhe, Conn and Noble all joined in as well, although the latter was apparently born with four left hooves.

Near the end of the night, as the music slowed, Max noticed his mother and Doctor Housemartin slowly moving in each other's arms. He looked away from the sight to see Piste and Zephyr dancing nearby and smiled. They did look good together, and it took him a few moments to notice that he didn’t feel the least bit jealous any more.

22) Harvest Festival: Day 5, The Leaving

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Max let out a bleary groan as the light invaded his eyelids. He had stayed up far too late last night given he would be walking for most of the day. He had to get to Praris by the evening to catch the train to Canterlot. Still, maybe he could get a few more hours of sleep in if he hurried the trip...

No, he still had some packing to do, and he wanted to make sure he said his goodbyes and Mrs G was making the trip with him. She could manage a good turn of speed when she needed to, but certainly wouldn’t be able to manage a fast trot all day. At least he could probably get some sleep on the train.

Groaning again, Max levered himself from his bedroll. It was going to feel strange to sleep somewhere else after camping outdoors for the last two months. Scratching himself, he opened the door and walked out into the sunlight beyond. He made a quick trip to the river to wash, then headed into town to get a bite to eat before packing up his tent. He took specific care to sweep it clean, inside and out, before dragging his home of the last few months to his new home that he had never really stayed in yet. He chucked the battered tent into an empty cupboard on the off chance he might need it again here, because he certainly would not need it in Canterlot. Most of his stuff was still there, awaiting his return, so at least his bags for the return trip would be light.

He ran through a quick itinerary of what he needed to do. Before he left, he should have some last words with Conn and Noble to make sure they were secure in their new jobs. Then he needed to pick up Mrs G last, because she deserved a lie in. Maybe he should talk to Piste, or more probably not. They had sorted most of their problems out yesterday and the mayor probably had enough to do before the town returned to normal.

Plan in mind, he headed off towards the library.

There was a long pause after Max knocked on the library door but eventually it opened to reveal Noble’s head, topped with a tangled mess of curls and knots that might be able to be turned back into her mane with a few hours of careful combing and trimming.. “Huh,” she mumbled blearily, “Oh, morning Max.”

“Morning, is Conn about?” he asked cautiously. He wasn’t entirely sure how well last night’s date had ended for his two representatives. He hadn’t seen much of them and thought they might have left the dance early, but what they had left to do he didn’t know.

“Conn? No, he went to say goodbye to his mother. Can’t have been long ago, I fell asleep again.”

“Ah, I’ll talk to him later. I just wanted to have a few words with you before I left.”

“Sure come on in,” she said, opening the door and leading him in. She gathered up the bed clothes scattered over the settee before sitting down. Max took a chair opposite.

“I just wanted to say that I haven't regretted for a moment taking you on as part of my team. I’m sure you’re the perfect pony for the position.”

“Thank you, baron,” said Noble, practically glowing with pride.

“You and Conn should be able to deal with any problems that might occur while I’m away, just talk anything out with each other. But, if you do need any help, never worry about bothering me. It might take a while to get a telegram to Canterlot and back, but I’m always going to be happy to do what I can to help you. You’re my link with the people of Nulpar. I’m here to help you.”

Noble screwed up her face a little as if confused, then relaxed. “Of course Baron.” She paused for a moment. “Are you really sure about this?” she asked biting her bottom lip. “You know I’m only just out of university and I was only fifth in my class and...”

Max held up a hoof. “I trust you, you’re a smart mare. You ran the meeting with the Trust and Fisher’s lot perfectly, and you’ve shown yourself to be reliable and skilled. I think you’re the perfect pony for this job, and don’t let anypony ever tell you otherwise.”

“But what about the thing I’ve got with Conn? I know it’s not that professional, but he’s so sweet and I’ve never really had a coltfriend before. Am I doing this all wrong?” she asked, suddenly looking unsure and very young to Max.

Max rested his hoof on her own. “Do you like him?” he asked.

Noble bit her lip, then nodded.

“Then what you’re doing is right, both of you deserve to be happy and I don’t think it’ll affect your work at all.”

Noble still looked unsure but seemed relieved. “Thank you, Max.”

“Just listen to the council, but remember you’re the chairpony, so don’t let them walk all over you either.”

“Don’t worry Max, I won't.”

“Good,” said Max. Getting up, he walked over to Noble before giving the younger pony a hug. “I’ll see you when court closes again.”

Mrs G’s house wasn’t far away, a mid sized cottage near the river, and Max arrived in only a few minutes. He knocked on the door and it was quickly answered by Brian. “Madainn Max,” he said.

“Madainn Brian,” replied Max, “Is your mother ready?” he asked, switching to goat.

“Maybe you can talk some sense into her?” he replied.

“What’s wrong?” asked Max frowning.

“There’s nothing wrong!” came Mrs G’s voice through the wall. “It’s long overdue!”

Brian rolled his eyes and led Max into the sitting room, which was packed with goats. Conn, Sealbhach and Caoimhe were all present, taking up much of the free space.

“I don’t want your house, mother!” cried Brian.

“I don’t care if you want it or not, I’m giving it to you. This place was good enough to raise you three in, it’ll be perfect for you to raise my grandchildren in,” she said with finality.

“I can get my own place!”

“Kids are more expensive than you’d think. I never had enough to give you all what you deserved, I want to do right by you now!” exclaimed Mrs G.

Brian looked over to his wife for support, but she nodded to her mother in law. “You’ll always have a room here if you want, Mrs Grobhar.”

“Oh, I can stay in Mounty Hall if I need,” said Mrs G, airily waving a hoof before turning to her oldest son. “Just make sure that you keep Sealbhach out of trouble. I’m giving the place to both of you.”

“Actually, I probably won’t be home much, Mum,” said Sealbhach in Equestrian. “I’m going to be on the road as a Maxie.” He fidgeted a bit. “I thought it was about time I did something with my life.”

Mrs G blinked. “You don’t have to do that, you know. I’ve never been less than proud of you.”

“Well, with Brian getting married and even Conn getting a mare,” he winked at his brother who blushed a little, “I thought I should do something to make a name for myself, outside of being the best lover in Sadlzburg of course. I thought the whole Maxie thing would be a good way of helping the province like you and Conn do, Mum.” He looked over towards Max, who nodded.

“We need all the help we can get, and I’m sure you’re be really good at the job,” said Max.

With a little difficulty, Mrs G got up from her chair and wrapped her youngest son up in a hug. “I really am so very proud of you,” she muttered. She gestured to Brian, who trotted over to get hugged as well. “I’m sure you’re going to be the best father ever, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise,” she whispered. “I’ll be back to spoil my grandkids.” Then she turned to Conn. “Look after the province for Max while he’s away, and remember you’re the one in charge. Don’t let the mayors and the like push you around, you’re smarter than most of them put together anyway. And,” she sighed, “follow your heart, I know you’re not your father,” she said hesitantly, before leaning forwards to hug him as well, then Brian and Sealbhach rushed forwards as well in a group hug.

“We’ll miss you mum,” said Brian, tears in his eyes.

“Hush, now,” said Mrs G pulling back blinking quickly. “I’ll be back before you notice.” She took a deep breath. “Now help me with my bags.” She headed off towards the stairs with Brian in tow.

Max headed over to Conn while they were waiting Mrs G to return. “She’s right about you being smarter than most of the council,” said Max, “and I’m sure you’re going to be great at the job, you and Noble will be a great team.”

“Thanks,” replied Conn. “I just hope I can do as good a job as you would.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” chuckled Max. “You’ll probably do better, but if you do need help, I’ll just be a telegraph away, even if that means heading into Praris, at least for the moment. I’m sure the folks around here will lend a hoof if you need it. Sparks, Welcoming, Piste, they’ll all do whatever they can to help, even Honeybun, maybe.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” said Conn, “and I’ll do what I can to help Nulpar.”

“Try to have a good time as well,” said Max, “All work and no play and all that.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“I’m sure Noble will help you with that,” said Max with a wink, causing Conn to blush again. “She’s a nice filly, a bit blunt, but I know she likes you.”

“Well, mum doesn’t entirely agree.”

“She can be a little stubborn, but if she really was against you two, you’d know it.”

“You’re probably right,” agreed Conn.

“I’m ready,” announced Mrs G. “We better set off, we don’t want to miss our train, do we? Canterlot and Duchess Posey will be waiting.”

Now it was Max’s turn to blush as he accepted an extra set of bags from Brian. Mrs G gave a last round of hugs to her sons and daughter-in-law before they set off along the path out of town.

On the way, Max became a little concerned with the way Mrs. G was favoring one hind leg. "Are you all right? You didn't overdo it last night, did you?"

“I’m fine, I’m not that old yet.” She followed his gaze. “Oh, well I guess it’s been a while since I got some action... I haven't gone dancing for a while either.” Her eyes looked into the distance of a moment, a small smile crossing her face. “I certainly remember why I married Jurgaghan now.” She gave a wink.

Max frowned for a moment, then his eyes went wide as he realised what his assistant was intimating. “Oh, um, errr, right.” He stuttered, trying to put considerable effort into suppressing the idea of Mrs G and her ex-husband doing, well, married things.

Mrs G gave a laugh as she walked past Max, her gait still a little uncomfortable. “I’m sure your mother and Doctor Martin enjoyed the dancing as well. The whole town did.”

Max winced at something else he’d rather not think about. “It did seem like everyone was having a good time,” he admitted. He nodded in greeting to the few ponies they were passing on their way out of town. The streets were still a little bare but starting to fill up as the sun started to rise in the sky. Many others were getting ready for their journeys as well. Some out of towners would be staying for the rest of the day, but most would start heading off in the next few hours, often in large groups on their way back to their home settlements. In some cases the trip itself would take a week or more, given they’d be ladened down by newly purchased supplies. Hopefully, his planned roads would help make the trips quicker, easier and faster, thought Max.

The two of them had just made it to the edge of town when they met a small crowd of ponies and other species apparently waiting for them. Max was surprised to see that most of the local leaders seemed to have gathered. “What are you all doing here?” he asked looking around.

“Well we couldn’t have you sneak off without giving you a piece of our mind!” said Iron stepping forwards. Max wavered a bit, not sure what was going to happen next, before the larger stallion stepped forwards and slapped him on the back, almost knocking him over. “Thank you Baron!” he roared.

There was a general cheer from the group.

“We appreciate all that you’re trying to do for us,” said Minty Fresh.

“We’re probably not the easiest group to rule,” said Barrel.

“I can’t say I entirely agree with all of your decisions,” said Silver Fir, “But I appreciate what you’ve done for my daughter and the trust you’ve put in her. I’m sure she’s destined for greatness.” She continued proudly, a few of the other leaders grumbling a bit at that.

“Thank you,” said Max, “Thank you all.” He looked around the crowd. Less than a year ago these had been his peers, in some cases his rivals; it was jaw dropping to think that they now trusted him to look after their people and settlements. “But really, I’m working for you, I just need you to be able to agree on what you want me to do. That’s that I want the council to do. You all run Nulpar just as much as I do.”

“Yeah, we just had a meeting,” said Arctic, “We’ve got a few suggestions,” she unrolled a scroll which stretched down to the ground and kept going.

Max’s eyes bulged. He hadn’t expected all that.

“Don’t worry,” said Arctic with a laugh, “It’s mostly blank.” She turned the sheet to show that only a few lines were filled. “Just a few suggestions about farming subsidies and the like.”

Max let out a breath. “I’ll certainly see what I can do, but we’ll probably have to do what we can for ourselves before we look for help from outside. I’m sure that won’t be a problem for us. Like I said at the council, we’re used to going our own separate ways, but if we see our neighbours in trouble we’ll do all we can to help. When I was travelling Nulpar, whenever I could stop at a house I was always offered food and somewhere to stay. Regardless of how little some of our people have they’re always ready to share. We just need to let that generous spirit out and work for the betterment of all.”

A cheer went up from the crowd. Max doubted that all of them were behind him, but at least they were all willing to fake it for the moment. It was nice to think that he had some support behind him when he was away at Canterlot.

“Well said, Baron,” said Glacial, “I’m sure we’ll all do what we can to work together.”

“That’s all that I can ask for, that Sadlzburg, Sharpside, the Aeyrie, Neighagra, Pinegraves, Herdstone, Snowtown, the Folly and all the rest work together. We are all so much stronger together than apart. With just a bit of trust and hard work, I’m sure we can transform Nulpar into somewhere that the rest of Equestria, and the rest of the court will be proud of. I’ll do whatever I can in Canterlot, but I can’t do anything without your support!”

This time the cheer was louder, and Max liked to think, heartfelt.

“Thanks for that, Max,” said Piste, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. “I’m sure we can all make you proud.” He held out a hoof for Max to shake. In a moment, a whole forest of limbs was reaching out towards him and he pumped them one by one until his hoof was sore.

“I’d better be off now,” Max said finally, “If I don’t leave now, I don’t know if I ever will! If nothing else, it’s really hard to get a good mead in Canterlot!” A few laughs passed through the crowd as they started to wave goodbye to their leader. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

With his spirits high and the support of his people behind him, Max started on his journey back to distant Canterlot and a new season at the Night Court.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to docontra, Mooncalf and Georg for editing and to Rainbowdoubledash and Grass and Clouds 2 for their suggestions.

Well we're finally out of Nulpar, this 'Nulpar arc' was originally going to take me 2-3 months and take up about the same number of chapters and here we are a year later, 22 chapters and a word count not a lot shorter than the whole of the first Mountain. So I'd say the story got away from me a bit.

Now this is nowhere near the end of the story and I hope to continue Max's adventures in the new year back in Canterlot. However, I would like some advice on how to format this all, should mountain 2 end here with Max leaving Nulpar and the next season start back at Canterlot with Mountain 3 or should I carry on the story in this season? Originally the idea was that each 'season' of Mountain would match a L-verse season but given the size of this story I don't want things to get to unwieldy, any suggestions?

Comments are always welcome.

23) Month 1 - The Return

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Duchess Fragrant Posey glanced at the large station clock once again, Max’s train was late. She scowled impatiently and returned to her pacing. Normally she was much better at waiting than this, but she had put off several fairly important meetings to be here, and of course it was going to be the first time than she’d seen Max in almost two months now. She sighed. In some ways, it was rather worrying that his train being delayed by a few minutes could make her feel like this, make her stomach squirm thinking what could have happened to him, make her wings itch to propel her in the direction the train would be coming from just to get to him quicker, make her heart skip at the chance to be with him again. It was worrying, but in a very, very good way.

It had been in this very station that she had first met Baron Mounty Max, not much more than half a year ago now. Had it really only been that long? In some ways it seemed like only yesterday that he had clambered into her life, in others, well it was hard to believe that there had been a time before she’d met him, that she had truly been alive then. She remembered a grey time when she just went over the motions of ruling, of living, without her heart being involved, doing her duty for duty's sake. Then her dim, loving, foolish, handsome coltfriend had climbed the Canterhorn to meet her at this very station. She fought a losing battle against the silly smile that spread across her face as she thought about him. Max was a stallion who didn’t do anything by halves. When he wanted to climb a mountain he climbed it, when he wanted to help somepony, nothing would stop him, and when he loved, it was with his whole heart. His very presence had brought colour back into her life, had reminded her what her duty was, how her life should be lived.

She sighed again, looking back up at the clock. She hoped the train would get here soon before she became any more... sentimental. Still, it would be very nice to see Max again; she had missed him greatly while they had been apart. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a small gaggle of press ponies stalking about, making her pull up the hood on the cloak she wore. She supposed the train station must be a good place for them to find stories, but she really didn’t want to be pestered right now.

Suddenly there was a whistle from further down the line and the ponies around her all started to prick up their ears. Carefully unfolding her wings from under her cloak, she took a few flaps and lifted a short distance into the air. Yes, there, rising up the mountain was the train, smoke billowing from its stack. She wanted to swoop forwards, to be the first to greet it, but she contained herself, no need to draw attention.

Fragrant waited a few more painful moments as the train slid to a stop and one by one, the coach doors began to pop open, depositing their passengers. She scanned up and down the train’s length, hoping she wouldn’t be disappointed. After all, she was not even positive that Max was even on this particular train. He had telegraphed Notebook a copy of his schedule a few days ago from Rushia, and her ex-assistant had been good enough to pass it on to her, so he should be on this train, but this was Max, after all. He might even be scaling the Canterhorn like the last time he had traveled to Canterlot. She certainly would not have put it past him, even if it was dangerous, and that was just one of the things that made her lo... care about him a lot.

Then she saw him! He was struggling with a number of cases, as well as his own packed saddle bags, as he leapt from the train followed by an elderly grey goat. The summer had apparently been good to him as he appeared even more muscular than she remembered, although both his brown mane and grey coat looked like they could do with a trim. Still, she would be lying if she didn’t admit that his wild look didn’t light a certain fire within her. His tail, well it was also longer than usual, but still short by Canterlot standards, short enough to cause her to have a little difficulty focusing on the rest of him. Almost without her conscious control her wings struck out again and she glided forwards over the heads of several other ponies before coming to a halt a short distance in front of him.

Now she was so close to him she was struck with a sudden wave of shyness, what if he didn’t want to see her? He wasn’t expecting her after all, what if something had happened to weaken his feelings towards her while he’d been away? Then he looked up and the smile that spread across his features obliterated all of her worries.

“Fragrant!” he called, loud even in the crowded station, while bounding over towards he with his forgotten luggage scattered across the loading dock behind him.. For a moment she considered, desired even, to let him encircle her with his legs and for their lips to meet so she could greet him as he deserved. Then reality rudely intruded on her fantasy. Their relationship was a secret and the press were about. One wrong move and they would end up in the society pages. There would be no more privacy then, no mercy. She quickly shied back from him, wincing at the hurt and confusion on his face, before holding out a hoof for him to shake.

“Welcome back Baron Max,” she said in her best formal court voice, hoping he would catch the implication, as well as her nervous glance at the distant press ponies.

“Oh, um, thank you Duchess Posey,” said Max, brow furrowed as he shook her hoof.

She leaned in closer and whispered, “I’m sorry, but we’re in public.” It had sounded easy enough to keep their relationship secret when she had suggested it, but the reality was more painful than she’d thought. “I really have missed you,” she added. Fragrant’s eyes glanced around at other couples around the station expressing their feelings much more openly. It just didn’t seem fair.

“Me too,” breathed Max, “You look really good!” he said louder.

“Thank you,” she grinned. It was gratifying that he’d noticed, she’d been following the instructions of her personal trainer to try and work on her flight muscles. She wanted to surprise Max by taking him for a flight sooner or later. “You look healthy as well.”

“Nothing like fresh mountain air, you know,” said Max, striking a striking a dramatic pose with one hoof lifted up slightly and his head angled much like a stallion on the covers of a fashion magazine, except for the goofy grin.

Fragrant covered her mouth to try and hide a giggle, both at Max’s actions and the fact that Canterlot wasn’t on ground level either. “I wasn’t sure when you’d make it. You didn’t write,” she added with a disapproving tone.

“Well, I did try. I wrote a lot, but it was the posting that was really difficult," he said, rubbing one hoof across the back of his neck. "We really don't have a post office in Nulpar. In fact, I wound up carrying some of the letters that were going where I was going. I'm still carrying a lot of the letters to you I was intending on posting, but if I had tried to post them at home, they probably wouldn't get to you for another month or two."

“Well, you can read them to me later,” she suggested, “We can have dinner. Did you get my letters?”

Her heart seemed to beat a little faster as he smiled. "Yes, there was a lot of stuff waiting for me when I got to the station at Praris, mostly official things from Notebook but your letters were in there too. I read them on the train,” he said as he started to load up with luggage.

“How are you, Mrs Grobhar?” asked Fragrant while picking up one of the goat’s bags.

“I’m well, thank you dearie,” Mrs G said with a smile as she swung a bag onto her own back. “I’m going to be a grandmother you know,” she continued with pride.

“Congratulations!” said Fragrant.

“Thank you. My oldest, Brian, got himself married; the kids should be due before the end of the year. Conn found himself a mare as well, no chance of kids there though,” she trailed off.

Fragrant glanced over at the press ponies who were starting to pay some attention to the three of them. “We should be off. I have a hired carriage waiting.”

“Does Forming still have yours?” asked Max.

“Yes, she deserved a reward for her work as my stand in. She should be returning to university in a week or so. I’ll have it back then.”

“That was nice of you. How’s she doing?”

“Very well. She wrote to me from Los Pegasus. I think she was enjoying herself.” Fragrant was a little worried that her niece might be enjoying herself a little too much. There had been some reports of her and her friends in the papers. Still, she was young and that was the time to do foolish things.

The three of them trotted out of the station and onto the street where Fragrant’s hired carriage stood, its chauffeur waiting patiently. The green stallion quickly moved forwards to take the bags from his employers but Max waved him away and began to load most of the luggage himself. Fragrant handed over the bag she was carrying and rolled her eyes. Her stallion really should learn that it was proper to let servants do their jobs; it was, after all what they were paid for.

As soon at the carriage was fully loaded it took off through the twilit streets of the capital towards Max’s house. The trip was short, Max’s house was quite near the station, too near in Fragrant’s opinion. It was a distinctly middle class area of town, not in the higher tiers nearer the castle where most of the courtiers lived. She understood that Max’s finances were not as considerable as most of his peers, but small factors like your residence’s location could have a significant effect on your social status. Sighing, Fragrant filled the journey with a quick run down on forthcoming events Max had certainly missed during his absence..

“Buttercup’s ennoblement is in the morning,” she explained, “It is the last of four ceremonies.”

“Isn’t that a bit odd? It was only me when I had my ceremony,” asked Max.

“It’s quite common to have multiple ceremonies at this time of year, to bring in new courtiers just before the court opens. Courtiers joining part way through a session, like you, are less common mostly to replace courtiers who have fallen sick or died part way through a session. Although the overall number of new starters is extreme this year and it has been necessary to make some changes to the schedule. You have actually missed quite a number of ceremonies over the last few days. It would have been better if you could have returned earlier.”

“Sorry, but I did have quite a bit to do at home,” said Max apologetically.

“I understand, and you are not the only one to have missed the enoblements.” She glanced out of the window of the carriage at the citizens of Canterlot as they zipped past. “Still, it may be best to at least send apologies and your best wishes to the new members of the court. You could do with the good will if you intend to put forward your road building bill in the next few years.”

“I was rather hoping to do it earlier than that, this year if possible.”

Fragrant turned back to her partner. “Max, it is almost unknown for a noble to put through new legislation in their first year, and when it has happened the proposer was of the highest rank. You need to be patient, build your support first.”

“I know, but Nulpar really needs the help,” he sounded distraught. Fragrant rested a calming leg on his back.

“I understand your worry for your province, and it does you credit, but Roam wasn’t built in a day.”

“I know,” sighed Max as the carriage came to a stop outside his house, “But I might not have the time.”

“I’m sure your ponies will understand that you’re working as hard as you can for them.”

“I don’t think that’s always true,” said Max with a sigh.

Max hopped out of the coach as it came to a stop outside his house. Reaching out a hoof he helped first Fragrant and then Mrs G down from the vehicle as the chauffeur started to unload their luggage. Then he trotted over to the house and unlocked the door, the inside smelt a little musty and there was a thin layer of dust covering the furniture. It had been several months since anypony had lived here, he had offered Notebook the run of the house while he was acting as his stand in, but the pegasus had his own home in the city.

“Would you like to come in?” he asked Fragrant.

“I am afraid I can’t stay long. I have a meeting in about an hour,” she explained, looking a little dubiously through the door.

“I didn’t think Court was in session until tomorrow?”

“The various ministries and committees never really stop, even during the summer. I normally try to return to court a week or so before its formal opening to catch up.”

“In that case I better get into the swing of things as quickly as possible,” he said with a smile, “Give me a few minutes to get my luggage squared away and make sure Mrs G gets back to her place then I’ll head off to the castle.” He felt a bit stiff after all that time in the train; he could probably do with some action to loosen up again. “Notebook sent me lots of reports while I was away. I read most of them on the train, but I should probably catch up in person.”

Fragrant winced slightly at her ex-assistant's name. “Are you sure you do not want to unpack first?”

“No, I can do that later. I want to strike while the iron’s hot! Now where are your cases, Mrs G?” he asked.

“Just leave them here, dearie,” said the goat, “I’ll head up to the castle with you, and we can sort them out later.”

“You’re sure?” The goat nodded. Max took one quick look inside the house to make sure all of their luggage had been piled inside before closing the door and turning back to the chauffeur. "Right! Off to the castle!"

The trip to the court took longer than the one from the station and Max enjoyed watching the buildings rush by as the carriage maneuvered through the streets. After all, it wasn’t that often he traveled this way. Outside, the sun was rapidly dropping and the lights of the city were flicking on one by one. He glanced around the carriage, Mrs G had produced her needles from somewhere and was knitting what looked like small hoof warmers while Fragrant was likewise gazing out the window. “It’s nice to be back in Canterlot,” said Max, “Still, given the choice I think I prefer Sadlzberg. There’s so many ponies here but I know so few of them, not like home.” He shook his head, feeling a little homesick.

“There is something about your home city, isn’t there?” said Fragrant, “I sometimes fear I don’t spend half as much time in Cloudsdale as I should.” She leaned back against Max, her eyes still locked on the ponies outside. “It really is such a special city, even amongst cloud cities: so much history, the cloudiseum, Hurricane’s haunt...”

“I probably won’t get to see it,” said Max, gently rubbing his cheek against his marefriend’s neck, letting the perfume of her mane fill his nose, “Unless I sprout wings.”

“It’s not entirely impossible you know,” she replied settling against him, “Not the growing wings part, but there are many non pegasus visitors to Cloudsdale. It just requires some careful magic/” She was struck with an idea. “I visited your province this summer, so maybe you can visit mine next summer?”

Max smiled. “I think I’d like that,” he said, looking into Fragrant’s eyes.

“Are you two done canoodling?” asked Mrs G. “We’re here.”

Max’s head flicked around as he noticed the bulk of the castle outside the window. Blushing, Fragrance tried to pull away from him but somehow one of his legs had made its way across her back and didn’t seem to want to let her go. After a brief and secretly rather enjoyable struggle, they managed to separate themselves. Not meeting his gaze, Fragrant brushed down her dress and stepped from the carriage, followed by Mrs G and Max. She quickly paid the driver before leading the party through the gate into the castle itself.

“You will need to renew your security clearance as soon as possible,” she said as she signed Max and Mrs G in as her guests. “It can be quite a tedious task and - it takes several hours - but it is necessary.”

Max nodded as the three of them made their way through the castle towards the lower level where Max’s small office was situated. Max waved at a few nobles and servants as they passed. “There certainly are a lot of new faces around,” he said.

“It is common for new courtiers to start at the beginning of the court's term,” said Fragrant, “And of course there has been an almost unprecedented turnover this year. There are a lot of new ponies to get to know. I have been busy greeting most of them so far.”

Max nodded. “Maybe a bunch of fresh faces will help around the place? Get a lot of new ideas circulating?”

“I hope so, although I fear their inexperience may cause problems. After all,” she said with a smile, “look what you managed to do when you started: contempt of court, getting into a fight with the Minister of War,” her eyes sparkled.

“Well, I like to think I’m over that by now,” blustered Max, blushing. Behind him, Mrs G let out a cackling laugh.

“We will see, baron,” said Fragrance as they arrived at his office door.

Scowling a little because he thought he’d settled in at court by now, Max opened the door to reveal the small office that he and Mrs G had shared for the last half year. His assistant's desk filled much of the outer room, and his own office, just large enough for his desk and a few filing cabinets, was barely visible through the door set in the far wall. The other door to the left led through to the records room and its row of filing cabinets. Behind the nearby desk sat a thin blue pegasus hunched over some papers. He looked up as Max entered before standing and bowing to his visitors.

“Good evening Baron Max,” said Notebook warmly, “Duchess Posey,” he continued more stiffly, “Mrs Grobhar,” he concluded.

“Evening, Notebook. Thanks for looking after the place while I’ve been away,” said Max walking over and shaking the other stallion's hoof. “Anything important happened recently?”

“I assume you’ve been traveling for the last week or so, so I’ve put together a report of the various happenings for that period. I can give you a verbal run down of it if you wish.”

“Maybe in a bit,” said Max. His temporary assistant certainly seemed very efficient, but he wasn’t sure if he was quite up to a lot of bureaucratic bafflegab right now. “I think I’ll just settle back into the place for the moment. I’ve brought back some notes and papers from Nulpar,” he added with a gesture at his saddlebags.

“There is one important issue that you will probably need to deal with first, sir. Given the large turnover of courtiers over the last few months I have been able to expedite a request for more office space.”

“More office space?” asked Max looking around the room.

“Your quarters are rather small, Max,” said Fragrant, looking around the cramped and dingy office, “The size and position of a noble's office is a common measure of prestige within the court. It is good that Notebook has managed to obtain a more suitable location.” She nodded to her ex-assistant.

Max opened his mouth to argue that he liked his current rooms and there was no need to move, but then he considered the situation. His standing at court was a measure of Nulpar’s importance to the rest of Equestria, him working from a pokey office showed how little his people mattered. After his promises to help his people it would be wrong to turn down a chance to advertise them better. “Thank you. Can I see the new place?” he asked cautiously.

“Of course, but it happens to be in one of the Pinfeather towers, I’m afraid.”

Max looked confused, but Fragrant gave a sharp frown at the news.“It is the name given to some of the upper towers,” she clarified. “They are closer to the Council Chamber, and the offices there are significantly larger than this one, although rather awkwardly shaped for non-pegasi. Still, I think you will like the location.”

Since a visit to the new office location seemed advisable, Notebook led the small party through the castle and up. There was a lot of up in their trip, up stairs and up more stairs, and even up through stairs still lined with the raw rocks of the Canterhorn as they climbed the towers that made up the upper parts of the castle. Finally, they came to a halt in a part of the structure that Max had not visited before. Notebook produced a ring of keys from somewhere and unlocked the door before entering. Max followed him, eagerly looking around the room beyond. It was larger than his previous quarters, although not by all that much. Two desks, both covered with a thin layer of dust, sat facing each other. They took up much of the room but still left space for several ponies to mill around. There was a window set in the far wall which gave a view down over the main body of the castle. Around the wall a spiraling set of stairs lead up into the ceiling. Max trotted over to a small door set in the far wall and regarded the danger sign attached to it. “Where does this lead?” he asked.

“It is a landing pad,” explained Notebook, “As the Duchess said, these rooms are normally assigned to pegasus courtiers. This door allows access to the office from outside via wing.”

“It’s nice to have a view,” said Mrs G glancing out of the window, “Could do with a bit of a polish though.” she ran a hoof over the desk and examined it critically.

“I’m sure we can get the place tidied up, Mrs G,” said Max.

“Would you like to see your rooms?” asked Notebook glancing up the stairs.

“There’s more?” asked Max in surprise.

“Another three stories.” The pegasus spread his wings and flew up to the top of the stairs, Max galloped up the stairs after him, while Fragrant and Mrs G followed at a more leisurely rate. The floor above proved to be a filing room. A small desk was set in one corner but most of the wall space was filled with rather battered looking cabinets, several covered by dust sheets. The level above was apparently meant to be the office of the noble himself, given the impressively ornate desk sitting in the centre of the room; Max briefly wondered how the thing had ever been brought up here. Most of the walls were covered with empty bookshelves and portraits of ponies Max didn’t recognise, although a small fireplace was set into one wall with a picture of the Princess hanging above it. Equestria’s monarch stared back looking a little cross-eyed. To Max’s disappointment the room was windowless, although it was well lit by magic lanterns which flickered to life as they entered.

Finally, the group ascended to the very top of the tower, although with a slight delay due to the final door being sticky enough that it took both Max and Notebook to finally get it open. The room beyond seemed to be an afterthought in the construction of the building. The roof sloped steeply to an extent that Max had to lower his head to avoid knocking it against the ceiling at the edge. Quite a large bed was set in the centre of the room and dominated much of the space, although there were a few pieces of furniture scattered around, including a small gas stove. The entire room was circled with windows set, oddly, at about knee height. Max suspected that the room had been created after the tower itself was completed and the windows had originally been used to light the room below. Rushing around excitedly, Max gazed out at the view around the building. For the first time he realised how high up they were, certainly not the tallest of towers but the view out over the castle and the city below was commanding. “Wow!” he exclaimed, “It looks amazing!”

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “It is nice, although this room is rather cramped. Still, as you have your own house in the city, I doubt you will be spending all that much time here.”

Max nodded. There had been a few late nights when he’d slept in the castle, and this place would be more comfortable than the small fold-out cot in his old office. “Is that another landing pad?” he asked pointing to a door set in one wall.

“I believe so,” Notepad searched through the keys for a moment before opening it. Outside was a small, and rather rickety, wooden platform perched high above the city. Max rushed out and stared down over the edge the wind blowing at his coat and mane.

“This is amazing!” he commented. Fragrant fought back a instinct to pull her wingless friend back from the precipice.

“It is not very practical for you,” she said.

“Certainly not if you go sleep walking,” commented Mrs G. “Still, I can see certain advantages to having a secret entrance into your bedroom from the air.” She nodded towards Fragrant who blushed.

“The accessibility was one of the reasons why I chose it,” said Notebook, a grin breaking through his formal appearance.

“I think it’s perfect,” agreed Max, “Thank you for this, Notebook.”

“It was not that hard. I happen to have some contacts in the right place. Given the number of new courtiers, and your comparatively good standing at court, you were probably overdue an upgrade.”

Fragrant smiled at Notebook, she knew from personal experience that he was glossing over what could be a very complicated and involved process. Then she remembered the reason why he was now her ex-assistant and her face hardened again.

Notebook noticed the change in the Duchess. “Now that the Baron has returned I should be able to take up my new position with your organisation once he has settled in.”

Fragrant nodded imperiously, then her stance softened a little. “You have done good work here, I think you are due a few days off before you rejoin my service.”

“Thank you my lady, but I am eager to get started again.”

“Very well,” she turned back to Max who had been watching their exchange a little nervously. Fragrant had mentioned her issues with Notebook to him, and although he partially agreed with her, he still felt that she could be more forgiving of him. Still, he had been her assistant. “I am afraid I will have to be off now, I have a meeting with Duke Sands in a few minutes.”

“Ah, can I meet you for lunch?” he asked hopefully.

“I already have a working meal planned with the chiefs of the southern reach weather teams, and I will be in and out of meetings until the ennoblement ceremony in the morning,” she said a little mournfully. Max’s ears drooped. “I hopefully have a,” she paused for a moment, “rather important meeting with the princess shortly after that. But we should be able to talk once that is done, maybe share a meal?” Behind them Mrs G and Notebook discretely let themselves out of the room to allow the two nobles a moment's privacy.

“I think I’d like that,” Max gave a yawn, “I should probably take a nap somewhen, I still need to get back to court hours.”

“That is one of the reasons I prefer to return to court earlier Baron. It gives me time to adjust my sleeping pattern” said Fragrant stepping forwards and giving Max a gentle hug. “I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye,” said Max, returning the hug and gently placing his lips on Fragrant’s cheek. “It’s good to be back.”

“It is good to have you back,” she said releasing him before stepping over to the door to the outside. She spread her wings wide for a moment, enjoying the feel of his eyes flowing over her form before leaping into the air and circling the tower twice, waving at Max before swooping down towards the body of the castle.

24) Month 1 - New Blood

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Max yawned again, and immediately felt bad for it. This was the start of Buttercup’s career at court, he shouldn’t look like he was bored by the proceedings. Still, he’d never managed to get the nap that he’d planned to. First there had been the tedious process of getting his security clearance set up again, then he’d helped with the moving of his papers from one office to another and finally settling into his new quarters. By the time all that had been done it was already past midnight. He’d returned to his house, quickly unpacked and helped Mrs G move her bags across town to her own lodgings. With that done he could finally prepare for the ceremony.

A look at himself in the mirror showed that he really could do with a good grooming and trim, he’d not been paying much attention to his appearance on his tour of Nulpar. He’d considered just doing the best job he could to tidy himself up, but then he thought about the nobles that would be invested that morning, Buttercup included. They deserved that he put in the effort to look his best.

There probably weren’t many cities where you could get your hair done in the wee small hours of the morning, but luckily Canterlot was one of them. There was a place quite nearby that Baron Dramatic had recommended, it turned out to be a little expensive but despite seeming quite crowded they took him on without an appointment. A pair of beauticians quickly gave his coat a trim and brush making it almost glow, before trimming his mane into what they told him was the latest style. Finally, he asked them to cut his tail to its normal style. they’d seemed a little shocked at the prospect but had eventually followed his instructions. Newly beautified Max had returned home, quickly bathed and gotten dressed. Quite an easy process given he only had two sets of clothes, his red suit and the black one he’d gotten for Baron Fields’ retirement and funeral. He dithered for a bit before choosing the latter and trotted back to the castle just in time for the first of the four ceremonies due to take place this morning.

His seating surprised him, as the most junior member of the court he’d been used to sitting at the very back of a gathering, having to crane his neck and strain his ears to find out what was going on, but all of a sudden he was much further forwards. Still in the back third certainly, but not the very back. He was surrounded by a mob of ponies he didn’t really recognise, he assumed most of them were new and was a bit embarrassed about not attending their own ennoblements. He never entirely understood how the seating plans worked, he grasped that it was mostly in order of rank, but occasionally you’d see a Count amongst the Barons or even a Baron up there with the Dukes. He shrugged, it probably wasn’t that important.

He glanced around at the banners of Houyhnhnm now decorating the throne room. It was amazing how quickly the staff managed to transform the chamber between ceremonies. It seemed like they’d only just finished filling out offering congratulations to the last new noble, a Baroness called Dawn Chorus, before it was time to return for the next and in that time not only were the banners changed but even the seating plans altered slightly. He hoped they were getting well rewarded for their work.

Leaning into the aisle a little he glanced up towards the front of the chamber where Fragrant was sitting just behind Vicereine Wallflower. The pegasus mare looked composed, Max hadn’t had a chance to say more than the briefest hello so far this morning. Hopefully he’d get a chance to catch up soon. This was the last ceremony of the day, there would be a party celebrating all the new courtiers afterwards, but hopefully they’d only have to stay long enough to be polite.

At the front of the chamber the princess took her place on her throne and nodded indicating she was ready to proceed. The quiet conversations taking place around the hall faded away and Max drew himself up to his full height glancing towards the back. The great double doors swung open nearly silently and Lady Buttercup Fields strode forwards. She looked very small against the grandeur around her. She seemed to have aged over the months since Max had last seen her at her father's funeral. No longer a young mare, now a mature courtier. She wore a harsh black dress with a tall collar, her once long orange mane had been cut short, straightened, and done up in a practical bun. Not looking about she marched stiffly down the aisle towards the alicorn. Trying not to move his head too much Max’s eyes flickered towards her as she passed. Her face was hard and impassive and her eyes were lined, it looked like she was under a lot of stress, it couldn’t have been easy to have taken over rulership of her father's province. Plus she had apparently chosen to sit the vigil, as had the other new court members he’d seen today. since his own ceremony he’d learned that it had largely fallen out of favour over the last few decades, but apparently it was back in style now.

In another few moments Buttercup reached the front of the room and halted in front of the Princess. “Kneel,” commanded Luna gently and Buttercup gracefully dropped to the ground. “Buttercup Fields,” she continued, “You have been chosen for one of the highest honours, and responsibilities, it is in my power to grant,” she glanced up at the crowd of nobles around her, “Membership of the Night Court, and with it part rulership of the land of Equestria. Answer me before the throne and before your peers to be: are you worthy of this honour?”

“I am, your majesty,” intoned Buttercup her voice surprisingly loud.

“Do you swear to uphold and enforce the laws of Equestria, in both the light of day and the dark of night?”

“I do,” said Buttercup looking up at her ruler, “Neither light nor dark will blind me to my duties.”

“Do you swear to protect the ponies of Equestria with your blood, even to the last drop?” said Luna, continuing the ancient oaths of office.

“I do. I... I will die before I allow harm to befall my little ponies,” she stuttered slightly.

“Do you swear to care for and nurture your people, to provide for them like your own family?”

“I do. All that I have will be theirs, I will not eat if they do not.”

Nodding, Luna looked up at the court again. “Who among our company is willing to stand by Buttercup Fields in the night court?”

Max shuffled slightly, he wasn’t sure how the sponsors were selected, it seemed to be organised in advance. If he hadn’t just returned today he might have offered to help Buttercup himself in the same way her father had helped him, although given their previous relationship that might not have been proper. “I, Duchess Fragrant Posey, will stand with her,” announced Fragrant, Max’s ears twitched, she hadn’t told him she was acting as Buttercup’s sponsor.

“And a second?”

“I, Baron Gracious Host, will stand with her,” a white coated unicorn with a greying red mane stepped forwards. Max had seen him around court before but didn’t really know much about him.

“Will the two of you stand in harmony with Buttercup Fields? Will you raise her spirits even when all hope seems lost?”

“We will, your majesty,” chorused Fragrant and Gracious. Max sighed, this reminded him of his own investiture. He’d felt so nervous in the Princess’s presence then. he’d not interacted with her much since but had seen her around court. It was odd to think that over time, even an alicorn could seem normal.

“Will you show her compassion when she is at his lowest?”

“We will, your majesty.”

“Will you stand with her and her duties, even to death?”

“We will, your majesty.” It was a shame that Rolling Fields hadn’t lived long enough to see his daughter take on his position. He was sure he’d be so very proud of her. He’d been worried that her duties might stop her from having a normal life, but Max was sure she’d take to the challenge wonderfully.

“Will you speak truly to her when lies would be easier?”

“We will, your majesty.” That one made Max wince a bit, after all it had been Buttercup who had talked him into covering up her illegal treatment of her father's condition, but he was sure she had learnt from her mistakes.

“Will you share all you have with her?”

“We will, your majesty,” concluded the sponsors.

“Are there any among this august assemblage who know of any reason why Buttercup Fields should not be granted this boon? Why she is unfit to rule?” Silence echoed around the chamber. “Then by the magic of Equestria, I accept her petition for entrance to the court.” Luna nodded to Fragrant first, then Gracious, and finally to Buttercup before touching her horn to the mare’s shoulder. “Then in the name of Equestria and all of her people, I dub you Baroness Buttercup Fields of Houyhnhnm, member of the Night Court of Equestria. May you rule wisely for as long as you live.” She raised her head and lowered her horn onto her other shoulder, then stood back. “Arise, Baroness Fields.”

Buttercup stood before curtsying towards her monarch and turning towards the crowd behind her. She stood there for a moment, her face emotionless. “Thank you all,” she intoned, “I vow to lead my people to the best of my abilities even to my end, as my... my father did before me.” For a moment her composure cracked and a look of sorrow flashed across her face before her mask returned. The other courtiers left their seats and started to line up in front of her, one by one offering their support and best wishes in her new role.

It was a while before it was Max’s turn, he took the mare’s hoof and shook it. “Well done Buttercup,” he said, up close she looked even more tired than he’d thought. “If you ever need any help just ask.”

“Thank you, Baron Max,” she said emphasizing his title, “I will be sure to contact you if Houyhnhnm needs the support of Nulpar,” she continued formally.

Max frowned, he liked to think Buttercup was his friend. well, she had been his lover for a short period and things hadn’t ended perfectly, but he liked to think they were still close. “Oh, of course,” he muttered as the noble behind him pushed forwards to offer his own greeting.

After the ceremony had finished most of the courtiers had moved to a large but rather less impressive chamber to properly celebrate. Fragrant had managed to corner Max for a few moments in the rush. She explained that she had a meeting with the Princess for a few minutes once the alicorn had had her meeting with the newly minted Baroness Fields. She didn’t explain what it was about but Max could sense she was rather worried about it. Fragrant had told him that to keep their relationship secret they should remain separate for the party, something that Max disagreed with. they’d been to a few social events together before they were a couple, but he didn’t want to argue right now and make her more anxious. Once her meeting was over Fragrant said she’d have to join the party and work the room for about an hour before she could reasonably make her excuses and leave. Then the two of them could meet up at her mansion to talk. Although it seemed like a very long time to Max, but he was still a little surprised that she could leave so quickly given she was sponsoring Buttercup; but Fragrant knew so much more about the rules of these social engagements than he did so she probably knew what she was doing. He agreed and she headed off towards the princess's chambers, drawing a single feather playfully across Max’s barrel as she left, making him shudder.

Glancing around the hall, Max looked for anypony he recognised that he could talk to for a while. There did seem to be quite a few new faces around, he should probably say hello to them. He’d never been much involved with the social side of the court but there were at least a few of his peers he was friendly with like Baron Dramatic or Baron Fields, then it occurred to him that the latter was dead. He noticed Viscount Blueblood chatting with a group of courtiers at the opposite side of the hall, standing next to a familiar pink mare who appeared to be juggling several glasses while sipping from them to the amusement of the crowd around her. Which was a bit odd: even beyond her behaviour, he didn’t think he’d seen Blueblood take the same companion to different events before.

Taking a glass of wine from a passing servant, more to have something to do rather than because he was thirsty, Max slowly turned to take into the whole scene around him. Something seemed a little off about the gathering: almost the entire court was present but most of them were gathered in small groups here and there, talking quietly, eyes occasionally flicking out to look at each other. The atmosphere was, well, tense, almost frightened. What could... then Max remembered the situation before he had left the capital, the princesses’ ultimatum to the court to clean up its act, the effort that Fragrant had put into trying to bind the court back together, the bill she had written to show their ruler than the court could change, that it would police itself better. The bill due to be voted on tomorrow with the opening of the court. It was amazing that he could have forgotten it, but the court and its activities seemed so far away when he was back in Nulpar.

“Jangle for your thoughts Baron Max,” came a voice from behind Max. He spun on the spot to see his friend Baron Mellow Dramatic standing there with a drink in one hoof and his opposite wing resting casually on the back of a rather plump younger light pink unicorn mare with a carefully styled purple mane.

“Mellow!” cried Max, “good to see you.”

“The same, baron. how are you? When did you get back to Canterlot?” he asked politely.

“I’m well, I just got back last evening, how about you?”

“I’ve been back for about a week, although my province is rather closer than yours. Ah, where are my manners, Baron, this is Lady Confidant of House Schere,” he turned to the mare and kissed her gently on lips, “my marefriend,” he announced, practically glowing with pride.

“It’s good to see you again Baron Max,” said the unicorn, giving a little bob.

Max looked confused. “I’m sorry, where did we meet?”

The mare’s eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment. “Oh, sorry, we haven’t yet. I apologize for the confusion.”

“My Conny is teaching divination at the princess’s school, one of the best of her generation!”

“I’m hardly teaching yet, I’m only assisting while I do postgraduate work,” said the mare, gently bumping against her partner.

“I’m sure you do more than most of the mouldy old fossils there,” said Mellow, squeezing a little harder with his wing.

“As you can tell, I still get mixed up a bit. deja vu and the like,” she said, turning her attention back to Max.

Max was intrigued. “I’ve never met somepony who could see the future.”

“You still haven't. Magic doesn’t work that way, well not perfectly. It’s all about probability you see,” her voice grew more stringent as she warmed to her topic, “Divination allows you to predict what will happen based on how things are right now, the very short term is easy for example,” her horn lit up with a light blue aura as she lifted an ice cube from Mellow’s drink, “If I drop this then the most likely outcome is that it will fall to the ground, anypony can see that.” She let the cube fall a few feet before catching it again. “Although I also see the slight possibility that somepony else might catch it. Divination only becomes more useful on larger scales, either in time or space. What if a whole bucket of ice cubes were to be dropped? They could end up in almost any pattern, but some are more likely than others, and I can use my magic to see which is most likely.” Max could certainly see the advantage of, say, being able to avoid a rockslide of something similar. “If you’re powerful enough you can cover a longer time period or a larger area but almost always with less detail. You could predict that a country is going to undergo a revolution, but you couldn’t name any of the rebels or where exactly they were going to attack. Alternatively you could follow the life of a single pony with some accuracy but lose details about how they’re affect the bigger picture. These limitations have stopped Divination being as widely used as other branches of magic.”

“But what about destiny and the like?” said Max with a frown, “Surely not everything’s just luck, some things simply have to be!”

“Well, destiny is considered one of the outer mysteries, beyond mortal ken,” said Confidant with a glitter in her eye, “Even the arch mages don’t understand everything, sometimes things happen even though they’re really unlikely, divinations can’t show everything. The chance that my roommate would go on to be one of the element bearers must have been millions to one, but it still happened. Maybe destiny is the reason behind those million to one chances, maybe I’ll find out one day!” She turned to her coltfriend. “And of course that banquet we met at, I knew something important was going to happen, but what were the odds of meeting my soul mate?”

“Isn’t she marvellous,” exclaimed Mellow, “And it’s all thanks to you that we got together Max, it was you who persuaded her father to let me court her! I’ll be forever in your debt for uniting me with my true love!” Confidant smiled at Mellow’s proclamation and tucked her head under his chin as he pulled her close again.

Max looked on with a little jealousy. The couple seemed so happy together in public, he didn’t understand why Fragrant wanted to keep the two of them so secret when they could have a life like this. “Anyway,” he said loudly, jolting the pair from gazing into each other’s eyes, “the court seems a little tense.”

“Ah, well the princess’s ultimatum still hangs over our heads like a sword of Damarecles,” said Mellow with a shudder.

“Surely that was mostly sorted out months ago with Fields’ bill?”

“Maybe, there has been some ongoing discussion about exactly how to implement its goals and there are a few courtiers remaining who might drag the rest of us down you know,” he gestured with his head towards a short brown earth pony stallion standing rather defiantly by himself near the centre of the hall.

“Greengrass?” asked Max. He supposed it made sense, the stallion had tricked him to vote the wrong way in a ballot, and he certainly had a reputation as a trouble maker, just the sort that the princess had warned the court to get rid of. But still, she had given all of them another chance, hadn’t removed even a single member, surely that meant that even Greengrass could be redeemed? He’d come across the stallion shortly after the princess’ ultimatum and he’d seemed genuinely shocked by what had happened, he’d even helped organise Baron Field’s funeral. Didn’t he deserve a second chance for that? “Has he done anything wrong recently?”

“Well not, not recently, not that anypony can prove anyway,” Mellow leaned forwards and whispered, “but nopony wants to take the chance.”

Max glanced back over at the solitary pony, standing all by himself he looked even smaller than normal. “We should go and talk to him,” he suggested.

“Max, are you sure...” began Mellow.

“We’re going to talk to him,” said Confidant with certainty, her horn glowing, “For a short while anyway,” she grimaced.

Mellow opened his mouth for a moment, then smiled. “It appears that both my mare, and the future have spoken, I guess we will be talking to Greengrass.” Max smiled and set out across the floor with the others following behind him.

“Ah, Baron Max,” said Greengrass as they approached him, “Baron Dramatic, Lady Confidant,” he bowed slightly, his easy smile not quite reaching his eyes. “What brings you over here? I’m not sure if you’ve heard but I am persona non grata at the moment. Most of the court don’t seem to even want to return my letters.”

“Duke Greengrass,” said Max with a nod, “I saw you were by yourself so I thought I’d come over to say hi, so... hi,” he continued lamely. now that he was actually with the duke he wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m pleased you’re worrying about my social situation,” said Greengrass a little tersely, “But I’m fine. I may not have made many new friends recently, had to get rid of a few actually, but those most loyal to me are still around. It’s just a shame that this lack of trust is getting in the way of my work. Like the trade agreement I asked you to look over baron Dramatic, it would benefit both of our provinces.”

“Well, your previous activities are well known, duke, it would be foolish to rush into anything too hastily,” said Mellow, fidgeting, Confidant brushed up against him in a symbol of support. “Given the Princess’s ultimatum is it any surprise that most of the court wants nothing to do with you?” said Mellow, “After what you said to her face at the gala, you should be asking her forgiveness.”

Annoyance flickered across Greengrass’s face. “I think we all said things we might regret while under the influence as it were. The princess seems to have decided that it is better that those words are forgotten. From what I’ve heard, you, baron Dramatic, were rather complementary of your young companion here, even if they’re not the sort of compliments you’d normally use in public.” Both Mellow and his marefriend flushed at the insinuation. “And you my lady, didn’t you raise certain complaints against your father and the restrictions he sought to place on you?”

“How dare you!” cried Mellow.

Confidant took her stallion's hoof and began to pull him away from Greengrass. “I think we should talk to somepony else now!”

“You wanted to talk to him!” said Mellow. “Wasn’t that what your magic said?”

“I saw we’d talk for a short while, and this was a short while,” replied Confidant as the two of them trotted away with Greengrass grinning at their backs.

“That wasn’t very nice,” said Max.

“I’m sure they’ll survive, they can be so sickeningly lovey dovey sometimes. Interestingly, nopony seems to remember what you said during the ‘event’ at the gala.” Max fidgeted. “But you are not alone on that front, things got very... chaotic, that night. So baron, now that I’ve gotten rid of your escorts, what is the real reason you wanted to talk to me?”

“Real reason? I saw you standing alone and thought you might like some company,” Max shrugged, “Nothing else.”

Greengrass looked Max up and down for a moment seeming increasingly annoyed. “That’s it? You thought I looked lonely? I don’t think I’ll ever understand you baron,” he snarled, before muttering something about not wanting pity under his breath.

Max held up a hoof. “I’m sorry, I just thought you could do with someone to talk to. I’ll go if you want.”

The shorter stallion composed himself after a moment. “No, my apologies, my current situation is a bit of a sore point with me. How was your summer?” he said, suddenly all smiles.

“Well, I went back to my province, talked to my people, I’ve got a lot to do for them.” Max yawned. “Sorry, it’s been a long day, and you?”

“The same sort of thing, Caneighda is doing well, my parents run the province well while I’m here. We may not always see face to face, but they do a good job.”

“I met your father at Baron Field’s retirement party, he seemed nice, a little strict,” Max rubbed his head at the phantom pain of being prodded by the old stallion’s stick.

“Father was friends with the old baron, they held some similar views. Still, I don’t really want to talk about my family right now. Do you have any plans for this session? Any great projects to put Equestria to rights?”

“Er, well nothing quite that grand, I’m hoping to put forwards a bill to promote road building in rural provinces, and I suppose played a small part in the Field’s anti-corruption bill.”

“Oh, you’re too modest,” Greengrass leaned forwards, “It’s not gone unnoticed what you did for that one, you certainly stuck close to Duchess Posey and Vicereine Wallflower, your star is on the rise at the moment.” He paused for a moment as if thinking. “If you’re really serious about that bill you might be able to cash in some of that good will.”

“Fragrant told me most courtiers don’t get any bills put through in their first year.”

“True, true, but then you’re not most courtiers are you? and I’m sure your province could use the help. I’m not telling you to try and propose your bill tomorrow or anything, but keep an eye out for any opportunity, seize the day as they say! I’ll give you the wink if I see any opportunities.”

Max considered for a moment; it seemed reasonable advice, he wouldn’t get anywhere if he just sat around waiting for the right moment until it was gone. “Thank you. see, I told you you were a better pony than you thought you were.”

“Maybe,” admitted the duke looking over Max’s shoulder. “Ah, it appears that our lovely new baroness has returned from her audience with the princess. Now might be a good time to share a few words, she’ll probably be busy for most of the night now.”

“Oh, you might be right, but are you ok being left by yourself?” asked Max.

“I’m sure I’ll manage to survive, I’m not entirely without friends you know baron, although they are a little thin on the ground at the moment.” He turned to a white mare in a simple dress of the same colour. Max recognised the duke’s assistant, she must have just returned from getting food or something. Still, as he understood it was considered rather bad form to bring your staff to events like this. he shrugged, he wasn’t entirely sure on the etiquette.

Putting the thoughts from his mind Max turned to see Buttercup standing by one of the tables laden with food. He’d considered filling up himself, for something to do if nothing else, but Fragrant had mentioned a meal with her, and he didn’t want to spoil his appetite. He trotted over just as a small group of well-wishers were wandering away from the new baroness.

“Baroness Buttercup,” said Max with a bow.

“Baron Max,” she replied.

“Congratulations on your position.”

“Thank you, I only hope I can fill my father's shoes well enough to make him proud,” she said a little woodenly, like she was reading from a script.

“I’m sure you will. you know, if you want to talk about anything my door will always be open; I know how hard things can be when you’re just starting out,” he said hopefully, the poor girl looked half worn out.

“Thank you baron, but I have been at court for many years, I know how things work.”

“Well yes of course, but I’m sure you could still do with a hoof now and again, I know all the charity work you do on top of running a province.”

“Thank you for your offer baron, but I am sure I can handle my duties. My sponsors can give me any help I need.”

“I guess so, but if you need someone to talk to, maybe something outside of the court, well if not me maybe Mellow or someone else, all work and no play makes for a dull mare and all that.” He paused for a moment, hoping he wasn’t sounding too much like he wanted to restart their relationship.

“Yes, I understand although I think I will be very busy for the moment, I have so much to do to make sure my father's legacy continues.” The mare blinked slowly a few times. “Now if you will excuse me, I hope I’ll be able to catch archduchess Nobility, I would like to discuss something with her.”

“Oh, right, well it’s been nice talking to you,” mumbled Max lamely as the younger mare strode off through the crowd. That had been strange, Buttercup had been very cold, not like herself at all. Maybe she was still mourning her father, maybe she just didn’t want anything to do with him. He could see that, their break up hadn’t been perfect and he might remind her of what she’d been doing to help her father. Still it didn’t seem right to see her so emotionless, she’s always seemed a sweet and caring mare. It might just be the stress, she might get over it, but he decided to try and keep an eye on her just in case.

For the moment he glanced around the room looking for Fragrant, she was over in the corner talking with a few other nobles. Hopefully she’d be leaving soon so he could follow and they’d get a chance to catch up. A meal together would be a nice chance to catch up, and he could certainly do with sinking his teeth into something luscious.

Fragrant was unable to contain her moans as Max nibbled gently on her neck sending urgent tingles up and down her back, causing it to arch and threatening to cause her to roll off of Max. It was suddenly obvious to her that she could not survive another minute without her tongue in his mouth again. Craning her neck she forced her lips against his. They quickly parted and she dived forwards, the tip of her tongue tickling under his own, making him whinny into her maw. She sought to rally her thoughts as she felt one of his hooves travel along her outstretched wing with aching slowness. She should slow down, stop this while she still had the will to, she hadn’t planned for the night to come to this but the unexpectedness, the freedom, made the sensations even sharper. Apparently out of her conscious control, her foreleg wrapped around Max’s barrel stabilizing herself while pulling him closer to her. The feeling of her body moulding against his muscles made her shudder. She should stop this... she shuddered again, maybe in a year or two.

Vague recollections of the events that had led to this filtered through the sea of instincts and pleasure that was making up her world at the moment. She had returned from the party after giving her excuses and had ordered her chef to prepare a light meal for two as she got ready to receive her visitor. Despite being buoyed by the princess’s response to her announcement in their meeting she had dithered for a while deciding what to wear and wondering how long it would be until Max arrived. She didn’t know what she would have done if Luna had rejected her proposal.

In the end Max had arrived soon enough that she hadn’t had time to change. They had shared a glass or two of wine, and had chatted about their time apart. She had told him about Cloudsdale and the issues she had had with some of the smaller cloud settlements in her realm seeking greater independence, while he had produced the letters he had meant to send to her. She had sat while he had carried out dramatic readings of the events that had happened in his tour of his province. She couldn't help but applaud as he acted out the journey, although she was suspicious that he might not be telling her everything, possibly avoiding the more dangerous situations he had been foolish enough to have gotten himself into.

Then the food had arrived, interrupting his description of trying to deal with a pass blocked by a landslide. The two of them had shared a meal of curried vegetables, she could taste the spices in his mouth now mixing with his own natural flavour causing her to try and press her face even closer to his. Then had come the dessert, a mixture of iced cream and fruit. They had decided to move away from the dining table and had taken their meal to her sitting room. Max had been a little dubious of the treat, it was not common in his province and he was not keen to try something new. She had pointed out that if he was going to act like a foal then she would have to hoof feed him, which he had taken to quite well. From that it seemed to be natural that they forgo the cutlery and just feed each other directly from their mouths, and soon after that the food had been forgotten. She couldn’t help but think that there might have been some logical flaw in that progression, but Max gently nibbling on her ear while she buried her muzzle in his mane, taking in deep huffs of his earthy scent, scattered her thoughts.

She could feel a panic trying to rise from her belly, memories trying to fill her with fear as they had when the couple had become intimate before, but she forced them down, pushing them beneath the sea of sensation she was floating in. She became aware of Max’s hoof sliding the silk of her dress aside to rub against the ticklish flesh of her cutie mark, clutching it possessively as his mouth returned to hers again. The feeling seemed to suck all the strength from her hind legs causing them to splay. Something warm was prodding against her belly, she began to slide a leg down their bodies, she had to feel that warmth in her hoof.

Her heart was pounding, or was it Max’s? Was there even a difference anymore? Her ears twitched. no, the sound was coming from outside of herself, from the door. A servant wishing to enter the room! She leaned back and turned her head trying to remember how to use her tongue to speak again. Max took the movement as a signal to start to nibble at her neck again, turning her diction into a series of moans. They must have sounded something like ‘come in’ as, almost in slow motion, the door to the chamber began to open.

A small primitive part of her mind demanded that she continue, that she demonstrate to this intruder that Max was her stallion, but a much larger civilised part screamed in horror that she be caught in flagrante delicto. After a moment's paralysis she rolled herself aside, almost falling to the floor. Emotions rolled over Max’s face as he suddenly found himself alone. surprise, hurt and lust all battled for dominance, and for a moment she thought he might dive onto her again, but he reigned in his instincts and came to his senses, awkwardly curling his body onto the couch to hide its response to their make out session.

“Pardon me ma’am,” said the maid, giving a little curtsey as she entered the room, “I’m here to collect the...” she paused taking the in the sight in front of her, “Um... er... dishes,” she squeaked.

“Thank you, um, Silver,” replied Fragrant, her face glowing red and painfully aware that her clothes were extremely rumpled, one leg desperately trying to straighten her skirt as Max’s efforts had resulted in it being bunched up around her barrel.

“Did you, um, enjoy your meal?” asked the servant, her eyes flickering around every point in the room apart from her employer and her paramour.

“Yes, it was wonderful,” said Max, grinning, “Particularly the dessert.”

Fragrant glared at him as the younger pony quickly scampered around the room collecting the empty plates and the now melted bowl of ice cream. “Will there be anything else ma’am?” she asked, still not meeting Fragrant’s eyes.

“No, thank you Silver,” said Fragrant, her nerve mostly recovered and her heart rate starting to slow to normal. Once the servant had left she swung a hoof at Max catching him gently on the shoulder. “Could you have made that any more embarrassing?” she hissed.

“I think she knew what was going on regardless of what I said,” said Max rubbing the area she had struck.

Fragrant felt her anger drain away in the face of her stallion’s good humour. “I guess you are right.” Max leaned forwards again parting his lips. She, with some regret, gently covered his mouth with her hoof. “I think we should call an end to these proceedings now Max.” The stallion looked over at her with puppy dog eyes which almost melted her heart. Almost. “I think we both know that if we carry on then we are likely to go farther than we intend, well, I intend anyway.” Max frowned for a moment then nodded.

“I think you’re probably right, we can wait until the right time.”

Fragrant smiled and leaned forwards to give her stallion a peck on the cheek. “Thank you for being so understanding, I’ll try not to make you,” or me, she thought, trying to force down her reaction to their closeness, “wait too long.”

Max nodded again. “I’ve been up all day now, and tomorrow, well today now, is a big day. I should probably go.”

Fragrant glanced towards the window, the pre-dawn light was starting to filter through the curtains. It was later than she’d expected, how long had they spent entwined? It had seemed like both a moment and an eternity. “Maybe you could stay to see the sun rise with me?” she suggested.

“I’d love to,” Max responded. He held out a hoof towards Fragrant and she took it, the two of them trotted to the window, pushing aside the curtains before opening it and stepping out to the small balcony jutting out from the manor. Below them, glowing in the increasing light, was the city and the mountain it sat upon. Fragrant sighed and rested her head on Max’s neck.

“I really do love this time of day,” she said, “I know some think it shows the power of Corona, particularly now that she’s returned. But I think dawn is a wonderfully hopeful time of day, a fresh start.”

“Yes,” mumbled Max, “Even with Corona’s return it’s a demonstration of the Princess’ power, that she, rather than her sister, still controls it. A sign that she protects us all.”

Fragrant nodded. “We owe her so much, we need to show that we’re worthy of her protection, that the court recognises its debt. I hope today’s vote works out alright.”

Max smiled as the first slither of the sun became visible over the horizon, golden light slowly spilling over the land below. “I’m sure things will be just fine, I can’t wait to see what today might bring.”

25) Month 1 - An unexpected intrusion

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“Max! Are you paying attention to me?” hissed Fragrant.

“Huh, oh, yes right, sorry,” muttered Max blearily.

“Are you alright?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, sorry carry on.” In fact he felt about ready to drop, he’d only gotten an hour or so’s sleep during the day for various reasons. For a start, after the rather enjoyable events of last night he’d found it rather hard to get the memories of Fragrant, the feel of her under her hooves, the sound of her groans and whimpers, out of his mind. He’d only just managed to finally still his brain when he’d been awoken again by a pounding on his door; he’d barely made it to the entrance before the guard had almost broken the thing down. They’d apparently received a report that an intruder had been seen breaking into the building, he assumed that one of his neighbours had thought he was the intruder after leaving his house unattended for so long. It had taken a while to prove to the guard that he was in fact himself and not a thief. By the time that had been sorted out and he had managed to stagger back to bed it was already mid-afternoon. He’d been awakened again, seemingly only a few minutes later, by the delivery of his official robes for the ceremony. It was just as well somepony had been on the ball, he hadn’t realised he needed any. One look at them and he’d figured out he’d need at least one other pony to help him put them on. At that point he’d more or less given up on sleep and got himself tidied up before heading off to ask Mrs G for a hoof. By the time he’d done all that he was already a bit late for his appointment at court. Luckily, once he’d gotten to the castle he’d managed to find Fragrant quite quickly.

“Good, now pay attention, I didn’t know you weren’t aware of the opening ceremony and there’s a lot to do. I meant to mention it this morning before we, er... got distracted,” she flushed and looked away, appearing extremely cute despite the large powdered wig covering her normally immaculate mane. That by itself was a minor miracle as the rest of her outfit managed something that Max had until today considered impossible: it made her look frumpy and unattractive. The long heavy robes in the colours of her province dragged on the floor, covering her entire body and legs; and the large ruffle around her neck looked awkward. Max’s own neck covering was much smaller but was uncomfortable enough to make him fantasise about tearing the thing off and stamping on it. None of the surrounding nobles seemed pleased with their dress, at best they seemed to be grinning and bearing it. “Now where was I?” continued Fragrant.

“Um, the speech from the throne I think.”

“Yes, the princess normally reads out a speech she prepares with input from the court laying out any major legislation we plan to implement this year,” she took a deep breath, “But this year nopony knows what it says, as far as I know she hasn’t asked anypony for suggestions,” she lowered her voice, “some say she might disband the court, but I, I don’t think she would, not after giving us a second chance.”

“I can’t see her being so cruel, not unless we did something more to warrant it,” said Max trying to sound cheerful, but still feeling butterflies in his stomach. Judging by the fearful murmuring around him, he wasn’t the only one intimidated. The room they were in didn’t help his apprehension; it was a large chamber not far from the gates of the castle, however with the entire court present it was quite cramped. The worst part of it were the papers covering the walls. They appeared to be notices, but when Max had examined one closer he had found it was the death warrant for a previous member of the court, several centuries past now, signed with the princess’s own mark. There were dozens like it lining the walls at eye height. A clear reminder of the price of treachery.

“Now, it is very important to remain calm during the speech, it is considered very bad form to show support, or disagreement, with the matters raised.”

“Ok, I’ll try.”

“Good, once that is done the court is formally opened and we can get down to business. The first thing is early day motions, these are business that were cut off due to the court closing. We’re going to propose Fields’ bill then, it’s a rather tenuous technicality, we’re actually tacking it onto a totally different bill which didn’t even see committee, but given the situation I don’t think anypony is going to argue. Once that’s out of the way...”

At the far end of the room the great double doors leading into the chamber swung open with a loud creak. All talking in the chamber came to a halt, through the door approached a tall while unicorn in the full ceremonial armour of the captain of the guard, his plume stretching above and behind his head. To each side of him stood the ranking officers of the guard. Shining Armour marched forwards ignoring the assembled nobles, including his father, as they parted to let him pass. Behind him the doors swung closed again. The procession came to a halt in front of archduke Bobbing Fisher. The archduke’s outfit was slightly different from the other nobles, a hugely ornate hammer was strapped to his side. “My Lord Defender,” announced Shining Armour, “The castle's cellars have been searched and have been found to be free of sun cultists, or any other enemies of the crown.”

Fragrant had mentioned that the search was generally symbolic since an attempt had been made to assassinate the court by a group of crazed ponies almost a millennium ago, but with the return of Corona the act had become rather more practical.

“Your diligence is commended,” announced Fisher.

“Thank you sir. Now I must ask that you and the rest of the court disarm before approaching the throne.”

“My loyalty is weapon enough,” replied Fisher ceremonially as he lifted his hammer and passed it to the captain. The other guards strode through the crowds searching each of the courtiers for non-existent weapons. Once each member had been examined the guards took their places at each side of the door.

“This means the princess’s procession has returned to the castle, we should be summoned soon,” hissed Fragrant. Max nodded, he really didn’t know why the princess had to set out from the castle, tour the city only to return a few hours later, it was probably symbolic of something or other, maybe her return to the city years after the defeat of Corona? However, he only gave the matter part of his consideration, the majority of his mind was on what Fragrant had told him before the guards’ arrival.

“So, any bill could be proposed,” he asked, “if it was started last session, even if it hasn’t been to committee.”

“Well yes, it’s normally used for things we were due to debate in the last session and ran out of time for but the actual strictures are quite loose... Max, what are you thinking of?” she said looking worried.

Was this a possible chance to put forward his road building bill? Thought Max. Fragrant had told him to be patient, to wait a year or more, but Greengrass had suggested he seize any chance he got. he knew how much his people needed this, how even securing a little help for them would make them trust him again.

“Max!” continued Fragrant sharply, reading the emotions passing over his face, “Don’t do anything hasty, you shouldn’t...” She was cut off by a loud hammering from the door.

“In the name of Luna Equestris, let me pass!” came a cry from the other side of the doors. After a moment they swung open to reveal a black coated earth pony mare with clawed hooves and snake like eyes, the head of the princess’ bodyguard. “Mares and stallions, the Princess commands that the nobles of Equestria,” the mare stiffly bowed to the court, “attend Her Majesty immediately at the Selenic Cathedra! A new ruling body is to be formed now that our country has passed from the day into the night!”

After a moment the court started to take their positions, the viceroys at the front with the lesser nobles behind them in order. Fragrant looked back at Max for a moment and she trotted towards her appointed position. “Please don’t do anything stupid,” she whispered.

In procession, the combined night court marched through the corridors of the castle heading from their meeting room towards the throne room. The corridors were lined by what seemed like the entirety of the castle staff all dressed in their most formal uniforms. Keeping order were rank after rank of guards. The effect was more than a little intimidating and made Max think once again of the rumours of the princess disbanding the court. Finally, the nobles found themselves at the gates of the throne room, the massive armoured doors were closed and barred. The court came to a halt for a moment before Viceroy Night Light stepped forwards.

“We who have been summoned, request entry,” he announced before knocking once the door.

“Not all who were summoned came, those who came recognised the authority of the crown” came a reply from the other side of the door reminding the court of the period shortly after Corona’s defeat when Equestria fragmented and many of the nobles refused to send representatives to Canterlot. The youngest Viceroy bowed to the door and backed away.

“However, not all who have come may be worthy. How can you serve the crown and Equestria?” came a slightly muffled voice from behind the door.

Vicerene Wallflower marched forwards. “We, the brave, the powerful, the noble, request entry,” she stated as she knocked twice.

“Those who came ruled well during the long day but those attributes alone were not enough,” the vicereine bowed to the door and returned to her previous position, “What will you sacrifice for the crown and Equestria?”

Finally Puissance, the oldest of the three Viceroys, stepped forwards. “We the humble, the meek, the wise, request entry to serve.” The words sounded a little strange coming from the old mare’s lips as she knocked three times on the door.

“Those who were accepted knew not only how to rule but how to be ruled. Enter” came the reply as the echoes of the third knock died away. The great doors swung silently open in a midnight blue aura and the throne room itself was revealed. At the far end on a high throne sat Princess Luna Equestris in her full ceremonial garb. on her head sat the three tiered, six pointed crown of Equestria and all of its dominions. Her hooves were clad in silver shoes with intricate patterns inlaid in them. A great diamond the size of a foal's head was embedded in the silver peytrel that covered her chest. In her left forehoof she carried the ceremonial mace, a four-foot-long silver and jewel inlaid staff while in her right she carried her rather more practical personal weapon, the scythe Nightbringer, its plain and functional curved haft made of almost eight feet of black wood while its long blade glowed brightly, supposedly made from a mix of fallen star metal and moonlight.

The court, somewhat nervously, entered the room and knelt in their ranks in front of their monarch. Luna was not alone at the far end of the room, six smaller thrones were placed lower on the plinth although only three of them were occupied by ponies. Fragrant had explained that these were the thrones of the exarchs, the rulers of Equestria’s protectorates, and were brought out for them to use if they were present in court. To the right of the princess Max could see a tall thin pink mare with both wings and a horn clad in a velvet cloak, she could only be Cadenza, the exarch of Cavallia and Luna’s fellow alicorn. The second exarch was, judging by his costume, the exarch of Pferdreich, Max understood they were ruled by a council and would send one of their number to such events, the final Exarch was a mare he didn’t recognise at all. To the left of the plinth with the thrones on and stretching almost to the doors were members of the judiciary and on the right were the diplomatic corps. In front of both groups stood various members of the military, their uniforms and medals glittering.

All was silent for a moment as Luna stared down at her government. “You believe yourself worthy of serving Equestria,” asked the princess, her voice both soft as silk and hard as diamonds.

“We do your majesty,” intoned the assembled court.

“You are willing to give all you have for the good of your people?”

“We do your majesty,” repeated the court.

“You are willing to sacrifice, to suffer, to die if need be, for the betterment of all?” she asked again her eyes flickering across the crowd.

“We do your majesty,” replied the court for a third time.

“Then approach!” she intoned. “And offer me your oaths of loyalty on behalf of your ponies.”

The courtiers formed into a line from the most important to the least and started to line past the princess and the symbols of her rulership she bore. One by one they pledged their loyalty to the Equestrian throne and the alicorn who currently sat upon it. Eventually it was Max’s turn, he wracked his brain for the correct words. “I offer you my service and the service of all the peoples of Nulpar,” he intoned, “I will follow you in both war and peace.” The words seeming almost archaic, dating back to a more literally feudal time.

“I accept your service, in return I offer you my protection and the protection of all of Equestria, in both war and peace,” replied the princess, resting her hoof on Max’s head for a moment before he shuffled past and the next noble took his place. Finally, after almost an hour the entire procession was completed.

“My court is now gathered and all oaths are made, my land is whole once again,” proclaimed Luna, “Now is the time to reveal my instructions to you for the coming year.”

The three viceroys stood, with Puissance moving rather stiffly to the fore. They came to a halt just in front of the princess. A pink page in a rather plain uniform compared to all the formal outfits on show approached and handed a tightly rolled scroll to the elderly pegasus who took it without acknowledgement and held it out to the alicorn who took it with a nod. The three courtiers then carefully walked backwards away from the throne and returned to their previous positions as the princess slowly unrolled the scroll in her aura.

“My Lords and Ladies of the Night Court,” she began in a neutral voice, “I charge you with the following duties over the forthcoming year. Actions must be taken to reduce the excesses of the court and to improve their standing in both my, and the citizens of Equestria’s, eyes.” Max let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, it looked like the court wasn’t going to be disbanded, not now at least. “My court will be required to show increased transparency in its actions and an increased willingness to put aside their personal disagreements to work together for the benefit of all of Equestria. Any further signs of corruption or attempts to abuse the power granted to you will result in the harshest of punishments.” The princess looked up from the scroll to run her gaze over the assembled officials of all branches of the government. “Given the events of the last year and the return of my sister I bid my court to strengthen the links between the nation and its allies on this and other continents. Diplomatic actions will be increased so that we may face future threats in a unified manner, I bid my foreign ministry to increase its efforts to organise state visits to all of our allies to show that Equestria will support them if needed.” Glancing over, Max saw Vicerene Wallflower nodding gently along with this announcement, she didn’t seem all that surprised so presumably the princess had discussed the idea with her before.

“Furthermore,” continued the princess, “I instruct the court to increase funding benefiting the common ponies of the nation, investment is to be made into infrastructure and public buildings.” Max’s heart leapt a little, that was exactly what he wanted to do! It was like the princess herself was supporting him! “It is not to be forgotten,” continued the princess, “that this nation is built upon the backs of its people and that in times of trouble heroes may arise from the most unexpected of places,” the tiniest trace of a smile crossed the alicorn’s muzzle. “Such heroes should be supported by the court whenever possible.” The princess paused for a moment, cocking her head slightly and frowning before continuing. “On the issue of the return of my sister, I bid my court to take what actions they deem appropriate to protect their people from her. However, I warn against overconfidence or rash actions, my sister is a threat to the whole of the nation and is not to be taken lightly. the court is charged with the protection of their ponies, but I am ultimately responsible for dealing with my sister.” The last line was delivered with rather more emotion than was normal for such a formal speech. Max felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck, the chamber felt stuffy and there was an aura of tension starting to build. “Other measures will be laid before you as are needed,” concluded the princess, “My Lords and Ladies of the Night Court, may harmony aid you in your duties.”

Max glanced around again. something seemed to be wrong, the feeling of tension was still growing and most of the ponies in the area seemed to be affected; many were looking around with worry and some with full blown fear in their eyes. Several of the unicorn guards had their horns glowing. Suddenly Max’s ears popped as if there had been a change in pressure. At the front of the chamber the princess leapt up from her throne. “My little ponies!” she cried, “Do not be...”

The centre of the chamber suddenly erupted into an inferno. Flames blasted out in every direction rolling towards the assembled members of the government as well as high into the air. A range of panicked neighs and screams could be heard as ponies of all types tried desperately to avoid their doom, tripping over each other as they went. Max’s head desperately jerked back and forth searching for Fragrant amongst the mob. There she was! Near the approaching wall of fire, pushing Buttercup ahead of herself as the two of them tried to get to safety. He braced himself, ready to charge towards her. Then just as suddenly as it had appeared, and before the court could realise the flames produced no heat, the bank of fire rolled back upon itself forming into a gigantic figure towering over all others in the chamber, a white mare, her mane and eyes made of flame. She sat upon a throne, the twin of the one occupied by the princess, and upon her head sat a duplicate crown. “Be not afraid!” thundered the giant, “The true ruler of Equestria, Queen Celestia Equestris, wishes to parley with the body known as the Night Court!” it exclaimed.

Around the chamber the court almost as one stopped their fleeing and turned to stare at the figure in astonishment. The momentary panic over, the guards started to push forwards weapons ready. “Hold!” came a cry from Luna, as she rose from her throne, ceremonial mace abandoned but Nightbringer held in her aura. “This is merely an image of my sister, she always did like to make a dramatic entrance,” she muttered.

The burning figure turned to the smaller alicorn, glancing at the weapon she carried, and gave a gracious smile. “I see you still wield my gift, sister.”

“It still holds its edge, sister, and you too have accepted my gift,” replied Luna enigmatically, “Yet, despite my generosity, you choose to invade this ceremony!”

“I would speak to your court, sister, as their ruler, and you have no power to stop me.”

“Do I not?” asked Luna, her horn glowing brightly. for a moment nothing happened and Max thought he saw a bead of sweat creep across the princess’ brow, before the gigantic image of Corona started to fade. The tyrant sun looked alarmed but then Luna’s aura fell silent and her form stabilized. “I am not so weak that I cannot dispel a mere trick of the light. However, I do not fear anything you can say to my court, you have my leave to speak, sister, although you should do so on your true terms with no further enhancement,” said Luna with a nod and a slight smile.

A look of supreme annoyance passed over Corona’s face as she accepted her sister's permission with bad grace. Her illusionary form diminished in size until it only stood a head or so larger than Luna. Scowling, the white alicorn turned to the assembled ponies before composing herself. “Members of the Night Court,” she began, “Know that your government is an illegal one, falsely formed when my sister unjustly usurped my throne a millennium hence. You have no true authority due to the treachery that your council was born from.”

Max blinked in astonishment, he had not expected to hear such a reasoned argument from the mouth of the Tyrant Sun. He would have expected her to rant and rave about crushing them all, or something similar. He hadn’t been present when she had besieged Canterlot but from what he had heard she had acted quite mad at the time. Around him, several other members of the court were likewise confused by the alicorn’s word.

“However.” she continued, her face softening. “Since my return I have studied both this and previous courts, and find that despite my sister's influence you have done your best to administer my lands and the ponies in them.” Her voice hardened again. “The time of my return to my true throne is approaching and those who support my rule will be rewarded, I offer you now the chance to swear loyalty to me as many of your ancestors once did. Houses Blueblood and Schere among others once supported me and achieved high status in the past and could again in the present.”

Max noticed several of the courtiers glaring at Viscount Blueblood having been reminded of his family's ancient treachery. The stallion bristled under their gaze and blushed under his white coat. “The past of my family is not today!” he blustered. Count Kibitz of Schere also spluttered in protest.

“I see,” continued Corona her facade starting to crack as her frustration mounted. “And the rest of you, surely some of you would follow the true ruler of Equestria?”

A moment’s silence passed before Archduke Fisher stepped forwards. “We will never serve the Tyrant Sun!” he spat definitely, “We will fight you with all our might and industry!”. A loud cheer went up from the rest of the court, although Max noticed a few of the members edging back from the figure of the glowing mare.

“The princess is our one true ruler,” announced Night Light.

“You have no authority in this court,” said Puissance, the old mare taking a step towards the image of the solar alicorn.

“You can jolly well sod off!” exclaimed Wallflower. There was another round of cheers from the crowd and even a few laughs.

Corona seemed quite shocked by the response and several moments passed with her mouth flapping up and down like a fish. Max thought it actually looked quite funny, that such a powerful being could be so undone by dissent; he guessed she wasn’t used to being told ‘no!’. “I understand that you may fear for your lives and those of your families if you publicly declare for me at this time,” she finally rallied “but if you do wish to serve me you will be given the opportunity to pledge your support secretly.” Several members of the court looked around at each other nervously, wondering if any of their neighbours would take up the Tyrant’s offer.

“We will fight you no matter the cost!” Max heard Mellow’s shrill voice through the assembled ponies. Pushing through the crowd while adding his own voice to the crowd, Max finally came upon Fragrant. Reaching forwards he locked his hoof on her own. She smiled and turned towards the image of Corona.

“Equestria will stand! Cloudsdale will soar! Corona will fall!” she chanted. Smiling, Max copied her.

“Enough!” cried Corona, momentarily silencing the crowd as she glared upon them, her eyes blazing even brighter. “If you are not willing to follow me, if you choose to stand with my traitorous sister, know then that I will show no mercy when I am returned to my proper place! I swear this on my returned...” and just as suddenly as she appeared she vanished.

Princess Luna stepped forwards, her horn still glowing from the spell used to dispel her sister's form. “I apologize for the interruption my court, I have taken steps to ensure that my sister will not bother us anymore. Given the current events I would not expect you to continue with your duties for today. The guard will escort you from the chamber and court will reconvene tomorrow,” she announced before starting to turn away from the court.

“Your majesty,” said Night Light stepping forwards, “May I speak?”

The princess stopped and turned back. “You have that right, Viceroy.”

“I hope I speak on behalf of the whole court when I say that we do not wish your sister's message to interrupt the proper functioning of the court. That would be tantamount to letting her win, in whatever small way. We have important business and do not want to delay it. With your permission I would like to ask that court be continued as normal.”

A look of surprise spread over the princess’ face and she looked up at the rest of the court. “Is this the will of the whole of the court?” she asked.

A chorus of agreement rang around the chamber.

“Very well,” said Luna, her horn glowing, “I declare the nine hundred and seventy eighth session of the Night court open.”

There was a flash and the entire court found themselves no longer in the throne room, they had been transported to the great debating chamber by the princess. Every member was packed into the lower level of the chamber. Only the princess herself sat above them in her own personal box overlooking the room.

“My court,” she declared, “I bid you advise your monarch.”

26) Month 1 - Important bills

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Max glanced around the crowded hall. despite the shocking event of just a few minutes ago the court seemed seemed almost mundane now. He’d spent enough time in this chamber for the general business of court to become second nature. Likewise the setting seemed to have calmed most of the other courtiers, although many looked a little dishevelled despite their ornate robes after the panic surrounding Corona’s appearance.

Despite the calming nature of the setting, Max was still nervous: the first order of business would be one of the most important pieces of legislation passed in most of the courtiers’ life times. The princess had teleported the entire court to the floor of the debating chamber, several of the higher ranking nobles were looking up towards their personal boxes lining the walls. The princess had not said anything about them not using them but it looked like the court had decided that using them and rising above their fellows might send the wrong message given the humility the new bill was supposed to represent. However, the lack of space meant that most of the members of the night court were forced to stand. the princess had apparently foreseen this issue and most of the older members of the court had been positioned near seats where they were able to rest their hooves. Puissance, despite being the oldest of the courtiers, had stepped away from her own chair and was pointedly standing near the front of the hall.

“My lords and ladies,” came a bellowing voice from a formally dressed stallion who had taken his place at the podium. The lord chamberlain was one of the princess’s most senior advisors who was not a voting noble. His role was to keep order in the chamber and to ensure the business of the court was not unduly disturbed. Max had heard that the position was often taken up by a retired courtier at Luna’s request. “Pray silence,” he paused to let the general hubbub die down. “The first order of business are any early day motions left over from the previous session of the court. The first bill on today's book is that raised by the late baron Fields to broaden the scope and funding of the Internal Affairs Bureau.” The stallion paused for a moment in respect. “Due to the honourable member's death the bill has been primarily sponsored by Vicerene Wallflower. Vicereine Wallflower of Canterlot will take the stand.” He bowed as the Vicereine pushed her way through the crowd to the front of the hall to take her place. She moved with purpose despite her heavy robes, she had removed the powdered wig and her mane had been left rather messy.

Max glanced around and noted that most of the court had done likewise, some had also stripped off other parts of their formal costumes, mostly the ruffs. Or maybe they’d lost them in the earlier panic. In either case he assumed that now the opening ceremony was over they could wear what they wanted. He grabbed his own wig, glad to be free from the thing. he was beginning to wonder if there was something living in it, he couldn’t see anything to do with the thing so he kept it on his hoof for the moment. Various pages were moving slowly back and forth through the crowd passing out copies of the proposed legislation. Max had read the document several times already, but due to the ceremony had not been able to carry a copy around with him, so he took another gratefully.

“Right Chaps and Chapesses,” came Wallflower’s bellow from the front of the chamber, causing Max and several other courtiers to jump. “We all know what this is about and what needs to be done, we’ve just told Corona where to stick it but now we need to show the princess that we can be trusted to serve her and Equestria properly.” She glared around the hall. “For too long the Internal Affairs Bureau has been a joke, a paper tiger with no real power and no real way to stop the,” she paused for a moment, “excesses of the court. Given what happened after the gala we need to do something about it and we need to do it now!” she stomped a hoof on the lectern in front of her. “Now normally this sort of thing would get bounced back and forth between committees for years, maybe decades before anything actually got done, but that’s not good enough, we need to get agreement here and now! We’re hurrying this through and not everything is fully laid out yet, but we need a yay or neigh from each of you. You can of course query the legislation if you want, you have that right, but nopony is leaving this chamber until we have a vote. You can fillybuster as much as you want, but we’ll all just get hungry and tired then, and I can get snappy if I don’t get three square meals and a good six hours a night!” Her face softened for a moment. “I know this isn’t exactly normal procedure and it might even seem that this is the sort of thing that the bureau is supposed to deal with, an abuse of power, but we need to show the princess and the common pony that we can act for their good.” She glanced up at the princess’s box where Luna set looking down at the court, her face unreadable. “Right, now I call my colleague Duchess Posey of Greater Cloudsdale to lay out the details of Baron Field’s proposal.”

Wallflower stepped aside and gestured as Fragrant trotted up onto the stand. She curtseyed to the Vicereine and then to the body of the court before laying out a set of notes on the lectern and started to speak in a clear voice. Max felt a little guilty, Fragrant had probably meant to spend last night practicing this speech rather than, well, entertaining him. Still, it didn’t seem like she needed the help as she quickly and clearly laid out the central tenets of the new bill. The pre-existing Internal Affairs Bureau was to be expanded to cover all members of the court regardless of their rank, it would be given powers to investigate the finances and dealings of all serving courtiers in order to search for any evidence of corruption, and if it found evidence of wrongdoing would have the ability to punish the guilty even to the extent of removing them from their role and recommend a criminal trial if laws had been broken. The organisation was to report only to the princess herself but would be headed by a council made up of senior members of the judiciary, military and shadowbolts. It might be some time before a chairpony was selected but Fragrant threw the name of a judge, Honourable Oath, into the ring as a possibility.

Once Fragrant had finished her speech, each of the remaining Viceroys stepped forwards to give their support to the bill. Night Light clarified that the bureau would be removed from its current position within his own ministry and made truly independent and that its reach would extend to all members of the court, even those of the highest rank. Puissance also spoke, although with somewhat less passion, about the need for a body to increase public confidence in the court and to prevent corruption.

The supporting statements having been read, the discussion was thrown open to anypony who would speak against the legislation. A silence rang over the chamber as many pairs of eyes glanced up at the princess towering over the massed court. Sensing their trepidation Luna spoke. “My position on this matter is well known,” she announced, “and I am gratified by your support of myself against my sister. However, I require my courtiers to be willing to deal honourably with each other and with the peoples of Equestria, but if I am required to impose honour upon you, then it is worthless. As such I will excuse myself from these proceedings, I will return only after you have reached a decision. I will not ask that a record of the vote be kept, you must all decide for yourself if you believe you can meet my expectations.” With one last long hard look around the chamber Luna turned and left the debating chamber, leaving the curtains of her box open.

For a moment, silence continued around the room as the courtiers digested what their monarch had just said. Finally, a pony raised his hoof to speak. “The court recognises Archduke Bobbing Fisher of Rushia,” announced Wallflower with a slight sigh.

“Thank you Vicereine,” said Fisher with a nod. “I would ask how the bureau would interact with the more secure ministries, such as my own ministry of defence. certain reports and expenditures are required to be kept secret for the good of Equestria as a whole. Few, if any civilians are cleared for such information, it is likely that your new council will not contain those individuals. Your own Diplomatic Corps may have the same problem, may it not Vicereine?” he concluded a little challengingly.

“Your objection is understood, Archduke,” responded Wallflower “and as stated the council running the bureau will also include members of the Shadowbolts and the military. it should be possible to establish a quorum cleared to fully investigate all levels of the government, including mine and yours.” Not looking happy, Fisher nodded at this announcement and stepped back. “Good, are there any other objections?” Around the hall a few hooves were raised.

Max quickly grew more and more weary as point after point was raised about the practicality of the new rules and possible exceptions to them, of course the lack of sleep wasn’t helping matters. He already knew exactly how he was going to vote and he doubted any point of order was going to change that so he just had to stand there waiting for the discussion to finally wind down. He was glad to see that the objectors certainly seemed to be in the minority, even if they were being quite vocal. most of the courtiers were like him, just waiting for the final issues to be hammered out.

Finally, the objections quietened down and a closing speech was presented. To Max’s surprise, rather than Wallflower it was Buttercup who took the podium to perform. The younger mare looked a little overawed by the mass of the court in front of her but she stood resolute and spoke in a surprisingly strong voice. “Members of the court, as you are aware this bill has been submitted in my father's name, one of his last acts was to show his support for it at his own retirement party. I do not claim to be able to speak on this matter with even a fraction of his own conviction,” she closed her eyes for a moment and swayed slightly, when she opened them again they were glittering with unshed tears. “He said that we had to prove ourselves better than our forebears to ensure that we could pass something on to our children to make them proud of us. This bill shows, in just a small way, that we can put aside our differences and are willing to have our actions judged, that we are willing to work for the wellbeing of all of our people. I ask you now, all of you,” her gaze swung over the court, “to show your support for this bill so that we can prove to ourselves, to the princess, to our parents and our children that there is still honour in this body, that we are worthy to work for the princess and for all of Equestria!”

Next to her Wallflower began to stomp, showing her support, Max was only a few seconds behind and quickly the applause was taken up but the whole court. As soon as the noise had started to die down Wallflower stepped forwards and called for an immediate vote on the bill. Max hadn’t taken part in a secret vote before, they were not common. each noble was passed two tokens, one silver, one golden, to vote for the legislation they were to place the silver token in the voting bag as it was carried around the room, the golden token meant a vote against. The unused tokens were then placed in a second bag. Max just hoped he got the two the right way around. Slowly, the possession of the voting sergeant and a group of attendant pages with the voting equipment passed around the hall, eventually pausing in front of Max. He carefully placed the silver token in the voting bag and passed back the golden one, letting out a held breath once he was done. He wobbled slightly on his hooves, he really did need to catch up on his sleep.

His immediate duty over, he started to consider what to do next, the vote would be over soon and hopefully pass by a significant margin. The princess would return to listen to the result and the business of the court would continue and a call would be sent out for any other early day motions. He would have a chance to put forwards his transport bill, but should he? Fragrant had warned him against it, told him that new courtiers didn’t do things like that, but he knew how important this was to his people, and to many other areas around Equestria; the railway was expanding quickly and many areas were just getting left behind. He was certain that the majority of provinces would benefit, it should pass easily and Fragrant had helped him draft it all so there shouldn’t be any exploitable loopholes. Greengrass had suggested he seize the day if he had the chance and now seemed like that moment...

“Lords and Ladies!” announced the chancellor from the front of the hall, jolting Max from his thoughts. “The vote has been collected and counted, we only have to wait for the reject bag to be verified to ensure no misvoting has occurred.” He paused for a moment and the voting sergeant nodded. “The final vote is as follows. Tokens in favour of Baron Field’s bill for the Internal Affairs Bureau, two hundred and ten, votes against, twelve, abstentions, twenty-one. The motion passes.”

Another wave of stamping passed through the crowd. Max grinned up at the very relieved looking Fragrant on the platform. He’d sort of hoped that it would pass unanimously but it seemed like some of the court were not happy with the new rules. Still, the overwhelming support should give the princess the evidence she wanted that the court was willing to turn over a new leaf. Or at least he hoped it would.

Once again he was jolted from his stupor as a fanfare was played to signal that the princess had returned to the chamber. She once again stood alone in her private box far above the floor of the chamber. “Your majesty,” announced Wallflower, “It pleases me to report that the voting is now over and the bill to increase the powers of the Internal Affairs Bureau has passed by a significant margin. Your court is proud to recommend to you that the bill be introduced in full, certain details will still need clarification but we are willing to accept greater restrictions and investigations into our actions for the good of Equestria. We...” the mare faltered for a moment, “we are sorry for our previous actions and seek your eventual forgiveness,” she bowed low.

For a moment Max thought he saw a flicker of a smile on the princess's face but it quickly returned to its impassive mask. “Very well, I accept your recommendation my court. I declare that Baron Fields’ bill be implemented as soon as possible. Recruitment of additional staff for the bureau will take place over the next month and the needed budget will be secured from the royal purse. I accept your act of contrition and am glad of your words and actions. However,” she continued, her voice darkening as she glared down at the court, “do not think yourselves forgiven of your wrongdoings due to this one action. Proof will be needed that you have changed your ways and will continue to put the good of the kingdom ahead of yourselves. Any further corruption will not be tolerated.” The words seemed to hang in the air for several moments before silence returned to the chamber and the princess leant back in her seat.

At the front of the court the chancellor once again stepped forwards. “My Lords and Ladies,” he announced, “Now that the first bill has been dealt with, are there any other early day bills?”

This was it thought Max, this was his chance, he was overcome with uncertainty for a moment, almost frozen in place. But then he thought of Iron Trotsky at home, slowly dying of red lung and wanting to leave a legacy for his daughter. Of Piste and Zephyr, of the benefits roads and rail could bring to his province, to his people and his hoof shot into the air almost of its own accord.

There was a mumble of confusion through the court as they began to turn towards Max. He saw Fragrant cock her head to one side before her eyes widened in surprise. “The court recognises,” there was a brief pause, as a servant rushed over and whispered in the chancellor’s ear “Baron Mounty Max of Nulpar,” he continued.

“Thank you,” said Max. Looking around the sea of faces around him, suddenly this didn’t seem such a good idea, but he pushed his anxiety aside and made his way to the front of the court. He took his place at the pulpit and took a deep breath. “Hi!” He started uncertainly, maybe he should have prepared a speech or something, it might have helped if he’d managed to get some sleep last night. “Um, my honoured colleagues,” that sounded like a good start, “I wish to propose a bill to provide a subsidy to promote road and rail building in the more rural areas of Equestria, like my province of Nulpar. The railway has been a blessing to much of our nation, allowing journeys that once took a week to be reduced to only a few days or even less. It allows the easy transport of good and materials around the county, offers the opportunity to travel from one end of Equestria to the other allowing our people to share ideas and to maintain friendships. Rail can make travel through harsh terrain quicker and safer, my own,” he hesitated, he hadn’t meant to make this so personal, but he needed to make sure the court understood how important this was to him, “my own father died on a journey that he might not have made if Nulpar had railways. The princess herself told us in her speech earlier to work on improving Equestria’s infrastructure but, although the major settlements are well connected now, the smaller towns still lag behind. Rails and even proper paved roads don’t come cheap and the companies now running the railways aren't keen on spending to enlarge the network without guaranteed benefits. Our people need our help to make it just that little bit easier to help themselves. I ask you all to help all those small communities that could gain so much from better travel facilities.”

There was silence as Max’s words sunk into the crowd. Many of them sat unmoving, one or two looked confused and a few others were muttering to each other.

“Baron Max has proposed his bill,” announced the chancellor, “does anypony second the motion?”

The silence continued. Max looked over towards Fragrant, surely she’d support him in this, she had helped him put the bill together in the first place. She stood in her place scowling at him making no move to help.

“Um,” came a voice from the floor, “I’d like to second that there bill. I’ll be right handy to build more railways don’t ‘cha know.” The speaker was a rather matronly looking white mare with a blond mane. Max recognised her as one of the new courtiers he’d seen being ennobled yesterday, but he couldn’t remember her name.

“The court recognises Baroness March Gustysnows of the sub-province of Whinnysota,” announced the chancellor.

One of the other courtiers raised a hoof.

“The court recognises Baron Starborn of South Everfree.”

The baron nodded. “Excuse me Baron Max, but I don’t appear to have received a copy of your proposal.”

“Ah,” said Max awkwardly, “I didn’t really have a chance to give any out, this was a sort of spur of the moment thing.”

“Spur of the moment!” exclaimed Starborn, there was general muttering around the court. “Surely the details have been worked out in committee months ago? Early morning motions are for legislation we didn’t have time to vote on in the last session.”

“Well, you see...” Max found himself sweating, “I didn’t really go through committee, I did show it some courtiers, Fragr... I mean Duchess Posey, Baron Dramatic, one or two others. I did write it last season, so that’s all right, I think?” He turned to the chancellor who didn’t look impressed.

“It is not required for a bill to pass through committee,” admitted the stallion, “and all that is required for an early morning bill is for it to have been written before the previous session closed... It is permissible.” He admitted with bad grace.

“I see,” said Starborn, “But how do you expect us to vote on something you haven't even seen the details of baron? This seems most remiss.”

“Um, if you can give me a bit of time, a few minutes, I could get you a copy!” spluttered Max. It occurred to him that he actually only had a single copy of the current version of the paper, he’d spent some time working on it in Nulpar and on his trip back, certainly not the hundreds he’d need to show the rest of the court.

“The court recognises Duchess Posey of Cloudsdale,” announced the chancellor, Max started, he hadn’t noticed Fragrant raise her hoof.

“Given how unprepared the Baron is,” she said, “I raise that his proposal be adjourned until a later session? I believe there is some time free in the general voting schedule in six months or so.”

“Actually,” came a voice from near the front of the chamber, Max’s heart sunk as he recognised it.

“The court recognises Archduke Fisher of Rushia.”

“If the baron requires extra time I think we are due a recess after the earlier events, say fifteen minutes? To let the baron get his affairs in order,” said the archduke, a look of enjoyment on his face.

“The court recognises baroness Thornbush of Neighvosibirak.”

“I second the idea,” said Thornbush glancing over at her feudal master. There was a general muttering of agreement through the chamber, several ponies paced on tired hooves after the previous extended debate.

The chancellor glanced upwards and for the first time Max realised that the princess was still in the chamber. Luna sat regally looking down on her court, her face unreadable. After a moment she gave a small nod.

“Very well, court is adjourned for fifteen minutes at which time the session will commence!”

At the sound of the announcement Max sprung from his place and galloped at full speed towards the nearest exit. A quarter of an hour wasn’t much time to get his bill and somehow copy it hundreds of times, he needed to think. “Max!” came a cry that sounded like it came from Fragrant, but he didn’t have time to stop and check, they could talk later. His hooves pounding on the flagstones, Max flew through the castle's corridors barely avoiding colliding with several servants as he went. he was glad that his new quarters were closer than his old ones, he’d never have made it in time where he used to be stationed. Still, it was almost five minutes before he threw the door open. Mrs G sat there, a tower of paper surrounding her. she looked up, apparently unsurprised as he dashed into the room.

“Is court finished for the moment?” she asked.

“Have you seen my copy of my road building proposal?” he gasped, leaping across the room and tearing open the filing cabinet, tossing various bits of paper aside in his search.

“I filed it upstairs, bottom drawer of that cupboard with the dent in the top I think, what’s got you in such a hurry?” she asked as Max rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time. it was only seconds later that he returned jumping from the door to the second floor to land on the free desk.

“I need this copied, quickly!” he cried.

The old goat sighed and took out a quill. “How many do you need?”

“About two hundred and fifty, in the next five minutes!”

“I’ll need a few more quills then.”

“There’s got to be some way to do this!” said Max pacing back and forth in agitation.

Mrs G furrowed her brow. “The castle does have copying resources you know, the east wing, not far from the ministry of the interior.”

A wide smile slipped onto Max’s face. “Thanks Mrs G,” he cried, “I love you!” He gave her a kiss on the cheek before taking the bill in his mouth and dashing towards the door.

“I do hope the duchess doesn’t get too jealous,” said Mrs G, watching him go.

“I need help!” yelled Max as he rushed into a large room. It was full of line after line of desks with pony after pony hunched over then, quills grasped in mouths or auras as they carefully copied out documents. Behind them, some hissing device seemed to be carrying out the same process more artificially.

“You certainly do,” mumbled a grey coated old unicorn stallion as he wandered over towards the stressed baron with agonising slowness. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I need this document copied now!” he cried, spitting the papers onto the nearest table.

“And how many copies?” asked the servant, picking up the somewhat crumpled paper and flicking through it.

“One for each of the court! And I need it done now, right now, literally!”

“Of course you do,” sighed the stallion, rolling his eyes, “You’ll want to use magic then, duplication spells.”

“You can do that?” asked Max in astonishment.

“We can do many things sir, for the right price.”

“Oh, well I haven’t really got any bits on me,” spluttered Max.

“Don’t worry sir, just sign here and the cost will be taken from your budget,” the stallion handed over a form. Max hesitated for a moment, he didn’t know how much this would be but he guessed a lot; still, he really didn’t have time to find out and he couldn’t stop now. “And there, and finally there, sir,” continued the unicorn, pointing at line after line on the form. “Thank you. Now, Photograph, Copier,” he called, and two younger but equally grey unicorns trotted over, “A court full of duplicates please.” Both of the stallions’ horns glowed grey for a moment and their auras surrounded the paper. It looked like the ink was literally sucked off the document before flying towards a nearby stack of paper. The glow brightened and within a few seconds the box was full of hundreds of equally distressed documents. Max blinked, he’d rather hoped the final product might look a little better, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. He grabbed the box of paper and swung it onto his back, staggering slightly under the weight as he turned back towards the door.

Giving a final cry of “Thanks,” Max galloped from the copying chamber towards the court.

The guards only just managed to open the doors to the debating chamber in time for Max to come careening through.

“Given that the baron...” said Fragrant before she was cut off.

“Sorry I’m late,” panted Max. “I’ve got the details.” He waved a copy of his proposal in the air. “If I may?” he asked the chancellor as he headed back to the front of the room and clambered onto it. He leaned against the podium for a moment getting his breath back, he was feeling rather light headed. Still, now that he’d managed to get back here in time, he was sure things would work out. A small group of pages approached rather nervously, he passed them the box of papers with a smile and they bowed before taking them and beginning to pass them out to the rest of the court. “As you can see, all the details are in there.”

Much of the court was staring at him in astonishment at that moment, but a few of them at least were starting to flip through the document muttering amongst themselves.

“I can talk you through any questions you might have,” said Max helpfully.

A black unicorn raised his hoof, his face scowling.

“The court recognises Baron Hardup of Prancingland.”

“Talk through any questions!” he spat, “Is this all a joke to you! Do you seriously expect us to vote on something like this only a few minutes after being given it?! Look at this, what is this, a cow and a pony surrounded by a heart!” He waved the paper in the air. Max swallowed painfully, he didn’t realise the magic would have duplicated all the notes he’d made on his copy of the paper.

“It’s a goat and a pony actually, I was thinking about some of my assistants at the time and I must have doodled it...” he gulped, this was not turning out how he’d expected. in a moment of clarity, he realised just how much of a fool he must seem right now.

“You do realise that you are supposed to be a noble of the land!” cried Hardup, “Not some clown! The princess herself has just warned us to clean up our act and you come up with this! Flouting the spirit of the rules, rushing a bill through without running it through committee! For shame!” There was a cheer of agreement through the crowd. Max’s eyes shot up to the princess’s box, she still sat there looking down with an unamused expression.

“The court recognises Baron Dramatic of Mane.”

Max attention was drawn back down to the court. Did he actually have some support? “I have read an earlier draft of the document,” said Mellow somewhat timidly, “And it really is quite comprehensive.”

“Of course, an earlier draft! I’m sure no extra riders have been added since then, and we can of course take your word for it,” continued Hardup, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Enough of this foolishness! I call for an immediate vote on this ‘bill’” he made quotation marks with his hooves. “We can get this rubbish out of the way and get back to some real work!”

“The court recognises Archduke Fisher of Rushia”

“As much as I enjoy seeing my colleague making such a fool of himself, I have to agree with the good baron,” said Fisher with an evil grin on his face. “This is clearly a waste of our time, let us vote and get it done with.” There was a cheer from the nobles around him.

“Do you have any last comments on your bill before the vote takes place?” asked the chancellor to Max.

Max lowered his head in shame, how could he have been so stupid! He had completely humiliated himself in front of the court. He looked towards Fragrant in the crowd but she refused to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I do truly believe that my bill will help my province and the people that live there and many other ponies all around Equestria. Better roads and railways are sure to make a difference to their lives, I only hope you can look past my foolishness in this matter and see the good this can do to our country.” He stepped back away from the podium as the vote started.

It didn’t take long. A small number of the court had been swayed either by Max’s words or the princess’s earlier mention of infrastructure improvement, but only a handful. Mellow voted for Max, as did Baroness Gustysnows and one or two of the newer courtiers as well as a few of the members from the less developed provinces which, like Nulpar, were poorly served by the current transport network; but the final result was a forgone conclusion. Eventually, the voting wound its way up to the dukes and duchesses, and to Fragrant. Max’s ears pricked up as she cleared her throat, at least she would be lending him her support. “I vote against this foolishness,” she announced clearly.

A cold shiver ran through Max, and for a moment he wondered if he’d misheard. Then he met Fragrant’s gaze and he knew that his ears were correct. She didn’t even look apologetic, her gaze was, if anything, angry with maybe a little pity. The coldness turned to fire as Max ground his teeth, he would have thought he would have at least had Fragrant’s support, considering that she’d helped to write the document in the first place. She knew how much this meant to him, she’d even seen his people’s problems first hoof. He returned her gaze with just as much venom. Almost without him noticing, the vote came to an end.

“The final result is twenty-five votes for, two hundred and eighteen votes against, the motion is rejected. Your majesty, your court recommends that you reject baron Max’s suggestion.”

Max’s head dropped again and he tried to slink off of the stage before anything else could go wrong.

“Thank you,” came Luna’s voice from above, and Max knew his humiliation wasn’t over yet. “I accept your recommendation. I agree with Baron Hardup that this event was clearly an attempt to circumvent the normal procedures of the court.” Max felt his blood turn to ice at his ruler’s pronouncement, was she going to fire him? Replace him as ruler of Nulpar? Send him home in disgrace? “However,” continued the princess, “I do not think the baron’s intent was malicious, he truly did seem to have his people’s best interests at heart, and for that at least he deserves commendation. Although it would seem that his education was lacking on how a courtier should comport themselves.” There was a quiet hubbub around the chamber as the court took in this information. “Now, are there any more bills to submit?” she asked. There was no reply. “Very well, I therefore declare the court closed for the day, return to your homes and think deeply on the events of today.”

The noise level in the chamber rocketed as the courtiers began to loudly discuss the princess’s words. Max quickly made his way to the nearest exit, not feeling like he wanted to discuss the situation any more right now. He passed Greengrass on the way out, the short stallion looked confused about something as he watched Max go.

Max had only just made it out of the debating chamber when he was cut short by a cry from behind him. “Baron Max!” he turned to see Fragrant stamping towards him, her face black as thunder. “How could you have been so feather brained as to carry out that stunt!” she yelled, “I specifically told you not to do anything stupid and what did you do? You did the most moronic, imbecilic, thing possible, you made a complete idiot of yourself and you humiliated me as well! You heard the princess, your education was lacking, I trained you!” She was angrier than Max had ever seen her before.

“Look, I’m sorry I messed up, I really wasn’t thinking straight, I didn’t get any sleep today,” protested Max.

“Oh, you didn’t get any sleep! That makes everything alright!” she mocked.

“Look I said I was sorry!” exclaimed Max, the stress of the last hour starting to bubble over as anger. “It would have been nice to have gotten some support in there, you more than anypony knows how important that bill was to me, to Nulpar!”

“Support! Why should I support such a hare-brained, half thought out idea!”

“Because ponies are supposed to help each other when they’re friends, and more than friends,” he lowered his voice a little, “Not that you ever want to show anypony that.”

Fragrant glared at him. “Maybe we should rethink just how close we are then,” she snarled before turning on her heels and marching away. For a moment Max wanted to gallop after her to apologize, but then another wave of anger rolled over him and his face hardened.

“Fine!” he yelled before turning away as well.

“You look troubled, duke,” said Notary, she looked up from her desk to examine her employer.

“Hum,” mumbled Greengrass blinking as he turned from staring into the corner. “Sorry?” he asked.

“I said you look troubled. I would have thought you would be in a better mood after how your game with Baron Max went.”

“Yes, so did I. things went well: just a few words said at the right time, your stunt with the guards during the day, a little chat with Gustysnows and the rest of my sub provincial lords and baron Max made a fool of himself with no trail back to me. Still, I’m not feeling much accomplishment... he’s rather too easy to fool, not much satisfaction there.”

“Maybe it is because you acted on the spur of the moment rather than planning in advance?” suggested Notary, tidying up some of the papers on the duke’s desk.

“Possibly. I did lose my temper there, but I don’t like being patronised.”

“I do not think the baron wanted to insult you, I think he may have just seen you alone and wanted to offer you some support.”

“But why? What would he get out of such an action?” asked Greengrass, “I certainly don’t want his pity,” he spat.

“Given the recent events maybe you could do with as many friends as you can get?”

“I might need allies, but friends I can do without,” said Greengrass, turning back to his work.

“Of course sir,” said Notary as she slipped from the room.

27) Month 1 - Reconciliation

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“I’m sorry Baron,” said Loyal Service, “But the duchess will be in meetings until late, if you wish to make an appointment to see her I can pass on your request, but she will not be free until next week at the earliest.”

“I only need a few minutes,” begged Max.

“I am sorry,” the servant’s tone softened a little, “I will pass on your request, but the duchess is very busy at the moment.”

“Thanks,” muttered Max as he turned on his heels and shuffled away from Fragrant’s mansion. It had been three days since his ill-fated attempt to propose a bill to the night court and in all that time he hadn’t managed to share one word with his fillyfriend. At least he hoped she was still that close to him, she had been furious when they last talked, and so had he. Now that he had calmed down, he understood how foolish he had been, but still Fragrant’s words and her betrayal hurt. He would have thought that, if anypony would have supported him, it would have been her. He’d deliberately avoided her for the first day, almost hoping she’d come crawling back to him begging his forgiveness, but those feelings had quickly melted away by the second evening.

Breakfast had seemed lonely and tasteless without her company. He’d caught a glance of her at court as she made her way to her private box. He’d thought she’d spotted him as well but she looked away and ignored him. By the end of that day he’d been ready to swallow his pride and tried to visit her at her office, only to be informed by her new assistant that she was in meetings for the rest of the day, and the next. He’d tried to explain things as best he could but Saltpeter was adamant his mistress had no time to see him. Now he couldn’t even see her at her own residence. Could she really have just broken things off with him? Had he been that much of a fool, that he’d lost something so precious to him?

With leaden hooves he dragged himself up the stairs to his new office. As he entered Mrs G glanced up over her paper covered desk. “I take it things didn’t go well?”

“I didn’t even get a chance to see her, her butler said she was busy.”

“And you accepted that?” she said raising an eyebrow.

“Well... it was probably true,” mumbled Max.

Mrs G harrumphed. “If you really cared for that filly you’d get out there and do something, not just mope around here all day.”

“It’s not that simple, Mrs G,” exclaimed Max, “Besides it’s not all my fault, she could have given me some support. it wouldn’t have made any real difference, but it would have shown she cared. Maybe she doesn’t.”

“Do you really think that?” said the goat raising her eyebrow.

“I don’t know, I really don’t,” he lowered his head.

“Well you won’t know until you actually do something will you?”

Lost for words Max stumbled past his assistant and started to make his way slowly up the stairs towards his office. At least he had things to distract him from Fragrant: his workload was much larger than last year. After the mess he’d made of the opening of the court he’d been worried that the other nobles might snub him, but the princess’s kind words seemed to have protected him from any recriminations. He’d even gotten an invitation to join two more committees, one relating to road building in the far west of Equestria and one about business tax. If he wasn’t feeling so miserable he’d probably be over the moon about the possible opportunities that had opened up for him.

On top of that he had quite a few meetings organised to talk about future projects and how Nulpar could work with other provinces. It also seemed like almost every department in the government wanted some information about his province now, Mrs G was being rushed off her hooves trying to keep up. On top of that, Fisher Mining had tried to organise a meeting about possible opportunities in the south east of his lands, and he had a bunch of messages from Conn and the rest of the council back at home which he hadn’t had a chance to look into yet.

Finally reaching his office on the third floor Max slumped into the chair. So much work to do and all he wanted to do was to say sorry to Fragrant. For a moment a slight flame of resentment burned again. why should he have to apologize? he’d been trying to help his people, why couldn’t she at least have given him some support? Then it flickered again, she’d tried to warn him, but he hadn’t listened. He reached out and took a report from his desk and with a complete lack of interest tried to force himself to read it. There was a click as the door to the room opened, Max looked up glad of the interruption. Mrs G entered without a word and sat on the chair opposite.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Still not saying anything, the old goat took out her knitting and started to work, the clicking of the needles the only sound. Max frowned but the goat didn’t seem interested in saying anything, she just sat there, staring at him.

“What?” he asked again, “She’s busy, there’s nothing I can do!” He turned back to his report, not really looking at the words.

Click, Click.

“I don’t even know where she is now.”

Click, Click.

“Well, I suppose she’ll be back at her estate later this evening, but that could be really late.”

Click, Click.

“Her staff isn’t going to let me into her home. It’s not like I can just climb into her room or anything!”

Click, Click.

Max paused in thought for a moment. “Well I suppose there is that balcony outside her sitting room. There are those vines just outside, it might not be that hard.”

Click, Click.

Max sat in thought for a moment more before leaping to his hooves, throwing the report aside. “If anyone calls tell them I’ll be busy for the rest of the night,” he said as he rushed out the door.

Click, Click.

Max stuck his head back around the door. “Thanks,” he said sincerely.

Click, Click.

Climbing onto Fragrant’s balcony proved to be as easy as Max had thought it might be. He’d crawled part of the way round to the side of the building in case somepony saw him, but once he reached the appropriate wall it was easy enough to scale. It was helped by the fact that the building was designed with pegasi in mind, which meant that there were numerous balconies and ledges that the owners could use to come and go. although harder for a ground bound pony to reach, they were not inaccessible to a skilled climber such as himself. It only took a few minutes for him to clamber up to the window outside of the sitting room that they had used to watch the sun rise only a few nights ago.

It was only at this point that Max realised a flaw in his plan, how was he going to get into the building? It wasn’t like Fragrant was going to leave her window unlocked where anyone could get in. Sighing, Max tried the latch and was very surprised to find that it easily opened. He really needed to talk to Fragrant about her security, once he’d talked to her about everything else. He glanced around the room, there was no sign of its owner and he had no idea how long it would be until she got here. From experience he knew she usually came here upon returning home to relax, and maybe complete some less important work, but it wasn’t guaranteed; she might go straight to bed if she was tired. He considered sneaking to her room, but despite the fact he’d just broken into her house that seemed too much of an invasion of her privacy. It was only now that it hit him how much trouble he might be in if he was found here. for a moment he considered turning and leaving again, but no, now that he’d come this far he wasn’t going to give up.

It was about half an hour before Max heard the sound of hooves approaching the room. For a moment he started to head towards the door, but then he realised that it might not be Fragrant but one of her servants. He quickly ducked behind one of the billowing curtains covering most of the windows and tried his best to hide. There was a click as the door opened and what sounded like more than one pony entered.

“Tell Feast that his services will not be required tonight,” came Fragrant’s voice, sounding tired. “I ate at the castle.”

“Yes Ma’am,” came another female voice.

“Have there been any messages while I have been out?” asked Fragrant.

There was a rustle of paper. “Here Ma’am, Baron Max has asked about you several times.”

Fragrant sighed. “I know, I’m really not in the mood to see him at the moment,” she mumbled, making Max’s heart drop.

“I did seem urgent, maybe you should talk to him Ma’am.”

“That’s not your problem Loyal,” said Fragrant sharply, “I have some papers to read and then I think I will turn in for the night. Make sure my chambers are prepared.”

“Yes Ma’am.” There was a clunk as the door shut again, followed by another sign from Fragrant before a light thud which Max took to be his marefriend sitting down. Now that he’d heard the short conversation, Max had begun to doubt his mission. It didn’t seem like Fragrant wanted to talk right now, maybe he should try to leave before she noticed him?

There was a gasp from the opposite side of the curtain. “You!” came a cry from Fragrant, “behind the curtain, who are you? Are you here to get an interview? Pictures?” she growled, “Come out now, don’t get any ideas, with one cry I can have guards here in seconds.”

Busted, thought Max as he pushed through the curtain to see Fragrant standing at the opposite side of the room, one hoof wrapped around the bell pull used to summon servants. “Max!” she cried in astonishment.

“Um, hi,” he replied gingerly waving a hoof.

“What are you..? how did you..?” asked Fragrant in astonishment.

“Um, well, I really wanted to talk to you. to, you know, apologize, and I couldn’t get to you so I, well, took matters into my own hooves. I’m sorry,” he said lowering his ears and head. “I thought you might, well, still be angry with me, want to break things off even.”

“I am still angry with you! And breaking into my home is not going to help that!” she glared at him for a moment before sitting heavily on a settee. Her face softened a little and she patted the seat next to her. “But I should have talked to you.”

Max slowly made his way across the room before carefully sitting on the offered seat. “I’m sorry,” he said again, his ears flattening against his head.

“I know you are,” said Fragrant with a weary sigh, “but what you did was incredibly stupid. proposing that bill was borderline illegal, if the princess hadn’t chosen to support you...” her voice trailed off. “We have to put that sort of thing behind us, have to follow the rules.”

“I know, but my people really need the help, they have so little compared to the rest of Equestria,” complained Max desperately.

“I know Max, I know, and if there was something I could do, I would, but you have to be patient.” She rested a gentle hoof on his chest. “You have a big heart,” she moved the hoof to his head and tapped him sharply, “But you have a hard head. I told you not to do anything stupid and you just ignored me!” She waved a hoof at him. “That hurt,” she mumbled, looking away.

“But you didn’t support me either, it wouldn’t have made a difference but you voted against me!” a little anger welling up in Max’s tone. “I know I shouldn’t have tried to rush through my bill but couldn’t I at least have your support!”

“Max...” for a moment Fragrant leaned against her stallion. “I do support you, I do think your bill, put through correctly, would be of benefit to your people, too much of Equestria, but,” she took a deep breath, “even if you did submit it properly I’d probably vote against it.”

“What!” exclaimed Max in astonishment, “But how can you say that?!”

“It benefits Equestria, but it won’t benefit Cloudsdale, we don’t need roads and at present we don’t need extra imports either.”

“But... but it won’t harm you either, why vote against!”

“The cost would come from the budget, you getting roads means that there’s less somewhere else that might affect Cloudsdale, unless you can offer me something in return I can’t support you.”

“But we’re... not even for me?” he asked quietly.

Fragrant leaned forwards resting her head against Max’s. “Especially for you, I can’t let how, how I feel about you come before my people, my duty. It’s wrong. I can’t put us before my province.”

“But... but...” stuttered Max, a feeling of resentment growing in him. “But no one even knows there is an us!”

“And I know how much that hurts you, I’m sorry, but I know the press, I know what they’re like. They attack you when you’re at your lowest,” her voice became shrill, “They make up lies, horrible horrible lies,” she sniffed, “No just about me, but about my-my family as well.”

Max realised how close Fragrant was to coming to tears and put an arm around her, pulling her close. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s frustrating but I know you’re right. I shouldn’t have tried to rush through my bill, and of course you have to put your people first.”

“I should have talked to you about what I had to do, and made it clear why you shouldn’t try to use the early members loophole.” Max felt her relax a little in his arms. They lay there for a few moments just enjoying the feel of their bodies touching.

Max broke the silence. “I wish you hadn’t avoided me, I think we would have both felt better if we’d sorted things out a few days ago.” He winced a little, that sounded a little accusatory, but what was said was said. Fragrant pulled away leaving him feeling chilly.

“I wasn’t avoiding you, I have been busy for the last few days.”

“But you always had time for our breakfasts and evenings before.”

“Back then I still had much of my diary set out for my trial, this is how busy I normally am.”

Max’s heart dropped. “But surely you’ve got some free time?”

“Occasionally, but not as much as I did, my new assistant is taking a while to get used to his role. Plus, I have had some extra draws on my time.”

“What?”

Fragrant looked aside, apparently embarrassed. “I’ve been talking to some of the other courtiers about you, making sure that none of them think they can score points with the princess by acting against you.”

“Oh,” exclaimed Max, stunned. “You didn’t...” Even when she was angry with him she still tried to protect him, even from himself.

“I may not have needed to, most understood your error, but I wanted to make sure you were alright.” She stared over at him for a moment, then blinked. “Even once the immediate crisis blows over we may not be able to spend as much time together as we did.”

“Oh,” muttered Max again, he thought about his increased workload, he’d probably have difficulty seeing Fragrant every day as well. Things looked bleak to him, he didn’t want to have to go through days without seeing his marefriend.

“I’ll try to give you what time I have, we can probably still share breakfast some mornings and maybe the occasional evening if I finish my work early. It might even be for the best, I think we might be taking things too quickly. It’s been, well it’s been a long time since I was last in a relationship. The last time we were together things got rather heated, we’d been away for a while and I’m sure we missed each other, but if we hadn’t been interrupted, well I don’t know what we would have ended up doing.” She blushed.

“Oh, I thought you were enjoying yourself...”

“I was, believe me, I very much was, but we’ve known each other for less than half a year. We’ve only been a couple for a few months, and we were apart for most of that. When we end up together things tend to get, heated. You’re a dangerously attractive stallion, Baron Bow Wow,” she said using his pet name.

“And you’re a stunning mare, Duchess Kitty Cat,” he replied nuzzling against her, “You bring the animal out in me.”

“See,” said Fragrant pulling away a little but still remaining in contact with Max, “This is what I’m talking about, maybe we should get to know each other a little more, in a more formal setting, before things progress further?”

Max considered for a moment. “How about we agree to set aside some time together each week, like a date night?”

Fragrant bit her tongue, she liked the idea, something to actually make it feel like they were courting, but the logistics would not be easy. “I may not be able to manage once a week, maybe once a month?” she suggested.

“Once a fortnight,” countered Max, “Surely we’re worth that? And all work and no play makes Fragrant a dull mare,” he leaned forwards and gently kissed her on the lips.

Fragrant returned the kiss. “Very well,” she agreed once they separated. She might have to try and push Saltpeter to learn his new role more quickly, but it would be possible.

“Good, we alternate who chooses where we go,” he paused for a moment, “I think I know where I’ll take us first.”

“Very well Max,” she seemed to consider things for a moment, “I am sponsoring an opera in a few months, I would need an escort, that would be a good opportunity.” She leant back against him. “But do try to keep things secret, or at least low key.”

“Of course,” replied Max, wrapping his forelegs around her in a hug. “I suppose I should leave you to your work?”

Fragrant glanced at the papers on the table. “In a while,” she admitted. Max started to release his grip. “But not right now,” she added, snuggling closer to him, “I think we have time for us now.”

28) Month 2 - First Date

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For about the fiftieth time in the last hour, Max glanced up at the clock. It hadn’t moved much in the last minute. Sighing, he looked back down at the papers in front of him and tried to decide what to do. He was due to meet up with Fragrant and go on their first official date in about five hours now. Part of him couldn’t believe how lucky he actually was, that such a sophisticated, clever and gorgeous mare was actually willing to go out with him. He kept thinking that something was going to go wrong, that he’d be woken up from the dream he found himself in. Another part thought it was strange that he was going on a date with somepony he’d known for over half a year and had shared both a bed and tent with on several occasions.

He glanced up at the clock again. Where was Baron Mellow Dramatic? He was supposed to have been here almost an hour ago now. The date had seemed so simple yesterday. He had just picked out a restaurant picked Mrs G had recommended and made a reservation. It was a small out of the way place, so there was no chance that the ponyrazzi would be there but he’d been told the food and ambiance were marvellous.

It was only at the last minute when he’d seen a group of other nobles on their way to a party that he’d realised just how inadequate his wardrobe would be for the date. A mare of Fragrant’s status would expect her date to be dressed in the latest of fashions. All he had in town were two suits, one red and one black, and a rain cloak. He’d managed to survive with just them so far but he hadn’t been to such an important event as this one, just his ennoblement and the Grand Galloping Gala. He’d no idea what you wore to a date in polite society. Back in Nulpar, a pony was lucky to have a single set of dress up clothes used for all important events, but here in Canterlot he was sure there were complex rules about what you wore to a date. He’d spent several hours wondering who he could ask for fashion advice, since he didn’t have all that many friends in the city, and even fewer he could ask without giving away his and Fragrant’s secret.

His first idea was Buttercup because he was sure she would know what to wear, but she was spending the whole weekend on a tour of the eastern reaches of the nation. Mrs G was likewise out, as he didn’t think he’d ever seen her wear clothes. Fragrant would, of course, be the perfect mare to ask, if he wasn’t actually dating her; he didn’t want her to realise just how socially inept he was. He had considered asking Duke Greengrass, but he didn’t think he entirely trusted the stallion, and he’d never heard of him going on a date anyway. There were certainly no end of courtiers known for their sartorial sensibilities but Max wasn’t that close to most of them. Viscount Blueblood was considered a well-dressed stallion but Max didn’t really travel in the same circles as him. Vicereine Puissance was known for the ostentatiousness of her dresses, but most of them probably cost more than the whole of Nulpar.

In the end, Mellow had seemed to be the only possible option. Max couldn’t say he entirely shared the flamboyant pony’s dress sense but he did seem to know enough about current fashions to act as an advisor. The baron was more than happy to offer his services to Max, seemingly intrigued by the idea of Max dating some mystery pony. They had arranged to meet up on in the afternoon before the date to get Max’s outfit sorted out, but he was now very late.

To try and pass the time Max was catching up on his own work, which was slowly but surely building up. He had a meeting with a Fisher Mining representative in a week to discuss their possible investment in Nulpar and he was trying to study as much as he could about the possible resources available in his province. Unfortunately there wasn’t all that much official information, as he was still waiting for the report from the Califurlong Institute of Geology which he had been promised. Apparently, professor Honey Bear wasn’t that quick a writer. Sighing again, Max tried to make head or tail of the map in front of him. If Mellow didn’t turn up in the next ten minutes, he was going to try and find him. The stallion was nice enough but he could be so flighty. He had probably gotten distracted by something.

As if summoned by the thought the door was suddenly thrown open and the very noble in question staggered in. “Oh Mounty!” he wailed. “It’s so terrible! It’s a disaster!” He trotted forwards swaying from side to side as if he would fall at any moment. “My life is over!” he proclaimed.

Max blinked. Mellow was normally a bit highly strung, but this was excessive even for him. “What is it, Mellow?” he asked worriedly. “What’s happened?”

“The most awful thing ever! Look!” he exclaimed, taking something from his saddlebag and throwing it onto the desk in front of Max. Frowning, Max looked down at a newspaper of some sort, The Equestrian Enquirer. Black and white photographs filled most of the front page with a few short, but eye catching headlines. Up tail shots of Lady Purity were promised inside, as was evidence that the court had been infiltrated by some sort of bug pony. An article stated that Duke Greengrass was apparently attempting to become an alicorn by drinking the blood of the element bearers, with an artist's impression of the intended ‘Greenicorn’ that not only had a horn and wings, but also claws, fangs and a snake tail, and for some reason it also seemed to be sparkling in the moonlight.

“I agree that this is all pretty lurid stuff Mellow. Not a word of any of it true, but is it really all that bad?”

“Oh, not that,” said Mellow flipping through the pages with more force than was necessary, resulting in a few torn pages. “This!”

Max peered at the page in front of him. ‘Mellow gets hot under the collar’ stated the headline. Below were several photographs of Mellow and a rather pretty earth pony mare sharing a meal at a restaurant; they were sitting rather close to each other and seemed to be having a good time, the final picture showed them leaving with Mellow’s wing draped over the mare’s back. Max looked sharply up at his companion.

“Those are taken totally out of context!” he spluttered, “What if Confidant sees them? What ever will she think of me! I can’t lose her, Max, if I did my life would be over!” He collapsed forwards onto the desk theatrically, sobbing onto a pile of paperwork.

Max sighed; he really wanted to help his friend, but he also really needed to get ready for his date. “I believe you Mellow, but what really happened? Who is that mare?” he pointed to the paper.

“She’s called Glory Glitter, she’s a jeweller, my family have used her skills for some time. I was ordering a...” he paused for a moment, “custom order from her; it was quite complicated so I agreed to discuss all the details over dinner. it was business, nothing more, I swear! I helped to straighten her cape as we left, there must have been a photographer at the restaurant. Whatever will Confidant think?!” He sniffed pitifully.

“I’m sure if you explain it all to her she’d trust you. Can’t you tell the paper that they made a mistake? Have them apologize?”

“They can print a retraction, the little good that does!” growled Mellow, flipping through the paper again to the back. There was almost a page full of tiny print explaining all the misunderstandings in earlier issues.

“That’s it!” exclaimed Max.

“They are acting within the law, if only just. the princess allows freedom of the press, maybe too much freedom. The entire court are considered to be persons of public interest! It’s so tragic!” he wailed again.

Max frowned, he’d never really understood Fragrant’s obsession with secrecy when it came to their relationship but maybe this explained some of it. Had he appeared in the papers? Well he supposed there was that Mr Equestria thing... He didn’t really read any of them regularly, one or two Canterlot titles made their way to Nulpar, normally a few weeks late, had anyone at home read such a story about him? Maybe Fragrant was right to want to keep things low key.

“Look Mellow, I’m sure if you just go to talk to Confidant and explain things she’d understand. Has she said anything about this?”

“No,” said Mellow, starting to calm down a little. “I came here as soon as I found out. I must see her now!” he exclaimed.

“Maybe not right now,” suggested Max, “Maybe you could wait just a-”

“No!” Mellow stood up straight, his wings spread, “I must see my lady now!” then he slumped again, “Would you... would you come with me, baron? As support?” His wide eyes looked over at Max pleadingly.

Wishing he wasn’t so much of a pushover Max nodded slowly. Hopefully this could all be sorted out quickly.

Fragrant shuddered slightly, feeling the nervous energy flow through her feathers. She had forgotten what it felt like to go on a date, the mixture of excitement and stomach churning terror forming a heady brew. Part of her wanted to fly from the highest point of the Canterhorn and cry out her happiness, while another wanted to dig its way into her cloud bed and never come out. She tried to remind herself that this wasn’t, despite its name, anything like their first date. They had spent plenty of time together before, and knew each other well. Still, there was something about actually putting a label on the event that made it special, that actually defined their relation as something romantic rather than just friendly or lustful. First dates were normally there to get to know each other, to decide if other dates were worth it. That decision had been made several months ago now but still there was a feeling of possibility about tonight.

She turned back to her preparations. Max wasn’t due to arrive for several hours yet but she had already started to get ready. She had visited a spa earlier to have her coat, hooves, mane, tail and wings beautified. Now it was time for her to choose her outfit for the night. it didn’t help that she didn’t know exactly where they were going, although the surprise helped her anticipation. It was apparently an out of the way restaurant where they were unlikely to be disturbed, but Max’s understanding of such things might not be entirely complete. She wanted something which wouldn’t clearly show the meeting was romantic, yet at the same time would say that she knew it was and that she appreciated Max’s efforts. Something that would make her look her best while not drawing that much attention to her if they were going to a lower class establishment. It had not been an easy choice. Normally, her maids picked out her daily outfits upon her general suggestions, but for this special event she wanted to make the decision by herself. Max deserved no less.

She’d been surprised as to how voluminous her wardrobe actually was. She was aware that she was the patron of many tailors and was, she primped slightly, considered something of an expert on fashion at court, but it was surprising just how many outfits she owned, many of them worn only once or not at all. She probably should have a clear out, or maybe donate some of her unused outfits to charity? That was a thought for another time.

It took her hours of searching before she made her final decision, a long red flowing number quite plain at first glance, but when looked at closely a complex embroidered pattern of symbols of earth and sky could be made out on the fabric. It was tight enough on her hips and flanks to be considered daring but not beyond the realms of taste for a friendly meeting. Infact she was a little worried that it was tighter than she’d thought it would be, had her new exercise regime changed her body shape so much, so quickly? The dress was a creation of Suri Polomare, the same young designer she had patronised at the gala and she had used the same measurements. Fragrant briefly scowled, she did not want to go through the embarrassment of having to be remeasured. Still, it did not even pinch around the wings, which was an improvement on the earth pony designer’s earlier creation. Wearing something from a relatively obscure designer would also help, as it would not attract the attention of the ever-attentive socialites. After all, she did not want to stand out tonight, except for one particular pony

Fanning a wing briefly over her face, Fragrant posed in front of the mirror and considered the naughty pegasus looking back. She could be a young socialite, preparing for a night on the town, dressing in a daring style to tease her potential lovers and drive them wild! Or maybe an older mare, secure in her looks and skills, able to draw the attention of a younger paramour and bathe in the jealous looks of the younger, less experienced, fillies as she enticed him away from them! She laughed at her own fantasies, neither quite matched reality. Still, she thought as she checked her right and left flanks, before trotting around in a circle with a little bit of extra sway to her hips, she did look good. She gave a short nod of acceptance. Yes, this outfit would be perfect.

Nervously, she turned to the rest of her ensemble. She should have put them on before the main dress, but she still hadn’t decided whether to wear them or not. She rarely wore more intimate apparel, and it wasn’t really even all that suitable for a first date, but its presence would certainly increase the excited tingling in her belly. She’d had to be rather discrete in her purchase, it certainly wasn’t something she wanted to be public knowledge. Luckily, her niece Fluttering had mentioned a friendship with a local designer who amongst other things produced items of lingerie. Fragrant had placed her order by via mail to keep the designer (and Fluttering) from knowing just who had made such a daring order. It was just as well. Her only other contact would likely have been her sister in law, and she really didn’t want Thunderous to know about this.

She had to admit that the seamstress did excellent work as she ran a hoof down one of the four pure black silk socks. They were beautiful. A subtle pattern was worked into the fabric making them shimmer in the light, hidden bands of elastic would keep them in place despite their lack of friction and regardless of how active their wearer was. However, it was the final item of the set which both worried, and excited, her the most: a silk saddle. She imagined the feel of the thing on her back acting as an almost intangible barrier between herself and her lover, feeling his belly sliding against her back as... That was probably enough of that, she reminded herself. First date, after all. Talking. Eating. Getting to know each other better and >not< in that fashion.

She stole a glance at herself in the mirror and considered the possibility. Nopony had to know she was wearing it under her dress unless she gave... With a sigh she returned the saddle to the anonymous packaging it had come in. She likewise wrapped the front pair of socks because they would be too noticeable as she ate, but the hind pair she would most certainly wear. They would be covered by her dress but she’d still feel them on her coat.

Her decision made, she idly flicked through the small catalogue which had come with her purchase. The designer certainly seemed talented, if a little inexperienced. Maybe she should purchase from her again in a more open way. She made her way to the back of the book where the rest of the lingerie section was tastefully kept, she looked through the options and the word ‘edible’ made her raise an eyebrow. First date, she had to remind herself again, nothing was likely to be eaten, apart from the meal of course. She hurriedly stored the package in her bedside drawer to stop her getting any more distracted and redressed in her chosen outfit, now with the slickness of the socks making her legs tingle up to the thigh.

She had already made her decision when it came to jewellery. Her mother's necklace and small diamond stud earrings should be sufficient. She thought that less was more when it came to that sort of thing and she certainly didn’t want to end up looking like Vicereine Puissance. That only left her makeup to apply. She glanced up at the clock. She would have to hurry. There was only an hour or so remaining.

She did hope Max wouldn’t be early.

“I’m really, really sorry I’m late!” exclaimed Max as he was led into Fragrant’s presence. He opened his mouth to try and explain what had happened but he was suddenly struck dumb by the vision in front of him. There stood Fragrant, seeming to glow in the gas light, her scarlet dress hung perfectly on her form, splaying out behind her in a crimson cascade. Her mane had been formed into bangs to frame her face flowing past her noble features. The blue of her eyes was highlighted by touches of dark makeup while her lips were painted the same shade as the dress. The only flaw on her perfect form was the unhappy scowl currently gracing her face.

“I was expecting you over an hour ago, baron,” she grumbled. “I... I was worried something had happened to you, or that you were going to stand me up!” She shuffled a little awkwardly.

“Oh, um, sorry, wow! Pretty!” mumbled Max, trying to gather his scattered wits. “You look fantastic!”

His reaction seemed to do something to salve Fragrant’s feelings, a blush spreading across her face as she looked bashfully aside. “Why thank you. I did try my best.” After a moment she looked back and raised an eyebrow as she drew her gaze over Max’s form. He was also formally dressed in a pastel blue coat with tails which spread down his back while leaving his flanks uncovered. Under that was a plain white shirt with a red cravat tied around his neck. His mane had originally been slicked back but now looked rather windswept after his gallop to Fragrant’s estate. “You look good as well,” she said, her eyes moving back and forth over his form. “I did not know you were so in touch with current fashions.”

“Oh, thanks. That’s actually why I was late, sorry again. I asked Mellow to help me choose an outfit and he got delayed by a bit of a problem with a story in one of the papers. I had to help him talk to his marefriend about some photos that she might get angry about,” he quickly explained. Confidant had actually been rather understanding about the whole thing. She had seemed a little put out by her coltfriend going to dinner with another mare but had accepted his explanation despite Mellow being a bit vague on exactly what he had been ordering from the jeweller. However, the explanation had taken a while and it was even more time before Max could get a word in edgeways to remind Mellow of their agreement. Once he did, both the baron and Confidant had insisted on helping and they’d taken him on a whirlwind tour of the city's fashion district. Max thought that he’d probably tried on more outfits in that single afternoon than in his whole life. Eventually, they’d agreed on his current outfit, however by then it had almost been time to meet up with Fragrant and he’d had to gallop home to quickly wash before rushing to Fragrant’s home. He was a little worried about how much it had cost. He was supposed to be minimising his spending, but Fragrant was worth it.

“I suppose helping your friend is a good enough excuse,” said Fragrant with a slight edge to her words suggesting that it probably wasn’t. “I do hope we will still be able to make our reservations for dinner.”

Max tried to hide the way he was biting his lip. After all, he hoped they would be able to make it to the restaurant in time for their reservations as well. He had never eaten there before, but Mrs G had recommended it. In fact, she lived above it.

Putting that aside and hoping that they had not already missed their reservation, he added, "I don't think it will be a problem. Once again I’m really sorry I’m late.”

Fragrant sighed. “I guess it couldn’t be helped.” She stepped forwards and quickly nuzzled Max, filling his nose with the flowery scent of her mane. “Now we should be off... You know, you still haven't told me where we’re going.”

“You probably haven't been there before, so I’d like to keep the surprise for a bit longer. But before we go…” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a pair of purple flowers. “If we’re going to call this our first date I thought we should go with the Nulpar tradition.” Fragrant cocked her head to one side. “In Nulpar we wear asters to first dates,” he explained as he gently affixed one flower to his date’s mane and then the second to his buttonhole.

“Didn’t Buttercup say this was a tradition for friends at the gala?” she asked.

“She was downplaying it a bit, I gave her one when we... well never mind.”

Fragrant looked like she wanted to ask a question but she bit her tongue. “Thank you. Now, we should be off. It might be better than we leave from one of the servant’s entrances, just in case there are any press around.”

Fragrant actually found it rather thrilling to have to sneak out of her own house. Bundling herself up under a traveling cloak and exiting via the back door certainly added a certain spice to the night. The odds of any press waiting in secret outside the door were low but couldn’t be discounted. Once they were away from the property she could lower her hood and get a look around the city. Despite spending much of the year in Canterlot, she began to realise how little of the city she actually saw, especially from ground level. Most of her time was spent around the castle and the upper few levels of the city where most of the courtiers lived. In fact, Max’s house on the fourth tier was probably the lowest she’d ever been. It was a little embarrassing how little she interacted with the ponies of the city when she thought of it. This trip was taking her even lower than that, out of the middle class areas of the fourth and fifth tier and even the industrial areas of the sixth. By the time Max had led her down to the seventh level of the city she was starting to feel rather nervous. Many of the inhabitants were looking at the pair with curiosity and maybe even a little malice. She’d dressed down to try not to attract attention, but she stood out like a sore hoof in this neighbourhood.

“Is the restaurant much further?” she asked nervously looking around.

“A few blocks along,” said Max, apparently unworried by the surroundings.

“What sort of food do they serve?”

“Well, I haven't actually eaten there before, but I’ve visited it a few times. Mrs G lives in a flat above it, and she suggested it as a good place for a romantic meal,” he frowned, “I’m not sure if she was speaking from personal experience.”

Fragrant looked around again, because the shabby streets certainly didn’t seem all that romantic to her. She was actually a little shocked by the condition of the roads. Many were potholed and looked none too clean. Although she felt many eyes following her, she noticed a certain lack of ponies in the area. Most of the inhabitants seemed to be goats or cows, she even saw a few scraggly looking griffin and a rather battered looking zebra. She had heard of such neighbourhoods; the non-pony inhabitants of the city did tend to band together, and she’d often heard such areas referred to colloquially, and rather cruelly, as zoos.

“Ah, here we are!” exclaimed Max as he came to a stop outside of a solid looking door. Fragrant glanced up at the sign hanging above her, showing a barrel and some writing in a language she didn’t understand. She was about to ask what it said when Max swung the door open. A wave of heat flowed out of the building, making Fragrant blink. The inside of the building was packed with patrons of all species. A long bar took up most of the far side of the large room while a blazing fire belched smoke into the room from the right. Next to it sat a goat playing a fiddle, although she couldn’t make out the tune over the other noise. Much of the remaining space was filled with tables and benches where the various inhabitants sat eating, drinking and shouting at each other. “Seems like a friendly place!” said Max as he stepped inside, with Fragrant following rather more cautiously.

Max took a deep breath of the warm air filling the pub. This was more like it. He’d been to a few bars and restaurants around Canterlot but none of them had the personality of a real pub, like back at home. Here he could see ponies and other species really enjoying themselves. He glanced over at Fragrant, who seemed rather less enthusiastic about the place. A cold feeling started to well up in his stomach. He’d hoped she might enjoy a change from her usual kind of place, and there was no way that a journalist would be expecting to find nobility here, but maybe it was too much of a shock for her? He was about to ask her if she was alright when he heard his name called across the room.

“Max!” brayed a huge black coated goat in highly accented Equestrian, “Welcome to the Kilderkin. Good ta see you and ya luvely date!” The figure shoved his way through the crowd with his shoulders much in the same way a farmer would move through a field of ripe corn.

“Sorry we’re late, Fergus,” cried Max over the background noise, “Do you think you can still fit us in?” He’d met Mrs G’s landlord a few times and still found him rather overwhelming, although very friendly.

“For a friend o’ Mrs Grobhar? I’ll make room,” he bellowed, giving Max a slap on the back which knocked him aside into another patron who scowled back.

“Is Mrs G about?” asked Max, he couldn’t see her around the bar. From what he’d heard she didn’t spend much time down here.

“Neigh, I think she’s still at work,” said Fergus. Max frowned for a moment, he was surprised she was working this late, there wasn’t that much to do at the moment, was there? Then he put that thought aside. He wanted to focus on Fragrant tonight.

The goat spun and looked around the room for a moment before moving towards a table in the corner which was surrounded by a group of young billies. “Faigh caillte agat go leor! Tá mé a bunch na n-aíonna tábhachtacha atá ag iarraidh an tábla! Bhrú amach!” he cried. The innkeeper spoke a different goat dialect to the ones Max was used to, but he got enough of a gist of the conversation to wince. Grumbling, the billies got up and wandered over to other seats. Fergus bellowed towards the bar and two young nannies rushed over, giving the table a quick and rather hopeful wipe over with a rag before setting down placemats and cutlery as well as a few flowers as appetizers. “Sit! Sit!” he called.

Looking at each other, Max and Fragrant made their way to the table. Fergus took Fragrant’s cloak before throwing it into a corner and hurrying away. Max pulled out his date’s chair for her and she nodded before sitting, he took his own place opposite her. There was silence between them for a moment.

“So...” began Max, “What do you think of the place?”

Fragrant’s eyes darted around the room for a moment, much as if she were looking for a fire exit. “It certainly is... unique,” she finally said, “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anywhere quite like this before.”

“I thought you might like a change, somewhere you could let your mane down.”

“Well, I’m certain no one is going to recognise me. There’s not much chance of bumping into another member of the court here,” she admitted. She leaned forwards conspiratorially. “I suppose it is rather exciting now that I’m getting used to it.”

Max smiled back. “I knew you’d like it, it’s just like home. Now, are you feeling hungry?” he asked, picking up a menu.

“Yes,” she said, “I was expecting to have eaten a while ago.”

“Yes, of course,” said Max with a nervous laugh, thinking maybe he should have just left Mellow to deal with his own problems.

“So what sort of food do they serve here?” she asked.

“Goat cuisine. it’s not exactly like Nulpar since Fergus is from another part of Equestria, but it’s close.”

“What sort of things do goats cook with?” she asked cautiously, “I don’t remember all that much of my time in that goat camp back in Nulpar.”

Max grinned. “You were a bit out of it. The goats I know tend towards potatoes, oats and nettles.”

Fragrant gave out a sigh. “That’s good. I was expecting things a bit more, exotic,” she admitted.

“Well just because goats can eat paper, cloth, bark and the like doesn’t mean they have to, given the chance they eat much the same as ponies,” he explained. “Now let’s see what’s on offer.” He looked down at the menu in front of him and his heart sunk a little, the writing was of course in the same dialect as Fergus spoke. Although helpfully there were pictures of most of the dishes, it could be a little hard to tell exactly what they were made of.

“Is there something you recommend?” asked Fragrant. Presumably she couldn’t understand the menu any more than he could.

“Maybe the soup first?” he suggested, there wasn’t much that could go wrong with that. Glancing over the menu, there were a few items he could recognise. “Maybe Boxty for the main course?”

“Boxty?” asked Fragrant, sounding intrigued.

“It's a sort of pancake made of potatoes, often wrapped around something else.”

“Sounds good,” said Fragrant.

Max raised a hoof and almost straight away one of the waitresses appeared next to them to take their order. “We’ll both have the soup,” said Max, pointing at the menu. The waitress cocked her head for a moment before nodding. “And the Boxty.”

“Of course,” she said before breaking into a song, “Boxty on the griddle, Boxty on the pan, If you don't eat boxty, You'll never get a mare,” she concluded with a giggle winking at Fragrant who seemed amused. “And to drink?”

“An ale please,” said Max. He’d usually go for mead but he wanted to try something different tonight.

“Do you have any wine?” asked Fragrant, trying to peer towards the bar.

“I’m sure we can find something,” said the waitress, looking unsure, “Are you sure you don’t want something stronger? We have some wonderful Kumis.”

Fragrant shuddered a little, probably remembering her behaviour when she had last tried the milky drink. “No, thank you.”

The waitress shrugged. “I’ll be right back,” she said, “And don’t worry about paying. We owe you after you got that job for my brother.”

“Um, no, really I’ll pay,” said Max. He’d had a lecture from Mrs G about keeping receipts for things. The line between accepting bribes and accepting gifts was a fairly narrow one, and he wanted to make certain he stayed on the correct side. “It’s only proper.”

“If you want, but I’m sure a handsome stallion like yourself doesn’t need to impress his date with his money,” she said with a smile before trotting away. Max turned back to Fragrant, his cheeks glowing a little. She hid a giggle behind her hoof, then frowned.

“What did she mean about getting her brother a job?”

“That must be Malachi. He applied for a job at the post office, there was some mix up about the regulations. I just went to talk to them over in Clover Square and got things sorted out. I hear he’s doing well,” he said breezily.

Fragrant blinked her face blank. “You went personally and asked that they give him the job,” she asked.

“No, just that they give him an interview.”

Fragrant closed her eyes and rubbed her head with a hoof, for a moment she looked like she was going to say something then she sighed. “We are going to have a talk about that, Max, but not now.” She sighed again. “Now we are just going to have a nice meal.”

“Good,” said Max, not sure what all the fuss was about. “So...” he began after a moment, “You got your mark growing flowers on clouds, I’ve always wondered how that works.”

Fragrant gave a smile. “It’s actually easier than you’d think,” she began, “You see, there are...”

“And if I can get those to cross-pollinate then the possibilities are...” continued Fragrant, waving a hoof around to illustrate her point. She glanced over at Max; he was smiling and nodding occasionally, but his eyes looked a little glazed and it probably wasn’t due to the few mouthfuls of ale he’d had. Maybe her talk was going a little over his head, but botany was really interesting! “Anyway,” she said, taking a sip of her rather vinegary wine and trying not to grimace, “How are things going in Nulpar?”

Max shook his head for a moment. “Oh, well they’re ok, not all that much to report really. The mayoral election in Sadlzburg takes place in about a month but nopony—” He was interrupted as the waitress brought them their first course.

“Cullen Skink,” she said as she dropped off the two bowls of creamy soup. Fragrant raised an eyebrow, she didn’t think she’d heard of that before. She took a deep breath, it smelled rather strongly of fish but wasn’t unpleasant. She leant forwards and lapped at the mixture, it was good, a very creamy sauce with lumps of potato. Fragrant looked up at Max who was also cautiously trying the soup.

“I don’t think I’ve had this before,” he said taking a mouthful, “It’s not all that bad, I’m not sure what’s in it, it almost smells like fish.”

“Smoked haddock I think,” said Fragrant trying another sip, “I had something like it up in the griffin kingdoms.”

Max’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, dribbling his last mouthful into the bowl. “Fish!” he gasped, his coat taking on a greenish hue.

“Are you alright?” asked Fragrant sitting up, she’d forgotten that Max didn’t do well with fish.

“I think,” mumbled Max, “I just don’t like,” he held a hoof up to his mouth. He swallowed painfully and sat there for a moment breathing heavily, then he began to retch. “No!” he finally announced, leaping up from the table and rushing for the door. In his hurry to stand he bashed into the table, almost upending it. Fragrant squealed as she was splattered by the remains of her bowl of soup, much of which managed to end up on her mane and the half empty glass of wine which splashed over her dress. She staggered back trying to shield herself from any further food as well as avoiding crashing into any of the nearby patrons. A loud laugh went up from the crowd, apparently much amused by her and Max’s discomfort. She tried to hold onto her dignity as she scraped off as much of the goo as she could. The waitress seemed to materialise next to her and began to wipe off as much of the dripping substance as possible, but it was clear that the dress was going to be a write off.

“I’m sorry!” exclaimed the servant.

“It’s... it’s alright,” said Fragrant, shielding herself from the rather over enthusiastic attempt to clear her off. “Accidents happen.” The waitress spat onto the cloth and moved in to try again. “No thank you, that is quite enough. maybe you could tell me where the mare’s room is?” The servant looked confused for a moment before pointing towards the door out into the street. Fragrant sighed, of course this place would not have proper facilities. “Maybe you could provide a bowl of water?” she suggested.

It only took a few moments for the goat to produce a bucket of water, and steeling herself against the gaze of the other customers Fragrant made her best attempt to wash as much of the soup out of her hair and from her dress. She was sure she still smelled of fish, but at least she felt a little cleaner once she was done.

A few moments later Max returned to the table with Fergus, looking wretched. “There, there Max,” said the large goat, slapping the baron on the back, “Better out that in!”

Max winced. “Thanks, I’m feeling better now,” he whispered rather hoarsely. He glanced down at the still half full bowl in front of him and held a hoof to his mouth again. The bargoat smartly grabbed the bowl and spirited it away.

“Duine ar bith ag iarraidh seo? praghas leath!” he announced as he left.

“I’m really, really sorry about this,” mumbled Max, “I just really don’t like fish much...”

Fragrant sighed, this really wasn’t how she’d expected this night to turn out. She squirmed a little in her sticky clothes, really she should take it off but she wasn’t going to show what she was wearing under it in a crowded bar! “I know, you didn’t know what was in the soup,” she said sympathetically. She was going to suggest that they just called it a night and maybe finish their meal at her home when the waitress appeared again with the rest of their order. She placed the plates down in front of the two of them before stepping away. Fragrant examined her meal, it consisted of a pancake like substance rolled up with what looked like layers of cabbage. A mix of other vegetables was placed around the plate. She glanced up at Max, he had already started on his meal with rather more enthusiasm than his previous course, his sickness apparently forgotten. “It’s good!” he announced with his mouth full. Trying to hide her smile, Fragrance took a bite of the meal and chewed thoughtfully; it had a light fluffy texture and the cabbage added an interesting taste. She tried another bite, the vegetables were a little overcooked but not tasteless. Maybe this meal wasn’t going to be a total disaster after all.

Max glanced up from his meal at Fragrant again. Despite her clothes and hair still being stained by their meal, she was smiling and seemed to be enjoying her current dish. He grinned back and let out an internal sigh of relief, things seemed to be turning out better than he’d feared. They’d gotten back into chatting during the meal, he’d talked more about his youth in Nulpar and she about her plans to start a garden around her estate. Finally, he finished off the last bite of his meal and turned to his date.

“Do you think you have room for dessert?” asked Max.

“I probably shouldn’t,” said Fragrant, “I’ve gone beyond my usual diet as it is.”

“Well it certainly doesn’t show, you look as slim as ever,” he said, causing her to blush.

“Well maybe this once,” she said, “What do you recommend?”

“I saw someone with Cranchan when we came in, you’ll love it!”

“I don’t think I’ve heard of that.”

“You get bowls of cream, cottage cheese, raspberries, honey, oatmeal, brambles, blueberries and whisky and you mix what you want together,” he said, his eyes glittering.

“It sounds rather fattening,” she argued but licked her lips anyway.

“Well you can choose what you want, you can just have the fruit with just a touch of cream if you want. Go on, live a little!”

“Very well,” she said with a grin, “I’ll leave my figure in your hooves.”

Trying to push that imagery aside Max called over the waitress and ordered the dessert as well as more drinks. It wasn’t long arriving, and it looked just as mouth-watering as Max remembered it to be. Fragrant looked pleased as well, her eyes following the small mountain of cream in the bowl.

“That looks fantastic, and fattening,” she noted.

Max quickly took an oatmeal biscuit and loaded a lump of cream onto it before topping it with a raspberry. “Try it,” he said, holding out the treat, “it’s got fruit on it, that makes it healthy!”

Fragrant chuckled, and after a moment's hesitation stretched forwards over the table to take the biscuit in her mouth.

“Neigh mind me,” said Fergus appearing as if by magic at Max’s side, the surprise causing Fragrant to drop the dessert. “Ah thought a little music would help with tha ambiance.” He winked at Max with a wide grin. Under one leg the goat held a strange cloth bag with various pipes protruding from it, one of which he took in his mouth and began to blow. A wailing, groaning, crying sound emerged from the instrument right next to Max’s ears, causing them to flatten against his head as he cringed away. Fragrant looked down right terrified by the strange sound, her eyes wide. Around them, the groans of the other patrons could just about be heard above the noise. “Knock it off you lot!” roared Fergus, letting the pipe drop from his lips, “Ye just don’t understand romance! Now where was I?”

He picked up the pipe again and returned it to his mouth, the ‘music’ restarted and, grimacing, Max turned back to Fragrance, who looked like she was deciding whether to dive through a nearby window or not. He shrugged, trying to convey how sorry he was for the interruption, all of the interruptions so far, and a weak smile crossed her face as she reached forwards for the dessert in front of her. At least there didn’t seem to be anything else which could go wrong.

“Look I’m really sorry about how this all turned out!” said Max. He’d finally gotten Fergus to accept his money for the meal and it looked like Fragrant was ready to leave.

“It is alright Max, tonight has been... somewhat unique,” replied Fragrant weakly, “although I’m glad that I’ll get to choose where our next date will be.”

“There will be a next date?!” he asked excitedly.

“Of course there will be.” she ran a hoof through her mane, only to find it partially matted with dried soup, making her shudder. “It will hopefully go rather better than this one.”

Max nodded and glanced around the pub, at least the other patrons seemed to be having fun. The fiddler in the corner was still playing, luckily Fergus had locked his bagpipes away eventually, and a few couples had gotten up to dance in a small space by the fire. That gave him an idea. “Would you like to dance, my lady?” he asked, holding out a leg.

Fragrant looked at him strangely. “Dance? Are you sure?”

“Well, I know I’m not all that good, but you said you liked to dance at the gala. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?”

Fragrant looked down at her ruined dress and shrugged. “Given the way tonight has been going maybe one of us will catch fire,” she suggested, then smiled. “But yes Max, I would love to dance.” She gathered up the hem of her dress, giving Max a flash of the socks beneath as the two of them made their way to the dancefloor. Max didn’t recognise the exact tune which was being played but knew a jig when he heard it. Taking one of Fragrant’s forelegs he began to bob around on the floor. His partner was a little hesitant to start with but quickly picked up the basics. The two of them swooped around on the floor for a few tunes, the earlier disasters forgotten as they enjoyed the time spent in each other's arms moving to the music.

At least there’s one good memory I can hold from tonight, thought Max gazing into Fragrant’s smiling face as he twirled her around in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a unicorn stallion staggering unsteadily across the dance floor. Max’s eyes widened as he noticed his path was going to intersect with the other pony. He tried to turn himself aside at the last minute but couldn’t prevent himself crashing into the tray of drinks the unicorn held in his stuttering aura, which were knocked to the floor with a crash. The unicorn looked blearily at the spilled drinks and then back to Max. “You spilled my drink!” he exclaimed after a moment's thought.

“It was an accident!” said Max holding up a calming hoof, “I’ll buy you another round!”. Ignoring his protests the unicorn swung a hoof at Max, who stepped back to avoid the wild blow. It swept past his face and caught a nearby billy in the barrel sending him staggering towards the fiddler. Silence reigned for a second as the music stopped, then, with an angry bleat, the nanny who had been dancing with the billy charged forwards head lowered and crashed into the drunk stallion, sending him flying back into a table scattering ponies and goats in all directions. After a moment they began to stagger back to their hooves looking less than pleased.

Max looked around wildly; fighting seemed to be spreading around the bar like wildfire, he had to find Fragrant quickly! Luckily she was still standing only a short distance away. “Max!” she exclaimed through gritted teeth, seemingly more annoyed than afraid. “How did this...”

“It really wasn’t my fault!” he protested. “Look, we should get out of here before things get worse.” He glanced around for the door, noting that most of the less belligerent members of the bar were already streaming out into the night. Putting a hoof across Fragrant’s back, he tried to keep the both of them low and steered her towards the exit. They made it about halfway there before trouble struck. A donkey crashed to the ground in front of them blocking their route, as they tried to make their way around him they almost bumped into his attacker, a hulking bull, the long shaggy hair covering his eyes seemingly rendering him almost blind. He snorted and swung a hoof towards Max, catching him a glancing blow on the back of his head and knocking the stallion to the floor. Blinking, Max tried to get his hooves back under him while the bull towered over him and raised his hoof again.

“Don’t you dare lay a hoof on him!” came a shout from behind Max and to his, and likely the bull’s, surprise Fragrant dove forwards at the attacker, hooves and wings swinging wildly. One of the duchess’s forehooves collided with the bull's muzzle causing it to stagger back a step, more in surprise than injury.

Moving as quickly as he could, Max found his hoofing and grabbed Fragrant who resisted for a moment, seemingly wanting to continue her assault on her larger opponent. He shoved her and then himself towards the door. Something seemed to drag Fragrant back for a moment but there was a ripping sound and the two of them shot forwards through the exit like a cork from a bottle. As he left, Max thought he heard Fergus’s voice bellowing at them to come again soon.

Running on adrenaline, the couple galloped through the streets for at least a block before finally coming to a halt panting, their flanks covered in sweat. Fragrant dropped to the ground. “That was...” she panted, “I’ve never...”

“Are you alright?” asked Max, urgently examining his date for injury. Her dress seemed to have taken the worst of it with much of the lower half torn away revealing her sock covered hind legs. A part of Max considered examining them in a little more detail but most of his mind continued to look for any sign of injury.

“My hoof hurts a little,” she admitted, holding out the limb she had hit the bull with. Max turned it over but could see no serious damage done. He gently kissed it. “How about you?” she asked, “You got punched!”

“It’s nothing much,” said Max, feeling the bump on the back of his head and wincing, “I’ve had worst in the past.”

“Why is it, Baron Max,” said Fragrant, leaning against Max to help her stand, “That when I spend time with you my wardrobe takes damage?” She looked down at her stained and torn dress with a sigh.

“I’m sorry, I really, really am, I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen. I just wanted this to be a good date, for you to have fun!”

“Fun! You were late! You took me to a smoky, smelly dive! You threw soup over me! I was almost deafened by something almost entirely unlike music! Then I was involved in a bar room brawl!” She glared at him for a moment and his ears drooped, then she began to giggle, “It was awful!”

A smile started to spread across his face. “Terrible!” he agreed.

“Probably the most unlikely series of events I’ve ever seen!” she gasped between laughs.

“Maybe the worst date ever!” he said, starting to laugh as well.

“Totally unbecoming of a noble!” she added, tears starting to flow down her face as she staggered against Max and the two of them collapsed into a hysterical pile of pony flesh.

“Keep it down out there!” cried a voice from a nearby window, “Some of us are trying to sleep! Bloody Lunatics!” They managed to remain quiet for a moment before breaking into fresh paroxysms.

“Oh, Max,” said Fragrant when the two of them had finally exhausted themselves, “You really do know how to show a filly a good time don’t you.”

“I told you I was...” he was cut off as she put her mouth over his own.

“If things had gone to plan it just wouldn’t have been you,” she said once they had broken apart again. “This is definitely the most Mounty Max date I have ever been on. It’ll be something we can tell our grandfoals!” She realised what she had just said and her cheeks burned brightly.

“So you want to do this again?” he asked.

“Maybe not exactly this,” she admitted, “But I think at least one more date is warranted.” She leant forwards again but Max turned his head aside, heaving slightly.

“Sorry. It’s the smell of the fish,” he admitted.

“Of course!” she sniffed at herself and coughed; it certainly was pungent, it made her nose run. “I guess we should make our way home, do you even know where we are?” She glanced around the seemingly deserted streets.

“I think so,” he said helping her to her hooves, she winced a little as she put weight on her bruised limb.

“Good, hopefully I can get back to my estate without any press noticing, I’m sure they could fill a whole issue with the story of how Duchess Posey came home with a torn dress, gunk in her mane and smelling of fish.” She sighed.

“Well that sounds like an interesting night,” joked Max, earning himself a gentle punch to his shoulder from Fragrant. “Look on the bright side,” he said as the two of them started to trot away, “it’s not like our next date can be any worse.”

29) Month 2 - In Sickness and In Health

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Fragrant tried to ignore the afflicted coughs of her maid as the younger mare attempted to awaken her mistress. The servant needn't have bothered; her mistress hadn’t gotten any sleep anyway; she’d been kept up by her own much less afflicted coughs. For a long moment Fragrant considered staying in bed, the softness of the clouds beneath her seemed to be the only good part of a world currently consisting of her pounding head, sore throat and aching muscles. Would it really be so bad if she just stayed here until she recovered from her illness? Or died? She didn’t care which. However, in the end her sense of duty won out. she was a Posey, a long and noble line, she had responsibilities. Responsibilities which didn’t stop just because she had a cold, no matter how severe.

The duchess cracked open one bloodshot eye and glanced over at the window, seeing that the sun was still up but wouldn’t be for much longer. Within a month she would be living an almost entirely nocturnal life, barely seeing the sun again until spring; such was the life of a member of the night court. She sniffed pitifully, she felt terrible, her muzzle was blocked and her head was pounding; the little sleep she had gotten last night had done nothing to help her illness. With what felt like a superequine effort she regretfully rolled off of her cloud bed before dismissing the maid with a nod which made her head ache all the more. She was wracked with violent coughing as her body tried to clear her throat without much success. She really did feel wretched today.

Fragrant considered her condition as she staggered into the bathroom and dunked her head into the shower, the warm water momentarily clearing her head. It was common for epidemics to spread through the court shortly after it reopened for the winter. The mostly commonly held theory that the lack of use many of the rooms in the castle saw during the summer led to harmful miasmas forming in these areas which then caused sickness in their inhabitants when they were opened to the courts use again. This year seemed particularly severe: almost half of her personal staff were ill at the moment, as were many of her ministry staff and even the general castle staff. Duke Sands had even confided to her that he’d heard the princess sneeze in a private meeting last week, although surely any disease severe enough to afflict an alicorn would kill a normal pony. Her current condition, although enough to make her idly wish for death, was clearly not on that level.

She had visited her personal physician yesterday hoping the stallion would be able to cure her condition but he had explained that despite advances in magical techniques the common cold was still beyond his talents. He’d even put forwards a theory that the condition was caused not by miasma but by some sort of communicable parasite which was introduced to the court by its returning members. She had heard about this theory of disease but did not consider there to be enough evidence to confirm it yet. Under normal conditions she would have enjoyed a discussion on the topic, but not when she felt so ill. The doctor had offered an invigorating spell which she had gratefully accepted, and it had made her condition somewhat more bearable for a few hours. That had been yesterday, it seemed to have worn off by now and it seemed to have just made her sicker. As she stepped from the shower she considered going to get a top up, but she knew that a further dose would likely not make her feel much better.

Returning to her bedroom, Fragrant wanted nothing more than to just collapse back on her bed and try to sleep for another week or two, but her duty had to come first. With so many of her staff off she had more to do than ever. Taking a hoofkerchief from a sideboard she blew her muzzle, wincing as the soreness made the silk feel like sandpaper. Looking over at her reflection, she was rather horrified by how rough she looked despite the time she had just spent trying to look her best. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark bags were gathered under then, her mane looked limp and lifeless, and she was slumped like the weight of the world rested on her back.

Trying to ignore her shattered appearance, she glanced down at the selection of outfits laid out for her and decided on a rather stiff black dress with a high collar; she just wanted to hide herself from the world today. Glancing up at the clock she groaned, she was far behind schedule. She had hoped she could bump into Max for breakfast this morning, but it looked like she would have to skip the meal entirely, maybe just as well as she didn’t have much of an appetite, and head straight to her morning staff meeting.

Giving her bed another envious glance she started to crawl into the dress she had just selected.

At least the trip to the castle went swiftly, she used her newly returned air carriage to cross the short distance from her home to the seat of government. Normally she’d just walk or take a ground carriage, but she had been in a hurry and didn’t feel like potentially getting stuck in traffic on the ground. She certainly didn’t feel like the intensive flight her current health regimen expected of her. As always, her office was humming with activity as weather control all over Equestria was monitored and regulated. The pace was even more frantic than normal now that a good fraction of her staff were off sick. Trying not to let her condition show, Fragrant trotted through the outer office, nodding to the various staff members remaining as she went. However, once she entered her own private office she let her aching body slump into her seat and rested her head on her desk for a moment. Turning, she could glance over at the large pile of work in her inbox. she really didn’t feel like going through it right now, just looking at it made her headache worse.

After a few minutes there was a discreet knock at the door, and Fragrant only just managed to pull herself together and sit up straight before her personal assistant Saltpeter entered. “Good morning my lady,” he said politely. He looked her up and down, presumably noting her rather dishevelled condition but didn’t comment on it. Notebook would have asked how she was feeling, noted a small part of her, and would have suggested she take the day off, but her relationship with Saltpeter was a lot less relaxed than with her former assistant.

Fragrant sighed and blinked her watering eyes. “Good morning Saltpeter,” she replied, “What do you have for me today?”

The stallion shoved a pile of newsprint onto her desk. “Today’s papers, any relevant articles have been highlighted.”

She glanced down at the thick wad of paper. “Just give me a summary today.”

“Oh!” the stallion looked shocked, “I, well, I didn’t read them myself, I delegated. I was busy, what with all the sickness going around...” He babbled.

Fragrant frowned. She did expect her assistant to be able to delegate when necessary, but a review of the papers each day was quite important; you never knew what the press might come up with, therefore it was best to stay on top of them. Still, Saltpeter had only been with her a few months, she should cut him some slack. “Don’t panic,” she said in as calming a tone as her scratchy voice could manage, “get me a summary from whoever reviewed the papers when they are free, but I do expect you to... to...” She felt a tickle start to build up in her muzzle and quickly reached out for a tissue before the sneeze exploded from her, almost knocking her from her chair. She blew her muzzle, a not very ladylike sound, and blushed. “Just make sure you have a summary yourself in future.”

“Of course my lady,” said Saltpeter sounding relieved, “Would you like to go through your itinerary, now?”

She nodded, feeling her nasal passages starting to itch again already. She really did hate being sick, it was so undignified.

“You have the monthly meeting with the area chiefs in half an hour. the statistics are on your desk, I can give you a summary of those,” he said hopefully. Fragrant considered for a moment but shook her head, she preferred to check that herself. “Then you are chairing a meeting of the committee reviewing the formation of new cloud cities, that should take you up to lunch.” He continued ticking off a checklist, “I’m afraid you will only have half an hour to eat, you have a meeting with Baroness Buttercup Fields just after. Then there are several important votes you will need to attend, the details are on your desk,” he nodded to the reports, “Then you have meetings with Baroness Chorus about possible financial support for her province, a representative from the Manehatten chamber of commerce about closer trade links with Cloudsdale, the cloud wranglers guild about that demarcation dispute, a meeting with Lady Fleur de Lis about charity funding, and finally the Apple Trust want to discuss the possible establishment of their own weather company. That takes us through to the morning. Oh, and you have that charity event late morning.”

Fragrant nodded and sighed. For her it was a fairly normal day, but it was going to be a struggle to get through it all given how she felt. The committee meeting was pure bureaucracy, nothing would be achieved there, the new Baroness seemed to be worryingly desperate for funds, the Manehatten meeting could be dealt with more efficiently by any number of her assistants if the members of the chamber of commerce hadn’t considered themselves too important to see anyone but herself, the guild always found something to complain about and the Apple Trust just wanted to see if they could intimidate the smaller weather companies into giving them a better deal. Even the votes at court were mere formalities. Only the meetings with Buttercup and Fleur promised to actually be useful. Still, it was her job after all, her responsibility to her little ponies, the Princess and all Equestria. “I should get started then,” she picked up the summary of today's votes and started to scan through it, “Call me when the first meeting is due, and could you get me a coffee?”

Saltpeter raised an eyebrow; Fragrant didn’t normally drink the stuff, preferring tea or lemon water. “I think I’ll need a pick me up today,” she explained.

“Of course my lady,” he said with a bow before backing out the room.

Fragrant blew her nose again before trying to concentrate on the writing in front of her.

“And in conclusion,” said Saltpeter pointing at the chart affixed to the wall, “despite the ease with which nimbostratus clouds can be formed it is unlikely they will be able to replace the demand for cumulonimbus due to the latter's greater versatility and ability to be converted into other cloud types upon demand.” He turned to the audience for their reactions.

Fragrant nodded, she had to admit that no matter his flaws her assistant did understand his clouds; he had almost two decades’ practical experience in weather work after all. Notebook, for all his efficiency, had sometimes gotten a little confused on that front given his theatrical background. She glanced into the crowd where her one-time assistant was now taking notes as part of his new role. Like her, he did not look well, frequently coughing into his hoof, presumably stricken with the same ailment as her. For a moment she wanted to ask him how he was, but then she remembered why she had removed him from her personal service and scowled. She took another sip of her now cold coffee and almost gagged at the bitter taste. “Thank you Saltpeter, is there any other business?” she asked gazing out over the herd of senior staff members. The crowd wasn’t a large as normal, several of the invited members were off sick and in many cases assistants were filling in for the normal executives. “Good, I will see you all next month.” At her command the crowd started to disperse back to their own offices. She noticed Saltpeter taking a note from another member of her staff, he read it and frowned. “What is it?” she asked as he approached.

He sighed. “The Internal Affairs Bureau is asking for further access to our records.”

“Again?” She frowned, “I thought we had already sorted that out.”

“We provided all the information they requested last time, but they are widening the scope of their investigations. Now they want full details of your personal and family finances as well as more details as to the ministry’s employment records.”

Fragrant sighed. “Very well, we have nothing to hide.” The Bureau had taken to its new powers very eagerly, it didn’t even have an appointed leader yet and it was already throwing its weight around. It was enough to make her wish she hadn’t put so much effort into forming it in the first place! Still, she supposed it was just trying to do its job, and if she expected it to expose corruption in the court she had to accept that she would be investigated just as much as her more shady comrades.

“They would like to speak to you personally as well.”

“Now?!” She exclaimed, her head throbbing even more. She already had a full day, she didn’t need this on top of everything else.

“No, at a convenient point. I’ve pencilled them in for next week, I’ve had to remove your chess game with Duke Sands,” he said apologetically.

Fragrant almost argued, then nodded, it was less important than her more official work. “Very well, add it to the schedule and see if you can get some details of exactly what they want from me, but give them your full cooperation. Now, I believe I have a meeting?”

“Yes, the Cloud City Committee,” Saltpeter checked his notes, “The Lilac Chamber, east wing. It’s due to start in only a few minutes.”

Fragrant sighed, she had hoped she’d have a few minutes to relax before the meeting, just ten minutes or so of resting her head on a desk sounded wonderful. Or maybe some time to catch up with Max, he had probably missed her at breakfast, a quick chat would make her feel better, but it was not going to be. She downed the last of her coffee. “Very well,” she said.

Fragrant struggled against the leaden weight of her eyelids, she was not going to fall asleep in the middle of the meeting she was running! But the room was so warm, and Viscountess Nighting Gale was just so boring.

“And as you can see, the production of Cloudholm has increased by 3.24 percent over the last year,” continued the grey coated, grey maned pegasus mare in her grey voice, “This figure is split between the various sectors of industry as follows: 0.15 percent in heavy industry, 0.67 in weather and...”

The droning voice seemed to fade out as Fragrant felt her head start to nod. She rallied shaking herself and licking her lips, and prayed she hadn’t been drooling. Glancing around the room none of the other attendees seemed any more excited than she did. Really, the whole committee wasn’t much more than a pointless show of bureaucracy. Its role was to approve the formal formation of new cloud cities. The list of requirements for a town to be considered a city were so complicated as to be almost incomprehensible to the average pony, and even too many officials. Still, it was a significant prestige boost, not to mention an increase in income due to various grants, for a noble to have a new city founded in their territory, be it on the ground or in the air, so many still applied. However, the level of certification required to pass committee meant that the meets of the committee normally consisted of endless status updates followed by an agreement to review everything again in the next meeting. It was really a waste of her time; in any other case she would have appointed an assistant or lesser noble to take her place, but as the chairpony of the committee she had certain responsibilities that she did not think it was proper to just pass on to another pony.

“And in conclusion I now feel that Cloudholm has met the industrial requirements to be classed as a city as laid out in the settlement classification legislation section D, sub sections 1 to 15 and it is thus suitable for this body to pass on a recommendation to Viceroy Nightlight’s committee to recommend the Princess to allow the reclassification of the town.” The mare finally stopped droning on and shuffled the large pile of papers in front of her.

“Thank you Viscountess for such a... thorough presentation,” said Fragrant, attempting to fight back a yawn, “But the basic issue has not changed. Cloudholm has only a population of one hundred and twenty-two ponies, it really is not suitable to be classed as a city when many villages are larger!”

“Actually the population is now one hundred and twenty-three, a new foal was born last week,” said Nighting Gale with what seemed to Fragrant like the slightest sliver of pride.

“Then I congratulate the parents,” said Fragrant trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, “But this does not change the underlying issue.”

“Legislation does not actually set a minimum size for a city, it merely states that ‘a settlement must be of significant population’,” Fragrant could literally hear the quotation marks.

“Yes, and it is this committee’s job to interpret that legislation, cloud cities are traditionally smaller than their ground based compatriots,” in fact over the year’s cloud cities had grown smaller and smaller, the sky based pegasus population was tending to reduce as more and more moved to mixed, ground based, dwellings. Her own Cloudsdale was one of the few settlements which had so far proved immune to this population drain. In some ways it was sad that more and more pegasus were giving up their tribe’s ancient birthright, but in another it showed how the tribes were drawing closer together as time went by. “But such a small settlement being declared a city would open us up to ridicule.”

“Plus this would be the, what, sixth city named Cloudholm?” interjected Baron Thunderbird, “It would get a bit confusing, don’t you think?” he gave a good-natured laugh which seemed to be lost on Nighting Gale.

“I call for a vote to reject Cloudholm’s application at this time,” said Fragrant loudly. Several of the committee members started at this, apparently awoken by her tone. She felt a tinge of jealousy.

“I second,” said Thunderhead.

“Good...” continued Fragrant, her voice cracking. she coughed to clear her throat, “Good, all those in favour?” All of the committee but Nighting Gale mumbled their agreement. “Against?” Fragrant coughed again, the convulsion wracking her chest. Nighting Gale raised her hoof, a sour expression on her grey face.

Fragrant took a deep breath. “The ayes have it, no recommendation on the conversion of Cloudsholm will be made at this time.”

“As a member of this committee I ask that Cloudsholm’s petition be reviewed again at our next meeting!” said Nighting Gale quickly, showing actual emotion for the first time in the whole meeting. Fragrant sighed, the other mare did this every time. She could sort of understand it, once in the past Nighting Gale’s family had been much more important, but their fortunes had been reduced over the years so that their holdings were only a tiny sub province of Greater Cloudsdale. One could fly from one end to the other of their lands in an afternoon and the skies contained very little of use and no major population centres. If anything, their position had weakened even more recently. Nighting Gale had been betrothed to the scion of one of the nouveau rich merchant families but she had heard that the relationship had recently broken off; it was likely her former paramour had found a more powerful meal ticket to true nobility. Holding an actual city, even if one in name only, would be a major boon to Nighting Gale’s besieged family.

“Very well, you have that right,” said Fragrant wearily, “let the discussion be tabled for our next meeting.” The secretary made the appropriate note on the minutes. “I think that is everything on the agenda?” Something stuck in her throat and she broke into a brief coughing fit. “My apologies,” she continued after taking a swig of water from the glass on the table in front of her, “I believe the next meeting is due on the 18th?”

“If it pleases the chair,” said Nighting Gale, “I would like the meeting moved to the 20th if possible, I have responsibilities in my lands on the 18th.”

Fragrant’s ears twitched, there was something about the 20th, but she couldn’t remember what. She sniffed, wishing her head didn’t feel so full at the moment.

“Actually I think the 20th would be more convenient for me as well,” said Baron Skyfire.

“Me too,” agreed Countess Juniper, the only non-pegasus member of the committee.

The committee looked towards their chair for her agreement. Fragrant frowned, she was certain there was something special about the 20th but still couldn’t remember what it was, maybe she could defer and check with Saltpeter?

“Duchess Posey?” asked Nighting Gale, “Do you have an issue with the change in date, we are waiting. If you cannot make the date you could send a proxy.”

Fragrant bristled at the suggestion, this was her committee and she would run it! “No, I should be able to reschedule,” whatever was bothering her couldn’t be that important or she would remember it, despite her headache. She nodded to the secretary, “Note it to be so,” she commanded.

“How did your meeting go?” asked Saltpeter as Fragrant returned to her offices.

“Fair,” mumbled Fragrant, she didn’t have the energy to say much more and she slumped into her seat.

“As you don’t have much time until your next one I took the liberty of getting you a meal,” said her assistant.

Fragrant glanced down at the plate of daisy sandwiches; that particular flower wasn’t her favourite, but she only now realised just how hungry she was. She tried to remember if you were supposed to starve a cold or feed a cold, but the scent of the food distracted her and she took a large bite from the nearest lump of bread. “Thank you,” she mumbled with her mouth full, she might still be getting used to her assistant but he did seem to have the best intentions. She swallowed, wincing a little as the food rushed down her sore throat. “The next committee meeting has been moved to the 20th, make sure to update my schedule.”

Saltpeter nodded and flipped through his mistress’s diary. “You asked that that entire day be kept clear, my lady,” he noted, “you said that you had a family responsibility.”

Fragrant’s eyes widened and she almost spat out her mouthful of food. How could she have forgotten! That was the day of Fluttering’s concert! She’d been so very proud when she’d heard about it. even if Fluttering herself hadn’t decided to mention it, she knew she had to go and see her niece make her first steps away from her self-imposed exile. Now she’d ruined it all due to a slip of the memory! Had Viscountess Nighting Gale known about this? The concert was common knowledge; Baronetess Soft Hoof had been advertising it since the court opened. Was it some sort of revenge from the Viscountess? Or was she looking for maleficence when coincidence was more likely?

“Are you alright my lady?” asked Saltpeter nervously.

“I... I am fine, I’m just not hungry anymore,” she looked down at the sandwiches in front of her, her error made them taste like ash to her. “You should get something to eat yourself, I may need your services later.”

“Yes, of course my lady,” said Saltpeter as he left the room throwing worried glances at her as he went.

Fragrant dropped her chin to the desk in front of her, what was she going to do? It would be a simple enough matter to delegate the meeting to one of her staff, a slightly more complicated one to change the date now that the minutes had been recorded, but not impossible. Still, she prided herself on not doing that sort of thing, not putting her personal issues ahead of her work. She had bent, broken the rules once and the world's punishment of her had been... she couldn’t do that again. But was it really so bad to ignore the importance of her committee’s work just so she could see a member of her family perform? Even a committee as useless as the Cloud City Committee? It seemed like such a small thing, such an easy decision, but was it the first step on a dark path? Her bribe all those years ago had seemed like it was for the greater good but look at its implications: it almost drove the princess to despair, it ruined two lives and cost another. She glanced up at the clock; her time was almost up, she was due to meet up with Baroness Buttercup Fields in only a few minutes. She was due to help teach the new noble her role, maybe the younger mare might offer her insight into her dilemma.

Her meetings with her new student were very different from those with Max, thought Fragrant. Baroness Buttercup had little need to be trained on court protocol and procedure, she had practically grown up amongst the Night Court after all. Instead the ‘lessons’ were more of a strategy session where the two of them could exchange knowledge and come up with a united front to help their joint interests. In some way the relationship was closer to that which had existed between herself and Vicereine Wallflower. Fragrant had never really thought of taking on a prodigy, but that was what seemed to have happened. Of course, her relationship with Wallflower had somewhat changed over the summer, and they were not a close as they had once been. the more powerful noble was still friendly, but their relationship was not as easy as it had been. In some ways it had weakened Fragrant’s political position not to have such a powerful patron, but in others, well, it did make her seem like more of her own mare. Several courtiers had approached her for help on joint projects, which she would have been denied participation in when she was considered Wallfower’s creature. Despite her role in helping Buttercup at court, Fragrant couldn’t help but feel the relationship between the younger mare and herself was still rather formal. she had considered Buttercup’s father, Rolling Field, to have been a friend if not a very close one, but she was somewhat guilty of ignoring the old stallion’s daughter. She had almost been part of the scenery, her father's helper rather than a pony in her own right. Now that Fragrant was supposed to act as a mentor to the younger pony she was finding it hard to treat her as a peer.

“I think that should be more or less everything, duchess” said Buttercup formally as she glanced down at her pad.

Fragrant nodded. “Yes, we can talk about the proposal to alter the legislation on Equestria’s territorial waters at another time. I can see the advantages to Count Ballast's suggestions although I don’t entirely see why they are necessary right now.”

“There have been some increased tensions between our fishing fleets and those of other nations, a clearer demarcation of where our maritime borders stand might help the situation before someone does anything rash.”

Fragrant chewed at her pencil thoughtfully. “Well you seem to have a better handle on it than me, I’m happy to follow your lead in this matter,” she said with a smile. it did seem that the filly had the makings of a fine courtier, and granting her such authority should help her to develop. “If we need to sort out further details we can send one of our ponies to the Count’s briefing on the matter next week.”

“I’ll go myself,” said Buttercup quickly.

“I don’t know if it’s really all that important, an assistant should be sufficient,” Fragrant frowned. she hadn’t actually seen any of Buttercup’s staff; the younger mare’s province was small but surely she couldn't be administering it all by herself? Even Max had Mrs Grobhar to help him out.

“No, I like to do things myself where possible,” said Buttercup, breaking Fragrant’s current chain of thought, “That way I know everything is done properly,” she covered her mouth as she yawned deeply, “sorry.”

“No problem dear,” Fragrant examined the other mare closely, her one time love rival was still a stunning young pony but she did look rather tired. In fact, now that she thought about it, Buttercup had seemed quite drained in all her previous meetings. Fragrant knew how hard a job working for the court could be, but she hoped that Buttercup wasn’t overdoing it. “But you really should make sure you delegate things if needed, you’ll get sick if you don’t relax sometime.” Fragrant briefly wondered when she’d started to talk like her mother, the older mare had said the same thing to her when she’d taken up her role. Back then she would have been about the same age as Buttercup was now, and her mother had been about as old as she now was. It wasn’t a situation she wanted to think about much more, it wasn’t pleasant to think of herself as being as old as her mother. Still, maybe she should take up her mother's advice and delegate the cloud city meeting to one of her staff, it was a minor matter really.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” said Buttercup politely. “I do think I should go to the meeting myself though, it is part of my role after all. The Princess gave me, gave us, our roles to do this sort of work for the ponies of our provinces, for all of Equestria,” her voice rose a little, “My father never needed much help to get his work done, and I have to try my best to be as good to his ponies as he was, it’s my duty!”

Fragrant nodded awkwardly. The younger mare was right of course, and she really shouldn’t need to be told by a newly minted baroness what her responsibilities were. Still, she had so much more on her plate than the other mare, a whole ministry to run as well as her other duties, but that shouldn’t be an excuse, she shouldn’t put her own personal wants ahead of her duty. “Yes, I suppose you’re right my dear.”

Fragrant leant back in her seat and took a sip of her tea. If nothing else the meeting had been quite relaxing, she felt a bit less like death warmed up than this morning. She glanced around the room, it was a little cramped; Buttercup still used the outer room that she had used as her own office while her father had still been alive rather than having moved into his office. Fragrant could guess at the reasoning, she had been a bit leery of stepping into her mother's shoes when she had taken over and her parent had only retired rather than died, even if the retirement was due to unfortunate circumstances. Maybe she should suggest Buttercup move to another office? Although this year's court was almost a month old now there was still some movement going on as the new members sorted out their positions. She shook herself again, this cold seemed to be making it hard for her to concentrate, she kept getting thrown at tangents. “Will you be going to Soft Hooves’ concert next month?” She said, “The one for the animal shelter?”

“I’ve heard about it, but I don’t think I have the time for things like that at the moment,” said Buttercup, sounding a little defensive.

“That’s a shame, but I guess you do so much charity work as it is.”

“Yes... Well, I’ve had to scale things down a bit since I look over dad’s job, I still donate but I don’t have the time for personal appearances,” she looked a bit embarrassed. “I really should try harder.”

“I quite understand, you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin, but some of these events can be quote enjoyable for a younger mare such as yourself,” once again she kicked herself internally, she was starting to sound like an old maid. she wasn’t that old, in her prime almost! “Actually, I’m going to an event this morning which you might like, you could take my place if you want.” That would be a good solution, she’d get to get to bed earlier to help her get over her cold and Buttercup could get to enjoy herself.

“This morning? I might be able to make it,” she sounded unsure, “but I have to review the votes due in court tomorrow and I have a meeting with some of the representatives from my province, and...”

Fragrant held up a hoof. “I understand, I just thought you might like a night out.”

“I do understand how generous your offer is Duchess, maybe I can move a few things around,” she picked up a day planner and began to flip through it.

“No, I’m sorry, you are clearly busy and I shouldn’t have suggested it so late, I’ll be able to do it myself. Now if we have nothing else to cover, I’m afraid I have a rather packed afternoon.”

“Of course, duchess,” said Buttercup.

Fragrant slumped forwards into the soft, soft cloud of her bed and felt like she might never be able to move again. Her time at court and morning meetings had felt like pure torture to her, the time had just seemed to crawl by as her muzzle had dripped and her throat got sorer and sorer. She was wracked by another painful cough and groaned, letting her eyes sink closed. Maybe she’d get a chance for a quick nap before she had to get ready for this morning’s event.

A knock at the door quickly crushed her hopes. “What is it?” she said with poorly concealed annoyance.

“Ma’am, you have a visitor,” came Loyal Duty’s voice from outside the room.

“I’m afraid I am busy at the moment,” she called back, wincing at the crackly sound of her voice, “Can you ask them to make an appointment?”

“It’s Baron Max, Ma’am.”

Fragrant slowly lifted her aching body into a sitting position. She hadn’t arranged to meet her coltfriend today; it wouldn’t be the first time he’d turned up unexpectedly, but she didn’t really have the energy to deal with whatever problem he’d caused today. Still, she sighed before coughing again. it had been a few days before they’d spent time together, maybe she missed him, just a little. “Let him in Loyal,” she commanded.

“Yes, Ma’am. Will you be receiving him in the drawing room?”

Fragrant doubted she could move from the bed right now even if Corona herself were to turn up unannounced. “Send him in here Loyal.”

There was a pause and Fragrant could almost hear her butler’s raised eyebrow. “Very well Ma’am.” She knew her relationship with Max wasn’t much of a secret to her staff by now, and it was a credit to their loyalty that it didn’t seem to have spread any further.

Fragrant slumped back again, trying to draw together her strength to deal with her visitor. She self-consciously ran a hoof through her mane, she probably looked a mess at the moment. Suddenly there was a thump and the door shot open revealing the form of her paramour with, for some reason, a jug and bowl on his back. “Fragrant!” he cried, “I heard you were sick!”

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile at his dramatic entrance, her cheeks flushing a little. Although she was a little jealous of his earth pony resilience which seemed to have kept him hale and hearty despite much of the castle being ill. “I’m fine,” she croaked, “just a cold, I should be better in a few days.”

He moved over to the bed and carefully unloaded his cargo onto the bedside table before leaning into her. She gently pushed him away with a hoof. “Don’t, I look disgusting!” she warned.

“You never look anything but beautiful to me,” he responded, pushing against her leg and bringing his lips to hers for a quick kiss. She looked up at him. He was clearly lying, she was all snotty and gross at the moment, but it was nice he cared enough to lie.

“Thank you for coming, but I’m afraid I have an appointment in an hour or so and I need to get ready, we’re not going to have much time to spend together.”

“You shouldn’t be going out in your condition! You should be wrapped up in bed, with someone who cares about you looking after you,” he leaned in for another kiss and this time she didn’t resist, it did sound heavenly.

“I’m afraid I have my duties, it is a charity event after all and the proceeds are for a good cause. As nobles we have a responsibility to help the peoples of Equestria regardless of our health.” She coughed again.

“You won’t be able to help anypony if you work yourself to death,” said Max, his eyes flicking around apparently looking for somewhere to sit.

“Come here,” she said pointing at the bed with a wing.

“Er, it’s cloud, won’t I fall through?”

Fragrant smiled at his ignorance. “Pegasi can extend their aura to things they’re touching”. She reached out and draped her wing over him. she concentrated for a moment, feeling her magic intertwining and covering his form. She sadly noted the number of displaced feathers on her limb, she really was a mess at the moment. “You’ll be perfectly safe as long as I’m touching you.”

Despite her reassurances Max sat down very carefully, a wide smile growing on his face as he found the cloud holding his weight. “I guess I’ll have to make sure we stay together then,” he said leaning gently against her.

“Yes, you will,” she said, letting her eyes droop again. The moment was interrupted by a familiar ticking sensation in her muzzle. She scrabbled for her hoofkerchief to catch her sneeze, only just avoiding spraying her coltfriend with the contents of her nose, not a very romantic gesture.

“That reminds me, I brought you this!” he reached for the jug by the bed.

“What is it?” she asked sniffing.

“My mother's carrot soup. Well, as close as I could make. I couldn’t get all the ingredients, Kroop berries aren't that common in Canterlot. Mum always used to make it for me when I was sick as a foal.”

Fragrant smiled at his thoughtfulness. “That’s very kind of you Max.” Her stomach also added its support, when had she last eaten anyway? She remembered half of a sandwich many hours ago. He poured the substance out into the bowl, it was very thick, almost a paste rather than a liquid, it seemed to have cooled and maybe congealed during the trip from Max’s house to her estate. She sniffed at it somewhat suspiciously, but her nose was still blocked and she couldn’t pick up much scent. For a moment she thought about asking for a spoon, but it looked like Max hadn’t brought one, she assumed that in an out of the way place like Nulpar most eating would be done directly from the bowl. Not wanting to insult Max, she leant forwards and licked at the substance. Despite the lack of scent the taste struck her immediately, it was heavily spiced and immediately set her eyes watering. She tried to blink away the tears and glanced up at Max who was waiting expectantly.

“That means it’s working,” he explained. She took another mouthful. now that she was expecting it, it didn’t seem all that bad, the texture was interesting and the taste, although overpowering, was actually quite layered. Her body suddenly remembered how hungry it was and she had to fight against herself not to dive face first into the meal.

“This is very nice,” she said after a few mouthfuls, she had to use her hoofkerchief again as the spices caused her nose to run like a tap. “What’s in it?”

“This and that. Carrot, swede, turnip, grains, quite a bit of pepper, spiced rum...”

“Rum?” she asked swallowing another mouthful, “Are you trying to get me ‘liquored up’ Baron?” She raised an eyebrow.

“It’s just a splash or two,” he protested with a smile. “It was hard to get your hooves on back in Sadlzberg, Mum used to say it came all the way from the Thousand Islands. That certainly peaked my imagination as a colt.”

Fragrant smiled at Max’s recollection, she could imagine Max as a foal going out to play pirates with his friends. Her own foalhood had been a little cloistered and ordered. Almost without noticing she finished the meal and, blushing, licked the bowl clean before lying back on the bed with a sigh, her stomach sated and swollen. “Thank you Max, sometimes I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve you.”

“You’ve done so much more for me that I could ever repay.”

Fragrant returned the smile and took a deep breath, surprised to find that her sinuses seemed to have cleared allowing her to breathe better than she had for days. “Unfortunately I really need to get ready for my day out,” she glanced over at her ticket on the bed side table.

“You need to rest,” said Max, “Can’t you just not go?” He shifted up onto the bed and led Fragrant next to him, allowing her to lean against his warm body.

Fragrant yawned. “I would love to Max, but I have responsibilities, this is for a good cause and the organisers will be expecting me. Responsibilities such as these are the price we pay for the honour of being nobles, our own needs are not as important.”

“Maybe I could go in your place?” he asked.

Fragrant failed to hide a smirk. “I don’t think it would be your sort of thing Max. No, I said I would do it, so I will. My word is my bond.” She scowled.

“Is there something else bothering you?” Asked Max, cocking his head.

“There is another duty of mine I’m finding onerous,” she admitted, “I have a meeting which conflicts with a show my niece is putting on. I would very much like to attend, but I can’t due to my duties,” she sighed.

“Forming is showing off her sculptures?”

“No. My other niece, Fluttering, she will be performing at a concert later this month in Ponyville.”

“Fluttering? From what you’ve said I didn’t think she, well, got out much, what instrument does she play?”

“She has a flock of trained birds, and no she does not get out much, not since her... breakdown,” Fragrant blinked a few times to hide her watering eyes, “The fact she is putting on such a public show, well it must mean she is starting to recover. I so want to support her, if I can.” It had after all been partially her fault that Fluttering had ended up like she did. “She’s not asked me directly, hasn’t actually told me she was performing. I don’t think she wanted to be a burden, but she can make such sweet music and I haven't heard it for so long,” she said longingly.

“Can’t you reschedule or anything? I’d hate for you to miss hearing your niece play.”

“No, my word is my bond, it is my responsibility to chair the meeting, nopony else's.”

“What about a proxy?”

“Sending a servant would be seen as an insult.” She yawned, the soup seemed to have settled heavily in her stomach, almost forcing her deeper into the soft material of her bed.

“How about I do it for you?” He suggested.

“You?!” she exclaimed.

“Well I am a noble aren't I?” He looked a little hurt at her strong reaction.

“No Max, I mean yes, but you’ve never chaired a meeting before.”

“I’ve seen it done, it doesn’t seem all that hard. I know I’ve messed up in the past, but I think I can do this. Is anything special supposed to happen at this meeting?” He asked.
“I don’t think so,” she admitted, “It should be run of the mill.” It was sweet of Max to offer, and it would allow her to see Fluttering, but she couldn’t ask him to do that. “But no, I can’t ask you to do that, it’s my duty, not yours. Now I have to get ready for the event, I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” She wiggled around on the bed trying to roll off, her meal seemed to have drained much of the strength from her aching muscles.

Max looked on at her efforts with a mix of pity, interest and amusement. “Are you sure you’re well enough to go out?” He asked.

“I will be fine, I’m just a little stiff,” she protested.

“Let me help you, I’m sure I can work some of the kinks out,” he reached out and rested a hoof on her barrel. “You know I’m good with my hooves.”

Fragrant had to admit the rather interrupted massage she’d previously received from Max had done her good. “Very well, but not for long, I really do need to get ready soon.”

“Ok,” he sat up on the bed careful to keep contact with her wing. “Now roll over on your front, rump towards me.” She complied with difficulty, flushing at the intimacy of the position. “This would be easier if you took off your dress you know.”

Fragrant felt herself tense a little. For a moment she considered it, she was sure she’d survive in Max’s presence without her psychological crutch, for a while at least, but she probably needed all the strength she could muster to not just fall asleep. “I think it might be better if I remained fully clothed, I’m not sure if I entirely trust you,” she craned her neck around giving her stallionfriend a not entirely serious glare.

Max shrugged before reaching out and gently resting a hoof on Fragrant’s shoulder, wobbling it around a little getting a feel of the muscles under her coat. “You’re very tense,” he noted, “You should let me work on you more often.”

“Well, do a good job now and I might consider it in the future,” said Fragrant somewhat tartly.

“Of course my lady,” said Max formally as he pushed gently against the muscles of her back.

Fragrant gave a quick squeak as she felt a pinch from the sharp edge of Max’s hoof, but after a moment a feeling of liquid warmth started to wash over her back turning her vocalisation into a moan. With quick but gentle pressure Max slid his hooves down her back and sides applying just enough pressure to each point to untwist her protesting muscles, turning Fragrant’s body into a puddle of warm pony shaped jelly. “You’re really good at this,” she tried to say, although what emerged was probably more like, “Yiffly relly ood ‘t ‘is,” it seemed impossible to care about diction at the moment.

Fragrant’s eyes drifted shut as all capability to use her muscles seemed to fade away under Max’s care. This really was the most wonderful way to spend time, her liquefying brain finally came up with. The idea of time floated around her head for a moment as she felt Max gently extending one of her wings before running his hooves down the leading edge, each joint seemed to tense up until his hoof reached it then the pressure just dripped away like melting ice. The free floating idea finally latched onto the concept of having to be somewhere else, soon. She struggled to force her mouth to work again. “Thank you Max,” she finally managed to slur, “I really need to get ready now.” She struggled to get her rubbery muscles to work again.

“How about I help you get preened?” suggested Max from behind her, rolling his hooves over her back and wiping out the little process she’d made in becoming mobile.

Fragrant rolled her eyes beneath her lids. Preening was considered an intimate, relaxing and bonding act between pegasus couples, but from her personal experience the other tribes weren't all that good at it. Holly had torn out a good chunk of feathers from one of her wings when she’d first tried it and Green Horn’s aura had left an unpleasant staticy feeling in her wings making the feathers stand up painfully.

“Are you sure,” she mumbled, “It’s harder than it looks.”

“Don’t worry,” said Max, “I had plenty of practise with Zephyr.”

Fragrant found her few working muscles tensing at the comment, she didn’t need to know what Max had done with his previous marefriend. Then she felt his teeth gently lock down on her right wingtip. To her surprise, Max used only the minimum effort required to hold the feathers in place while his tongue whipped from side to side sorting the feathers into position. She almost gasped at the sensation. Max continued making his way slowly down the limb, there was a brief tug and she felt a broken feather she’d hardly been aware was troubling her detach. She really should thank Max’s ex-marefriend at some point, she thought settling back into the cloud of her bed, maybe even get her some sort of present, chocolates maybe. Then Max seemed to somehow exert pressure on a whole set of feathers at the same time causing her tongue to loll from her mouth, she might have been drooling but she couldn’t be sure, or care. Forget chocolates, if Zephyr had taught Max to do this she deserved something larger, maybe a house.

A certain darkness seemed to be growing around Fragrant’s few remaining senses as she felt herself sink deeper into her bed, it took almost an eternity for the active parts of her brain to recognise that she was falling asleep and another subjective decade or two, once Max turned his attention to her other wing, for her to realise that this was a problem. She desperately tried to rally against the soothing oblivion closing in on her; she had a duty, a responsibility! But the concepts seemed hollow at the moment. Still, she fought, although her consciousness remained linked to her body by the narrowest of threads. Then she felt a tugging at her mane gently pulling her head back for a moment before letting it fall forwards again before repeating again and again in a rhythmic pattern. Somepony was brushing out her mane, she realised as the darkness grew again. Her mind locked onto her early life when her mother used to groom her sleepy foal before she was put to bed, and she sank into the fog of warmth, safety and love. Fragrant’s last thoughts before that last thread snapped and she was set adrift in the sea of dreams was that Max didn’t play fair, and that she loved him for it.

Max gently put down the hairbrush on the bedside table and listened to the gentle snores of Fragrant as she lied on the bed. Her mane framing her head, she looked radiant, like a princess. Then she gave a loud grunting snort as her still somewhat blocked nostrils tried to clear themselves before relaxing back into the bed. Max looked around for a blanket or something to cover the pegasus with but couldn’t see anything. He wasn’t sure how one would interact with a cloud bed anyway. He shrugged, Fragrant seemed to have sunk mostly into the bed anyway, she seemed content enough. He stood and carefully unwrapped her wing from him, watching her limb flail around searching for him for a moment before flopping down beside its owner. He was glad his plan had worked and he could ensure that Fragrant would get a good day's sleep now, that and the soup, with a rather generous measure of alcohol in it, should mean she’d be better far quicker than if she was working herself to death.

He picked up the ticket from the bedside and then glanced up at the clock, he’d have to gallop if he was going to get to the Royal Canterlot Theatre before whatever the event was started. Fragrant had been right that there was a responsibility to be there, it was just that she didn’t need to take all that responsibility on her own back.

He quietly trotted out of the room, making sure the curtains were shut against the morning sunlight. On his way out he caught up with Fragrant’s butler and asked her to make sure her mistress wasn’t disturbed until the evening. Then he galloped off into the city.

A quick glance at the invitation didn’t give Max much of an idea as to what the event was supposed to actually be. It only said that he should present it at the stage door to gain entry, he hoped he wasn’t supposed to bring something for an auction, or be dressed up or anything.

There wasn’t a chance to ask any questions either once he got to the theatre, he was quickly bustled inside by a rather uptight white stallion with a two tone pink mane in a suit. “At last!” He exclaimed, “I thought you were never going to make it! Wait a minute, you’re not Duchess Posey!”

“Um, no. Fragrant, I mean Duchess Posey is sick, I’m filling in for her. I’m Baron Mounty Max.” The other stallion ignored Max’s outstretched hoof and started to shove him onto the stage.

“Whatever! Just sit at the desk with the other judges and try not to talk too much!” He turned back to the various stage ponies around him. “Places everypony,” he called, “Curtain up in one minute!”

Max looked around, off to one side was a small desk behind which three seats had been placed, two of them being used by ponies. One was a mare he didn’t recognise with a huge, and he suspected fake, mane, who gave him a quick friendly wave. The other he recognised, it was Viscount Blueblood.

“What are you doing here?” asked Max as he took his place next to his fellow noble, it was nice to see a familiar face. He still didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing though, the manager had said something about judging, maybe it was a dancing contest, or fruit and vegetables? He’d had some experience of that as mayor of Saldzberg.

“They often invite back previous winners to act as judges,” said Prince, flashing a winning smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here though.”

“Oh, I’m filling in for somepony else. Bit of a last minute thing actually, I don’t even know...”

Before he could finish, the curtain separating him from the audience started to ascend to reveal a huge herd of excited ponies. Despite the harsh stage lights Max could make out a veritable sea of mares with a few groups of stallions here and there. An overexcited pink mare with a candy floss like mane was leaping up and down and screaming from the front rows. Next to him Blueblood blushed slightly and gave a polite wave. Further back in the crowd Max through he recognised a group of the pages from castle, they were all shouting excitedly and several were pumping their forelegs. Next to them sat a rather embarrassed looking grey pony.

A blue coated pegasus stallion dressed in a sparkly silver suit swooped onto the stage from the wings to land in a spot light in the centre. “Good morning ladies and Gentle stallions,” he cried, “I am Shining Star and I am very pleased to welcome you all to this year’s Mr Equestria finals!” The crowd gave a deafening roar. “Without further ado I’m sure you’d all like to meet this year's finalists and here they all are!” He stepped aside and a line of extremely handsome muscular stallions started to make their way out onto the stage, striking poses as they went.

Oh, thought Max, I hadn’t really expected this.

The sound of coughing gently returned Fragrant to consciousness. “Max?” she mumbled, one wing flopped around searching for her stallionfriend. she remembered him being close when she was last awake.

“Um... er... no ma’am,” muttered the maid sent to awaken her.

Fragrant flushed slightly as she opened her eyes, it must be evening, and there was certainly no sign of Max about. She stretched luxuriously, despite having slept in her clothes the muscles shifting under her coat felt loose and relaxed. She coughed a little and sniffed, her head felt a lot clearer than it had yesterday. She certainly wasn’t cured, but she did feel much, much better.

The recollections of yesterday started to crawl back to her, she should be angry with Max, the way he’d tricked her into falling asleep, but she couldn’t disagree that she’d needed that rest. She’d have to apologize to the organisers of Mr Equestria of course, probably make a large donation to this year's charity, but that wasn’t truly a hardship.

Stretching again, Fragrant sat up in bed before gently hopping to the floor. “Thank you Silver,” she said to the maid who was still standing near the door. “I will be bathing now, if you would pick out a selection of clothes for today. Lighter colours I think, it’s not winter yet.” She extended her wings and admired them for a moment. “And maybe something which shows off my plumage.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” nodded the maid, “but you might want to look at this first.” She held up a newspaper.

Max and Mrs G were sitting in an isolated corner of the banqueting hall eating breakfast when Fragrant found them.

“Good morning Max,” she said with a slight hint of anger in her voice.

Max swallowed the toast he had been eating. “Morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked innocently.

“Very, but I do not appreciate being tricked that way!”

“Sorry!” said Max looking up at Fragrant with wide puppy dog eyes. She could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before looking away and taking a seat opposite him.

“Anyway, I am feeling much better today and you did fulfil my obligation so I guess things have turned out alright.”

“You don’t have to take all your responsibilities onto your own back you know,” said Max, “we’re a team now,” he reached out and rested his hoof on her own. “I’ve shown you I can help you if you need it, even if I don’t know what I’m getting myself into.”

Fragrant’s mouth twitched a little with disguised mirth. “Yes, that you have.”

“So maybe I can help you with your committee? So you can go and see Fluttering’s concert?” He looked at her with those eyes again.

“That is a bit more complex than a charity event, but maybe it would be an idea to broaden your skills a little,” she admitted. Max beamed.

“I won’t let you down.”

“I’m sure you won’t. Now, you took my place at the contest last night?”

“Yes, although I’m not sure why you were going in the first place,” he frowned.

“Why Max, are you jealous? Did you think my head might have been turned by one of the competitors?” She tried not to giggle at his expression, Mrs G laughed out loud. “It was going to be a present for Notebook, but that... never mind. What I want to know,” she opened the newspaper she had brought with her on the table and pointed at an article with a hoof. “If you were one of the judges... how did you manage to win a prize?”

30) Month 2 - The Committee

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“Now are you sure you’ve gotten everything down?” asked Fragrant for what seemed to Max like the hundredth time.

“Yes,” he said with exasperation, “I’ve got all your notes, I read up on cloud cities and the rules about them, it was all very interesting.” He gestured towards the large pile of papers and books on the desk which took up much of the third floor of the tower comprising his office.

“And you’ve read my notes about how to chair a meeting?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” He leaned forwards with a smile and rested his head against his marefriend’s. He felt her relax a little, she seemed very stressed about her trip. “Just forget about work for the rest of the night. Enjoy your niece’s concert. Just relax!”

Fragrant sighed as she slumped down into a seat. “Thank you Max. Thank you for agreeing to take my place at my meeting today.”

“It’s not a problem. You could do with the time off.” He didn’t really understand why she was so worried about this. The meeting seemed simple enough and her trip sounded like fun; it was a shame he couldn’t make it as well. He hadn’t had a chance to meet Fragrant’s niece Fluttering yet. She was apparently something of a recluse but Fragrant certainly loved her.

“I’ll have to think of some way to make it up to you,” she said a little suggestively.

“I’m sure I could think of a way or two,” said Max wiggling his eyebrows and grinning at the potential implications.

“I’m sure you could Baron Bow Wow,” replied Fragrant playfully.

“Actually,” said Max a little more seriously, thinking about Fluttering again, “There is something I’d like. Is there a chance I could meet your niece? She does sound interesting and she’s about the only one of your family I haven't talked to.”

Fragrant looked surprised by his request. “Fluttering?” she exclaimed. “I don’t know. She is a very shy filly. She doesn’t do well with strangers.”

“She’s a member of your family, so I’d like to meet her sooner or later. Maybe you could ask her after the concert?” He wondered if he was maybe being a little forward. Meeting your partner's family didn’t usually occur until later in a relationship.

Fragrant seemed to consider for a moment. “I’ll ask her,” she said with a nod, “but she might not be willing. She can be very sweet but...” A look of sadness crossed her features. “Well, she still has difficulty coming out of her shell.”

“That’s all I can hope for.”

Fragrant thought for a moment. “If you really do want to meet my family, well, what were your plans for Hearthswarming?” She sounded a little bashful.

“Hearthswarming?” said Max with a frown. He hadn’t really thought all that far ahead. It was still early autumn after all. “Well, I was planning to try to get back to Nulpar after the court closed for the holidays so I could spend the Twelvetide there with Mum.” He considered for a moment. “But with the trains being how they are, I’d probably only get to spend a week there before I’d have to head back. Why, what did you have in mind?”

“Well... Maybe you could spend some of the holiday with me, in Cloudsdale? It would be a chance to spend time with my family,” she offered.

Max bit his lip for a moment. “I’d love to, but I’ve always spent the holidays with Mum.”

“She could come too. I would like to meet your family as well.”

Max’s eyes widened at the offer. His mother, well she disapproved of him dating outside of his tribe. He was sure she’d be polite to Fragrant and her family, but it would almost certainly be a very awkward meeting. Maybe if she had another year or two to warm up to the idea? “I don’t know, with her bad leg, I don’t think she’d make it to the station, and I don’t think she’d like to leave the province. All her friends are there!” It seemed as good an excuse as any.

Fragrance seemed to consider for a moment. “Maybe we could come to a compromise? You could spend Hearthwarming in Cloudsdale, and I could arrange a sky carriage to get you home for the New Year? You’d still get to spend a week with your family then.”

Max smiled. “I think that might work. We can sort out the details later since we still have a few months to go.”

“It’s never too early to plan.”

“You’re right, but there’s something about being a little spontaneous as well. Now, you better be off. Isn’t your train leaving soon?”

“I know, I know. You wrote it all down!” exclaimed Max shaking the relevant sheet of paper. He’d have to find some way to stop her before she went through the whole thing again. She could be such a worry sometimes. And he had the perfect plan.

“If you have any questions before the meeting, just talk to Saltpeter, and make sure you...” Fragrant was cut off as Max placed a leg to the back of her head and pulled her into a deep kiss. She stiffened against his grip for a moment before returning his affections quite enthusiastically.

“Everything will be fine,” he said when they finally broke contact, “Enjoy the concert.” That certainly distracted her, he thought feeling rather proud.

“Thank you,” she said giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she left the room.

Max looked back at the pile of papers on his desk and smiled. He was sure things were going to go fine. It was just one small committee after all. What could possibly go wrong?

“Did you manage to arrange everything for the morning, my lord?” asked Notary, glancing around the room at the boxes and bags which filled much of it.

“Almost, but there are a few last things I need to move into place before I can proceed with my plan. But There is an... issue which has come up. My father.” Greengrass leaned forwards over his desk and rested his head on his hooves.

“Your father? But surely he’s to be expected?”

“Yes, but he’s sent me a telegram saying he’s taking the earlier train. Mother tried to stop him but he insisted. He’ll be here in less than an hour, too soon to try that trick with the signals again.”

“Do you think he suspects?”

“No, he’s apparently decided to lend a hoof in my dealings for a while, to try and keep me ‘on the straight and narrow’ as he puts it. He probably has no idea what I’m planning, but I can’t let him find out now, not when I’m so close!” He slammed a hoof against the table.

Notary shied away a little. “Surely he is no threat to your plan. He is an old stallion. The few times I have met him he has seemed harmless... sweet even.”

Greengrass snorted. “Sweet? Notary, this is my father we are talking about. He may have chosen to waste the opportunities he was granted but he still spent decades at court. Don’t let his appearance fool you. He is far, far shrewder than he seems.” Greengrass grinned. “After all, I did not fall all that far from his tree. I just put my skills to more useful ends. No, we will need to find some way of distracting him while we get the last pieces in place, but we can’t do it directly, because he’ll know something's up. No, I need a cat’s paw, a patsy to deal with him,” A wide smile started to spread across the duke's face. “And I know just the stallion!”

“How are things going, Mrs G?” asked Max as he came down the stairs from his office. He was surprised by how untidy the room was at the moment. Most of the filing cabinets were open and much of their contents were spread across the two desks which filled much of the lowest level of the tower. At the sound of his voice, Mrs G’s head popped up from behind a stack of reports.

“A bit busy at the moment, dear,” she said with a sigh. “We had another request from the Internal Affairs Bureau. They want to go over your finances. It would be much easier if you kept your receipts,” she continued in a stern tone.

Max grimaced a little. He wasn’t used to having to keep records of everything he did. “I’ll give you a hoof. I’m sure we can sort things out, it’s not like I have all that much finance anyway.”

“Don’t you have Fragrant’s meeting to deal with?”

“That’s not for a few hours, and I think I’ve read all I need to, I should have some free time.” Well, a little, thought Max. He actually had quite a pile of his own work still to do, but Mrs G looked like she was drowning right now.

“Thanks, dearie. I’ve been getting a bit behind,” she admitted.

“Maybe I should look into getting you a bit of help. You’re not getting any younger,” joked Max.

“No!” exclaimed Mrs G with some venom, “I can cope by myself!”

“I’m not saying you can't,” said Max soothingly, holding up a hoof. “You just need some help now and then. Fragrant’s got a whole department of ponies to help her.”

“Well, you don’t run Equestria’s weather, do you? No, I can handle things. Look, if you want to help, why don’t you get me a donut from the banqueting hall? I’m feeling peckish and they normally sell out.”

“Are you sure? I can help you here?”

“Food first, filing later. All of these papers are starting to look very edible,” threatened the old goat.

“Fair enough,” said Max with a smile, “But I’ll help you out when I get back.”

Mrs G turned back to the papers with a grunt as Max trotted out of the door towards the canteen.

Tapping his hoof against his muzzle Max tried to come to deal with one of the hardest decisions of his political career, a puzzle which could have ongoing implications for years to come.

Which of the remaining donuts would Mrs G prefer?

His assistant normally went for ring donuts but the only one remaining was on the small size. The jam-filled one was his own preference, but he knew the old goat didn’t like getting the filling caught up in her coat. Decisions, decisions. His reverie was broken by an impatient cough from behind him. He looked back to see a short queue of courtiers had built up. Shrugging, he grabbed both of the pastries and placed them on a plate before resting it on his back. One for him and one for Mrs G. She could choose which one she wanted in person. He quickly set off back towards his office. That was one of the few issues with his new rooms, they were a little further from the canteen than his old one.

His journey was suddenly interrupted as a brown coated stallion appeared in front of him, leaping out from a doorway which Max would have sworn was a wall a few seconds ago. The figure bumped into him, sending Max staggering and the plate previous balanced on his back flying. Max grimaced, waiting for the sound of smashing china but to his surprise it didn’t come. Instead the other pony managed to catch the falling plate and its contents on his head as it went tumbling past.

“Sorry about that Baron,” said Duke Greengrass, “I should have watched where I was going.”

“No damage done,” said Max, brushing himself off and accepting his cargo back.

“Good. I’m sorry I can’t stop to talk. So much to do at the moment,” said Greengrass, starting to turn away down the corridor.

“Oh, right. Bye then,” said Max.

Greengrass froze for a moment, seemingly struck by an idea. “Say, baron, you wouldn’t happen to have a few hours free this morning would you?”

“Um, well not really. I have to help my assistant with the Internal Affairs Bureau audit and I’m chairing a meeting later.”

“Ah, yes, the IAB audit. They really are most insistent, aren't they? I’m sure they have good intentions, but they can be rather pushy about getting what they want can’t they?”

Max had the suspicion that the bureau might have rather more interest in Greengrass than himself, given some of the rumours he’d heard about the younger stallion and his own personal experience with the Duke’s ‘games’. “It’s important that we’re accountable to our people,” he said a little stiffly.

“Well of course,” replied Greengrass with a rather fake smile. “I’m rather busy with them myself, but something’s come up needing my attention, a family issue.”

“Oh, nothing bad I hope.” Max felt a sharp pang of regret about his previous thoughts now.

“No, no, nothing like that. My father’s visiting and he’s arriving a bit earlier than expected. I have to go meet him at the station and entertain him for the rest of the morning. Really, I should put the good of the court first, but he is my father. I can’t just have him wandering Canterlot alone, can I? Not at his age.”

Max felt a phantom pain in his ear as he remembered meeting Greenmeadow, Greengrass’s father, at Baron Field’s retirement party a few months ago. He’d seemed nice enough, even giving Max some good advice on how to deal with a disagreement between two courtiers, but he had a rather physical way of illustrating his points.

“I don’t suppose... no you’re busy,” continued Greengrass hesitantly.

“What?” asked Max.

“You couldn’t collect dad, could you? Keep him busy for a while, just until five,” pleaded Greengrass, “It would be a really big favour, I know, but I’ll pay you back.”

“I don’t know. Mrs G really does need my help,” said Max hesitantly.

“Oh, I know, but I had a chance to look through your road proposal bill, and Caneighda does have some woefully poorly serviced settlements. I think it would really benefit my people if it did go through whenever you submit it. I might be something of persona non grata at the moment but I’m not entirely without connections, you know. I might be able to persuade at least a few of the court to help out.”

Max paused. It was a rather tempting offer. He had gotten some support from the court now that they’d had some time to review his bill, but every little bit helped. Mrs G did need his help with the paperwork but it didn’t need to be done right now, did it? He could help out tomorrow.

“My father might even be able to help out with your work. He likes to keep his hoof in the business you know,” added Greengrass noticing Max was wavering.

“Alright then,” agreed Max after a few moments.

“Good! Good! Now, my father will be arriving at the 1 AM train from Caneighda. Just keep him busy until five, then we can all meet up at the east ballroom and I’ll take him off your hooves.”

Max frowned a bit. That was an odd place to meet up, but then he shrugged. “Ok, I just need to tell Mrs G where I’ll be then I’ll be off!”

“Thanks,” said Greengrass with a smile. “This really does mean a lot to me.”

“Excuse me, Duke,” said Max. It had been a bit of a gallop to get to the station but the train had been a few minutes late so he’d arrived in time. It hadn’t taken long for him to pick out the distinguished form of Greenmeadow from amongst the crowd of other passengers exiting the train.

“Huh,” grunted the old stallion, turning towards him leaning heavily on his cane. “No, I’m not a duke, just a baron. The new title went to my son.” He looked Max up and down for a moment. “Baron Max, isn’t it? You were at Rolly’s party. Shame what happened to him.”

“Yes, um, sir. Actually I’m here about your son.”

“What’s he done now? Got you caught up in one of his ‘games’?” The old stallion sighed. “I just don’t know what to do with that colt.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. It's more of a personal issue.”

“Personal? Why isn’t he here to meet me?” Max noticed the stallion’s hoof push harder against his cane. “There isn’t anything wrong with my son, is there?” he asked, sounding worried.

“Oh, no. Nothing like that,” assured Max. “I’m afraid he’s just rather busy at the moment. He’s asked me to look after you for a few hours.”

“Oh, you’d think he’d make time, on this day if not any other.” Greenmeadow sighed. “Still, I know that work should come first. I’m glad he’s taking his duties seriously for once at least. Very well, lead on!”

Max thought for a moment. He’d galloped here but Greenmeadow was an old stallion, so maybe he should get a taxi. Before he could suggest the idea, the old baron seemed to read his mind. “I don’t mind trotting,” he said, “It does me good to stretch my legs, plus the mountain air is good for you they say.”

“Of course sir,” said Max turning to go.

“Wait a minute,” he frowned, “I’ve just remembered. You’re the one who put together that road and rail building bill! A very good idea, young stallion. It would have helped out a good number of outer provinces. Even some of the core areas are behind in general infrastructure work.”

“Why, thank you sir,” said Max with a wide grin. It was good to know there were other ponies on his— “Oww!” he cried as something bonked him in the head behind his ear. He turned to get a further sharp tap on his head from the old stallion’s cane. “And then you managed to screw it all up by a basic lack of understanding of the court!” He raised his cane again to once again jab at Max but the younger stallion ducked back.

“Look, I’m sorry about that,” said Max with a scowl. “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I saw an opportunity to get something done and took it! Yes, it was a stupid idea, but I was trying to do my best.”

“Best!” grumbled Greenmeadow, “In my day that sort of sloppiness would get you thrown out of court! Exiled even! You don’t go to court until you’ve already got everything sorted out! You should know who's going to vote for it before you even propose a bill. And if things start to look bad you don’t let it spiral out of control. Most the time you can get the chairpony or chamberlain to declare a recess. I even know a chap who got it done in the middle of a vote. Gives you time to think things out, talk to your allies and enemies, work out a compromise!”

Max glanced at the cane again nervously. “I’m sorry. I’m still new to court and I don’t know all the rules and the like.” His ears flattened. “Duchess Posey’s been trying to teach me, but I’m not that good of a pupil I’m afraid, and she’s so busy.”

Greenmeadow sighed and lowered his cane. “It’s not all that bad,” he admitted. “Your heart’s in the right place. You’re probably better than I was when I started.”

Max frowned. The little he’d heard about Greenmeadow suggested that the old stallion had been almost a saint compared to most of the courtiers, putting the good of the ponies ahead of his own and working selflessly for many years. It had been one of the reasons his son had been promoted so quickly. Greenmeadow must have read Max’s face because he gave out a barking laugh. “That surprise you? We were all young once. I wanted to come out on top of the court and was willing to do almost anything to get there as well! I came up with a plan, you see. I thought the best way to get to the top would be to pretend to work hard, then I’d catch them all by surprise when I revealed my true colours. Well, that’s what I thought for the first few years, but then I realised that I actually quite liked the work. There’s a certain gratification from getting something done the hard, honest, way. I only wish Greengrass could see that. In the end, I think I’m happier than he is. I’ve lived a good life, I’ve got a good wife.” The old stallion sighed. “Still, maybe I’ve still got time to turn my son around.”

“I don’t think your son’s all that bad,” said Max. “He’s given me some good advice here and there.”

“My son isn’t without talent at court. It’s the ends he chooses to put his skills to which cause the trouble. Besides, you can probably do with all the help you can get. Most courtiers learn for years from their predecessor before they have to step into the big shoes. You just got dropped straight into the job, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” agreed Max with a nod.

The older stallion clicked his tongue. “I don’t know what the princess was thinking, really. Nopony really does. Still, now that you’re here, I should help you if I can. I’ve not got much else to do until Greengrass is free. Now, what do you know about the structure of the civil service?”

Max tried to bite back a sigh. This was going to be a long couple of hours.

“So do you think you understand it now, boy?” asked Greenmeadow.

Max nodded his now slightly aching head. The journey back to court hadn’t been all that long but it had been long enough for the elder earth pony to go over what felt like a whole lifetime full of rules and procedures. Max thought he’d be lucky if he remembered one percent of what had been said. Still, some of it had seemed interesting and there were a few nuggets here and there that he thought might be useful in his plans. “I’m back, Mrs G,” he said, noting that the piles of paper around the room seemed to have grown even higher over the time he’d been away.

The elderly goat gave a welcoming grunt. She had her head stuck into a filing cabinet and turned at the sound of their entry, catching one of her horns on one of the drawers. “A chaca!” she swore. “Oh, welcome back, Max. Baron Greenmeadow.” She nodded at Max’s guest, but Greenmeadow looked a little taken aback by the appearance of the goat servant.

Max cringed. It really looked like Mrs G could use the help right now, but he needed to look after the baron. After all, he’d promised Greengrass. “I’m sorry Mrs G, I’m going to need to show the baron around, but I’ll give you a hoof after my meeting later.”

Mrs G gave a deep sigh. “Of course,” she nodded, rubbing at her injured horn.

“Nonsense!” exclaimed Greenmeadow, “This is obviously important work. I can’t get in the way of that. I might even be able to help.”

“Really?” asked Max. He was a little surprised, as it didn’t seem like most of the other courtiers spent much if any time doing their own paperwork.

“Well, I’m used to having a little more help, but I don’t shy away from hard work! Now what are you trying to do?”

“The new bureau’s asked for this evidence of our finances,” said Mrs G pointing at a pile of forms on her desk. “But he,” she pointed a hoof at Max, “hasn’t kept most of what we need.”

Greenmeadow glared at Max whose eyes flicked nervously towards the cane the other stallion still held in his hooves. “Let me have a look at that!” he commanded, hobbling over to the paperwork before flipping through it. He nodded. “It’s not that bad. Most of this you can cover with a few signed A53s, as long as the larger items can be accounted for.” He looked up at Max. “But you need to keep better records, boy. It’s important.”

Mrs G moved over to Greenmeadow’s side and put on her glasses. “What about that?” she pointed at the paper. “I can’t find that anywhere.”

“Humm, did you submit a P10 for that grant? If so, you could use the confirmation form to cover that.”

Max stood by the door feeling a little useless as the room's other occupants started to go through the list like one of Greenleave’s threshing machines from back in Sadlzberg. “Um, is there anything I can do to help?” he said.

“You could put on some tea, dearie,” said Mrs G. After a moment, Greenmeadow grunted his agreement.

“Good,” exclaimed Max, “I hereby note that a further review of Trotsbridge’s status will be carried out in another six months.” He thought that sounded properly chairpony like. Around him, the other six members of the committee nodded in agreement. He indicated to the secretary, a rather cute young unicorn who hardly looked old enough to be out of school, that she should make a note of the decision instead of staring rather absently at him. She blushed slightly and quickly scribbled the indication into her notes.

This chairing thing didn’t seem to be all that hard after all, thought Max. He’d been nervous at first, worried that he’d mess something up, but after a bumpy start where he’d mixed up the names of a few of the committee members, things had gone smoothly. Each pony would give their report on one of the cities being reviewed, there would be a few questions and then a vote on the issue. So far, every vote had been to defer any decision until a later meeting, which was exactly how Fragrant had expected them to go. He checked the itinerary, noting there was only one further report on the schedule before any other business and then that was it. It looked like the meeting would be over early, leaving him a chance to catch up on some of his work or help out Mrs G if she still needed it. When he’d last seen her, she and Greenmeadow were still working through their list of requests from the bureau.

“Right, so next we have Viscountess Nighting Gale and the petition for Cloudsholm.” He gestured to the mare. “Viscountess, you have the floor.”

“Thank you, baron,” said Nighting Gale with a nod, her voice cracking a little. She had been quite quiet for the meeting so far, nervously shuffling the paper in front of her and looking up at the clock. She cleared her throat. “As my petition for the upgrading of Cloudsholm has been under consideration for over three years now and at no point has there been an unanimous vote to reject the position I hereby submit an immediate QB742 form—” she pushed forwards a sheet of paper with a slightly shaky hoof “—signed by both the council of Cloudsholm and myself as their provincial lord. As per this committee’s constitution, Section Six, Subsection Two, I hereby invoke my right to an immediate vote on Cloudsholm’s situation. A simple majority is needed to for the issue to pass and an immediate recommendation be delivered to the Equestria-wide City Certification committee.”

Max blinked and looked down at the form in front of him. He couldn’t make head nor tail of it. Fragrant hadn’t mentioned anything about this. She’d said that Nighting Gale might push for a vote but they usually needed unanimous agreement. His head started to spin a little and he felt a sweat start to form on his flanks. Things were going wrong! Fragrant would be so angry with him at messing up again, she’d probably never want to talk to him again! Fighting down the sudden panic, he struggled to speak. “Um, well, ok, but why don’t we...”

“I vote for Cloudsholm being promoted to a city,” said Nighting Gale loudly.

“Huh,” said Baron Thunderbird, his brow furrowed, “What's...?”

“You need to vote Baron, now!” said Nighting Gale forcefully.

“Gale, where’s this coming from?” he asked. “We’ve been friends for a long time, there’s no need to take so rash a step! When the Princess hears...”

“Vote, now!” she insisted.

“I vote against then! This is foolish and you know it!”

Max took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Maybe this wasn’t a problem, maybe the vote wouldn’t go Nighting Gale’s way.

“I vote for,” said Countess Juniper smoothly with a small smile at Nighting Gale.

“I... I abstain,” said Baron Skyfire hesitantly, his eyes locked on the viscountess.

“I vote for,” said Baronett Vector Thrust.

“I abstain,” muttered Countess Moon Moth.

“Baron Max,” said Nighting Gale with a little smile, “Your vote please?”

Max glanced around and realised that the whole of the committee, apart from himself, had now voted. Three for, one against and two abstentions, the vote was going to pass and it seemed like there was nothing he could do about it. He needed more time, time to think, time to... Wait a minute, hadn’t Greenmeadow said something about getting more time when you needed it? “I call for a recess!” he exclaimed.

“In the middle of a vote?!” exclaimed Vector.

“Um, I can do that right?” asked Max. Had Greenmeadow been wrong? Maybe it didn’t apply to this situation? The rest of the committee just stared at him.

“Errr, actually, as long as the meeting has gone on for at least an hour, the chairpony can call a recess of at most the length of the meeting so far,” piped up a small voice. All eyes turned to the secretary. “It’s, um, in the committee constitution,” she added rather quietly.

“How long has the meeting been going on?” asked Max desperately.

The secretary scrabbled through her notes. “You officially started the meeting at three oh six, sir.”

Max’s eyes shot up to the clock. His heart leapt as it read ten past four. “Good! Then I declare a recess of one hour and, um, four minutes!” He looked to the secretary for support and she nodded. “Good!”

There was a general grumble around the office as the rest of the committee stood and started to file out, Nighting Gale glaring at Max as she went. He considered stopping her and trying to find out what was going on but he didn’t want to waste the precious time he’d just bought.

“Thank you,” said Max to the secretary once everypony else had left. “You really saved me there, um.”

“Oh! Junebug, sir,” she replied, running a hoof through her mane and smiling shyly.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a way to cancel that vote or something would you?” asked Max desperately.

“Sorry, no. I only knew the rule about recess because, well, I couldn’t sleep because my roommate was being loud, so I read the committee constitution to help me nod off,” she admitted with a blush.

Max slumped back in his seat, it looked like he’d just delayed the inevitable rather than stopping anything, but there had to be some way to sort things out... Or somepony, somepony who knew the rules of the court better than anypony he knew. He leapt from his seat and rushed for the door so fast he sent Junebug’s papers flying.

“Baron Max, why are you in such a hurry?” asked Greengrass as Max shot past, almost dislodging the box from the duke’s back. “Did you manage to collect my father? There isn’t anything wrong with him is there?” he asked with a touch of panic.

“What, no, no, he’s fine,” said Max slipping to a halt.

“Well that’s good, he is getting on a bit now, not as young as he used to be.”

“Look, I’ve got a problem, can you... Why are you carrying that box around?” asked Max, his train of thought derailed.

“What box?” said Greengrass angling himself away from Max, which didn’t do much good as the box was almost as tall as a pony.

“The one on your back.”

“Oh that box,” exclaimed Greengrass as if he’d never seen it before. “It’s, um, papers! Requested by the bureau!”

Max stared at the large box. “Oh, aren't they heavy?”

“Yes, but I’m stronger than I look. Lots of healthy gardening you know,” replied Greengrass flexing his legs a little.

“Oh, right,” said Max tearing his eyes from the box. “Look, I need a hoof. I’m in the middle of a vote and something's going on, it’s not going how it’s supposed to. I need to get it stopped or changed or something.”

“Tell me more.” asked Greengrass sounding intrigued.

Max quickly went through the events of the meeting and how long he had to try and fix things.

“An hour!” exclaimed Greengrass, “Well, less than that now I guess,” he tapped a hoof thoughtfully against his muzzle. “What do you know about the parties involved?”

“Well Nighting Gale seems to be leading it all, but I think she’s got to the other members of the committee!”

“Interesting...” He paused for a moment, “I think I know but...” he glanced at the box on his back for a moment then back to Max, he seemed undecided. “I’m sorry, baron. Your problem sounds very challenging but I’m afraid this is very important. I haven't the time to help you at the moment.”

“Oh, sorry,” said Max sounding very worried, “Do you think your father might know something that would work?”

Greengrass smiled. “I think he might. He tends to do things by the book, but he’s picked up a few extra chapters over the years. He might not like the game, but he’s still a good player.” He seemed to consider things again for a moment. “Dad’ll probably know some way to sort things out using paperwork but I think you should consider the ponies involved rather than pieces of paper. That’s where you'll find the real fix. Still, dad can probably help you.”

“Good, thanks, bye,” cried Max as he shot off down the corridor again. For a moment Greengrass looked like he might follow but he restrained himself and trotted off down the corridor.

“I just don’t know what to do with that colt anymore, he’s got a lot of his mother in him but he doesn’t have her—”

Max crashed into his office to find the room rather tidier than when he’d left it. Most of the papers had been put back in their cabinets and Greenmeadow and Mrs G were sitting at the two desks, sipping tea. “You’ve got to help me!” he panted.

“What’s got you so het up, Dearie?” asked Mrs G.

“Vote, Nighting Gale, recess!” gasped Max. “Need help! Now!”

“Calm down boy,” said Greenmeadow, “More haste, less speed! Sit down, get your breath back, drink some tea and tell us what this is all about.”

Taking a lungful of air Max sank into a free chair as Mrs G poured another cup. “The meeting seemed to be going so well to start with...” he began.

***

“And it was a QB742 form?” asked Greenmeadow once Max had finished his story.

“Um, yes I think so, QB744 maybe?” said Max awkwardly.

“Let’s say it was a 742,” said Greenmeadow resting a hoof on his face in exasperation, “that should be easy enough to deal with, you just need to prove that there has been ongoing investigation into the issue between committee meetings. It’s no wonder Nighting Gale waited until Duchess Posey was away before trying this. Anyone with the slightest experience could deal with this.”

Max ignored the insult. He was just glad that things could be sorted out so quickly. “So I just get this evidence from Fragrant and it doesn’t matter about this vote?”

Greenmeadow glared at him. “No,” he pronounced. “You need to be able to provide the evidence before the vote concludes. About forty minutes, given what you said.”

“Right so I’ll...” Max started off towards the door but was stopped by a sharp pain on one of his hind legs. “Oww!” He turned to see Greenmeadow poking him with his cane.

“No! No running! Always in a hurry, that’s your trouble. We have plenty of time so we can think things through. We will need to report Nighting Gale on this, since it clearly goes against the spirit of the princess’ ‘new leaf’ policy.” He looked thoughtful. “I wonder why she did it? It’s a very difficult position to be put in just to get a town upgraded to a city. The others in the committee, well she probably had something on them or they owed her favours. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad on them when this all comes around, but why would she risk her own position for this? There has to be some reason.” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t suppose it matters. Our duty is clear!”

It was a good question, thought Max, but probably not his problem at the moment. He just needed to sort out this evidence thing and get the vote sorted. Then they could look into why Nighting Gale was risking this action. “Look, can we get to the duchess’s office?” he begged, “We get the paperwork and then we can investigate further!”

Greenmeadow nodded, but he still looked puzzled.

“I’m sorry, Baron, but the Duchess’s records are confidential. You need to ask her permission to access them,” said Saltpeter, positioning himself in the middle of the door to Fragrant’s office.

“But she put me in charge of her committee! Surely that counts for something?” begged Max.

Saltpeter was unmoved. “I am sorry, Baron. Yes, you have been put in charge of a single committee but that does not grant you any more access to her, or her ministries, records. You would need to get her personal permission for that.”

“But Fragrant’s not in Canterlot! There’s no way to get to her in half an hour.”

“Maybe you could try contacting her by telegraph?”

“I don’t know if they even have a telegraph in Ponyville, even if she knew I wanted to contact her!”

“Well it is good to see that you at least know where the Duchess is. She chose not to tell me where she was going,” said the servant grumpily.

“Please, surely there’s something you can do? I just need to get copies of a few records about the cloud city committee. She left me in charge of it and I really need them. Fragrant really won’t be happy if I mess this up!”

“I am sorry, Baron, but it is more than my job is worth to give you access to the files without permission. I am sure the Duchess would be more angry if I were to break our rules. Now, I am sorry, but as my mistress is currently away, I have a lot of work to do. If you would excuse me?” The stallion turned and very clearly closed and locked the office before walking away into the crowd of other staff wandering around the weather ministry suite.

Max grumbled to himself for a moment, incensed by Saltpeter’s actions. It was such a small favour he needed and he was sure Fragrant would agree if she was about. He turned to Greenmeadow. “Why didn’t you poke him with your stick or something?” he asked.

“I only use such percussive maintenance for ponies not carrying out their job,” explained the older stallion. “He was doing his job correctly, if rather over zealously.”

Max sighed. “So that’s it then? I just go back to the vote and Nighting Gale wins?”

“Maybe. Then we report her behaviour to the princess and see what action she takes.”

“Excuse me, sirs,” came a voice from behind Max. He turned to see an immaculately groomed blue pegasus standing there. “But I believe you are looking for these?” He held out a thin file.

“Notebook!” exclaimed Max, it had been awhile since he had last seen Fragrant’s ex-assistant. “What are you...?”

“I couldn’t help but overhear you talking to Saltpeter. This is the record of the review of the cloud cities, the one you were looking for.”

Max took the folder and opened it. “Thank you! But won’t you get in trouble for this?”

“Actually, my current job does give me access to that particular file, more or less, and I feel the duchess would agree that you should have it. Given the situation. I feel fully justified,” he looked back at Saltpeter, “in using my own discretion on the matter, sir.” He gave a nod.

“Thank you!” exclaimed Max again, almost feeling like hugging the other stallion. “I’ll make sure that Fragrant hears what you did for me.”

“Thank you, but there really is no need.”

Max spun and started towards the door before remembering Greenmeadow’s earlier words and slowed to a trot.

“Good boy, you’re learning,” said the older stallion as he followed him. “Now we can stop the vote and report what happened to the princess. I’m sure she will want words with the baroness.”

Max paused for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe Nighting Gale has a reason for what she’s done? Should we talk to her first?” Greengrass had suggested looking into the pony in question rather than just dealing with the situation via paperwork, “Maybe try to sort things out without bothering the princess?” He certainly remembered the castigation. Shouldn’t the court manage to deal with its issues without involving the princess?

Greenmeadow considered for a moment. “Maybe,” he admitted. “But she better have a good reason for her actions.”

“Have you come to bring me back to the committee?” asked Nighting Gale, looking up from her desk. “I thought I had a little more time?” Her office was small and placed in the bowels of the castle, not far from where Max’s original quarters had stood.

“There’s another ten minutes or so,” said Max.

Nighting Gale looked down at a paper in front of her and scribbled something on it with a flourish before folding it and putting it in an envelope. She sighed. “I take it you’ve managed to find some way to negate the vote?” She looked past Max at Greenmeadow. “I can’t imagine it would take long for you to think of something.” She sighed again. “Oh well, it was worth a try. Duchess Posey not being able to make the meeting was a boon. She would have stopped me straight away, and I doubt the others would have stood against her, despite the favours they owed me.”

“Why did you do this?” asked Max, “You know the Princess wants things like this to stop. You could lose your job over this!”

Nighting Gale held up the letter. “I know. This is my letter of resignation.” She smiled sadly at it for a moment before lowering it to the table.

“Resignation!” gasped Max, “Why? What is all this for?”

“For? I am bankrupt, Baron Max. A long series of poor decisions and even poorer investments made by my ancestors. Slowly, bit by bit, they lost their lands and their power, leaving me with nothing. I had managed to temporarily halt the decay with a marriage pact with the Silver family, but once they recognised the depth of my debt, they called the engagement off.”

“I’m... I’m sorry,” said Max.

She waved a dismissive hoof. “Thank you, but there was no love there. It was a political agreement, still...” She trailed off for a moment. “I had grown accustomed to Quick Silver being around. She was... nice to talk to.”

“That’s why you did this? For the money?” Max was astonished by the corruption still present in the court.

“No, the grants due to a city would do nothing for my fortunes. They would be payable to the mayor not myself, and even if I could get my hooves on them, they would be a drop in the ocean. No, I wanted to do something for my people before I left my post in shame. I haven’t been the ruler they deserved, you see. They work hard and they don’t have much, but they do the best they can. I hoped my last act would at least benefit some of them. To be honest, it was a long shot. The odds of it passing Night Light’s committee and the princess herself signing off on it were negligible even if I burnt every favour I had left. Still, I had to take the chance.” She shrugged. “It was better than nothing.”

Max slumped heavily into a chair. He could almost see where Nighting Gale was coming from. She had a responsibility to her people in the same way as he did to his. If their situations were reversed, wouldn’t he do the same for Nulpar? But that didn’t make what she was doing right. It was still taking advantage of a loop hole. “Surely there’s something else you can do, some way to pay your creditors?”

“Certain organisations have offered to help,” she stood from behind her desk and began to pace back and forth, “But I would not wish any of them to own me.”

“What happens to your lands and your people if you go bankrupt?”

“If a noble is judged unable to support their lands,” intoned Greenmeadow, “Then their lands are forfeited to the crown.”

“And what would the princess do with them?”

“I don’t know for certain,” said Greenmeadow after a moment's thought, “but given the small size of the province and its lack of resources it would probably be folded back into a neighbouring province.” That made Max shudder a little. Would that be the fate of Nulpar if he messed up too badly?

“Aren't your lands a sub province of Cloudsdale?” asked Max.

Nighting Gale nodded. “Once many generations ago, my family actually rivalled Greater Cloudsdale in prestige, but now, yes we are just a sub province. Still, I hope Duchess Posey will forgive my acts and treat my people well.”

“But what about...” said Max, his mind racing. “What if you stopped all this and just declared yourself bankrupt? Fragrant would get your lands but then she could let you administer them in her name!”

Nighting Gale put her head to one side. She froze in place, for a moment her only movement her tail which writhed around showing her disquiet. “Would, would the duchess do that?” she asked finally.

“I don’t know for certain, but I can ask her and, well, I have a certain amount of pull on her. It sounds like your problems aren't your fault, and you’re trying to do right by your people. You said yourself that this whole vote thing is a long shot. Why not bow out with your honour intact. Isn’t that what the princess would want from you?”

“I... I don’t know,” muttered Nighting Gale looking up at the clock in the corner. “It is time for the committee to reconvene,” she said, her voice hardening.

“Please!” pleaded Max, “Think about this. You can make the right decision.”

“I will think on it, and I will do what is best for my people,” she said pushing past him and striding down the hall towards the committee room.

Max’s heart sank. For a moment, he really thought he’d gotten through to her.

“That was a nice thing you did there, boy,” said Greenmeadow. “I remember her mother, a gambler that one, but I’ve not heard of Nighting Gale as being anything but honourable. Until this incident, anyway.”

“Yeah, I just hope it worked,” said Max, heading out of the room as well.

Max cleared his throat. “Welcome back after the, um, short break,” he said. He looked around the chamber trying to meet the gaze of each of the other committee members. Thunderbird still looked angry staring at Nighting Gale. Vector Thrust looked rather confused, Juniper was self-assured, Moon Moth even looked a little bored. Meanwhile, Skyfire was sweating enough that it looked like he was melting. Nighting Gale herself was sitting immobile, with no expression on her face. Max hoped that she had come to her senses, that he wouldn’t have to use the rolled up form clutched in his hoof. “I think that maybe Miss Junebug should go back over the minutes so we all remember what was happening.” He turned to the younger mare who blushed a little and started to shuffle through her notes.

“We started by doing a roll call and apologies were made for those who...” she began.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” said Nighting Gale breaking her silence. She glanced down at the papers in front of her for a moment before looking back up at her fellow courtiers. “I withdraw my request that a vote be made on the status of Cloudholm. In fact, I withdraw my request for the settlement to be upgraded.” She blinked a few times, her eyes starting to glimmer with unshed tears. Frowning, Baron Thunderbird rested his hoof on hers. “I am... I am sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you all. I am very sorry,” she gripped the offered hoof. Awkward expressions were shared around the chamber. “I am afraid that due to,” she paused for a moment, “personal matters, I will be resigning my post as soon as the princess will accept my resignation.” she leaned forwards, tears dripping on the desk in front of her.

“Maybe we... maybe we should have another recess?” suggested Skyfire.

“No! No, I can carry on,” said Nighting Gale sniffing.

“We don’t have much else to go over,” said Max gently, “That was the last scheduled vote, do we have any other business?”

“I had something,” said Skyfire, “But given the situation I’m sure it can wait...”

“No,” said Nighting Gale looking up, “While I am still a member of the court I will not interrupt its running, please continue.” She paused. “I am sorry, Baron Chairpony,” she said to Max. “I do not wish to step on your hooves.”

“Huh, oh right. Yes, please continue.” Somewhat self-consciously, Skyfire stood and began to read from a scroll in front of him.

“So how did it go?” asked Greenmeadow. He had been waiting just outside the door to the committee room.

Max glanced over at the other committee members. Nighting Gale looked pale and drawn as she left supported by Baron Thunderbird. She glanced over to Max and he gave her what he hoped was a calming smile. The rest of the group were huddled together just out of earshot, apparently talking about the recent events. “Nighting Gale let it go and announced her resignation to the rest of the committee,” he said.

“Are you going to report what she tried to do to the princess?” asked the older pony, looking Max up and down.

Max considered it for a moment. what she had tried to do wasn’t right, but she had tried to do it legally. “No, it’s not like she could be punished much more harshly for it anyway. I think she took the right path, all things considered.”

“Do you really think Duchess Posey will take her on?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think Fragrant will consider it. She usually hires the best ponies for the job.” He thought about Saltpeter and Notebook. “Well, most of the time. I don’t think there'd be any other pony who knows more about her lands than Nighting Gale, and she really does care about them.”

Greenmeadow nodded slowly. “I think you might be right Baron Max. You might actually have the makings of a fine courtier, given a lot more training.”

“Thanks, I think,” said Max. He wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not, but the old stallion didn’t seem to mean it harshly.

“I sometimes wish my son could be a little bit more like you. He needs to take his role more seriously. Not everything can be a game!”

“Greengrass isn’t all that bad. He did trick me once, but that was at least partially my own fault, and he has given me some good advice.” Talking about the baron reminded Max of the time. “I was supposed to make sure I got you to the palace ballroom by five and it must be at least half past by now!”

Greenmeadow’s eyes narrowed for a moment and Max could almost see the cogs turning in his head. “The ballroom?” he asked, “Now that is interesting. I don’t think we should keep my son waiting. I think he might have been plotting something.”

Max frowned. “Plotting? Nothing bad I hope?”

“Probably not, but you never know with Greengrass.”

The two of them made their way through the castle to the east wing where the ballroom was to be found. To Max’s surprise the doors were shut, so he pulled them open with a grunt while Greenmeadow stood back slightly. The inside was dark, with none of the lights seeming to be working. Frowning, Max turned to the elder stallion when suddenly there was a click and gas lamps all around the room burst into light, almost blinding the two newcomers.

“SURPRISE!” came a great roar.

Max blinked at the room full of a mixed herd of ponies. Greengrass and an older mare with whom he shared a certain familial resemblance, presumably his mother, stood in the centre while various courtiers and other ponies Max didn’t recognise stood around in a semi-circle, many of them holding drinks. Max boggled as he noticed Vicereine Puissance standing off to one side with her usual entourage. He was about to open his mouth to ask what was going on when he noticed a banner hanging from the roof.

‘Happy Birthday Baron Greenmeadow.’

The older mare trotted over to give her husband a hug, followed by their son. “Happy birthday father,” said Greengrass a little hesitantly.

“You organised all this?” asked Greenmeadow.

“Mostly. I had some help from Mum and a few others. Someponies didn’t want to come but I eventually persuaded or tricked them into coming.” Greengrass waved at Puissance, who scowled back.

“Son,” said Greenmeadow gruffly.

“What! They’re having a good time now, and I think you deserve a good party. Your retirement was a little subpar after all the time you put in at court.”

The elder stallion looked like he was going to argue but his wife stepped between the two stallions. “Now, no arguments today,” she warned.

“Of course, dear,” said Greenmeadow clutching his stick.

“Ah, Baron,” said Greengrass turning to Max. “Thank you for keeping my father occupied.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” asked Max.

“Well, you’re not exactly the best at keeping a secret, are you?” said Greengrass, his eyes glittering. “But I do owe you one for this. I’ll do what I can to drum up support for your bill. I might be a little cut off at the moment but I still have a few connections.” He gestured around the hall, although Max couldn’t help but notice that most of the guests were currently talking to Greenmeadow and seemed to be more or less ignoring his son.

“And that box from earlier, it wasn’t papers was it?”

“No, the cake. If I’d told you, dad would have found out and he’d have probably refused to have come. He prefers to keep a low profile, but I think he deserves something a bit more don’t you?”

Max had to admit that the old stallion probably did deserve a good birthday party. He’d been very helpful today.

“So how did that committee problem go? Sorted out?” asked Greengrass sipping at his drink.

“More or less,” Max wasn’t sure how much he should mention to Greengrass now, no doubt he’d hear about it sooner or later. “Nighting Gale is going to resign.”

Greengrass whistled through his teeth. “Your first time chairing a committee and you got a member to resign, that’s impressive.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen!” exclaimed Max.

“And with her gone it’s likely her land will be passed into Duchess Posy’s control, and we all know how well the two of you get on. Very clever baron,” Greengrass slapped him on the back, “Maybe I’ve underestimated you.”

Max sighed. He didn’t think he’d be able to get Greengrass to understand what had really happened. Hopefully, he’d have more luck with Fragrant when she got back. He hoped her day had gone better than his had.

31) Month 2 - The Concert

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“Now are you sure you’ve gotten everything down?” asked Fragrant. She hoped she wasn’t nagging too much, but she really wanted Max to fully understand his role, and given his previous mistakes she wasn’t sure his reputation would stand another screw up.

“Yes,” replied her coltfriend sounding a little sulky. “I’ve got all your notes, I read up on cloud cities and the rules about them. It was all very interesting.” He gestured towards the large pile of papers and books on his desk.

“And you’ve read my notes about how to chair a meeting?” said Fragrant fidgeting a little.

“Yes. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” With a smile he leaned forwards and rested his head against hers, she felt some of her stress flow out of her. “Just forget about work for the rest of the night. Enjoy your niece’s concert. Just relax!”

Fragrant sighed, an explosive sound as all the air flowed out of her lungs. “Thank you, Max,” she mumbled before slumping down into a seat, “Thank you for agreeing to take my place at the meeting today.”

“It’s not a problem. You could do with the time off.” That wasn’t entirely true, it wasn’t much more than a month since court had started. Still, her worries about Fluttering and the other duty she had to carry out today wasn’t helping.

“I’ll have to think of some way to make it up to you,” she replied with a small smile.

“I’m sure I could think of a way or two,” said Max wiggling his eyebrows and giving a naughty grin.

She felt her cheeks glow and struggled to keep her tail from flagging. How did he do that to her, with only a smile and a few words? “I’m sure you could Baron Bow Wow,” she replied playfully, using his pet name.

“Actually,” said Max a little more seriously, “There is something I’d like. Is there a chance I could meet your niece? She does sound interesting and she’s about the only one of your family I haven't talked to.”

Fragrance actually jerked back a little in surprise. She hadn’t expected that response. “Fluttering? I don’t know. She is a very shy filly. She doesn’t do well with strangers.”

“She’s a member of your family, so I’d like to meet her sooner or later. Maybe you could ask her after the concert?”

Fragrant found herself blushing a little at the implications of Max wanting to meet her family. “I’ll ask her, but she might not be willing. She can be very sweet but, well she still has difficulty coming out of her shell.” She felt her stomach drop a little, it was so sad, Fluttering had never been the most outgoing filly, but since her breakdown... Why couldn’t she have seen what she was doing to her niece?

“That’s all I can hope for,” said Max, shaking Fragrant out of her revelry.

Fragrant thought for a moment. “If you really do want to meet my family... what are your plans for Hearthswarming?” she asked with a hint of a blush, this really was a step forwards in their relationship.

“Hearthswarming? Well I was planning to try to get back to Nulpar when the court closed for the holidays so I could spend the Twelvetide there with Mum. But with the trains being how they are, I’d probably only get to spend a week there before I’d have to head back. Why, what did you have in mind?”

“Well... Maybe you could spend some of the holiday with me, in Cloudsdale? It would be a chance to spend time with my family.”

Max bit his lip for a moment. “I’d love to, but I’ve always spent the holidays with Mum.”

“She could also come,” suggested Fragrant. Although she hadn’t realised it at the time, she’d seen the mare in Sadlzberg, but hadn’t had a chance to talk to her. “I would like to meet your family as well.”

Max looked rather panicked. “I don’t know, with her bad leg I don’t think she’d make it to the station, and I don’t think she’d like to leave the province. All her friends are there!”

Fragrant raised an eyebrow at her coltfriend’s rather worrying reaction. Did his mother not approve of them? Did she not think the duchess of Cloudsdale was good enough for her son? It felt a little insulting. If anything, Max couldn’t be considered objectively good enough for her, she was a duchess and he was only a baron. Although her feelings for him weren't all that objective. “Maybe we could come to a compromise? You could spend Hearthwarming in Cloudsdale and I could arrange a sky carriage to get you home for the New Year? You’d still get to spend a week with your family then.”

Max smiled. “I think that might work. We can sort out the details later since we still have a few months to go.”

“It’s never too early to plan,” noted Fragrant.

“You’re right, but there’s something about being a little spontaneous as well. Now you better be off. Isn’t your train leaving soon?”

“I have enough time to get ready,” she said while standing up. “Now remember to not let Baron Thunderbird talk too much. Once he gets started, you’ll be there until tomorrow, and Viscountess Nighting Gale will bring up Cloudholm again. Let her do her thing then get a vote to reject her proposal at least until the next meeting.” She was a little worried about the Viscountess, she had heard a few disquieting rumours about her financial affairs, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was random chance that she’d rearranged the committee meeting for today.

“I know, I know. You wrote it all down!” exclaimed Max.

“If you have any questions before the meeting, just talk to Saltpeter, and make sure you-” Fragrant was cut off as Max quickly closed the distance between them, placed a leg to the back of her head, and pulled her into a deep kiss. She struggled in surprise for a moment before reciprocating.

“Everything will be fine,” he said gently when they finally broke contact after what felt like a few hours later. “Enjoy the concert.”

“Thank you,” she said. He certainly knew how to calm her nerves. She impetuously gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading towards the door. If she waited too long, she’d never want to leave.

She shut the door behind her and then leaned back against it for a moment. Hopefully the rest of her day would go as well. It would be so good to hear Fluttering make music again. Maybe her other meeting wouldn’t be a problem either, although it was unlikely. Trying to look on the bright side, Fragrant set off towards her estate to get ready for her trip.

Fragrant shuddered as she glanced around the crowded station. She knew it was just her own paranoia but she was sure that every pony was staring. She struggled against the urge to wrap her wings tightly around herself. This was a bad decision.

She had wanted to be incognito in Ponyville. Today was to be Fluttering’s day and she didn’t want to spoil it by drawing all the attention to herself. Plus, Fluttering actually hadn’t invited her. It stung a little, but she suspected it was because Fluttering didn’t want to be under any more pressure. Just playing in public was an epic feat for the shy filly, while playing in front of her family would potentially be even worse given what their expectations had done to her.

Maybe she should have followed her niece’s wishes, but Fragrant so wanted to be there when her little filly finally managed to return to pony society. However, once it had come to dressing for her trip she had realised that almost everything in her wardrobe would immediately show her as an important pony, if not a noble. The simplest option had been just to go to the event naked because she doubted the population of Ponyville went about clothed much of the time.

However, now that she had actually gone ahead with her spontaneous plan, she felt hugely self-conscious. She shuddered and tried to get a grip on herself. She was an adult now. Using clothes as a crutch to deal with her own shyness was something she should have grown out of a long long time ago. Still, she realised it had indeed been a long time, likely years since she had appeared in public without being clothed. It would probably do her mental health good to try and wean herself off of her dependency. Although maybe today wasn’t the best time to have started. She just wished it didn’t feel like everypony was staring at her!

Maybe she should fly herself to Ponyville rather than taking the train? She’d be alone for most of the journey then. With the extra exercises she’d been undergoing recently, she was sure she could make the trip despite most of her training being based on increasing her lifting capacity rather than her endurance or speed. No, the concert was only a few hours away now. Despite the trip being more or less a glide all the way from Canterhorn down to the town, she wouldn’t make it in time. The train would be her best option. She’d just have to push past her insecurities for Fluttering. Anyway, she’d be back home again in only a few hours.

Slipping into the first class carriage, she was glad to see that it was only half full. Spending time in a crowded room without her armour would be torture. Slumping into her seat, she glanced out the window at the various ponies rushing about. For a moment, she thought she saw Max out there, but that wasn’t likely. He would be back in the palace, unless he’d come to see her off... no, it was probably a similar looking pony. She’d lost track of him in the crowd anyway.

Behind her, the door to the carriage slid open and a large party of familiar ponies started to tramp in. Her brow furrowed for a moment, wondering why so many nobles would be making this journey. Then she saw that Baronetess Soft Hoof was leading them. They must be supporting her at the concert. It was good to see that so many had made it. It suddenly struck Fragrant how awkward this could be, because she had not publically offered to support the animal shelter, thinking only of Fluttering. However, to her surprise, none of the courtiers gave her a second glance as they took their seats and started to talk amongst themselves, not even Marquis Jet Stream despite how long they had known each other. Was she really so difficult to recognise without her normal clothes? If so, it was another reason to go sans clothing.

Still, better not chance her luck. She hunkered down and gazed out the window again as the train started to pull away.

The trip to Ponyville had gone without incident and she had managed to slip out of the train without being noticed. The stage Fluttering was to perform from had already been set up and the performance was only an hour or so away now. Most of the other nobles were chatting amongst themselves, with only one or two of them having broken away to wander the town. Fragrant was hoping to slip into the crowd of local ponies unnoticed to see the performance. However, she had a duty to carry out first, an unpleasant duty, although it was her responsibility.

Fragrant nervously looked up at the cloud dwelling floating far above her head. It was a rather ostentatious structure, but it certainly matched its owner’s personality. While growing up, Rainbow Dash’s brashness had been a counterpoint to Fluttering’s shyness, making it surprising how the two of them had gotten on so well given their opposing personalities. Despite Dash being her seneschal’s daughter, Fragrant hadn’t been entirely happy with the relationship between her and Fluttering. She’d always considered it important to keep a clear line between those that ruled and those being ruled, but she could never deny the strength of the friendship between the two fillies.

Glancing up again, Fragrant wondered if it wouldn’t be better to come back later. Certainly, as a youth Rainbow hadn’t been an early riser, but her job as a weather patrol leader probably meant she’d have to work shifts. She might not even be home yet. Shaking her head, Fragrant realised that she was trying to distract herself. She wished she’d worn something, even a cloak. She really didn’t like the feeling of nakedness, because there was nothing to help her be the Duchess. Silently she cursed Thunderous again. Why did he have to be such a coward to leave her to tidy up his mess? For a moment, she wondered if she really needed to do this in person. Surely a letter would convey her apology in her place? Or she could send a servant? No, maybe she would have done that a year ago, maybe even half a year ago but, well, Max wouldn’t like it. He would want to do things like this himself — and this actually surprised her — she found herself wanting to be more like him. There was a certain justice in carrying out your duty first hoof, even if doing so could be painful.

With a sigh, Fragrant spread her wings and soared into the sky, past the rainbow fountains pouring from the bottom of the building and up to the front door. Dash certainly hadn’t spared any of her brother’s money when she’d had this place built, but it still probably represented far less than one percent of a day's profits for Posey Weather.

Steeling herself, Fragrant gently tapped her hoof against the cloud of the door, feeling the slight electrical charge held in it release and hearing a bell ring further inside the building. She waited for a moment, then another, then another. Maybe she’d been correct and Rainbow wasn’t in at the moment. A wave of relief flowed through her and she turned to go, only to hear movement from inside.

“Thunderlane?” came Dash’s scratchy voice, “That you again? I told you that was a one off thing, I don’t want you crawling back here begging for more of the D...” The door disintegrated in front of Fragrant’s face to reveal a rather unkempt and sleepy looking Rainbow Dash. “D-D Duchess!” she gasped, her eyes suddenly growing wide at the unexpected sight.

“Miss Dash,” said Fragrant formally, trying to keep down her unease. “May I come inside? I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

“Err, yeah, um sure. Come in,” said Rainbow with something like panic on her face, stepping aside to allow Fragrant to enter her house. Then suddenly her eyes widened again and she rushed past the noble, almost knocking her aside. Fragrant frowned and followed the blue mare into a large and well-appointed living room. Dash appeared as a blur as she quickly tried to tidy the room, stashing away various slightly-gnawed looking pizza boxes and takeaway menus before rearranging the furniture. “Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to clean up, I didn’t know you were coming!” She balanced half a dozen plates and bowls on her outstretched wings before tossing them through a window to get them out of the way.

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile. Rainbow’s mother Cloudia was one of the most meticulous mares that the duchess knew. It appeared that the rain had fallen rather far from the cloud in Dash’s case.

“Tea! Would you like some tea?” asked Dash, then she paused. “I don’t actually have any,” she admitted, “but I can fly down to Ponyville to get some, or even to Canterlot, maybe Shouma?” She began to fly back and forth as if deciding in what direction the continent lay.

“Miss Dash,” said Fragrant trying to calm the frightened filly without much success. “Rainbow!” she called sharply, causing Dash to freeze in place halfway up one of the walls. “Thank you for your offer, but I am fine. I just want to talk to you, to... to apologize.” She seated herself on the nearest chair and gestured for the other mare to take a seat opposite.

“Yeah, right, apologise,” said Dash as she sat down, “I’m really sorry about Fluttershy, I mean Fluttering, sorry!” she babbled. “I really should have told her about the concert, but if she’d been given the opportunity she’d never have done it and sometimes you need to be kicked off a cloud before you’ll fly. Please don’t fire my mom!”

Fragrant sighed. She didn’t understand half of what the younger mare was saying but it was clear that Rainbow had taken her brother’s words to heart. She cursed him again for not being here to tidy his own mess up. “No, Miss Dash. I am here to apologise to you. I believe that you may have misunderstood the offer my brother made to you, and that you may not be entirely happy here.”

“Happy? Why wouldn’t I be happy?” Rainbow Dash laughed a little nervously. “Who said I wasn’t happy?”

“I talked to one of your friends at the Gala, one of the element bearers, Carrot Top. She mentioned that my brother might have forced you into your role as Fluttering’s caretaker. I did not think of it much at the time, as other things came up.” Like a near riot. “But I discussed it with him over the summer.” Really, it had been cowardly of her not to have dealt with the issue straight away, but she had been so busy, and hadn’t known what to do about Fluttering and... she was delaying again.

Steeling her will, Fragrant took a deep breath and said, “I believe my family has done you a grave injustice, and as the current matriarch, it is my responsibility to make recompense. Whatever my brother may have implied, we would never force your mother to do anything against her will, or fire her. Your family has served mine loyally for several generations.”

“Huh!” explained Dash, sinking into her chair staring at the older mare with her face a picture of incomprehension.

“After Fluttering’s incident, her parents and I had to decide how best to look after her. Keeping her in Canterlot or Cloudsdale would likely prevent her from being near the things she loved and would probably leave her open to press scrutiny.” Fragrant shivered at the thought of a gaggle of newspaper reporters swarming like locusts over her delicate little niece. Taking another breath, she continued, "We thought it would... be best if she was moved to somewhere quiet where she could recover with all her pets. Ponyville seemed the perfect location, close enough to me that I could keep an eye on her but still out of the way from society.” Fragrant tried not to sigh. It had seemed a reasonable idea at the time, but looking back, would it have been better to have kept Fluttering closer to home? Should they have listened more to what the filly herself wanted? She seemed content, but was she actually resentful of her family for them having banished her in this way?

“Still,” continued Fragrant, “she needed somepony to keep an eye on her, to look after her. We agreed that you would be an ideal candidate, since you were her best friend. My brother... my brother was to ask you to consider helping her... I'm not sure Thunderous knows the meaning of the word. Due to his position, he is far more direct with his orders and may get upset if he is not instantly obeyed.”

A flame seemed to light in the previous bewildered looking young mare and Dash’s eyes narrowed as she processed this information. “Mr Posey said that he was going to reassign my mom if I didn’t help Fluttershy!” she said accusingly. “He said that she’d have to take a pay cut as well!” Her wings shot open in a clear threat display.

“I... I think you might have misunderstood.” Fragrant hoped the younger mare had, and that was not exactly how Thunderous had explained it. If he had been lying, her younger brother would feel the sharp side of her tongue when she next saw him. “Cloudia was indeed our next choice for a caretaker for Fluttering, but she was going to be recompensed for the inconvenience, as you were.”

“Recompensed!” Dash was yelling now, up on her hooves and looking like she was going to charge Fragrant. The older mare struggled not to shy away; this was her responsibility, and she would take whatever the distressed filly would dole out. “It’s insulting! Fluttershy’s been my best bud for like forever.” She turned aside for a moment, blushing slightly pink under her blue coat. “I love her like a sister! If you’d just asked me I would have helped her, but your brother—” Rainbow Dash jabbed out with a hoof pointing at Fragrant “—decided to try and blackmail me instead!”

“I… I am sorry Miss Dash. I recognise we did not take your opinion into account, but, but Fluttering needed a friend, maybe more than she needed her family. What my brother did was rash... was wrong of him, but you have to believe that he only wanted to protect his daughter. He would do anything for his family, as would I!”

“So you threw her away when she needed you the most!” Dash snarled.

“We... we didn’t! After her incident, she needed time alone, to recover. If she’d stayed with us, she would be in the public eye, her every move followed, with no privacy.” That was right, wasn’t it? Their decision had been taken with Fluttering’s best interests at heart? Hadn’t it? Should they have protected her themselves, kept her with them?

“Sure didn’t look that way to me!” snapped Rainbow Dash. “She doesn’t measure up to your expectations and you throw her away. Luckily, she had a sister to take over, right! Just swap one kid out for the other, no problem! Just throw away the old one and her friend with her! Did you honestly think she was ever going to be able to run Posey Weather and work in the Night Court? I mean, have you even met Fluttershy?!” Rainbow Dash angrily shook her hoof with her wings spread out behind her in an aggressive display.

“Rainbow!” yelled Posey. She was off her chair as well now, with wings spread and her ears laid back. Incandescent anger seethed under her skin at the insolent upstart's words. As if Fragrant did not already regret what had been done to her niece!

"I am fully aware of how much our family has failed my niece!" snapped Fragrant. Once the hateful words were out, she managed to take a breath and lowered her wings fractionally as the anger cooled into regret. "I blame myself," she added. "I saw too much of myself in her, far too much, I think. I thought she could grow into my position, to follow in my hoofsteps. My brother thought the same, and we did not think about who she actually was, who she wanted to be. If we could take back what we have done we would, in a heartbeat.” She struggled to keep down her tears and lowered her wings to touch the cool clouds of the floor.

“Hey, um, yeah,” said Dash, looking awkward as her anger drained out of her. “Sorry, I, um, know you love your family, err, Duchess.”

“No, there is some truth in what you said. I have not treated Fluttering, or yourself as I should have. But, please.” Fragrant looked up at Dash. “Tell me she is happy here. I would hate to think that we had added to her burden.”

“Fluttershy? Oh, she loves it here, in her little cottage with her animals and stuff. Yeah, she loves it out here.” The tone was casual, but there was a little bitterness in Rainbow’s voice.

“But you do not?”

Rainbow flinched back a bit. “Well, I didn’t at first, but well…” She rubbed the back of her head. “It’s grown on me, since there’s always a challenge with the Everfree next door and the weather team... well there’s some surprisingly cool ponies out here who really know their jobs.” She shrugged. “I just really didn’t see my life like this, running an out of the way weather team. If it wasn’t for Fluttershy...”

“I... I am sorry,” she stuttered. “It was wrong of my brother to exile you out here against your will. You can, of course, follow any career you wish. I can only apologise and do whatever I can to recompense you and your family.”

“So I could just leave like that?” Rainbow Dash sounded a little unsure. “Well I’ve always meant to join the Wonderbolts, at least go to the academy.”

“If you wish, I have had some dealings with the Wonderbolts in the past. I could certainly put in a good word with you next time I speak to Captain Spitfire.”

Dash’s eyes turned wide. “Oh my gosh! You know Spitfire!? That’s so... wait a minute.” The broad smile went away, leaving her face sour. “If I went to the academy, who’d look after Fluttershy?”

“From what I understand, while Fluttering has been recovering, she has made friends with others in town, including several of the element bearers, Miss Do, Miss Toppington, and even Trixie Lulamoon.” Fragrant tried to hold back a frown, as she still didn’t entirely trust the Element of Magic not to be trying to use Fluttering to further her own career, but after what she had told her before the gala and the events that happened there, she was willing to try and give her the benefit of the doubt. “If Fluttering does need further support, I’m sure I could hire somepony.”

“I don’t know,” said Dash her brow furrowed. “Fluttershy doesn’t like new ponies much, so it won’t be easy to find help for her, and yeah she’s got more friends now, but I don’t know... Maybe I should hang around for a while? Maybe a year or so? Long enough for my application to make its way through the right channels. Thanks for your offer, but I’d like to get through on my own awesome skills, you know, not who I know.”

Fragrant smiled. “Thank you Rainbow. You really are an excellent friend.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow rubbing the back of her head. “Me and Fluttershy have been through quite a lot over the years, so I don’t want to leave her hangin’. It’s bad enough I almost screwed up the whole concert thing... oops.” She grimaced.

“Screwed up the concert?” asked Fragrant frowning.

“Uh, right. I might have sort of put Fluttershy’s name forward for the concert without telling her. I really thought she’d love it but you know she wouldn’t do it by herself, so I sorta gave her a little push.” She gestured as if shoving something with her hooves.

Fragrant ran a hoof over her face. She should have realised that her niece wouldn’t have willingly volunteered to appear in front of an audience. “Rainbow,” she growled, “How could you! I will have to get the concert cancelled now before even more harm is done to Fluttering’s mental health! You...” She was furious! How dare this filly do that to Fluttering, there was no way she could be left caring for her if this was how she acted. The damage she could do to Fluttering, all her hard work recovering destroyed just like that!

“Yeah, I know I messed up, but Trixie fixed it!” exclaimed Dash.

“Trixie? Trixie Lulamoon?” asked Fragrant, her anger momentarily forgotten.

“Uh, huh. She brought in some big shot musician from Canterlot, Oct something I think. She’s going to help coach Fluttershy to play. She really wants to play, because the concert’s for all sorts of cutesy animals. You know Fluttershy would move all the clouds in the sky for them! She’d even play in public!”

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile at that. “That she would, that she would,” she mused. “Do you mean Octavia? The court musician?” She had no idea that Trixie knew her, although it did make some sense; she knew the musician had acted as a mentor to the element of loyalty, Lyra Heartstrings. “I suppose there could be no better teacher.” Although she had heard the young genius was a perfectionist, she hoped she had not pushed Fluttering too hard. Still, to have put so much effort into helping her niece, maybe she had misjudged Trixie. She would have to apologize to her later.

“Yeah, and you know how good Fluttershy is with her birds! She’ll knock ‘em dead! I’m going to make sure the weather’s perfect as well!”

“Yes, her music is beautiful...” Maybe she should have more faith in her niece. She might not want to run Posey Weather, or be part of the Night Court, but she would give her all to raise money for animals. “You... you are right, this is what Fluttering, what Fluttershy would want.” She didn’t like her niece’s nickname, but she had to admit it fit. “I, I will let her play. I suppose I should leave now, to make sure I get a good seat.”

“Yeah, I better get to work on the clouds as well.”

“Once again I apologize for my brother’s actions. I owe you a debt for the help you have given Fluttering. If you ever need anything, you only need to ask.”

“Yeah, ok. Thanks,” said Dash awkwardly.

“Oh, and your mother sends her best wishes,” said Fragrant with a smile. “She says you could write more often though, or even visit. Cloudsdale isn’t all that far away at the moment.”

The area around the stage set up in the centre of Ponyville was packed. It was hardly the biggest event that Fragrant had ever been to, as there were probably only two hundred ponies there but it was certainly less formal than the larger events she attended. Ponies wandered back and forth chatting to friends and family. She assumed that most of the crowd were locals, although some looked a little lost suggesting they had arrived in town for the event.

Off to one side stood the small group of courtiers that Soft Hoof had brought with her. They seemed to be keeping their distance, clearly separated from the rest of the crowd and resplendent in their smarter clothes. Was that how she normally appeared as well? So separate from the ones that she ruled? She knew that it would be presumptuous of her to think she could understand and be friends with the whole population of her province, but should she do more to understand the ponies she ruled? Her lack of clothing still bothered her, making her feel self-conscious but it also letting her fit more easily into the rest of the population. Nopony gave her a second glance as she took her place near the back of the crowd.

She looked out towards the stage, painted with a woodland scene. Peering closely, she could see perches built into the set, with some already occupied by her niece’s flock. Presumably the concert would start soon. For some reason, there was a small hut placed in the centre of the stage also, perhaps to store instruments. Worryingly, there was no sign of Fluttering yet. Fragrant hoped the filly’s nerve hadn’t broken at the last minute. Glancing up, she could see Rainbow Dash sweeping away the few clouds that had filled the sky, and in a few minutes, the weather manager took up a position above the stage and looked down expectantly. There was still no sign of Fluttering though.

“You look a little lost,” said a voice next to her, almost causing Fragrant to jump. She turned to see a smiling unicorn mare standing next to her, a little on the plump side with a fluffy purple mane and off white coat. Her mark was a full plate of food.

“I am sorry?”

“Oh, sorry if I startled you. I’m Sweet Treat. I guess you’re new to town. Did you come just for the concert?”

“I am from Cloudsdale.” Fragrant paused for a moment trying to come up with an alibi. “I have heard very good things about the performer.”

“Fluttershy? She’s a bit of a mystery around these parts, moved in out near the Everfree a few years ago, hardly anypony sees her. Some say she’s actually a ghost.”

Fragrant’s heart ached a little. Was this really the best place for Fluttering? Was she treated as some sort of town pariah?

“Still, from what I’ve heard she is a really good musician. They say they brought in the court musician herself to help her. I can’t say I’m much of a music fan myself, but my daughter begged me to bring her. Of course now one of her little friends dragged her off somewhere, leaving me alone.” She pouted a little and glanced around the crowd. “Oh, there she is,” she said pointing off to one side. “Alula dear, don’t wander too far,” she called.

Fragrant followed the mare’s hoof and felt her legs weaken as she saw a yellow filly with a purple mane. The filly’s wings were puffed up on her back and a horn poked through her hair. It was the hybrid she had seen at the gala, the little princess. She staggered back as if struck and collided with the mare next to her. No, she thought to herself, I can’t break down, not now, not at Fluttering’s concert. Fragrant fought to keep the tears from her eyes. This wasn’t the foal she knew was gone. This was another like her. Still, her wings ached from holding back the instinct to fly back to her estate in Cloudsdale to check the grounds to see if a miracle had occurred, that she had returned.

The foal's mother apparently took Fragrant’s reaction as some sort of disapproval of her daughter and her face darkened. “Alula may look a little unusual, but she’s a little filly like any other!”

“N-no,” stuttered Fragrant trying to regain her composure. “She’s not like any other filly, she’s a miracle!”

“It’s not like that,” said Sweet, her ears flicking. “She’s no alicorn, no princess, she just happens to have a horn and wings.” She sighed. “Alula has enough trouble with her friends thinking she’s going to have the answer to all their questions. She just wants to be a normal filly.”

“A normal filly or something special, she’s still a miracle. Never forget how lucky you are to have her,” exclaimed Fragrant, her eyes still locked on the foal.

“Well, yes I suppose I am,” said Sweet a little taken aback. “She’s such a good filly, maybe a little shy, but her friends try to get her to come out of her shell. That Firelock might be trouble, but the two of them get along so well.”

“Yes, friends, friends can help,” mumbled Fragrant thinking of Fluttering and Dash. “Just don’t push her too hard. Let her become what she wants to be.”

“Ok,” said Sweet sounding unsure. “I don’t mean to pry but you sound like-” Sweet was cut off by a commotion near the stage. The crowd was parting as a familiar blue mare, her head held high and purple cape flowing behind her, made her way towards the stage, her tall pointed hat illuminated by the glow of her horn within.

“Make way!” she cried. “Make way for the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Fragrant’s brow furrowed. She’d been told that Trixie was now Fluttering’s friend, but now she was practically crashing Fluttering’s concert! It looked like she hadn’t changed at all. She ground her teeth together to try and hide her rage. Then as suddenly as she had appeared, the unicorn seemed to almost fade away. She lowered her head and looked behind the construction on the stage apparently saying something to whatever was behind it. Her horn went out and suddenly there was something moving back there. Fragrant saw a brief flash of a pink mane... Fluttering! Her niece was behind the shed, or as she now realised it was, the hide! For a second she felt disappointed. She had so hoped that her niece was recovered enough that she could appear in public, but then her heart rose. It was still a great improvement that she would even take part in the concert. Trixie must have brought Fluttering here under an invisibility spell, and acted out to draw further attention from the crowd. She had once again misjudged the princess’ student. One more thing she needed to apologize for.

She blinked. While she had been lost in thought, the town mayor had taken her place on the stage and had given the usual welcoming speech. Now the grey-haired mare was stepping down from her perch and a hush drew over the crowd as the concert itself was about to start.

Fragrant held her breath as she heard the first few cheeps from the birds. At first it just seemed like random noise, but as they sang, a tune slowly emerged. It grew and grew and developed and split as the chorus split into multiple tunes, each being played one over the other yet making up part of a larger melody. She imagined Fluttering standing safe in her hide controlling the flock, ensuring each of her living instruments sang at just the right moment to support all the rest. She knew the effort it took, the long hours her niece had spent perfecting her craft.

She knew that Fluttering didn’t want to follow her hoofsteps into politics or her father’s into management. Maybe music was where she wanted to spread her wings? Fragrant could certainly support that venture. The right words in the right ears and she could ensure her niece would be playing in the largest of venues, her fame would be... No, much like Rainbow Dash had reminded her, she should not set Fluttering's life for her again, would not break her again. The decision on where to take her future would be Fluttering’s and Fluttering’s alone. If her niece asked for help, then Fragrant would be more than happy to provide it, but it would be Fluttering’s own decision. Sighing, Fragrant tried to clear her mind and let herself be swept away by the river of music her niece was controlling.

All too soon, the concert came to an end and once again Trixie helped Fluttering leave the stage unseen despite the crowd calling the musician’s name. Soft Hoof took to the stage to remind the audience of the charity they were supporting. The baronetess spoke well and soon the crowd were begging to be able to provide her with the funds she needed. It looked like Vicereine Wallflower had chosen her pupil well. Fragrant decided that she would need to increase her donation to the animal shelters once she returned to her office.

As the crowd surged forwards to contribute to the charity, Fragrant decided that it was time to take her leave. She would head towards Fluttering’s cottage to congratulate the filly in person before she took the train back to Canterlot. She couldn’t fully suppress a yawn. It was almost midday, which meant she would normally have been in bed several hours ago, not that she begrudged the loss. With a flap of her wings, she leapt into the air and set course only to be distracted by a yellow and pink shape in an alleyway only a short distance from the stage. Could Fluttering still be present? She would have thought the girl would be half way home by now. But of course! A wide smile crossed Fragrant’s face. She would want to stay to see that the animals were being supported. That her niece was able to stay in town showed a huge improvement in Fluttering’s mental state. She altered course and swooped towards the alley, slowing as to not scare the filly and dropping to the ground just in front of Fluttering.

For a moment Fluttering’s large eyes widened at the appearance of her aunt. “You-you came,” she stuttered in surprise. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but Rainbow-”

“Don’t worry dear. I have spoken to Miss Dash. She is sorry about surprising you.”

“No, no,” said Fluttering with surprising strength. “She was right to volunteer me. The animals needed me.”

Unable to contain herself any longer, Fragrant stepped forwards and wrapped her wings around the shorter mare. "That was lovely, dear," she said, not even trying to contain the emotion in her words. "You've... you've made me so very proud."

In so many ways. Your music was incredible, you performed in public, well almost public, and you love your cause so much.

"I'm glad you liked it, Auntie," muttered Fluttering happily, partially smothered by her aunt’s plumage.

Fragrant was about to say more when there was a thud from the other end of the alley. She turned to see Trixie sprawled next to an upturned water barrel. She felt a momentary twinge of annoyance at having the moment interrupted, but then Fluttershy trotted over to the fallen pony with a smile on her face. "Trixie! It was wonderful! Thank you for your help!" Her voice was still soft, but for Fluttering she was practically screaming with joy. “That was fantastic, and now all those animals will be saved and helped and loved… oh, Trixie, it was wonderful!”

“I’m glad—“ said Trixie struggling to her hooves.

Fluttering nuzzled the blue unicorn. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” Any lingering worries that Fragrant had that Trixie was in some way trying to use her friendship with Fluttering for her own gain was evaporated by the bright blush colouring the unicorn’s cheeks.

"You were behind this?" asked Fragrant. The younger mare had clearly helped Fluttering to and from the stage, but had she come up with the entire set up which allowed Fluttering to play in public?

Trixie paused for a moment. "Yes," she eventually said.

Fluttering bowed low. "Then I thank you as well. You've... you've done a lot for my niece. I think I speak for both of us when I say how grateful we are." Fluttering nuzzled Trixie again and the showmare returned the gesture, her cheeks glowing.

“I was... I was just trying to be a good friend,” muttered Trixie.

“And it appears you have been. I am sorry that I have misjudged you so much in the past, both at the gala and more recently. Our relationship has not... has not been the best at court, but I want to you know that I owe you a great favour for your support of my niece. If there is ever anything I can do for you, you only need to ask.”

For a moment Fragrant thought that Trixie might suddenly announce that she wanted to have a province named after herself or a cloud city of her own, personal weather for the rest of her life, or something equally grandiose, but instead the unicorn only nodded. “Thank you, Duchess Posey, but friendship is its own reward.”

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile. Maybe the elements had been correct in choosing Trixie as one of their bearers. She certainly seemed to have grown as a pony since her time at court.

“Now if you would excuse me,” said Trixie with a bow, “I will leave you two to catch up. I have a court musician to track down.”

“Oh, yes,” said Fluttering as the unicorn left. “Octavia was such a big help. I need to thank her.”

Fragrant was once again pleasantly surprised by her niece’s growing social circle. She would have to thank Miss Philharmonica herself at some point, but first she did have a few things to catch up with her niece about.

Fragrant looked around Fluttering’s cottage as her niece busied herself in the kitchen preparing a further pot of tea for the two of them. The house was rather small and certainly smelled like it was home to so many animals. Still, there was no doubting that this place was Fluttering’s: every feature, every piece of furniture, every square inch was stamped with her niece's personality.

The two of them had chatted about the concert and family matters on the way home. Fluttering had received several letters from her sister about her holiday and her course now that she was back at university, but her brother hadn’t contacted her for some time. Fragrant filled her in on what she knew of Dangerous’ recent life, such as the white water rafting and his trip to the Griffin lands. He always seemed to be on the move despite his father's attempts to get him to take up his family responsibilities. She was sure the colt was just too busy to write to his sister rather than ignoring her. Still, it would not hurt to remind him to contact her when she next saw him. Maybe he could even visit. If nothing else, she was sure he would be interested in the nearby Everfree forest.

When they had first entered the cottage, Fragrant had been surprised by a large shaggy shape that leapt on her and almost knocked her to the ground. It had taken her a few seconds to recognise it as the orthros that she had given Fluttering only a few months earlier. It had grown so much over that time, now it stood less than a head shorter than her. She knew that his sire towered over most ponies, but she had not realised that the creatures grew so quickly. She was a little surprised that it still remembered her given they had only spent a day or so together. It had taken Fluttering’s gentle command to get the animal, who she had named Schwarz-Weiß, to stop licking her and slump loyally at the hooves of its mistress. Fluttering had given the great creature a belly rub and it had barked in obvious pleasure. Fluttering’s way with animals really was wonderful. The dog was obviously devoted to her.

Now having used up all topics of general conversation, Fragrant decided to delve into the other matters she had wanted to bring up. “I’m glad to see that you’ve been able to make so many new friends here.”

Fluttering looked up from her tea. “Oh, yes. I’m so lucky there are so many nice ponies here. Ditzy comes to visit every few days even if I don’t have any mail, and Dinky helps me with my animals every weekend. Oh, you haven't seen her but she’s just the cutest little foal, she’s so sweet and helpful. Then there’s Carrot Top, she helped me out when I was sick...” Fragrant stiffened a little. Fluttering hadn’t said anything about being ill. “It wasn’t that bad,” added Fluttering quickly. “Then there’s Trixie. I really didn’t think I’d like her, she’s normally so loud and big and scary.”

Fluttering seemed to shrink into herself for a moment, clutching her cup. A large white rabbit hopped up onto the seat next to her and almost unconsciously one of her hooves reached out to cuddle him. “I really did think she was picking on me, but it was all a big misunderstanding.” She let out a breath. “Trixie tries really hard to be a friend and, well I should try just as hard, she really helped me with this concert. Then there’s Rarity, she’s like Trixie. I didn’t think I’d like her but she makes such pretty clothes and she’s really nice to listen to, and now there's Octavia as well. I have so many friends,” she concluded with a smile.

Fragrant found the same smile gracing her face. Truly, half a dozen ponies was not a large social circle, but given the way Fluttering had been after the incident it was a near miracle how much she had recovered, and apparently continued to recover.

“Oh and there’s Rainbow as well, of course. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She even saved my life last month from Timberwolves!” Fluttering’s hooves shook a little and the rabbit hugged against her side.

Fragrant felt her hooves follow suit. She’d heard there had been some sort of issue with the creatures of the forest recently but she hadn’t known that Fluttering had been personally involved. Maybe this wasn’t such a safe place for her niece. Maybe she should move her. She closed her eyes for a moment. No, if Fluttering wanted to move, that would be her decision. She shouldn’t try to control her life anymore. Although, this was just one more thing she had to thank Rainbow for, which reminded her of her previous conversation with the weather manager.

“Fluttering, would you be... how would you feel if Rainbow moved away?” she asked gently.

The younger mare tensed up again for a moment. “Well I... I know she’ll go away one day, maybe one day soon. She wants to be a Wonderbolt and to do that she’ll need to move away. I’ll... I’ll miss her, but I have other friends now and I’d hate if she was forced to stay just for me.” The look in Fluttering’s eye made Fragrant wonder if her niece knew more about what Thunderous had done than she’d previously thought, which brought up some worrying ideas. What effect had her father's actions had on Fluttering over the last few years? Did she feel guilty about his treatment of her friend? That was a line of thought Fragrant did not want to follow at the moment.

“There is another topic I’d like to talk to you about actually,” she continued, changing the topic. “You know that I’ve mentioned Baron Mounty Max in my recent letters?”

“Oh, he’s your um, coltfriend isn’t he?” she asked with just a touch of a cheeky smile.

Fragrant found her cheeks burning a little. “Well we are,” she cleared her throat, “courting. I suppose our first real date was... er... memorable.” To put it mildly. Their next date was going to be more pedestrian, as she had already informed her staff to plan a dinner for them at her estate. "Oh, and I did travel with him on a tour through his province for a time." And shared his tent, and his bed, and...

Fluttering smiled and petted the rabbit. "From what you've said in your letters, he sounds... nice."

“Well, yes he is. He’s a very kind and energetic stallion, but—” Fragrant sighed “—he can be an idiot sometimes. At least he tries so hard at everything he does, and he really seems to think that he can make everything better.” Including me she thought as she felt a smile stretch uncontrollably across her face.

“I think he sounds more than nice then,” said Fluttering. “I know it’s been a long time since you’ve had a special somepony...”

“Longer than you’ve been alive,” admitted Fragrant.

Fluttering nodded. “I know how hard that was for you. Mother told me, as long as I’ve known you you’ve seemed a little...” She paused for a moment seeming to search for a word. “Sad. Not really depressed, just a little sad, like you’re missing something. I know what you lost and this Mounty Max won’t replace it all, but the last few times I’ve talked to you, you’ve been happy. It... it looks good on you.”

Fragrant couldn’t help but blush broadly at her niece’s words. “Well, I don’t know, but yes. Yes, I am happy around him. He makes me feel, well, more alive I suppose. The thing is, he’s, he’s asked if he can meet my family, meet you.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Fluttering sinking a little back into her seat.

“I know you don’t like meeting new ponies all that much, but he is very nice and it can only be for a few minutes if you like. If you’re not comfortable we can just leave again.”

“No, no, I... I think I’d like that, to meet him. Maybe just for a little bit? You’re very special to me, auntie, and he’s obviously special to you, so I’d like to meet him.”

Fragrant let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She was so glad Fluttering had agreed. “That’s good. We can sort out a time in the next few weeks. I’m sure the two of you will get along fine.”

“Auntie,” said Fluttering with a slight smile playing over her face.

“Yes, dear.”

“Is Baron Max going to be my uncle?” she asked innocently.

“Um, oh, well I don’t really know, I haven't really, well,” spluttered Fragrant. Truly it wasn’t a topic she’d put all that much thought to so far. She was happy to take her relationship a day at a time at the moment, but it wasn’t entirely beyond the realms of possibility that in a number of years they would wed. She might have even made a few attempts at signing documents Max-Posey or Posey-Max, just to see how it felt. She looked up at her niece, who was giggling quietly at her discomfort.

“You can be a very wicked filly sometimes you know,” said Fragrant with mock sternness.

“I’m sorry, auntie,” said Fluttering with false sorrow.

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile. It looked like things had worked out all right. She wondered how Max’s morning had been.

32) Month 2 - Ponyville

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“So what’s Ponyville like?” asked Max over the clatter of the train as it ate up the miles between Canterlot and Ponyville. He and Fragrant were on their way to the town to spend some time with her niece Fluttering. Max was quite looking forwards to the trip, he hadn’t had that much time away from the capital recently. It would be good to spend some time with the local ponies and see a bit more of Equestria.

“Hum?” hummed Fragrant as she turned away from watching the trees flash past though the window. “I have not actually spent that much time there in the past. I normally try to keep my visits to Fluttering low key. Usually I take my chariot and land near her house. Unfortunately, its enchantments need to be renewed at the moment. It’s very poor timing but Forming did use it quite a bit over the summer and it’s better to be safe than sorry.” She shook her head for a moment in annoyance. “Anyway, the town seems nice enough. It used to be out of the way but it’s gained a bit more interest since the events of the last year. There’s quite a lot of building work going on after the riot.” She glanced down and picked at her dress a little nervously. “It’s still quite a small place, lots of farmland, I believe there is an Apple Trust orchard there.”

“Sounds nice,” said Max. “It’s good to get out of Canterlot. The place is huge and I’ve probably seen less than a tenth of it, but it’s nice to get out into the countryside.”

Fragrant nodded. “Yes, although there are some dangers. The town is rather close to the Everfree Forest. After all, that’s what the province is named after.”

“Is it as bad as I’ve heard?” asked Max peering out the window. He almost expected to see the dark forbidding forest rising in the distance, but all that was present were rolling hills and a meandering river. “I’m surprised there are any settlements close to a place where so many monsters live.”

“Says the noble whose lands include a dragon!” Fragrant raised an eyebrow. “You did report its presence to the military like I asked you? They must have a procedure in place to keep ponies safe from such creatures.”

“She’s called Vorel’aurix-levethuix Maekrix-book-rasvim,” said Max with a little difficulty, “and she doesn’t seem to be causing any harm. According to Piste, a few ponies have visited her and she didn’t eat any of them. Plus the lands around her mountain are very fertile now that they aren't covered in smoke all the time. A few homesteaders have moved in to take advantage of them and she hasn’t given them any problems. Captain Wyrm Slayer said his people would keep an eye on the situation, but they didn’t think they’d need to do anything at the moment.”

“Yes, well, I don’t think the Everfree is quite as bad as others say. There have been a few problems now and then.” She winced a little. “Well maybe a little more often than that,” her ears drooped a little. “There was an incursion only a few weeks ago actually, but the locals seem to be used to it.”

“Hardy folk then! Just like us in Nulpar!” exclaimed Max with a grin.

Fragrant rolled her eyes. “Maybe not quite that barbarous,” she said dryly. “They have rail and I think telegraph. You’d probably fit in, but there are not all that many mountains, though. It’s largely flat land with some woods.”

“Whose province is North Everfree?” asked Max. It was a bit of a surprise to him how easily the thought came to him mind. He hadn’t used to think about who owned each part of Equestria. Maybe he was becoming something like a proper courtier.

“Nopony. North Everfree is somewhat unique, as it was formed as a conglomeration of land grants which have since coalesced into a province. It’s never had a noble appointed to it by the Princess. I think she might be keeping it as a reward for a noble in the future.”

“That can happen?” asked Max. “You can have a province without a noble?”

“It’s not all that common, but yes, it happens sometimes. Why Baron Max, it is almost like you are actually interested in politics!” She smiled.

“Who, me?” exclaimed Max, “You must be thinking of somepony else.” He glanced out of the window and saw a few ponies working the fields stand to see the train go past. One waved a hoof and he had to resist the urge to wave back. “I think we’re almost there. Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, I’m sure Fluttering will be alright with you visiting, but it’s probably best if I give her some time to prepare for you. I’ll head straight to her cottage once we reach Ponyville. If you could amuse yourself for, say, two hours before you follow me, that would be best. Please try not to be too put out if Fluttering doesn’t say all that much. She can be very shy.”

Max nodded. Fragrant had been a little vague as to exactly what had happened to her niece, but from what he understood she had some sort of break down and had moved to Ponyville to convalesce. Fragrant seemed to feel guilty for her niece’s condition, although Max was sure there was nothing she could have done about it. Sometimes things like that just happened. The important part was that she cared for her family and Max wanted to meet all of that family. After all, one day, he secretly hoped they might be his family as well. Of course that meant that Fragrant would have to formally meet his mother at some point, or maybe even House Martin as well, though that thought left a bad taste in his mouth. His mother’s last letter to him had continued to rave about her relationship with the doctor but it still didn’t feel right to him. He shook himself. That was a problem for another day. “I’m sure things will be fine," he said, hoping that by saying the words, the result would naturally follow.

“I hope so,” said Fragrant leaning against Max. “Have I mentioned her pets?”

“There are a lot of them, some of them quite exotic,” said Max. “Don’t worry. I’m normally quite good with animals.”

“You might be surprised,” muttered Fragrant, “I just want you to know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Max rested a leg across Fragrant’s back and felt the tension there. “Don’t worry, I’m sure me and Fluttering will get along famously.”

“I really do hope so.”

With a shudder, the train came to a stop and around the couple, ponies started to get up from their seats and grabbed for their luggage. Following the crowd, Max and Fragrant alighted and stood on the small station’s platform. Max took the opportunity to stretch his legs a bit after being constricted in the train for the last few hours.

“Now, are you sure of the way to Fluttering’s cottage?” asked Fragrant.

“Yes, I have your map,” said Max waving the piece of paper.

“Good,” said Fragrant glancing around the platform for a moment before quickly nuzzling against Max. “I’ll see you in a bit. I should have Fluttering ready by then.”

“I’m sure I can find something to do with myself for that time,” replied Max.

With a nod Fragrant spread her wings and with a few flaps jumped into the air and circled for a moment before setting off towards her niece’s dwelling. Max enjoyed his marefriend’s form for a moment as she flew off into the distance before dropping his gaze back to the ground.

Time to do some exploring.

Emerging from the train station Max quickly found his way to the main street. The ponies of Ponyville certainly seemed friendly enough, several nodded to him or wished him a good day as he passed. In a way Fragrant had been right, the town was quite similar to Sadlzberg, larger but not by all that much. Maybe Sadlzberg would be like this in a decade or so, a more modern town: not only did Ponyville have a railway but some of the buildings seemed to have gas lighting as well. He gazed into various shop windows as he passed, the selection of goods was a little wider than at home as well, and the construction of the buildings a bit more eccentric, the idea of a cake shop shaped like a cake had never occurred to him before, and a library in a tree! He shook his head, not something they’d thought of in Nulpar; Conn probably preferred his more normally shaped house.

Glancing around the street, his wandering eyes caught on a fantastic quartet of legs, with a fairly attractive white mare perched on top of them. He felt a little guilty for a moment, checking out this mare while he was with Fragrant; he was loyal to her, but he wasn’t blind. He’d always liked his women with long supple legs, Fragrant was a case to point but this mare had her beaten. He frowned, the mare did look rather familiar, her pink and white mane was mostly covered by a plain brown cloak from which a long horn emerged. He was certain he’d seen her somewhere before...

“Fleur-de-Lis!” he called, suddenly working out who she was, “Funny to see you here!”

The mare in question jumped a little at hearing her name being called and swung around, her horn glowing and her limbs arranged in what almost looked like a fighting pose. She relaxed after a moment. “Baron Max!” she exclaimed in Prench accented Equestrian.

“Fleur,” said Max trotting over to her. He actually didn’t know all that much about the mare, he remembered she was Fancy Pants’ wife and that she and her husband were quite friendly with Fragrant, but apart from seeing them a few times at parties and around court he didn’t actually know all that much about them. They seemed nice enough, a little dim maybe but quite generous. “What are you doing here?”

The normally icy mare looked rather panicked for a moment. “I am... I am here on family business,” she admitted fiddling with a letter she held in her aura before tucking it away in her stylish saddlebags. “What brings you here, Max?” she asked.

“Oh, just visiting, you know. This place is not far from Canterlot and what with the element bearers living here and all I thought I’d see what the place was like,” he said, quickly trying to come up with a cover story to explain himself.

Fleur frowned. “You know that the Princess has warned the court away from interfering with the bearers.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to impose. I, I just wanted to look around. Ponyville seems a very nice place.”

“Yes, it is a very sweet town, rather eccentric in its own way, but the locals are very friendly.”

“Yes, well, I suppose they are.” The two of them stood there awkwardly for a minute or so, their well of conversation seemingly run dry. “Well I better, um, leave you to your business, then,” said Max.

“And you to yours. Oh, if you happen to see Duchess Posey soon,” her eyes glimmered with humour for a moment, “Remind her of mine and Fancy’s charity auction next week. We are still awaiting her RSVP, if you happen to bump into her of course.”

“Oh, um right. Yes, if I see her I’ll mention it,” said Max hurriedly turning away.

“Actually, Baron Max,” said Fleur again in a rather more serious tone, “could I ask you another favour, s'il vous plait?” Max turned back, she once again had the letter in her aura and was turning it around and around in the air. “Could you... could you please deliver this for me?”

“Deliver? To Fragrant?” asked Max in surprise.

“No, to... to Fancy’s daughter.”

“I didn’t know you had any children!”

“We do not, yet,” said Fleur looking a little flustered, “Vinyl is Fancy’s daughter by his first marriage. Her mother died several years ago. The two of us, we do not get along, I think she thinks I am not good enough for her father, that I am a... as they say a gold digger.” She blushed. “Her father has tried to connect with her but I fear that I may have damaged their relationship. It is Fancy’s birthday in a few months, a rather significant age and I was planning to organise a surprise party for him. I know it would mean the world to him if Vinyl was to come.” She shuffled nervously, clutching the letter closer to herself. “I had meant to deliver her invitation in person, but I think that would make it all the more likely she would just destroy it without reading it. If somepony... neutral in this matter were to deliver it, then maybe she would at least consider it, for her father's sake if not my own...”

Max bit his lip, he really wanted to help. It was a shame to see a family torn apart in this way, but did he really want to get involved? It might be better if Fleur did deliver the letter herself, it might help the relationship between her and her stepdaughter. “Well, I don’t know...” he stuttered.

“Please!” she pleaded looking down at him with large purple eyes. “I would owe you such a favour!”

Max felt his will waver, he could never say no to a pleading mare. “Oh very well,” he finally mentioned.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed handing the letter over to him before leaning down and giving him a peck on the cheek. It would probably not be a great idea to tell Fragrant about that, he thought. “She’s called Vinyl Scratch. She doesn’t live all that far from here, just take that turning there,” she pointed across the street, “then down for about a block, well the closest to a block this town has, turn right then go straight on, she lives above a music shop.” Max nodded, trying to memorise her directions.

“I think I’ve got it.”

“Thank you again. I should be going, I’ll see you back in Canterlot.” She turned to go. “Even if Vinyl doesn’t accept, thank you for trying,” she said as she trotted off.

Max shook his head, he really shouldn’t get himself involved in things like this but he supposed it was a good cause, he didn’t like to see families fall apart like this. Still, he hoped it wouldn’t take all that long, he didn’t want to be late for his meeting with Fluttering. Turning back, he headed off down the road that Fleur had indicated.

He had barely gone more than a few body lengths before he heard his name being called again. “Hey it’s Max!” came a screech from down the road. He turned and saw an orange coated pegasus filly hurtling down the road towards him on a scooter, her wings a blur. Galloping after her was a small herd of other foals of various tribes and shades.
“Scootaloo?” asked Max as he recognised the filly from a school trip to Canterlot several months ago. She skidded to a halt next to him, her scooter throwing up a spray of gravel.

“Hey Max, what are you doing in town? Are you going to go climbing?” she asked without pausing for breath, “Can I come with you? Can I? Please!”

“Woah, slow down,” said Max resting a hoof on the excited filly’s head to stop her bouncing up and down. “Sorry Scootaloo, I’m just visiting at the moment, I’m not planning to go climbing.”

“Aww!” cried the filly, echoed by some of her companions. “Can you at least play with us? Like you did at the gala? When that monster thing galloped past and all the adults stampeded and you grabbed me and Miss Duchess pulled us into the air and...”

Max tuned out the fillies’ nattering for a moment, it would be fun to play with them for a bit but he was on a mission, two really, and he didn’t want to get delayed. “I’m sorry Scootaloo but I’m in a hurry at the moment. I might have some free time later.” Maybe after he’d seen Fluttering him and Fragrant could play with the foals before they had to catch their train.

“But I wanted to show you what I can do with my scooter!” complained the pegasus, “And go climbing, I’ve been practicing!”

“Sorry Scootaloo, maybe later.” He paused for a moment. “You are staying safe?” he asked noting the helmet and knee pads the filly was wearing.

“Of course,” she said with an exasperated sigh, “I don’t want to get hurt and have to miss any fun!”

“Good,” he said with a smile, “I would like to see what you can do. Maybe you could write to me in Canterlot about how things are going? I might be able to visit later,” he suggested.

“Sure,” said the filly with a nod. “Oh, hey, do you at least want your hat back?”

“My hat?” he asked surprised.

“Yeah, Truffle kept it after the gala,” she explained pointing to a plump grey coated colt who was shuffling away nervously.

“Don’t send me to jail baron,” he pleaded, “I just meant to borrow it! Then everypony was running around and I just forgot about it, I didn’t mean to keep it!”

Max frowned, then he remembered he’d lost the hat that went with his red suit at the gala. He’d thought it had gotten destroyed in the chaos. “That’s alright lad,” he said kindly, “you can keep it if you want.”

“No,” mumbled the colt looking down at the ground, “it doesn’t fit me anyway.”

“Well it might in a few years, but I’ll certainly take it back if you want.” It did tie the suit together, and it was hard to get a hat that fit his ears just right.

Nodding, Truffle looked back up at the baron and smiled. “It’s at home,” he explained and set off through the streets with Max and the foals trotting along behind.

“What have you done since the gala?” asked Scootaloo pushing her scooter alongside the group. “Anything awesome?”

“I went home to my province,” said Max, “it’s right at the top of Equestria, and I went on a long trip all through my lands, I climbed some mountains, got caught in a landslide and found a dragon’s lair!”

“A dragon!” exclaimed the foals around him, their ears pricking up.

Max grinned, he thought that might peak their interest. “Yes! You see, I climbed down into a mountain and found this steaming lake full with what I thought were golden boulders...”

Max carefully adjusted the brim of his hat, it still fit, Truffle had been taking good care of it. It had taken a while, and a few stories, before he could get away from the foals but now he was back on his quest. The only problem was that he wasn’t entirely sure where he was anymore, let alone where Vinyl’s house was. He guessed he’d probably have to ask a local. Looking around he thought that the sweet shop across the road looked like a good place to start, he might even pick up a snack while he was at it. He just about had time to do a little shopping, deliver the letter and still get to Fluttering’s cottage at the expected time, as long as he didn’t have any more interruptions.

“Hey dude!” came a cry from one side, “Can you give a mare a hoof?”

Max turned to see a young white coated unicorn struggling to carry a large, and rather worn out sofa in her aura. She was obviously having some difficulty, sweat plastered her two tone blue mane down and she was panting with the effort of moving the thing. Oversized blue tinted glasses covered much of her face and hid her eyes. He rushed over and positioned himself under one side before it tumbled over. The unicorn’s aura flickered and the item of furniture dropped onto him, almost causing his legs to buckle. “This thing is heavy!” he gasped.

“Yeah! Good solid workmareship,” said his companion trying to get another grasp on it. Now that Max had a moment to examine the sofa he had to admit it was rather striking, if not in a good way. It was upholstered with an eye watering yellow, green and pink plaid material. It stunk of what he decided was probably cat based on the gouges in the side. “Can you believe that somepony just threw this thing out?”

“Did somepony say you could have this?” he asked, trying to position himself to stop the sofa from falling again.

“Whoever had this thing just threw it out on the street! I don’t think they’ll miss it!” came the cheerful reply. “Can you help me get this thing home?” she asked, “If I leave it lying about somepony else will nab it!”

“Is it far?” asked Max with a grunt.

“Nah! Just a few blocks!” Max felt the thing shudder as it was covered by a blue sparkling aura and the weight on his back reduced for a moment before it crashed down again against his neck.

“Woah!” cried Max as he felt the sofa start to roll off of him; he grunted and tried to reposition himself, taking a few painful hoofsteps to keep himself under the thing.

“That’s the spirit,” called the mare from the other side of the behemoth, “This way!”

“Ok, just a little bit to the left... a bit right... that’s perfect!” cried the unicorn as Max let the sofa drop to the ground. It had probably taken the best part of half an hour for the two of them to drag the thing through the streets of Ponyville and to her house. Unfortunately the mare lived on a second floor above some sort of shop and they’d been forced to try and manoeuvre the thing up the stairs as well. Max could have sworn it wouldn’t fit but eventually they’d managed to figure out the angles and shoved the thing into her apartment before dropping it into place in the Livingroom. Max sagged back onto the floor gasping for breath. “Nice work dude!” called his companion equally out of breath.

Picking himself up Max glanced around the room, the rest of the furniture was just as eclectic and damaged as the sofa, even the walls were each painted a different colour. One was covered in posters for musical groups Max had never heard of, another contained photographs and cuttings from newspapers with string connecting them in a complex web.

“Thanks for the hoof!” called the unicorn from another room, “would you like a cider?”

“Love one, but I’m short on time, I’ve got to go,” called Max still trying to take in the room he found himself in, here and there were piles of magical and technological equipment seemingly dumped at random.

“You haven't been talking to Rarity have you? I really don’t drag strange stallions in off the streets to ravage, well not often anyway,” she stuck her head around the door sipping something from a can. “Besides, no offence, but you’re waaaaay too old for me.”

Max sighed, he was rather thirsty and by the time he found Fancy Pants’ daughter he’d probably be late anyway. “Just a water then.”

“Huh, water,” she said as if it was some exotic substance, “I think I’ve got some somewhere.” She ducked her head back out of the room.

Continuing his examination of the room he noticed a photograph set in a small frame sitting on a side table, it was one of the few places clear of general detritus. It showed a filly, presumably the house's owner, several years ago judging by her age. She was clinging to the mane of a short light grey unicorn mare with a long light blue mane and tail and huge pink eyes. Leaning up against the mare stood a grinning white stallion with a darker blue mane and moustache. All three wore stylish clothes. Max blinked, the stallion was Fancy Pants, a few years younger but clearly the courtier. That must mean...

“Are you Vinyl Scratch?” he called just as the mare wandered back into the room holding a rather grubby glass of water in her aura.

“The one and only!” she said with a smile, “You a fan? I never did ask your name.”

“It’s Mounty Max, Baron Mounty Max, I was sent to talk to you.”

The mare’s reaction was swift and surprising. “I knew they’d send something eventually!” she cried as she threw the water at Max. He gasped and spluttered as it splashed over his face. Blinded, he staggered back into a pile of cables and crystals and almost toppled to the ground. Before he could recover he felt himself being lifted into the air by the unicorn’s aura and slammed into the nearest wall.

“Huh! W-what!” stuttered Max trying to regain his bearings.

“Now let’s see what you really look like!” snarled Vinyl. Her horn pulsed and her glasses glowed for a moment, then she paused. “Huh! Not one of them then, I should have known by the tail! You must be one of their thralls then, probably hit by their stupidity ray!”

“Stupidity ray? What are you talking about! What’s wrong with my tail!” exclaimed Max.

“Well Duh! Everypony knows that the bug ponies can’t disguise the creepy tail antenna things they use to communicate, so they have to wear false tails! Yours is far too short to hide an antenna! Wow, they must have double dosed you with the stupidity ray!” Her horn shut down and Max felt the pressure drop from him.

Max blinked, obviously he’d walked into the house of a crazy pony. He hoped the whole town wasn’t filled with ponies like her, although to be honest Scootaloo was a little overenthusiastic and Fluttering had had a breakdown, so maybe Ponyville was some sort of asylum. He shook his head to try and clear it, now he was thinking crazy thoughts. “I don’t know anything about bug ponies or stupidity rays, I’m just here to give you a message.”

“You’re a member of the night court right? You’d know about the bug ponies that have infiltrated it, they zap the other courtiers with stupidity rays to make them keep making stupid decisions, like my dad.”

Well that would explain a few things, though Max, and now that he came to think about it most of the court did wear their tails rather long, they’d get in the way of any real physical work... Nope, he wasn’t going to follow down that path, that would result in seeing bug ponies everywhere. “You are Vinyl Scratch right? Fancy Pants’ daughter?”

“Yeah, look sorry about throwing you about, did Dad send you to check on me? I can get you another water if you want,” she picked up the glass from where it had fallen and started to trot back into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

“No it wasn’t your father, it’s your step mother. She asked me to give you...”

There was a crash from the other room. “That vapid empty headed buggy bimbo is not my mother!” roared Vinyl. “And I don’t want anything from her!”

Max winced, he probably should have recognised that Fleur might be one of Vinyl’s triggers given what the elder mare had said about Vinyl and how unstable she seemed to be. “I know Fleur isn’t your mother, but she just wants to give you an invitation to your father’s birthday party.”

Vinyl stamped back into the room and slammed a glass of water down onto the table, spilling most of the contents. She slumped down onto the new sofa and curled up into an angry ball, her pouting head sticking up out of the cushions. “Yeah, like I want to go to a party where dad acts like a moron all the time! ‘Oh have you heard the latest fashion news, stripes are in again, I’ll just have to change my entire wardrobe don’t you know’” she tittered in a passable copy of her father's accent. “I hate it! Why can’t he act how he used to? he’s a smart stallion, he wanted to make things better.”

Max cautiously sat down next to Vinyl and found himself sinking into the sofa cushions. He struggled to stop from getting entirely sucked in, but once he positioned himself properly it was surprisingly comfortable. “Your father does a lot of good at court, he helps a lot of charities, the Princess herself takes his advice very seriously.”

“Yeah, well he could do so much more! Make a real change to Equestria, he gave up so much! Stupid stupidity ray, stupid bug ponies! It’s all that Fleur’s fault, she saw dad was lonely and swooped in on him! She’s probably the bug queen, she sucked dad’s brain out through his horn!”

Max tried to force down a chuckle at that double entendre. Fancy Pants could seem a little vapid sometimes but Max couldn’t help but think Vinyl might not be giving her father enough credit, the Princess didn’t listen to just anypony. “Look, have you talked to your father recently?”

“I tried right, but he was all, ‘I’ll tell you later’, ‘I have secrets to keep’, ‘I have a duty’, ‘could you be nicer to Fleur?’” she growled, “Mom had only been... been gone a few years when she turned up, he never would have even looked at her if he hadn’t gotten his brain all scrambled.” She turned away, sniffing a little and rubbing at the bottom of her glasses.

Max sighed. “Look, I, I lost my father. A long time ago now and recently my mother found somepony else as well. I’ve found it pretty hard to get used to him. I used to like him actually until I found out he was seeing my mother, now I’m, well maybe I’m a bit jealous,” he admitted. “It doesn’t seem right that my mom is with somepony who isn’t dad, it... it feels like a betrayal. Still, I do want my mother to be happy and, well it seems like she is. Now I know your mother hasn’t been gone as long as my father, but maybe you’re feeling the same?”

Vinyl grunted, still looking away from him. She was biting her lip and looked so young to him, barely out of fillyhood, hardly even a mare.

“I don’t know your father all that well,” continued Max, “but he does seem to love Fleur and she loves him as well. I’m sure you love him even more, and well, it’s his birthday, and you want him to be happy right?” Vinyl nodded.

“Y-yeah,” she said a little shakily.

“And I think Fleur wants him to be happy as well, which is why she’s inviting you.” He took out the letter and placed in on the table away from the pool of water around his glass. “I’ll leave this here and you can open it or not when you’ve made up your mind. It’s just one night and at least it’ll be a chance to talk to your father, maybe he’ll tell you why he acts how he does.”

“Maybe,” said Vinyl turning back towards him, the light reflecting in her glasses, “but I’m making no promises, maybe I’ll just burn that stupid thing!”

“If you want, but at least read it.”

Vinyl nodded. “Sorry to hear about your mom getting a special somepony... It must be really gross ‘cause she must be so old now.”

Max grimaced a little. “It’s just something I have to get used to. Now I’m afraid I’ll have to go, I’ve got an appointment to keep.” With some effort he pulled his way out of the sofa.

Just as he’d reached the door Vinyl called out to me. “Thanks for giving me a hoof with the sofa, I owe you one.” He glanced back to see her turning the letter around in her aura.

“Any time.”

To try and get there on time Max was forced to gallop most of the way to Fluttering’s cottage. It was surprising how far it was from the town and he was a little worried how close to the Everfree Forest it was. It didn’t seem the best place for Fluttering to recuperate, but he guessed different ponies had different tastes. The immediate surroundings of the cottage were picturesque though, a pleasant copse of trees surrounded the building and a small stream flowed past it. The cottage was actually larger than Max had thought it would be, maybe twice the size of his mother's home, it could easily house three or four ponies and still be spacious. The house was of sturdy construction and its roof was covered by turf making it blend into the background, Max had almost run past it without noticing it. All around it sat small hutches and houses for birds and small animals, Fragrant had not been joking about the number of pets her niece kept. Max wasn’t entirely sure of the time but he guessed he was probably at least a bit late for the meeting, hopefully that wouldn’t cause a problem.

He crossed the small bridge over the stream and knocked on the front door. Listening carefully he could hear voices from within but couldn’t make out what was being said. For a moment he considered knocking for a second time but before he could the door swung open a crack. Through the gap Max could just about make out the shape of a pony. The figure opened its mouth and emitted a slight squeak.

“Uh, hi!” said Max. The figure in the dark flinched and the door moved to shut, then it froze and opened a little more.

“H-hi,” whispered the figure at the other side of the door. Max could just about make out another figure standing just behind the first. “C-c-come in,” it finally managed and the door was slowly opened to allow light into the house.

Max blinked. The figure in front of him could at first glance be mistaken for Fragrant, there was such a strong family resemblance between her and her niece that he could easily believe that they were mother and daughter, or even sisters if it wasn’t for the age difference. Fluttering had the same long flowing legs, mane and tail as her aunt, and the same aqua eyes, although they were downcast. Her coat was maybe a touch darker, her hair a little lighter than the elder Posey and Fluttering’s mane was curlier than Fragrant normally wore hers, but still it was like looking back twenty years in time to how Fragrant must have looked when she was a young... younger mare. Fluttering hurriedly trotted back away from the door and stood slightly behind her aunt, whose gaze was nervously flickering between Max and her niece.

“Hi,” said Max again, as gently as he could, “I’m baron Mounty Max.”

“Fluttering,” muttered Fluttering, her eyes fixed on the floor at Max’s hooves, “I’m Fluttering Posey,” she tried again with a little more volume.

Max held out a hoof but Fluttering just stared at it and backed away a little more, leaving him standing there awkwardly. Fragrant broke the silence. “Max,” she said, “I had been expecting you a while ago.”

“Sorry, I got caught up in a few things in town,” he explained.

“I, I made tea,” said Fluttering. Still unable to meet Max’s gaze, she gestured towards a table where a pot of tea and several slices of cake sat.

“Thank you,” said Max politely, glancing around the room as he moved to sit down. It was certainly unique, and rather cramped despite the size. Just as outside, a number of pens and houses had been built into the walls and ceiling. Several inquisitive little faces were sticking out from them and there was movement from other animals all around. Max shuddered a little as something small and furry ran over his hoof and struggled not to jump. Lots of pets indeed. He carefully positioned himself on a chair so as not to crush anything. Fragrant gracefully sat down next to him, seemingly not affected by the riot of animals around her and rested one hoof on a large furry lump next to her. Fluttering climbed onto another seat opposite the two of them and sat there shivering slightly in silence.

“So, um...” said Max trying to think of some way to break the ice. Fluttering fitted the description Fragrant had given him, the nickname Fluttershy really did fit her.

“Shall I pour?” asked Fragrant after a moment. Not waiting for a reply, she made three cups of tea and placed the cake onto smaller plates.

“This is very nice,” said Max. In reality the tea was rather cold, it seemed he had been later than he thought. He bit into the cake, it was much better, lemon flavoured. “This cake is excellent!” he exclaimed.

Fluttering managed a weak smile and for a moment her eyes flicked up to look at Max. “Thank you, I-I made it myself. I-I have a le-lemon tree in my garden,” she whispered.

Silence reigned for another eon and Max turned to Fragrant for support. He noticed a large canine head emerging from the furry pile next to her, followed by another. The creatures peered cautiously around the mare seeming unsure of Max. “Um, I like your dogs,” said Max holding out a hoof to one of the animals which sniffed it cautiously before both of them pulled back slightly revealing, to Max’s surprise, that both heads were attached to a single body.

“Schwarz-Weiß, is an Orthros,” explained Fluttering with more strength than anything else she’d said so far. The dog slinked over towards her keeping at least one head glancing at Max all the time, and she gave it a pat. “It’s a very rare breed. He’s such a good doggy, isn’t he!” The dog gave a happy bark and its tail thwacked against the ground.

“I got him for Fluttering over the summer, Vicereine Wallflower was kind enough to give him to me,” said Fragrant. “I’ve always like bow-wow’s haven’t I baron,” said Fragrant grinning as she used Max’s pet name.

“I’m rather more partial to kitty cats, duchess,” said Max returning the compliment.

“Oh, I couldn’t choose, I love both cats and dogs just as much,” said Fluttering, hugging the two headed dog as the older ponies’ humour went over her head.

“He’s certainly a big guy,” said Max nodding at Schwarz-Weiß, glad to be having a conversation that Fluttering seemed comfortable taking part in.

“Oh, he just a puppy really,” said Fluttering running a hoof down the animal’s back, “Orthos can grow to twice the size of a pony.”

Max frowned, how could this pony seemingly scared of her own shadow talk so casually about keeping such a huge creature as a pet. “Well he seems to be very happy with you.”

“Oh, yes, it’s my special talent, knowing what animals want, how to take care of them,” she explained, actually making eye contact with Max for the first time. Inside Max cheered a little at this small victory.

“Interesting, my talent’s nothing as exotic as that, I’m just good at climbing,” he gestured to his own mark, “I drove my mother to distraction as a foal, I was always clambering over the house.” He grinned. “Still, it is rather handy to get around at home.”

“Max’s province is rather mountainous,” explained Fragrant. “You remember the letters I sent you about my time there?”

“Of course, it sounds very beautiful, there must be all sorts of birds and animals that live in the mountains,” said Fluttering with interest.

“I guess there must, I’m afraid I don’t know too much about them. I suppose I’ve seen some eagles and hawks and the like, well and a dragon, I suppose.”

“A d-dragon!” squeaked Fluttering, her wings spread in panic almost knocking herself off her chair.

“Fluttering!” exclaimed Fragrant worriedly, “It’s alright, it’s a long way away, you’re safe here.”

“Yes, sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up,” said Max sheepishly as the younger pegasus started to calm down a little.

“You do tend to say just the wrong things,” said Fragrant a little sharply.

“Maybe that’s my real special talent,” said Max, trying to add a little humour into the situation.

“So-so auntie’s letters said you met her at Canterlot?” asked Fluttering taking a sip of her drink, the cup rattling a little in her hoof.

“Yes, my first day there, I decided to try climbing the Canterhorn rather than taking the train. It took a bit longer than I thought, by the time I got there Fragrant was the only member of the welcoming committee to wait for me.” He turned towards his marefriend and gently nuzzled against her.

“Yes, him being late has become something of a repeating pattern to our relationship so far,” admitted Fragrant, leaning back against Max.

“We went out for dinner afterwards and got talking. It took a while for us to actually begin to date formally. Well, almost half a year actually,” he frowned, looking back he couldn’t entirely remember why it had taken that long.

“We formally began to court just before the summer, I don’t think I mentioned it last time I was here but we’ve had a few actual dates now, of varying quality,” admitted Fragrant.

Max grinned, the second date which Fragrant had organised last week had gone rather better than the first, although it hadn’t been quite as exciting or memorable as the one he’d organised. “And hopefully we’ll have many more successful ones in the future. Of course we get to talk to each other at work sometimes as well, between meetings and court and the like. Running the country can be rather stressful but there are some quiet moments.”

“Meetings... court...” breathed Fluttering, grasping her cup tightly between her hooves, “Stress...” she gave a hiccup.

Fragrant gave Max a glare before hopping off her chair and resting a wing around her niece. “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “It’s not your responsibility, it’s a long time ago and a long way away.” She gently rubbed Fluttering’s back in a circular motion.

“I know,” said Fluttering gently putting her cup back down again and taking a deep breath, “I know.” She looked up at Max for a moment, “I’m sorry, I don’t like thinking about the Night Court,” she tensed for a moment and Fragrant rubbed her back with her wing again before slowly drawing away to return to her seat.

Max frowned, he understood that Fluttering had acted as Fragrant’s proxy for a summer a few years ago, what could have happened to her to have caused her to react this way to just the mention of the court? While he was thinking, Max noticed that a large rabbit was clambering onto the young mare’s seat. It tapped its hind leg against the mare’s barrel. “Oh, excuse me I have to feed my little friends now.” She looked down at the mostly finished meal in front of her. “I’ll-I’ll make you something else to drink, it won’t take that long to feed them all, but they get so very cross if I don’t feed them on time, I’m really sorry I should have thought about this before I started...” her voice speeded up as she explained until it became little more than a babble.

“Don’t worry dear, I know you have responsibilities,” said Fragrant soothingly, “why don’t Max and I help you?” She prodded Max with one hoof.

“Oh, yes,” he responded, “I’d really like to help you, get to see more of your pets.” He supposed it would be a way to try and bond with Fluttering.

“Oh, you really don’t have to,” said Fluttering.

“We would love to dear,” said Fragrant.

“Oh, ok, then, follow me,” said the younger mare, hopping off her chair and leading them towards the backdoor to her house.

The next half hour or so was very informative to Max, he probably learned more about what various critters ate than he had in the whole of his life to date. Mice were fed grain, rabbits vegetables, rather disgustingly birds were fed worms and grubs, and a family of otters were fed fish. Although for that last one he had to turn away as the smell gave him the dry heaves. Fluttering was almost a different mare in her own environment, she was actually commanding as she passed tasks off to Max and her auntie and carefully explained about her various animals in what was almost a normal speaking voice. She even shouted in joy when she somehow discovered that a fox she was caring for was pregnant. Fragrant followed her niece around the large garden clearly doting on the younger mare as if she was her own daughter. However, eventually every one of the creatures under Fluttering’s care had been fed.

“Do you think you’d mind if you made another pot of tea auntie,” asked Fluttering, “I’d-I’d like to show Baron Max my lemon tree.” Now that her animal related tasks were completed a little of her composure seemed to be draining away.

“Oh, well if you think you’re going to be alright with just the two of you, of course,” said Fragrant sounding surprised and rather pleased. “I know how proud you are of that tree.” She turned to Max, “She grew it all by herself when she first moved here.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine together,” said Max with a nod, it was unusual for pegasi to have much to do with plants but then Fluttering was hardly a normal pegasus, maybe she’d picked up something from her aunt's botany talent. Fragrant gave him a smile and set off back to the house.

“So which one is it?” asked Max turning to scan the garden. “I might be an earth pony but I don’t actually know that much about growing things.” He turned back to look at Fluttering again.

“My auntie,” whispered Fluttering. The filly looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment, she swayed on her hooves, sweat flowing down her brow. Max took a step towards her, wondering what had come over her only to be frozen by her surprisingly strong gaze as she met his eyes. “My auntie,” she repeated in something approaching a normal speaking volume, “is a very good mare, she... she deserves a good stallion. She’s been-been alone for a very long time, and she deserves a special somepony, somepony who won't take advantage of her. She was hurt very badly by another stallion she... she was hurt.” The mare stopped again, seeming to gather her strength once more. “If you... if you do the same, if you hurt her, then I... please don’t hurt her!” she begged, then lowered her head and seemed to curl up into herself, apparently her supply of bravery extinguished for the moment. Her large white rabbit pet hopped up to her leg and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Max was very touched by the amount of effort Fluttering must have put into trying to warn him off from hurting her aunt. The filly must really love Fragrant, but given that Fluttering seemed to be about as dangerous as a summer shower the warning really lost some power; her father had been far more intimidating when he’d tried the same thing. “Look Fluttering,” he said taking a step towards her.

There was a growl off to his right and his head snapped around to see Schwarz-Weiß who had apparently lost his earlier timidity and was slowly padding towards him, both sets of teeth bared. Max swallowed nervously, he was aware the dog was only a puppy, but it was still almost as big as he was. The creature stopped next to Fluttering and sat there staring at him in silence. Max was suddenly aware of the total lack of noise from the area around him. He tried to look around without actually taking his eyes away from the dog, every one of the animals in the area were sitting and staring at him, every one. There was a crash from his left and he tried to prevent himself from shaking as the grey furry mass of a fully grown bear made its way into Fluttering’s garden on its hind legs. Max’s own legs instinctively tried to peddle away until a warning growl from the dog behind him made him stop. His panicked eyes flicked to the figure of Fluttering standing in the middle of the sea of animals, she raised her head and just managed to meet his gaze for a moment.

The rabbit hopped in front of her, it had produced a large carrot from somewhere and staring into Max’s eyes it slowly drew it across its throat in a slicing motion. Then it lowered the carrot to between its legs and gave a few lewd hip thrusts before bringing the vegetable up to its mouth, its surprisingly sharp teeth glistening for a moment as they cleaved the carrot swiftly in two, the smaller part of it dropping to the ground with a thud. Max’s hind legs instinctively crossed in horror.

“Um, Fluttering,” Max managed after a few moments, “I promise you I will do anything I can to keep Fragrant happy. She is a good mare, the best, I often wonder what I’ve ever done to deserve somepony as special as she is.” He glanced from face to face of all the animals staring at him. “I don’t know who this other stallion was but I’m not him I lo... I really like your aunt and I don’t want to ever do anything that’ll hurt her, ever.”

“The tea’s ready,” came Fragrant’s voice from the doorway to the cottage. Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped every animal in the garden returned to acting normally. The bear dropped to all fours, drawing a look of alarm from Fragrant before it turned and slowly shuffled off. Fluttering had lowered her gaze again and was trotting, tail tucked between her legs, towards her aunt. The large rabbit and Schwarz-Weiß followed her. Max had to wait a few moments before his breathing returned to normal. Fragrant’s family were full of surprises. “Are you alright?” asked Fragrant trotting over from the house, “You look a little pale.”

“I’m... I’m fine thanks,” said Max giving his best smile, “I just had a nice talk with Fluttering for a few minutes. She really cares about you.”

“And she’s very special to me as well,” said Fluttering, “I’m glad the two of you are getting on so well.”

The three of them made their way back into the house and once again took their places around the coffee table. Max took a sip at his tea and grimaced, it might have been rather warmer than the last batch but Fragrant’s brewing skills weren't anywhere as good as Fluttering’s were. He guessed his marefriend didn’t have to make her own food or drink very often.

“So, um, baron Max,” said Fluttering, Max liked to think she was sounding a little stronger than she had before their confrontation in the garden as if she was accepting him. “Auntie said that you wanted to meet all of her family.”

Max nodded. “Well as much as I can, I spent some time with your sister when she was at cou...” at the last minute he remembered Fluttering’s trigger, “in Canterlot.”

“He bumped into your parents just before the gala as well,” added Fragrant.

“Um, what does daddy think of you dating Max,” asked Fluttering timidly.

“Your father does not get to decide who I date,” noted Fragrant, causing Fluttering to flinch a little. “Sorry dear, his first meeting with Max was a little tense, but I think the two of them have sorted things out now.”

Max nodded, his first meeting with Thunderous had resulted in the giant stallion warning him off his sister. Once Max had stood his ground he felt that Thunderous had grown to respect him a little bit, but he hadn’t really spent all that much time with him. “I think your brother is the only one of you I haven't actually met now.”

“And you know how hard he can be to pin down, now that he’s finished school he’s forever out and about moving from here to there,” Fragrant sighed. “Maybe we’ll see him for Hearthwarming.”

Fluttering actually seemed quite surprised by this. “Will Max be coming to Cloudsdale for Hearthwarming then?”

“That’s the plan,” said Fragrant squeezing Max’s hoof. “Will you be able to join us this year?” she asked gently.

“Oh, I don’t,” Fluttering shifted so that her face was covered by her mane, “I don’t know, my animals need me so much, but I’d like to...”

“Well you can make your mind up later, you have several months, but I’m sure your parents and siblings would love to see you this year,” she said in a slightly pleading tone.

Fluttering turned her gaze to the ground and mumbled some platitudes.

“Anyway, Fragrant told me that you took part in a concert last week,” said Max hoping to change the subject before Fluttering froze up entirely. “You um, ‘play’ a flock of birds, I don’t think I’ve heard of that being done before.”

“It’s, it’s not all that uncommon in Cloudsdale,” whispered Fluttering, “I’m not very good really, my birds are really talented but I’m not all that good a conductor.”

“Nonsense dear,” exclaimed Fragrant, “You’re very skilled, you put on a whole concert by yourself. Maybe you could give Max a sample?”

“Oh, I don’t know, my birds aren't ready and I don’t know if I can deal with an audience.”

“Please,” said Fragrant, “you managed to play in front of a big audience last time, now it’s just me and Max.”

“I did, didn’t I?” said Fluttering seemingly surprised, “I’ll-I’ll try.” She stood and made several whistling sounds. Small feathered forms started to emerge from the various nests built into the house, one or two flew in through open windows. The small flock formed up in front of the pegasus and she stood there whistling to them. Max really was amazed by Fluttering’s power. After a few moments Fluttering stopped and turned to her small audience. “My birds are happy to put on a short performance, but Miss Tit has a bit of a sore throat at the moment so she might be a little out of tune,” the bird hopped around on its perch, “but she’ll try her very best for members of the court.”

Taking up a small baton from a nearby table Fluttering tapped it against the table. There was total silence in the house, next to him Max saw Fragrant lean forwards towards her niece, apparently holding her breath. Then Fluttering gestured with the baton and the birds began to sing. Max was amazed by the variety of sound that they could produce, not just chirps and whistles but he was certain he could make out the sound of a flowing stream amongst the music. The sounds transported him back to his home, on the first day of spring as the snow was just starting to melt and life was starting to spring from the soil again. He leaned back against Fragrant and sank into the tune.

The concert went on for about an hour and at the end Max stomped his praises so hard that he worried that he might damage the floor boards. By that time darkness was starting to draw in and it was time for him and Fragrant to leave to catch their train back to Canterlot.

“I’ll try to visit you again soon dear,” said Fragrant hugging her niece. “And I’ll write as often as I can.”

“Thank you auntie,” said Fluttering returning her hug.

“Maybe I could meet some of your friends next time?”

“I’ll ask them,” said Fluttering quietly.

“It was very nice meeting you,” said Max holding out his hoof. To his surprise the young mare leaned forwards and gave him a feather light hug.

“Please look after my auntie,” she whispered in his ear.

“Of course,” he replied, not sure whether to treat the words as a threat or as acceptance into the family.

“If Max wants he could visit me by himself, if he has the time,” said Fluttering at her normal volume.

Fragrant blinked in surprise. “Well, if you’re ok with that dear.”

“I’d be honoured, I might want to pop back to Ponyville every now and then,” said Max, maybe he could see about giving Scootaloo some climbing lessons while he was here.

Fluttering nodded and after giving her another hug Fragrant led Max away from the cottage and back along the path towards the town.

“I think that went very well,” she said with a smile once they were out of hearing range of the house. “Fluttering really seemed to warm to you, I’m so glad.” She gave Max a nuzzle as they walked along.

“She seemed like a nice pony. You seem very close to her.”

“We are close, as a foal, well let's just say that she helped to pull me out of a rather dark part of my life, she was my little ray of sunlight. I saw an awful lot of myself in her growing up, I used to be very shy myself.” Max raised an eyebrow at one of the most powerful mares in the land. “I’ve come a long way, maybe I’ll tell you about it someday.” She smiled sadly. “Fluttering used to be so bright, so happy. To see her like this now,” she sighed, “well at least she is getting better, it’s slow, but I can see it, she accepted you, she wouldn’t have done that to anypony a year ago. It’s good to hear that she has new friends.”

Max nodded, he’d have to take Fragrant’s word for that, the filly seemed painfully timid to him but she had certainly shown a stronger side in the garden. It was surprising the lengths she would go to to protect her aunt.

“Now,” said Fragrant breaking Max from his thoughts, “When do I get to meet your family?”

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Grass and Clouds 2 and Rainbow Double Dash for their help with this chapter and to docontra and Georg for their editing help.

Once again the scene with Fluttering and Max in the garden was one that I've had in mind for a very long time. The potential implications of Fluttershy's talent makes her probably the most dangerous of the mane-6 beyond even Twilight. Sure she's magically powerful but think what somepony could do that can control all animals.

I also had quite a bit of fun with Vinyl in this chapter once I found out about her personality and background in the L-verse. Keep an eye out for the bug ponies with their false tails, you never know when they might be about! Plus the existence of a stupidity ray really would explain a lot.

Comments are always welcome.

33) Month 3 - A Night at the Opera

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Fragrant hummed happily to herself as she put on the last part of her outfit for the night. The pearl earrings would go well with her long red dress. There was something about tonight that really felt like it was a date. Not to say that her previous three nights out with Max hadn’t been special. The first one hadn’t gone exactly to plan, but was still memorable in the same way as a train crash would be. The second, well they had only eaten a meal in her mansion, but it had been nice to have some time to themselves away from work. The third had been a picnic, a traditional event for courting couples but Max had to be different, few others had eaten on the roof of Princess Luna’s office. She had expected to be stopped by the guards at any moment which had given the night a bit more of a buzz, and the view from near the top of the castle had been spectacular.

Still maybe there was something traditional about a night at the opera. Like the picnic, it was a classic date situation. It helped her to feel like they were a real couple. She checked her purse for her opera glasses. What a night it promised to be, it was almost unknown for a complete performance of Ta Chrysá Papoútsia outside of a cloud city. Even in pegasus settlements the effort needed to produce the quartet of operas that made up the whole cycle meant that it only took place a few times a generation. She was really looking forwards to the chance to show Max a sample of her culture.

She examined her outfit a little more critically, maybe she should have worn something a little more historic to honour the event? The play was supposed to be performed in a traditional style... It wasn’t like she had any armour but she probably had a chiton and himation in her wardrobe, somewhere. No, she didn’t have time to search for it and get changed. She had at least done her mane up in a more period style.

There was a gentle knock at the door shaking her from her thoughts. “My lady,” came Loyal’s voice from the other side. “Your gentlestallion caller is here.”

Fragrant rolled her eyes a little at the humour in her butler's voice. “Let him in Loyal,” she replied.

“Max, it is-” her voice caught a little as the door opened. Normally Max was a handsome stallion, but tonight he had outdone himself. Was that a new suit? It certainly fit him well and was in a very modern fashion and with a top hat to go with it! He even had a bow in his tail! His coat was practically gleaming although his mane was still a mess, but then he wouldn’t be Max without that, it just made her want to run her hoof through it.

“Are you alright Fragrant?” asked Max sounding somewhat worried.

“Oh, yes, I am fine thank you.” How long had she been gawking at him? “You look, you look very good tonight. Very good indeed!”

“Thanks,” said Max with a grin turning around a little. “Mellow helped me get a new suit, it wasn’t all that expensive either.”

“Well he, and you, certainly have good taste.” She hadn’t thought too much of Baron Mellow Dramatic in the past, he always seemed rather too emotional for his job, but maybe there was more to the high-strung stallion then she’d previously seen. She trotted over and kissed Max on the lips, feeling the familiar tingle run through her body. Even though this was their fourth date she could certainly imagine an event normally associated with a third date occurring tonight. The matter had been on her mind during their real third date. Maybe not actually on the roof of Luna’s quarters, although that was certainly a naughty thought but she had considered inviting Max home after their meal. Then she had felt a certain panic grow within her and she’d had to cut the date short, hopefully the same wouldn’t happen this time.

“You look beautiful,” commented Max running his eyes up and down her form.

“Why thank you,” said Fragrant with a blush. They would certainly make a good pair walking down the red carpet outside the theatre, the jealous eyes of the crowd on them. Her ears drooped, of course things wouldn’t be like that, not for them the normality of other couples. They had to be more discrete. “Are you ready to go?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Max looking a little disappointed. “Are you sure we can’t go together?”

“No, I am-I am sorry,” she admitted. “Here,” she passed him a ticket for the show. “I will take my air carriage. I will try to get through the ceremony as quickly as possible and retire to my private box. If you wait here for a while then make your own way to the theatre, this ticket will allow you entrance to the same area, we can meet up there. Remember, my box is A17.” It just didn’t seem fair; any other mare could spend time with their stallion in public and not worry about being mobbed by the press. Why did her life have to be so hard?

“A17,” repeated Max, unhappily.

“But once you get there we can spend the whole evening together,” she said with a somewhat fake smile. “The box’s curtains will stop any press from seeing us.”

“Of course,” said Max his ears still lowered. “You better be off then, the sooner you go the sooner we can meet up.” He leaned into her to kiss again.

“Thank you for understanding Max.”

Max carefully made his way through the ornately decorated halls of the Theatre Royal. The floor was covered in a thick carpet and pictures and portraits of previous productions and patrons covered the walls. It looked even grander than many parts of the castle itself. When he had arrived the front of the theatre had been awash with celebrities and members of the press. It looked like everypony who was anypony was here. It was no wonder Fragrant didn’t want the two of them to be caught together here. He’d actually been a little unnerved by the number of flashing bulbs going off and the volume of the questions being yelled by the crowd. Most of the other courtiers and other high class ponies present seemed to take it in their stride but it was rather new to him. He’d tried to sneak in without incident but to his surprise some of the press had noticed him despite the far more important ponies present. He’d tried to follow Fragrant’s advice in such situations and tried to ignore them, only giving them a vague wave in their direction. It seemed to have worked and he’d been able to pass into the theatre without any further bothers.

Once inside he’d found that most of the celebrities already present had made their way to the bar for a drink before the play started. Max had felt a little tempted but he suspected it would be just as crowded as outside and he wanted to get to Fragrant as quickly as possible. The next problem was the staff, they wanted to be far too helpful. An usher offered to show him to his box and it had taken quite a bit of effort to get her to grasp that Max could find his way there himself. She had actually looked rather suspicious but eventually agreed to let Max walk by himself at least the last section of the route. He suspected that she might have sneakily followed him a little further so he had quickly hopped into the box he had been assigned before leaving a few minutes later to head towards his meeting with Fragrant.

He counted along the doors as he made his way towards his destination. A12, A13. He heard hoofsteps coming the opposite way and he did his best to look like he was supposed to be here. The was a giggle as a pink pony with a fluffy mane hopped past, quickly followed by a white stallion in evening wear. The stallion came to a halt. “Baron Mounty Max, isn’t it?” exclaimed Prince Blueblood. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh, ah, Viscount Blueblood, well you know I thought I should get some, um, culture in my life,” stammered Max. In truth without Fragrant’s invitation he probably wouldn’t have come to an event like this. Opera wasn’t really his thing, maybe a few drinks and a sing along or a dance but a formal performance was a bit outside of his comfort zone. Still Fragrant had been looking forwards to it for weeks now, she seemed very keen that he get to see some of her culture, he just hoped he didn’t make some sort of faux pas.

“Yes, I suppose that’s a good idea although some of these things can be rather dreadfully dry, still it’s important to be seen at some events, isn’t it?” Max nodded hoping that Blueblood would move on. Instead the other stallion’s eyes narrowed a little. “I have to say I wouldn’t have expected to see you in these seats, they are rather exclusive, above your budget I would have thought.”

“Oh, well I thought I’d have a bit of a look around the place, my seat is,” he pointed in a random direction, “that way, I think, I’m a bit lost.”

“Ah, well if I see a servant I’ll send them to help you,” said Blueblood.

“Come on Bluie!” called the pink mare bouncing back into sight. “Hurry up, this is only supposed to be a cameo, we don’t get a bigger part for loads of chapters yet. Still I think the triple date will be worth it!”

Max frowned, what was the mare talking about? Her date looked equally bemused but shrugged. “Very well Miss Pie, our box awaits! I hope you have a good night, Baron,” said Blueblood leading his companion down the corridor.

Wiping a little sweat from his brow Max continued along his route until he stopped at the door reading A17. Quickly glancing up and down the corridor to see if there were any more ponies around he tapped gently on the door. “Enter!” came Fragrant’s muffled voice from within.

With a smile, he turned the handle and stepped into the box. The inside was just as plush as the rest of the theatre if not more so. It was larger than he’d expected, a dozen ponies could probably fit in it comfortably. Gently flickering gas burners lit it with a dim but warm light. The opening into the auditorium itself was currently covered by curtains. A large red velvet covered settee took up much of the space, its carved hooves sticking out from the drapes surrounding its sides. Several other unused seats were lined around the walls. There were a number of small tables as well, one had a bottle of wine in a cooler resting on it, another a vase of flowers surrounded by other snacks. In the middle of it all reclining on the couch was the most magnificent part of the whole set up, Fragrant herself. “Max!” she cried getting up and walking over to kiss him the cheek. “I was starting to worry.”

“It took me awhile to get here, it’s so busy out front,” said Max returning the affection.

“Yes, it took me a while to shake hooves with those I had to. It looks like it’s going to be a packed house today. Would you care for a snack?” she asked gesturing to the flowers as she sat down.

“Thanks,” said Max taking his place next to her so that their flanks were just touching, he leant over and snipped off a bloom with his teeth and chewed appreciatively. The flower was fresh and succulent. “These are really good!”

“I thought it was best to bring my own snacks so we don’t have to summon any servants,” said Fragrant with a smile.

“Good plan,” said Max taking another bite of the flowers, maybe he should have eaten before he’d come, he’d hoped he could persuade Fragrant to go to a restaurant after the show. “This is a very nice seat.” He looked around the box again.

“Thank you. I’ve been reserving it for years now.”

“Do you go to the theatre that much?” asked Max, Fragrant hadn’t mentioned it before.

“Not as much as I’d wish, but it’s use is a useful gift for friends and associates. The waiting list for private boxes can be several years, it’s more convenient to keep the one I have than to try and obtain one for specific performances. It’s all part of being a patron of the arts really.”

Max nodded, it really wasn’t something he’d gotten into so far, but he should help anypony from Nulpar who wanted to put on a show in the rest of Equestria, if the opportunity ever came up. “You said you’d supported this show?”

“Yes, I’m financing most of it. The director, Ancient Skies, is from Cloudsdale. Most of the cast as well, I think. He was introduced to me by the representative for Cloudsdale, King Fisher. I’ve actually only talked to Ancient a few times but he certainly seems very enthusiastic about his work. Most of his previous performances have been on a much smaller scale, but they were all very well received by the critics. He apparently puts great effort into researching and recreating ancient plays from before unification. If what he’s said is correct this should be the most authentic performance of Ta Chrysá Papoútsia in over a millennium now.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting,” said Max. He had meant to investigate the show a bit before he’d come but things were getting busier and busier in the office right now and it didn’t seem right to leave it all to Mrs G. There were some times he wasn’t sure she was getting home at night. Once he’d found her asleep at her desk in the morning, she’d said she’d just nodded off but he wasn’t so sure. The old goat wasn’t getting any younger and he didn’t want her to push herself too hard. He’d tried to talk to her about getting some more help around the office but she’d taken it as an insult.

Fragrant seemed to sense Max’s preoccupation. “Do you even know what Ta Chrysá Papoútsia means?” she asked with gentle exasperation.

“Um, it’s something about shoes I think?” ventured Max.

“It’s ‘The Golden Shoes’ in Pegasophian after the shoes forged from the gold taken from the sirens by-” Fragrant was interrupted by a knock from the door. She frowned. “What is it?” she called, “I asked not to be disturbed.”

“It is rather urgent my Lady,” came a mare’s voice from the other side. “A message from your office.”

Fragrant bit her lip before nodding. “Max, would you mind, well hiding for a moment?”

“Hiding?” exclaimed Max.

“I’m sure this will be nothing but, it might be something important, a vote or powerful rogue weather. I don’t want questions about why you’re here with me. Please!” she begged, her eyes wide.

Max couldn’t argue with Fragrant when she looked like that. “Fine,” he said looking around the room, there didn’t seem to be all that many options. He lifted the curtain around the base of the settee, he could probably just about fit under there. Sighing he crouched down and started to crawl forwards.

Normally Fragrant would quite enjoy the view of Max’s hindquarters as he clambered under the seat. However, she quickly dragged her attention away and towards whatever could require her attention. She had left instructions with Saltpeter to only disturb her for a true disaster. She wished her assistant was overreacting rather than there being something true world shattering taking place. Hopefully Corona wouldn’t choose now to attack purely to ruin her date.

Straightening the drape to make sure Max was fully hidden she whispered, “Thank you.” Before turning to the door. “Come in,” she called as she undid the latch, “Now what is this-” she began before a mare in the uniform of an usher barged into the room. “What is the meaning of this!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry your ladyship!” exclaimed the usher, a rather young unicorn mare with an untidy red mane beneath her hat. “I had to speak to you!”

“Who are you?” asked Fragrant. She noticed that the uniform didn’t quite fit the mare. “You aren’t a member of the theatre’s staff, are you?” Could this mare mean her harm? she didn’t look all that dangerous, but you never could tell, particularly with unicorns, magic could often be unpredictable.

“No, I’m not. Don’t be afraid,” said the mare holding a hoof up. “I don’t want to hurt you, I-I just want an interview!”

“An interview?” asked Fragrant in surprise, then her brow furrowed. “You’re a member of the press?” This was just like a journalist, trying to ambush her, spoiling her time with Max.

“No! Well yes, sort of... I’m well, I’m sort of hoping to get a job. I’m just out of college you see, I need some way to make a name for myself!” the mare hoped from hoof to hoof nervously.

Fragrant examined the reporter. Now that she looked the mare was hardly more than a filly really, probably not even as old as Forming. “And you thought an interview with myself would help?”

“Well it’s well known that you don’t give interviews, not for, well, not for a long time.”

“And with good reason,” snapped Fragrant causing the reporter to flinch. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t have you thrown out of the theatre? Or arrested for trespass?” her tail swayed angrily from side to side.

“I well, I thought, you see,” mumbled the mare looking down her eyes starting to water.

Fragrant sighed. It really was hard to stay angry at the mare she seemed so inoffensive, yet she’d still snuck into the theatre under false pretences and ambushed her. “You thought getting an interview with me would be a feather in your cap?” The other mare nodded. “And you thought just barging in on me would help your case? That interrupting my personal time would endear you to me?”

“Well, I don’t know, I didn’t think-”

“No, you didn’t! If you did want to interview me about something important and not just invade my privacy you should have gone via the proper channels. I do give interviews about my work.”

“I-I did,” mumbled the reporter looking down at the floor, “I got turned down.”

Fragrant’s brow furrowed again, she wasn’t aware of any interview requests being rejected but that would have been organised by Saltpeter and he had worked for her long enough now to know her thoughts about most journalists.

“I’m sorry,” continued the mare, starting to turn towards the door. “I’ll just go now...”

Fragrant let out a sigh. “I suppose there is something to be said for using your initiative,” she grumbled. The opera would be starting soon, but she guessed she had ten minutes or more. “You can have five minutes,” she decreed, “and no more.” The reporter blinked in surprise her ears starting to rise. “And any questions should be about my work, not my family or personal life!”

The mare nodded a smile starting to grow across her face. “Thank you! Thank you!” she exclaimed. “I understand, it was totally wrong what they did to you, what they said about you back then, I’d never do anything like that-”

Fragrant help up a hoof. “You are using up your time.” She really didn’t want to think about that now, it would our sour her relationship with the reporter. She settled down on the settee, there was a faint mumble from beneath it as she remembered to late where Max was hiding. The journalist excitedly hopped into the seat next to her causing another groan. The mare’s face frowned for a moment and she started to bend down towards the base of the seat. “Before we start can I ask your name?” asked Fragrant trying to distract the other mare.

“Oh, right,” said the reporter pulling out a large pad and taking a quill in her aura. “I’m Lilac, Lilac Lane.” She started to flip through the pad rapidly.

“You had queeee-” exclaimed Fragrant as she felt something tug at her tail. For a moment she almost leapt from her seat, then she realised it must be Max.

“Are you alright?” asked Lilac in alarm.

“I am-” Fragrant felt another gentle tug on her tail, what was Max doing? And when had he discovered her sensitive her tail was? She tried to suppress a shudder. “I am fine, I just sat down awkwardly.”

“Are you-”

“You have only four minutes remaining now, Miss Lane,” reminded Fragrant, the tugging on her tail had resolved into a rhythm which was causing her to slump further into the seat. Whatever was Max doing down there? She tried to flip her tail away from him but it was held down securely.

“Right, right,” said the journalist clearing her throat. “You are the minister for weather but your family, and your brother in particular,” Fragrant tried to stiffen at the mention of her family but the tingling running through her back made it hard to maintain any sort of tension, “run the largest weather company in Equestria. There has never been any evidence of impropriety in this relationship,” she quickly added, “but don’t you think that such connections could result in corruption?”

Fragrant raised an eyebrow at the younger mare. This was hardly what she had expected. The journalist seemed collected now, quite different than earlier, had this all been a ruse? “My situation is hardly unique, either at present or historically. The princess often chooses ponies with personal or familial experience of their portfolios for the various roles in her cabinet, I trust her judgement in this matter.”

“But the princess herself has admitted that she, and her government, are fallible. Surely it would be better if such opportunities for corruption were minimised? There have been several situations where previous courtiers have taken the opportunity to line their own pockets at the public's expense. Providing government contracts to their own, or their families, companies.”

“And in each case they have been caught and punished for their transgressions,” insisted Fragrant, she might have come up with a few examples if she wasn’t so distracted right now.

“If only the known ones got punished? What about those good enough not to get caught?”

“There are certain checks and balances put in place to make such things much harder than you would think. The addition of the Internal Affairs Bureau has only improved the protection. Would you prefer that somepony without experience be put in charge of a ministry? I certainly feel that my history with weather management gives me a better understanding of the challenges facing the industry and of the ponies on the front line working the weather. True my families company does receive many government contacts but they have to bid for them the same as any other company. I am required to be able to justify any decision I, or a member of my ministry, make not only to the rest of the court but to the princess herself.” From below a slightly stronger tug sent tingles up her back causing her to bite back a squeak.

“Are you alright Duchess?” asked Lilac her eyes narrowing.

“I am, I am fine, just a draft,” said Fragrant trying to keep her body under control. “Do you have any other questions? I think you may have another minute left.”

“Oh, right,” said Lilac glancing back at her pad. “You’ve been very much at the forefront of the recent court reforms attempting to stop corruption. Up until now your record at court has been clean but somewhat unimpressive, why have you taken the lead on this matter?”

For a moment Fragrant wondered if the journalist might have found out about her bribe all those years ago but Lilac gave no hint of wanting to continue. “I have to admit that I did find myself in somewhat of a rut in recent years. Things became rather routine,” she paused, “I think it was seeing some of the younger members of the court take up their mantles that helped me focus myself. Their vigour and drive has reminded me of why I took up my role in the first place and I feel that if properly tempered by wisdom they could lead our country forward into a better age. My reforms have been for the betterment of all of Equestria of course, but I do think one of their biggest benefits is to allow a cleaner environment for the next generation to flower in. Younger stallions and mares, such as yourself will have a brighter future to look forward to.”

Lilac blushed a little. “You are currently mentoring Baroness Fields aren't you, and Baron,” she flicked through her notes, “Mounty Max was your squire until recently.”

“Yes,” said Fragrant with a smile, “and I have great hopes for both of them, baroness Fields has the potential to go far and Baron Max, well he still has a few rough edges which need smoothing,” there was a harder tug from below her causing her to bite her lip to stop from giggling, “but I am sure he could be a great courtier, given time.”

“But how can you-” began Lilac.

“I believe that your time is up,” noted Fragrant, she was sure she could hear movement in the theatre beyond the heavy curtains, the majority of the audience were probably taking their seats. The opera would start soon.

“Oh, right, um, thank you Duchess.”

Fragrant nodded graciously and leaned forwards to stand from the seat. Her tail felt heavy and stiff, whatever had Max done? She didn’t dare look back and draw attention to it. “I would suggest that in future you do not try to get interviews via deceit, many of the other courtiers will not take it as well as I did. I would certainly be less well inclined to you if you were to repeat today's incident,” she tried to put a hint of a threat into her words.

“Yes, sorry but I had to try something,” said Lilac standing up as well. She stared at Fragrant’s tail for a moment, her brow furrowing before gently shaking her head and giving a bow. “Thank you again for your time.” She walked to the door and left closing it behind her. Fragrant made sure it was locked before slumping against it. She let out a sigh of relief before turning to examine her whatever Max had done to her.

“You braided my tail!” she exclaimed, noting the rather sloppy platting.

“Well I didn’t have anything else to do,” noted Max as he struggled to extricate himself from beneath the seat. “Did you have to sit on me?!”

“I didn’t want to give away your secret.” She picked at her tail a little, it didn’t want to come apart.

“So, I have a few rough edges?” asked Max stretching his back.

“Of course,” said Fragrant giving up on her hair and walking over to run a hoof over his side. “But the smoothing of them is proving to be rather enjoyable.” She kissed him gently on the lips.

“And Buttercup?”

“I don’t think any smoothing will be needed there.” The tension in her voice was a surprise to even Fragrant. She was aware of the previous relationship between Max and her prodigy, although she hadn’t pushed either of them for full details. She’d thought she had found peace with the situation but she found a rather strong feeling of possessiveness running through herself.

Apparently Max wasn’t at his most perceptive as he decided to continue to talk about the younger mare. “I saw her at court last week, she didn’t look all that well. Do you know if she’s coming down with anything?”

Fragrant considered for a moment, Buttercup had seemed rather tired at many of their recent meetings although she didn’t actually seem sick. “Not that I’m aware of. I think she may still be having difficulty settling into her role.”

Max seemed unconvinced. “It’s been a few months now and she ran her father’s office for I don’t know how many years.” Fragrant nodded, Buttercup had been her father's assistant since she was practically a filly, not that she was all that old now. “Do you know who she’s got running her own office?”

Fragrant thought for a moment, she actually couldn’t recall seeing any staff around Buttercups office. There had to be somepony surely? Even Max had Mrs Grobhar to help him. “You know I’m not sure... You can’t be running a whole province by herself, can she?”

Max bit at his lip. “I don’t know, she always seemed capable but she could probably do with a hoof, maybe I should-”

“No,” said Fragrant maybe a little more sharply than she’d intended. “Let me, she is supposed to be my prodigy after all. I’m due to talk to her next week, I’ll make sure she’s delegating.” Max nodded. “Anyway, this is supposed to be our date night, let's not get caught up in work.” She turned towards the curtains, it must be more or less time for the show to start now. Pulling at a cord she opened the box to the theatre beyond. Max shied back.

“Won’t ponies see me?” he asked.

“No, this box has a privacy spell on it, while it is active nopony outside will get a clear view of who is in it,” she said with a smile. She glanced around the theatre rather pleased to see that the place was full. Even the royal box was in use. Sadly, the princess herself had declined an invitation but the royal musician, Octavia Philharmonica, had come in her place. She glanced over at the grey mare who had apparently invited several other members of the castle staff with her and was deeply in conversation one of her companions. She also recognised several high-ranking nobles in various other boxes, those who didn’t have privacy spells activated anyway.

“That's certainly handy,” noted Max peering out of the box.

“It comes as standard, it is not only myself who has problems with the press. Sometimes it is nice to be able to spend some time enjoying yourself anonymously.” She didn’t mention that they were rumoured to be used to hide romantic or even amorous liaisons, presumably during rather boring performances, she didn’t want to give Max, or herself, any ideas.

“So, the show...” began Max.

“Ta Chrysá Papoútsia,” said Fragrant, “it more or less means ‘The golden shoes’ in pegalopean.”

“Right, you said that before. It’s a big thing, right? It doesn’t get performed all that often? I tried to do a bit of research but I couldn’t find out all that much about it.”

“It’s an ancient pegasus opera, older than Equestria by maybe a millennium or more,” continued Fragrant with pride. “It’s actually a series of four plays, usually played over three or four days, with feasts and other entertainments in between. The whole thing takes maybe fifteen to twenty hours to perform in full.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, we will only be able to see the first one tonight, although the whole cycle is due to be performed over this week.” It was a shame she couldn’t make time for the whole event, it would truly be a once in a lifetime occurrence. Still her work had to come first, at least Max would get to see the first part.

“You really are looking forwards to this aren't you,” said Max leaning forwards.

“Yes, I’ve seen two previous performances, both in Cloudsdale, but this one promises to be spectacular. The cast is fairly young but they have been rehearsing for this moment for almost a year now. The idea of putting on a production in the original style is inspired. I’m so glad I was able to help in its creation. The director Ancient Skies was nice enough to offer me entrance to some of the rehearsals, but I wanted to keep things a surprise until tonight. Saltpeter told me the performance was breath-taking though.”

Outside of the box the theatre’s lights were starting to be lowered. The gas lights around the walls were turned off and outside clouds were shifted aside to allow the moonlight to play in through panels in the roof. Torches were lit around the stage illuminating it with flickering light.

The level of authenticity was incredible, thought Fragrant, of course the original performance would have been lit mostly by the sun or moon with only naked flames as support. “It’s about to start!” she announced excitedly. She reached out a hoof and rested it on Max’s. The orchestra began, brass and string sections together along with a faint wispy sound playing under them that could only be an aeolian harp, a huge instrument played by a pegasus manipulating the flow of air over its strings.

After a moment, a single figure flew onto the stage, a grey coated pegasus stallion with a light blue mane dressed in a toga. Fragrant recognised the figure as Ancient Skies, the director. He gave a short bow to the audience and received a polite stomp of applause in response. “Thank you, thank you,” he announced. His voice a little squeaky for a stallion. “Thank you for gracing my performance with your presence.” He waited for a second round of applause to die down. “Now some of you may have seen Ta Chrysá Papoútsia performed before, however, I can guarantee that none of your will have ever seen it performed like this. In fact there is only one individual in Equestria, well maybe two now, who can have seen a performance of this type.” He paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in. “It may be just as well that the princess is not present, she could probably point out any errors I’ve made.” He smiled and the crowd gave a polite laugh. “Personally the first time I saw this show was as a foal, a local amateur production of only the first opera in the cycle. As an adult I know it was poorly performed, but at the time I was spellbound, even at that age I recognised it as a link, a link to the past of my tribe, to its history and its culture. It was that production which started my interest, some would say obsession, with this opera and with researching its history and the methods by which it would have been performed all those millennia ago. Much has been lost over time, ancient pegasi did not record things for perpetuity preferring an oral history where possible but I persevered. Some of the things I found surprised me, others I had always known to be true. Still all this work might have got to waste if it were not for the support granted to me by my patron, Duchess Posey.” Dramatically he swung out a hoof towards Fragrant’s box.

She turned towards Max but he was already on his hooves and making his way to the back of the box. She gave him a thankful smile as her hoof reached out to turn off the privacy spell allowing the rest of the theatre to see her. She felt faintly embarrassed as she waved a hoof towards the crowd. It was nice of Ancient to mention her, he probably hoped for further funding in future and the public thanks would help her standing at court when the show became a hit. Still she preferred to work more behind the scenes. “I am just glad to be able to have helped a talented artist from my province and to bring such an important part of my home city’s culture to the rest of Equestria,” she said projecting to the crowd as best she could, the acoustics of the building were not designed to allow those in the boxes to be heard from the rest of the auditorium.

“Thank you once again Duchess,” said Ancient with a bow. “You are as much to thank for this performance as I am.” There was a further round of applause. “Now without further ado, I present to you Ta Chrysá Papoútsia, as it was originally intended!” Mist started to cover the stage blanketing the torches, and the director rushed towards the side of the stage.

Fragrant turned the privacy field back on as Max returned to his position next to her. She found herself holding her breath as the first notes of the opening number could be heard. She smiled letting the music flow over her. Perfect, it was just perfect. At the edge of her vision she could see Max smiling at her, she held out a hoof and he rested his on it. She hoped he was going to enjoy this just as much as she would.

34) Month 3 - Ta Chrysá Papoútsia

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The stage was revealed, three pegasus mares, their hind legs covered in silk constructions made to look like long fish tales were reclining on a large rock in the centre of the stage. Their manes were extended into huge fluffy masses of blue, purple and orange stretching far further than any natural hair could. The central mare, her orange mane covering most of her form stretched out her neck and let out a number of quick calls more like bird song than speech, her sisters followed her before their voices lowered into something more like normal song. Fragrant found herself humming along with the opening tune.

“Um, what are they saying?” asked Max his brow furrowed.

Fragrant was confused for a second, then she realised the issue and her cheeks glowed at her mistake. “Oh, I should have thought. The opera is in Pegalopian, the pre-unification pegasus language,” she explained.

“You can understand it?” he exclaimed.

“Most of Cloudsdale has at least a passing grasp of the language, I am fluent in it, although a little out of practice.” She had a quick flash to the long hours with her tutor as a foal, she had actually quite enjoyed that class, although Thunderous had done his best to avoid it. “I’m sorry Max, it's common for modern productions to be translated or to have unicorns produce subtitles. I should have known that Ancient’s production would be in the original language. I... I’ll try to explain things as they go...”

“That’s alright, I’m sure I’ll manage to pick it up as I go along,” said Max putting on a slightly wobbly smile. “So, they’re some sort of sea pony then?”

She turned back to the stage for a moment. “They are the sirens, the daughters of the sea and the guardians of their father’s gold. Their song is giving thanks to the sun for a new day and sets the scene for the rest of the play.” On the stage the actresses were slowly flying around making paddling gestures with their forelegs to make it look like they were swimming. Unlike most of the shows put on by the earthbound tribes the opera was making good use of the whole of the stage space.

She admired the acrobatics of the actresses for a moment, it couldn’t have been easy to fly like that with the long tails attached to their hind legs dragging them down. Then she noticed a fourth figure perched on a ledge of cloud near the top of the stage. She couldn’t help but shudder at the sight. The creature's coat was splattered with some sort of brown paint leaving it matted and dirty, the actor was clearly a pegasus but his wings were tied firmly down. After several long moments of leering down at the sirens below he began to sing, seeming to try to match the actresses below but his voice was discordant, following the tune but never quite matching it. Max must have noticed her distress as he rested a leg across her back and she gratefully leant against him.

“That’s All Broken,” she whispered, “he’s a Gennithike Laspe.” She noted Max’s furrowed brow. “Um, a Mud Grub would be the closest translation I think.” Earthworm might work as well, Pegalopian didn’t have many words for the ground.

“Mud Grub?”

“They’re mythological creatures, pony shaped but formed out of slime, they’re rather stupid, rude and cruel. I’ve always found them rather creepy.” She shuddered again, as a filly she used to have nightmares about one of them creeping into my room at night. There were myths of them stealing pegasus foals and taking them away to force them to in the dark under the ground never again to see the sky. “In the play Broken tries to court the sirens, but of course they turn him down. He swears to hurt them as they’ve hurt him, and he steals their father's gold.”

As predicted on the stage Broken was apparently trying to attract the attention of the three sirens but they ‘swam’ away, laughing. The actresses flipped their costumes tails dismissively towards the Mud Grub as they left. The cloud Broken was standing on drifted down depositing the actor onto the centre of the stage where he started to sing by himself vowing revenge against those who had spurned him.

“You know,” hissed Max, “I’ve not heard of a Mud Grub before or any pony like monster made of mud really.”

“Well the stories are from a long time ago now, and back in the old homelands” replied Fragrant keeping her eyes on the stage. “They probably never really existed, or if they did they might be long extinct by now.”

“I suppose so,” mused Max, “I would have thought that most of the monsters from pegasus mythology would be flying things.”

“There certainly are some, like the Seffenforteeseffen, but pegasus are at their best in the air, we can always fly away. It’s when we're on the ground that we’re most vulnerable. Vulnerable to ugly, muddy, sticky things like that.” She pointed a hoof towards the figure of Broken as he finished constructing some sort of net and used it to entangle the sirens. She shuddered again as he grabbing the pile of gold and ran but not before viciously stamping on his helpless captives. “This is rather more gratuitous than most productions. In most modern productions he just flees rather than tormenting them so.”

“I guess your ancestors were rather more bloodthirsty than you,” said Max.

“Possibly, ancient pegasus culture was rather militaristic. Still maybe some sort of warning should be put on future performances. I wouldn’t want foals to see this sort of thing, it could give them nightmares!” Fragrant glanced down at the audience below, there didn’t seem to be many foals present although some of the ponies were giving mumbles of displeasure, maybe they didn’t approve of the violence either. Fragrant’s attention was drawn back to the stage as the next scene started. The stage had been reset with various banks of cloud filling most of the space in tiers. The horns in the orchestra played out a fanfare and one by one pegasus flew onto the stage to take their places. “Look!” exclaimed Fragrant grasping Max’s leg, “It’s the Pegalopians!” She watched with a smile as actor after actor, clad in rather impressive looking armour of silver, and in a few cases even gold, lined up on the stage. “That must be Hurricane, the king of Pegalopasus,” said Fragrant pointing at a stallion standing centre stage. He was in late middle age with his dark blue coat streaked with silver, but despite his age he stood straight with no a sign of weakness, a rather impressive figure. He looked sort of familiar to her... “It’s Leading Light!” she exclaimed, “he used to be in so many plays when I was younger, I had such a crush on him!” She couldn’t help but grin at the flash of jealousy which ran across Max’s face. “I haven't seen him for years! He’s aged rather well,” see teased.

“Commander Hurricane?” asked Max, apparently trying to change the subject, “from the Hearthwarming play?”

“Probably not,” said Fragrant. “The opera is older than that story by more than a millennium, Hurricane was something of a title used by pegasus rulers in history. I’m not sure if the one in the opera is supposed to be a particular ruler or just a symbol of being a ruler in general. Ancient probably knows, I might be able to ask him later. That must be Thunder,” she continued pointing to an exceptionally large mare with a hammer strapped to her side. “He’s normally portrayed as a stallion, and those must be Sleet and Snow and that Tornado...” She quickly listed off the various pegasus heroes appearing. Of course, from a purely historical perspective the line-up was impossible, they covered at least two or three centuries maybe much longer and many were completely mythological. Still she couldn’t ignore how impressive they looked. “That must be Low Key,” she said pointing to the only non-pegasus performer, a griffin with dyed red plumage. “Did they use griffin actors even back then,” she mused. This performance really was raising all sorts of questions she’d have to see if she could arrange a meeting with Ancient to discuss it all, maybe she should have paid more attention in the run up to the performance, although that would have spoiled the surprise.

The cast moved onto the next song as they praised the strength of the newly founded Pegalopasus and the feats needed to build the great cloud city. It was rather catchy and even Max couldn’t seem to stop from humming along. Then a darker tone was struck as Hurricane sang of the various deals and alliances needed to strengthen the city. The music trailed off as a new group of actors entered the stage. Like the rest of the cast they were all pegasus but had their wings bound down, but that was hardly the first thing most observers would notice about them. That would be the prosthetic horns almost as long as the rest of the actor’s bodies. The things had to weigh a ton but still they managed to hold their heads up high and practically prance across the stage. Several of them even knocked their horns together apparently in less than good natured competition. It actually took Fragrant a few moments to recognise them as Perífanoi Kérata, the Long Horns. Their costumes were a rather unusual interpretation of the creatures, normally they were depicted with two or even three shorter curled horns, more like cattle or goats than this. Their leader Svadifari, stepped forwards and demanded his people's compensation for their part in the creation of the city. Behind him the rest of the Perífanoi pawed the ground and bickered with each other.

Glancing aside Fragrant noticed Max’s brow was furrowed in concentration, presumably he was trying to figure out what was happening. The lack of translation was unfortunate but he seemed to be coping so far. She opened her mouth to explain the current situation but he spoke before she could.

“Are they supposed to be unicorns?”

“They’re called Long Horns actually,” she explained, “but I suppose they do look something like them in this version.” It was rather off putting really how much like a caricature of unicorns the creatures portrayed on the stage looked. Now she thought about it she did recall something about the mythical creatures used in the opera being based on the ancient pegasus’s beliefs of their fellow tribe, the play had been written before unification after all. A sort of cold horror started to spread over her body. Surely there wasn’t anything to worry about, the Perífanoi Kérata might look a little like unicorns but they weren’t portrayed as a fellow tribe instead they....

She stared at the stage mutely as the pegasus paid the ‘Long Horns’ for their services in gems which they started to plaster over their skins before squabbling over the best of the spoils. Svadifari stepped forwards demanding greater compensation for his tribe's work his voice like a petulant child.

They were portrayed as being vain and shallow and greedy, just as many unicorns were stereotyped even today. Fragrant swallowed with difficulty, all the moisture seemed to have gone from her mouth. “I... I... well,” she managed after a few moments. “I suppose they, well, yes,” she finally managed. Judging by the sounds of outrage from the seats below it seemed like much of the audience had managed to make the connection as well. This couldn’t be happening! She felt like she was affixed to her seat, she couldn’t look away from what was unfolding on the stage below.

“And those Mud Grub things from earlier,” asked Max quietly, “were they supposed to be earth ponies?”

Fragrant’s head snapped to the side catching the look of confusion and hurt on Max’s eyes. “No, of course not, the Mud Grubs they’re, well they’re...” They were lowly, boorish, brutish, stupid creatures which lived in the mud and prayed on pegasus... Was that really what her ancestors had thought of earth ponies? “Well, I suppose, maybe they might,” she found her mouth continuing seeming without any input from her mind. “It’s just a play, it’s very old,” she protested, “It doesn’t really matter what my ancestors thought does it?”

“Is that... is that what you think of my tribe? Of me?” he muttered, the sadness in his voice driving a knife into her heart.

“No! No, no, Max I would never, I don’t” she spluttered not caring if somepony in the theatre might hear her. “I didn’t realise, I didn’t think, I’m sorry...” Max couldn’t think he was like that, could he? But she’d been so proud of this opera, of her heritage, she just hadn’t thought what it might mean to another tribe, hadn’t looked past the glorification of her people.

Max blinked a few times. “I know, sorry, I know you aren't like that...”

“No, you shouldn’t be apologizing, it’s me, I made you come along! I didn’t think.”

“How couldn’t you know what this play was like?” he asked his brow furrowing.

“I didn’t think, most productions aren't like this they’re more...” she trailed off. They were what? More sanitised? Pretending that her ancestor’s views of the other tribes were instead other creatures entirely? Of course she’d been vaguely aware of the stories implications but she hadn’t really given it much mind. But now with any subtly ripped away the stories original intentions were clear. “I’m sorry, this... well this must have been how the ancient pegasus saw things, but I don’t, I couldn’t...” She fell silent, she just didn’t have the words right now.

“Yeah,” said Max with a weak smile on his face. “I guess things were different back there, maybe if you’d asked my so many times great grandparents what they thought of unicorns or pegasus they wouldn’t be so polite.” He leaned forwards and rested his head against her own. “I know you don’t see things like this anymore.”

“Max, I... thank you...” she breathed letting her eyes close for a moment. She was so glad how easily he’d forgiven her, but had he, she still felt a certain tenseness in him. Her ears pricked up as she heard boos and cat calls from the theatre. It sounded like the audience had been enraged enough for them to ignore the normal prohibition at speaking during a performance. Certainly, anyone involved in the performance deserved their scorn, then her heart sank as she realised that she was involved with the performance. As the sponsor she would likely be considered even more culpable than even the director, she had even spoken on behalf of the production. A surge of anger flashed inside her, why hadn’t Saltpeter told her what the play was about? She had asked him to keep an eye on the production. She would never have exposed Max to this if she had been warned in advance, she would have shut the whole production down! This debatical could ruin her! There would be talk of tribalism at court, could this be some sort of attack from another courtier? Had someone gotten to Saltpeter to stop him warning her? Who would dare to do something like that given the Princesses warning?

“So,” said Max disturbing her thoughts, “What now?” he gestured towards the stage where the action was quickly drawing towards the end of the first act. The Perífanoi Kérata, the unicorns, were making more and more unreasonable demands of Pegalopalus. Now just their valuables but their stallions and mares now. Finally a deal was struck that only the gold of the sea king would be enough to satisfy them, resulting in the quest which would make up most of the remaining opera. Under other situations Fragrant would have enjoyed the song, it was normally one of her favourite but now that she recognised the character assassination against the unicorns it left a bad taste in her mouth and she turned away.

“I... I’m going to see the director, have the show stopped,” she announced.

“Isn’t that a little extreme?” asked Max.

“No, I can’t have the ponies of the audience insulted in such a way. My name is very much connected with the work. I can’t have things continue.”

“Maybe it’ll get better in the second half?” suggested Max.

Fragrant thought of the future scene’s, the underground caves of the Gennithike Laspe... of the earth ponies. Of Broken having appealed to Tirek himself to create the golden horseshoes the play was named after and to use them to control his kin and threaten the pegasus. Of the squalid conditions the Mud Grubs were portrayed as living in. How Broken was tricked and his greed used against him by the Pegalopians. Then the greed backstabbing and kin murder of the unicorns. No, the story wasn’t going to get any better or any more palatable to the audience. The angry reactions from the seats below were getting louder, boos and catcalls being directed at the actors, who were so far taking things in their stride. It was lucky the theatre did not serve food or fruit likely have been being thrown. If things continued like this there might even be a riot. She almost sighed with relief as the gas lights were relit, indicating the end of the first act.

“No Max,” she said shaking her head sadly. “I don’t think things are going to get better.”

“Well...” Max fidgeted in place, “I’m sure no pony will hold what happened on the stage against you.”

She smiled weakly, he was being very sweet, but hopelessly naive if he believed what he was saying. “I financed the play and was recognised by the director as being responsible, ponies will very much hold this against me.”

“But you didn’t know it would be like this-” began Max.

“No,” butted in Fragrant, “I didn’t, but I knew what the story was about really, using the terns mud grub and long horn, well it’s obvious what those mean when you think about it. I knew the idea behind the story was tribalist, I just didn’t think about it because the story portrays my ancestors as heroes.”

“Well things were like that back then, there are a lot of stories back in Nulpar which don’t paint some of the other tribes so well.”

“And would you perform them to a mixed audience? Without warning them?” she said trying to stop herself snapping. Max was trying to help but his optimism was getting annoying, she needed to think about what to do.

“Sorry. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll have to stop the play, probably talk to Ancient, arrange some sort of public apology.” If she was lucky she might be able to pre-empt any press attention. Although she was sure somepony had already contacted them by now.

“Can I help?” asked Max cautiously.

“No,” she shook her head, “you should keep yourself out of this, leave it to me. Maybe you can make a discreet exit?” It wasn’t a word that normally fitted Max very well.

“If you’re sure?” Fragrant nodded. “I don’t want to leave you alone,” he leaned forwards and nuzzled her.

She sighed. “Thank you Max, but I need to deal with this by myself. I’m sorry this hasn’t been much of a date.”

“Hey, it could be worse, I could be covered in soup,” he joked giving a weak smile. “I’m sure things will go better next time.”

“Thank you Max,” said Fragrant again, straightening her dress and making her way towards the door.

Max quickly made his way through the corridors trying to find his way back to the entrance. He was sure it was somewhere near here but he seemed to have gotten turned around at some point. He was sure he’d passed the stallion’s room at least twice so far. Maybe he could try to sneak out via a window in there? He nervously giggled to himself for a moment, maybe things weren’t quite that severe.

He tried to keep a straight face as he passed another small gaggle of angry looking ponies. He really hoped they didn’t think this whole thing was Fragrant’s fault. He knew she wouldn’t have done something like this on purpose, it must have been some sort of mix up. Still she had said she’d liked the story when she’d seen it before, she just hadn’t made the connection between the creatures portrayed and the other tribes, but how could she have missed it? Maybe in Cloudsdale they didn’t see many non-pegasus, but Fragrant had spent most of her time in Canterlot. Had she been willingly blind to the connection?

He sighed, the idea of earth ponies being portrayed as being dirty, ignorant, violent savages really got to him, maybe because he felt that he was like that sometimes? He stopped his trot and screwed up his face, was that it? He couldn’t shake the feeling that he never really fit in amongst the rest of the court and with Fragrant? She always seemed so elegant, like the Pegalopians in the play, and he couldn’t help but feel like a savage living in the mud at her hooves sometimes, just like the mud grubs. He shook his head it wasn’t good for him to think like that.

“Disgusting,” proclaimed a nearby unicorn, “those prosthetics, trying to have false horns, I have never been so insulted in my life!”

“It should be banned,” agreed her companion stamping a hoof.

“I’m sure you feel just the same?” asked the original mare turning to Max.

“Well, um, it was fairly lurid, but it was very old, things were different back then,” said Max glancing around to see if there was a way to avoid the conversation.

“You can’t seriously be supporting that travesty, look how it portrayed your tribe. All that mud!” She shuddered.

“Well no, but the tribes were-” begun Max.

“I never trusted those pegasus, always looking down on the rest of us, thinking they are so much better,” interrupted the unicorn stallion his companion nodding along.

“All the tribes used to think of each other that way,” protested Max, “we’re just not proud of it anymore, we all have stories which paint the other tribes in a bad light.”

“But to show them publicly! That Ancient fellow, and duchess Posey, they’re nothing more than tribalists. The princess should do something about it!”

“This isn’t Fragrant’s fault,” exclaimed Max, “she didn’t know it would be like this!”

“Of course she didn’t,” said the stallion scornfully. “You don’t have to make up apologies for her, it's unbecoming,” he snorted turning away leaving Max fuming. Holding his tongue Max stomped off to continue his search for the exit before he did something rash.

“Sorry Ma’am, staff only,” mumbled the large white stallion in a steward’s uniform blocking Fragrant’s path.

“Do you know who I am?” hissed Fragrant glaring at the stallion.

“Um, no,” he admitted starting to look rather nervous.

“I am Duchess Fragrant Posey of Cloudsdale! Minister of Weather! It is my money which has been funding this laughable performance!” She stamped a hoof on the floor in frustration.

“Look I’m sorry, ma’am um Duchess, sir, ma’am,” said the steward sweat starting to drip down his head, his eyes flicking from side to side presumably looking for someone to take charge. “But I can’t let anypony back here, it could be dangerous, there are ropes and magic and stuff.”

“Very well,” said Fragrant gritting her teeth and trying to regain her composure. The servant was only doing his job, her problems were not his fault. “Please go and get Ancient Skies this instant, tell him that his patron wants to speak to him... now!” she commanded. The servant paused for a moment then quickly galloped off.

Letting out a long sigh Fragrant tried to relax. She hoped Max had gotten away by now, on her way here she had passed several unhappy members of the audience chattering to each other. Luckily none had seemed able to work up the nerve to confront her directly, but there had been many angry glares. Almost worse there had been appreciative nods from a few of the pegasus she had passed, always those she knew still clung to the older ways. Ways that either didn’t involve the other tribes, or which had very specific places for them. It made her want to take a long hot bath, but she doubted even lava would be hot enough to remove the taint from her. She just didn’t know what she could do, she would have to cancel the performance obviously, but what she could do to try and fix her reputation... still it could be worse, if only marginally, at least the princess herself hadn’t been present.

“My lady, you wanted to talk to me?” came a gentle voice from in front of her drawing her from her thoughts. She blinked realising Ancient must have arrived.

“Yes,” she hissed.

“Maybe somewhere a little more private?” he suggested calmly. Fragrant nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak, it probably wasn’t best if they talked in public. “My office then,” he opened the door to the backstage. The place was a hive of activity with ponies running back and forth presumably preparing for the next act, an act that wasn’t going to take place if she had anything to say about it. Ancient’s office was smaller than Fragrant would have expected and rather messy, the desk, walls and even much of the floor were covered with notes and diagrams of the costumes and stage. Ancient sat at one side of the desk still annoyingly calm and gestured to another seat which Fragrant refused to take, she wanted to give her anger more space.

“What was the meaning of that, that display out there?” exclaimed Fragrant, pointing an accusing hoof.

“Display? It is what I promised, the most historically accurate performance of Ta Chrysá Papoútsia in centuries, I have spared no expense to make sure of that.” He actually seemed proud of his achievement.

“But’s its offensive, tribalist! The mud grubs! The long horns! They’re, they’re caricatures of the other tribes!”

Ancient cocked his head in seeming confusion. “As they have always been, the relationships between the tribes before unification is established history. Although the norm was a sort of uneasy truce, raids and even full blown wars were not uncommon. Given that it’s not like anypony would give pause to lampooning the other tribes, as the opera does.”

“But things aren’t like that anymore! The tribes work together for the betterment of all ponykind!” Most of the time she added mentally.“Yes, things have indeed changed,” said Ancient with what Fragrant felt might have been a touch of regret, “but the point of this exercise is not to produce a modern interpretation of the subject matter, was it? Any hack could do that, what I have done is to recreate the original!” For the first time he seemed possessed of some passion about his subject, his hooves waving dramatically. “To give a true insight into our ancestor’s mindsets.”

“And those mind sets are not acceptable nowadays!”

“Does that mean that nopony should be aware of them? That we should censor history, as other modern productions have done? Water down the original just so it is palatable to a modern audience? So that ponies never have to think for themselves?” His eye flashed dangerously and his wings spread.

Fragrant narrowed her eyes her own wings rising to meet his challenge. “Are you saying that this whole thing some sort of protest against censorship? That you planned this!”

“I make no such claims, but others may think whatever they want. I only agreed to produce an authentic historic experience. It is after all what you paid for.”

“This isn’t what I wanted!” exclaimed Fragrant, “I wanted to show Equestria part of Cloudsdale’s history! Our culture! I didn’t want to insult or upset anypony.” She certainly hadn’t wanted to offend Max, it was supposed to be something to bring them closer together, not push him away.

“You didn’t protest until now, did you?”

Which brought back the question of why Saltpeter hadn’t warned her earlier, something which she would be having words with him about. “Regardless, this can go no further, I am cancelling this performance!”

Ancient’s eyes widened. “You can’t do this!” he exclaimed shooting to his hooves and looming over the table. “Not after all the work I’ve put into this and the other operas!”

“I can,” said Fragrant calmly meeting his gaze, “as you said this production was paid for by my money and I can withdraw my support at any time. A few words with the theatre’s board and you will have nowhere to perform, as it is it doesn’t look like you would have an audience anyway.”

Ancient fumed silently for a moment. “Very well,” he said somewhat sulkily as he broke eye contact, “I can’t stop you.”

“No, you can’t,” she agreed, “and you’re going to come with me to face what is no doubt a horde of press outside, and apologize for what you have done.”

“You can’t!” he exclaimed without much conviction his wings starting to fold in around him.

“I very much can, I can make sure that you never work in anything larger than a school play. Do. Not. Test. Me.”

It seemed for a moment that Ancient might argue but eventually he nodded, his face looking like he had been sucking lemons. “Fine,” he eventually announced.

Fragrant nodded turning towards the door so that the stallion didn’t see her sigh. That was the first hurdle navigated, now she had to face the press, she thought with a shudder.

The entrance to the theatre was packed with ponies all loudly giving reviews of the show. The crowd was enough to cause Fragrant to shy away for a moment but she quickly steadied herself, taking a deep breath and concentrating on the comforting feel of her dress against her coat. She glanced over toward Ancient who was standing a little behind her, he likewise seemed a little intimidated, although he still held his head high.

Well she certainly wasn’t going to be upstaged by him. Fragrant stepped forwards towards the crowd, much of it had already noticed and had turned to face her. “Ponies!” she called just loud enough to break through the hubbub, she unfortunately had a lot of experience dealing with mobs like this, too much of it in the court chamber. “I have a statement to make,” she began. Her words instantly led to all of crowd wanting to talk to her at once. She held up a hoof for silence again. “I have a statement to make,” she repeated. This time the other voices died down. “I wish to apologize for any insult you may have suffered in tonight's performance. I was not aware how,” her eyes leapt to Ancient again, “how extreme the presentation was to be. The shows run will be cancelled and all tickets refunded.” That would not be cheap, on the back of the cost of her misguided plans to counter Corona’s influence on Equestria’s weather this would be a bad year for her finances.

A tan unicorn with a notebook floating in his aura raised a hoof. Internally Fragrant swore, it looked like the press were here already. “Duchess,” he cried, “can you confirm if you approve of the presentation of the other tribes in this show?”

“No I do not, I was unaware of the details of the performance until just now and was as distressed by it as any other Equestrian.”

“Are you saying that you were not aware of the shows content, despite sponsoring it?” asked another journalist. Fragrant looked around the crowd she was a little surprised that Lilac wasn’t here, she guessed the filly’s interview would be rather more sellable than it has been a few hours ago after this debacle.

“I am a very busy pony and I support many artists. I am afraid I do not always have time to supervise them all.” She hoped that didn’t sound to pompous. She should have found out about this in advance, Saltpeter should have told her. “In this case details of the performance did not reach my ears.”

“But you did choose to support Ta Chrysá Papoútsia knowing the tribalist content?”

“The play is very old, it was written in a completely different time. Modern performances try to minimise the offence given.”

“Do you think it’s right for foals to have to see things like this?” came another cry.

“Will you be stepping down at court?” called a pink pegasus from the back.

“Are you a member of The Daughters of the Hurricane?” came a third voice.

This was starting to get out of hoof, thought Fragrant, she certainly didn’t have anything to do with any pegasus supremacy organisations. “Quiet, quiet!” she called trying to regain control of the situation. “As I said I regret this situation and all tickets will be refunded. The director of the performance, Ancient Skies will now apologize for his, overzealous, interpretation of the subject matter.” She glared at the stallion hoping he wasn’t going to make a scene.

“Thank you, Duchess Posey,” said Ancient through gritted teeth. “I apologize for any offence my work may have caused. Anypony who had put in the effort to understand the history and context of the opera would have been able to prepare themselves for it. It must be understood that the mores of the time it was written in were of course much different from today, it was a different and in some way purer time.”

The crowd once again broke into angry mumbles. Trying to stop herself from stamping Fragrant moved forwards to stop Ancient making the situation any worse, but she was too late.

“Lady Philhamonica,” called Ancient gesturing at the court musician who stood somewhat apart from the rest of the crowd. “At least you must understand the purity of my vision? You have also managed to recreate a previously lost piece of music.” The grey mare shuffled a little as all eyes turned to her before straightening.

“I have to admit that what you have done is impressive,” she said after a moment, “I have also done some research on the subject and cannot fault your troupe’s performance for veracity.”

“See, the court musician herself supports my work-”“However,” continued Octavia cutting off Ancient, “I am appalled that you did not warn the audience of what you were intending, such shock tactics. When I performed the Symphony for Moon and Sun I attempted to overcome the previous offensive misinterpretations. You appear to have tried to do the opposite. To me this suggests that you are only thinking of your own notoriety! When performing it is important to think of your audience's sensibilities as well as your own. As a musician I recognise your talent, but as an Earth Pony I am insulted by your lurid display.”

Ancient bristled at the criticism. “How dare you! It is not my fault if the audience were not prepared for what they saw. All that I have done is for my craft! To ensure the beauty of ancient works are brought forwards into the present. I did tell the audience exactly what the production was going to be, if they don’t care to recognise what that would mean. Well I have no responsibility for others reactions to my work. I would have expected more from the court musician, maybe some of the rumours about how you got your position are true!” He snorted.

“Really?” said Octavia icily. She lowered her gaze and cocked her head slightly. “It appears that you have not entirely stuck to the tradition you rate so highly. From what I have heard in Pegalopian culture the role of playwright was only open to geldings. From what I can see you are not so qualified, although I would be more than willing to help you with that if you continue to insult me and the rest of these ponies.” With a last glare she turned and stormed from the theatre followed by a number of other equally angry ponies.

“Yeah!” cried a young unicorn mare from Octavia’s entourage, before rearing up on her hind legs and smashing her hooves together in a crushing motion.

Before anything worse could happen Fragrant quickly indicated to the theatre staff to disperse the crowd and dragged the still speechless Ancient away from them. She still had the true source of her troubles to deal with.

“Duchess, I wasn’t expecting you so late,” exclaimed Saltpeter as he opened the door.

Fragrant glared back at the source of this evening's humiliation, as soon as she had finished arranging things with Ancient and the theatre manager she had returned to her office to start working on damage control trying to put her side of the story out to her colleagues before they read about things in tomorrow's newspapers. She had considered sending somepony to get her assistant so she could give him a proper dressing down but after consideration she decided things had gone further than that, Saltpeter’s incompetence was something she could no longer tolerate. Heads needed to roll. “May I come in?” she asked icily.

“Oh, um, of course,” said Saltpeter her brow furrowing as he stepped aside. Fragrant strode forwards into the house. It was of a decent size and placed in one of the cities nicer sections on the fourth ring. Most of Saltpeter’s neighbours were probably highly ranked civil servants and maybe the odd lesser celebrity or nobles. Max’s house wasn’t actually that far away from here, mused Fragrant, maybe she should visit to make she he was alright. She shook her head, she needed to keep her mind on the current business. The inside of the building was fairly sparsely furnished with only a few bookshelves and cloud furniture to fill the space. A pair of colts heads were sticking up over the back of a chair watching her with interest. “Um, Quicksilver is out with some friends at the moment, so me and the colts are having a guy’s night in. If you’d like something to drink I’m sure I could-”

“I think we need to talk in private,” she said cutting off her assistant. She dragged her gaze from the foals, their presence would not make things easier.

“Right, um, Coal look after your brother for a bit,” ordered Saltpeter, “I need to talk with the duchess.” The older of the two colts looked like he was going to argue for a moment then nodded before pulling the smaller child down into the chair. “We can talk in my office,” he offered gesturing towards a nearby door. She nodded and followed the servant into a small room with walls covered by various weather maps. “Now what can I-” began Saltpeter.

“I was humiliated today! Humiliated!” growled Fragrant not letting him finish.

“What, what happened?” asked Saltpeter glancing around nervously.

“The opera, the one I asked you to keep an eye on, turned out to be borderline tribalist! The audience almost rioted! My guest was upset, very upset! The whole thing made me look - made me look,” she tried to keep a grip on her anger, “It has ruined my reputation, and it. Is. All. Your. Fault!” She punctuated each word with a stamp.

Saltpeter stepped back almost colliding with the desk. “What! I didn’t, I didn’t see, I didn’t think,” he stuttered.

“What? Did you watch a different play at the rehearsals? Did you not see a problem with earth ponies being portrayed as dirty savages and unicorns as greedy treacherous cowards!”

“No, no, of course not, it’s just,” he seemed to collapse into himself for a moment, “I didn’t see the rehearsal, not all of it, not much really.”

“You didn’t see it!” exclaimed Fragrant.

“No, I didn’t. I don’t know much about operas, I was busy trying to catch up with other work. I just didn’t have the time. I gave the production a once over and thought it would be fine.”

“You were negligent in your duties,” accused Fragrant.

“No! It’s just there’s so much to do and it’s so different to what I’m used to. I’m sure things can be sorted out somehow, I’ll do everything I can!” Saltpeter held out his hooves.

“No,” Fragrant shook her head, “there is nothing that you can do to fix this. I need to let you go.”

Saltpeter’s eyes widened in shock. “You can’t! I need this job, I’ve just bought this place, moved to Canterlot. The kids!”

“I am sorry,” said Fragrant her tone softening slightly, Saltpeter might be incompetent but his family didn’t need to suffer for this. Still she couldn’t let him stay on in her service after this, she need to make it clear to the press that the one responsible for the opera going ahead had been punished. “I will pay you what you are due, but after this debacle any references will not be good.”

“No please! Can’t I go back to the regional office? I’m good at weather work, really good. But the only way up was to your personal office and things are so different there. I know weather, not opera! Not politics! Give me another chance I’m sure I can do better!” Saltpeter had almost fallen to his knees as he pleaded to her.

“No,” she had to remain strong on this, “if you did not think you could do the job you should not have applied for the position, and you have already had several months to get used to your role. You are fired!”

For a moment a look of rage flashed over Saltpeters face and Fragrant was scared that he might strike her, but then it all seemed to drain out of him and he slumped back onto the desk. Tears started to gather in his eyes before he wiped them away. “I, I understand Duchess, I’m, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“Yes, well,” Fragrant didn’t feel as satisfied as she thought she would have. “I wish things could have gone differently, but you have left me no choice.”

“Yes. Could you, could you not tell my foals? I need time to sort out how to break the news to them.”

Fragrant nodded, she could allow that mercy at least. “Of course. I should be going.” She still had a lot to do before she could return to her home.

Saltpeter shambled towards the door and took a deep breath before putting a fake smile on his face and opening it. Two curious heads stuck up above the chair. Fragrant hoped that they had not been listening at the door. “It’s been good talking to you Duchess,” said Saltpeter his voice barely level.

“Of course. I have to go now,” she said holding out a hoof which her ex-assistant shook weakly. She nodded briefly to the foals and made her way out of the house. Once it had been closed she slumped against the door, feeling the last of her anger slip away from her. This whole thing was such a mess. Why couldn’t she have just have had a nice night out with Max? Why did things have to end up so wrong? She sighed, she just hoped she’d made the right decision about the situation.

35) Month 3 - The Duke Abides (part 1)

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Carefully poking his head up from behind the bench Max quickly scanned his target. The front of the house was still packed with sentinels, at least a dozen as far as he could tell from this angle. It was a few less than the last time he’d done this but still enough that he’d easily be spotted if he went in that way. It looked like he’d have to try the side again. Good, he thought with a grin, that was more fun anyway.

Abandoning his cover Max quickly scurried down the small path separating his target from the next nearest building. He was almost to the part of the wall that he knew from experience had several bricks missing allowing for easy climbing when he caught sight of the shadow of a winged figure starting to round the building from the back. Thinking quickly Max leapt towards a nearby tree hoping to take cover. His heart raced as he carefully edged around the trunk trying to keep it between him and the pegasus. The flying pony halted for a moment and swooped down not far from the tree. Max to froze in place. Had he been caught? He’d find it hard to explain why he was here if he was challenged.

A drop of sweat started to make its way down his barrel as the pegasus got closer and closer. Just as it seemed there was no way he wouldn’t be seen there was a commotion from the front of the house. Quick as a shot, the pegasus rushed towards the noise, desperate to join his companions.

Max let out the breath he had been holding. He didn’t know what was going on over there but this was his chance to make a break for it. Looking back and forth for any other ponies who had not joined in whatever was happening at the front of the building Max crept towards the wall. It only took a few seconds for him to scale it. With the added height he could just about make out the pony that had almost spotted him, along with many others was gathered around somepony who had just exited the house. They were mobbing whoever it was mercilessly. For a moment Max wanted to go and help, but he had a mission to complete, he had to keep him mind on the job and hope whoever it would be was ok.

He hopped off the wall carefully bending his legs to land without hurting himself and just as importantly without making a sound. Now he was within the grounds themselves he had much more options when it came to hiding places, shrubs, trees, even the odd statue and a small shed containing gardening tools. Picking his route carefully Max hopped from cover to cover glancing around for any other ponies. It was unlikely the sentinels would be this close, they mostly congregated around the walls, but you never knew. During his first trip he’d found one perched on the mansion's roof. That had been a close one.

Seeing that everypony was still busy at the front of the house he checked the nearby wall. The thick layer of ivy meant that scaling it was easy for somepony of his talents. He was halfway through the open window in only a few seconds. Once there he felt the frame close around his haunches, and panicked for a second, he really didn’t want to get stuck here, he’d never hear the end of it. Luckily a few kicks pushed his whole form through the window, still he hadn’t had that problem before, maybe he should leave off desserts for a few days.

Cautiously he picked himself up and turned his head from left to right, keeping an eye out for any guards. Inside the building he was technically safer but to be honest he had come to quite enjoy the game of sneaking into the building. Seeing nopony around he moved forwards on tiphoof gently pushing open the door. There was his target hunched over a desk a quill clutched in her mouth, making quick notes on a scroll in front of her. She gave no sign of having noticed him yet.

With a grin Max carefully made his way over towards the hunched form careful to keep to her back, his hooves making no sound in the thick carpet. He halted for a moment just a few hoofsteps from her unprotected flanks positioning himself for a final pounce. The he leapt. At the last moment she must have seen the movement in her peripheral vision but by them it was too late. She opened her mouth to gasp letting the quill fall to the ground which left her in a perfect position for him to press his lips to hers. Holding her tightly he pressed his body against hers. He could feel her heart thumping a mile a minute, he liked to think that that wasn’t entirely due to the surprise alone. After a moment the shock wore off and the mare’s tongue curled around his own in greeting. It was several long moments before they separated again.

“Max!” gasped Fragrant, “I wasn’t expecting you yet!”

“My committee meeting ended a bit early,” he said. “So I thought I’d spend some time with my favourite mare.”

“Nopony saw you?” she asked sounding nervous.

“Nope,” he said proudly, “I was like a Shadowbolt!” Pulling up a chair he sat down next to the duchess. “It’s been weeks now, they still haven't gone away out there.”

She signed. “No, the ponyratzzi are known for their patience. Unless there’s something juicier for them to latch onto, a celebrity wedding,” she scowled, “or even better a divorce, they’ll continue to hound me.”

“Shouldn’t they be following the budget preparations rather than you?” asked Max.

Fragrant smiled weakly. “The more prestigious papers might, but there’s nothing like a nice simple scandal to bring out the press. By avoiding them for so long I think I’ve riled them up.”

“Isn’t there something you can do? Complain in some way? Create a privacy bill?”

“They are staying within the law, if barely and as offensive as they can be the press do have their role in our society.” She nodded sadly before raising her head again. “So how did Fancy Pants’ birthday party go last night?”

“Pretty good, I think. He hoped you’d recover from your, um, feather flu soon.” Since the opera Fragrant had become almost a recluse in order to avoid the press, he thought she was taking things a bit too far but she refused to give any personal interviews on the subject, only providing press releases via her office. She attended the more important council meetings of course, but the official excuse for her lack of social appearances was that she was recovering from a bout of the flu. “Everypony who was anypony turned up, the princess herself stopped by for a bit. Duke Greengrass made a bit of a scene,” Max grimaced. “He gate-crashed, tried to talk to the princess and some of the other high ups about something I think. The Night Guard threw him out pretty quick. He’s lucky he didn’t end up in jail.”

“He seems to be doing anything he can to get attention recently. He was just here actually, wanted to talk to me, something crazy about a solar cult in the city. I said if he had any real evidence he should take it to the Shadowbolts or the police. He insisted he needed my help. I think he’s just trying some stunt to get back into the princesses’ good graces and thought I might be desperate enough to help him. I really hope he isn’t crazy enough to try and fake something. Although it might be for the best if he did and was stripped of his title. I don’t know who would replace him if he was, probably his father, Greenmeadow, in the short term. He was a much better courtier.”

Max nodded. He wasn’t the Duke’s biggest fan himself, he’d been tricked by Greengrass earlier in the year, and he’d met Greenmeadow, he had seemed a nice enough stallion, if a little grumpy.

“So,” said Fragrant as she turned back towards the desk and the papers on it, “how are you doing making your submissions for this year's budget?”

Max tried to hold the grimace from his face. “Well I’ve gotten started...” he admitted. It was the time of year when the yearly Equestrian budget was due to be submitted to the princess by the finance ministry. Each noble and committee had to submit a breakdown of what they thought their needs would be for the coming year. The finance ministry then decided how to split the year's funds between them all and finally the princess rubber stamped the plan. It meant that at this time of year Vicerence Puscience, the finance minister normally became not only very very popular but also very busy. She was an extreme stickler for punctuality and even worse it was rumoured that the Princess herself would go through the proposal with a fine-toothed comb to locate any corruption in the court this year. To make things even worse he was still trying to sort out the tax situation in Nulpar so the amount of money his people would be contributing to the government was still up in the air. “I finally managed to organise those meetings with the Apple Trust and Fisher Agriculture. I still need to run a few things past the ponies back at home but I think we might have reached a compromise about things.”

Fragrant nodded. “Good, I think you should talk to Baroness Fields about that, she is a member of the northern farming committee and she has a good relationship with the Trust. This time of year you might want to feel out how the grant situation is going to be next year. How are your committee proposals going?”

“I’m, well, I’m a bit behind at the moment. There seems to be so much to do, me and Mrs G have been up to all hours trying to get everything filed away.”

“You need to keep on top of that,” said Fragrant strictly. “I might be able to lend you a few members of my staff if you really need them but most of my ponies are spread thinly as it is. The situation with Saltpeter couldn’t have happened at a worst time.” She sighed again her head drooping. Max rested an arm across her back in support. “Thank you, Max,” she said nuzzling against him for a moment.

“No problem, look if you want me to help out at all, I’m sure I could-”

“No Max, I am fully capable of running my ministry without a personal assistant, even from here. It’s important that you build up a reputation as a pony capable of dealing with your committee work on time. You don’t want to find yourself cut from the budget, the Vicereine is known to be rather vindictive to those who make her job harder. I know it’s a lot of paperwork but it’ll be worth it.”

Max nodded. “Mellow asked me to pop by later, we can talk over the road building committee then.”

“Good,” said Fragrant with a smile, “networking with the other courtiers is a very good skill to have. You’ll be able to resubmit your road subsidy bill again next month and it will certainly help to have as much support as possible. If you can make Puissance job easier that will be a good start to getting her on side.”

Max tried to look happy at that. To be honest he hadn’t expected quite the amount of paperwork needed to submit a budget proposal, every single thing needed to be confirmed again and again. He sometimes thought that the cost of all the forms must be more than that for schools, or the military, not to mention the quills and ink! “Let’s not worry about that right now, I’m sure you’ve been working all evening. It’s almost midnight, I’m sure you could do with a break and something to eat.”

Fragrant arched her back with an audible pop. “You’re right, I think I’m due a short rest. I’ll ask my chef to send me up some sandwiches or something.”

Max would have preferred if they could have gone out somewhere to eat, but still it was nice to be able to spend some time with Fragrant.

Max quickly trotted down one of the numberless corridors that made up the inside of Canterlot Castle on his way to Buttercup’s office. He could remember when the whole castle seemed like nothing more than a maze but after only a few months he’d learnt to navigate it, well most of the time anyway, he never did manage to find the spa Greengrass had once told him about.

As he approached he quickened his pace, he hoped the meeting wouldn’t take long, not that he didn’t think his ex-lover would help him despite her rather icy attitude to him since her father’s death. No, he just wanted to get back to his own rooms as quickly as possible, he’d left Mrs G with a huge pile of paperwork to work through and he didn’t want her to over exert herself. The budget work was hard going for the old goat, she’d been snappy all week. Hopefully he would be able to lighten her load and let her get away early today she deserved a rest after all the work she’d put in so far.

Turning a corner Max came to a halt at a cordoned off area. An out of order sign was affixed to the door of a nearby toilet and a janitor pony was listlessly mopping away a large puddle of what Max hoped was water. Nodding to the servant Max carefully stepped around the area. There had been a number of minor problems with the castle’s plumbing over the last few weeks. He’d heard the issue was being looked into, the castles pipes were getting on a bit. The new budget was likely to include a sum to refit the castle, there was even talk from the more technocratic courtiers that it should have cables laid for a set of those new electrical lights while the workers were at it. To Max that didn’t seem all that important, given most of the castle’s lighting was magical. Still, it was amazing that committees which might argue for years before spending a few bits elsewhere in Equestria would reach a speedy conclusion when the money was needed for their own comfort.

Shaking his head at the thought Max made his way down the corridor until he came to the door of the small office which housed Baroness Buttercup Fields. Its wasn’t the most prestigious of billets but it was far from the worst, the main council chamber wasn’t that far away. It was certainly better than his first set of rooms, although Buttercup had inherited them from her father. Max raised a hoof and knocked on the door.

He paused, there was no reply, he tried again even waiting a few minutes but there was still no response. Frowning he tried for a third time again, he supposed she might be out. He probably should have checked with her assistant first. He furrowed his brow, he actually didn’t think he’d met her assistant yet, even if Buttercup was out someone should be ponying the office. He tried the door, it wasn’t locked. He paused for a moment, he really shouldn’t enter without permission but what if something was wrong? Slowly pushing the door open he revealed the small outer office, much of its space taken up with bookshelves and filing cabinets. At the far end stood a small desk mostly clear but for a few pictures. Max’s gaze scanned across the room and then widened in shock. Buttercup’s insensate body was sprawled over the floor!

Quick as a flash Max threw open the door and rushed over to the mare’s body. After a moment's panic he noticed the regular rise and fall of her chest, a quick examination failed to reveal any injury, certainly no blood was visible. It was almost like she was asleep, but in the middle of the floor?

He rested a hoof on her flank and shook her gently. “Buttercup, Buttercup,” he said calling her name quietly. After a few worrying moments she started to stir, her big green eyes opened and blinked sleepily.

“Max?” she mumbled. “What are...? Where...?”

“Are you alright?” he asked moving back to give her room to stand. He reached out a leg to help her and after a few tries she managed to get her legs under her and got unsteadily to her hooves.

“I think so... I...” she swayed a little, “dizzy...” she mumbled. Max quickly grabbed a chair from behind the desk and she gratefully sunk into it.

“What happened?”

“I don’t...” she squeezed her eyes closed for a moment and shook her head. “I’m not sure, I’d just finished a meeting with Duke Greengrass and I was just about to go to one of my committees. I got up, I felt a little lightheaded and tired... the next thing I remember you were here. What time is it?”

“About two I think,” said Max, he couldn’t see a clock around but he’d left Fragrant’s mansion at about one, given how long it normally took to get from there to the castle that sounded about right.

Buttercup’s eyes widen and she leapt to her hooves, stumbling and almost falling again. “I’ve been out for over an hour! I’ve missed the start of the committee meeting!” Max reached out a hoof and grabbed her. “Let go!” she cried.

“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Max, “you passed out, or fainted, or something. You can’t just run off, you should have a doctor check you out.”

“I’m fine Max!” said Buttercup shaking off his grasp. “I was just a bit tired and hungry, its budget season, I’ve been busy.”

“Hungry? When was the last time you had something to eat?” he asked.

“I didn’t have time for breakfast,” she admitted, “and I might have missed supper last night... and dinner...” Max examined her a little closer, there were dark rings beneath her eyes, she looked exhausted. Her normally lustrous mane hung limp and dull on her head and he could see her ribs through her coat!

“That’s it then, it’s too late for you to get to your meeting now. You can just send your apologies. You should have a doctor check you out, and get something to eat.”

“I don’t need to see a doctor!” exclaimed Buttercup with some venom. “I’m perfectly fine. I can handle things by myself. I don’t need your help.”

“This might be something to do with, well, with your father’s medicine,” said Max. Buttercup had helped her father by transferring some of her own life energy to him, it had been months since he had passed, but what if there was some sort of long term effect?

“It is nothing to do with that!” she snapped then seemed to calm a little. “I got checked out over the summer, there were no lasting effects of the spell. I’m just, yes, I’m just a little hungry,” she admitted cradling her abdomen with a hoof for a moment.

Max ran a critical eye over her for a moment. “Well if you’re sure,” she nodded. “Then at least let me take you to the canteen. I want to talk to you about one of your committees. We can talk while you eat.”

For a moment it looked like Buttercup might argue, but after a moment her head drooped a little. “I guess you’re right.”

“Good,” said Max leaning forwards a little. “I’d hate for you to hurt yourself,” he said gently causing Buttercup to flush for a moment. “Come on,” he took her by the hoof, “the banqueting hall isn’t that far, I think I saw that they had hayburgers when I last headed through.”

It turned out that there weren't any hayburgers left, apparently there was something wrong with the ovens at the moment but there were plenty of other options available. Given he’d only just eaten Max decided to just have a cup of tea while Buttercup had a coffee and a salad piled high with pickles.

“I can’t believe you can eat those things,” said Max screwing up his muzzle as Buttercup devoured another of the foul-smelling vegetables.

“I got a taste for them as a foal but then I sort of got sick of them,” she admitted putting down the last of the treats. “But recently I just can’t seem to get enough.” She gobbled down the last pickle and leant back with a contented smile. “I needed that.”

Max looked her up and down. She still seemed as worn out as when he’d found her on the floor of her office but at least she seemed a little healthier now she’d gotten something to eat. “I still think you should see a doctor.”

“No!” she exclaimed. “No,” she repeated more gently, “I just overdid it a bit, its budget time that’s always stressful. It’ll be over soon, then I’ll be able to relax a little.”

“Can’t you delegate a bit more? Hire some more staff maybe?” He should probably follow his own advice, but he didn’t know how to broach the subject with Mrs G.

“I really should get back to work now,” said Buttercup hurriedly getting to her hooves. “I’ve got a meeting with a business pony from my province soon.”

“Can’t your assistant deal with that?” asked Max.

“Look, I, I” Buttercup sighed, “I don’t have an assistant, it’s just me.”

“What? You’re running your whole provinces business by yourself?”

“And doing a good job of it!” she said defensively. “My father didn’t need anypony when he did it, it was just him and me! I’ve been doing this for a long time now Max, I can handle it.” She scowled. “Houyhnhnm’s even smaller than Nulpar, although with a bigger population.”

Max blinked, he couldn’t imagine anypony managing a whole province by themselves. Nulpar alone was stretching him and Mrs G to their limits. “But when your father was in charge of your province, he had you to help him. You’ve got nopony.”

“I. Can. Handle. It!” she hissed glaring at him. “Houyhnhnm is my family's province, I will deal with it, I don’t need your help!”

Max swallowed painfully, he didn’t know Buttercup could act this way. “Ok, I’m sorry. I’m just, I’m worried about you, I don’t want you to push yourself too hard. If you get sick it’s no good for anypony.” He reached out a hoof and rested it on her own. She pulled her leg away as if it has been bitten then her body slumped a little.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “I know you want the best for me,” she slowly lowered his hoof again. “I’ll, I’ll try to relax a little, maybe get some help around the office. Once the budget’s over.”

Max looked at her a little dubiously then nodded. “Promise me you’ll take at least one day off after the budget.”

“Max, I am not some school filly! I can look after myself!” Max held her gaze. “Ok, fine! I’ll take some time off.”

Max nodded. ”Just look after yourself. Things may not have worked out between us but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”

She stared at him for a moment then let her head droop a little. “Ok, Max. I appreciate that.” She reached out and took another sip of her coffee. “Now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Hum?” asked Max.

“Why you came to my office in the first place? You didn’t have an appointment.”

“Oh, right, I’ve had some dealing with the Apple Trust recently, about setting up an orchard in Nulpar. Fragrant said you might have some advice for me.”

“I’ve had some experience with them in the past, they do a fair bit of work in my province,” she paused for a moment seeming to think. “The trust isn’t a monolithic block, there are different competing family groups, you can play them against each other sometimes. Who have you been dealing with so far?” she asked.

“Sorry I was away so long Mrs G,” said Max as he returned to his office. His assistant looked up from the paperwork in front of her and rearranged her glasses as she blinked at him. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and her mane disordered. The incident with Buttercup made him wonder if the old goat might be working too hard, he wouldn’t want her to collapse as well. “I brought you something from the canteen.” He carefully lifted the plate of donuts he’d picked up as a peace offering.

Mrs G looked at the plate suspiciously for a moment before a smile spread across her face. “Thank you dearie,” she said taking a bite out of the first of the treats. “I hope you didn’t waste all your time with your lady friend, we’ve still got a lot of work to do for this budget thing.”

Max flushed a little. “I didn’t spend all my time with Fragrant,” he protested, “she suggested that I talk to Buttercup about dealing with the Trust.”

“How did that go?”

“Um,” began Max he wasn’t sure how much he should say about Buttercups situation. He trusted her, but Mrs G could be a bit of a gossip sometimes. “I think she might have overdone it a bit, she’s running her whole office by herself.”

“Well if she’s managing that all the better for her,” said Mrs G after a moment's consideration. “Still we have more than enough work for the two us.”

Taking the hint Max nodded to his assistant and quickly trotted up the stairs that led to his part of the office. Large piles of paper surrounded the rather cluttered desk. He still had to complete the final contract for the Apples, Buttercup had suggested he discuss the decision with a few more senior members of the Trust she knew but that would delay the whole thing even longer. Still there wasn’t much that could be done to set up their new farm until spring anyway. However, even with that part of his role parked for the moment he still had an awful lot of work to do. Sighing he slumped into his chair and took the first form in his mouth, placed it on the centre of the desk, and started to read.

Groaning slightly Max twisted his neck to try and work out the crick in it. It felt like he’d been sitting at his desk for days now. He glanced up at the small windows around the top of the office he could see the faint predawn light starting to filter through them. It was about time to call it a night. He glanced around at the still towering piles of papers around him, or maybe not. He’d gotten a lot done but nowhere near enough, it looked like it was going to be another late morning. He’d likely end up spending another day in the small bedroom at the top of his tower rather than going home to his town house. His ears pricked up as he heard the sound of hooves and scrape of metal on stone from below, Mrs G must be getting something from the files. He knew she was pulling just as many late nights as he was, maybe even more, he was sure she was sleeping in her office sometimes. Not tonight though, he was going to put his hoof down and make sure she got home at a reasonable time... if she’d agreed to it at least.

Max hopped down of his chair and arched his back feeling his vertebra pop. He could really do with a trot or something before he got down to a mornings work. But first things first he had to persuade Mrs G to go home. Stretching again he opened the door and started to make his way down the stairs.

As expected there was Mrs G leant awkwardly over a filing cabinet carefully placing sheet after sheet of paper into their correct locations. A wide yawn caused her to drop a sheet and she swore in goat as she leant down to the floor to pick it up again. “Let me help you with that,” offered Max as he galloped down the stairs.

“I can do it,” she insisted as she carefully filed away the report. “I’ve finished that agricultural report Baroness Dawn Chorus wanted. What’s next?” she asked blinking at him through her glasses.

“I’ve made good time, I think we’re just about done for the day,” said Max.

“You’ve finished everything you had to do? Both stacks?” said Mrs G dubiously.

“It was easy when I put my mind to it,” said Max feeling his brow start to sweat as he tried to match the old goats unnerving gaze.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course,” she swallowed painfully, “Just a few things to tidy up now. You can call it a day if you want.”

“I can stay if there’s anything else that’s needed,” she said not looking convinced.

“No, no everything’s fine. You got that letter from Brian this morning,” Well probably from his wife Caoimhe, or his brother Conn. Mrs G’s eldest son had never been all that good at writing. “You should write a reply, you know how the postal service is.” He smiled hopefully.

Mrs G narrowed her eyes for a moment and Max found a wide grimace stuck to his face as he tried to look convincing. “I suppose you’re right,” she eventually said, “don’t stay too late, I’ll see you this evening.”

As soon as she’d turned her back Max let out a deep breath. He didn’t like lying to Mrs G but she deserved a night or two off given how hard she worked for him. Her first grandkid was due before the end of the year. She hadn’t mentioned it but Max knew she’d want to visit her family soon after the birth if not be there for the event itself. He’d have to make sure he could manage on his own before then, or get more help. Once Mrs G had made her way back down to her office Max stretched again, he really didn’t feel like getting back to work right now if he was going to spend all morning at work he at least needed to stretch his legs a bit first. He needed to check up with Mellow, maybe his friend hadn’t left yet? His office wasn’t all that far away but it would at least get him a little exercise.

Max paused outside of Baron Mellow Dramatic’s office, hoof raised ready to knock. The rest of the castle seemed to be clearing out quickly, as the majority of the court went home for the day, his friend might have already gone home. Still give how close budget time was Max was probably far for the only pony working into the day. The odds that Mellow was still in was fairly good, even if he caught him just as he was leaving then at least they could arrange to meet at another time. Plan made Max smacked his hoof against the wood of the door. To his surprise the door opened almost instantly and he was dragged into the office.

“Max!” cried Mellow, “I’m so glad to see you!” The other stallion leaned forwards and gave him a hug.

“Oh, um, likewise,” said Max feeling rather disoriented, he hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic greeting.

“Oh, I’ve just got to tell you. It’s the greatest thing ever! I’ve been waiting all day to tell somepony, if I don’t I’ll just explode!” Off to one side Max noticed Mellow’s assistant rolling her eyes as she cleared her desk for the day. He had to agree that Mellow was a nice enough stallion but he did tend to get overexcited about things.

“Look I need to talk to you about the committee’s budget-” began Max.

“Of course,” said Mellow waving a dismissive hoof. “Later I’ve just got to tell you about this now. It’s supposed to be a surprise but I’m just bursting to tell somepony. Why I almost let it slip to Duke Greengrass when he came by earlier, and you know what a disaster that could be! Nopony trusts him anymore, not since the gala!” Max found himself once again dragged across the office and into Mellow’s personal rooms. The excited pegasus shut the door behind them produced a key and unlocked a nearby cupboard. Then he carefully brought out a small box velvet covered box holding it reverently out to Max. “It took so long to get done, but you can’t rush perfection and this really is perfect. He carefully opened the box revealing something which glinted with silvery light.

Frowning Max leant forwards to examine its contents. It appeared to be two items of jewellery, one a bracelet and the other a smaller ring. Both were formed of silver inlaid with small rubies and diamonds. Carved into the metal were symbols, Max instantly recognised the twin masks that were Mellow’s cutie mark, but it took him a little longer to recognise where he’d seen the mirror symbol before. “Are those...?” he began.

“Yes,” exclaimed Mellow almost vibrating with excitement, “Engagement tokens! I’m going to ask my Conny to marry me!”

Max couldn’t help but let a wide grin spread across his face. He hadn’t seen all that much of the couple but he had to admit it was clear that Mellow and Confidant were head over heels in love with each other. “Congratulations!” Although maybe they might be taking things a little too fast, from what he knew the two had only been a couple for a few months now. Still not everypony had to take things as slowly as he and Fragrant. The thought made his tail writhe a little.

“Thank you! I know some might say it’s too quick,” said Mellow slowly running a hoof around the band, but I just know we should spend the rest of our lives together! I just had to have Glory Glitter make these for us, it took a while and cost a lot but she’s worth it.”

“Well I’m very happy for you Mellow, for both of you.”

“Thank you, Max.,”

“When are you going to pop the question?” he asked.

“Well, um, I, well I don’t really know,” said Mellow suddenly looking rather nervous. “I want things to be perfect, just perfect. I don’t know, should I plan something, a special event or something? Or just wait for the right moment to come along?”

“I’m not really an expert on this sort of thing,” admitted Max. He had once or twice considered proposing to Zephyr but things had kept getting in the way. “I guess you’ve got some time to sort things out. Although given her powers of divination she might already know what you’re going to do,” he joked.

“Maybe,” muttered Mellow looking a little nonplussed.

“Anyway,” said Max hurriedly, he didn’t want to make Mellow overthink things or they could be here for hours. “I’m sure you’ll work it out. Now the reason I popped by was to talk to you about our committee’s budget, I thought we could get things done quicker if the two of us talked things over before the next meeting...”

Max yawned as he opened the door to him tower. He didn’t feel all that refreshed by his chat with Mellow, but at least he could tick a few things off him to do list. Trotting up the stairs to his office he stared listlessly at the large pile of paperwork left there he could have sworn it had grown while he was away. He slumped back into his chair, the quicker he started, the quicker he would be finished. There was an envelope with his name on it sitting in front of him, he frowned he was sure that hadn’t been there earlier, had Mrs G left him something? He used his hoof to tear it open, inside was a short note with the words ‘Equestria is in danger, come quickly’ on it. There was also an address and map of the city with a winding route picked out on it. There wasn’t any sign of whom the letter could have come from.

Leaning back in her seat Max puzzled over the note. Could it be some sort of joke? Maybe even a trap? But he couldn’t think of anyone in the city who would wish him serious harm. He wracked his brain for a moment, the address wasn’t familiar, a few tiers down not that far from one of the train stations. He thought the area mostly contained warehouses. It wouldn’t take him all that long to get down there. He looked back at the papers towering over him as if threatening to smother him, really he should get back to work, the note was probably just a waste of his time. He glanced back at the envelope and its contents, still it did say that Equestria was in danger, surely as a baron it was his duty to ensure the nation's safety...

Max cautiously approached the meeting place, it did indeed prove to be a warehouse. The route he had been given had been complicated, frequently twisting back on itself, whoever had sent him here hadn’t wanted him to be followed. Maybe it was just his imagination by Max had wondered if a few of the citizens he had passed on the way were following him. Still there didn’t seem to be anypony around right now. It was the crossover hour when any sensible pony would be at home. Canterlot never truly slept, it kept the hours of both the night court and the normal ponies of Equestria, but there was a short time in morning and evening when it was too early for most ponied on one shift to be active and too late for the other.

“Hello?” called Max, a little nervously, as he trotted up to the door which hung off its hinges. The building seemed abandoned, there were dusty crates here and there and a few broken pallets leaning against the walls. It looked like nopony had been here for months if not longer. He was about to call his trip a waste of time and head back to the office, when he noticed that the sun shining through the grimy windows was not the only source of light in the room. There seemed to be a faint glow through the floor as well, it made out a roughly square area. A trap door? thought Max.

His heart pumping a little harder Max trotted over to the light and after a bit of effort managed to get his hoof into the gap between the door and the surrounding boards. With a grunt he forced the trap door open resulting in golden light spilling out into the warehouse. A mix of unexpected smells wafted past him, flowers and damp earth, heat was seeping up from the ground. Whatever could be down there? Trying to be as silent as he could Max made cautiously made his way down the revealed staircase and into the space below. It quickly opened out into a short corridor which came to an end with a door, slightly ajar.

Unsure what this place was but still driven by his curiosity Max carefully pushed the door open. He blinked as bright magical light burst forth. The room beyond looked like a garden. Rather than hard stone the floor was covered in a thick layer of dirt, growing all throughout the chamber were plants of all sorts placed in orderly lines and grouped into environments with paths between them, one or two Max recognised but most seemed strange and exotic to him. Regardless of their source they all seemed to be healthy and succulent. He couldn’t stop his mouth watering, it had been a while since dinner now.

In the middle of the room knelt a short red maned earth pony stallion whistling a little off key as he tended to one of the plants. “Duke Greengrass?” asked Max in surprise.

“Ah, you made it, I wondered if you’d gotten lost,” exclaimed the stallion as he stood up smoothly. “Come in! Welcome to my garden,” he gestured around the space, “not many ponies have seen this place.”

“How did you get all of this?” asked Max entering the chamber, he couldn’t tell where the light was coming from, presumably there was some magic involved.

“Oh, here and there, I’m rather a collector,” said Greengrass, “I like to come here now and again, I find it helps me relax. I don’t invite just anypony you know. It’s a sign of just how important this meeting is to me,” continued the duke wiping off his hooves.

As Greengrass approached Max noted that he looked even more dishevelled than he had at the party last night, in fact Max thought he might still be wearing the same clothes. His eyes had deep bags beneath them, had he been up since then? “Are you alright?” asked Max.

“A little tired maybe,” admitted Greengrass wiping the sweat from his face with a cloth before tossing it aside. “Look, Max, I need your help.” He almost tripped over his own words and seemed to be vibrating with nervous energy. His enthusiasm was enough to make Max take an involuntary step back towards the door. “You’re a heroic sort, right? What if I told you that you could help me stop one of Corona’s plans? Help save Equestria.” The Duke stepped forwards a wide smile on his face which didn’t even come near his eyes, they looked nervous, almost downright scared.

“Save Equestria? What are you talking about?” asked Max, this didn’t sound right.

“What if I told you that I’d discovered a Solartic cult in this very city?”

“What? How could you...?” stammered Max.

“Don’t worry about that,” said Greengrass throwing a leg over Max’s shoulders. “But if you help me I’m sure we can share the glory, it could be a quick route to the top for you. Thank of all the good you could do for your province with a bit more power, eh.”

He was hoping to get his road building bill through, it seemed a long hard process, surely something like this could help things? And if there were Solartics in the city he should do something about it right? Still, this didn’t seem right. “Why me? What can I do that a Duke can’t?” asked Max, he couldn’t think that access to the few committee’s he was part of would benefit Greengrass much.

“Well you might have noticed but I’m not that popular pony around this place anymore, after the gala, but you, well everypony likes good old Baron Mounty Max, he’s going places they all say. Plus you’re well connected, Duchess Posey was your mentor I’m sure you could put in a good word with her and everypony knows she has Vicereine Wallflower’s ear.” Greengrass drew his face into an even wider grin.

Max’s ears twitched at the mention of Posey. She’s said that Greengrass had tried to talk to her earlier, as had Buttercup and even Mellow. He must have tried to ask them the same thing and they hadn’t believed him. Now Greengrass had made his way down to him to try the same thing on. It had to be a trick, probably some way plan to humiliate him, like with the grant vote all those months ago. “What is it you want?” he asked his brow furrowing.

“Well you see Max,” said Greengrass patting his hoof on Max’s barrel, “My investigations have led me to believe that the cult might be headed by a member of the court itself.” Max flinched. “Hard to believe, I know, that a member of this august body would sink so low, but I’ve heard that Baroness Dawn Chorus is behind it all.”

Max’s brow furrowed, he’d only seen her a few times but she certainly didn’t seem like a cultist. The baroness was a rather unassuming pegasus from what he recalled, she’d been at court for even less time than him, having only joined at the beginning of this session. He thought she’d replaced somepony who stood down after the princesses’ ultimatum, Goldie somepony hadn’t it been? Why on earth would Greengrass be picking on her? This had to be another one of his games. “If you know this why not take it to the police, or the Shadowbolts even?” asked Max suspiciously.

“Well, I don’t have all that much in the way of evidence yet, plus well as you might imagine it’s hard to know who I can trust. That’s why I asked you to come here to talk,” he flung out a hoof to indicate the area around him. “but I’m sure if you help me out we can get things sorted out. Think of it,” Greengrass held a hoof out to the horizon, “Mounty Max, Hero of Equestria.”

It did sound nice, thought Max, then he shook his head. This just didn’t seem right, that there couldn’t be a cult here in Canterlot, much less one lead by a member of the court itself, it was just too farfetched. “No,” he said.

“What?” exclaimed Greengrass.

“I said no, I won’t help you, this is some sort of trick. Like getting me to vote against Fisher, like when you got me to keep your father out of your way for an afternoon. You probably think by accusing some other poor pony of treason you’ll look like a hero. I don’t think you can manage to do anything honestly!”

Greengrass removed his grip from Max as if he’d just been burnt giving Max a chance to start back towards the door. “No, look I’m telling the truth this time,” he called as Max reached the door. “There really is a cult, and I need to stop them.” Max looked back over his shoulder in time to see the Duke’s gaze drop to the ground. “It’s not just about me, Notary’s in trouble, it’s my fault. I really do need your help! Please believe me!” he begged.

For a moment Max felt himself being swayed by Greengrass’s oratory, he seemed so passionate, but then he shook his head. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies. Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you.”

Greengrass opened his mouth but then seemed to slump in defeat. “I guess you’re right,” he mumbled, “nopony will believe me. Sorry for wasting your time.” He turned back towards the lush plants surrounding him. Max felt a pang of regret as he made his way back to the warehouse about, maybe he could have been a bit nicer then, even to Greengrass. The stallion seemed almost broken, but he couldn’t risk being made a fool of again, and he still had a lot of things to do today.

36) Month 3 - The Duke Abides (part 2)

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Max glared down at the pile of papers on his desk, he was sure they had somehow bred during the day while he’d been asleep. It hadn’t been all that many hours since he’d dragged his tired body up to the bedroom at the top of the tower and finally fallen asleep. The bed up there was comfortable enough, although the room was a little drafty. Still it didn’t seem quite like home.

He stretched and glared at the papers again, they hadn’t gotten any less since he’d last looked at them. Maybe he should go for a quick trot before starting, stretch his legs, maybe drop in on Fragrant again? No, he shook his head, he’d wasted enough time last night, he needed to get back to work if he wanted to ever get things finished. Most of them needed to be on Puissance’s desk by the end of tomorrow.

Sighing, he took his quill in his mouth and started. It seemed like only a few minutes before his ears pricked up as he heard the bell in the corner that Mrs G used to attract him attention if she didn’t want to come up stairs. He had hoped to get a bit longer without interruption but he should see what it was. Probably a visitor, maybe Mellow? Or even Fragrant? He hoped it wasn’t Greengrass, he really didn’t need any more of his pranks.

Taking a moment to smooth down his mane Max opened the door and trotted down the stairs towards Mrs G’s office. He hadn’t made his way through the records room before he could hear voices from below.

“Well, why don’t you get him?” asked an angry sounding masculine voice Max didn’t recognise.

“I rang the bell,” exclaimed Mrs G sounding rather less than pleased as well, “Max is busy at the moment.”

“Well ring it again! Maybe you did it wrong!” Max could almost hear Mrs G’s eyebrow raise, how could you get ringing a bell wrong?

Max peered down the stairs at his visitors a mare and a stallion, to his surprise he recognised the mare, Dawn Chorus of Opelick, the very Baroness Greengrass had mentioned earlier. He hadn’t a clue who the stallion was. The Baroness was a pegasus of around his age although her plump body as well as her curly light green mane gave her a matronly air which made her seem older. She looked more like she should be teaching a class of foals rather than working at court, although maybe the situation wasn’t all that different. Her companion was a short muscular dark grey coated earth pony stallion with a rather pointed muzzle. Battered looking saddlebags packed were papers rested on his sides. “Ah baron,” he said nasally looking up at Max as he made his way down the stairs. “I’m so glad you could join us, your Cud-che-...” he stopped and seemed to search for a word, “creature, told us you were busy.”

“The Baroness and her... creature,” said Mr G glaring at the stallion, “wanted to talk to you about Duke Greengrass. I told them you hadn’t seen him.”

“Ah, that’s not quite right Mrs G,” said Max awkwardly rubbing his neck. “I, um, bumped into him last night after you left.”

“You mean when you said you were going home because you’d done your work?”

“Err, yes, well I had a few things to tidy up.” He gave a bit of a grimace.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to!” exclaimed Mrs G. “Even if it was for a good reason,” she continued more gently.

“Yeah, sorry,” Max doodled a little on the floor with a hoof, “but I thought you deserved a night off.”

“You let her talk to you that way!” exclaimed the stallion in astonishment.

“Mrs G can speak to me however she wants,” said Max bristling, “she’s been at this sort of thing much longer than I have.”

“But surely-” began the stallion.

“This is the baron’s business, Pencil Pusher,” said Dawn Chorus speaking for the first time. Her voice was quiet but carried an air of authority. “Please apologize to him.”

“But-” Pencil caught the baroness’s eye.

“This is the baron’s assistant, we are here to ask for his aid,” said Dawn with a quiet steel.

“Of course,” the stallion bowed slightly, “I am sorry Baron Max.”

“I think it should be Mrs G you apologize to,” said Max.

Pencil’s eyes swung back to his boss with a pleading look. “We are here to ask the baron for a favour, you should apologize.”

The stallion screwed up his muzzle and turned to the older goat. “I, I am sorry I spoke out of turn,” he eventually managed.

“Now baron,” said Dawn turning towards him with a slightly embarrassed smile. “If you’ve spoken to Duke Greengrass I’m sure you’re aware of the slanderous claims he has been making about me.”

“Well, he um, did say that you were a Solartic.” Pencil stiffened his eyes flicking between Dawn and Max.

To Max’s surprise Dawn actually gave a short titter of laughter. “Oh how does he come up with such ideas?” she sighed, “Do I look like a cultist?” she asked turning from one side to another. Max had to admit that she really didn’t fit the normal image of a cloaked mad pony. “I fear I might have inadvertently insulted him. He was, I believe quite friendly with my predecessor, Oplik and Caneighda share a border you know.” In fact Max didn’t, he didn’t really know anything significant about the baroness or her province. “However,” she continued, “once I heard of his reputation, well I couldn’t in good conscience have anything to do with him. Maybe he thought that spreading such lies about me would scare others into working with him?”

Max nodded along, although he had to admit it didn’t seem that slandering other ponies would earn Greengrass many friends. “Maybe,” he said.

“I don’t suppose you know anyway of contacting the Duke, do you?” asked Dawn stepping a little closer. “Maybe if I could talk to him I could sort this whole thing out. I’m even willing to apologize if he thinks I slighted him. I’ve tried his office, and his estate, but he wasn’t at either. Maybe you know some other location he might be found out? Somewhere not commonly known?” She cocked her head to one side eyes wide.

Max was about to mention his meeting last night when something struck him. Why did Dawn even think he knew where Greengrass was? It hadn’t exactly been public and why would she think the duke had a secret hideout? Something didn’t seem right here. He didn’t owe Greengrass anything, but was something be going on between him and the baroness? “Um, no, I really don’t know where he could be,” said Max shaking his head, “Maybe you could make an appointment with his assistant?”

“We’ve talked to her,” said Pencil Pusher, “she hasn’t been very forthcoming about her employer.” He scowled.

Dawn glared at him for a moment before her face softened and she turned back to Max. “Are you sure you don’t know where he might be, a club maybe, or somewhere he might be hanging out in?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t know anything, I’m hardly a friend of his,” said Max starting to feel sweat bead on his brow. Dawn held his gaze for a long moment then turned away.

“Well that is a shame, I guess I will have to try Miss Notary again, maybe she will be more helpful now she has had a bit of time to consider the situation. Still if anything does spring to mind please do contact me Baron. I hope I can prevent the Duke doing anything too rash.”

“Sure, right, yeah,” said Max letting out a breath as the two ponies turned towards the door. As they did Pencil Pusher tripped and staggered a flurry of paperwork bursting from his saddlebags. The assistant cursed and tried to grab as many of the files as possible. Max moved forwards to help him grabbing a fluttering form in his mouth.

“Thank you,” said Pencil accepting the sheets back.

“Here you go,” said Mrs G sweetly passing over a form. Pencil went to grab it but the old goat grabbed it back out of reach. “Well look here,” she said adjusting her glasses and peering at the form. “Well this doesn’t seem right. I see you’ve requested the first-time noble bonus, but you’ve not noted what you’re using the money for...”

“Give me that!” snarled Pencil grabbing the form and shoving it in his bags.

“I guess your creature,” said Mrs G turning to Dawn, “might have a bit more work to do, and so far into budget season as well.” She leaned against the large pile of paperwork in her outbox.

Pencil’s eyes flashed and for a moment it looked like he might charge Mrs G but Dawn, her face dark, shook her head angrily. “My apologies baron, but we really have to go now.”

“Of course,” said Max as the pair turned and left.

“That form really was a mess,” said Mrs G as she sat down again, “lots of money coming in, less going out. Well not going out openly. I wouldn’t be surprised if somepony had their hoof in the till there.”

“Are you sure?” asked Max, “you only looked at it for a few seconds.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me up here,” she said tapping her head, “not yet anyway. Now, what was it that you weren't telling them?”

Max considered keeping quiet for a tiny fraction of a second but a moment's glance from his assistant told him it wouldn’t work. “Well, I got a message last night from Greengrass-” he began then stopped. Greengrass had said that something was up with Dawn Chorus, that she was a traitor he wouldn’t have believed it but she had been acting suspiciously and that assistant. Now Mrs G said there was something up in her accounts. “Is there some way I can find out more about their budget report?” he asked quickly.

“You could check central files, everything should have copies stored there,” said Mrs G after a moment's pause. “But what are you-” Before she could finish Max was already out the door and away. Mrs G sat there for a moment chewing thoughtfully before she shrugged and started on the next form in front of her.

The central stores were absolutely heaving, ponies were constantly running in and out with bundles of forms, it was rather like an ant farm except there didn’t seem to be any queen to keep charge. It took almost half an hour for Max to attract some ponies’ attention and the same length of time again to actually get more or less what he wanted.

He would hardly call himself an expert but he had gotten a fair amount of experience with budgets over the last few weeks and Max could tell that Dawn’s didn’t balance. Lots of money was coming in, she seemed to have applied for almost every grant under the sun but the details on where it was all going seemed sketchy. Maybe he was reading it wrong, maybe the relevant papers hadn’t been filed yet, maybe. Or maybe something was going on here, maybe Greengrass was right, he didn’t know how much weapons would cost but there was a lot of money missing. Even if it wasn’t being channeled to Corona is some way it had to be going somewhere.

“Baron,” came a voice nearby causing Max’s ears to twitch as he looked up from his work.

“Yes?” he asked looking at one of the apparently numberless pages who inhabited the castle. “Hello?”

“Baron Max?” asked the page standing to attention, “You are summoned to the debating chamber, an emergency meeting of court has been called.”

“An emergency? What kind of emergency?” he asked, could Corona have finally decided to attack? Or had some sort of natural disaster occurred?

“Duke Greengrass has requested a vote to initiate an investigation of a fellow court member on the grounds of possible treason,” replied the page looking a little uncomfortable.

Max tried to stop himself face hoofing, what was Greengrass doing now?

Max galloped into the debating chamber, it was already packed with more and more courtiers pouring in at every moment. Most of them didn’t look all that happy about the situation. Greengrass himself was standing on the raised stage at the front of the chamber, apparently discussing the situation with the lord chamberlain. The Duke looked like he’d put some effort into his appearance, his coat and mane were groomed and he was dressed in a smart red jacket, but the bags under his eyes and the occasional twitch of his ears suggested he was stressed by whatever was happening. Max looked around the chamber for a familiar face who might be able to explain what was going on it him, he couldn’t help but smile as he noticed Fragrant surrounded by a small group of her allies. The grin quickly faded as he noticed her face, she looked absolutely furious, her occasional gesture towards the duke on the stage suggested who she wanted to vent her spleen on.

Taking a deep breath and trying to look at least a little happy Max trotted over towards the duchess. “Posey, what’s -” he began.

“My own bill!” she snarled, “he’s using a loophole in my own bill to make fools of us all!”

“What I don’t...” exclaimed Max.

“Sorry Max,” growled Fragrant grinding her teeth for a moment before closing her eyes and letting out a long breath forcing her features into a calmer configuration. “Duke Greengrass has managed to find a loophole in the anti-corruption bill I introduced a few months ago.”

“The page said it was something about starting an investigation into another courtier?” Max’s brow furrowed, “Isn’t that a good thing, if they’re a bad pony?”

“Well yes,” admitted Fragrant, “but normally such investigations can only be started by the Internal Affairs Bureau itself. Anypony can report suspicions, or submit evidence in anonymity, but before anything is publicised the Bureau makes an initial review to prevent courtiers reporting their enemies for malicious purposes.”

“Wasn’t there some way that a courtier could speed it all up? If the situation was potentially dangerous?” Fragrant raised an eyebrow in apparent surprise. “See I did read it,” he said defensively, well he’d skimmed through most of it.

“Yes, sometimes speed can be essential so it was decided that if a courtier was to give up all their power they could put the issue to a single vote of the court. That way we ensured that the regulations wouldn’t be abused, if the accusation turned out to be true then the courtier would no doubt be reinstated by the princess, but if the accusation was false they’d have lost everything.”

“So Greengrass has resigned?” asked Max looking towards the front of the room. Whatever could make Greengrass take such a risk? Did he really know something about corruption in the court, apart from his own?

“That’s just it!” growled Fragrant again, “I didn’t think it through, a courtier can agree to put aside their part in all court functions, all their committees, but their actual rank in the court is bestowed on them by the Princess. Courtiers can’t actually directly resign! If a courtier wants to leave she submits a letter to the princess who will normally accept it as a matter of course, but if she refuses they keep their rank. Greengrass has given up all his official duties, but unless he’s dismissed by the princess he remains a voting member of the court. Of course he’d think up a loophole like that. And of course he’s trying while the princess is away from the city as well!”

“But he’s still lost a lot, hasn’t he? Most of the actual work gets done in committees, and not many decisions come down to a single vote swaying the matter either way.”

“That’s true, but it’s still against the spirit of the thing! He’s got to have some plan, particularly as he’s chosen to indict-”

“My lords and ladies!” came a magically amplified voice from the stage drowning out whatever Fragrant had been about to say. “Thank you for all attending at such short notice, I know this isn’t quite the whole court,” said Greengrass, “but I think we have a quorum.” He turned to the chamberlain who seemed to take a quick headcount before nodding. “Good! Now I have been trying contact many of you about a serious issue for several days now, but most of you have refused to even talk to me, and those who did didn’t believe what I told them.” Greengrass indicated the court with an expansive gesture. “So I’ve had to take extreme measures, maybe go farther than I’d originally planned.” He seemed to consider for a moment. “Anyway, I would like, as is my right, to request that an immediate investigation is carried out by the Internal Affairs Bureau, as well as the Shadowbolts, against that mare!” His hoof shot out to point into the crowd in front of him. “Baroness Dawn Chorus of Opelick.” Whether consciously or not the nearby ponies stepped aside leaving the baroness standing alone with only Pencil Pusher remaining nearby. A look of rage flashed across her face as she looked out at her accuser following by fear as her eyes flicked back and forth around the crowd. “She is a traitor working for Corona herself! I have reason to believe that she and her associates are working to provide weaponry for the Tyrant Sun and may even be threatening the safety of the city!”

There was a moment's silence broken after a moment by the sound of a hoof slowly stomping. “Very nice, Duke. Very theatrical, bravo,” said Viceroy Night Light sarcastically, “and of course before you ask us to condemn one of our own on your word you can of course provide us with evidence to back up your claims?”

Greengrass seemed to deflate a little on the stage. “Unfortunately, I don’t have much in the way of evidence immediately to hoof at the moment. One of my assistants managed to infiltrate her organisation and informed me of her treachery, but we have lost contact, I f-fear for her safety which is why we must act now! Without any further delay!”

“Duke, I don’t understand why you are doing this!” exclaimed Dawn Chorus from the floor, her face now a picture of confusion. “What have I done to cause all this, if I have in some way offended you, I apologize. Your request to court me, well I was flattered of course, but I just don’t feel that way about you! Please don’t humiliate me in this way!”

Muttering spread across the court chamber at this revelation. Max frowned, Dawn hadn’t said anything about Greengrass trying to ask her out when they’d talked earlier. Had she just been too embarrassed to mention it, or was there more going on? The discrepancy in Dawn’s paperwork itched at him again.

“Duke Greengrass,” said Night Light stepping forwards, “I am painfully aware of how easy it is to try and misuse your power to deal with a personal hurt, but this is not the way to do things. I ask that you withdraw your claim immediately!”

“She’s lying!” announced Greengrass looking around the chamber. “I’ve never, I wouldn’t...” he sounded rather flustered. “Archduke Fisher,” he turned to the pony in question, “you are always talking of the need of greater security, surely you understand. Think of the harm a traitor in the court could do. If there is even a one percent chance Baroness Dawn works for Corona surely it should be treated as a certainty?”

The archduke seemed to consider the situation for a moment. “Maybe such an investigation might be warranted,” he finally said, “if she has nothing to hide then she has nothing to fear.”

“This is ridiculous,” said Fragrant. “You are abusing the law, the procedures you are trampling over were designed to deal with actual corruption in the court, not to settle your own petty disputes.”

A wave of cheers started to spread across the chamber at Fragrant’s words. Max could make out beads of sweat starting to form on Greengrass’s flanks, things were apparently not going how he had planned. He chewed on his lip, maybe Fragrant was right and Greengrass was just playing some sort of game, that wouldn’t be anything new. But was there at least some chance he was telling the truth? Talk of treason was extreme even for even him. And there were some things about Dawn which didn’t quite fit as well. Maybe he should talk to Fragrant for a moment.

“Baron Mounty Max!” called Greengrass, “I talked to you about this matter last night, you said about me trying to gain political capital over this matter, well I’ve given up everything now. You know what’s right!” In the crowd nearby Pencil Pusher turned to Max glaring daggers. Dawn Chorus herself continued to look up at Greengrass apparently wiping tears from her eyes with a hoofkerchief.

Max swallowed painfully as it suddenly seemed that every eye was on him. “Well, I guess, I” he stuttered, “I well I don’t trust you all that much but well if you think there is something going on here we should investigate. Yes, I think we should look into the baroness’s affairs a little more, I looked over some of her papers and there’s something off there, I think. If we’re wrong, well I’ll apologize myself.” A little to Max’s surprise his words seemed to send another ripple of discussion around the chamber.

“I think we’ve talked enough,” said Greengrass, “the matter is simple enough, either investigate the Baroness or let her carry out her plan. If I’m wrong, well I’m ruined, but if I’m right then you’ll have helped me save the city, just think how that will help your reputations?”

“You can’t honestly believe Greengrass can you Max?” asked Fragrant as the rest of the chamber started to mumble to each other deciding which way they were going to vote. “I don’t think he could tell the truth if he tried.”

“I’m not sure, we did talk last night and he seemed sincere. Dawn was looking for him earlier, I think something's going on here.”

“Well if there is Greengrass should have reported it via the normal channels not all these theatrics, there is a way to do things, and this isn’t it!”

“Maybe it was really urgent?” suggested Max.

“You know what can go wrong if you try to hurry things,” said Fragrant pointedly.

“I guess...”

“Ladies, Gentlecoats!” bellowed the chamberlain slamming his staff of office on the ground. Slowly the talking around the chamber died down. “Let the voting commence. A simple majority is needed to start an official investigation into the affairs of Baroness Dawn Chorus of Opelick. Votes for indicate the investigation should take place, votes against indicate no such investigation is authorised. Voting will be carried out from lowest rank to the highest. Baron Rubber Stamp to begin.”

“Well normally I’d trust Duke Greengrass about as far as I could throw him, but Baron Max has always seemed a straight shooter. If he thinks an investigation is needed, then I agree. I vote for,” said the court's most junior member.

Max was rather surprised to hear himself used as a justification for voting, surely his word couldn’t hold any real weight, not compared to Fragrant or Night Light. It suddenly hit him how this could ruin his reputation of Dawn did end up being innocent, sweat started to roll down his face. He’d look like a fool, and probably a pawn of Greengrass’s. His hoof tapped nervously on the ground as he waiting for his turn to vote he remembered when he voted first but with all the resignations over the summer it was several dozen ponies before it was his turn and most of them seemed to be following Rubber’s example.

“Baron Mounty Max,” called the Chamberlain shaking Max from his thoughts.

“Oh, right, I vote for.” Concentrating Max tried to keep track of the vote, the whole court wasn't there but it looked like there were almost two hundred nobles were present. They were coming to the end of the barons now and they made up a bit over half of the whole court. He wasn’t sure of the exact count but he was fairly certain the motion was carrying by a fair number. As the voting carried on through the higher ranks the proportion voting for dwindled. It seemed like most of the counts and countesses didn’t believe Greengrass. By the time the dukes were reached almost none of the votes were for the motion.

“Duchess Fragrant Posey,” came the call.

Fragrant gave Max an unreadable look before sighing a little. “I vote for,” she said loudly. “I hope you know what you’re talking about Max,” she whispered. Max did too although the sign of her support did make him smile a little.

With only the few Archdukes and Viceroys above Fragrant the vote quickly came to a close. Archduke Fisher voted for, as did Wallflower, while Nightlight voted against. Puissance was apparently too busy with the budget to appear in person but the member of her family taking her place voted against.

The chamberlain quickly ran through the figures in front of him. “The votes for, one hundred and five, the votes against eighty-two, abstentions four, fifty nobles are not present. The vote carries. The Internal Affairs Bureau is instructed to start an immediate investigation into the affairs of Baroness Dawn Chorus. Baroness, you are not to leave the city without the Bureau’s permission until further notice.”

Max’s glanced over to baroness Dawn, her face seemed to be shifting back and forth between anger and fear as if she wasn’t sure what was going on. Turning back to the front of the court Max saw Greengrass slump a little, but there wasn’t a look of satisfaction on his face, if anything he looked more worried than before the vote had begun. What was going on?

Max had meant to try to talk to Greengrass straight away but he’d been ambushed by Mellow and a group of other barons before he could even leave the council chamber. They seemed quite excited by the fact that the lower ranks of nobles had outvoted the more senior courtiers. They even seemed to consider him some sort of trend setter or leader. Max tried to explain that he’d mostly gone with his gut and he might be wrong about the paperwork, but they told him not to be so humble. By the time he’d managed to extricate himself from that situation he was due in a committee meeting. He’d considered missing it, but it was budget time, and as Fragrant had said he didn’t want to get a reputation of shirking his responsibilities. By the time he was free again it was past midnight.

Max trotted down the corridor towards Greengrass’s office. It was in a rather nice part of the castle but most of the other offices around it seemed to be disused. Was Greengrass really so despised that other courtiers didn’t even want to live near him, despite the prime real estate? Oddly the door was open. The lights were on and the outer office was empty of any inhabitants but papers were scattered everywhere all the drawers on the assistant's desk had been pulled out and their contents strewn everywhere. Pricking up his ears he could make out a shuffling sound from inside. Could something have happened to Greengrass?

Moving on tip hooves Max made his way towards the door at the back of the office, like the main door it was open. Through it he could make out Greengrass’s chambers, it had also been totally trashed, papers and files had been thrown everywhere, it even looked like at least one chair had been smashed. Moving more quickly Max stuck his head into the office, whatever could have happened here? Was Greengrass alright? He was just about to call out when he saw a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision followed by a sharp crack and something smashed into the back of his head driving him to his knees. Blinking to try and ward off the stars which covered his vision he half leapt, half staggered aside to avoid any further blows. His hooves slipped on an errant file and he want tumbling to the ground. Above him a large pony shape loomed weapon raised threatenly. Then it froze for a moment. “Baron Max?” came a familiar voice.

Max shook his head trying to clear his vision. Standing over him was a brown coated earth pony, but not the one he had expected to see. “Greenmeadow?” he asked in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” they both asked at more or less the same time.

“Um, well I was looking for your son,” said Max rubbing the spot on his skull where the older stallion must have hit him with his cane.

“So was I,” said Greenmeadow leaning over to help Max stand, the force almost caused him to overbalance himself. “Some of my associates contacted me with word about what he’d been doing recently. I, well, I was worried he’d do something stupid,” he sighed, “and from what I’ve heard since my train got here, he has. Trying to ruin a mare just because she turned down his advances... I thought I’d raised him better than that.” He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment.

“Well I don’t think that actually happened, Baroness Chorus talked to me earlier and she didn’t mention that, she just wanted to know where he was. It was, well it was a bit suspicious,” said Max as he looked around the room.

“This was all like this when I got here,” explained Greenmeadow, “It’s not like Greengrass to keep the place so messy. I think somepony’s been searching for something, I thought you might be one of them come back to finish the job. Sorry for hitting you,” he said offhandedly, “you shouldn’t sneak up on an old stallion.”

Max rubbed his head again, Greenmeadow certainly didn’t seem all that feeble, particularly with that cane. He shuffled about some of the papers trying to put them in some sort of order, maybe they could figure out if anything was missing. Some of the pages seemed to be stuck together, he peeled them apart to reveal a red liquid. It took him a moment to realise it was blood. “Oh,” he exclaimed.

“What is it?” asked Greenmeadow, taking the pages from Max before he could hide them. The older stallion’s eyes widened and he staggered back. “No!” he exclaimed.

“It might not be Greengrass’s,” said Max, “and it doesn’t look like it’s all that much.” A wave of guilt passed through him, if only he’d trusted Greengrass last night, listened to him, then this might not have happened.

“You’re right,” said Greenmeadow straightening but his face still looked pale through his coat, and his legs seemed to be shaking a little. “We need to find him as quickly as possible. If my son is in trouble we need to help him. I’ve got a... contact he might be able to find him, if he’s still in town.” The stallion turned and started to make for the door.

“Wait! Shouldn’t we tell the guard or something?” asked Max rushing to catch up.

“The guard? Yes, I suppose so but maybe in a bit, my contact he, well he might not be able to follow who did this if there have been too many ponies around. We should at least try him first.”

“Um, ok then,” said Max giving the room a last look around, it didn’t seem right but presumably Greenmeadow knew what he was doing.

“Hurry up boy,” said the older stallion waiting for Max to leave the room before closing the door and hurrying off down the corridor.

To Max’s surprise Greenmeadow lead them to one of the city's shopping districts on the fifth layer. It seemed an odd place for some sort of bounty hunter or detective to be hanging out but Max decided to keep his mouth shut, he didn’t want another smack to his already aching head.

“This is the place,” said Greenmeadow. He sighed. “I’ve certainly missed it since I moved back to Caneighda full time. If only I could meet the old gang under better circumstances.”

Max glanced up, the sign above the door pronounced the place to be ‘The Jasmine Teahouse’. It was a fairly small building sandwiched between a flower shop and an undertaker's, the walls were painted a calming pastel purple. Greenmeadow swung the door open releasing various tantalising fragrances and stepped inside, Max quickly followed. The inside of the cafe was cramped and warm. Numerous tables were placed haphazardly around the room, various elderly members of a wide range of species sat at them in small groups sipping drinks and quietly gossiping. In fact Max did a double take at the variety of life around him, he recognised an elk, a buffalo, a hippogriff and a pair of griffin but there were other species he’d never seen before. Ponies seemed to be in a minority, there were probably less than half a dozen ponies in the whole place, including him and Greenmeadow. Most of the inhabitants seemed to be supremely uninterested in the new arrivals. The only creature who looked up at them was also was youngest, a stallion barely out of colthood, he appeared to Max to be a unicorn, but a second glance suggested he might be one of the dragon blooded ponies from the east. He looked like he’d been in the wars, the flesh around one of his eyes was badly scarred like it has been burnt. After apparently deciding they weren't a threat the creature turned back to a plumper and older member of his species who was apparently greatly enjoying a cup of tea and some sort of board game.

“Are you sure this is right?” asked Max, it certainly didn’t look like the place a tracker would hang out.

“Of course,” said Greenmeadow trotting over to the counter near the back of the cafe. Max followed carefully avoiding colliding with any of the patrons on the way. “Wolfgang,” called Greenmeadow.

“Just a moment,” came a deep voice from behind the counter, a few seconds later a canine head rose from behind the counter and kept rising and rising until it almost reached the roof. “How can I help you?” Max had never seemed a creature like it before, it was easily twice the height of a pony with long drooping ears and folds of skin hanging down from its long muzzle upon which sat a pair of wire framed glasses. Its body stood on two legs with its forelegs, which ended with large paws, resting on the counter. “Greenmeadow?” the creature said its mouth opening in what Max hoped was a smile, “It is good to see you again. I did not know you were in town.”

“I only just arrived,” said Greenmeadow quickly. “I need to call in a favour, it’s my son, I think he’s gotten into some trouble.”

The larger creature nodded. “I’ve heard your son is nothing but trouble, so different from the little pup who would visit with you.” He stared into the distance for a moment.

“Yes, well I think this may be real trouble, he’s gone missing. In his room there was... blood.”

“Whatever you son has gotten mixed up in is no business of mine,” said Wolfgang shaking his shaggy head. “I want a quiet life here, nothing to do with the court and its intrigue. There are few up there who care about us down here these days.”

“Wolfgang,” said Greenmeadow placing a hoof on the dog creatures arm, “You owe me, who loaned you the money to start this place up?”

“That was paid back long ago! Still,” he sighed, “very well, my nose might not be as good as it used to be, but I’ll do what I can to help. But after this we are even!” He turned seeming to notice Max for the first time. “Who is this?” he asked.

“He’s a... colleague of my son,” said Greenmeadow before Max could introduce himself.

“Humm, more trouble then?”

“I don’t mean you any harm,” said Max trying to be friendly. He remembered hearing something about some dog like creatures being found under the palace by the element bearers, they apparently stopped an attack by Corona’s troops. “From what I’ve heard the Diamond Dogs have done nothing but help Equestria.” The temperature around him seemed to drop by several degrees and Max knew he had said something wrong. Wolfgang bristled and loomed over him.

“I am no such thing! I am Cheeroonear, born of Glass Spider, I am no descendant of a seller!” He spat the word and turned to Greenmeadow. “If this is the kind of company your son is keeping maybe it is better if he stays missing!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any offence!” said Max stepping away from the angry figure.

Suddenly an even larger creature rushed towards him. “Baron Max!” it bellowed. “So good to see you again!” To his surprise Max found himself embraced by a large buffalo.

“What? Huh?” muttered Max as he felt the breath being forced from his lungs.

“It’s me Small Hoof!” exclaimed the creature, “You helped me out when I first arrived in the city.” Seeming to realise he was crushing Max the buffalo let get.

“Right, um, yeah, right,” said Max. Truth be told he only vaguely remembered a buffalo passing through his office not long before the gala, but the name didn’t ring a bell.

“This is the pony I was telling you about boss,” said Small Hoof turning to Wolfgang.

“You’re that Baron Max?” asked the Cheeroonear suspiciously.

“Yes,” said Max hopefully, he wasn’t aware of any other baron Max’s in the city.

“Well I guess I should thank you for setting me up with my best barista,” Wolfgang said with a nod his temper apparently cooled for the moment. “And you should tell Gràinne that this month's card games been moved to next week.”

“Gràinne? Mrs G?” asked Max. “You know her?”

“Quite well actually,” said Wolfgang producing a large trench coat and hat which he used to cover himself. “We should go,” he said nodding to Greenmeadow.

Following Max gave a grin, Mrs G was certainly full of surprises.

It took Max a while to be able to sign Wolfgang into the castle, for some reason the guards didn’t seem all that keen to let a gigantic dog creature into the court, but after both Max and Greenmeadow vouched for him they agreed that he could enter for a few hours. They quickly made their way back to Greengrass’s office, Max sort of expected it to already be cordoned off by guards but it didn’t appear that anypony had discovered what had happened yet.

“Can you find him?” asked Greenmeadow anxiously as the three of them entered the office.

“Give me a moment,” said Wolfgang shrugging off his coat and tossing it towards Max. The large creature dropped to all fours and began to sniff. He slowly circled around the room stopping every few moments. “You said there was blood?” he asked after a few minutes.

“This way,” said Max trotting over towards the back office. Wolfgang followed him and repeated the process.

“Well?” asked Greenmeadow.

“There are too many,” said Wolfgang eventually. “At least a dozen ponies in the last day or so, they might be the attackers, or they could be cleaners.”

“You must at least recognise Greengrass? You’ve met him.”

“That was years ago, he was a foal, his scent will have,” he paused, “matured since then.”

“You told me you were the best tracker of your generation, that you followed a week-old trail through a city after heavy rain!” exclaimed Greenmeadow clutching his cane.

“I did!” growled Wolfgang rearing up again. “I was,” he said more gently, “but that was a long time ago, age catches up on all of us, you know.”

“What about the blood?” asked Max trying to stop a fight. “Could you follow that?”

“Maybe, but it may not be Greengrass’s” he turned to Greenmeadow, “likely may not be, if it is one of the attackers we may end up going in the wrong direction if they went to be treated. Do you have anything he’s touched recently?”

“Maybe we could find something in his estate?” suggested Max.

“I checked when I once got into town, the staff said he hasn’t been there for a week or more,” said Greenmeadow.

“How about his garden?”

“His garden?” asked Greenmeadow in surprise.

“There was this place under a warehouse he invited me to, there were all sorts of plants and flowers there.”

“He never told me about that,” said Greenmeadow sagging a little. “We should check there. He always did like his plants, I remember as a colt he used to... never mind,” said Greenmeadow blinking quickly.

“I didn’t know anything about it either until last night,” said Max.

Greenmeadow nodded. “We should try there then.”

“Another trip across town,” complained Wolfgang putting his coat back on, “I guess I could use the exercise.”

As the three of them made their way back through the castle Greenmeadow flagged down a passing page. “You girl,” he said, “tell Captain Vigilant Sentry that there was some sort of incident in Duke Greengrass’s office.”

“Captain who?” asked the younger pony.

“Vigilant Sentry, don’t you know the captain of the guard?”

“Oh, I think he retired a few years back.”

Greenmeadow growled to himself for a moment. “Well tell whoever is in charge now!”

“Yes sir,” said the page before scampering off.

“We better let the professionals start their own work,” explained Greenmeadow, “in case we don’t manage.”

Max was quite glad he remembered the way back to Greengrass’s hideout. The area around it really was like a maze, it was no wonder that nopony else seemed to be aware of it. Even once he’d entered the warehouse he hadn’t been sure it was the right one until he tapped the floor a few times to find the trapdoor. He hadn’t managed to find out how to open it this time and had been forced to kick it until the planks splintered so they could get in. It was only once he’d finished that Greenmeadow had pointed out a thin metal tool leaning against the wall which could have probably have been used to open it with much less effort. That earned him another tap on his head.

The garden itself looked much the same as it had before, the artificial lights were still shining brightly, although a few of the plants were starting to look a little distressed. Presumably nopony had been properly looking after them for a while.

“This is better,” announced Wolfgang sniffing the air. “Not many ponies have been here, but the flowers are confusing the scents. I recognise you baron, and a mare I’ve never met before, she’s been here quite often. I think this one is your son, but it’s not clear.” He sneezed. “All this pollen,” he complained.

Max furrowed his brow, he remembered Greengrass tossing away a hoofkerchief or something last time he was here. He quickly scanned the area until he located the cloth in question. “How about this?” he said holding it up.

Wolfgang grabbed it and held it up to his nose. “Perfect, I recognise this from the office now.”

“I never thought being a baron would mean picking up someponies dirty washing,” joked Max.

“You’d be surprised how much of government work is like that,” muttered Greenmeadow distractedly. “So you can find him now?”

“I believe so, if we return to the castle I think I can pick up the trail. There’s no fooling this,” Wolfgang said tapping his muzzle. “This really takes me back, the thrill of the hunt!” he eagerly bounded up the stairs out of the basement.

37) Month 3 - The Duke Abides (part 3)

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Wolfgang rushed through the streets of Canterlot in great bounds forcing Max to gallop to keep up with him. He frequently glanced over at Greenmeadow the older stallion was struggling to keep up the group but did not complain about the pace. They quickly reached the castle and before they could even enter Wolfgang excitedly circled the courtyard and announced that he’d picked up Greengrass’s scent. Without giving the ponies a chance to rest the Cheeroonear headed off back down the mountain barely waiting for the cities populous to get out of the way before barrelling past them.

The route was twisty, on several occasions it doubled back upon itself. Max guessed that whoever had taken Greengrass had done their best to stop any pursuit, but had apparently not considered being tracked by scent. A few times Wolfgang had to stop as he lost the ponynappers tracks but each time he quickly found them again. Finally they found themselves all the way down on the seventh tier of the city, well away from the areas normally inhabited by the nobility. Max wasn’t entirely sure but he thought that Mrs G’s home wasn’t all that far away.

Suddenly Wolfgang stood up and looked around hawkishly before grabbing Max and Greenmeadow and shoving them into a nearby ally.

“What!” complained Max as he struggled to remain standing. Greenmeadow slumped to the ground panting hard, the old pony was clearly not in the best of health. Max has suggested he stay behind to help the guard a few times but he had refused.

“There,” said Wolfgang leaning slightly around the corner and pointing at a nearby building. “That is where the scent leads to,” he announced.

“Right so why don’t we-” began Max as he started to round the corner.

“No!” hissed Wolfgang dragging him back again. “See, there, guards,” he pointed a large paw at several ponies milling around the area.

“Are you sure?” asked Max, they looked like locals just loitering around.

“Of course, this is hardly the first time I have done this sort of thing,” said Wolfgang sounding insulted. “Look they’re armed!”

Max narrowed his eyes wondering what type of life the dog creature had lived to be able to recognise something like that at a glance. Looking over at a nearby pony he did notice a glint of metal under his rough tunic, and now that he thought about it most of the rest of the area seemed to house goats, cows and griffin, but only ponies were wandering around here. He looked over at the building itself, it was big, maybe some sort of abandoned factory? The windows were barred and the large front gate was rusty but the padlock and chains keeping it shut were new and shiny. A rickety looking wall and an overgrown yard surrounded the area, certainly there seemed to be plenty of cover if he tried to approach it, but there were watchers.

“Wolfgang, could you go back to the castle and tell the guards about this?” hissed Max. He would have preferred to have sent Greenmeadow but the old earth pony didn’t look like he’d be able to travel at any pace.

The dog creature nodded. “But what will you do?”

“I’ll keep an eye on things here in case there’s sight of Greengrass, or they try to leave or something.”

Wolfgang paused for a moment, then nodded his ears swaying as he did so. “Very well, I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

Max nodded and the Cheeroonear paused for a few moments before slinking out of the alley and heading back the way they had come. Max remained crouched at the edge of the alley glancing around the corner. The only sound was Greenmeadow’s ragged breathing. Or was it? Resting a hoof on the ground he closed his eyes, there it was again, the ground was trembling slightly in a rhythmic pattern like some sort of huge machine was nearby. Opening his eyes again he caught a flash through a gap in the boards over one of the windows, what was going on? His curiosity warred with his common sense for a moment but it was a one-sided battle. “I’m going to have a look inside,” he whispered to Greenmeadow.

“Is... that wise?” came the reply.

“Has that ever stopped me before?” asked Max giving a smile. I’ll just get a bit closer, I want to see what they’re doing in there, I’ll be fine.”

“We should wait... for the guards.”

“We don’t know how long they’ll be, and anything could be happening to Greengrass,” explained Max. He felt a little guilty as a worried look spread over Greenmeadow’s face. “I’m sure he’s fine but it won’t hurt to know where he is,” he added.

After a moment the older pony nodded. “Good luck,” he said.

Max considered the situation for a moment, luckily he hadn’t gotten dressed this morning so he didn’t stand out all that much from the local ponies. He quickly rolled in the dirt a few times, much to Greenmeadow’s confusion, to complete the disguise. The guards would probably pick him up if he approached the building but hopefully they wouldn’t give him a second glance if he strolled past minding his own business. He stuck his head around the corner and quickly scanned his target. The front of the building was still packed with sentinels, at least a dozen. He’d easily be caught if he went in that direction. He’d have to try around the side, or the back.

Abandoning his cover Max tried to walk purposely towards the small path separating his target from the next nearest building. Out of the corner of his eye he could see one of the guards gazing at him and fought to stop himself turning to look at him. He was just a normal pony out for a walk, there was no reason for him to take any notice of the guards. He passed by the wall and struggled not to let out his breath, it didn’t look like the guard had given him a second glance.

He slowed his trot and ran his gaze up and down the wall as he went. As he suspected it looked in poor condition, several bricks were missing making it look like an easy climb. He was just about to place a hoof in the first gap when he caught sight of a shadow as a winged figure started to round the building from the back. His heart thumping Max leapt towards a nearby pile of rubble, hoping his natural coat colour and the dirt covering it would act as camouflage in the poor light of the alleyway. He watched, heart pounding, as a pegasus guard soared by, her head scanning left and right. Just as she started to turn towards the front of the building she halted and swooped down, seemingly to investigate Max’s location. Max froze, had he been caught? He’d find it hard to explain why he was here if he was challenged.

A drop of sweat started to make its way down his barrel as the pegasus got closer and closer. Suddenly there was a muffled boom from somewhere within the factory followed by a louder explosion, flame jetted from one of the factories windows tearing aside the planks barring it. Both Max and the pegasus jumped in surprise as a series of smaller explosions could be heard, several of the guards around the building began to cry in alarm. The pegasus recovered first and shot towards the noise, desperate to join her companions.

Max let out the breath he had been holding. He didn’t know what was going on over there but it had provided a very timely distraction, this was his chance to make a break for it. Looking back and forwards for any further guards Max rushed over to the wall and in only a few seconds was at the top. With the added height he could just about make out the guard ponies had gathered at the front of the house and were milling around in confusion. The sound of the explosion must have been audible for blocks around, even if Wolfgang hadn’t made it back to the castle guards must be on their way by now.

Suddenly a brown coated shape exploded from of the front door of the factory as if its tail was on fire, which it very nearly was. A further explosion went off just as the figure was clear sending tongues of flame licking out of the door and tossing both the newly arrived pony and several guards aside. By the time the figure picked itself up the guards had also recovered and were mobbing it throwing kicks to keep the unknown pony on the ground. Without a moment's hesitation Max rushed through the yard to help the unknown figure leaping over a pile of rubble as he galloped into the conflict.

Slamming into a nearby unicorn he sent him tumbling before spinning around to plant both rear hooves on an earth pony who was rearing over the fallen figure. Unnerved by Max’s sudden appearance the other attackers backed away, several looked about ready to flee. Max quickly looked down at the pony he had just saved. “Greengrass?” he exclaimed.

“Baron Max?” mumbled the other pony, he stood but was clearly unsteady on his hooves. There was a deep cut on his brow from which blood was streaming, and one of his eyes was swollen closed. He’d certainly been in the wars recently. “I wasn’t... what are you doing here?”

“Trying to save you!” replied Max glanced around. More ponies were streaming out of the now blazing building, most were ignoring them in their panic but enough still had the peace of mind to have surround the two nobles. “I think I might have made a bit of a mess of it,” he admitted.

“How did you find...” said Greengrass blinking slowly, he seemed to be having difficulty focusing.

“You father knew a tracker, we followed your scent.”

“Scent!” exclaimed Greengrass, he seemed almost insulted.

“You!” came an outraged shriek from the factory followed by a bout of coughing. A pegasus mare emerged from the clouds of smoke now pouring from the front of the factory. She was dressed in what had presumably once been white robe but had now been stained to a dirty grey by the fire. “How did you? How could you?” she spluttered when she could talk again. “Greengrass!” she finally growled shaking a hoof.

“Baroness Chorus,” said Greengrass with a relaxed smile on his lips only a little counteracted by the fact that Max had to lean against him to keep him steady. “What ever could I have done to vex you so?”

“You burned it all! Destroyed it all! All my gifts to the queen! You’ve humiliated me in front of her representative!” She looked around for a moment her brow furrowing as if looking for something. “Kill them!” she bellowed, “kill them both in the name of Corona!”

Well it looks like Greengrass was right, thought Max as he tried to square up against the circle of ponies starting to constrict around them. I probably owe him an apology, if we weren't both about to die. At least I can keep him alive a little longer.

There was a flash from the horn of one of the enemy unicorns and a sod of dirt was thrown up from the ground into Max’s face. He blinked trying to clear his eyes and did so just in time for the pegasus he’d seem earlier to swoop down and smack him in the head with a hoof. His ears ringing Max reared up barely remaining standing but swinging wildly at his attacker. She gave a little shriek of panic as she tried to avoid the blows and rapidly reversed the direction of her flight slamming into a nearby stallion who had been trying to avoid being seen, the two of them went down in a tangle of limbs. Max swung around, his hind hooves catching the intertwined pair and sending both of them rolling back into a group of their comrades. Facing in this direction Max made out another two flying ponies bearing down towards Greengrass. The Duke was trying to back away from the attackers, but there was nowhere to go. Bounding forwards Max interposed his body between Greengrass and the approaching cultists. He staggered as blow after blow slammed against his barrel and flank, a ripple of pain spreading out from each impact. He grit his teeth and concentrated on staying standing. He managed to turn and kick out a hoof at one of the attackers who danced back, but the distraction was enough for another enemy to appear on Max’s other side and join in the beating. The sharp edge of a hoof caught him above the eye and he was forced to blink away blood before it could blind him. Hopping aside he body slammed the new pony wincing at the bruising impact. Behind him Greengrass screamed, Max swung around to watch the Duke’s face crease in confusion as he stared at the knife that was protruding from his barrel.

“Oh! I didn’t see that move coming!” he explained before crumpling to the ground.

Trying to force down the rising tide of panic in his gut Max rushed over to the fallen duke to see if there was anything he could do to help, but instead found himself flying sideways as a horn blast struck him on flank sending him into a panting heap on the ground. He feebly stretched out to try and reach the nearest of his attackers and got a hoof to the head for his troubles.

Suddenly everything went quiet and through watering eyes Max saw the crowd of attackers back off and separate to allow Dawn Chorus to approach. Giving an evil grin she pulled the dagger from Greengrass’s side causing him to cry out. “Goodbye Greengrass,” she spat as she drew back the blade ready to plunge it into him again. “You might have stopped me here, but it’s going to cost you your life!” Max tried to scrabble over towards the baroness but couldn’t get his hooves to work properly.

“Guards! Stand Down!” came a sudden amplified cry from somewhere beyond the crush of ponyflesh around Max. There was a bright flash and a loud bang and when Max regained his senses the scene around him was one of total chaos. Several of the Corona’s followers were lying on the ground in a daze while others were running back and forth in panic. All around guards had appeared as if by magic, and in the case of the unicorns maybe that was true, but armoured pegasus were also dropping from the sky and blocks of earth ponies were galloping in formation as well. As he watched open mouthed Corona’s followers were one by one being captured.

“Don’t move!” came a cry from behind him and he swung his head around in confusion to see a pair of guards approaching him. “Don’t move!” one of them repeated.

“Huh, er, Mounty Max,” Max managed after a moment of figuring out how to use his tongue again. “I’m Baron Mounty Max.”

“I’m sorry ‘baron’ but we will need you to come with us while we sort this all out,” the guard held up a pair of hobbles. “You can all consider yourself accused of treason until we sort this whole thing out.” A loud groan came from nearby and Max turned back again to see Greengrass lying nearby.

“Notary! Don’t go!” he cried out in a daze, before slumping back to the ground again. The guards started apparently noticing him for the first time.

“Medic!” one of them cried and a white clad unicorn mare galloped over and knelt over the fallen Duke. Her horn threw a glow over his form.

“Is he going to be alright?” asked Max worriedly.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks,” said the mare floating a first aid kit from a saddlebag, “but we need to get him to a hospital.” She extracted a large pad and used her aura to push it against the knife wound in Greengrass’s side which was oozing blood.

“Thank the princess,” sighed Max. “He’s the one that stopped whatever was going on here.”

“You can make a statement later,” said the guard holding the hobbles, “but if you could just put these on-”

“What is the meaning of this!” came a familiar voice from nearby. Max looked up again to see Greenmeadow approaching with surprising speed waving his cane in the air. He was followed by a confused looking white stallion in an officer's uniform. “This stallion is a member of the Night Court, and it’s thanks to him that you found this place! Release him at once!” He jabbed his cane at the guard who dodged back. “Baron Max, are you alright?” he asked.

Max winced, he didn’t feel all that alright, but he could have ended up feeling much, much worse if the guards hadn’t turned up when they did. “I’m fine,” he said, “I guess Wolfgang made it then?”

“Yes, he brought back a division and I explained what was-” he stopped looking down at Greengrass’s battered form. “Oh, my boy, what happened?” he gasped.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” explained the medic resting a hoof on the old stallion’s shoulder.

Greenmeadow rested a hoof on his son’s side as if trying to prove to himself that he was real. “Please, do anything you can, he-”

“Unhoof me! Release me at once! I am a baroness! You’ll be fired for this!” came a screeching cry and Max turned to see Dawn Chorus herself being dragged along by several guards. Her wings had been bound but she was still struggling wildly. Next to her trudged Pencil Pusher escorted by a further two guards his eyes flicking back and forth sullenly. As she was brought near Dawn’s hateful gaze fell on Max and Greengrass. “You two!” she roared struggling against her bindings, “How dare you! How dare you do this to me! Corona will have your heads for this! You will burn!”

As if at her command the world suddenly erupted into flame and force like the hoof of a giant tossed Max to the ground. It took a few moments for him to realise what had happened. The factory had exploded. Previously on fire it was now almost completely levelled, chunks of burning wood and bricks started to rain around them. The area once again erupted into chaos as most of the ponies in the yard were sent flying. Max could see their mouths moving but no sound seems to emerge, the blast seemed to have deafened it, hopefully temporarily. Seemingly in slow motion he saw Dawn try to struggle free of her captors but was buried under a mound of guards as they threw themselves onto her. Pencil Pusher took advantage of the distraction to kick out at one of his guards catching her in the leg with a sickening snapping sound before barging into the other guard, sending him tumbling, and starting to gallop off down the road. Apparently without his conscious control Max found his legs following the escaping captive.

Pencil seemed to zigzagging at random through the back streets of Canterlot shoving aside any ponies who got in his way. Max galloped after him as fast as his battered form would allow sweat dripping from his flanks. Despite his injuries Max was in better shape than the personal assistant and slowly the gap between them was closing. Although he didn’t dare look back Max could hear other hooves following him, hopefully a few guards were helping with the pursuit as well.

Gasping for breath Pencil exploded out off a side street into a more open area. It was apparently being using as a playground by a number of the area’s younger residents as several rather battered swings, and a badly-off balance merry-go-round were present. The sudden arrival of the strange stallion quickly threw the children into a panic causing them to scatter in all directions screaming as they went. Max was almost glad that he could hear the sound although it still seemed distant. Just as Max got to the edge of the playground his target reached out a hoof and grabbed the nearest child, a white coated goat, spinning around and putting his hostage between himself and Max.

“Don’t come any closer!” warned Pencil his eyes darting back and forth as he tightened his grip around the child's throat, he had produced a small knife from somewhere which he held in the corner of his mouth. Max skidded to a halt his eyes wide at the scene, he had to do something before someone got hurt. “You’re going to leave me alone! Let me get away!” Pencil backed away slowly taking some cover behind the playground equipment using it as an impromptu barricade.

Max glanced around, the rest of the children had cleared the area and two guards were standing not that far behind him, frozen in indecision just like he was. To his surprise Greenmeadow was also present gasping for breath and leaning heavily on his cane. “Ok, ok,” said Max holding up his hooves in a calming gesture, “just let the kid go.” The young goat was sobbing and bleating in terror.

“No! Not until I’m out of the city!” cried Pencil Pusher stamping a hoof on the ground.

“How about I make you an offer?” said Max taking a step forwards. Behind him the guards tightened their grip on their weapons. “You can take me as a hostage, just let the kid go?” Pencil’s eyes narrowed. “She’s just a goat,” continued Max, “nopony’s going to worry about her, but I’m a baron, that’ll give you some real leverage!”

“Sir!” growled one of the guards behind Max, “This is a very bad idea!”

Without turning Max waved a dismissive hoof at him. “How about it Pencil? It seems like a good idea to me?” He tried to give a winning smile.

Panting hard Pencil seemed to think about the situation for a moment his eyes moving between Max and the guards. “Alright,” he finally agreed, “but no funny business of this little cud chewer gets it!” He held the knife threatenly to the goat's throat.

Nodding Max slowly began to walk forwards. “Na gabh dragh,” said Max to the goat, hoping she spoke the same dialect as Mrs G.

“What was that!” snapped Pencil Pusher.

“I just told her not to worry,” explained Max, “h-uile càil a bhios alright.” Still looking utterly terrified the small kid tried to nod as best she could with Pencil’s leg around her neck. At the edges of the playground a crowd of locals were starting to form including several very angry looking parents. Max knew he had to do something soon before someone did something stupid. Well someone who wasn’t him. Keeping up his slow advance he stopped a few lengths from Pencil. “Ok, let her g-urk!” Max cried out as Pencil suddenly rushed forwards tossing the child aside and grabbed him jabbing the knife against his throat.

“Right! I’ve got the baron now so you’re going to all back away until I’m out of the city!” cried Pencil. The two guards remained where they were. Max noticed Greenmeadow making his way through the crowd around the playground. “Out of the way!” yelled Pencil his mouth near Max’s ears. He started to drag his captive towards a nearby street away from the guards. The crowd of onlookers slowly started to part. “Quickly!” he ordered, “Get out of my-”

With as much strength as he could muster Max slammed his head sideways into his captor's face. He felt something cut into his neck and warmth start to drip down his front but he ignored it for the moment as the knife went flying from Pencil’s mouth and the other stallion staggered back. Max tried to turn and lunge but a wave of dizziness instead meant that he slumped to the ground, maybe the headbutt hadn’t been the best idea. Pencil on the other hoof didn’t seem so incapacitated by the blow. Giving a growl the other stallion swung a hoof at Max’s face making him see stars, he followed up with a kick to Max’s ribs. “How dare you!” he snarled. “Stupid, goat loving-” he continued raining further blows down on Max who curled up to protect himself the best he could. “Argh!” Pencil gave out a cry and fell forwards onto Max. For a moment Max thought it was another attack but then he saw Greenmeadow looming over both of them cane raised for another strike.

“That is quite enough of that from you!” he exclaimed as the stick came down again. With a groan Max shoved Pencil’s now limp body off of his own and lay there panting as the guards rushed over.

“Are you alright sir?” one asked as the pair hefted Pencil off the ground possibly more to protect him from the angry mob now pushing forwards rather than to restrain him. Max lifted a hoof to his throat it came back spotted with red but his blood didn’t seem to be gushing out. He nodded not trusting himself to speak right now. “Good, that was a very very stupid thing to do, brave, but stupid. Now just lie there until we can get a medic here.”

Max was rather pleased to find out that one of the benefits of being a member of the Night Court was access to the small, but very well equipped, medical facility in the castle. He’d been brought here as soon as everything had been sorted out at the Solartic’s base and placed in a very comfortable bed while a number of medical staff had checked him over. Max was relieved to learn that his own injuries were fairly superficial cuts and bruises, although once the medics had finished their work he’d been left covered almost from head to tail in bandages. They’d told him they wanted to keep him under observation for a day or so once given he’d been knocked about the face a few times but that the spells they had used on him should prevent any concussion.

Once the doctors had finished with him several members of the guard entered and quizzed him in depth on exactly what had happened over the last few days. He’d answered as best he could. Luckily he didn’t seem to be considered a traitor any more, Greenmeadow and Wolfgang had apparently spoken on his behalf but the guard were very interested in Greengrass’s role in the whole thing. Max didn’t have much to say about the Duke’s actions, he had no idea why the cult seemed to have abducted him or how Greengrass had known about its existence in the first place. He told them all he knew, but he could tell they weren't happy about the whole thing.

After a while the guards left leaving Max alone in the room with a rather cute young unicorn nurse in a starched white uniform and cap. “How are you feeling Baron?” she asked smoothing the sheets down around him.

“I’m fine thank you.”

“You should probably try and get some rest, it’ll help you recover.” Max nodded but he still felt too tense and his thoughts kept running round and round what had just happened. He thought that sleep was still likely to elude him for a while. The nurse seemed to pick up on his attitude. “I can cast a spell to help you sleep if you want.”

“Sure,” said Max, it sounded like just the thing.

She nodded and her horn glowed purple. It felt like a warm blanket had been draped over his body and he felt his muscles start to unknot.

“Thanks,” he said with a yawn, his eyes already starting to droop.

“Is there anything else?”

“Maybe a little water?” he suggested. His mouth was dry after all the talking and it seemed such an effort to reach for the jug by the bed. The nurse smiled and took the glass in her aura.

Suddenly the door slammed open and a pale yellow pegasus in a blue dress flew in at top speed. Her head flicked back and forth before locking on Max. She raised a hoof to her mouth. “Max!” she gasped, “What happened to you?”

“It’s nothing serious, Fragrant” said Max as he struggled to force away his sleepiness to sit up in bed. “It looks worse than it is.”

Fragrant rushed to his side and tentatively reached out a hoof to prod at one of his bandages. He tried to put on a brave smile despite the bolt of pain which flashed down his side where she touched him. He reached out his own hoof and rested it on hers, he could feel her shaking. “I was so worried when I heard that you’d been attacked!” she said lowering her head to his.

“A few days rest and I’ll be fine,” replied Max resting a second hoof on hers, he slowly felt her trembling cease.

“Your husband was very lucky,” said the nurse levitating over the glass towards Max. “He took quite a pounding, but he’s not badly hurt. In fact he’s healing up very quickly, he’s very resilient, a rather impressive stallion,” she added with a smile as she ran a hoof over the sheets on the bed. “He should be well enough to leave in a few days.”

Fragrant’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the younger mare. “That’s good, I don’t know what I’d do if...,” her voice trailed away as she took the glass from the nurse and and held it to Max’s lips. “Oh, he’s not my husband,” she added after a moment her cheeks glowing.

“We’re friends,” said Max.

“Colleagues,” said Fragrant. “Friendly colleagues,” she amended resting her hoof a little possessively on Max.

“Of course,” said the nurse quickly removing her own hoof. “If you don’t need anything else?” she turned to Max, “then I’ll be off then, I’ll be back in an hour to check on you.” Giving a nod to Fragrant she turned and left the room closing the door behind her.

“Oh, Max,” sighed Fragrant, “What happened? I just heard that you were attacked, I came as quickly as I could.” She self-consciously picked at her dress. “I was worried that, that you’d gotten badly hurt.”

“I sorry, it was a Corona cult in the city. I followed Greengrass to them and there was a fight and one of them took a child hostage. I had to do something!”

“Couldn’t you have called the guard or something, it’s their job to do things like that, they’re trained for it.”

“There wasn’t time and I had to do something!”

Fragrant sighed. “I know you did,” she gently brushed a wing across him. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t do things like this, but I can’t help but worry. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t try to,” mumbled Max, “it just happens.”

“I know it does, but can’t you be more careful? Getting hurt for Greengrass, he doesn’t deserve your help.”

“I don’t know,” said Max resting his heavy head on the soft pillow. Fragrant’s dramatic exit had gotten his blood pumping, but now her soothing presence was just speeding up the sleep spell. “He did find out about the cult, and he gave up everything to get Dawn investigated.”

“He was probably behind it all in the first place, and I’m sure he’s got some trick planned to end up on top. Are you alright?”

“My head still hurts a bit,” he said, “I got kicked in the face.”

“Luckily you have such a hard head then,” she teased, leaning forwards to gently place her lips on the bandage covering his forehead. “You should probably get some sleep.”

“You’re probably right,” he said closing his eyes and letting himself sink into the bed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you wake,” said Fragrant as he began to drop off.

As the doctors had predicted Max was well enough to leave after two days in the hospital. Fragrant spent as much time as she could with him, only leaving for her most important duties. She even brought some of her paperwork to his room, and to Max’s horror even some of his as well so he could finish it while sitting up in bed. She ended up spending much of her time correcting his work but it was nice to get to spend so much time together. Apparently although the existence of the Corona cult was being kept secret by the guard the explosions and general commotion had been impossible to hide and much of the press around her home had been reassigned to investigating the events making it much easier for her to get out and live her life.

Despite Fragrant’s presence by the end of the second day Max was going stir crazy and was so very glad to be able to get away from the hospital and out into Canterlot itself. He asked around court about what had happened to Greengrass but nopony seemed to know what had happened since the vote. In the end Max was forced to ask the guards. He was informed that Greengrass was still under suspicion of treachery and was thus still under arrest. However he had been asking for Max to visit him. Given the situation Max didn’t feel like he could refuse.

Greengrass’s ‘cell’ wasn’t really all that different from Max’s hospital room. The bed looked just as plush and the equipment just as up to date, although unlike Max’s room this one had a lock on the door and a pair of guards stationed outside. After a thorough search and a magical scan Max was let into the room and told to knock on the door when he was finished.

Like Max, Greengrass was covered in bandages, as he was still bed bound Max guessed that the Duke’s injuries much be worse than his own. A thick bandage covered his barrel where he had been stabbed and a cast covered one of his rear legs.

“Ah, baron,” said Greengrass looking up from a book as Max entered the room. “Glad you could make it. You certainly look like you’ve been in the wars.”

“Not any more than you Greengrass,” said Max slumping into a chair by the bed. “But I’m getting better.”

“As am I, I guess there’s sometimes a reason to be thankful to be born an earth pony,” he grinned, “things could be much worse. For a prison this place is rather nice, I even get visitors, my parents have spent quite some time here. I suppose I should thank you, your actions probably saved my life.”

“Oh, well no problem,” said Max.

“Although if you had helped me when I first asked neither one of us might have taken such a beating,” he added ruefully, “and I might not be stuck in here.”

“Yes, um, sorry, but you have to admit your story did seem a little farfetched. Who would have thought that a member of the court was secretly working for Corona?”

“Anyone who knew them?” said Greengrass raising an eyebrow. He laughed a little at Max’s expression before clutching at his ribs. “Ow, oh I was surprised that anypony was actively building weapons for the tyrant, but somepony positioning themselves so that they would be at an advantage if Corona ends up winning? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if quite a few nobles didn’t have some plans in that direction.”

Max blinked, he couldn’t believe that anypony at court would be a traitor like that, but then he hadn’t suspected Dawn either.

“Yes, I don’t think you know the court as well as you think you do baron. Maybe your education has been a bit lacking.”

“Fragr- Duchess Posey made sure to train me on everything I’d need to know,” exclaimed Max.

“I’m sure she did,” said Greengrass with a smile, “or rather she taught you all that she thought you might need to know. I can probably think of a few extra things you should know, maybe I should take you under my metaphorical wing, in the same way Fragrant used her literal wings.” He twisted a little on the bed and grimaced. “Once I’ve healed up a little.”

“Maybe,” mumbled Max, given he was in prison it seemed rather hopeful of Greengrass that he’d be able to help Max in future although it would be nice to have somepony else to bounce some ideas off of. “What was all that about out there? How did you find a Corona Cult in the city? And know that Dawn Chorus was involved?”

“Ah, there is a bit of a story there,” said Greengrass moving around in the bed to look at Max. “As you know my stock’s fallen a bit since the gala. There have even been rumours that the princess was looking for a reason to have me removed. Well I kept my ear to the ground to see if I could find something to improve my reputation. You’ve noticed all the little problems around the castle recently? Broken Pipes? Gas leaks, that sort of thing?”

Max nodded. He hadn’t thought much of them at the time but they did seem more common than normal.

“Well, I thought they were a bit too frequent to be pure chance, so I looked into them and found a pattern. I guessed it was a disgruntled member of staff, maybe a guard who got passed over for promotion or something,” he waved a hoof around, “small potatoes really but every little good deed helps.” Max wasn’t entirely sure that the Duke was thinking of good deeds but he guessed you shouldn’t look a gift pig in the mouth. “And it turned out I was right, more or less. This servant called Mango was behind it all, but when I looked a little closer I found that he wasn’t alone. Turns out he was secretly a part of a Corona cult, they were building weapons for the tyrant, canon and black powder and the like. Apparently that wasn’t a big enough rebellion for Mango. No, he felt he needed to get a bit more personal revenge against the ‘mare’” he continued making the quotation signs with his hooves. “Some ponies can just be so petty.”

Given that Max had heard that the Duke tried to come up with creative punishments for those who slighted him, rather than just firing them, he wasn’t sure if he was in any position to call another pony petty. “But if you knew there was a cult in the city why didn’t you just tell the guard?”

“Do you think they would believe me?”

“Yes! Even with what you’ve done, I’m sure they would have investigated.”

“Maybe you’re right but I wanted to make sure that I could present it all to the princess with a nice neat bow on top, the guards would just mess it all up.” Max thought it was probably more likely that Greengrass wanted to find a way to get all the credit for the situation. “It was just as well I did, my...” Greengrass paused for a moment and let out a sigh rubbing his muzzle with a hoof, he suddenly looked very tired. “My agent managed to find out who was behind the whole cult and what they were doing.”

“Dawn Chorus,” said Max.

“Yes,” nodded Greengrass, “I was just as surprised as you, it’s always the last one you’d imagine, isn’t it? Well I guess you’d be the last one I’d think of as a Corona Cultist, but she’d probably be the second to last one.” Max wasn’t sure if he should feel flattered or not. “Apparently she’d been a Corona follower much of her life and recently one of the Tyrant’s minions had contacted her and asked she make weapons for their mistress. I saw her contact a few times, a tall red coated pegasus. I can’t say I understand why Corona needed canons, maybe she wanted to blow up the mountain or something?” he shrugged. “Still things were going well I had the identities of most of the cult and its patron, but then... then I got greedy... I wanted to know all of them and my... well my agent got captured, it wasn’t her fault it was mine.” He lapsed into silence.

“You said about your assistant, Notary being in trouble earlier, was she your agent?”

“Yes,” the reply was quiet hardly audible. “It was my fault.”

“But why didn’t you go to the guards then? If you knew so much about the cult? They could have saved her?” If Mrs G had gotten captured by a Corona Cult Max would do anything he could to save her.

“As I told you they wouldn’t believe me!” he snarled. “They’d take too long and Notary could have gotten hurt... or worse... and it was my fault! I had to fix it!” He sighed. “Plus, some of the things Notary had done to infiltrate the cult weren’t exactly on your preferred side of the law. I didn’t want her get into any trouble. I tried to get help but nopony listened, you didn’t listen!” He pointed an accusing hoof at Max.

“I know, and I’m sorry but it seemed so unlikely.”

“Yes,” said Greengrass seeming to calm down a little. “I suppose it did. When nopony would help I was forced to take more, extreme action.”

“The vote?” said Max.

“I did what I do so well and gambled. Put all my chips in. I figured that Dawn knew who Notary was but probably not if I knew, or how much I knew. I didn’t know where they were keeping Notary or where the weapons were but I knew if I rattled Dawn enough then she’d have to find out, and to do that she’d need me and would likely take me to where Notary was. And I was right, after the vote she sent some of her thugs to get me.”

“You let yourself be captured?” asked Max in astonishment.

“And then escaped,” he said with a grin, “ponies are always underestimating me, you’d be surprised how many times ponies at court threaten to destroy me, they never seem to get around to it though. I got free, rescued Notary and sabotaged some of the canon. Fire and black powder do not mix.”

“What happened to Notary?” asked Max, “I don’t think I saw her at the factory.”

Greengrass’s face fell again. “She didn’t entirely agree with how I handled things, we had a bit of an argument, she, well she left my employment, but I’m sure she’ll be alright. She’s a very capable, very skilled mare.” He turned away. “It’s going to be very difficult to replace her.” There was another moment's pause before Greengrass turned back towards Max. “And that’s more or less where you came in, how did you find me?”

“With some help from one of your father's friends. I went to your office and found Greenmeadow there, he was looking for you as well and he knew a tracker who could follow your scent.”

“My scent? Well dad is full of surprises. How was he? I’m not sure if he should be running around Canterlot’s underworld at his age,” the Duke sounded genuinely concerned.

“I think he’s ok, he was worried about you, we both were really.”

“Well not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment but I am quite capable of looking after myself after all-” He was interrupted by the door to the room opening and a member of the Night Guard marched in followed by a large dark pony her starry mane billowing behind her.

“Princess!” gasped Max.

“Your Highness,” said Greengrass.

“Baron, I heard you were visiting and decided to kill two birds with one stone as it were,” said princess Luna. Max swallowed painfully, that didn’t sound good. She turned to Greengrass. “It seems that I have you to thank for locating a group of my sister’s followers in the city,” a smile started to grow over Greengrass’s face, “and for causing significant property damage,” she continued causing his face to fall.

“I only did what I did for the good of Equestria my Princess, I could not allow those loyal to your sister to run rampant in your city. The weapons they were producing could have hurt many ponies, I felt it was better that they were destroyed.”

The Princess gazed down at Greengrass for a moment her eyes hard, then her gaze softened a little. “True, they could have caused significant damage. Your action lead to the capture of almost the entire cult and their leader, although my guard have been unable to locate my sister’s emissary. However, it would have been better if they had been made aware of them so that they could be dealt with with less collateral damage.”

“I’m sorry about that,” said Max, “but I thought Greengrass might be in danger, I couldn’t wait.”

Luna turned to Max as if she had forgotten he was present. “Although your actions were not perfect Baron, I can see that you acted as best you could. I have talked to baron Greenmeadow and he has explained his worries about his son’s condition. At least you did inform the guard both of Greengrass’s abduction and the cults activity when you could, although you did waste precious hours. You even did what you could to protect Canterlot’s citizenry putting your own life in danger to do so. I can take no serious fault with your actions.”

“Oh, thank you,” said Max.

“However, Duke,” she turned back to Greengrass, “I cannot see any reason for you not to have reported what you knew of my sister’s follower’s days if not weeks ago.”

“I am sorry my princess, but I thought that hasty action might have resulted in the cult carrying out their plans early. I was also not sure how far their reach might have spread as they may have had agents in the guard.”

Luna stared at the Duke for several seconds before she spoke. “True, although unlikely. However, some might suspect that you were involved in the cult yourself, and took the time to cover your own tracks.”

“I assume that is why I am still being held here?” said Greengrass gesturing around the room. “As nice as it is I would like to leave if possible.”

“Despite quite thorough investigation, I can find no link between you and my sister,” the princess admitted, “and your father has spoken on your behalf, you are free to leave as soon as the doctors believe you are well enough.”

“Thank you. All of my actions were purely in the service of Equestria,” said Greengrass smiling, “I of course have no wish for your sister to come to power. I even sacrificed much to deal with her servants.”

“You refer to your trick with the vote? An abuse of a loophole in the rules, Vicereine Wallflower was furious.”

“All for the greater good,” said Greengrass, “No doubt the vicereine is even now arranging for that loophole to be closed. Without my actions it might have been abused by someone without Equestria’s best interests at heart.”

“Of course,” said Luna, “I assume you expect to be rewarded for your actions?”

“I would not be so presumptuous,” said Greengrass a smile starting to grow on his face. “but I did sacrifice much, and put my own life at risk. I do not think it would be unreasonable to at least regain the power I gave up, my committees and the like, although even your official support would do much to help my position. Many courtiers do not trust me since the, unfortunate events of the gala.”

The princess seemed to consider the situation for a moment before replying. “No,” she said simply.

Greengrass’s face fell. “Pardon!” he stuttered.

“I said, no. You have indeed helped the crown by unearthing my sister’s followers, but I do not believe you have done it for the good of the country. I think you only did this because you thought it would benefit you.”

“But, but, you told the court at the gala that they had to be better ponies! I helped save the whole city! I drove away Nota-” his mouth snapped shut. “I sacrificed everything for you!” he finally managed.

“If you had actually been present at my throne when I made my ultimatum to the court maybe you would understand. The court needs to work for the good of Equestria, and not for their own gain. You could have dealt with the cult at any point but you waited until you could claim the glory for it!” Luna’s eyes started to glow. “It could be considered that your actions even helped the cult, in which case you would be guilty of treason, a crime which can still carry the death penalty!” Max backed away his gaze moving back and forth between Greengrass and the princess. The Duke seemed unnerved by his liege but to Max’s surprise he didn’t seem terrified. “Yes, your actions did helped save the city, and for that reason I will not strip you of your title and have you expelled from court! However, you have only done it because you expected a reward and your delay in reporting what you knew might have cost us dearly. Goodness done for personal gain alone, is not true goodness!”

“But your Highness, I-” began Greengrass he was cut off as the shadows around the room started to gather beginning to cloud Luna’s form so that only her glowing eyes were fully visible. He stopped realising who he was arguing with. “Of course, your Highness,” he eventually managed through gritted teeth.

“Good,” said Luna. “Now baron Max,” she said turning to the other pony in the room. “Is there any reward you would like for your part in this?” her eyebrow raised.

“Um, no thank you your highness,” he said quickly.

“Good,” said the Princess as she turned to leave the door. “I hope you both learn something from these events.”

It took several minutes for Max’s breathing to return to normal, it had been shocking to see the princess so angry, it was almost like her ultimatum again. He looked aside, to his surprise Greengrass seemed relatively composed. “Well that could have gone better,” he said.

“Better! I thought the Princess was going to banish you to the sun or something!”

“The thought did cross my mind, but here I remain. Where there’s life there’s hope as they say. Maybe this game didn’t go to well, but there will be others. I may have lost a powerful piece but maybe she’ll return to the board once she’s had a bit of time. I abide, I abide,” intoned Greengrass.

38) Month 3 - Homework

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Fragrant critically examined herself in the mirror while carefully applying her lipstick. For a moment, she wondered if the crimson was maybe too dark a shade for her complexion. Her pale yellow coat meant she usually went for a more subtle shade. She puckered her lips and shook her head at the thought. Today she felt like being bold, plus hopefully her lips would get a good workout tonight. She blushed a little at the thought.

Turning, she admired the many layers of gauzy material that made up her dress, each of a different pastel shade. The train was too long to be practical on the ground, but luckily as a pegasus that wasn’t a problem. She tried a gentle swoop and—as it had been designed to—the dress billowed out like a butterfly's wings. It really was a beautiful effect. Lily Lace would certainly be a designer to watch if the rest of her work was like this.

It was her first chance to organise a ‘date night’ since the disastrous trip to the theatre last month, and there was no way she was going to let this date go as badly as that one. She had booked a private table at ‘The Princess’s Legacy’ a high class Cavallian restaurant on the third tier of Canterlot. The manager claimed to be a descendant of the family who had adopted Princess Cadenza almost a millennia ago, and was said to have inherited some of the Princess of Love’s power. The claim was no doubt spurious, but the restaurant was known for its romantic decor, and its staff’s discretion. Cavallian wasn’t her favourite cuisine, but she knew that Max didn’t appreciate a good curry as much as she did. This night was to be about him, he deserved it after the recent events.

Only a few weeks ago, her coltfriend had discovered a Corona cult in the capital, and the cultists had almost beaten him to death for it. She shuddered to think how badly things could have gone. Max himself made light of the event but he still wore bandages to cover his wounds. It made her think of her parents after their accident, and when her mother had... no, she didn’t want to be reminded about that right now. Tonight was going to be a nice date with her coltfriend. They were going to eat by candlelight, enjoy each other’s company, and no pony was going to get hurt!

Fragrant sighed, trying to get her suddenly tense muscles to relax. She knew it was in Max’s nature to do things like try to stop a cult, but she wished he didn’t put himself in danger to do it. There were other ponies for that sort of thing, guards and the like. Nobles didn’t have to do things like that alone. Max was more precious than that! She supposed that guards must have ponies who thought they were precious as well, parents, spouses. Still, they put themselves in danger, but it was their job not Max’s! She sighed, Max just wouldn’t be Max if he didn’t think of others before himself. It was one of the things she found attractive about him, but she couldn’t help but worry that someday things would go too far.

She glanced up at the clock and realized it about time to leave to meet Max at his estate. He had suggested they just walk to the restaurant, but she’d persuaded him that a carriage would be more suitable, and it would mean they would be less likely to be seen. She had thought about using her air chariot, but such vehicles were rare and would probably attract attention. A ground vehicle would provide them with some cover while still being common enough in the city to make them anonymous.

Shifting aside the curtain, Fragrant glanced towards the front gate. There were still a few members of the press huddled out there but far less than there had been a few weeks ago. It seemed the furor about Ta Chrysá Papoútsia had died down. That was good, although in a way it was also bad that such an obvious act of tribalism should be forgotten so quickly. True, it had not been her intention to offend, but should she be forgiven so easily? There had been some questions raised at court by her opponents but they had been comparatively minor, and her allies had gathered around her making it clear that they, regardless of their tribe, supported her. She had found it rather refreshing. She hadn’t known she had so many friends amongst her colleagues. Still, no doubt there would be more problems down the road. Things like that didn’t just disappear. It would probably flare up again when she least expected, but that was a problem for tomorrow.

She let the curtain fall again. It was time to go.

The trip to Max’s house didn’t take all that long. Before she’d met him, Fragrant had never been in the part of the city where he lived. Apart from traveling through, she’d never really had much reason to go below the third ring of the city where most of the courtiers lived. It wasn’t like she didn’t know there were ponies further down the city, just that they hadn’t seemed all that important. She wasn’t naive enough to think that the fourth ring was a slum. It held much of the middle class population of the city, but the real poor lived further down or even at the base of the mountain around the city itself. Still, it was different from the noble estate of the second and third tiers. The houses were smaller and more colourful, foals played out in the streets, and in a way they were rather more welcoming than her own neighbourhood.

With a slight jerk, the coach came to a halt outside of Max’s house. It still seemed so small to her, but she guessed it was more than large enough for a single stallion, cosy even. It just didn’t seem right to her that a noble should live in a place like this, that he didn’t have the ballrooms and servants than the other courtiers took for granted. She couldn’t help but think that it in some way belittled Max. Somepony as brave and special as him should have more than this. She didn’t like to think of what some of the other nobles might be saying about him based on his home.

Shaking her head, she waited for one of the chauffeurs to open the door before alighting from the coach and trotting up to Max’s door. She gave a smart rap on the door and waited for it to open while out of the corner of her eye she saw a small group of foals gawking at her. She guessed her dress was rather out of place here. Then the door opened and Max’s head poked out, his mane looking rather disheveled. “Hello? Oh, Fragrant! Are you...? Wait, is it that time already?”

Fragrant tried to keep a scowl from her face. Max couldn’t have forgotten their date, could he? “I suppose I am a little early,” she admitted.

“I’m sorry, I was busy working on something. Come in, I’ll get ready as quickly as I can.” He held open the door and backed off to allow her to enter. “You look very nice tonight,” he said politely.

“Why, thank you, Max.” Fragrant flounced into the small hallway, letting her dress billow around her before looking Max up and down. To her discomfort, he seemed to be limping a bit and still had several bandages covering his barrel and head. There were less than there had been last week, but she would much prefer if the number was zero. Leaning forwards she gave him a quick welcoming nuzzle. He smelt of a day's hard work. She liked it, although the other occupants of the restaurant might not.

He led her into his sitting room and gestured to a seat. “Would you like a drink or anything?” he asked awkwardly.

“I’ll be fine. Maybe you should get ready? There is being fashionably late, and there is just being late.” Her eye caught on the door to Max’s office. It looked like there had been an explosion in a paper factory in there. What was he doing?

Following her gaze, Max quickly trotted over and shut the door. “I’ve been working from home today. Mrs G says she can hear my teeth grind down in her office. It’s two floors down, but who am I to argue.”

Fragrant frowned. What could Max be working on that got him so worked up? She was about to ask when he continued. “I just need a quick shower, shouldn’t take long at all. I’m sure we can get to the restaurant on time.”

“Well, if you need some help, I can lend a hoof,” she said, then flushed as she realised what she seemed to be offering.

Max blushed as well, and grinned. “I think that might just make things take longer, I’m sure I can shower by myself. These things are marvels,” he said poking a bandage. “They don’t get wet. Some sort of magic, I think.”

“I'll just wait here then,” said Fragrant. Giving a nod, Max made his way out of the room. She heard his hooves clatter up the stairs, followed a few minutes later by the sound of running water.

Left to her own devices, Fragrant glanced around the room. She hadn’t spent much time in Max’s house by herself before. The seating was comfortable, if a little battered. Presumably it was second hoof. The rest of the furnishing was rather sparse. One wall had a map of Equestria laid out on it, with a few pins pushed into the blank area which represented Nulpar.

Standing, she walked over to the currently smoldering fire to examine the small picture above it. It was a photograph which appeared to have been a little inelegantly inked in to give it colour. Fragrant recognised Max and an older mare who was presumably his mother, but there was an older stallion as well. Could it be Max’s father? Probably not. From what she remembered, he had died when Max was young, and judging by Max’s age in the picture, it couldn’t have been taken more than a few years ago. She did recall Max saying something about his mother taking a new lover. Maybe this was him. She carefully returned the picture to its space. Should she should go out and tell the chauffeurs she would be a while? She glanced out the window to see a small herd of foals gathered around her coach, where it appeared her servants were quite busy providing entertainment for them at the moment.

Glancing around the room again, her gaze caught on the door to Max’s office. Maybe she should check up on what he was working on? It could be considered a bit of a breach of his trust, but she was rather curious, because the budget period was over and normally the next month was fairly quiet at court. Carefully, she tiphoofed over to the office door. Max was still upstairs but moving quietly seemed to be the thing to do. She paused for a moment before gently pushing the door open.

The room behind it was small and packed with books and files, many of which she recognised as legal primers because she had copies of most of them in her own office as well. Her’s were not quite as worn though, and most of the ones in front of her had pages folded over. Max was certainly working hard on something, but what?

She picked up one of the sheets of paper from the floor, recognizing Mrs Groghar’s neat mouth writing, but it looked like some other unknown individual had marked it with comments and corrections. Quite a lot of corrections. She picked up another page and another. They were all annotated in the same way.

Max’s desk had a binder with a dozen or so pages written in his own somewhat less tidy style, and an edited page sitting next to it. Apparently, he was writing up a corrected version of the document. Carefully putting aside the pile of papers which had covered the seat, Fragrant sat down and started to read through the work so far.

“It’s my road building bill,” said Max from behind her, causing Fragrant to jump and toss several sheets of paper across the room. “Sorry!” he said while rushing to recover them.

“Max!” exclaimed Fragrant. She blushed. “I’m sorry, the… um… door was open,” she lied, “and well I got rather engrossed.”

“No problem,” said Max. “I was going to show it to you when it was ready.”

“Your bill?” She had quite forgotten about it after his disastrous attempt to circumvent protocol to get it introduced early. The three month period he would have to wait before he could raise it again must be almost over by now.

“Yes, I wanted to put it through the relevant committee as soon as possible. Sometimes it can take so long for them to go through. All those amendments!” Fragrant nodded. Part of the function of committees was to filter out poorly written or unsuitable proposals, quite often those submitted by younger nobles and those with less influence, such as Max. In fact, she was fairly certain that some of her first work was still circling around and around in some committee or other. “So anyway,” continued Max, “I thought that maybe I can’t officially submit it yet, but I can ask the members of the committee to read it through and tell me anything that's wrong with it, sort of pre-reading.”

Fragrant blinked. That wasn’t breaching any rule she knew of, it just wasn’t done all that often. Courtiers often worried that a rival might steal any good ideas before the bill was formally submitted, or use the extra time to prepare a better counter argument against it.

“How did that go?” she asked cautiously.

“Well it was a bit tricky to start off with because quite a few of the members were rather busy, but Kibitz chairs the infrastructure committee it needs to go through, and he was nice enough to agree to look it over. Greengrass as well. Plus, after that vote about Dawn Chorus last week, a few of the newer barons and baronesses agreed to help as well. I said I’d look over anything they wanted to propose in exchange, although I’m not sure how much use I’ll be.” He shrugged.

“You shouldn’t put yourself down, Max. I’m sure you have a lot of good ideas.” The pre-reading idea itself wasn’t something she would have thought of, or rather she would have turned it down based on the potential problems. But Max wasn’t as cynical as she was, so she hoped nothing would go wrong.

“Thanks! It feels good to actually get something done at court. If this all works out, the increase in road and rail building will do a lot of good for the poorer provinces, really make a change to the lives of the ponies out there-”

Fragrant couldn’t help but grin when Max’s eyes seemed to light up with his excitement. It was good to see him so happy, and the surety and passion of his words really tugged at something in her. Not to mention the way his still damp mane hung about his face. Well, she was glad she was sitting or she was certain her legs would be feeling a little wobbly right now.

“Fragrant!” said Max. She shook her head, because she’d lost track of what he had been saying.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“I said if it’s alright with you, could you have a look through it once I’m done?”

“Of course, Max. I’d love to.”

“Good. I did think of talking to you about it earlier, but you were so busy, and, well I wanted to prove to myself I could get it done.” He grinned and picked up a page mostly covered in red ink. “Apparently I still need a lot of help.”

“Everypony has to learn somewhen. Some of my early work was probably much worse,” she said while examined the page Max was working on. She struggled to hide a frown, because the number of basic procedural errors she could see after a quick glance made a liar of her. However, she had been raised to be a courtier. Max had not. “When are you planning to finish it by?”

“It has to be submitted on the last working Friday of the quarter, so that gives me a week. It’s a bit of a stretch, but I think I can manage it.”

Fragrant nodded and then froze, a frown crossing her face. “Next Friday is Nightmare Night.”

“Yes, I havn’t had much time to look for a costume yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something.”

“No, I mean the castle will be close for the night.” Max blinked looking worried. “The princess converts the palace into a funhouse for the local foals. If you want to get it submitted for the next quarter you’d need to do it by dawn today at the latest. It might be best to wait until your next chance.”

“But that would be after Hearth’s Warming,” mumbled Max. He slumped into the chair, his eyes scanning the pages around him. “I can’t get all this done by morning.”

Fragrant moved forward and threw a comforting wing over him. She hated to see him like this, so defeated. A three month delay wouldn’t be much when you looked at it, but Max seemed to have set his heart on getting this done, and he’d worked so hard so far. There had to be something she could do? Maybe if she put her staff on the task? They could probably do it, but would that steal Max’s glory? “Maybe, maybe, you can get it done before the deadline. It’ll be hard but I’m sure you can get it done if you work your hardest. I’ll help you as much as I can,” she offered.

“Would you?” he said looking up into her eyes the spark of hope starting to ignite again. “But what about dinner? You arranged things.”

“We can go out another time,” she said dismissively, although booking the table had been tricky because of the long waiting list. “This is important.”

“Well if you say so,” said Max turning to the folder and flipping through it, “but there’s a lot to do.”

“Then we should start right now then,” said Fragrant gently, pushing him aside to make space on the seat for herself. “Show me what you’ve done so far,” she said as she sat, down leaning against Max.

“Does this bit really need rewriting?” pleaded Max looking up from the folder in front of him.

“Yes,” said Fragrant sternly. “You need to fully describe what a road actually is in the bill. If you don’t, you leave it open to all sorts of misinterpretation. It’ll never pass committee this way. I don’t care what Greengrass said in his notes, you need to nail this down.”

“Fine,” mumbled Max, picking up the quill again.

Fragrant sighed. Both of them were getting frustrated because it had only been a few hours and they still had lots to do. They really did need a break. Her stomach grumbled. Food would be good as well. She considered the situation. She’d sent her servants and carriage away when she’d first decided to help Max with his work, but there was probably something to eat in the house and if there wasn’t there were probably several places to get it from nearby. She turned to ask Max when an idea struck her, something to make the night special.

“Here,” she said getting up and pulling out one of the nearby books of precedents, “this should be able to help. You can probably copy something from one of the older cases in here. I’m going to get us something to eat.”

Max’s ears pricked up at the mention of food. “You don’t have to, I’m sure I can cook something. I think I have some carrots and potatoes left over, so maybe a soup?”

“No, you keep working on that. I’ll be back soon,” said Fragrant heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“It’ll be a surprise,” she said opening the door and spreading her wings.

I hope.

The restaurant wasn’t far, so Fragrant decided to fly the whole distance rather than try to hail a coach. It was less than half an hour later that she touched down next to The Princess’s Legacy. Given its reputation for discretion, the main entrance to the restaurant was in a minor, but well lit alley, with only a small plaque to announce its presence. Taking a moment to straighten her dress because it was not designed for long distance travel, Fragrant pushed the door open and entered.

The main floor of the restaurant was built around a courtyard open to the sky so that the diners could gaze up at the stars while they ate. At the centre of the room was a large water feature, a fountain in the shape of the Princess of Love herself reaching out towards the sky with her mane and tail wrapped around herself. The customers themselves sat around the edges of the square at small tables mostly seating two, although a few parties of three were also present. It was hard to say for sure as the lighting levels were kept to a minimum, leaving each table only highlighted by a single candle. Staff members gracefully glided from table to table, delivering or collecting plates without distracting the customers who mostly seemed to be more engrossed with each other. At one side, a troubadour stood quietly providing mood music on a stringed instrument Fragrant didn’t recognise. She sighed. It would have been so nice to have spent the evening here with Max. Maybe another time.

“Ah, Duchess Posey. You are late, I was beginning to worry,” said a short pegasus stallion with a light Calabarian accent as he appeared out of the darkness. Fragrant turned to look at him, he was a dark blue colour with a black mane slicked back and a white shirt worn open to reveal a thick tuft of chest hair. His cutie mark, a bow and arrow, the tip in the shape of a heart confirmed that this must be Cupīdō, the restaurant’s owner.

“And you are alone,” he continued in near horror. “Oh this will not do, a mare such as yourself stood up, left alone on a night such as this, no, no, no!” He threw an arm over her. “We have another here tonight who is also alone, for her true love turned out to not be true either. I will put the two of you together so maybe this will turn out to be fate, no?”

“No, no, it’s not like that,” said Fragrant easing herself away from the over enthusiastic stallion. She was somewhat charmed by the effort he was putting into trying to make her happy, but also a little insulted that he thought she had been abandoned and could just be paired up with a random pony. “My, um, partner couldn’t make it tonight because he has to work.”

“Who is this who puts ‘work’ before amour?” spluttered Cupīdō. “You Equestrian’s have everything backwards! If he does this, he does not deserve a lovely mare such as yourself!”

Fragrant flushed at the compliment. “It really is very important. I was the one who told him to work rather than come here.”

Cupīdō hummed to himself for a moment apparently undecided if this was alright or not. “I suppose that must do then. I thank you for coming to tell me your table would be vacant.”

“Actually, there is something else, I was wondering if it might be possible for your to make a meal to, well, to go...” It wasn’t all that unusual to ask to take food away from a restaurant, so she hoped it would not be all that much trouble.

Cupīdō’s eye’s bulged. “To go!” he gasped. “You want food to go! To take away! Like a greasy hayburger from some stall in a market place!” Several patrons were distracted from the stars and each other by the manager’s cries and began to look on with curiosity, making Fragrant feel distinctly awkward. She took several steps into the darkness followed by Cupīdō. “This is the greatest restaurant in all of Equestria!” he continued a little quieter, “We do not do food, to go!” He stamped a hoof on the ground.

Fragrant sighed, she understood that the manager might need to protect his restaurant's reputation but this really was taking things too far. “If it is a matter of cost, I am willing to pay for any inconvenience.”

“Pay! Pay!” exclaimed Cupīdō in outrage. “You think this is about money! This is The Princess’s Legacy! Our food is second to none, but it is not what we serve here. No,” he jabbed out a hoof at her, “Here we serve love! We provide the most romantic ambiance possible, we create the perfect environment for amour. The food by itself is nothing, just selling food would be an insult to my ancestors, no, to the princess herself!” he snorted turning away. “There will be no ‘take away’!”

“You will not let me take the food home because it is not romantic enough?” she asked in astonishment. “Do you know who I am? I am your customer,” hissed Fragrant. She tried to keep her voice down so as to not attract any more attention but the stallion in front of her was becoming very annoying. “If I wish to take your food away with me you should let me do so!”

“No!” said Cupīdō making a cutting gesture with his hoof. “What we do here is not just feed the gut. No, here we feed the heart! We have the most romantic setting, the most beautiful music. Here, amour thrives! Relationships begin here which will last for a lifetime! You think you can do better at home?” He snorted.

“Your restaurant might be very pretty, it might have music, and food and starlight but it doesn’t have the most important thing I need for it to be romantic,” exclaimed Fragrant drawing herself up and looming over the shorter stallion.

“Oh, and what would that be?” said Cupīdō unafraid.

“It doesn’t have Ma... it doesn’t have my partner,” announced Fragrant, her voice softening. “He can’t be here. He has to work, but just spending that time with him in his humble home makes me happier than your music or starlight! Doing paperwork with him is much more romantic than sitting here without him. The way his eyes sparkle when he gets engrossed in something, the little ways he shows he cares, not just about me, but about everypony! That, that is where amour thrives, and if I want to bring him food I should be able to!” She stood there painting. She hadn’t meant to get quite so worked up but she couldn’t believe the nerve of the stallion in front of her..

Cupīdō stamped a hoof on the ground and for a moment Fragrant thought he was going to continue to rant at her but a moment later he stamped again and she realised he was applauding. A wide smile suddenly spread across the stallion's face. “Oh, brava, brava, duchess!” he said laughing, “I thank you!”

“Thank me?” she said in surprise.

“Yes, thank you,” Cupīdō sighed. “I may have been taking things a little too seriously. Love is my family business after all, but you have reminded me that love is not found in all these trappings,” he waved a hoof around the restaurant. “Love is two hearts beating as one! It can be found anywhere and everywhere!” He slapped her across the back causing her to start. “Now lets see what we can do to make your night with your paramour unforgettable!”

“You’re back!” exclaimed Max with a smile as he opened the door, “Where did you go?” he asked.

“I got us some food,” said Fragrant carefully levering the package off of her back. She was glad that she’d been keeping up with her exercises recently. The box Cupīdō had provided had been heavy and the trip back from the restaurant had seemed much longer than the trip there.

“What is it? I’m starving!” said Max while clearing off the table in the living room. He must have lit the fire while she was away as it was now blazing away merrily in the hearth. It probably wasn’t needed because the house was hardly cold, but it did add to the ambiance.

“Before we eat, what did you get done while I was away?” asked Fragrant strictly. She was hungry too, but if they were to get finished in time, Max would have to pick up the pace. Plus, the bashful look on his face was so cute!

“Well, some. I think I sorted out that definition you wanted, and I got most of the precedent section completed. You can look over it if you want.”

“I will in a bit. Just tidy up your notes while I get things ready.”

“Are you sure I can’t help?” asked Max with a pleading tone. Fragrant felt a pang of sympathy. He had been working on this all day now and he could do with a rest, but he had to be strong and she wanted the meal to be a surprise.

“I’m sorry Bow Wow,” she said moving over to muzzle him. “Just a few more minutes.”

Max returned the gesture. “Sure, Kitty Cat. I’ll tidy up a bit.”

“Thanks.” Fragrant turned back to the table and started to unpack the package while Max headed back towards the office. She was surprised quite how much Cupīdō had managed to include because there were several courses of food, still toasty warm. He’d even included crockery and a candle, as well as a bottle of what she recognised as a rather excellent wine from the Amour vineyards themselves.

Maybe he really is related to the Princess.

“That was amazing,” said Max, leaning back on his seat.

“It was good, wasn’t it.” Fragrant looked down at her plate. There was still quite a bit of food left, but she didn’t think she could eat another bite. Even beyond the meal itself, the night had been very pleasant. They’d put aside work for an hour or so to just talk about each other. It had been very relaxing, and just as she’d said to Cupīdō, she didn’t need a troubadour or a fountain for a good time. Just Max was good enough for her.

“I’m really sorry I got the dates for the proposal messed up, but I think tonight turned out really well.” Fragrant nodded in agreement. She had to admit it was nice to have a date where she wasn’t covered in soup or ready to be lynched by an angry mob of theatre goers. Max picked up the half empty bottle of wine and went to pour himself out another glass, but Fragrant stopped him.

“No more for you. There are rules about writing legislation while drunk.” Max smirked at that. “That really is a law, you know. Some of our predecessors tended to take their drinking rather more seriously than their ruling.”

“How come you get to drink then?” he asked, pointing at her glass.

“It’s not my legislation,” she pointed out cheekily before taking a deep draft and emptying her glass, but restrained herself from refilling it afterwards. “Dinner's over, so back to work with you,” she said strictly as she got to her hooves. The candle on the table was almost burnt down so it had to be gone midnight by now, there was probably less than six hours still to go before the bill had to be submitted.

“What, no chance to digest?” asked Max in surprise.

“Sorry, I didn’t get to be minister of weather by tolerating slackers,” she said with mock strictness. “Back to your office!” she commanded lightly slapping him on his pleasingly firm flank.

“Not even time for after dinner snuggles?” said Max getting to his hooves.

Fragrant had to admit that was rather more tempting than most of the excuses her staff gave for not getting their work done on time. A look into Max’s eyes almost made her will crumble, but she had to be strong.

Resist him! Resist him!

“Maybe later,” she managed, “You do want to get this done now, don’t you? Think of the good it can do for your provence.”

“I know, I know,” said Max shaking his head, “I’m just not much of a paperwork pony. I want to actually do things, not write about them.”

“I know, but you need to write things up to get them done. Wait until you actually get your bill passed. Then you’ll get to see what you’ve done, not just for Nulpar, but for the whole of Equestria.” She held back that even with the proposal submitted now and pre-vetted by the committee it could be months, probably even years before the bill became law, and even longer before the first paving stone was actually laid down. It was almost unknown for a first year noble to get anything done, but she didn’t want to extinguish his hope.

“I guess so,” said Max, sounding a little more enthused. “I’m sure I can do this!”

“Aaarghh! I can’t do this!” exclaimed Max tossing a pile of papers into the air. Fragrant watched as they swirled around the room. They’d both moved from the office to the living room because there was more space for the two of them and the lighting was better. “I’m never going to be able to do this! It’s not even words any more, it’s just squiggles!” he cried. Fragrant gritted her teeth at his theatrics, but she had to admit they’d been at this for hours now. They’d made good time so far but there was still so much to do. “Why does Kibitz have to be so picky? There’s nothing wrong with most of this! I’m just copying it all out again for nothing! It’s all just pointless!”

“Max!” exclaimed Fragrant.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just tired!” He bent over to gather up his papers again.

“I know,” she said, resting an arm on his back and leaning into him, “but you need to keep going. There’s not much left to do.” She glanced over at at the document on the table, estimating that it was about two thirds done by now. Most of the actual legal technicalities of it had been worked out, so it just the hard slog of writing the whole thing up correctly remaining.

“There’s pages and pages and pages,” Max complained.

“Yes, but it’s for the good of your people. Won’t you be happy when you see the trains coming into Saddlezberg?”

“I guess so,” mumbled Max straightening the papers and leaning over them again. “I guess there isn’t that much more to do.”

“Tell you what, how about a little encouragement?” she said blushing at her own idea.

“What do you mean?” asked Max sounding intrigued, his ears swiveling towards her.

“You complete a page of the bill, and you get a kiss,” she leaned forwards and pressed her lips against the side of his face, leaving a red mark behind. “Like that,” she whispered in his ear. Max’s eyes widened and he lunged forwards to take the quill in his mouth and began to work on the sheet of parchment in front of him. Fragrant smiled. It was nice to know that she was so motivating.

***

“I’ve finished another.” exclaimed Max presenting the side of his face to Fragrant expectancy.

“That was only a few lines,” she said examining the page.

“But I always start a new page for new sections!” he protested.

“I suppose so,” she considered, “maybe you’re due half a kiss? A nuzzle, maybe?” she leant forwards resting her head against his side before rubbing her mane against his face.

He took in a deep breath. “Perfect,” he grinned, “On to the next section.”

***

“Are you stretching this out?” said Fragrant suspiciously. “I’m sure you didn’t have this much left to do.”

“Well I thought I could do with rewriting a few of the earlier sections, just to make them clearer,” Max said guiltily.

Fragrant considered for a moment. “Fair enough,” she admitted, pressing her lips against one of bandages around his barrell.

***

“Was that last section two or three pages?” asked Fragrant blinking blearily.

“Um, I don’t know,” admitted Max yawning into his hoof. “Three, I think. Maybe four?” he said hopefully.

“That sounds about right,” mumbled Fragrant bobbing her head forwards and puckering up.

***

Fragrant struggled to open her eyes. Just one last stretch should do it now, since there were only a few more pages still to correct and write up. She just had to make sure Max stayed awake and on task. She looked over towards her coltfriend, but his head was resting against the desk so she reached over to give him a shake. Then she caught a glance at the completed document on the table. After several long moments, her languid thoughts came to the conclusion that she must have dozed off for a bit and missed the last few pages. Yawning, she flicked through the document and could not find anything missing. With a sigh, she let her head drift down and rest next to Max’s.

“Well done,” she whispered, “I’m proud of you.” She gently laid another kiss against his neck and tried to stand up, but she felt far too relaxed right now for anything that complex. They probably had two hours or more before the bill had to be filed and that would be plenty of time to have a quick nap. She let her eyes drift shut again. Maybe she should be acting with a little more urgency, but Max was so very comfortable to lie on. She really didn’t feel like moving right now.

Max gave a yawn and stretched. The pony lying on him gave a whimper and snuggled closer to him before relaxing again. This feels very nice thought Max, even though he wasn’t exactly in the most comfortable position. There was a book digging into his flank, but he would not have shifted position for all of Equestria and maybe a few of the Exarchys as well. Without opening his eyes, he sniffed. Yes, it was definitely Fragrant draped over him. It was nice to think he could recognise her by scent alone. He wondered how they had ended up sleeping together this time? It tended to happen quite frequently, but it did get a little frustrating that things hadn’t gotten further yet. Fragrant seemed to be a little flighty about the next step in their relationship and he didn’t want to push her into anything she wasn’t comfortable with. They should probably talk things over but there didn’t seem to have been the right time yet.

Yawning again, he tried to think back to what had happened last night. He hoped he could remember so he could repeat it later. He remembered Fragrant coming over for a date, but he’d been busy with something, so they’d had dinner together. Then there had been a lot of time spent on something important…

His eyes snapped open. The completed bill sat on the table in front of him with only a few drops of drool on its cover. He swivelled his gaze to the window. To his relief, the sun wasn’t up yet, but the glow entering the building suggested that it wasn’t far off.

There’s probably less than half an hour to deliver the bill to the castle!

Fragrant could make it there in a few minutes by wing, so he tried to turn to get a good look at her without waking her up. She looked so peaceful right now with her mane disheveled and covering much of her face. There was no way he was going to get her up to finish his task. He would have to make the journey himself.

Carefully, bit by bit, he crawled out from under Fragrant. He tried to be as gentle as possible, first freeing one reluctant hoof, then another, and finally his tail which was nearly completely covered, before he could begin to crawl forward. For a moment, Fragrant tensed, her wings tightening around his barrel. He froze, but then she gave a snort and relaxed, rolling away from him. Max took his chance and quickly scuttled away before Fragrant could reach out for him again. Her face scrunched up in sleep, apparently not happy to have lost her source of warmth and her limbs started to blindly reach out trying to find him while she gave a grumble of displeasure.

Quickly, he rushed upstairs and grabbed a pillow and blanket from his bed. Trotting back downstairs as quietly as possible, he put the pillow in his former place. Fragrant grabbed at it, burrowing her muzzle deeply in it and taking a sniff before seeming to accept it as a replacement, then relaxing again into a deeper sleep. Grinning like a fool, Max gently laid the blanket over her and turned to leave, but couldn’t resist leaning in and gently kissing Fragrant on her forehead. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered. Fragrant mumbled some reply which he didn’t understand before he turned and headed to the door, quietly letting himself out before galloping at full speed towards the castle.

Panting heavily, Max rushed into the palace entrance hall. It felt good to really push his limits, but some of the wounds he had suffered at the hooves of the Corona cultists were really aching. He would probably needed a few more weeks of healing before he’d be back to full strength. He’d got a few strange looks while he’d gone barrelling through the town weaving his way through the early morning crowds. It was lucky that none of the guards had stopped him on the way here but he guessed they recognised him and were used to his eccentricities by now. Leaping up the stairs in giant bounds, he quickly tried to visualise where the records room was from here, twisting in the air while rushing towards the appropriate door and barely avoiding a unicorn bearing a large stack of papers coming the other way. “Sorry!” he cried when his passing sent the forms flying, leaving the scribe desperately reaching out with his aura to try and catch them all.

Max reached the door to the Central Stores just as a middle aged unicorn mare, her grey mane done up in a strict bun was starting to hang up a sign on the door. “Sorry,” panted Max his hooves scrabbling on the floor as he clattered to a halt. “I, I need to file something.”

“Come back tomorrow. We’re closed,” intoned the clerk not looking away from the door.

“Please, it’s really important, and it has to be done now!” exclaimed Max glancing over at a window. The sun was just starting to edge over the horizon.

“I said we’re—” The mare turned to face Max, then a shocked expression passed over her face for a moment. She blushed and held a hoof to her mouth, seeming to stifle a gasp or a giggle. “Oh! Um, Baron Max isn’t it? It looks like you had an... um... busy night?”

"Huh?" Max tried to give what he hoped was a winning smile. "Well, yes. I guess so. There was a lot to do and it was pretty hard going, but with a bit of help, I managed to power on through."

“I bet it was hard,” said the scribe with her eyes twinkling. “It’s been a few years now but me and the husband used to...” she trailed off. “So, um, what can I do to help you?” she asked, shaking herself.

“I need to have this stamped and filed,” said Max holding out the completed bill.

“I can do that,” the scribe said quickly flicking through the papers with her eyes flicking between Max and the bill. “Then you can get back to doing whoev— I mean whatever you were doing.”

“Thanks! Actually, I think I could do with a bit more time in bed because I didn’t get all that much sleep.”

“So I can see,” said the mare raising an eyebrow. “Just a minute.” She produced a stamp from somewhere, laid the bill against a nearby table, and proceeded to slam the stamp down against several of the pages. “If you could sign here,” she pointed to a line on the form, “and here. Now I’ll date and sign it here, and we’re all done. This should be put on the schedule for the correct committee within the next month.”

Max felt a rush of relief through him. Finally, it felt like he was actually getting something done. “Thanks!” he exclaimed leaning forwards and planting a kiss on the cheek of the scribe. “Thanks!” he repeated.

“Oooh! Oh, that’s alright, it’s my job after all,” she said, her cheeks glowing brightly.

“And you’ve done it really well! But I won’t keep you, and I’m sure you’ve got things to do now the working day is over.”

“Yes, I better get home. My husband—” she looked over Max again licking her lips “—well, I think he might be very happy to see me today.” She lowered her gaze.

Max nodded. He should get home as well, see if Fragrant was awake, and maybe see about making breakfast. There was some of the food left over from last night if nothing else.

Max returned home at a more reasonable pace and carefully opened the door, hoping to not wake Fragrant. He didn’t need to have worried, because she was already up and had apparently had time to smarten herself up a little since he could see her mane was neatly combed. “Morning Fragrant,” he called as he entered, “I managed to get the bill filed just in time!”

“I’m glad to hear it. After all that work you put into it, hopefully things will go…” Her voice trailed off after she turned towards him, and she held a hoof to her mouth.

“What is it?” asked Max looking around. “Is something wrong?”

“You went out looking like that?” she exclaimed, giving a chuckle.

“Like what?” said Max, turning on the spot as he tried to get a look at himself. Sure, he probably looked a bit ruffled after staying up all night, but he couldn’t be that bad, could he?

“Oh, Max. What ever must ponies have thought of you?” She giggled again. “You look... well you must have given some ponies some very odd ideas about what you’d been doing.”

“What is it?” said Max, increasingly agitated trying to see whatever Fragrant had picked up on.

“Mirror,” gasped Fragrant before bursting out in laughter at his actions. “Look at yourself!”

Frowning, Max rushed up the stairs to examine himself in the mirror there. He gasped, his entire face was covered in red lipstick marks from where Fragrant had been kissing him. They didn’t stop at his face, though. The distinctive smudges of her dark red lipstick stood out very well against his coat and the white of his bandages, up and down and all around his barrel and flanks as well. She’d been very thorough.

“Oh!” he exclaimed out loud, suddenly realising why the Night Court Clerk had been acting so strangely. Luna only knew what she thought they had been up to. “You do know,” he added when Fragrant joined him, still giggling, “this is your fault.”

“I don’t recall you arguing last night.” Fragrant leaned forwards and planted her lips on his own. “I missed a spot,” she explained once they broke apart.

39) Month 4 - Buttergrass (Part 1)

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Duke Greengrass was in his office, at his estate, when Tirek came to visit. He looked up from the book he had been reading and glanced at his guest, as the centaur - part pony, part minotaur - struggled to sit on the seat opposite. “You know,” said Greengrass marking his page and putting down the book, “there are far too many ponies who think I work for you.”

“Work for me?” said the figure opposite in a muffled voice. “Aren't I supposed to be learning from you? You did say you could help me.”

“Yes, but I guess having the Prince of Darkness, Trader of Souls, as my pupil would certainly have some effect on my reputation. But not necessarily the sort of reputation I’m hoping to get right now. I am supposed to have turned over a new leaf, you know.”

“Prince of Darkness?” asked the centaur. “Oh, the costume! It is quite good, isn’t it,” said Mounty Max shaking his head which caused the limp arms attached to his shoulders to thrash around. Greengrass couldn’t help but smile at the less than imposing sight.

“Will you be spending the holiday with Duchess Posey? She’s dressed as a Flutterpony I take it?”

“How did you know?” asked Max.

“Just a lucky guess.” Themed costumes seemed the sort of thing they would do. Really, their relationship was one of the worst kept secrets at court. It’s exact details were somewhat opaque, but the fact they were romantically linked, there were nobles who hadn’t come to court in decades who knew about it. The only reason nopony had challenged them was that they were such a good a source of juicy gossip, most of it Greengrass was sure was completely facetious. There was no way they had already gotten secretly married, or that the Duchess was carrying Max’s foal, for no other reason than Max being completely unable to keep something like that secret. “Anyway, if an agent of Tirek was working at court, I would think you would be the least likely suspect I could think of. I guess it’s true about the forces of evil being in the last place you would expect.” After all, nopony but him had suspected Dawn Chorus being in league with Corona.

“Thanks,” said Max giving a smile as he reached up a hoof to scratch at one of the horns stuck to his head.

“So what exactly is it that brings you to my door on a night such as this? I’d have thought you’d be helping out at an orphanage or something, telling the foals spooky stories.”

“Actually since I found out that the Princess turns the castle into a fun house at this time of year, I thought I’d help out. Have some fun with the foals.”

“Of course you are,” said Greengrass with a sigh. He had meant the orphan thing as a joke but it would be just like Max to spend the night doing something pointless like that. Normally, Nightmare Night was one of the duke's favourite times of the year, a day for dressing up and playing tricks. What wasn’t to love? But this year he just wasn’t getting into it. Part of it was the injuries he’d suffered at the hooves of the Corona cultists last month. The worst had healed - he’d had his cast removed yesterday - but he still had aches and pains. More importantly, his political situation was rock bottom. The Princess hadn’t dismissed him from court, but maybe it would have been better if she had. He still had his seat, but that was it. He’d given up all his committees and nopony wanted to risk the princess’s wrath by associating with him, well apart from Max. It was rather surprising that the baron had apparently taken up Greengrass’s offer of mentorship, or at least he’d come to talk to him a few times, despite the possible damage it was doing to Max’s own reputation. An even more damaging blow than Greengrass’s loss of political standing was the resignation of his assistant Notary. He’d not seen her since the Solartic factory. His few remaining agents had reported her presence in Ponyville for a few days, but since then nothing.

“Greengrass?” called Max, leaning forwards and almost overbalancing in his costume.

“Sorry, I was miles away,” said Greengrass while shaking himself. There was no point crying over things he couldn’t do anything about. “What was it you wanted?”

“I said, I wanted to ask you a favour.”

“Really, baron?” said Greengrass raising an eyebrow and leaning forwards over the table. This might actually been interesting, maybe something to pull him out of his current funk.

“It’s not really for me, not exactly. There’s this mare, you see. Maybe you could take her out for a day and show her a good time?”

Greengrass’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Just who had Max been listening to? “I’m not exactly a gigolo baron,” he spluttered. It wasn’t like he was completely ignorant of the opposite sex but his position tended to mean he attracted suitors with one aim in mind. Not to say he didn’t enjoy stringing along the gold diggers but he tended to break things off before they got too serious, or possibly litigious. Given the recent downturn in his fortunes, even that suply of companions had dried up. “Are you sure you’re not mixing me up with Blueblood or the ex-baroness Digger?”

“No, it’s not that way. Not at all!” protested Max just as strongly. Greengrass suddenly felt a little slighted, because he wasn’t totally unattractive. “It’s about Buttercup you see. Buttercup Fields.”

“Baroness Fields?” Greengrass quickly reviewed what he knew about the Baroness. It wasn’t all that much really. She wasn’t a major player at court, but she’d stepped into her father's shoes quite smoothly. A hard worker. She was Duchess Posey’s protege, which gave her more clout that her lowly rank might suggest, but she hadn’t really done anything to make a name for herself. A wasted opportunity. She tended to vote for the benefit of the common pony, without even considering how to leverage that vote for her own constituents.

“I think she might be pushing herself too hard. I found her passed out in her rooms a few weeks back, exhausted. She said she’d take it easy, but I don’t think she really listened to me.”

Max’s face was a picture of worry. Greengrass wondered if there might be something to the rumours that the pair of them had been romantically linked in the past. Max certainly didn’t seem to be the type to intentionally have two mares going at once, but maybe he had hidden shallows, and despite her dullness, Buttercup was a beautiful filly, and about half the duchess’s age.

“If she doesn’t listen to you, I doubt I will have much luck. I’ve hardly talked to her before and what does this have to do with ‘showing her a good time?’”

“Well, you tricked me into voting the wrong way, so can’t you trick her into taking a day off?”

“Trick her into taking a day off?” asked Greengrass in surprise. It seemed a bizarre idea, but certainly a challenge.

“Yes! The court’s suspended today for the holiday. I hoped she’d take it easy, maybe go to a party or something, but she’s been talking with other courtiers for half the day about next week's votes. It’s admirable, but I think she’s pushing herself too hard. She runs her whole province almost single hoofed. She doesn’t even have an assistant you know!”

Greengrass hadn’t known, but it was interesting. For a moment, he considered what might happen if Buttercup were to have to withdraw from the court because of her health. She didn’t have any further family members that he was aware of to take over her role, leaving her province and seat at court open, but there was no chance that he would be able to influence the choice of her replacement. Others at court might jockey for position, but again that was unlikely to benefit him as things currently stood. Really there was nothing in it for him, but he did sort of owe Max a favour or two and if he could repay him in such a harmless way... maybe even make Max think he owed him, that might be worth something in the future. Plus, he had to admit, he didn’t have anything else to do and it might even be exciting, not quite the rush of altering the fate of Equestria, but a little harmless test of his abilities. Even if Buttercup complained or something, he could say he was doing it for her own good, and that Max had told him to. “Very well,” he said, after a moment, “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks!” exclaimed Max getting up from his seat and almost overbalancing thanks to his costume. “Um, could you not tell Fragrant?”

Greengrass tried not to smile. “Does your mentor not approve?”

“She, um, she doesn’t think it’s a problem.”

“Don’t worry, Max. You can trust me to keep quiet. I’ll make sure that Baroness Fields has the most relaxing day possible. You have my word on it.”

“Oh, I guess that’s alright then. I better be going, I don’t want to be late for the foals tonight,” said Max turning towards the door. “Thanks for this.”

Greengrass nodded already deep in thought about what exactly to do about Baroness Fields.

“Ah, Baroness Fields, I’m glad I managed to catch you,” said Greengrass as Buttercup galloped past. She looked around wildly and skidded to a halt.

“Duke Greengrass?” she asked in surprise. Now that Greengrass actually paid attention to Buttercup, he had to agree with Max. She certainly didn’t look at her best. She was thin - even beyond current fashion - almost emaciated. There were bags under her eyes despite him knowing she’d had a full day's sleep, and her mane was uncombed. That last one was his fault really. “Did you want me for something? I’m sorry, but I overslept. I’m in a hurry to get to court.”

“Overslept? That’s too bad. However, if you beg my pardon, it does look like you could use it.” He struggled to keep a look of concern on his face, instead of the pleasure he felt on what he had managed to organise given the short time he’d had.

His basic plan had been to arrange for a mix up in a work order so that a banner was hung over her window providing shade against the sun to make it seem earlier than it truly was. Given Buttercup had no servants that he knew of, there would be no one else to wake her. The real lucky streak has been that while he was arranging for it all to be set up, her clock winder had turned up. Mechanical clocks were such delicate things that many ponies hired specialists, usually unicorns, to wind them every few days. A few words and a few bits and Greengrass had gotten the one Buttercup was using to change her schedule a bit so that her mistress’s clocks would run down over the night, resulting in the aforementioned oversleeping incident.

A little self consciously Buttercup patted at her disheveled mane. “Is there something you wanted? I am in rather a hurry to get to my office, I have a lot of work to do.”

Greengrass raised an eyebrow. It appeared Max was right about Buttercup overworking herself. Court duties were traditionally minimal the day and night after Nightmare Night, and the day after was Saturday. Most of the court took the time to have a three day weekend. “It was actually your office that I wanted to talk to you about. I was sent to inform you that that part of the castle would be out of bounds for the rest of the day.”

“Out of bounds? Why?” she demanded.

“I am afraid that there was a bit of an accident at the Nightmare Night party last night.”

“An accident? What kind of accident? Was anypony hurt?”

“Not permanently. A group of foals managed to get out of the section of the castle laid out for them. Somehow, they got into some of the offices and decided to gorge themselves on the goodies they’d collected.” Greengrass gave an imitation of vomiting. “They left rather a mess around the place, I’m afraid. Nothing that can’t be fixed, but between that and generally tidying up, the cleaning staff will be busy all day.”

“But there are documents I need from my office! And I’m sure there are votes to prepare for.”

“Actually there is nothing of consequence today, there rarely is after Nightmare Night. The princess likes to spend the day recovering from her own indulgences,” said Greengrass with a smile.

Buttercup narrowed her eyes. “Why should I trust you, Duke? You do not have a reputation for truthfulness.”

“What reason would I have to lie to you? I don’t mean to be insulting, but you aren't exactly in my league, are you, baroness? How would I benefit from keeping you away from your office for a day?” Greengrass sighed, somewhat theatrically. “If you really think I’m lying then you can trot off to the castle and waste a bit more time.”

It hadn’t exactly been hard getting some of the foals past the guards last night and into Buttercups office, leaving them with bags of treats almost as large as them had meant that foalish nature would take its course. It had actually been rather fun, and in the spirit of the season, so to say.

Buttercup seemed to weigh the situation for a moment. “Very well,” she said eventually, “If I can’t use my office, then I have other duties to attend to.” She turned to go.

“Anything I can help with?” he asked.

“No,” she said rather sharply. “One of my committee’s relates to farming subsidies in the south. My fath— I mean I’ve meant to visit the area for a long time now. This will give me the time I need. Good day, duke.” She finished politely.

“Good day, my lady,” said Greengrass with a bow. He ducked around a corner and waited for Buttercup to return to her house before pulling a train timetable from a pocket and running a hoof over it, biting his tongue in concentration. He’d have to hurry to carry out the next part of his plan.

“Lady Fields, I did not expect to see you again so soon,” said Greengrass as he approached the mare’s seat in the train.

Buttercup blinked her eyes open and yawned before looked up at him suspiciously. It appeared she had been at least half asleep. She must have been even more tired than she’d seemed. “I told you I was heading south. Are you following me?”

“It appears that you have gotten turned around somewhere. This train is heading east.”

“The east!” Buttercup hopped up from her seat and stared out the window at the scenery zipping past. “But the porter at the station assured me this was the correct train!”

Greengrass shrugged as he sat down in one of the many empty seats nearby. The first class section of the train wasn’t heavily populated. “It appears that she made a mistake.”

In fact, a few bits paid out to some of the train staff and a faint hint of a 'surprise birthday party' had been all it took to get them to keep an eye out for the baroness and direct her to this train. It looked like things were going to plan so far. Now, he could only hope that his telegraph message had gotten through to the correct individual.

“I need to inform the conductor, maybe we can—” said Buttercup sounding quite panicked.

“We left Canterlot over half an hour ago now. I doubt they will stop the train just for you, and if they did, wouldn’t that be an abuse of your power?” He raised an eyebrow as Buttercup frowned. “You will just have to get off at the next stop, which is...” Greengrass unfolded a map. “Appleton upon Rye, apparently. I’m afraid that’s about a two hour trip, maybe longer. This is an express, with no stops until then,” he explained.

“Appleton! But I need to go south!”

“I’m sorry, I suppose your business will have to wait.”

Buttercup turned to the Duke with her ears flattened and her tail flailing. Greengrass had to admit that the younger mare looked rather formidable when she was angry. “And it’s just coincidence that you happen to be on this train, after we bumped into each other earlier?”

Greengrass shrugged. “Such things do happen, I have business in Appleton relating to my garden, and the town is well known for its agriculture.”

Buttercup glared at him for a long moment before seeming to rein in her annoyance. Taking a deep breath, she dropped back onto the seat behind her with a more placid expression settling on her face. “My apologies, duke. You are right. My father used to import flowers from there.”

“He was a fellow connoisseur of the botanical. I’ve never visited myself, but I’ve heard your estate's grounds back in Houyhnhnm are quite spectacular.”

“Yes,” agreed Buttercup her eyes defocusing a little. “I didn’t get much time to see them over the summer,” she looked down, “I was busy, because there was so much to arrange.”

“It’s a shame your gardens in Canterlot aren't that large.”

Buttercup’s eyes flashed for a moment. “You of all stallions should know that size isn’t everything, Duke.”

Greengrass couldn’t help but smile at that. There was certainly something more beneath the facade of the seemingly demure mare, although it did seem a bit of an overreaction to him. “Touche, Baroness. Your father did manage to keep a quite impressive display despite the lack of space. It’s seemed somewhat lacking this year though.”

“I, I havn’t had the time to keep things up,” she admitted, “I should do something but there are so many other calls on my time.”

“Of course. I can give you the details of a number of excellent gardeners if you wish.”

“No it’s my responsibility,” she stated, “I’ll arrange something myself.”

“I would understand if gardens aren't exactly your thing, although your mark might suggest otherwise. Still Buttercups are poisonous aren't they?” He gestured at her flank and the flower mark there. She shifted somewhat uncomfortably.

“Not all marks are literal you know. What is yours for again?”

“You know, I never really figured it out,” he said with a smile. “Marking reports, I think.” Buttercup raised an eyebrow. “You should consider my offer. Just because your father chose to keep the garden himself doesn’t mean you need to. I should know. I’m hardly cast in my father's mold after all.”

“No, Greenmeadow was always known for his work ethic and selflessness. I always liked him.”

Greengrass scowled. “It’s strange how many ponies did. Your father, well, he was always a rather nice old chap, a bit, distracted, but I guess age will do that to a pony.” Although he had expected the barb to provoke a response he was surprised at the hateful look that crossed Buttercups face.

“My father was one of the greatest nobles in the court. He gave almost his whole life for the betterment of Equestria! He worked hard for years without rest, and raised me while almost single hoofedly while carrying out his duties as well! He was not ‘distracted’!”

“I’m, I’m, sorry,” spluttered Greengrass rather taken aback.

“I don’t think we need to talk any further, Duke,” said Buttercup turning to the window. “We should be in Appleton in an hour or so and there I’m sure our paths will split.”

Greengrass looked over at his travelling companion. After quite a long icy silence between them Buttercup had finally fallen asleep again, slumped against the window. Her relaxed features made her look even younger than she actually was. He was one of the younger courtiers but she was a few years below him, maybe the youngest there was. Really, it was unusual that she had carried on in her father's hoofsteps so quickly. It would have been more usual for an older relative or family friend to step into the role as a regent for a few years before Buttercup would take up her position. Still, he couldn’t argue about that, because his father had suggested the same for him and he’d insisted he take up his role straight away.

In a way, there was quite a bit in common between them. Similar ages, earth ponies, both had positions at court, they’d followed in their father’s hoofsteps. Of course there were differences as well. She would probably be described as a model courtier, so she’d probably spend her life championing good causes and ending up with nothing to show for it. Whereas he had somewhat grander plans. Had, had grander plans anyways; at the moment things didn’t seem quite so bright for him given Luna’s current attitude whereas Buttercup was Duchess Posey’s protege and might be on a fast track to success. Somepony would probably say there was some sort of moral in there, maybe involving hares and tortoises. He shook himself, now wasn’t the time to get maudlin, he had a job to do.

Looking out the window. he noticed the train was starting to slow, so the station mustn't be much further. Hopefully, his message had gotten through and the next stage of his plan would be in place. If not, he could improvise. If nothing else, it would be several hours before Buttercup could get back to work, because the next train back to Canterlot wasn’t for over an hour. He reached over to Buttercup and gently shook her.

“Just... another few minutes... dad,” she mumbled before her eyes opened blearily.

“We’re almost at Appleton,” said Greengrass. “I thought you’d want to get off here, unless you’d rather sleep?”

“No, thank you,” she said before giving a rather adorable yawn and blinking back to full wakefulness. Seeming to remember their earlier conversation, she glared at him but with rather less intensity than before.

“Look, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. How about I buy you an early lunch when we stop?”

“Are you trying to delay me again?” she asked suspiciously.

“Not everything I do is part of some master plan you know.” Although in this case, she was right. “It’s a few hours before there are any trains back to Canterlot, so you’ll need to do something to fill the time.”

“I, well, very well, Duke. I am rather hungry, in my hurry I didn’t have time for breakfast this morning. I accept your offer.”

“Good!” said Greengrass with a smile as the train came to a stop. “If I remember correctly, there’s a rather nice cafe near the station. It does a rather good plowpony’s lunch.”

The cafe was just where Greengrass remembered it. Despite the growing shortness of the days, the local weather team had prepared a rather warm afternoon and the two nobles took the opportunity to sit outside. Greengrass leant back in his seat and glanced at the various ponies as they passed completely unaware of the nobility in their midst. He cut a thick slice of some local cheese and placed it on a thick slice of bread before adding a dollop of chutney and taking a big bite. He was glad that despite the town’s name the local cuisine wasn’t entirely apple based. He’d never been all that fond of that particular fruit. He glanced over at Buttercup who was chewing on a pickle intently.

“You better not let the press catch you like that,” he said jovially. “There would be all sorts of gossip about you being with foal, and who the sire might be!”

“I’m sure you eating dinner with me would be considered evidence enough for some.” She frowned for a moment and looked around suspiciously as if the ponyratzi might jump out at any time. Then she shook her head and pointed the snack at Greengrass. “Sometimes a pickle is just a pickle, Duke.”

“I can’t say I like the things all that much myself,” said Greengrass with a shrug. “This cheese however, is exquisite.”

Butterup returned the rest of the pickle to her plate. “I didn’t used to like them. The smell got to me, but my father loved them. As a child, he used to tease me with them at dinner.” She sighed. “Those were good times.” She shook her head. “I should see about booking a ticket on the next train.”

Greengrass held out a hoof to stop her. “You’ve got over an hour to go. There’s no need to hurry.”

“I have a lot to get done, like my fact finding tour. Even if I can’t use my office, I need to review next week’s votes, Duchess Posey asked me to look into the Equestrian fishing fleet for her...”

“You know most courtiers have a staff to help them with that sort of thing, or at least an assistant.” He was interested in finding out why Buttercup didn’t. Unless her province's finances were in truly desperate straits, it shouldn’t be an issue for her to employer a dozen or more helpers.

Buttercup stiffened. “I find it better to get things done for myself. My father didn’t have an assistant.”

“Yes he did. You,” pointed out Greengrass.

“That was different, I, he was training me.”

“You’d been organising his office for years now, and not to say anything against Rolling, but you were more or less doing his job for the last few.”

Buttercup opened her mouth to argue then shut it again frowning. “It’s my responsibility,” she protested after a few moments. “I have to look after my province. I can’t trust anypony else.”

Was it some form of paranoia? Greengrass narrowed his eyes, that didn’t feel right. It was common enough for one noble’s staff to be accepting bribes from others - he’d done it often enough himself - but there were ways to ensure loyalty. “No, I have to disagree there. A good staff well rewarded can be very loyal... maybe more loyal than you deserve sometimes,” his voice trailed off. He hadn’t meant to think about Notary, and her recent departure.

Buttercup hesitated for a moment then cautiously reached a hoof across the table to rest on Greengrass’s. “What happened?” she asked quietly.

He pulled his hoof away, but his face must have given away more than he thought. “Nothing really, just one of my staff members, well… resigned. Or I fired her, I’m not entirely sure. The building was on fire and I’d taken a few blows to the head at the point so things aren't entirely clear,” he explained. “There was an incident, she got into trouble due to me, and it seemed for the best. She’s very talented, so I’m sure she’ll land on her hooves, probably already running a city or something by now.”

“Was she a friend?”

“She was an employee, but well, I think she was a friend.” He hadn’t really thought to much about it at the time. She was Notary, quiet, efficient, reliable Notary. Always there to listen to him, or help him out. “Yes, I think she was a friend. Quite a good one, really. We understood each other. There was a time when I was rather down and she, well she helped me...”

Greengrass trailed off again. He didn’t know what he might have done after the gala if Notary hadn’t talked to him. He shook himself. He hadn’t expected the conversation to go this way. He needed to get himself under control.

“I don’t have many friends,” said Buttercup wistfully. “Not ponies who really know me. I grew up in the castle mostly, not many other children there.” Her ears perked up a little. “There are a few ponies outside work I know.” They slumped down towards her skull again. “But I’ve been so busy recently. I just haven't had the time to keep in touch.”

“Maybe you should make time,” said Greengrass. “It’s good to have friends!” He tried to sound chipper but he wasn’t exactly swimming in friends himself. When he’d been on top he’d had lots of sycophants ready to hang out with him, but they’d quickly melted away after the gala. Now with Notary gone… well, it was almost like Max was his closest friend, which made him shiver at the scary thought. “Getting back on topic, you really should consider taking on some more staff. I can give you the names of some agencies if you want.”

Buttercup looked rather suspicious at that. “I’m sure I could find my own employees, if I needed any. I’m entirely capable of carrying out my duties myself. It’s my responsibility to my ponies after all.”

“But couldn’t you do a better job with some help? Houyhnhnm might not be all that big compared to say Caneighda, but it can’t be easy running it all by yourself.”

“I have some support back at home,” she admitted.

“See, you can’t do everything. How about taking an assistant on just for a while then—”

“Excuse me, would you happen to be Duke Greengrass?” asked a black-coated nanny goat who had just trotted up.

“Yes?” said Greengrass momentarily surprised. “Oh, are you Mother Nature?” he asked. He hadn’t expected the matron to be a goat.

“Yes, I am,” she said in flawless Equestrian. “I’m so glad you could make it. The foals have been really looking forward to meeting you since you volunteered to help yesterday.”

“I really like helping foals in need.” He gave a wide smile. “Have you met my companion, Baroness Fields?”

“Baroness Fields!” gasped Mother. “Oh, I didn’t know you were coming as well. I really have to thank you for all the hard work your charity has put into helping the orphanage here. Thanks to your grant, we managed to add an extra wing last year, and take on more permanent staff!” She gave a rather clumsy curtsey.

Confusion showed on Buttercup’s face for a moment before it quickly morphed into a smile. “Thank you, but really you don’t need to be so formal. I’m more than happy to help the orphans.”

“So you’ll be helping the Duke with the gardens as well? The foals are really looking forward to it.”

For a moment, Buttercup’s eyes flickered to the station clock, then she glared at Greengrass before finally smiling at Mother. “I would be honored to help.”

“Oh, good, good. Follow me!” said the goat turning and trotting away from the town centre. “The little darlings are going to be so surprised!”

“So just what have you gotten me into?” Buttercup hissed into Greengrass’s ear.

“Me?” he whispered back looking the picture of innocence. “I volunteered to help the orphans with their garden. You know my reputation could do with the boost, a little PR goes a long way. I had no way of knowing that you’d already helped the same orphanage, but then you do so many good causes don’t you? It does sound like you’ve volunteered yourself to help now. It will probably take most the afternoon, and you’ll miss your train. Still it is such a good cause.”

“This is some sort of scheme isn't it!” growled Buttercup, but Greengrass couldn’t help notice the smile at the edges of her mouth.

“Sometimes a good deed is just a good deed,” he replied.

“Settle down children!” called Mother, only to be completely ignored by the three dozen or so foals of various ages cavorting around her.

They were gathered in front of what Greengrass assumed was the orphanage, a mid sized building just outside of town. It was somewhat battered in appearance with a few obvious patches thrown onto it, but had been painted in a variety of bright colours giving it a rather jolly appearance.

Raising a hoof to her lips Mother gave a high pitched whistle which made Greengrass have to cover his ears. “SETTLE DOWN!” she roared. The foals came to a sudden stop before quickly organising themselves into rough lines. “Good! Now we have some very special guests to help us today.” An excited babble ran through the herd. “May I introduce,” said Mother raising her voice to be heard, “Duke Greengrass and Baroness Fields. They’re courtiers from Canterlot itself, here to help us with your garden!”

An excited cheer broke out from the children and they rushed forwards weaving between the adults legs. All talking at once.

“Have you met the princess?” called a tiny filly.
“Does the princess like potatoes?” added a colt waving a potato.
“Are you really a Duke?” asked an older colt, somewhat suspiciously.
“What does a Duke do?” said a pegasus filly.
“Are you going to be my daddy?” asked another filly with huge blue eyes.
“I need to wee!” cried a young colt hopping up and down.

The charge made Greengrass want to back away but he was worried that he might crush somepony under hoof. He had thought he was quite good with foals - some at court considered him one after all - but he prefered them in smaller quantities.

“I’ve met the princess a few times, but normally when I see her at court she’s at the other side of a big room,” said Buttercup nearby. She bent down to meet the gaze of the crowd around her. “She looks scary sometimes, but she’s actually a very nice pony. She really like foals like all of you.” She turned to the root vegetable wielding foal. “I don’t think she has anything against potatoes, or any vegetable for that matter.” Apparently finding her much more interesting than him, most of the herd around Greengrass shifted to surround Buttercup.

“Anyway, children,” said Mother, attracting the attention of the foals. “We’ve got a lot of work to do today and the Duke and Baroness were nice enough to volunteer to help us.”

“Yes, and maybe you could explain exactly what we’re going to be helping with?” asked Greengrass, attracting a surprised look from Mother. “So the children understand,” he added. He’d had to arrange things rather quickly. Locating a nearby orphanage that Buttercup had supported had been comparatively easy, because she’d been very charitable, but after finding one that needed help today, he hadn’t had that much time to find out exactly what they wanted. He knew it was botany related, so he could probably muddle through.

“Well,” said Mother still looking somewhat confused, “as you know children, you’ve been working on your gardens all year, planting flowers, looking after the plants and the like. Now that Summer’s been all wrapped up it’s time to gather up the harvest, collect seeds for future planting and tidy things up for the winter. Some of the townsfolk will be helping, but it’s a big job and it’s only right that each room help with their own part of the garden. These nice nobles have volunteered to help as well.” A cheer went up from the children. “And once we’re done we’ll have a big feast of all the best plants!” An even louder cheer was heard. “Good, now follow me!” The foals formed up into fairly neat lines and started to follow their caretaker out around the orphanage leaving Greengrass and Buttercup to tag along behind.

To Greengrass’s surprise, the grounds behind the building were rather extensive, probably several acres. There were already a number of adult ponies of all tribes hard at work harvesting the crops. It was a rather uninspired collection to Greengrass’s eye, mostly dietary staples rather than anything imaginative. Maybe he could give Mother a few suggestions for improvements, some flowers would provide better nutrients and looked far more interesting than boring old potatoes. “Aren't there some foal labour laws you’ve voted for to stop this sort of thing?” he whispered to Buttercup with a smile.

To his surprise, she actually glared at him with venom. “These fields probably help feed the children for the winter. Most orphanages need all the help they can get. The extra the foals can grow can help to fill their little bellies while allowing funds to be diverted to upkeep of the orphanage and to pay for more staff. Plus, it teaches them skills they can use in their later lives.”

Greengrass was somewhat taken aback. He knew how the other half - or more accurately like ninety nine percent - lived, he was hardly naive, but it did really strike home what the foals had to do to survive. He liked his garden back home, and some of it was edible, but he didn’t need it to survive.

“Ok, children,” said Mother as they approached a fenced off area near the corner of the fields, “Separate into your rooms. Yellow room, you go with Duke Greengrass, Mr Root will help you out. Green room go with the Baroness and Miss Wood, and Orange room you’re with me and Ms Leaf!”

Greengrass had to admit he was actually quite enjoying himself. He’d mostly thought of this event as a way to delay Buttercup further. He’d been certain she wouldn’t say not to the orphans. Maybe working in a field wasn’t everypony’s idea of a good time, but he’d always found it rather relaxing. He stood up, wincing a little as one of his partially healed injuries twinged. Maybe it wasn’t so relaxing right now.

“Ok, um, Strawberry.” It was a bit hard to remember all the foals names. “I think you’ve dug down far enough, so just get a good grip on that root and pull. Not too hard. If it breaks off, it’ll grow back again.”

The filly in question nodded eagerly before taking the weed in her mouth and slowly pulling. Greengrass nodded encouragement. It was a good chance to give his mark a workout as well as his body. Weeding was his thing after all, both literally and metaphorically. He glanced away from the struggling filly and looked over the rest of his small herd. There was a growing pile of harvested crops at one corner of their allotment, which was only slightly diminished by one of the colts under his care occasionally sneaking a few nibbles from the store.

“How are things going over here?” came Buttercup’s voice from nearby. Greengrass turned to see the now rather mud spattered but widely smiling mare. The small colt with the interest in the potatoes sat on her back, with enough mud on her to grow at least a crop of potatoes in her mane and two in her tail.

“Pretty good. You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” said Greengrass straightening up.

“I am,” she mused for a moment. “I really am. I still don’t know what you plan to get out of all of this, but I have to admit it is fun to spend time with the foals.”

“Now, we’re not here to just have fun, you know,” he said with mock severity. “We’ve got lots of harvesting to do.”

“I think my team are well ahead of schedule. They’re real little troopers.” She looked over towards the patch of ground her assigned foals were working on.

“I think my group will finish first. Zippy there could probably do it all by herself quicker than your whole team could.” He nodded towards a white coated unicorn filly who was neatly yanking out carrot after carrot before levitating them over to a colt following behind her. Hearing her name she turned and waved at Greengrass, who waved back. He’d really taken a shine to her. She was a harder worker, usually quiet but ready to voice an opinion when asked. In a way, she reminded him a bit of Notary.

“I’m sure we can do better,” snorted Buttercup.

“Care to make a wager on it?” asked Greengrass quickly. Buttercup’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Unless you think your team isn’t good enough?” he added.

“What would we wager?” she said cautiously, the passenger on her back clambering forwards to stare are Greengrass.

“Humm, if your team win then how about I indulge your curiosity and tell you what today's been all about.” Greengrass didn’t think he had much to lose, if he did give up Max’s part in the plan then Buttercups vengeance would fall on him - as if the meek mare could do much in the way of vengeance. Not that he thought his foals would lose.

“And if you win?”

“Then the two of us go out tonight to a concert, or art gallery, or something.”

“A date, Duke?” she said coyly.

Greengrass blinked and coloured slightly. That hadn’t exactly been what he’d meant. “No, just a night out.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, with the colt clinging to her head mirroring her expression. “I suppose there is a Crescendo gig on tonight,” she mused. “It’s been awhile since I last...”

Greengrass raised an eyebrow. He’d never heard of any such musician, but then he wasn’t exactly up to date with such things. It was a pity that his plan to ensnare Octavia hadn’t worked, because he could probably have used her expertise on such things. He shook himself. There was no use crying over spilt milk. He had another scheme to work on now, particularly when Buttercup finally said, “Ok, you’re on!”

Greengrass smiled. He had hoped that she’d be competitive, not to mention curious enough to take his bait. “Good, so shall we say whichever team has harvested the most by the end of the the hour wins?”

Buttercups eyes flickered between the two plots of land and the piles of harvest already on them. “Not counting what’s already been picked,” she added.

Greengrass internally swore. He’d hoped she wouldn’t notice that he’d pushed his team hard so far so they’d have a good lead from the start. Buttercup was less of the milksop she seemed. “Of course,” he agreed through gritted teeth. He was sure he could still win, it would just take a bit more effort.

“Good,” she said holding out a hoof. Greengrass reached out and shook it.

“Agreed,” he said but his opponent had already turned on her heels and was rushing back to her own team her passenger clinging on tightly. Grinning he returned to his own team. “Ok, Yellow room,” he called out, “we need to pick up the pace!”

“But I’m tired!” moaned one of his young minions. There was a chorus of agreement from around the team.

“Don’t you want to prove that Yellow room is the best?” he asked. There were a few shouts of agreement but in general the response was rather muted. Greengrass sighed, maybe pushing the team early on had been a mistake now they couldn’t capitalise on that. Maybe a few bribes would get the foals to do what he wanted. It wasn’t like it was the worst thing he’d ever done, he just hoped nopony asked for parents are anything like that. Greengrass considered himself somewhat cold hearted, but crushing the hopes of a foal like that, well even he had his limits.

“Mr Duke sir,” asked one of the nearby foals, a cute little filly with a huge curly mane called River Melody, “Why did you make a bet with the Lady Baroness? Why do you want her to go to a music thing?”

“You see,” said Greengrass kneeling down, he guessed there was no harm in telling them. “She’s been working really hard recently, and I think she could do with a night off, just some time to relax and play.”

“So you want to score with the skirt?” asked Dodger, one of the older colts. Greengrass scowled, foals weren't supposed to think of things like that. Nor were they supposed to talk like a character from a detective novel, which he guessed it was an affliction. The hat the colt wore suggested an interest in that type of fiction.

“No, if she keeps working so hard she might get sick. She’s been pushing herself too hard since her father died.” The background chatter of the foals died down.

“She’s only got her mom then?” asked River quietly.

“No, I think, I think she lost her mother a long time ago.” He remembered that from Rollings retirement party.

“So she’s an orphan too?”

“Well, I guess so,” Greengrass hadn’t really thought about it that way before, he supposed it was correct. It certainly put a new light on Buttercup’s previous work to help orphanages.

“And she really needs a night off?” asked Dodger. “You’re not trying to trick us?

“Cross my heart,” swore Greengrass touching a hoof to his chest.

The crowd around him formed a little whispering huddle. Greengrass glanced nervously over towards Buttercup’s team, they were already hard at work with Buttercup eagerly leading the way digging up a line of potatoes while her assistants yanked the plants from the soil.

“Ok,” said Dodger eventually, “We’ll help.” The various foals nodded their agreement. “but we want a few treats to some sweeten the deal,” he quickly added.

Greengrass smiled. Bribery, he almost felt proud. “I’m sure I can sort something out.” He grabbed a trowel in his mouth. “Now enough talking, let's get down to gardening shall we?”

“And that’s one, two, three, crates of carrots,” announced Mother Nature ticking off the last of the produce. “Good work, Yellow room! That’s a crate more than Green room.” There was much cheering and stamping of hooves from the winning foals while the losing team scowled. “But it wasn’t really a contest,” she added giving Buttercup and Greengrass hard looks causing them to squirm a little. “You all did very well harvesting everything so quickly. Now if you all go and wash your hooves we have a special dinner put on as a reward.” Their rivalry quickly forgotten, the foals from all three rooms raced off towards the front of the orphanage where some of the volunteers were setting out a long table covered in food, some of which had just been picked. “The two of you are free to join us, of course,” the goat added. “Thank you for your help.”

“It was no problem at all,” said Buttercup, “I’d be happy to come and help in future, when I have the time.”

“Yes, they’re a great little group. I had a wonderful time,” said Greengrass, a little surprised to find out that he meant every word. It might be an idea to keep an eye on some of the foals. There could be a place in some of his organisations for them in a few years when they were grown. “You can expect a donation to help in the running of this place.”

“Thank you,” said Mother, bobbing in place.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay all that longer,” said Buttercup. “The next train to Canterlot can’t be all that long now.”

“That is a shame. The foals will miss you. There are places for you at the table?”

Buttercup looked tempted for a moment, but then she shook her head. “I’ll be sure to say goodbye, once I’ve washed up a bit.” She reached up and dislodged a clod of earth from her mane. “Maybe more than a bit.” Her coat and mane were splattered with mud from her earlier work. Greengrass doubted he looked any better. He’d really had to get stuck in to beat his rival even with his team so fired up.

“Ladies first,” he said gesturing to the hosepipe the foals had used to quickly remove the worst of the dirt before rushing off to eat. To his surprise Buttercup didn’t balk at the primitive washing facilities and took the hose in her mouth before using the hoof switch to activate the water. A stream of ice cold water quickly sprung forth as she twisted her head to remove the worst of the muck coating her. The water made her sodden coat stick tightly to her lithe feminine form. A twist of her head caused her curly orange mane flare out, forming a halo around her head, the moisture caught the light making it seem to glow. A second twitch of her head sent the hosepipes contents spraying directly into Greengrass’s face causing him to shy back, sputtering.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” she said with a smile.

“Sorry, sorry,” gasped Greengrass. He realised he must have been staring and coloured.

“Your turn,” she said tossing the hosepipe towards her fellow noble. Greengrass caught it in his mouth rather awkwardly and shivered as the icy water started to soak into his coat. “Don’t take too long. We still have to say goodbye and make it to the train in time.”

“Just... made... it!” panted Buttercup, slumping into her seat in the train as it started to pull away.

“You didn’t have to... say goodbye to every foal... you know,” said Greengrass as he joined her. The train back was rather more crowded than the one out, but hardly packed. He took a deep breath. The delay meant they’d had to gallop all the way back.

“Funny... I thought it was you giving that little filly a ponyback ride which made us late?”

Greengrass looked away. Zippy had asked very nicely. “We should be back in Canterlot in a few hours. I hope we’ll be in time for your concert.”

“I think so. We can pay at the door so I won’t need to get tickets. I’ll just need some time to change.”

Greengrass rolled his eyes Mares always seemed to need to dress up for these events, but he could do with some time to get properly cleaned up after today's harvest. “So, did you enjoy today?” he asked.

Next to him, Buttercup closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. “Yes, yes, I suppose I did,” she said eventually. “I’ll need to work twice as hard tomorrow to catch up, but yes I’ve had a good time.” She turned towards him. “I still want to know why you’re doing this though.”

“Sorry, I won the contest, remember.” Buttercup gave a delightful pout. “I’ll just say you have some very good friends looking out for you.”

“Was it Auntie Quicksilver? She’s always telling me to relax! I know she’s just worried about me, now that dad...” She trailed off into silence.

“Look,” said Greengrass after a long moment. “I know you want to be a good courtier and all that, but you’re doing nopony any good by working yourself into an early grave. Look what happened to your father—” He knew he’d made a mistake as soon as the word left his mouth. A look of pain flitted across Buttercups face, and she crumpled back into the seat. “I’m sorry. I know how much you loved him.”

“He... he was all I had for a long time. He raised me single hoofed. I never really knew my mother. It was just him and me. Then suddenly it was just me.” She sighed. “Duchess Posey told me I had to be strong. To not show how much losing him hurt. I don’t know, I keep trying, I keep working, keep running. Long hours at the office, coming home to an empty house, sleeping, back to work again. If I can just keep going long enough will I stop feeling so lonely?” She turned to him with tears welling in her eyes. He instinctively reached out a hoof and rested it against her own. He did not consider himself a good pony, but no pony could resist offering comfort in the face of such pain.

“I’m sorry, I...” He didn’t know what else to say.

“No, I’m,” she sniffed, “I shouldn’t burden you with all this.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “I’m a baroness. I should be stronger.”

“Horse Apples!” he announced loudly earning a few glares from other passengers. “Being a noble doesn’t make you any stronger than any other pony, I’m a Duke, it’s not like I’m superequine! Viceroy Night Light tried to crush one of the element bearers just because she humiliated his daughter. Even Luna can be petty!” Just one of the many reasons she shouldn’t be in charge of Equestria!

Buttercup looked shocked. “But my father, he, he was the perfect courtier. Honorable! Brave! I have to follow in his hoofsteps!”

“Do you remember his retirement party?” asked Greengrass. Buttercup winced at the reminder of the day her father died. “What he said? That he wasn’t perfect? That some of the decisions he’d made had been purely for personal gain?”

“But, that was just to get the court to help duchess Posey—”

“No, it was true,” interrupted Greengrass. “Just like everypony else he had hooves of clay. Look, sometimes it can be hard to see somepony you’re close to as being a normal pony. Especially a parent. When you’re a foal, they just seem so… so big.” He’d used to look up to his father so much when he was young. It was only as he’d grown older and seen how little power Greenmeadow actually had for all the work he put in that he’d started to see how much different things should be.

“But my father he was-”

“He was a doddering old fool near the end,” said Greengrass bluntly. He had to look away from the pain that crossed Buttercup’s face, but she needed to be told. It just wasn’t good for her setting such high standards for herself. “He was nice enough, but he was only there for half the time. It was you that made sure everything was right. How many times did you have to correct something, or prompt him?”

“Sometimes I had to... he was old you see...” Now it was Buttercup who couldn’t meet Greengrass’s gaze.

“Yes, he was an old stallion, and he needed help. No pony can do everything alone. You can’t do everything alone! You need help!” There was silence for a moment, and Greengrass realised he was standing and shouting in the middle of the carriage. He glanced around at all the worried looking ponies before taking his seat again. He expected Buttercup to be crying after his outburst, or screaming at him, or something else. Instead, she just sat there eyes looking a little glazed at if her sight had turned onto herself. “Look, I’m sorry, but you can’t carry on as you are. You’ll burn out and I don’t want to see that. I’m not saying you have to give up, but you just need to rest and accept a little help. Despite what some ponies would tell you, I’m not entirely irresponsible, I put quite a bit of work into Caneighda, but I know how to delegate.” Buttercup blinked and mumbled something, making him prompt, “What was that?”

“I said you’re right,” she repeated more clearly. “I... I have been pushing myself too hard. I do need help. Duchess Posey offered, Max offered, and now you. I guess it’s just my pride that I thought I could do it all alone.”

“You have got a lot to be proud of, but there’s nothing wrong with letting others help you. All good leaders need a lot of support around them.”

“I guess so, and yes, I know my father wasn’t perfect in a lot of ways. I don’t like thinking about it. He was, he was, my dad you know. I thought he’d be around longer, that he’d be able to help me with things.” Greengrass patted her hoof again. Maybe he should take a trip back to Caneighda some time soon, his father liked to keep an eye on him but he hadn’t seen his mother since the summer. Her birthday was coming up... “Thank you,” continued Buttercup, “I think I needed that, needed somepony to tell me the facts straight out, not sugar coat it.”

“Sometimes you need a truth potion to get something like that out and sometimes...” he winced, the gala hadn’t exactly been his best moment. “Anyway, we should be home soon. I know you promised, but if you don’t want to go out tonight you don’t have to. You can just sleep in, or I might have some names you could think about for assistants. I’ve heard Duchess Posey recently let hers go.” Although apparently that had been for incompetence, so he might not be the best option, but it would be a start.

“No,” she managed a weak smile. “No,” she repeated a little stronger, “It has been a long time since I went to a gig. It’ll be good to let my mane down.”

“As long as you’re sure. I don’t think I’ve heard of Crescendo before, what does she play?”

“She’s multitalented, but she sings mostly.”

“So, we’re going to the opera? I hope it works out better than that Golden Horseshoe thing from last month.” At least that had managed to redirect some of the court's displeasure away from him.

“Not exactly,” said Buttercup her smile starting to inch up. “I think it might be rather a surprise to you, hopefully a pleasant one.”

Author's Notes:

Sorry it took so long for this to come out, I've had some interesting times over the last few months.

August is Edinburgh is always busy with the Fringe Festival and I had a bunch of shows lined up which took up a lot of my free time. I also came down with Shingles at the same time although it was fairly mild as it wasn't as painful as it's usually described as bit it did mean I was off work for the first time in over ten years.

Then in September I had a new heating system fitted in my flat which turned the whole place upside down for a week or so and then later in the month I found out about some issues at work due to take place next week which suggests my job is a lot less secure over the middle term than I though it was.

But anyway I've done this now and I hope I can speed up the next few chapters as I have quite a bit of time off over the next few weeks.

If things go to plan this will be published on the day of my 40th birthday if I can get Internet access from my parents place.

Thanks to Rainbowdoubledash, Grass and Clouds 2 and Georg for their help on this.

40) Month 4 - Buttergrass (Part 2)

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Greengrass whistled cheerily to himself as he stepped down from his coach outside of the Fields’ estate. He was wearing a tuxedo in the latest style and had spent the last hour or so since he had returned to Canterlot getting himself fully washed and groomed. Maybe tonight wasn’t a romantic event, but he thought that any mare would be lucky to be seen out on the town with him. He strode towards the house’s door, only stopping to shudder a little at the state of the gardens. The sooner Buttercup got somepony to look after them, the better. Taking a last moment to make sure his bow tie was straight, he took a deep breath and knocked sharply on the door.

“Just a minute!” came Buttercup’s voice from inside, apparently unnecessarily as only a few seconds later the door was swung open to reveal a pony which definitely did not look like Buttercup. The mare was of her approximate size, but instead of a curly orange mane, her’s was black, mostly it was done up in a mohawk but a few untidy spikes stuck out in random directions as well. A thin golden chain reached from the mare’s ear to her nose. Her coat was lime green but most of it was covered by a tattered black dress, a tight corset was wrapped around her barrell, but the skirt part had apparently been torn into strips. Black bands ran around each of ankles covered in silver spikes. The mare towered over Greengrass, which wasn’t unusual, but much of the height seemed to come from her iron clad feet, with each shoe being almost a hoofs width in height.

“Huh!” Greengrass gasped, unable to comprehend the creature in front of him but also unable to drag his eyes away from her.

“That good, eh?” said the mare with Buttercup’s voice.

“What? Buttercup, is that you?” he managed after a few moments. “What are you wearing?”

“This?” she trotted around in a circle making her hooves clatter loudly against the ground. The movement made the dress slide off of her flanks revealing that her tail had also been dyed black and was like her hooves, bound by black spiked straps. “Do you like it? It’s an Inky Rose original! Dad got it for me for my last birthday. I had to take it in a bit - I’ve lost some weight - but I think it still works.”

“Your father got you this?” Had Rollings mental condition been worse than he’d thought? Getting his daughter torn clothing?

“Well, he didn’t know he was. He said I could get what I wanted, and this is what I wanted. He wasn’t all that happy when he saw it, but he hid it well.” She seemed to deflate for a moment. “Think of the good times,” she mumbled to herself.

“It’s supposed to look like that?” he asked cautiously.

“I’ll blend right in at the gig,” she assured him before running a critical eye over his own outfit. “You might stand out a bit though.” Her smile turned rather nasty. “Maybe if we tore it up a bit it might come off as ironic?” Greengrass stepped back. While Buttercup tearing off his clothes brought to mind some interesting situations, the jacket had been expensive.

“I think I’ll be ok as I am,” he finally managed.

“If you’re happy. Come on, we better get going. I can’t wait!” Before he could protest Buttercup grabbed Greengrass and pulled him out into the street and towards the coach. “The Bouncing Bird,” she cried to the chauffeur, who seemed to recognise the location and nodded. The two nobles only just got into the coach before it started to pull off.

“What type of concert is this?” asked Greengrass.

“It’s not exactly a concert, it’s a gig. Crescendo is playing at a club, so there will be dancing. It’s modern music, very modern, it’s called Metal!” said Buttercup glancing out the window. She certainly seemed excited about it.

Greengrass felt a little better. He’d never been very keen on dancing, but his mother had insisted he take lessons as a youth, so at least he wouldn’t be entirely out of his depth. He bit his lip as he tried to recall something about current musical trends. He really missed Notary for this sort of thing, because he had a fairly good memory but she really was - had been - a font of knowledge about everything large and small. “Wasn’t there something about mind controlling ‘metal’ music a few months ago?”

“That was Thrash. I can’t believe he was doing that! I went to one of his earlier shows. I really thought he had talent.”

“How did you get into this?” He looked her outfit up and down again “This thing. It doesn’t look like the kind of thing a well brought up member of the court should take part in.”

To his surprise Buttercup stuck her tongue at him. “I can have hidden depths you know.” She smiled. “I have to admit when I started it was a bit of a rebellious phase, something to try and get Dad to pay more attention to me, but after a while the scene grew on me. I like the freedom, the rawness. The way I can just let everything go and be myself for a bit.” She sighed. “It’s been awhile since I got to go to a gig. I’ve been so busy with Dad and work and stuff. I guess you were right. I do need some time off.”

“It doesn’t sound relaxing to me, but if you like it...”

“I do. Look, if you don’t want to come, I’ll be fine by myself. You’ve already done your best to, well, trick me into having a good time.”

“Nonsense,” said Greengrass. “It wouldn’t be proper for a gentlestallion like me to allow a mare to go to a show unescorted.” She raised an eyebrow. “Ok, I have to admit you’ve got me curious. Let it never be said that I’m not willing to have my horizons expanded.” Greengrass had to admit he did want to see what this Metal thing was. After all, Buttercup certainly seemed interested. Almost like a different mare, both physically and emotionally from how she had been earlier.

“If you’re sure.” The coach came to a gentle stop outside a large building. Above it was hung a magically illuminated sign of a blue bird bobbing up and down. Outside a short line of ponies dressed in a similar style to Buttercup stretched around the corner. “Last chance to back out,” Buttercup said while stepping down from the coach. Greengrass shook his head.

“I guess it’s time for you to show me what I’ve been missing,” he said stepping into the queue. He got a few strange looks from the other patrons but nopony said anything, apparently happy to just chat excitedly amongst themselves. The line moved forwards quite smoothly and it wasn’t long before they were standing before a large black coated, bald headed, earth pony stallion who blocked their entrance.

He examined them closely through dark glasses. “Tickets!” he intoned.

“Can we pay on the door?” asked Buttercup.

“Sorry, sold out. Better luck next time,” said the stallion not unkindly.

With a smile Greengrass started to step forwards, a hoof reaching for his coin pouch, it shouldn’t be to difficult to arrange entrance for them. Despite his somewhat fallen status he could probably buy the whole club if he wanted. Before he could say anything Buttercup stepped up to the bouncer her body only an inch or so from his. “Please,” she said breathily, “I so wanted to see the show tonight. I’ve been waiting for so long.”

“Um, err,” gasped the surprised stallion. Greengrass was just as surprised by her actions.

“Are you really sure there’s no room?” She reached out a hoof and rested it on the largest ponies chest. “I’m not that big,” she pressed even closer, her coat sliding against the stallions while a playful flick of her tail caught him on the muzzle. “I’d be so very grateful.” She looked up into his face eyes wide.

“Well, um, there have been a few cancellations,” said the bouncer with sweat starting to run down his face, “I can probably—”

“Great,” said Buttercup, quickly stepping past the still stunned stallion. “Pay him, won’t you Greenie.” She strode off into the club with both stallions eye’s following her and the swing she had put into her step..

Greengrass shook his head and quickly passed a number of bits off to the other pony before almost galloping off into the club after Buttercup. “I didn’t think you had that in you,” he said with a smile.

She blushed. “I’m not the perfect noble’s daughter all the time. I can be a bad mare sometimes. I think you might be a bad influence on me.”

“Oh, I’m sure that was all you, I had nothing to do with it. Maybe the perfect Lady Buttercup has unexpected shallows.” Ahead of them the door into the main room of the club opened and before Greengrass could say anything further, all of his senses were assaulted. The smell and heat of hundreds of active ponies washed over him. He blinked, most of the club was moodily lit but here and there were blinding lights. Finally he was near deafened by the sound, a mass of voices all shouting over amplified music and each other. “What is this!” he yelled hoping Buttercup could hear him.

For a moment the baroness looked just as stunned as Greengrass felt, but slowly a wide smile spread over her face and a shiver passed through her body. “Isn’t it great!” she cried back in excitement. “It’s been too long since I’ve been to a place like this.” She turned towards a stage set up on one side of the room where a number of ponies were playing what Greengrass assumed was supposed to be music. Several were playing what looked something like heavy guitars to him and one was pounding on a large set of drums. “Looks like the warm up band’s still going. Good, I don’t want to miss Crescendo!”

As his eyes started to get used to the lights, Greengrass got a better look at the room. Around the stage was a large area where lots of ponies were dancing, probably. Some of them might have been fighting, or maybe having fits. A large bar area was set along the opposite wall where a smaller crowd were gathered buying drinks. In between was an open area where the remainder of the ponies were standing in small clumps shouting at each other. There were a few tables and booths against the walls but they all looked occupied.

“Bee!” came a cry from nearby causing Greengrass to turn. “Bee Cee!” A pegasus mare with a shiney copper coat and a short cut silver mane was swooping down towards them. Her outfit consisted of a range of black bands studied with spikes. Buttercup apparently recognised her as she cried a response.

“Metallica!” called Buttercup as the other mare crashed into her and enveloped her in a tight hug. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Manowar managed to score tickets,” said the new mare once she released Buttercup. To Greengrass’s surprise, she seemed to have left the baroness unpierced despite the number of sharp edges on her outfit. A muscular unicorn stallion with a rainbow coloured mane and a ship cutie mark barged his way through the crowd and nodded.

“I haven’t seen you about for ages! I thought you’d died or something,” he said.

Buttercup winced. “I’ve been busy,” she said, “but at least I can make it now,” she continued, rallying.

“So who's the square, Bee Cee,” asked Metallica pointing towards Greengrass, “your date?”

“No,” said Buttercup rather quickly. “This is,” she paused, “Greenie he’s a friend from, from work. It’s his first time here.”

“A virgin, eh,” said Manowar with a grin giving Greengrass a powerful slap on the back. Then he frowned and stared at the other stallion for a moment.

“Well, in all this anyway,” grumbled Greengrass. “I managed to persuade Butt—” He paused, because it did not sound like Buttercup’s friends knew her real name. “I managed to persuade Bee Cee to take the night off and have some fun.”

“Too much work makes Jack a dull colt, right? Bee’s always been a bit secretive about her job. What is it the two of you do?” he asked suspiciously.

“Anyway,” said Butterup, changing the subject. “Looks like the show is about to start!” Greengrass realised that the music had stopped, the chattering all around had started to die away as well. Looking over towards the stage he saw that the previous group were moving off as an illusionary cloud started to cover the area. “Come on!” cried Buttercup grabbing his hoof and starting to drag him towards the dance floor. “We need to get a good spot!”

She shoved several ponies out the way as she barrelled towards the front of the crowd. It seemed like every head in the place was looking towards the now totally concealed stage. For a moment, the herd was almost totally silent. The air almost seemed to crackle with anticipation, and Greengrass felt his flank start to drip with sweat. He certainly hadn’t felt anything like this at the previous concerts he’d been to. Only a few court sessions had provided such a rush.

Suddenly, a single voice spoke out from the crowd. “Crescendo!” it chanted, “Crescendo, Crescendo!” The word was taken up by more and more of the crowd, faster and faster, louder and louder. Even Greengrass found himself joining in. It was almost like magic. He caught Buttercups eye and saw the excitement burning there. For a moment, the chanting stopped and then the music started. At first, it was actually quite gentle, with a repeated tune played on some string instrument. Then the drums started, a sound more felt through his hooves than his ears. Around him the crowd started to yell and bray, Buttercup and her friends were bouncing up and down as were most of the other ponies around them. The music seemed to coil around inside of him making him want to stomp his hooves and shake his head, it kept getting louder and louder.

The cloud on the stage started to clear, revealing a few ponies in outfits of a mix of black and silver playing away. Suddenly, a pegasus dropped from the air wrapped in a black cloak. It landed on three hooves, causing a further cheer from the crowd before tossing its cloak aside to reveal an electric green coated pegasus mare with a purple and black striped mane. “Crescendo!” the crowd yelled as she scooped up a guitar from the floor and leapt into the air as she started to sing with an amplified voice.

“I tuck you in, warm within, keep you free from sin, until the Nightmare she comes!”
“Sleep with one eye open!”
“Clutching your pillow tight!” screamed the mare.

Many of the ponies around were singing along as they cavorted around banging their heads next to and in one or two cases, off of, each other. Buttercup was seemingly fully at home standing next to Metallica with the two of them bouncing up and down hooves flailing around. Greengrass had to admit that the sight of so many ponies seemingly out of control was more than a little frightening to him. Still, there seemed to be a certain unity to the crowd. Despite their aggressiveness and occasional accidental blows no fights were breaking out.

“Take my hoof! We’re off to never never land!” cried Crescendo before the music came to an end. The dancing stopped and all eyes turned to look up towards the pegasus over the stage.

“It’s good to see so many ponies here tonight,” she called, her voice still amplified, “and others as well,” she added as a pair of hippogriffs began jeering.

“Last night was the Nightmare’s own night so I expect she’ll be nice and tired now! But, during my show, no ponies going to be sleeping!” There was some laughing and cat calls from the crowd. “So now we’ve had a bit of a gentle warm up, is everybody ready to rock!”

“Yeah!” cried the crowd almost as loudly as the music had been.

“I can’t hear you!” called Crescendo holding a hoof to her ear.

“Yeah!” screamed the audience.

“Good, now I don’t think that last one put much strain on Lime’s horn,” behind her the unicorn with the guitar stamped a hoof in a dirty gesture. Grinning Crescendo returned the sentiment with one wing. “So you really want him to wear that thing down to a nub? Not that it’s not all that nubby already.”

There was a roar of agreement from the crowd.

“Good, so here we have a little ballard I like to call, Through the Fire and the Flames!” The guitarist in the band took a deep breath and his horn sparked as a purple aura started to fly up and down the instrument at ridiculous speed causing a torrent of notes to vomit forth from his instrument.

Around the band, the crowd once again threw themselves into their dancing. “Come on Greenie! I love this one!” cried Buttercup her sweat soaked mane framing her face, her eyes glittering in the dim lighting. She grabbed him and pulled him further onto the dance floor before beginning to thrash around. Greengrass did his best to match her movements.

Greengrass couldn’t help but smile as he looked back towards the dance floor. He could just about make out Buttercup and Metallica still dancing away to the music. He’d given up after a few songs, because his injuries from last month were acting up. Him and Manowar had headed to the bar, managed to find a booth, and were sipping their drinks. The scene was starting to grow on him, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to be quite as liberated as Buttercup was.

That wasn’t a thought he’d thought he would ever have. While the mare seemed to be able to throw herself heart and soul into whatever she was doing, he found himself rather too self conscious, or maybe a little too paranoid to fully enjoy himself. On the dance floor, Buttercup jammed her muzzle forwards towards her partner and started to aggressively kiss her. Metallica seemed surprised for a moment before returning the affection with just as much, if not more force. Greengrass looked away blushing as a tingle of arousal, and a little more surprising, of jealousy ran through him . He really was seeing all sorts of different sides to his fellow noble today. She certainly wasn’t the simpering goody goody he’d thought she was.

“So,” said Manowar turning towards his drinking partner. “What brings a Duke to a place like this, Greengrass?”

Greengrass’s eyes narrowed. “You know who I am?”

“It’s not like I’m a barbarian. I read the occasional newspaper, and you’ve been on a few front pages.”

Greengrass nodded, that was a bit of a problem when you were famous, it was hard to go anywhere without being recognised. It did give him an excuse to wear disguises sometimes. “Just because I’m a noble doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the music here.”

“True,” said Manowar after a moment. “I guess BeeCee is a noble as well? Is her name even BeeCee, Greenie?”

“And is yours Manowar?”

“My mom is a marine!” He explained looking a little irritated.

Greengrass narrowed his gaze, was it just a coincidence that both Buttercup’s father and her ‘Auntie’ Quicksilver had served in the marines? It was the smallest branch of the Equestrian armed forces. Could Manowar have been positioned to keep an eye on Buttercup? Or was he just being paranoid? “If BeeCee hasn’t told you her real name, I’d guess she doesn’t want you to know,” he replied.

Manowar seemed to consider the situation for a moment. “I suppose you’re right. I had her pegged as a poser from the start, ‘cause we get enough of them.” He nodded his head towards a small group of ponies to one side. They didn’t look any different to anypony else to Greengrass’s eye, although maybe their outfits were a little more expensive. “But she seemed to want to join in with the rest of us. She’s a fun mare to have around.” He took a sip of his drink. “You the reason she’s not been around for a while?”

“No, that was nothing to do with me. I’m the one who convinced her to come along tonight. I think she needed a night off.”

“You might be right,” he said looking back onto the dance floor. “She really is partying hard to night, certainly letting it all out.”

“I hope she doesn’t do anything stupid.” There was letting off some steam and there was going to far.

“Don’t worry,” said Manowar. “She’s amongst friends. Isn’t that right?”

“Yep, somepony needs a breather I think,” said Metallica suddenly appearing next to Greengrass with Buttercup leaning against her. The baroness was panting, her flanks soaked with sweat. “And maybe some hydration. She’s been partying a little too hard.”

“I’m fine,” said Buttercup grabbing Greengrass’s drink and swallowing it in one gulp before gasping.

“That’s won’t hydrate you,” said Metallica. “Man, go get her a pitcher of water. Make that two.”

Buttercup looked like she was going to argue before she took a deep breath and slumped into a seat by Greengrass. “You’re right, thanks.”

“That’s a sensible filly,” said Metallica with a grin. “Got to say I’ve missed you these last few…” She thought for a moment. “Wow, it’s got to be almost six months since I last saw you.”

“Yeah, things kept getting in the way,” said Buttercup breathing heavily. “I kept meaning to contact you, but...”

“You could have written. You know where I live. Although you never told me where your pad was,” she said pointedly.

“Here you go,” said Manowar as he returned with two jugs of water in his aura. Buttercup took one thankfully and sipped at it for a moment before emptying about half of it down her throat and then tossing the remainder over her face before resting her head on the table. “Ok, I needed that,” she sighed. “I don’t remember dancing taking that much out of me before.”

“You do look a mess,” said Manowar bluntly. “You’ve lost weight and you look like you haven't had a good night's sleep in, well, ever.” Metallica glared at him but he only shrugged. Greengrass had to agree with his assessment.

“No, he’s right. Somepony—” she looked up at Greengrass with her mane forming a dark puddle around her chin as the dye started to wash off “—pointed out I’m not taking proper care of myself.”

“You’re not in trouble are you?” asked Metallica, her brow creasing, “I’ve had friends take things too far before. Booze, salt, happyroot...”

“No, it’s not that it's, well.” She sighed closing her eyes. “My father died.”

There was a moment's silence despite the background noise of the club before Metallica reached out a hoof and pulled Buttercup close. “Oh, I’m so sorry. You said he wasn’t well but I didn’t think…”

“It was sudden,” said Buttercup blinking quickly, it looked like she was only just managing to hold herself together. “I thought he was sleeping but, he...” She stopped, just looking bewildered. Greengrass reached out a hoof across the table and she grasped it. Next to him, Manowar did the same.

“I’m sorry,” said Manowar earnestly.

“Th-thanks. I’ve tried to keep it together, but everything just seems so heavy!”

“It’s not so heavy if you share it all with friends,” said Metallica.

“Yeah, I know you’ve got some secrets,” said Manowar, “but you can talk to us.”

“Thanks, I, I will,” said Buttercup starting to compose herself again. “Maybe not today, but when I feel... I don’t want to impose.”

“Hey, you were the one that carried me home after I got totally sloshed at that Iron Filly concert last year. That was an imposition!” said Metallica.

“Yeah, and that time when those unicorns tried to kick my ass at the Hard Rock! I think that blue guy is probably still singing soprano after that kick!” Greengrass raised an eyebrow. Another surprise about his companion, and he couldn’t help but think potential blackmail material. He tried to push that thought away.

Buttercup blushed and let out a giggle. “They were really large targets! It’s just a shame he was such an ass!” She sighed. “Thanks, I’m lucky to have friends like you.” She looked around the table at Metallica, Manowar and Greengrass.

“Yeah, and the night’s still young,” said Manowar taking a glass from the table. “To BeeCee’s dad!” he announced.

After a moment Buttercup raised a glass as well. “To my dad!” she said clinking the glass against the stallion’s. Greengrass and Metallica followed suit. Then they downed their drinks together.

“Right! So back to the dancefloor,” said Buttercup standing up. “You too, Greenie! Let’s make this a night to remember!”

“I. Am. Ir-on. Mare!” declared Buttercup as she stomped her way down the road, her thick shoes making clattering noises. “Du du du-du du-du du du”. Greengrass couldn’t help but smile. The show had carried on until the early hours of the morning, and he had to admit he had enjoyed himself. Maybe he wasn’t quite as much of a fan of the genera as his companion but the company had certainly been fun.

“Well, Iron Mare, are you sure you don’t want to get a taxi home?” he asked. Autumn was certainly drawing on now, and after the stuffy warmth of the club, the air seemed shockingly cold although it did soothe his aching limbs. He’d certainly sleep well tonight.

“It’s not that far, plus the air will help me sober up a bit.”

“How many did you have?” he asked.

“About one more than I should have.” She closed her eyes for a few moments and walked in a more or less straight line. “I’ll be ok.”

Greengrass nodded, he’d kept under his normal limit. It was a rather paranoid habit but he didn’t like the idea of being caught unawares. “I’m surprised you’re going back to your place, it looked like Metallica might be more accommodating.”

“You saw us on the dance floor?” she asked sharply as her face coloured.

“You certainly seemed... close.” He had to fight off the image of the two mares trying to inhale each other’s faces.

“We’ve slept together before,” she said bluntly, “tonight was, well I got caught up in the music, the mood, I really wanted a chance to just work off all the stress, but it wouldn’t be fair to use her that way.” She shook her head. “I need to balance things a bit more. Plus she’s with Manowar now, although she said they aren't exclusive. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind joining in with us again.” She shook her head. “I think I need to get a few things sorted out in my head before I start something, even something casual.” She sighed. “Plus I guess I should be honest with them about who I am. That’s always made me feel a bit guilty.”

“How did you end up as BeeCee anyway?”

“It was the first thing that came to mind when I met them.” She sighed. “It was at my first Metal gig. I’d heard about some outrageous new music and I wanted to see what it was all about. Dad said no, so I snuck out when he was napping. I had no idea what I was doing and I met Metallica at the show. I thought if I told her who I was she wouldn’t want to be my friend or would treat me specially. It was sort of nice to have somepony who didn’t know who I was, who didn’t think of me as my father's daughter, or as a baroness to be.”

Greengrass nodded. He could certainly see the attraction to a certain amount of anonymity, although it was also useful to be able to intimidate others with your rank if necessary. “Nice to see you’re not always a goodie goodie.”

“We both know that’s not true. I did feel really guilty when I got home, though. Dad was worried sick, but he eventually recognised I was almost an adult by then. I could go out and do things on my own, as long as I told him where I was going. I don’t think he ever really understood Metal, but he did respect me.” She gave a far away smile and then shivered. “It is rather cold out isn’t it.”

Greengrass quickly slipped off his jacket and rested it over Buttercup’s back. “Thank you.” she said pulling it close. He tried to hide a shiver as the cold of the night bit harder. “You’re certainly acting like more of a gentlestallion than on our first date.”

“Our first date?” he asked in confusion. He’d hoped he’d remember if he’d dated Buttercup in the past.

“You don’t even remember? I guess I wasn’t all that memorable then. It would have been three, maybe four years ago, at Lady Purity’s Débutante ball?”

Greengrass frowned. It did sort of ring a bell, it had been before he’d taken on his father's position and his parents had pushed him to take part in various society events. There had been a certain amount of match making with other noble scions of around the same age as him as well. He remembered a rather shy and awkward filly a few years younger than him. He’d tried to be polite but really he’d found the whole thing a boring waste of time. “That was you?” he asked.

“Nice to see I made an impact. I don’t entirely blame you. I think our parents might have been considering a match and you tried far too hard to be the dashing young stallion for the first half of the night, you just came off as slimy. Then you lost interest and ignored me for the rest of the night.”

“Slimy!” laughed Greengrass. “I hope your opinion of me improved!”

“A bit,” admitted Buttercup, “when you’re not trying so hard, you might actually be a half decent stallion.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment then,” said Greengrass bowing.

“Here we are,” she said nodding towards the door to her house. Greengrass was surprised how quickly they’d made it here. It was almost a shame the night had to come to an end.

“I hope you had a good time?” He had to admit today had turned out rather more interesting that he’d planned. He certainly hadn’t expected to be drawn into the city's seedy nightlife.

“Yes, yes I think I did. I know you tricked me into the whole thing but I probably needed it. You never did say who made you help me.”

“You didn’t win our bet, so you’ll just have to live in ignorance,” he teased.

“I’ve got a fairly good idea. Duchess Posey, most likely. Then again, I don’t think she’d trust you enough, so Baron Max? Or maybe a joint effort between the two of them?”

“I’m sorry, my lips are sealed,” said Greengrass making a zipping gesture. “But the two of them are rather close aren't they. Very close if the rumours are to be believed.”

She grinned. “Oh yes, close. I’m fairly sure they’ve been going at it like rabbits since the gala. You should have seen them dance the tango!” She looked a little wistful.

“I was rather, busy, at the gala,” said Greengrass hesitantly. He didn’t want to be reminded of the night.

“Oh, right, sorry,” said Buttercup peeling off the jacket resting over her shoulders and passing it back to Greengrass. “I guess it’s time to say goodnight,” she said with a yawn. “I think I’ll be sleeping in tomorrow, but I have got a lot to get done.” Greengrass frowned, he’d hoped that he had gotten her to take things a little more easily. “I’ll have to look into getting myself an assistant, maybe more than one. I really need to make sure I have more me time. While still carrying out my duties fully,” she added.

Greengrass nodded. “That’s a good plan.”

Buttercup turned towards her door for a moment, then swayed back. She leaned forwards slightly, her coat almost glowing in the light of the moon. As if drawn by a magnet, Greengrass found himself being drawn towards her. His lips started to part for a kiss when something gently tapped against his chest. He looked down to see Buttercup’s outstretched hoof. He looked back at her face, she looked somewhat confused. Trying to hide his blush, Greengrass leaned back again and reached out, taking her hoof and shaking it. “Ah, well, um, good night then.”

“Yes, good night. You know, you’re not as bad as many of the court say. Maybe we could meet up again somewhen else, as friends?” It felt to Greengrass as if she highlighted the last word.

“Of course, if your reputation can stand hanging out with a scoundrel like me? I’m sure we can do something together. Maybe next time I’ll choose the music?”

“Maybe.” Buttercup turning away and entering the house. “But nothing too boring,” she added as the door clicked shut.

Greengrass stood still for a minute, clutching the jacket she had returned to him. He sniffed it, her scent drifted into his nostrils. Well, he thought after a moment, that had been unexpected. He didn’t know what had come over him really, she was an attractive mare but... Anyway, he had carried out his agreement with Baron Max and had quite a good time doing it. Not only did the baron owe him, but Buttercup was favorably inclined to him as well. Not exactly the most powerful allies at court, but every little bit helped and if nothing else his day out had been better than staying at home by himself moping.

He turned away from the house and set off in the rough direction of his own estate. Yes, he thought as he whistled one of tunes from the club, overall it had been a good day.

41) Month 4: Engagement

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Max let out a yawn as he opened the door to his office. “Evening Mrs G,” he called as he stepped inside.

“Good evening dear,” came the reply from his assistant. She almost always seemed to get in before him recently. “You look tired. Were you up late with the duchess again?” she asked with a smirk.

Max tried hard not to blush. He wasn’t even sure how she found out about him and Fragrant falling asleep together after working on the bill last month. “No, I got to bed at the right time. I just have problems getting up when it’s dark.” Unfortunately, they were well into Autumn now and given the nocturnal pattern of the court it meant that the sun had set by the time he got up. It often didn’t rise again until after court had finished, so soon it wouldn’t even be dawn by the time he got to bed.

“I’ll put the coffee on then,” said Mrs G turning towards the small gas stove by her desk. It had originally been set up in the small kitchen alcove on the second floor of the tower but soon after they’d moved in, Mrs G had called dibs on it.

“Thanks,” said Max. “Any post this morning?” he asked, his eyes roaming over his assistant's desk.

“Mostly the usual, next month's voting schedule, Piste’s report from home,” said the old goat without even looking up. Max nodded. It was important to get updates on what was happening back in Nulpar even if most of it was about Sadlzberg. The next mayoral election was just before the new year so soon he’d get reports from somepony else, probably Zephyr. “It was that nice unicorn filly delivering again today,” continued Mrs G. “You know, the one that’s always humming? She looked very much like the cat that got the cream this morning. She’s dating one of Greengrass’s ex-bodyguards, and they went out to a dance last night. She said he’s got four left feet but he made up for it afterwards once they got home he...”

Max started to tune out Mrs G’s gossip when he spied a purple envelope amongst the rest of the pile. He frowned. The colour was supposed to tell you the rank of the pony who had sent it, from the brown he used up to the silver than personal missives from the Princess came in. He didn’t think he’d seen purple before. He wracked his brain for a moment; it was for Viceroys and Vicerenes if he remembered correctly. “Where did this one come from?”

“Humm,” mumbled Mrs G, not looking all that happy at being interrupted. “Oh, that. It wasn’t with the rest. It was delivered by a page, a rather stuck up filly. I didn’t think she was going to leave it with me. I told her you’d be in soon but she seemed quite put out that are weren't here to meet her in person.”

Max’s heart dropped, had he forgotten some sort of appointment with Puscience? Or Wallflower? Night Light even? He was sure he’d submitted all his budget paperwork to the former on time, most of his communication with Wallflower came via Fragrant and he really didn’t have all that much to do with the third... He hurriedly grabbed the letter off of the table and ripped it open with his teeth. His eyes flicked from side to side as he took in the words on the paper and a smile appeared on his face slowly growing wider and wider.

“Good news then?” said Mrs G, looking up from the simmering brew she was working on.

“It’s from Viceroy Night Light!” exclaimed Max almost jumping up and down on the spot. “It’s about my transport bill!” It had passed its initial committee reading thanks to the corrections he and Fragrant had put through, but as it potentially affected all the provinces in Equestria, there were at least another dozen stages it would normally have to go through before it could be seen by the whole of the court. It would take a year or more for all that to happen, maybe even more. “He says that since the princess has highlighted the need for improved transport in her speech at the opening of the court, he is willing to use his prerogative as minister of the interior to bypass the various lower committees and arrange a reading at the highest level in his ministry! He even says he doesn’t think it will need more than a few tweaks before it can be voted on by the whole court! It might be put into practice as early as the beginning of the new year! He’s even listed the changes he thinks need to be made.”

“That sounds excellent,” said the nanny passing the cup to Max, who took it nervelessly. “I knew it was a good idea.”

“Fragrant said it probably wouldn’t happen for years, if at all,” mumbled Max.

“She doesn’t know everything, and you have been very lucky. Still it probably deserves a celebration.” She produced a small flask from somewhere and started to pour an amber liquid into Max’s cup.

“I should go tell her, as soon as-” began Max before he was interrupted as the door to the office suddenly crashed open. A brown coated pegasus tumbled into the room, almost slamming into Max.

“It’s wonderful! And terrible! Terribly Wonderful or Wonderfully Terrible!” came a panicked cry as the pony tried to pick himself up.

“Mellow?” exclaimed Max recognising his colleague and friend, Baron Mellow Dramatic. “What is it?” he asked cautiously. Mellow was rather high strung, to say the least. He was the type to panic over not having the correct colour tie, but this was extreme even for him.

“It’s Confidant, she’s, I just found out, she’s, she’s...” he stuttered breathing heavily as Max helped him up off the floor.

“She’s what? Is she ok?” asked Max. He hadn’t interacted all that much with Mellow’s marefriend but she’d seemed nice enough when he had met her, and he knew that Mellow loved her very much.

“She’s fine, she’s perfect, she’s pregnant!” Mellow finally managed.

Max blinked, digesting this news slowly. “Oh, congratulations!” he eventually exclaimed with a grin, patting Mellow on the back.

“She’s pregnant,” repeated Mellow. “I’m going to be a father,” he said as if he’d only just realised it. He looked shocked for a moment before a smile started to grow on his face. “I’m going to have a foal!”

“Meala-naidheachd!” said Mrs G holding out her flask to Mellow. Who took it, apparently still in a daze, and took a deep draft of it. He savoured it for a moment before gagging at the powerful brew.

“Where’s Confidant?” asked Max, “Are you going to have some sort of party?”

“I haven’t seen her yet. It was her father who told me. He didn’t seem all that happy,” he mused still seeming a bit dazed. “He’s never really approved you know. He said something about us getting married, because he’s rather traditional that way.”

“Well, you did have that planned anyway, didn’t you? You showed me the bands.”

“Yes!” Mellowed frowned. “But if I propose now won’t everypony think I’m doing it just because she’s pregnant?”

“I suppose some might, but anypony who knows you wouldn’t. We all can see how much you two care for each other.”

“But the press! The newspapers!” Mellow seemed to be working himself back up into a full-blown panic again. “They always think the worst! I can’t put Confidant through all that, not in her condition!”

“When I was last in her condition, I was working a twelve hour a day, and caring for two other kids,” grumbled Mrs G. “Although it was nice to come home to somegoat to give me a hoof massage at the end of the day,” she added a little wistfully. “It’s not like she’ll break under a bit of stress.”

“Calm down,” said Max trying to stop Mellow getting completely out of hoof. “Just talk to her about it. I’m sure she’ll understand. She knows you.”

“Maybe,” agreed Mellow breathing heavily. “But what about her father? He’s never liked me; our families have never been friendly. He’ll suspect the worst! Plus, I think I flew away from him when he told me. It’s a bit blurry.”

Max tried not to facehoof. “Maybe you should talk to him as well? It’s going to be his grandfoal after all.”

“Yes, he said something about that.” Mellow squeezed up his face, apparently trying to remember. “I think he invited me, well told me really, to come to dinner at his estate. He said we could sort things out there, said I should be prepared to do my duty. You can come as well, Max!” he said brightening. “You know that I intended to propose, so you can speak on my behalf. That should work, everypony likes you!” He leapt into the air with a flap of his wings.

“Now wait Mellow why don’t you just-” began Max trying not to get sucked into Mellow’s plans.

“It’ll be perfect, the day after tomorrow after court. I’ll see you there!” he exclaimed as he swooped out the door.

“Wait Mellow!” called Max after his disappearing form.

“I guess I should clear your diary for Wednesday morning then,” said Mrs G.

“Please tell me there’s something important going on then,” pleaded Max. He hoped the best for Mellow but he really didn’t want to get sucked into a family feud.

“Sorry, you’re completely clear,” said Mrs G looking at him over her glasses.

Max sighed. Maybe it wouldn’t be all that bad. He did like Mellow, he was a good friend and a font of useful connections at court, when he calmed down. From what he’d seen, Confidant was normally a stabilizing influence on him, but he supposed she had her own problems at the moment if she’d only just found out she was pregnant. Hopefully, things would have sorted themselves out by tomorrow, maybe the dinner would be cancelled. At the very least he might be able to talk the situation over with Fragrant, since they were due to have breakfast together tomorrow evening.

“When you’ve finished wool gathering, you have to read over the minutes for your next committee meeting,” said Mrs G pulling Max out of his contemplation.

“Right, yes, sorry,” said Max shaking his head. He grimaced as he took a swig of his now cold coffee. “I better get started,” he said turning towards the stairs. Then something clicked in his mind. “Actually, that talk of foals reminded me of something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Really,” Mrs G raised an eyebrow, “Is there something I don’t know about the Duchess?”

“No! No, it’s not that, but Caoimhe’s kid is due before the end of the year, right?” he thought that was correct, goat pregnancies were fairly short, six months sounded right. His mother could have told him exactly. Mrs G nodded. “Wouldn’t you like to be there for the birth? And spend some time with them afterwards? I’m sure Caoimhe and Brian could do with the help.”

“If she gives birth over the holidays it should be fine,” mused Mrs G. “I can spend a few weeks with them and be back in time for court’s reopening.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“It’s not like I can leave you all alone here. You need all the help you can get,” she grumbled.

Max tried not to flinch. “I think I can handle things on my own for a while.” He took a deep breath. “If needs be I’m sure I can get another assistant. Temporarily,” he added hastily.

Mrs G scowled. “I worked for your father and grandfather while I was raising three kids! They thought they didn’t need the help as well! And they were wrong, I certainly don’t need anyone else messing up my system!”

Max wanted to explain that running the whole province was much harder than just a town but the look in her eyes stopped him. “It would only be for a while. It is your first grandkid after all, and nothing much happens around the holidays. Once the kid’s settled in you could come back.” He secretly hoped that he might be able to get Mrs G to take on her own assistant longer term. He tried to help as much as possible, but she was working longer hours than him most days.

“Well, maybe for the kid. Caoimhe’s a good nanny, but kids are always harder than you think,” she mused.

“Just think about it for the moment,” said Max. “We can talk later.”

After a moment, Mrs G nodded.

“So, I don’t think Empty Suit is going to work out as my assistant,” said Fragrant, delicately wiping her mouth with a napkin. “He’s competent enough, but he just won't show any initiative, I have to tell him to do everything. He might be too young for the role, maybe in a few more years he’ll have learnt to be more assertive.”

Max nodded as he bit into a bun full of haybacon. “Do you have anypony else in mind to replace him?” Honestly, Max was rather glad that Fragrant was dismissing her temporary assistant with his shiny coat and slicked back mane. He was far too handsome in Max’s opinion, although thankfully Fragrant didn’t seem to have noticed it, unlike many of the other mares around her office who found reasons to pass by his desk several times a day.

“There are a few possibilities from the regional offices,” noted Fragrant, “but the problem is most of them are too useful where they already are. It could be months before they could train replacements and come work for me.” She sighed. “I’m beginning to regret letting Notebook go,” she admitted grudgingly. “He did betray me, but he was very good at his job. What do you think Max?”

Max swallowed. He hadn’t felt it was a good idea to fire the stallion in the first place but he’d also seen how upset Fragrant had been by the whole thing. She did value loyalty, if she did take on Notebook again would she just be constantly doubting him? “I don’t know. It’s your decision really, because you’ll be the one working with him.”

“You’re right, I just don’t...” she stared off into the distance for a moment. “I’ll need to give it some more thought, maybe a trial period?” She shook her head. “Anyway,” she glanced carefully around the canteen for anypony who might be listening in. “Have you given any further thought about Hearthswarming?”

“Hearthswarming? Oh, yes, right. Me spending it with you in Cloudsdale. I wrote to mum about not being able to spend it with her this year and, well, I think she understands.” Her latest letter had been included in the pack he’d gotten from Piste yesterday. “Are you sure you’ll be able to get me back to Nulpar for the new year?”

“Cloudsdale will be quite a distance from Nulpar come the holidays, over Manehatten actually, but I do have some of the fastest sky chariots outside of the military at my beck and call. It should only take a day or so to get you home.” She rested a calming hoof on his. “You and your mother should have a week or more together before you have to return to court.”

“That’s good. I know that Piste and Doctor Martin and the others will look after her, but I don’t like the idea of her being alone for the holidays.”

Fragrant smiled. “That does you credit, but I’m glad you can spend the time with me. Cloudsdale looks so nice around the holidays. I got to see your province, so you should get to see some of mine.”

“I’m looking forwards to it,” said Max. “I just hope your family is okay with it.”

“I’m sure Edelweiss will be overjoyed to have somepony outside the family to talk to, and you get on well with Forming. Dangerous will want to talk to you about Nulpar given it’s got so many mountains. Thunderous...” She paused, “I’ll make sure he’s on his best behaviour.” Max giggled a little nervously. His first meeting with Fragrant’s giant of a brother hadn’t gone perfectly, but hopefully he’d be a little more relaxed in his own home. “Maybe even Fluttering will be able to make it this year. She seemed to like you when you met.”

“I hope you have the room for all of us.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she waved a dismissive hoof. “We have whole wings of the house we hardly use.”

Max nodded. It sounded like they’d have a good time. He hoped that the part of Fragrant’s present Greensleaves was making would be finished in time. She’d reported it was almost done, but the post from Nulpar could take weeks. “I’ve got some good news as well.”

“Really what is it?” asked Fragrant.

“I got a letter from Viceroy Night Light yesterday, about my bill.” He took the paper from his bag. “He thinks that it can get fast tracked to a vote in the new year.”

“Really?” said Fragrant, looking very surprised. She held out a hoof and he passed her the letter. Her eyes quickly flashed over it. “This really is a surprise.” Max had hoped her reaction would be a little more positive than that. She looked up and must have seen his frown. “I really am very proud of you. Very few courtiers ever pass a bill within a year of starting service.” She reached out a hoof to his. “But don’t count your clouds before they’re condensed. You know what happened at your first attempt to get a vote on this.”

Max winced at the memory. “I know, but things are much better this time.”

“Yes, but don’t get complacent. If the bill gets read quicker, you will have less time to gather your supporters. Do you have an idea of who's going to vote for and against? Do you have plans to flip any extra support you may need?” Despite the sudden panic of realising how much he still had to do Max couldn’t help but smile at how energised Fragrant seemed. She really was at her best at this sort of thing.

“I’ve got some things planned,” he mostly lied. “Night Light’s support will really help.”

“Yes,” said Fragrant doubtfully, “but Night Light doesn’t specifically say he will help at a vote, does he? This letter just says that he will try and fast track it. It could be possible he wants to get it to the floor quicker to make it easier to crush.”

“He wouldn’t do something like that, would be?” asked Max in surprise.

“I didn’t used to think so, but... I did see another side of him recently. He apologised for what he tried to do before the gala, and he has seemed to be acting honourably in court for the last few months...” Max nodded. Fragrant had told him about Night Light’s threat. It had been an underhoofed tactic, but the stallion had been trying to protect his daughter. At least that was how Night Light had seen it.

“Maybe I should talk to him about it?”

“Possibly, but even if he’s not trying to sabotage the bill directly, he might try to steal it from you.”

“Steal it? Can he do that?”

“Your name would still be on it, but given your relative positions it could easily become attached to him by reputation rather than you. Everypony would assume Night Light had planned it himself. It happens more often than you might think, and given his previous actions Night Light could do with a few high profile ‘wins’ under his belt.”

“Even if that happened, the bill would still go through though? There would still be funds to help Nulpar?”

“Well, yes, but nopony would know all the hard word you put into it.”

“So? That’s not the important part, is it? I’ll know what I did and the ponies in the less developed provinces would still benefit. It doesn’t matter what other ponies think.” He shrugged.

Fragrant smiled. “That’s very noble of you Max, and yes it doesn’t exactly matter who gets the publicity, but that goodwill would make it easier for you to put forwards other bills to do more good for your province, and the whole of Equestria. You deserve the respect for the work you’ve done.”

“So you don’t think I should accept his help?” asked Max sounding puzzled. To be honest he thought Fragrant had done quite a bit of work on the bill, helping him draft it, acting as a sounding board, educating him on the proper procedure. She wasn’t getting much out of it all either.

“I wouldn’t go that far, because his help could be very useful. Just don’t accept everything at face value.” She sighed. “Maybe things shouldn’t be so complicated, so underhoofed, but unfortunately they are. This could be a big thing for you, and I’d hate it if you didn’t get the credit you deserve.”

Max nodded. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

“You’re welcome,” said Fragrant grasping his hoof again. “Now, unless you’ve any other news I should get going. I’ve got a cabinet meeting in half an hour. I need to read up on my status reports.”

“Actually, there is something I want to talk to you about,” said Max. He really hoped Fragrant could think of some way to get him out of Mellow’s family problem.

“What?”

“You know Lady Confidant, Count Kibitz’s daughter? She’s pregnant!”

Fragrant raised an eyebrow. “I hope you didn’t have anything to do with that!”

“What? No!” exclaimed Max, colouring. Fragrant looked stern for a moment before holding a hoof to her mouth to muffle her giggles. “That was mean!”

“Sorry. Congratulations to her and whoever the father is, but I didn’t take you for such a gossip.”

“It’s not that, the father is Baron Mellow Dramatic, and they’ve been dating for months now. Her father hasn’t approved, and now that there’s a foal involved it looks like he might be considering a crossbow wedding.”

“Really, isn’t that somewhat hypocritical if he never wanted them together in the first place?”

“Maybe. I think he doesn’t want his daughter humiliated by Mellow running off before the foal is born. Not that he would, he adores Confidant. He might be a little surprised by the whole thing right now but I’m sure he’ll be a good father.” He’d probably spoil the foal rotten.

“You know him better than I do so I’ll take your word for it,” said Fragrant with a shrug. “I don’t see any problem really, baron Mellow wants to marry Lady Confidant and she loves him as well. It’s not like her father really needs to force anything.”

“There isn’t, but Mellow always makes a mountain out of a molehill. He’s worried that marrying Confidant under these circumstances makes it look like he was forced into it rather than choosing to. He did plan to ask her last month, but he was waiting for the right moment.”

Fragrant sighed. “This all sounds far too complicated. They just all need to sit down and sort things out like adults. There’s no reason they can’t just explain their feelings to each other. I don’t see why this is anything to do with you.”

Max agreed, although maybe Fragrant was being a little hypocritical given their own relationship would have been much easier if they’d talked sooner, but he didn’t fancy raising that point right now. “Well, Mellow has sort of dragged me into it. He wants me to meet with Kibitz and explain the situation. He hopes that the old stallion will believe me more than him.”

“And you agreed? Really, you shouldn’t let yourself get dragged into these things. You can be too helpful sometimes.”

“I didn’t exactly agree, Mellow just sort of assumed I would. I couldn’t get a word in edgeways at the time.”

“Max! You really should stand up for yourself more.”

“I know, but Mellow is a nice guy when you get to know him, and he could use a hoof,” said Max wringing his hooves.

“I know, you can be too nice for your own good.” She sighed, but with a smile. “But then if you didn’t, you just wouldn’t be your lovable self.”

“Lovable, you say?” said Max, his ears pricking up.

Fragrant blushed. “Yes, well anyway, I really need to go now,” she said hurriedly. “I hope you sort out the thing with Mellow, Confidant, and Kibitz. I should be able to meet you for breakfast tomorrow, and don’t forget it’s my time to choose this weekend's, um, meeting. I have a private box at the Wonderbolts show I thought we could go to.”

“That sounds good,” said Max, still grinning at being found lovable. “Hopefully, the whole Mellow thing will just blow over, he might not need me at all.”

“I don’t think I can do this!” whined Mellow as he and Max arrived outside of the Schere estate.

“Sure you can,” said Max, trying to be soothing. Mellow was high strung at the best of times, right now he looked like he was about to faint, or run off screaming. Sweat was streaming from his flanks and his legs were knocking, he couldn’t seem to stop his wings from flaring around ready to fly off. “Just think about Confidant. This is what you wanted to do, isn’t it? You were waiting for the right moment to ask her.”

“Yes, but I didn’t expect it to be like this! Her father’s never liked me, he thinks I’d run out on her if he doesn’t force me to marry her!” He gnawed nervously at one hoof.

“Prove to him that’s not true, and show him how much you care for his daughter.”

“He can be so intimidating sometimes... Well most of the time really.” Mellow made a visible attempt to pull himself together. “Think of Confidant,” he mumbled. “Think of the foal.” He swallowed painfully.

“Given her magic, I’m sure she knows how things are going to turn out anyway,” joked Max, trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t understand it really, but apparently Confidant could predict the future.

“It doesn’t always work that way,” said Mellow distractedly. “Still... Maybe...”

“Come on, we can’t stand out here on the street all day,” said Max, giving Mellow a shove to get him moving. He had to admit that the Schere estate was a nice home. It was on the third tier of the city along with many of the older noble houses. He’d walked past it a few times in the past, because it wasn’t far from Fragrant’s place, but he’d never been inside. Maybe it was a little smaller and a bit less well kept than its neighbours, but really that just gave it a more lived in feeling. The grounds were small, with various statues of famous members of the house positioned amongst the greenery.

With only a little more coaxing, Max managed to get Mellow to approach to the main door. It immediately swung open, making Max believe they had been observed while they approached. Behind the door was a unicorn mare in a butler's uniform who led them, with icy politeness, into the drawing room.

The room was spacious and contained numerous extremely plush chairs as well as a large drinks cabinet and several servants discreetly placed around the room. Probably more than were needed, because Max suspected they might be there to restrain Mellow if needs be. Judging by how the pegasus’ gaze was snapping from one to the other, he guessed his friend thought that as well. Overall, it was a place that Max would have enjoyed spending a few hours if things weren't quite so tense right now.

The owners of the house were already present. Kibitz and his elder daughter Advisatrix - a much taller and thinner version of Confidant - were seated at one end of the room while Max and Mellow were guided to seats opposite. Clearly battle lines had been drawn, lacking only barbed wire and trenches for the war to begin. Only Confidant herself seemed willing to cross no stallions land, rushing over to Mellow as he entered and giving him a rather self-conscious nuzzle. Max couldn’t help but glance at her abdomen. She couldn’t be more than a few months gone, so there wasn’t really anything to see yet.

“I’m glad you could make it, Baron Max,” said Confidant trying to break the ice. “Mellow talks about you quite often.”

“Yes,” said Mellow looking down at the floor. “You’re a good friend. It’s always nice to have some support.”

“Support!” snorted Kibitz glaring at Mellow. “And why would you need support! This is family business. I’d hope you’d been keen to do your duty! You were certainly keen enough to put us all in this situation, certainly no hesitation there!”

“Father!” exclaimed Confidant.

“It’s not like that, um, sir,” stuttered Mellow, “I would love to, I mean it’s not a duty, it’s a pleasure to, I mean...”

“Be quiet!” snapped Kibitz his moustache bristling. “Now, we are here today to settle this matter. You will do right by my daughter, boy. I will not have her disrespected by you running off on her, not like you ran when I told you about this whole thing.”

Mellow shrunk further into his seat. “Father, you surprised him,” exclaimed Confidant. “I wanted to be the first to tell him the good news. If Advisatrix hadn’t gone running to you.” She glared at her older sister who had the good grace to look embarrassed.

“Your sister did the right thing, dear,” said Kibitz his tone softening a little. “It’s my responsibility to look after you, now that your mother... Well, your sister knows how important protecting family is. I don’t want you to get hurt or your reputation damaged.”

“There’s going to be a new member of this family soon,” muttered Confidant holding a hoof to her abdomen. Mellow hopped out of his chair and rushed over to her, resting a wing over her back and pulling her closer to him.

“And it’s important that your foal gets the best start in life, without any shame hanging over his or her head. You might have left it rather late boy, but you are going to do the right thing.” He glared at Mellow.

“Of course, I, well I would have, if… I was waiting for the right moment, sir.”

“I would say the right moment has passed.”

Mellow stared pitifully at Max, seeming to look for support.

“Um, well you see,” said Max taking his cue, hopefully the old stallion would believe him, “I know Mellow did intend to marry your daughter. He showed me the ring last month, he was waiting for the right moment.”

Kibitz stared at Max for a moment as if trying to decide if he was lying or not. “Got cold hooves did you boy? Maybe decided that my daughter wouldn’t get you as much political leverage as you’d hoped. Maybe you thought you saw somepony better?” he snorted.

Mellow winced as if he’d been struck. “No!” he exclaimed.

“No what, boy?”

“No! I would never,” said Mellow taking a step closer to the older stallion, “see anypony better. There simply isn’t anypony better than Confidant. It’s just not possible! She’s talented, and beautiful, and sweet and generous and understands me more than I do myself!”

Confidant seemed a little overwhelmed by this barrage of compliments and slumped down on her haunches with one hoof held to her month. Kibitz likewise seemed surprised, although he quickly rallied. “Nice words, but what are you going to do about it?”

“This,” growled Mellow turning to Confidant and taking a moment to compose himself he produced the horn ring that Max had seen last month. “Lady Confidant,” he dropped to his knees, “I know I can be silly, get things muddled sometimes, but please believe that I am entirely serious when I ask you to make me the happiest stallion alive by accepting my proposal of marriage?” Max could see the worry in the stallion's eyes as he looked up towards his marefriend.

There was a tense moment before Confidant dropped to her knees and threw a leg over Mellow’s back. “Yes, yes, yes!” she squealed peppering his face with kisses. A look of joy flashed over Mellow’s face as he returned the affection. After a moment he gently pushed her away and stood, turning towards Kiditz.

“To show that my affections are true I am willing, if you wish it my Lady. To offer my resignation to the Princess and give up my position at court so there can be no doubt that all I do is for your, and our foal’s, good. Not my own political benefit!”

Max started from his seat. Mellow could sometimes take things a bit far, but this was rather over the top even for him. It was certainly a romantic gesture but would he really go through with it?

“Very dramatic boy, but do you really expect me to believe that you’d give up everything if I-” said Kibitz.

“No! Not if you asked me,” snapped Mellow. “If Confidant did. This is between me and her, it’s not up to you to decide what we do. If she wants to marry me, I will, but it will because we want to, not because you think it will save you from some non-existent scandal! Don’t you even trust your own daughter to know her mind? To know her heart?”

Kibitz almost staggered back and seemed to be lost for words at the change in Mellow. Max was rather impressed. “Daddy,” said Confidant slowly walking towards her father gently pulling Mellow behind her. “I know you want to look after me, but I’m an adult now and I’ve made my decision.” She glanced over towards her fiancé. “I love him, but I don’t want the two of you to fight.”

“Confidant, I, I, well I have to protect the family, he might hurt you,” stuttered Kibitz suddenly seeming smaller and older.

“He is family, or he will be, so will your granddaughter.” Confidant reached up to take her father's hoof and gently tugged it over towards Mellow letting the two of them touch.

“I would never do anything to hurt your daughter, sir,” said Mellow grasping Kibitz’s hoof and shaking it.

“Well, um, see that you don’t, er, son.”

Confidant smiled and let out a long breath Max hadn’t noticed her to be holding. “I’m glad you’re getting along now. We have so much to organise for the wedding.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, my gosh, the wedding, I’m going to get married,” she exclaimed seeming to realise for the first time. “I’m going to get married!” Her sister rushed over and grabbed her and the two started to hop up and down seeming to communicate in short squeals.

“Yes, well,” said Kibitz, composing himself, “We need to celebrate. “Black, bring out the brandy, the ‘76 I think.”

“They seem to be getting along better,” said Max looking over at Kibitz and Mellow as the former was showing the younger stallion the portraits which covered the walls. Mellow still looked rather nervous in his soon-to-be father-in-law’s presence, but calmer than he had before. Although the remains of a large snifter of brandy he held in one hoof might partially explain that.

“There’s so much I need to organise,” rambled Confidant standing next to him and apparently not listening at all. “I’ll need mares of honour, I’ll have to write to Lyra and Moondancer and... Sorry what was that?” she said, shaking herself.

“I said it looks like Mellow and your father are getting along better.”

“Oh, yes. I thought they would, eventually. Mellow just needed to stand up to him, earn his respect. Daddy is so sweet really but he’s a bit overprotective of me. I guess I’ll always be his little filly, but I saw that if I gave Mellow just the right push he’d-” She held a hoof up to her mouth and blushed furiously, “I mean...”

“You saw?” asked Max frowning. “Did you use your seeing the future thingy?”

“It’s not exactly like that,” she said, looking away. “It’s not the future, it’s a future but it was a really good future. Good for all of us.”

“Isn’t that a bit manipulative?” A thought struck him. “Was your foal really an accident?”

“Well, maybe not exactly an accident. I think we all know what leads to foals. I knew Mellow wanted children sooner or later, and that he wanted to propose, but it might take him forever to work up the courage. So I thought, a little push.” She mimed tapping something with her hoof. “Just to make him stand up for himself, just so he’d be the stallion I know he can be.”

Max nodded. He still wasn’t sure about the morality of what she’d done, but it did make sense, Mellow was a good friend but he was hardly decisive. He guessed Confidant had done it all for a good cause. Maybe he should try to be a bit more decisive about his and Fragrant’s relationship. A good push might be needed there as well although not in quite the same way as Confidant. He was tired of having to hide things. Mellow and Confidant were openly engaged now, and maybe he didn’t want to go quite that far, yet, but just being able to date in public would be nice. Sure, neither Mellow or Kibitz’s families were as well-known as Fragrant’s, but they were far more important than him. Would it really result in a media storm if they were seen together? An idea struck him. He was sure the new couple would have some sort of party to celebrate, so maybe he could get Fragrant to come as his date. He would have to ask her. She’d probably say no, but he had to try.

“Anyway,” said Confidant, breaking Max from his thoughts. “I am glad that everything did work out so well. Daddy’s never been good about me dating. I suppose it’s hard to see your foals as all grown up.” She sighed. “I guess I’ve got that to look forward to in a few decades when this one,” she tapped her stomach, “starts dating. I might find out that I appreciate daddy a bit more once I’ve been through all that.” She laughed. “I’ll have you to blame for it all anyway.”

“Me? What have I got to do with it?” asked Max in surprise.

“Well whose foal do you think she’ll be dating?” asked Confidant with a raised eyebrow.

42) Month 4 - Relationship Upgrade (Part 1)

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Max sat outside of the office door feeling rather like a naughty school colt. Around him swarms of ponies carried out the various affairs of state. Papers were efficiently moved from desk to desk and dozens of conversations were carried out in hushed whispers. He’d thought that Fragrant’s Weather Ministry could be busy but it had nothing on the Over-ministry of the Interior where a good chunk of the bureaucracy which kept Equestria running day to day was carried out. Some said that the largest of the three Over-ministries was actually the least interesting compared to Finance which paid for everything and the Exterior which dealt with Equestria’s interactions with the rest of the word, but it was here were the million and one minutia needed to keep the country afloat were carried out.

Max knew he was very lucky to have been granted even a few minutes of Viceroy Night Light’s, the head of the Over-ministry, time. Especially given the short notice. Still the wait was making him think more and more that it had been a bad idea. He glanced over at a nearby secretary who looked up from her work and gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to her scroll. To be honest it wasn’t just the meeting with Night Light that had him worried. He’d arranged to visit Fragrant after court and he intended to ask her to come to Mellow’s engagement party next week, as his date. He knew she didn’t want their relationship to be public, but it had been almost half a year! He wanted to be seen around town with her, be able to talk about them to his friends, to be able dispel the occasional feeling that he was her dirty secret! They were planning to spend Hearth’s Warming together, for Luna’s sake, but they couldn’t be seen in the same restaurant! He really felt he had to put his hoof down, he knew she was uncomfortable about the possible press coverage and he didn’t want to upset her, but he felt he’d waited long enough for their relationship to move on.

There was a cough nearby which drew his attention back to the outside world. The secretary was looking at him. “The Viceroy will see you now,” she said nodding towards the office door.

“Oh, right. Thanks!” said Max as he got up from his chair and gathered up the few notes he’d prepared. Night Light had offered to help sponsor his road building bill but Fragrant had been worried that he might try to steal the glory for the idea. It all seemed silly to Max but she’d insisted he arrange a meeting with the other stallion to worked the issue out.

He gently rapped a hoof on the door and was bid to enter after a few moments. The room on the other side was surprisingly spartan and small given how important the owner was. It was still larger than Max’s personal office, but not by all that much. The furnishing was of the highest quality but mostly consisted of the desk, some chairs and several bookcases. The only decoration were some pictures on the desk and wall showing various members of Night Light’s family. The Viceroy himself was sitting on the opposite side of the desk staring down at some papers in front of him.

Night Light was a stallion in his middle years, maybe a little older than Fragrant. His light blue coat and darker, but slightly greying, mane were well groomed. At present he was only wearing a light coat with his houses crest on it. After a moment he looked up. “Ah, baron, please excuse me, I was looking over a letter from my daughter. A logic puzzle actually.” He stood and offered his hoof to Max who gave it a somewhat timid bump. “Something she picked up from one of the other continents, I do like how all the numbers fit neatly into the grid.” He sat down again. “I’m trying to keep in touch with her more at the moment, given how close she’s staying.” He sighed for a moment. “Now you wanted to talk to me about my support for your bill...?”

“Yes, I, well... thank you very much for your help, it’s very welcome. I just wanted to go through a few of the details,” began Max.

“And you want to know what the cost would be? If I was going to try and steal your glory?” said Night Light leaning forwards his hooves steeped under his chin, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, um, that is to say well... yes,” said Max a bit taken aback by the Viceroys bluntness.

“No need to be ashamed, it’s a fair question and certainly something you should think about before entering into an alliance with me or any other pony.” He leant back. “To be truthful, you don’t have anything that I need baron Max, and even if I did ponies of my rank don’t tend to need to play the same games the rest of the court does.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Not to say that I am perfect, I am only equine, as I proved all too recently. I just think that your proposal will be of great benefit to Equestria and wish to aid you as best I can. Given the princess’s speech at the opening of court included a wish that transport be improved now is an excellent time to put your idea in place. Some similar proposals have previously been made, but most were of limited scope. The range of your suggestions are refreshing, grants to all underdeveloped provinces, not just your own. It should cut down the number of areas which feel they aren't getting their fair share. Although the overall cost is of course much higher but I feel it will be worth it.”

“Oh, um, thank you sir. This is all a little unexpected,” said Max.

“You thought things might be harder?” said Night Light, “Well most things are, as I’m sure you’ve seen in the past, but sometimes things can go your way.” He paused for a moment. “We are alike in some ways baron.”

“Really?” asked Max in surprise glancing around the room again. He certainly didn’t think he had all that much in common with one of the three most powerful mortal ponies in the country. “How?”

“I wasn’t born a Viceroy you know. I married into the position. Like you the court seemed very strange when I first joined it. Of course, unlike yours, my family have been nobility for several generations now, but we were of low rank and non-voting.”

Max doubted that Night Light had been quite as out of sorts as he had been when he’d first started at court. Still the idea of a stallion marrying a mare much above his status was interesting. “Did that cause any problems? Your marriage I mean,” he asked cautiously.

“A few,” admitted Night Light with a thin smile. “I’m not sure the mother in law ever forgave me. There were certainly problems with the press, I was portrayed as little more than a gold digger.”

“Oh,” said Max, maybe Fragrant did have a point.

“But they moved onto the next scandal soon enough. Overall, I think it was worth it, after all I got Velvet and two wonderful children out of the deal. I think I can live with a few made up stories from the press in exchange for that.” He nodded.

Max smiled, when he put it that way maybe things wouldn’t be all that bad. “That sounds nice.”

“Indeed, but we aren't here to talk about my family are we.” He opened a folder in front of him. “As I said I think the overall idea of your bill if good and well timed, but there are a few changes I think could be made to improve it. Not to mention your grammar...”

________________________________________

Fragrant had to admit she was looking forwards to her time with Max this morning. Not that she ever really regretted spending time with him, but today was especially important. This night’s work had seemed to stretch out almost to eternity. After a stream of unacceptable replacements she’d finally given in and agreed to take Notebook on again as her personal assistant, although only for a short trial period to start with. Things had been just as tense between them as she’d feared they would be. She’d found herself double checking even his least important duties, waiting for the sign that he would betray her again. It was easy enough to say all was forgiven, but she still found herself unable to look past his previous behaviour. He’d sensed her unease and it had heightened his own. They had both been walking on eggshells all night.

Her other duties had been just as bad. With the holiday season just around the corner many courtiers were trying to get things finished as quickly as possible, which seemed to always result in more work being dumped on her. She’d spent much of the night rushing from meeting to meeting trying to try and keep on top of everything. The whole thing had left her feeling stressed and strung out. She was sorely in need for some relaxation.

Which is where Max came in. An hour or so spent in front of the fire with him - and maybe some kissing and cuddling - would do wonders for her mood. It probably wouldn’t be very difficult to convince him to give her one of his divine wing massages. Really she couldn’t remember what she did to get over the hard days before she had her coltfriend. At the beginning of the year she’d been afraid that she wouldn’t have the free time to spend with Max, but when you really wanted something, you made the time. Still it had been a few days since they had done much more than just talk in passing.

“Your guest has arrived, Madam,” came her butler’s voice from just outside the room.

“Send him in Loyal,” she instructed as she carefully laid herself down on the couch near the fire, it didn’t usually take much to draw Max to her, but every little helped. She spent a few moments adjusting her dress to ensure her legs were nicely highlighted, she knew how much Max liked them. The effort was immediately rewarded as her coltfriend entered the room and his jaw instantly dropped. Fragrant never felt more attractive, more sexy, than when she saw herself reflected in Max’s gaze.

“Fragrant you... you look...” managed Max after a moment.

“Thank you,” purred Fragrant trying to stop a smile growing across her face. This was just the thing to make her forget about today's problems. She patted a hoof against the seat next to her. “Would you care to join me?” she asked coyly.

Max didn’t waste a moment as he dropped down next to her, muzzling against her cheek. “How was your day?” he asked.

“Terrible,” she admitted, “everypony seemed to want a piece of me.”

“Well you have some very nice pieces,” said Max with a grin as he engulfed her in his embrace.

Fragrant let out a happy sigh and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his body against her own. His embrace just made her feel so safe, she was already forgetting the cares of the day. She gave him a quick kiss in return. “So, what did you do today?” she asked after a moment.

“I had my meeting with Night Light. I don’t think he’s trying to cheat me, he really seems to just want to support my bill.”

“That’s good,” she replied resting a wing over his withers. “I’m glad my fears were unfounded, he has a reputation for honourable behaviour, but he has had some lapses.” She remembered his behaviour towards her before the gala. “Do you have anything in mind for this weekend?” She asked. It was one of their date nights coming up. “I think it’s your turn to choose, but I did wonder about ice skating, there enough secluded lakes nearby that we shouldn’t be seen.” She’d never actually tried skating before, but it didn’t look all that hard and Max probably had some experience at the sport given how frigid his province was. She was actually surprised how keen she was to try the sport out, before she’d met Max she hadn’t been quite so open to new experiences.

“Well, actually,” Max’s body tensed against hers, ”I do have an idea.” He gave her another quick kiss before pulling away into a more normal sitting position.

“Really, what?” she asked cautiously. She reluctantly repositioned herself so she could meet Max’s gaze, this sounded serious.

“Well,” he paused for a moment, “it’s Mellow’s engagement party on Saturday, and I’ve been invited.”

Fragrant nodded slowly, she’d received an invitation, probably as a formality. She didn’t know either of the couple all that well and although she was hardly a shut in, she wasn’t the most socially active noble. She hadn’t intended to go but would probably send a message and a gift of some sort.

“I wondered if we could both go,” Max continued, “you know together, as a couple.” He looked over at her expectantly.

Fragrant dropped her gaze. They had discussed this before “You know we can’t do that Max. There will no doubt be press there, they stalk that kind of events looking for scandal. If they found out about us we wouldn’t have any peace, any time to spend together like this.” She leant over towards him again hoping to distract him, but he gently shrugged her off.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad, I’ve been at court for almost a year and I’ve hardly been interviewed, let alone harassed.”

“Then you’ve been lucky, as a member of the higher nobility everything I do attracts attention. Remember the opera?” she said pointedly. “One got into my personal box! There’s nothing the press like more than a scandal, even if they have to make it themselves,” she scowled.

“Look,” said Max resting a hoof on hers, “I don’t care what they say or write about us. I just care about us. I want to be able to go dancing Fragrant, dancing with you in public!”

She met his gaze and for a moment she believed him, that things really might work out. That they could act like any other couple, but then she remembered what had happened last time. “Max, you don’t know,” he couldn’t know, he hadn’t gone through what she’d had, “you don’t know what they can be like. The lies they can make up. It’s just not a good idea. Not right now.”

“Then when?” asked Max with a snort. “Do we keep things secret forever? Even if we get married?”

“Well no, I suppose if things did get that far...” Fragrant paused, she really hadn’t thought about the future that much.

“But what about Mellow and Confidant? They’ve been dating for months now and it’s not exactly been front page news.”

“Your friend Baron Mellow is of significantly lower rank than me, the press prefers to target higher ranking nobles when they can. Plus, didn’t you tell me something about there being a story about him having an affair?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“Well sort of... but it was a complete misunderstanding, and no one would believe that sort of paper anyway. Look don’t you want us to be open? To actually go out in public together? Not to have to hide things?” He looked over at her, eyes wide, and she so wanted to say yes, despite all the problems it could cause. The pain.

“Look Max, I, well... yes, I would. But it’s never that easy, maybe the common ponies can do what they want but we have different responsibilities, and there are costs...”

“Why can’t we just be normal ponies? Just a mare and a stallion?” he asked resting a hoof against her cheek.

“I’d like to but, you see, I...” she stuttered, she wanted to explain what had happened to her but what would he think of her if she did? Once such stories were told there would always be a little glimmer of suspicion which might poison their relationship.

“Sometimes I think you’re ashamed of us,” Max turned away, “ashamed of me.”

Fragrant felt her heart jump up into her throat, how could he think that? She was proud of him, not ashamed! She reached out a tentative hoof towards him but paused. Did it really look like that to him? To the rest of the world? She felt like she was protecting their relationship but was her history just slowly destroying it? Was her inability to move on going to just drive him away and leave her cold and lonely again? She sniffed trying to blink back the tears that started to flow.

“Fragrant!” called Max in alarm, “look I’m sorry, I didn’t want to upset you, I-”

“No,” she rested a hoof on him, “No, you are,” she sniffed again, “you are right. It is unfair of me to force you to keep our relationship secret.”

“Really?” He sounded surprised, did he think her so unbending?

“Yes, I know it hurts you but if we could still keep things low key? The press can be intrusive, we can go to your friend’s party together but we shouldn’t advertise our relationship, but if anypony asks, well...”

“I understand,” he leant forwards and gently kissed her on the lips, “I won’t buy us matching hats or anything.” She couldn’t help but smile at that image.

“No, I don’t think that would be the best idea, although I did like the hat you had with your red suit. What ever happened to it?”

“Oh that, it was stolen by a foal at the gala, I didn’t have the heart to ask for it back.”

“You do live an interesting life Bow wow,” she said reclining on the couch.

“We all do, Kitty cat,” he replied running a hoof through her hair as he rested his body next to hers. Despite his warmth Fragrant couldn’t help but feel ice in her stomach, maybe she did need to make this sacrifice for their relationship but she couldn’t help but dread what could happen to them at the party.

________________________________________

Max felt quite buoyant the next day. Fragrant was clearly still unhappy about the whole revealing their relationship thing, but she had agreed for them to appear together in public. It was a small step, but at least it was a step. Really he’d like to be able to tell his friends right away, but if she wanted to keep things low key, he’d respect that. He didn’t like seeing her obviously upset by the idea of the press knowing about them, but he was sure she was overstating the danger. He wasn’t sure what had happened to make her so paranoid, and to ask seemed too much of an imposition, he was sure she’d tell him when she was ready. Hopefully a few good experiences would let her move past it. He was sure that given a bit of time she’d see that they weren't going to be constantly hounded just because they were seen holding hooves in public, or even kissing.

“~Good morning Mrs G~” he sang as he entered his office. He frowned as his assistant didn’t look up from her work. He knew she was often busy but she usually at least greeted him each morning. “Is everything alright?” he asked cautiously she had seemed a bit distant for the last few days.

“Hum, oh, good morning Max,” said Mrs G after a moment. She looked up and regarded him through her glasses, blinking a few times.

“Is everything alright?” he repeated glancing around. The goat’s desk didn’t seem all that packed, actually it was clearer than he’d seen in a while. He hoped she wasn’t ill or anything, she was getting on a bit and she ran the office by herself, it was a lot of work. Maybe he should try suggesting she get some help around the place again?

“Oh, yes, yes. I was just hoping to catch up on some work.” She waved him away but Max didn’t budge.

“It looks like you’ve done a good job of it. You seem up to date.”

“Well things are starting to wind down for the end of the year.” Max nodded, the Twelvetide was only a few weeks away now and things were getting quieter. One of his committees had already stopped for the year.

“Well given things are quiet I thought I might, well...” she paused causing Max to frown, this wasn’t like Mrs G at all. “I thought I might head back to Nulpar a bit early.”

“Oh,” said Max in surprise. He had suggested it a few times, so she could be there for the birth of her grandkid. “Well I don’t see a problem with that.”

“If you need any help I’ll stay of course, I doubt you could run this place without me,” she said sharply. Max felt a little slighted, but it probably was true.

“I can probably muddle along for a while,” said Max, “I could get some extra help if I need it.”

“No, if you think you’ll need help I’ll stay,” snapped Mrs G. “No need to bring in anypony else.”

“No, no I’m sure I can manage by myself,” said Max holding up a hoof. “Look is everything alright?” Mrs G could be a bit crotchety if she didn’t have her tea of a morning but she was normally much more even tempered than this.

Mrs G looked up at him for a moment then sighed. She pulled open a drawer in her desk and removed two letters. “I got these yesterday.” She passed one over to Max. He opened it and quickly scanned through it. It was signed by Brian and Caoimhe, Mrs G’s son and daughter in law, although the latter had probably done most of the writing, it seemed to be a normal update, both were in good health and life in Sadlzburg was carrying on as normal.

“Seems standard to me,” said Max with a shrug. Certainly there didn’t seem to be anything to get Mrs G upset.

“Yes, that’s what I thought.” She scowled. “Then I got this one,” Mrs G waved a second sheet of paper in Max’s face. “It’s from Conn, but Brian made him write it. Apparently Caoimhe has been having a hard time with the foal, she’s been laid up in bed for a few days, but she doesn’t want to worry me.” She scowled, but Max could tell she was indeed worried. “It’s probably nothing, billies worry about that sort of thing,” she waved a dismissive hoof but then her face fell. “But if there is something wrong, maybe it’ll be better if I was there? Just to make sure. I’m sure your mother would do a good job but well Caoimhe’s family now and it is her first...”

Max nodded. “You should go, I’m sure I’ll manage until the end of the year.”

“Well if you’re sure.” said Mrs G biting her lip. “It’ll be a few days until the next train anyway I’m sure I can finish most things off by then.”

“Think of it as an early holiday, you deserve it,” said Max. “I’m sure things will turn out alright.” His mother would have written to him if things were bad, she’d always said that goat births were easier than ponies. Both mother and kid tended to be calmer. “But you should spend the time with your family, get to know your new grandkid. Spoil him or her a bit.”

Mrs G smiled. “Caoimhe thinks it’s going to be a girl, but Brian’s sure he’s going to have a son. I think the mother always knows, although I did think Conn was going to be a nanny for a bit.”

________________________________________

Max was all behind Mrs G heading back to Nulpar early, it had been years since she’d had anything like a holiday from his service and she, and her family, deserved the time. However, it did mean that he had a lot less time to arrange a Hearthswarming present for her than he’d originally planned. He had just the thing in mind though, a new pair of glasses. They certainly weren’t easy to come by in Nulpar, he’d heard that one of the griffin’s up in the Eyrie could grind lenses but he’d never met whoever it was. The only real source was mail order from outside the province, and that was very expensive. Ironically despite Canterlot generally being more expensive than his home province, glasses themselves were probably going to be cheaper. There were even several shops that did them in the city, he didn’t really know which one to choose so he just went with the closest to his home.

“And how can I help you, sir?” asked a shop assistant, a middle-aged earth pony stallion with a pale blue coat and a thinning black mane which Max suspected might be dyed.

Max glanced around the shop, there was rack after rack of frames in a wide range of colours and styles. He really didn’t have any idea what Mrs G might like. “I’m, um, looking for some glasses.”

The assistant gave a thin smile. “Well you have come to the right place, we have the widest selection in the city.” The stallion looked Max up and down. “Do you have a price range in mind?”

Max considered for a moment, glasses couldn’t be that expensive, could they? Plus this was for Mrs G, she’d been helping him out for, well for ever really, since even before he took over being Mayor from his Dad. Really her help had been priceless. “I don’t think price will be a problem,” he said and noted the stallions smile crank up a notch. Maybe he worked on commission.

“Very well sir, do you see anything you like?” He reached up and picked a set of grey frames. “How about these, they would go with your coat?”

“Actually, they’re not for me, they’re a present for my assistant.”

“Your assistant?” his brow furrowed.

“Yes, up at the castle, I’m a member of the court,” he explained.

The assistant seemed taken aback for a moment before his smile grew even larger. “Oh, of course sir. I guess this would be the sort of thing you would normally have your assistant do for you. If they weren't for your assistant?” He giggled a little. Max frowned. He wasn’t sure he quite got the joke. “Anyway,” said the salespony hurriedly, “do you have any design in mind?”

Max considered for a moment. Mrs G’s current spectacles just had simple wooden frames and he knew she sometimes had problems keeping them on her ears. Goat faces were rather slimmer than ponies. Was it possible to get a pair which would affix to her horns? He glanced around, there didn’t see anything which fit the bill. “These are nice,” he said picking up some which looked like they were made out of mother of pearl.

“An excellent choice, sir.” Max glanced at the price tab and blinked. Ok, maybe it was possible to place a price on what Mrs G had done for him. He could buy a house in Nulpar for the price of the glasses!

“Or maybe these,” said Max picking out a similar looking, but much cheaper pair.

“Yes, well I suppose they would do,” said the salespony a little bitterly. “If you are happy with the lower quality.” Max felt a little bad for a moment, Mrs G did do a lot for him, but he was sure she wouldn’t want him to bankrupt himself to get her a present. “Now, lenses, do you know your young mare’s prescription?”

Max made a face. Maybe he hadn’t thought this through enough. “Sorry, I don’t. Oh, and she’s not a young mare, she’s an old goat.”

“Ah, well if she is getting on a bit I’m sure I can get something appropriate, maybe she could come in later to get her eyes properly checked and we could provide more exact lenses then? Unless her temperament is too ‘goatish’ for that?” said the salespony with a grin.

“That sounds like a good idea, although she actually is a goat, will that make a difference? I know their eyes look a bit different.”

“Actually a goat...” said the stallion looking confused. “I’m sorry sir but is this a joke?”

“No, why should it be?”

“Well, you have a goat as an assistant? How is that possible? She couldn’t possibly be able to actually work in the government? Clean your office maybe, but work there...”

Max was taken aback, he was aware that there were some ponies who didn’t consider goats to be all that capable, but this was the first time that he’d had it thrust into his face. “Of course she can! She even voted in court once!”

“A goat,” gasped the salespony, “a goat voted in the night court! You are lying! The Princess wouldn’t allow something like that! This is all a joke, you’re not a member of the court at all... who are you?”

“No really, I’m a baron!” protested Max.

“Out, out!” cried the salespony gesturing towards the door, “and don’t come back!”

Max gritted his teeth and had to fight against the instinct to strike the other pony. How dare he think Mrs G incapable! Luckily he managed to reign himself in and merely stamped on the ground before turning and striding from the store, head held high. He couldn’t stop himself from shaking a hoof at the store once he was outside though. “As if I would want to!” He shouted back getting some surprised looks from various passers-by. Forcing down his temper Max tried to think where else he could go next to get Mrs G glasses, he didn’t have that much more time.

________________________________________

“Glasses for goats?” said the young clerk. “I don’t think I’ve heard of any.” She shrugged. “Not much call for them really.”

Max tried not to sigh in exasperation. This was the fifth shop he’d tried. None had been quite as rude at the first one but nopony seemed to have any products designed for non-ponies. Most had seemed quite surprised by the very idea. He’d certainly seen goats and griffin and even a few other species around Canterlot, it was very cosmopolitan, it was hard to believe that no one provided for their needs. Maybe he could try nearer to where Mrs G lived, that seemed to be where non-ponies were most common, but he wasn’t sure he had the time. A quick glance out of the window showed the sun already disappearing under the horizon. He’d have to head home pretty soon if he wanted to get ready for his date with Fragrant.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” he pleaded.

“Well I don’t know... I guess there’s no reason why a goat couldn’t wear pony glasses. Their eyes probably work the same despite looking, well how they look. You say she’s quite old?”

Max paused, Mrs G probably wouldn’t describe herself as all that old but she was certainly getting on now. He wasn’t actually sure her exact age, he wasn’t going to risk her anger by asking. “You could say that,” he said cautiously.

“So she’s probably far sighted then, I have some standard lenses for that. If you just pick a set of frames I can put them together, if there are any problems then she can bring them back and we’ll see about customising them.”

“That sounds good,” said Max eagerly.

“It will cost though,” added the clerk.

Max sighed. “I’ll pay.” He looked over the selection, it wasn’t as wide as the first store but he eventually found a wire frame that he thought would look good on Mrs G and could probably be twisted to fit her face better. He hadn’t realised how hard it could be to live as a non-pony, nothing seemed to be produced specifically for goats or any other species. It brought his mind back to his research into legislation mentioning ‘anypony’ rather than ‘anyone’ it had seemed such a big task at the time and maybe not worth it, but really he should put more effort into it. Mrs G and all the other non-ponies who lived and worked in Equestria deserved it. Still, it would be a thought for another time. He had a party to prepare for.

He thanked the clerk and quickly paid for the glasses before heading out of the store and back towards his home.

43) Month 4 - Relationship Upgrade (Part 2)

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Max was rather surprised when Fragrant met him at her door, normally her butler answered and informed her mistress of his arrival but this time Fragrant herself opened the door before he could even knock twice. Had she been waiting for him?

“Good evening,” began Max, “you look...” he trailed off as he took in his dates appearance. It wasn’t that she looked bad, Fragrant would have to work quite hard to not seem attractive, it was just that her outfit for tonight was, odd. Rather than her normal voluminous and intricate dresses her outfit consisted of a dull brown material wrapped tightly around her, almost like a bandage, it even pinned her wings in place. A wide brimmed hat sat on her head apparently designed to hide her features. Max couldn’t claim to be an expert on fashion but this looked like an outfit designed to allow its wearer to hide. Was Fragrant’s dislike, no it seemed to almost be a fear, of the press so extreme she had to cover herself like this? He’d seen her deal with them before without going to such lengths. “You look nice,” he finally managed after a long pause.

“Thank you Max,” Fragrant said with a weak smile, “but I really don’t. I spent the last hour trying on different outfits to distract myself from tonight.” Her hooves shook slightly.

“Look if it really upsets you this much, you don’t have to go through with it,” he hated to see her this way. She was so much different from the strong confidant mare he admired so much.

Fragrant slowly ran a hoof over her face before taking a deep breath and finally stilling herself apart from her tail which continued to thrash around in agitation. “I, well I am not happy, but I know we need to go ahead with this, we cannot hide forever. You deserve better than this, Max. I need to get over my, my issues about the press intruding on my private life.”

“We can talk inside if you want,” offered Max, “it might make you feel better if you explained things to me. It won’t matter if we’re a bit late.” Unfortunately, it seemed he was wrong as the colour seemed to drain from Fragrant’s face and her front left hoof started to tap nervously on the floor.

“No! No. I was hoping we could leave now and arrive early. Maybe before the ponyrazzi get set up?” She looked up eyes wide and pleading.

“Of course,” he said leaning forwards and wrapping an arm around her. “Whatever you want.” He could feel the tension in her but she seemed to relax just a notch as he held her.

“Thank you Max, I know I’m being silly but sometimes I just can’t help myself. We, you and me, it’s just so precious I don’t want to risk it all being destroyed.”

“Don’t worry, whatever happens, it won’t be that,” he said, giving her another squeeze.

“I know, it’s just... I can’t help it!” she stamped a hoof and then looked embarrassed by her outburst.

“Look, Mellow isn’t all that important, there probably won’t be more than a few press at best and all the guests will be too busy congratulating the happy couple to look at us. We can leave early as well, just talk to a few friends and have a dance or two.”

“I, I think I’d like that. Maybe not the tango this time though,” said Fragrant.

“Maybe not, although I like to think of that as our dance,” said Max with a smile.

“We really should get going, our carriage should be ready,” she said hurriedly, “We won’t be flying, it would draw too much attention.”

Max nodded as they set off to the plain hired carriage which was standing near the entrance to the estate. Max helped Fragrant to alight before joining her and giving the chauffeurs a nod. As the vehicle started off he couldn’t help but notice the windows had their curtains shut. Fragrant’s nerves had obviously returned and she sat in silence for most of the journey. Every so often she opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but then closed it before she could start.

“So, um, did you get the couple a present?” asked Max trying to fill the silence.

“Yes, it is customary. It was a bit last minute but I managed to procure a cloud sculpture of their family crests.” She tapped a hoof on a head sized box. “The sculptor was much in demand, my niece Forming recommended her.”

“Ah, um, I got them a pair of matching scarfs in their coat colours, and Mrs G made a blanket for the baby. She’s been making a lot of them recently and she thought she could spare one.” He held up a shapeless package. To his pleasure Fragrant used a hoof to try and hide a giggle. It was the first time she’d looked happy so far tonight. “I hope it’ll be alright.”

“I’m sure the couple with love then, they’re very,” she paused for a second, “practical, just like you.” She reached over a hoof and squeezed his own. “Look Max, about my issue with the press.” She took a deep breath. “As a filly I was rather shy, but as the heir to the Duchy I was expected to spend much of my time in public. My parents did what they could to help me, to train me to put on the right face for the crowds, and well, it worked. When I first became duchess I was, I was the darling of the press, they loved me and I came to love the attention. Then,” her hoof shook a little, “then something happened, something bad. Something private, I just wanted to be left alone. Was that too much to ask?” she looked up into his eyes. “But they wouldn’t leave me alone, they pried and pried and when they couldn’t find anything true out they switched to speculation and then to lies!” She looked down again, blinking. “It was all lies,” she said quietly.

“Look Fragrant-” began Max as the coach came to a sudden stop.

“Sorry Madam, Sir, but there’s a bit of a kerfuffle up ahead,” came one of the chauffeurs’ voices from outside.

Frowning Max pulled aside the curtain. There were a few carriages lined up outside of Mellow’s estate but the entrance itself was blocked by a throng of ponies, most of them carrying camera’s and all of them seeming to be yelling at once. Max’s brow furrowed, whatever could be happening? Ahead of them the familiar forms of Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lees dismounted from a coach and the pack of press ponies immediately descended on them. It looked like there were several servants present trying to hold back the throngs but they were heavily outnumbered. Max couldn’t make out exactly what was being said but it didn’t seem like the couple were replying to the press.

“Max, what is it?” asked Fragrant in a nervous voice as the coach started off again.

“Um,” said Max trying desperately to think of some way to fix this. This seemed to be the worst possible thing that could be happening given Fragrant’s fears, what could be going on? Why would Mellow and Confidant’s party attract so much attention? Before he could think of something Fragrant leaned past him and pulled aside the curtain to reveal the scene outside. Her eyes widened and the colour leached from her face.

“No!” she gasped as she dropped back into her seat. “There here for me!” she mumbled.

“We can just miss the party,” suggested Max desperately. There was no way he could put her through this.

“No Max, no,” said Fragrant weakly. “You wanted this, you wanted to dance, to be able to tell ponies about us.”

“But the press!”

“The press are as they always are, other couples manage, so should we,” Fragrant said but her hooves were shaking and her breath was coming in shallow pants. She looked like she was about to faint.

Max felt his heart crumble at her words. She was really going to go ahead with this, despite how much the whole situation cost her! Then he looked over at her panicked form so different from how confidant she normally was. He’d seen her stand up before the whole court and the princess herself, deal with press about matters of national emergency but the idea of her private life being brought out into the open was almost breaking her. He couldn’t let that happen. Quickly opening the door he hoped out into the glare of the flash bulbs and called to the chauffeurs. “Just take the coach back to the estate, now!”

“But sir!” exclaimed one of the chauffeurs.

“Just do it!” he cried before lowering his head and pushing on through the crowd as the vehicle started to move away with Fragrant still safe in it.

“Baron Max! Baron Max!” cried a nearby press pony. Max was rather surprised she knew him by name. “Do you have a comment on the situation with Glory Glitter?”

“Who?” he asked blinking as several flashes seemed to go off in his face at once.

“Do you believe Baron Dramatic was in a relationship with Ms Glitter?”
“Did you ever purchase anything from her?”
“Do you still consider Baron Dramatic a friend?”

Max didn’t have a clue what they were all talking about. He was tempted to stop and try and sort things out but everything just seemed so chaotic at the moment. Ponies of all tribes were crowding around, bumping into him as he tried to cover the short distance to the door of the estate.

“Baron...”
“...diamonds...”
“... an affair?”
“...resignation?”

Suddenly a hoof landed on his leg. Max started ready to strike out at his attacker. He only just stopped himself when he realised the stallion it was attached to was dressed in the colours of Mellows house. “This way, sir!” he bellowed over the sound of the crowd as his horn lit up to none too gently push back the press.

“Thank you!” exclaimed Max as he galloped forwards into the space now made, in front of him the door to Mellow’s estate opened up and he rushed in before the crowd behind could follow.

“Max! Max! I’m so sorry!” Max looked up and saw Baron Mellow Dramatic literally hovering nervously in front of him. “I didn’t know this was going to happen!” Sweat was streaming off the pegasus as he gnawed at one of his hooves.

“Mellow? What’s going on?” asked Max. “Why are there so many press here?” he growled angrily. This was just the worst timing ever! He hoped that Fragrant was well away from them by now.

“It’s all Glory’s fault!”

“Who?”

“Glory Glitter! She’s the jeweller who made my engagement tokens, she’s worked for my family for years.”

“What’s she got to do with that crowd out there?” Max turned to look back as another guest started to run the gauntlet towards the house.

“Apparently some of her jewels were, well they say she stole them, repurposed them and sold them on!” Max’s eyes widened, he glanced between the couple noting that neither of them were wearing their new engagement tokens.

“Oh, Mellow, I’m so sorry!”

“Yes, well the guards say we might get them back eventually,” he let out a nervous giggle and Confidant reached up a hoof to press against his. “But it’s more than that, there was that story a few months ago about me and Glory being, well us being together. They’ve decided to latch onto that and they think I had something to do with it all! Me!”

Max glanced over at Confidant who seemed for more composed than her husband to be, the only sign distress was the occasional flick of her ears. Maybe being able to predict the future made things like this easier. “I know you didn’t have anything to do with her and that you bought your tokens in good faith,” he said.

“I know, and it’ll probably all blow over in a few days,” Mellow continued chewing at his hoof, “but all the stress isn’t good for the foal.” He looked down at his fiancé.

“The stress isn’t good for any of us,” said Confidant, rubbing Mellow’s hoof again as he slowly drifted back to the ground. “I’m sure it will all blow over in a day or two, and we will get our tokens back.”

“Maybe you should cancel the party?” suggested Max, he imagined many of the guests would be driven away anyway.

“No!” exclaimed Mellow, “if we do that then they’ve won, it might even be seen as an expression of guilt. I’ve sent some servants to the guard, they should be here soon and get them under control, even if they don’t disperse them.”

“I suppose that’s good then.” Maybe if he and Fragrant had arrived just a bit later the press would have been gone and Fragrant would be with him right now.

“If you’d move back into the ballroom,” said Confidant pointing down the hall. “We’ve got a bar in there and the rest of the guests are waiting. We’ll join you once we’ve greeted everypony.”

“Right,” said Max without much enthusiasm. Without Fragrant he wouldn’t really know all that many of the other guests. He turned to go, then remembered something. “Oh, um, I got this for you,” he said holding up the presents, they had gotten a bit scuffed up when he’d run the gauntlet outside.

“Thank you, the scarfs will be very useful this winter,” said Confidant without glancing down, her horn glowing.

“Conny,” said Mellow, giving his fiancé a gentle tap on the shoulder. “You’re supposed to wait until you open the present before you say that.”

“Oh, right,” said the unicorn with a blush. She took the present and carefully unwrapped it before levitating out the scarfs. “They’re lovely.” Then she saw the second parcel and frowned a little. “A surprise,” she mused before carefully tearing off the plain brown paper.

“It’s from my assistant for the foal.”

She blinked as she ran a hoof over the blanket. “It’s so soft, and warm. Thank you Baron Max.”

“That’s alright, I hope your daughter likes it.”

“I’m sure she will, and I don’t have to use my magic to know that,” she said with a smile.

“I’ll leave you to your greeting and go see the other guests,” said Max noticing the small que of ponies which had built up in the hall.

“I’m sure we’ll have time to talk later,” said Mellow as Confidant moved to shake hooves with the next guest.

Max nodded and trotted the short distance to the ballroom. It was a large open room currently decorated with banners showing images of scissors and half masks, the symbols of the lucky couple’s houses. It was mostly empty with only about a dozen guests standing in small groups here and there. There were maybe as many again servants gliding around offering drinks and quite a large band was set up at one end currently playing quietly. Max sighed, he had been quite looking forward to getting to dance with Fragrant.

“Ah, Baron Max, I’m glad you made it.” came a cultured voice. Max turned to see a large white coated unicorn stallion with a carefully styled blue mane and a monocle covering one eye.

“Fancy Pants,” said Max. He wasn’t personally that close to the stallion but he was a good friend to Fragrant and she’d introduced them. He’d found Fancy to be pleasant enough if a bit dull. “Good to see you.” At least he’d have somepony to talk to.

“Likewise,” said the larger stallion a drink hovering nearby in his aura.

“I didn’t know you knew Mellow or Confidant.”

“I’ve had some dealings with Confidant’s father but I’m not really all that close to either of the lucky couple, but I don’t like to turn down a chance for a party.” He gave a braying laugh. “Actually, I’m here representing the crown,” he tapped a hoof against a silver crescent moon badge on his jacket. “I’m acting princess as it were,” he said with a smile.

“We are both acting princesses,” said a thin white coated mare as she slinked over to Max’s group. She indicated a similar badge on her dress.

“Of course, my love,” said Fancy Pants kissing Fleur on the cheek, “but you are always a princess to me.”

“Acting princess?” asked Max. It wasn’t a term he’d heard of before.

“Ze princess gets invited to so many events zhere is no way she could appear at all of them,” explained Fleur, “but if she considers an event worthy she sometimes asks a member of the court, or one of her advisors to go on her behalf.”

“Those she sends are sometimes referred to as acting princesses. It’s sort of a joke,” said Fancy Pants giving another laugh.

“Oh, that makes sense,” said Max. He accepted a drink from a passing servant. It was some sort of cocktail thing with a cherry on a stick in it. His ears drooped a bit, they didn’t seem to have anything like a mead or ale.

“Oh, baron,” said Fleur, “I must think you again for your aid in getting Vinyl to attend Fancy’z party.”

“It was nothing really, I just delivered your message. She’s got some... odd ideas about the court.” He remembered her accusing him of being some sort of insect in pony form and that the court was affected by a ‘stupidity ray’.

“Yes, well my daughter can be somewhat free spirited, she got it from her mother,” said Fancy, “but she has a good heart and is surprisingly observant. I did wonder if she’d choose to enter the family business someday.” Max actually didn’t know what Fancy did, if anything. “Still, her music career is doing well you know, apparently she has quite a following, she’s even recorded with the Royal Musician,” he continued with pride. “She’s never asked me for any help on that front, not that I wouldn’t give it, but she wants to show that she can manage on her own. However, I do owe you quite a favour for getting her to come to my birthday party, it wouldn’t have been the same without her.”

“Well that’s good, but I really don’t know what I’d ever need from you.”

“I might not be a voting member of the court Baron, but I am not entirely without influence. The princess has even been known to listen to me now and again.” That was an understatement from what Fragrant said, Fancy was apparently one of the princesses most influential advisors, maybe even above her cabinet. “I’ve heard that you are looking to allocate funding to road building in the outer provinces?” Max nodded. “It seems like a good idea to me, I’m sure I can spread the word.”

“Thanks,” said Max with a grin. “I could use the help.”

“Don’t put yourself down baron,” said Fleur, “It iz a good idea, I am sure it will help a lot of ponies.”

Max nodded and glanced around the room. It was still mostly empty but a few other guests had arrived after him. He didn’t recognise most of them apart from a few courtiers and the members of Mellow’s and Confidant’s family. Kibitz was standing near the door apparently keeping an eye the new arrivals and Advisatrix was quietly talking to an Earth Pony stallion in a military uniform. “It’s not very busy is it? Do you think the press have frightened off the guests?”

“Possibly,” said Fancy after a moment consideration. “It’s rather an occupational hazard to most of us, you get used to it over time.” He waved his empty glass at a servant who had been lurking nearby. “Still sometimes it can get a bit over the top. There really is no reason for them to be spoiling tonight. If that jeweller mare stole they really should be hounding her, not spoiling Mellow and Confidant’s night.”

“It really does seem wrong,” agreed Max. “It’s not like they did anything wrong. I don’t know why the princess allows it!”

“Well, freedom of the press and all that, maybe they keep us all honest. Still they can go a bit over the... oops!” Fancy Pants reached up a hoof to claim another drink but staggered into the servant serving him sending him staggering. Fleur seemed to just appear on the other side of the servant, she held out a hoof to help him keep his balance, but instead somehow managed to knock something out of a pocket in his jacket.

“I say!” said Fancy picking the object up in his aura. “Is this a camera? It’s rather small.” He rotated it around a bit. “What does this do?” The back of the camera snapped open releasing a stream of film into the light. “Oh, so sorry.”

“Wait! Why do you need a camera?” asked Max turning on the servant.

The stallion stuttered for a few moments before turning and running from the room.

“Don’t you want this?” asked Fancy holding up the camera. “How odd. I was going to ask where he got it, it could be rather useful.”

“I think he was a journalist!” exclaimed Max. “Trying to get pictures!” He remembered how Lilac Lane had disguised herself at the opera to try and get an interview with Fragrant. He stamped angrily, how could they do this? Traumatise Fragrant outside and now not even let up inside the party!

“You know baron, I think you might be right!” said Fleur, holding a hoof to her mouth, almost as if she was trying to stifle a giggle.

“You know after that bit of excitement,” said Fancy, “I think I could do with another drink, from a real servant this time. Would you like anything baron?”

“I haven't finished this one yet,” begun Max before his attention was drawn to the entrance to the room. There was the last sight he had expected to see tonight. Fragrant had just entered the room, still dressed in the tight outfit he’d last seen her in although without the oversized hat. “Fragrant! You made it!” he exclaimed, suddenly realising he must have crossed the entire room probably quite quickly by the way his heart was pounding, or maybe that was for another reason.

“Ah Baron Max,” said Fragrant her eyes glancing left and right. Max realised he had almost shouted that last time. “It is good to see you as well. I did say I might make it, although the crowd outside did put me off but after some thought... well I decided that letting my fear control me, I could not allow that.”

“Then we can-” began Max with a smile.

“Then we can wish the couple a happy day,” interrupted Fragrant looking down at her hooves. “Now you’ve seen how the press can be you must see how hard their relationship will be.”

Max felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Fragrant wasn’t going to go through with it. “Of course, but-”

“Now if you would excuse me baron, I need to talk to Kibitz for a moment. I’m sure we will get a chance to talk further later.” She took his hoof and gave it a gentle squeeze before turning away.

“Of course...” whispered Max again as he watched her go. He sighed, they would need to talk about it later, obviously Fragrant had changed her mind about them making their relationship public. He had to admit given what he’d seen outside and her reaction to it he couldn’t blame her. Turning around again he looked for somepony else to talk to. It must have been quite rude of him to have just run out on Fancy and Fleur but they seemed to be happily talking to another of the guests now, he’d have to apologize later. There weren't all that many other ponies he knew well. He’d seen most of them at court before but he couldn’t remember all of their names.

“What do’cha think baron Max?” came a voice nearby. Max’s head swivelled to see a face that he recognised, baroness Gustysnows. Like him her lands were on the northern border of Equestria and although not quite as primitive as Nulpar they stood to gain quite a bit from his road and rail building proposal. She’d actually supported him in his ill-advised attempt to push through the bill at the opening of court. They’d talked through the revised bill a few times and she helped with some of the editing of the finalised version.

“Pardon?” he said.

“About the princess's decision?” said the blond mare, “to continue her tradition of spending the longest night in one of the smaller settlements? Obviously if she spent the day hiding in Canterlot then it would be as good as Corona winning, don’t cha know?”

“I’m not saying the princess should cower away or anything!” spluttered a nearby unicorn stallion wearing a top hat. “But if her sister chooses to do anything,” he paused, “dramatic, for the anniversary of her return it would be better if she was easy to contact, not to mention well prepared. Don’t you agree baron?”

“Um, well,” began Max trying to gather his wits. It wasn’t that he was entirely ignorant of the debate, he’d heard more or less the same arguments made around the court for several months now. Not that the princess seemed to be taking their advice on the matter. “I agree that we probably need to keep on alert in case Corona attacks or something.” He’d heard that most of the military had had their holiday leave cancelled and that messengers had been kept on call all over the country in case of a fault with the telegraph. “But I also agree with the baroness that the princess shouldn’t change her schedule. It will just make it look like she’s scared of her sister.”

“You mean you’re not?” asked the stallion. “I was in Canterlot when that creature attacked! I certainly don’t want a repeat of that! The princess should remain in the city to protect her government!”

“I think we should believe in the princess,” said a pegasus mare with a bit for a cutie mark. “I’m sure she’s doing what’s best for us.”

“But is she?” snorted the stallion, “I’m not sure her head is on straight when it comes to her sister.” There were several gasps from the crowd at his bold statement. Max had to admit the thought was somewhat shocking, the princess was, well she was the princess, she’d ruled the country forever, but it couldn’t be easy to fight your own sister. No matter how crazy she might be. He was just glad he didn’t have much say in the matter. Still, he guessed there was no way the princess could protect her whole nation so it didn’t really matter where she was, she was probably powerful enough to get almost anywhere in an hour or so. He was about to point this out when he found a hoof on his shoulder.

“Do you mind if I borrow the baron for a few moments?” said Mellow. Max turned to see his friend and his bride-to-be standing there, leaning against each other. The crowd of ponies mumbled generally affirmative things and went back to their conversation. “I’m glad you could make it Max, especially given what happened outside.”

“It’s nothing,” said Max, “I’m glad you’ve calmed down a bit.”

“Yes, well Confidant is very good at that,” he admitted giving his marefriend a quick kiss on the cheek. “And the guards have started to disperse them.”

“Are you enjoying the evening, baron?” asked Confidant.

“Yes, it’s,” he caught a glance of Fragrant chatting to some ponies off to one side and tried not to frown, “it’s very nice. It’s good to see so many ponies having such a good time.”

“Yes, we have so many ponies to greet tonight,” agreed Mellow. “But there was something I wanted to ask you Max.”

“Yes?”

“Are you doing anything for the longest night?”

Max considered for a moment. He had planned to stay in Canterlot before heading off to spend Hearthswarming with Fragrant. “I don’t really have any plans.”

“Would you like to spend it with us?” asked Confidant.

“With you? I’m honoured, but wouldn’t you prefer to spend the time with your families?”

“We thought we’d have a quiet holiday this year,” said Mellow, “given we’ll have our foal from now on,” he nuzzled up against his fiancé. “It’s probably our last chance.”

“And you played a big part in us getting together, baron,” said Confidant returning Mellow’s affection. “It can be our way of saying thank you.”

“It won’t be much, a meal, some chat, maybe we could visit the castle grounds to watch the sun rise. That’s something of a tradition here in Canterlot,” said Mellow.

Max couldn’t help but smile at their offer. He didn’t want to intrude in their time together, but he didn’t want to be alone for the holidays either. It was really very kind of both of them. “I would be honoured,” he said.

“Good,” said Mellow with a smile. “We can work out the details later, but I’ll be happy to see you. Now if you excuse me I have to show the room what me and my mare can do.” Confidant looked rather apprehensive at this but followed Mellow into the centre of the room without comment. The pegasus nodded to the band who brought their current tune to an end. “Friends,” he bowed to the crowd, “family,” he nodded to his own and Confidant’s parents. “We are both very glad to see you all here to honour our upcoming union, despite the commotion outside.” Max saw Mellow tense a bit but Confidant ran a calming hoof over his back. “I would like to thank my soon-to-be wife for making me the happiest stallion in Equestria by accepting my proposal.”

“And I would like to thank my true love,” said Confidant, “for never once losing hope that the two of us should be together, regardless of what life threw at us.” She gave Mellow a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Now that you have all had a chance to get to know each other I hope that you will join,” she faltered for a moment, “join the two of us on the dance floor.” This time Mellow gave her a comforting pat on the back with a wing as the two of them moved towards the centre of the room.

On cue the band started to play again, a slow waltz. Mellow bowed to his fiancé who, looking rather nervous, put an arm around him. Slowly the pair started to move in time with the music, Mellow moved smoothly but Confidant was rather hesitant, stumbling over several steps and even driving her hoof into her partner’s causing him to flinch for a moment. It looked like she was going to apologize but he rested his head next to hers and whispered something which was inaudible beneath the music. Whatever it was made Confidant blush and her gaze moved away from her hooves to the eyes of her lover.

Max sighed, that was what he wanted. Just a chance to dance with the mare that he cared for, to get to show his peers how he felt, but it didn’t look like it was going to be possible tonight. Glancing over he saw Fragrant standing alone on the opposite side of the dance floor. She met his gaze and gave a weak smile. There was applause as the first dance came to an end and the music became somewhat faster as other couples joined Mellow and Confidant on the floor. Max recognised some of the couples, Fancy and Fleur, Confidant’s sister and the military stallion she had been talking to earlier as well as Gustysnows and the top hatted stallion. They all looked so happy.

Sighing again Max turned towards the buffet table, now was probably a good time to fill up on snacks. Then he noticed Fragrant again, she was staring across at him and gave something like a shallow curtsey. He frowned and she repeated he gesture. Cautiously he bowed. Looking rather self-conscious she reached out a hoof as if grasping an invisible partner. Were they really going to do this? Thought Max, unable to stop a smile spreading over his face as he likewise moved into a dancing pose and began to rock from side to side more or less in time with the music. The rest of the room seemed to fade away leaving only him, Fragrant and the music. Despite the distance between then he could have sworn he felt his partners coat against his leg, his mane against his neck, her body pressed against his own as they moved together as one. If anypony was watching he must have looked ridiculous, but no thought was further from his mind.

All too soon the music came to an end and the illusion was broken leaving the pair of them standing many lengths apart physically, but Max still felt as if he was part of Fragrant emotionally. Fragrant gave a small curtsy again before turning towards the door only stopping to give Max a slight nod. He returned the gesture and waited only a few minutes before giving his regards to the happy couple and leaving to follow her.

________________________________________

It took Max a while to get to Fragrant’s home. He could have gotten a coach but he was a little paranoid that the chauffeur might report to a journalist or something. It was silly, but the events of earlier were making him rather paranoid. As usual the butler met him at the door and showed him to the sitting room where Fragrant was, still dressed in the same outfit as she’d worn at the party. She stood as soon as Max entered.

“Max, I’m so sorry about my behaviour earlier!”

He held up a leg. “Don’t worry about it, I’ve seen how bad the press can be. I understand now.”

“No, I shouldn’t have let them affect me like that, you deserved better, and seeming to snub you at the party-” she bit at her lip.

“I know why you did that.” He took a seat and after a moment Fragrant joined him.

“And it’s something I will have to learn to deal with better.”

“I’m actually surprised you turned up at all, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I did,” she sighed, “I have learnt ways to deal with the press most of the time, it is when they might find out something about my personal life. About us. That is what distresses me. I will deal with it-”

“But not now?”

She hung her head. “No, sorry, I-I can’t, but I will. Can you wait just a little longer?” she looked up into his eyes.

“As long as you need,” he said taking one of her hooves in his own.

She nodded. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you. I can’t let my past haunt me forever, I need to be able to move on. To start something new with you. You didn’t even get a real dance.”

“What you did was good enough for me, it was... It was very special, and romantic,” he added rubbing a hoof against the back of his head.

Fragrant blushed. “Well on the way back I had an idea, something we can do together which might make up for tonight.” Max raised an eyebrow. “Not that!” she said with a blush, he grinned happy to see her spirit return. “Follow me.” She stood and led him into her home.

Max frowned as he passed door after door. He hadn’t realised the place was quite so large. Fragrant must have seen the expression on his face. “The estate was built when the Posey’s were rather more numerous, much of it hasn’t been used for a while.” She pushed a pair of double doors open revealing a ball room even larger than Mellow’s. Here and there were dust sheet covered pieces of furniture. Fragrant fiddled with something by the door and a chandelier flickered into magical light scattering shadows around the room. “It has been quite a few years since I last held a ball here, Fluttering’s debut I think.” She scowled for a moment. “Maybe I should start again?”

Max slowly turned in place to take in as much of the room as he could. “This is all rather impressive but what-”

“Well if we couldn’t dance properly at the party, I thought we could here,” she glanced down at her hooves, “where nopony else can see.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Max with a smile, “Although I hope you mind if I’m not all that coordinated, without music-”

“Oh, yes, I thought of that,” she turned away to a wooden box nearby. “I asked my servants to bring this here.” She unfolded the object to reveal a gramophone. Max had heard of them but he’d not seen one in use before. “Dangerous gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago.” she explained. “I haven't used it much. There are some recordings to go with it.” She pulled out a few flat cardboard packages. “Crescendo... Crossbows and Roses... Crazy Jester Company... I don’t think these are suitable. Ah ha,” she lifted a record, “At least I recognise this one, although it’s not all that good.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” said Max as Fragrant cranked the handle on the gramophone. There was a crackle. then tinny music started to play. An upbeat dance, Max couldn’t recognise the exact type.

“So,” said Fragrant standing up. She twitched a little. “Actually, would you mind helping me take this off,” she nodded to her outfit, “dancing is better when I can use my wings.” Raising an eyebrow Max examined her dress. There was something like a short cape holding her wings down. It was fixed by a strap and buckle which ran around her barrel, clearly it wasn’t something designed for a single pony to be able to put on or take off. He grinned and slowly used his mouth to unfasten it, he was pleased to feel Fragrant give a little shudder as his muzzle brushed her belly. As soon as the clip was undone Fragrant’s wings snapped open like the rays of the dawn, her feathers shimmering in the light from the chandelier. “That’s better,” she said sensuously stretching her limbs.

“I don’t know why you were wearing that anyway, it looks uncomfortable,” said Max with a shrug. What did he know about fashion.

“Well, you’ll think me silly,” she mumbled looking aside.

“Silly isn’t always bad.”

“I told you earlier I was shy as a child? Well I learnt a few tricks to deal with it and, clothes are one of them. They’re my armour against the world, they help me be ‘the duchess’ so I’m not scared. Tight clothing, well it makes me feel safe, it’s like a hug.” She looked away again a blush spreading over her face. “Like I said, silly.”

Max moved forwards and held his forelegs around Fragrant. “You let me take off some of your armour, so I guess I’ll have to provide the hugs then.” Her eyes closing Fragrant slumped into his embrace.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t deserve this.”

“You deserve everything,” he replied. They stayed there for a while just holding each other until the gramophone came to a halt.

“Weren't we supposed to be dancing?” said Fragrant eventually.

“Oh, right,” said Max untangling himself and trotting over to the gramophone. He gave the handle a few cranks and reset the needle causing the crackly music to once again fill the room. “So, where were we?” With a smile Fragrant moved into position holding out a hoof. Max took it and wrapped his other foreleg around her. Slowly, a little hesitantly the two of them started to move over the floor. Max wasn’t entirely sure of the dance so he let Fragrant lead. The tempo increased as it went and Max tried his best to keep up. He was hardly as talented as Fragrant but he liked to think he was holding his own as they want.

“Hang on,” said Fragrant suddenly as the music reached a crescendo. Her legs tightened around him and her wings shot out, with a mighty flap she propelled both of them into the air making a graceful arc through the air. Max’s heart leapt along with them and he couldn’t help but let out a whoop of surprise and enjoyment. “I thought you might like that,” said Fragrant with a smile as they touched down again. With a twirl and another flap she once again carried them into the air in a spin. He gave another cry of joy.

“I didn’t know you could do that!” he exclaimed as they touched down.

“I have been working on my lifting capacity recently,” panted Fragrant, apparently worn out, “I saw how much you enjoyed flying with that griffin back in Nulpar and thought that we might go flying together. I’ve rather spoiled the surprise now.”

“No, it’ll be fun!” insisted Max, “I’ll look forwards to it.”

“It might be a few more months before I can carry you for long, but I think I’ll manage it soon.” She took a deep breath and flapped her wings again lifting the two of them a few inches off the ground.

Max’s ears twitched as the music once again came to an end. “Shall I set it up again?” he asked.

Fragrant nodded. “The night is still young and I have a lot to make up to you.”

44) Month 5 - Cloudsdale

View Online

Max stuck his face against the glass windows of the viewing cabin and gawked at the approaching cities. Manehatten was enormous! He’d thought that Canterlot was huge but the Big Orange had it beaten. They were almost an hour away from it and it still took up a sizable proportion of the view, the whole of Sadlzberg could get lost amongst the towering snow covered skyscrapers that made up the core of the city, let alone the sprawling suburbs stretching out from it. But it wasn’t the land based city which drew most of Max’s attention. Just outside of the limits of the ground based city and far, far above stood his final destination, Cloudsdale. From this distance, it was just about possible to make out the buildings on top of the mass of clouds that acted as the floating city's foundations. As the train approached its shadow it was actually harder to see that it was really a city. From below it just looked like a storm front.

One of the nearby passengers gave an annoyed snort and Max realised he’d clambered over her in his eagerness to get to the window. “Sorry,” he said moving aside and glancing around for a free space. The carriage was packed with other ponies wanting to get a view of their destinations. He was glad that his journey was almost over after most of a day crammed into the train. It had been early evening last night before he had departed Canterlot and it was already past noon now. Still as little as ten years ago, the trip would have taken at least half as long again, steam trains truly were technological marvels.

Giving up at finding a place to sit in the viewing carriage Max decided that it would be best to head back to his own seat and gently started to push his way through the surrounding crowds, wishing them season’s greetings as he went. It was near the heart of the magical time of year called the twelvetide. The longest night had been two days ago now, and as usual had been celebrated with feasting and partying. Still, this year there had been a little more underlying tension than normal, fortunately Corona had not decided to celebrate the anniversary of her return and the festival had passed peacefully. Max had enjoyed the holiday although he had felt a little lonely. Mrs G had already returned to Nulpar, he hadn't heard for certain but her new grandchild should be born by now and ready to spoil. Fragrant was also visiting her home. He'd spent a nice evening with Mellow and Confidant but the couple had only really had eyes for each other, it had made him feel a little melancholy.

Shrugging, Max tried to cheer himself up, Hearthswarming would be different. Fragrant had invited him to spend the holiday with her family at their home in Cloudsdale. It had been less than a week since he’d last seen her but already he missed her, and now he not only got to see her but he actually got to spend several days with her. Even better, as they were in a more or less private setting they could actually act like a couple for a change. He understood Fragrant’s reasoning that they hide their relationship, recent events had shown how intrusive the press could be, but he hated having to pretend there was nothing between them. It didn’t help that sometimes in his darker moments he couldn’t help but think that Fragrant might be ashamed of him. He certainly didn’t fit into her world all that well, he had messed up enough times for her to want to have nothing to do with him but of course she still wanted to be with him... right?

Trying to put his thoughts aside Max struggled for a moment to drag his bag out of the rack. He hadn’t brought all that much, his suits, a few knick knacks, Fragrant’s present. He really hoped she liked it, it wasn’t easy to shop for somepony who could probably buy his entire province if she wanted it. Thoughts of Nulpar brought out a twinge of homesickness, it would be the first time he wouldn’t spend Hearthswarming with his mother, he hoped she was ok. He had to admit that Doctor House Martin was probably taking good care of her. Still, after the holiday Fragrant was going to lend him a sky chariot so he could still be home for new year’s.

With a shudder the train started to slow as it glided into the station. Max waited patiently for the train to come to a complete stop and for the conductor to open the door before making his way to the exit. The station was huge, bigger even than the one in Canterlot, and was packed with ponies preparing for the holiday. Here and there herds of over excited foals streamed by squealing in glee followed by rather stressed looking parents. Shoppers moved back and forth weighed down by their saddlebags, and off to one side a small band was playing carols. Decorations hung from the roof and the pillars, it was all the very picture of a perfect Hearthswarming.

Max allowed himself a moment to take it all in before returning to the job at hoof. He checked his bags again before reading out the instructions written in Fragrant’s careful mouth writing. Manehatten airport, section D, 3pm. He glanced up at the huge station clock above him, it was a little past one, plenty of time left. Now he only had to find the airport, whatever that was. There didn’t seem to be anything on the various signs around the station. For a moment he felt a little stab of panic, everything seemed so big around here, there was no way he’d manage to find what he was looking for. Then he noticed the solid shape of a guard making her way through the crowds. He would just have to ask. With a grin Max headed off to get directions.

Max glanced around nervously, it had taken longer to get here than he’d thought, he hoped he wasn’t late. First of all the guard had apparently been surprised that somepony actually asked her for directions, and there was a bit of difficulty understanding what she was saying, she had a rather strong accent. However, eventually Max worked out that the airport was apparently at the edge of the city and that a taxi was probably the best way to get there. Thanking the guard Max had quickly trotted out of the station in search of one. Finding a Taxi hadn’t turned out to be that hard, it seemed like almost half the carriages in the city were done up in yellow livery. Actually, getting on one had proved to be a little more challenging, there were long queues waiting for them, everypony seemed to be in such a hurry, a few ponies had even accidentally pushed in front of him. Even more had such urgent reasons for needing to be somewhere else, funerals, urgent business, going into labour, that he’d had to give them his space several times. It probably took more than an hour before he could actually continue his journey. Still, the chauffeur seemed to be willing to do his very best to pick up the pace, maybe a little too willing. Max had been sure at several points that they were going to crash, still he eventually got here and still in one piece.

The term airport made perfect sense to him once he’d gotten to the place. It was like a port where you met ships, only you met air vehicles instead. It consisted of a large fenced off area containing rows of balloons and sky carriages and even one or two even more exotic vehicles. The place had a rather temporary feeling to it. It mostly consisted of roped off areas and tents, rather than anything more solid, maybe it was only used when a sky city was nearby. It might explain why he’d never seen one in Canterlot, there was some rule about Cloud cities not being allowed near the capital.

The air above was full of vehicles streaming back and forth from Cloudsdale. Now that the city was nearly directly above Max was surprised to see that it wasn’t actually built on a single bank of cloud. It was more like an archipelago of cloud islands linked by thin bridges and thicker roadways, the complexity of it all was breath-taking. He couldn’t wait to get up there and see the place up close.

Glancing around, it looked like most of the other ponies around here thought the same. There was a sort of buzzing excitement in the crowds of unicorns and earth ponies as they queued to board various vehicles or waited to see their friends arrive from above. Even a few pegasus could be seen here and there, apparently too weighed down by shopping to make the trip under their own power.

Shaking himself, Max remembered the reason he was here and looked around for section D. Unlike the train station the airport was well signposted and it didn’t take him long to find it. There was a short line of air chariots parked off to one side mostly with the chauffeurs waiting patiently for their passengers to arrive. The closest and most ornate of the vehicles was familiar and Max found his legs starting to gallop as he saw the chariot's owner standing nearby.

“Fragrant!” he called. Today she was wearing a red dress with a white trim and a conical felt hat. His marefriend turned to face him and for a moment a wide grin broke across her face like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, then after a moment her features rearranged themselves into a less extreme display of joy.

“Baron Max,” said Fragrant as Max came to a halt in front of him. “It’s good to see you again.” She leant forwards and gave him a friendly nuzzle which might have carried on a few seconds longer than was quite proper.

“Fragrant, it’s good to see you,” said Max, “How are you?”

“I am very well thank you, and you? You’re late,” she said a little ruefully.

“Sorry, traffic,” he explained.

“I probably should have met you at the station,” she admitted, “but mayor Prescolt has put rather tight restrictions on air vehicle travel in his city,” she frowned. “I had hoped to be able to see you settled into the manor, but I’m afraid I have a speech to give in less than an hour now, it will be a rush to even drop you off before I have to be at my engagement.”

“Why don’t I come along with you?” asked Max.

“Pardon?” asked Fragrant looking surprised.

“Rather than going to your manor then to your speech why not take me along to your appointment? What is it about anyway?”

“It’s the annual Hearthswarming celebration for the staff of the weather factory, it’s more Thunderous’s responsibility really but I am expected to say a few words. I don’t know if you would find it all that interesting.”

"Nonsense, I love a good party! I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” said Max with a grin.

Fragrant looked a little unsure for a moment, then shrugged. “Very well, we better be off.”

The two of them boarded the carriage and with a nod from Fragrant to the chauffeurs they began to ascend into the sky. Max tried to split his attention between the beauty of the sky around them and the beauty on the seat next to him. “I missed you,” he said planting a quick kiss on Fragrant’s cheek.

She blushed very prettily. “It’s only been a few days Max. Still, I missed you too. I’m glad we’ll get to spend a few days together.”

“And I get to meet your family.

“Yes,” she said dubiously. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She reached onto the seat and drew out a box. “You’ll need this.” She opened it to reveal a rather robust looking silver coloured anklet with a blue gem on it.

“You’re a little early for presents, aren't you?” said Max reaching for the jewellery. “Still it is lovely, you shouldn’t have.” He didn’t really usually go for jewellery, still it was nice of Fragrant to get him it, it looked expensive.

“It’s for your own safety. It’s a cloud walking bracelet.” Max cocked his head and frowned.

“What?”

“It will cast and sustain a cloud walking spell on its wearer.” She sighed. “How else did you think you were going to get around in Cloudsdale?” He shrugged, he really hadn’t given it much thought, but it was obvious now that he considered it. Rolling her eyes Fragrant gently placed the anklet around his front left leg and clicked it closed. It glowed for a moment and seemed to tighten. Max rubbed his leg for a moment. “Now, that has charge for about ten days-”

“I’m only staying for three nights, aren't I?” he interrupted.

“Safety first,” she noted, “All ground ponies are required to wear such devices with at least a day's charge remaining when spending time in the city. When it only has two days’ magic remaining it will start to buzz on an hourly basis. When it has less than a day it will start to glow and if it gets as low as two hours it will start to give an audio warning. Please tell me if any of the warnings go off Max,” she said pointedly.

“Sure,” said Max examining his leg. The anklet seemed to have sealed tight and didn’t want to move.

“It is locked into position, and I am keeping the key,” she noted.

“I’m sure I could-” began Max.

“I am keeping the key,” repeated Fragrant pointedly.

“Sure,” agreed Max. He hadn’t realised how complex visiting Fragrant would be, it was just as well she had made sure everything was in place.

“Good, now for the duration of your visit you are like a pegasus, well apart from the wings. You will be able to interact with clouds and cloud materials, they will be entirely solid for you so don’t worry about falling. There are however quite a few open areas in the city, I would appreciate it, for my own piece of mind, if you were to keep away from any drops.”

“I understand,” said Max. “Thanks for doing all this for me, I’ll be careful.” He shifted in his seat to lean against her.

With a sigh, Fragrant relaxed a little. “I know I keep going on but I really want to make sure you’re safe. I-I, well I hadn’t considered how dangerous a cloud city is to a ground pony until I had to prepare for your visit. It would have been much easier for me to visit you.”

“I’m glad I came, and I like that you thought of this. It shows you care,” he whispered into her ear causing her to blush.

“Thank-thank you Max,” she stuttered. Around them the carriage had ascended to cloud height and the mass of the city was finally revealed. All around them were tall spires made of fluffy white carved into intricate shapes impossible with other building materials. Everywhere flocks of pegasus flew from place to place going around their business totally ignoring the wonder around them.

“Your city is beautiful!” he breathed, his eyes flicking from building to building. It was also rather chilly. Even on the ground winter weather was frigid, up here, well he was glad he’d brought some clothes.

“Thank you Max,” said Fragrant with a proud smile, apparently not affected by the temperature at all. “Welcome to Cloudsdale, the largest and oldest of the Equestrian cloud cities.”

Max gazed out over the vista in front of him. A small group of ponies pushing a cloud away from the city drew his attention. “Is that how weather is made?” he asked pointing.

Fragrant followed his gaze and paled a little. “Um, no Max, that’s a funeral.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Max taken aback. “Sorry.”

“You wouldn’t know, it’s an old Cloudsdale tradition,” she blinked quickly, “the deceased are placed in snow clouds and when the city is near the sea or a wilderness area they are sent off on their last journey through the sky. It is said that the clouds of family or friends will eventually find each other and merge together to spend the rest of their journey together.”

“That’s, that’s rather sweet,” mumbled Max. It seemed odd to him not to return the body to the ground but different ponies had their own traditions. “So, what’s that?” he said pointing towards a tall building hoping to move the conversation onto something happier.

The trip to where the weather factory party was taking place wasn’t that far but Fragrant still took the time to point out all the sites of interest on the way. Max really liked how she almost glowed with pride at the achievements of her city and its people. He felt the same way about his own little corner of Equestria even though it was far less developed than the mighty cloud city.

However, soon the carriage came to a landing on a large flat expanse of cloud in front of the towering monolith that was the weather factory. The building itself was probably bigger than Salzberg and seemed to stretch as high as the Canterhorn. The size of the weather work on Cloudsdale was highlighted by the number of ponies present at the party, there were thousands, possibly tens of thousands of them filling much of the space and then stacking up several layers as the pegasus hovered over each other to get a better space.

A stage had been set up at one side of the open area and it was to that which much of the crowd’s attention was drawn. However, the rest of the cloud was also covered in entertainments and tables of food, it was more like a fair than a party. The chariot came to rest at a small area off to one side where a few other such vehicles were parked.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much time to show you around at the moment,” said Fragrant dismounting with a flap of her wings. “Now you might want to take your first few steps slowly just to make sure that-” she began. Eagerly, Max hopped out of the carriage and onto the cloud. He felt his hooves sink slightly into the material before rebounding. Fragrant’s eyes widened and she reached out with her wings towards Max before noticing he was not falling. “-the magic is working.” She concluded. “Don’t do that Max!” she scolded, “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Oh, sorry,” said Max his ears drooping. “Everything seems to be working fine.” He hopped up and down a little. There was a sort of spring in his step like he was walking on rubber.

“I can see that by the way you’re not plummeting to your doom!” Fragrant took a deep breath before leading Max towards the stage area. “Right, I’ll see if I can get you a seat near the stage.” The two of them made their way through the throng, many ponies seemed to recognise Fragrant as she passed and moved aside. Quickly they were amongst the first rows of seating and for the first-time Max recognised one of the ponies sitting there.

“Ah, Fragrant,” said the thin green mare with a white mane sitting in the front row. “Thunderous expected you a while ago, he’s backstage at the moment.”

“Thank you, Edelweiss,” said Fragrant to her sister in law. “Max was a little delayed, do you mind if he sits with you?”

“Not at all,” said the mare with a smile. “It is good to zee you again baron.”

“Same to you,” said Max with a bow. He’d hadn’t spent much time with Edelweiss when he’d last met her at Fragrant’s home in Canterlot, but he’d quite enjoyed her company.

“Zo what do you think of Cloudsdale zo far baron?” she asked as Fragrant strode off to take her place for her speech.

“Well I haven't see much of it, but it’s beautiful. All the cloud buildings glittering in the sun, and the shapes, you just can’t make things like that on the ground.”

“Yes, I’ve gotten used to it after all zees years but it is very different from where I grew up. As for the buildings well, Forming could talk for hours about that.”

“Um, err, Miss Edelweiss,” came a nervous voice from nearby. Max turned to see a teen pony, maybe he could charitably be considered a stallion, with a greasy black mane and a light red coat, or maybe he was just blushing. “Um, could I um, get your autograph please.”

If she was upset by the invasion of her privacy Edelweiss didn’t show it. “Of course, dear,” she said with a smile. The colt glanced back at a small group of similarly aged ponies nearby before passing over a picture about the size of a magazine. It showed a reclining mare wearing only a quartet of plain black socks staring back at the camera with a smouldering gaze. Her tail covered anything that would make the picture too salacious but the positioning gave the impression that it could flick away at any moment. Max blushed as he realised the mare in the picture was Edelweiss.

“Do they still keep reprinting zis?” she asked mildly. “One thing I tell my colts and fillies, once the camera has seen something, it’s for ever. Who should I make it out to?”

“Um, Pitter, Pitter Patter, ma’am,” he said his voice cracking. With a deft twitch of her mouth she quickly signed, To my brave stallion, Pitter Patter, from Edelweiss ♡, before returning the picture to him. The stallion looked like he was going to burst with pride as he gave a quick nod before galloping back towards his friends.

“Um, does that happen a lot?” asked Max a little taken back.

“Oh, quite often, my earlier work is ztill popular.”

“Doesn’t your husband have a problem with ponies asking you to sign pictures like that?”

“He used to have a few issues,” she admitted, “but I reminded him that they get to go home with a piece of paper, whereas he goes home with the model. That comparison quite cheered him up. It’s flattering really, that my pictures are zo popular.” She sighed. “Twenty years and three foals later mean that things aren't quite zo pert anymore.”

“Twenty years?” asked Max, he hadn’t had any trouble recognising her from the picture, if it had been that long she was very well preserved, three foals or not. “You don’t seem that old.”

“Ah baron, flattery will get you everywhere. My husband is a few years younger than me, I’m the same age as the duchess, give or take a year.” A predatory grin spread over her face. “Maybe I should show you some of the pictures of Fragrant from back then? She was surprisingly talented, maybe modelling could have been another career for her if she hadn’t decided on politics.” Max found that he had some trouble getting his mouth to work for a few moments. Before he could say anything, there was a fanfare from the stage and ponies around them started to take their seats.

“Ah, it iz about to start,” noted Edelweiss as Thunderous, Fragrant and a number of other ponies Max didn’t recognise took to the stage.

Fragrant sighed as Thunderous invited one of his workers to join him for the presentation of an award. He practically dragged the mare onto the stage and almost knocked her over with a slap to the back before going into a long story about how he had helped her team reach their objective. Her brother always wanted to be the centre of attention, he didn’t seem to get that this event was supposed to be about the workers rather than their family’s company. At least her speech thanking the staff for their contributions to Cloudsdale as a whole was out of the way now. This was the last part of the ceremony before everypony could enjoy the food and entertainments. There were a few ponies present she’d have to meet and greet but she could probably slip off with Max within an hour or so.

She glanced down at her coltfriend in the front row, he seemed to be enjoying the event and Edelweiss’s company. She hoped her friend wasn’t filling his head with any ideas, that mare had a tendency towards troublemaking which two decades of marriage and three children didn’t seem to have reduced. She’d certainly been a hoof full when the two of them had been younger. She idly considered getting the old gang back together for a night out. She was sure Edelweiss would be up for it, Holly as well, maybe even Sands if his wife would let him come. She hadn’t seen Silver or Merry in years, who knew what they were up to now a-days, as for... no she didn’t even want to think about him. Maybe a reunion wasn’t such a good idea, far too much water under the bridge after all this time.

She dragged her attention back to the presentation in front of her hoping that no pony had noticed her mind wandering. It looked like Thunderous had just about wrapped things up. She took her place at the front of the stage as the crowd started to disperse to the other entertainments. Rather than make her way around the whole stage she decided to fly straight over to Max in the front of the audience.

“Did you enjoy that?” she asked.

“It was very informative,” said Max politely, “We’ve not got anything this size at home.”

“Thank you for taking care of him,” she said to Edelweiss with a nod.

“Not a problem, now if you’ll excuse me I need to talk to Thunderouz before he gets too caught up with his zycophants,” she pointed to where her husband was standing surrounded by a large crowd of weather factory staff.

“Of course, I’ll see you back at home, I’ll be leaving early.”

“I might actually join you, this is really more of Thunderous’s thing than mine and I have some work to finish off before the holiday.”

“What is it that she does?” asked Max as Edelweiss wandered off towards her husband.

“She works on the boards of various charities mostly. She also has a small stable of models she manages. She does some photographic work herself as well. Her mark seems to make her equally good in front of and behind the camera,” replied Fragrant a little distractedly. She was glancing around the room trying to pick out the individuals she wanted to talk to and also those she didn’t while coming up with a plan to meet the first group and avoid the second. “Would you care for something to eat?” she asked gesturing at the tables of food which were now being descended upon by various hungry ponies.

“I ate on the train, but I suppose I could do with a snack,” he admitted. His brow furrowed. “Why doesn’t the food fall through the clouds?” he asked.

“Magic,” she replied, not wanting to get into the exact details. “I recommend the salmon canapes. Or maybe not,” she recalled Max’s previous reaction to fish, she’d had to have her dress burned in the end. “Maybe the cream cheese?”

“That sounds-” began Max before he was interrupted.

“Did your wings fall off?” asked a small voice from near the ground.

“Pardon?” asked Max looking down at the tiny white coated filly tugging at his leg.

“Did your wings fall off,” she repeated, “‘cause my momma says if I don’t do my wing exercises they’re going to fall off, is that what happened to you?” As if to demonstrate she unfolded her plumage and gave a few flaps lifting her slightly off the ground.

Fragrant found herself blushing at the child's bluntness but Max seemed to take it in his stride. Kneeling down to put himself closer to the filly. “Actually, I wasn’t born with wings.”

“You’re a dirt pony?” the filly asked in astonishment. Fragrant thought that her cheeks might burst into flames.

“It’s earth pony actually, I was born on the ground,” said Max gently.

“I’ve never met an earth pony before, what’s the ground like? I want to visit but my momma says it’s dangerous, and I’ll have to wait until I’m older.”

“It’s very beautiful, there are plants and trees and all sorts of animals, and lots of other ponies, earth ponies like me and unicorns. Pegasus like you visit as well, some even live down there. Some parts can be dangerous, but most of it’s safe,” he explained.

“Loop de Loop!” called a nearby mare causing the filly to turn to her. “There you are!” she said, “Are you bothering this stallion and- oh, um, duchess Posey, your honour.” She tried a little curtsy.

“She was no trouble at all,” said Max standing up and using a hoof to tousle the filly’s mane. “We were just talking about the ground.”

“This stallion says it’s not dangerous at all,” said the filly, “can I visit? Can I? Can I?”

“We’ll see dear,” said the mare awkwardly as she led her daughter away repeatedly bobbing towards Fragrant.

“I-I apologize about what that girl said,” said Fragrant once the two of them were out of earshot.

“I’m sure she didn’t know what she was saying,” said Max casually. “I’m surprised she’d never visited the ground before.”

“It’s actually not all that unusual, there are probably some adults in Cloudsdale who have never been ground side. Given the logistic problems of the other tribes visiting,” she pointed towards Max’s anklet, “it is entirely possible for a Pegasus on some of the cloud cities to go their entire life without meeting a member of another tribe.” Really the pegasus were something of a split tribe, there were sky pegasus who lived in the cloud cities and ground pegasus who mingled with the other tribes and lived alongside them. Over the years the numbers of the first group were slowly dwindling, still there were some who clung to the old ways.

“Ah duchess,” came a nasal voice from nearby, “how fortunate to meet you here.”

And speak of Tirek, thought Fragrant as she turned to see the new comer a fake smile plastered on her face. “Representative King Fisher, how nice to see you.”

“And you too,” said the stallion running a hoof through his prematurely thinning white mane. “You seem to spend so little time in the clouds these days.”

“Well business at court requires my time be spent in Canterlot.”

“Of course, and who is this?” he asked looking down his muzzle at Max.

“Hi, I’m Baron Mounty Max,” said Max holding out a hoof. King glared at it as if it was going to turn into a snake and bite him.

“I see, and what brings you to our city Baron, I would have thought you would prefer to spend the holiday on the ground with your people, I mean your family.”

“Duchess Posey invited me to spend the season with her, I’m certainly enjoying my time here so far,” said Max with a slightly pained look.

“Of course,” said King preening slightly, “the wonders of the sky cities far surpass those of the ground below.”

“Was there something you wanted to talk about?” said Fragrant trying to stop King before he started a lecture. The stallion was a bore and a tribalist, but unfortunately very well connected and popular in the city. She’d supported his appointment as representative as a way to keep him busy with the paperwork that followed the role and to appease his faction of the city council. She’d since had many occasions to regret the decision.

“Actually yes, given the time of year the number of,” he sniffed, “ground based tourists in the city is at an all-time high. I was wondering if I could have your support in the motion put forwards within the city council to limit the areas they can enter, for their own safety of course. Some parts of the city are so hard for grounded ponies to navigate.”

“You know I have no authority over the council, the city runs itself.”

“Of course, but your words still have a certain weight to them, duchess.”

Fragrant tried to keep a look of annoyance off her face. She had seen his plans to limit travel within in the city, it was more based on keeping outsiders out of his follower’s neighbourhoods than their safety. “I am afraid I will have to decline for the moment.”

“Very well, although I do wish you would spend more time looking out for your own people and less dealing with problems from the ground,” he glared over at Max.

“I do little else but look to my people’s need’s, representative Fisher,” Fragrant said icily. Wasn’t she allowed at least a short holiday? She’d ended up spending most of the time around the longest night dealing with her province’s issues, she was due a few days’ peace at least.

“I am sure you do your duty to the best of your abilities duchess,” said King giving a bow. “I hope you have a happy Hearthswarming.” He turned abruptly and left leaving Fragrant silently fuming.

“Who was that?” asked Max.

“An annoying pest,” hissed Fragrant before she took a deep breath and tried to breath out her anger. “However, he is my pest, do not worry about him. As I was saying let us try the food and then we can leave.”

They hadn’t stayed at the party for long, it was a shame. Max had quite enjoyed talking to some of the weather factory workers but Fragrant had seemed keen to get home, as had Edelweiss who had joined them in the air carriage. The Posey mansion was huge and sat on a block of cloud separate from the main body of Cloudsdale and linked only by a large bridge. Apparently, the manor could be moved if needs be, but at the present it sat not far from the huge weather factory which dominated almost a quarter of the city. The manor itself sat at the top of the ‘hill’ of cloud with the area around it forming the ‘grounds’. The chariot flew straight to the mansion itself but Max could make out a number of smaller buildings dotting the area as well as what looked like sports fields and even a large area where plants grew up from the cloud. The manor was built in a mixture of styles, the central body was a single minimalistic box but several wings of different styles had been added over the years, cloud buildings were easier to restructure than earth bound buildings. In a way the manor was a record of the architectural history of the city it orbited.

Their craft alighted a short distance away from the main doors of the mansion and a number of servants rushed out to welcome them. Although Max argued a porter insisted he carry Max’s bag. He would have refused outright but Fragrant had hissed to him that this was the servant's job not his.

Once they entered the building Max was glad to find that it was warmer than outside. It was still chilly but not actually freezing like the flight had been. He was also surprised to see how many solid, non-cloud, items of furniture there were. Wooden tables and chairs sat here and there and the walls, although made of cloud, somehow had solid portraits lining them. As he was led down the corridor he glanced at the faces which covered the walls, presumably Fragrant’s ancestors. Judging by the costumes they spanned centuries.

At the end of the corridor over the door to the main hall was a huge picture of a pair of pegasus in comparatively modern dress. A tall mare with a lemon coat and a mane so light a pink as to be almost white stared out of the picture with an oddly blank gaze. For some reason her eyes had been pictured covered in a rainbow of colours, the pupils almost invisible. Sitting next to her was a smaller stallion with an orangey brown coat and deep red mane, his wing was stretched out around the mare’s side gently resting on her without pulling her closer.

“Duchess Western Posey, and Duke Vapour Glider,” said Fragrant following Max’s gaze. “My parents.”

“They look happy,” noted Max.

She nodded. “They both passed a few years ago, I think I miss them most at this time of year,” sighed Fragrant. Max moved towards his marefriend gently leaning against her to show his support. She smiled and leaned back. “I like to think they would have liked you, particularly my father. Like you he tended to take matters into his own hooves.”

“It’s an interesting choice to paint your mother's eyes that way, was it a fashion or something?” asked Max.

“No, there was an accident in the weather factory during a tour, it must be almost twenty-five years ago now. My mother was splashed with boiling rainbow mixture, she was left blind, my father lost a wing in the same accident.” Max turned back to the picture, now he’d been told he could see that Vapour lacked one limb and his coat had some bald patches in it. He was a little surprised that the artist hadn’t decided to hide that more.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Thank you, it was what led to my mother's retirement from court. I had to take over from her at an unusually young age. Still they did not let their disabilities affect them all that much, and they led comparatively healthy lives for many more years.”

Edelweiss gently pushed the door open to reveal a rather luxuriously decorated room. More paintings covered the walls and tables, cupboards and seats made of both cloud and more solid materials were positioned throughout it. Near the middle three younger ponies, two mares and a stallion were sitting around a chess board. Max immediately recognised the nearest mare, it was Forming, Fragrant’s niece. The other mare was a few years younger with a long sky blue mane and delicate features. She was spread across a chaise longue a glass in one hoof, and a magazine in the other apparently taking little interest in the game. The stallion, about the same age as the younger mare, had a dark green coat and a short bright red mane and tail. He was short, hardly coming up to the mare opposite him’s chest with a delicate fillyish muzzle. Bizarrely his cutie mark seemed to consist of a grinning skull with what looked like crossed crutches under it, Max had no idea what that might symbolise. Rather than sitting normally in his chair he was positioned almost upside down. “Hi mom,” he called in a rather high pitched voice as the three of them entered the room.

“Dangerous!” exclaimed Edelweiss with joy. “I didn’t know you vere back yet!”

“Snowboarding down in the Macintosh’s was starting to get a bit boring so I thought I’d head back a day early.”

“Well it’s good to zee you,” said the mare trotting over to her son and leaned down to give him a kiss on the forehead. “Who's your friend?” she asked.

“This is Shimmer, we hooked up last week.”

“Hi,” said the mare not looking up from her magazine.

“Hello,” said Edelweiss a little hesitantly before turning back to his son. “What happened to Emerald Shower?” she whispered a frown on her face. “Wazn’t he going to visit for the holiday?”

“We broke up,” said Dangerous casually, “he was getting too clingy. One of the reasons I decided to head on back.”

“Hi auntie,” said Forming. “Hello Baron, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Thank you,” said Max.

“So, you’re Max,” said Dangerous flipping off of his seat. “Mountain climbing, right?” He started to circle the older stallion. “I was part of a party which reached the summit of mount Eventide last year,” he boasted.

Max nodded, he had to admit he was impressed, and jealous. Eventide was Equestria’s highest mountain, it has only been conquered for the first time a decade ago or so ago, although since then he’d heard a comparatively easy route to the summit had been found. “I was the first pony to climb Mount Bodach,” he countered.

“Where’s that?” asked Dangerous cocking his head.

“Nulpar, it’s no Eventide but the wind makes it a challenge, it never dies down.”

The younger stallion seemed to consider for a moment before breaking into a toothy grin. “Cool!” he said. “Maybe I could visit soon?”

“Maybe,” said Max.

“Dangerous, you only just got back!” exclaimed Edelweiss. “At least give us a few days together before you plan your next trip!”

“Sure mom,” said Dangerous rolling his eyes. “Nice to see you too auntie,” he continued turning to Fragrant.

“You too Dangerous,” said Fragrant, “I’m glad you could make it, it’s been too long since I last saw you.”

“Will Fluttering be making it as well?” asked Max, he hadn’t seen the family's oldest child since his trip to Ponyville a few months ago now.

Edelweiss’s face fell. “No,” she said quietly, “I’m afraid zhe sent a message to say she couldn’t take the time away from her animals.”

“I’m sorry,” said Max.

“That’s alright, we will be taking a trip to see her in the new year,” said Edelweiss perking up a little. “Let’s get you zettled in,” said Edelweiss, “Then we can talk about your latest trip. Your father zhould be back in a while Dangerous. I know he’d like to talk to you.”

“I’m sure,” mumbled Dangerous, “probably wants to shackle me to a desk at the weather factory.”

“Dad just wants you to see about getting you to start a career,” pointed out Forming, “you’ve finished school now.”

“Yeah, well unlike some I want to do something more than just what dad wants,” said Dangerous.

“Maybe I just want to actually do something with my-” began Forming, her voice growing louder.

“Maybe the two of you could finish your game, quietly,” hissed Edelweiss, “while I get our guests settled in.” Both of her children were immediately cowed by their mother’s reaction and quietly sat back at their chairs. “Good, now if you follow me I vill show you where you’ll be staying.”

“And zis will be your room baron,” said Edelweiss pointing to the door at the end of the corridor.

Fragrant nodded, then did a double take. “That is my paren-I mean my bedroom!” objected Fragrant. Despite them being gone for so long she still had some difficulty considering the room her own, she would have picked one of the many others available if it wasn’t for tradition.

“Yes, but there is zimply nowhere elze appropriate in the manor,” said Edelweiss pushing open the door.

“There are over sixty guest rooms in this house!” And they were of good quality, even the princess had stayed in the estate a few times over the centuries.

“Yes, but most of them are cloud roomz! What if our guest's enchantment was to fail unexpectedly? It would not be proper for us to allow our guest to plummet to his doom!”

“There are two suits adapted for ground pony guests, in the north wing!”

“Yes, well it iz a little embarrassing but... they are infested.”

“Infested?” asked Max, his eyes swinging back and forth between the two mares.

“Pigeons I am afraid, I have no idea how they got in. The exterminators will not be available until after the holiday.” She nodded to the servant who dropped off Max’s bag and beat a hasty retreat. “There really iz nowhere else for our esteemed guest to stay. We do have to be good hosts don’t we.”

“But where am I to sleep!” exclaimed Fragrant.

“Well that iz up to you, but it is a rather large bed for just one, isn’t it?” said Edelweiss running her hoof over the cloud bed. “And if the baron’s enchantment was to fail at night well it would be just as well if a pegasus were nearby, for safety’s sake.” She raised a hoof to her mouth to block her giggles before hobbling to the door.

Fragrant raised a hoof to her head. Sometimes her sister in law could be the worst! “I am sorry Max, Edelweiss likes to matchmake.”

“That’s alright, I’m sure I can find somewhere else to stay,” he said looking around the room and not meeting her gaze.

“Well,” said Fragrant, really the room was very large and maybe a little lonely sometimes. “We-we have shared a bed a few times before haven't we?” she blushed and suddenly found the patterning of the cloud beneath her hooves very interesting.

“Once or twice,” he admitted, Fragrant was sure he was grinning.

“Not to say that anything has to happen, but you are my guest and this is probably the best room in the house,” she managed to look up, Max was indeed smiling and she found herself matching him.

“Thank you, you’re a very gracious host,” said Max sitting down carefully on the bed.

“It’s only right,” said Fragrant joining him and cautiously stretched a wing out to wrap around his shoulders. “I’ll show you where you can put your bags, in a bit,” she said leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “I never really did get to greet you properly at the airport, did I?”

“It took you awhile to get packed away,” noted Edelweiss with a knowing grin as Max and Fragrant returned to the main hall. Max couldn’t help but blush a little at that, while things hadn’t gotten all that heated between him and Fragrant, they had rather lost track of time.

“It took some time to decide where to keep Max’s clothes,” said Fragrant, her cheeks likewise rosy as she straightened her dress.

“Well it’z certainly nice to have almost the whole family together for a change,” noted Edelweiss looking around the room. While he and Fragrant had been away Thunderous had returned, and was now sitting in a high-backed chair reading a newspaper. The younger members of the family were positioned at the opposite side of the room. Forming seemed to be trying to start a conversation with Shimmer although the younger mare remained taciturn. Dangerous was sitting next to them carefully running a block of wax over a snow board.

“Do you two have any plans for the evening?” asked Edelweiss

“Not really,” said Max. He’d rather hoped he and Fragrant could spend a little more time together, or maybe they could just chat with the family, he’d like to find out more about his marefrend's past. She was normally rather tight lipped about that sort of thing.

“I am afraid I might have some work to catch up on,” admitted Fragrant causing Max’s ears to lower. “That meeting with King Fisher made me think I should review some of the council votes in a little more detail.”

“I can help you with that auntie,” said Forming turning away from Shimmer.

“Thank you dear.” Max was about to suggest he could help as well when Edelweiss cut him off.

“Aren't you going to your club tonight dear?” asked Edelweiss turning back to her husband.

A look of concern passed over Thunderous face as he put aside his newspaper. “Yes,” he said cautiously. “I thought I might spend an hour or so there, catch up with some of the guys before the holiday.”

“Why don’t you take Baron Max wiz you,” suggested Edelweiss. Thunderous didn’t look all that pleased at the suggestion. “Maybe you could take Dangerous as well?” Thunderous seemed to consider that a bit more.

“How about it son?” he asked.

“Sorry Dad,” said Dangerous looking up from his board, “but word on the streets is that Blizzard Beats will be playing on Cloud Ten tonight, no way me and Shimmer can miss that!”

“Yeah!” agreed Shimmer without looking up.

“Oh,” said Thunderous looking rather disappointed.

“Well the two oz you can spend some time together,” said Edelweiss looking between Max and Thunderous. “Some male bonding, while us marefolk finish off our work. I’m sure it’ll be fun!”

Max glanced over at Thunderous, it didn’t look like either of them really agreed.

Max had to admit that Thunderous’s club was an impressive place. From the outside it didn’t look all that much, it was located in what Max assumed from the architecture to be an upper-class part of town but the entrance was tucked away in a side street hardly visible from the main road. The inside, however, was lavish. As with the rest of the city the majority of the building were constructed from cloud but there was a surprising amount of solid material used as well, carpets covered most of the floor space and comfortable seats and benches were scattered around the room as well as several booths for privacy. The walls were covered in portraits and mementos from all around Equestria and beyond. Most of them were apparently donated by the members with small notices next to them stating where they had come from, more than one mentioned members of the Posey family.

Once Thunderous had signed Max in as his guest he led him into the main room. It was set up much like a bar and packed with stallions and mares all laughing and drinking. Servants apparently selected for their comeliness moved between groups taking orders and delivering drinks. There was a stage set up in one corner where a quartet of ponies were singing acapella. For the first time since he’d gotten off the train he actually felt warm, he wasn’t sure how it was heated, but the club seemed less frigid than the city around it.

Looking around Max decided this didn’t seem all that bad a place to spend some time with his marefriend’s brother, a few drinks might be just the sort of thing to break the ice between them. The two of them had gotten off to a rather bad start and the larger stallion had tried to warn him off his sister, still they had managed to work that out. Maybe they could actually get along, he wanted to be friends with all of Fragrant’s family. Although he would have preferred it if he could spend the evening with Fragrant instead of her brother.

“What do you think of the place Max,” asked Thunderous swinging out a hoof expansively.

“Seems a nice place, not quite as stuffy as I’d imagined.”

“Well there is something for everypony, there are reading rooms and the like for the older chaps to nap in, but I prefer something a little livelier. They have an excellent selection of drinks and they do good food as well. It’s a great place to network with the great and the good, most of the movers and shakers of the city are members. Non-voting nobility, industrialists, the mayor and town council, everypony’s who's anypony comes here.”

“It’s not all that different from the tavern in Sadlzberg really,” noted Max. Sure the clientele might be a bit different, but a bar was a bar and ponies enjoying themselves were about the same no matter where you were.

“Ah, Star!” bellowed Thunderous with a grin.

A thin and rather nervous looking stallion spun around and blinked at Thunderous for a few moments before he found his voice. “Oh, evening sir!” he said.

“Max, this is Rising Star, my right hoof at Posey Weather, and probably my best friend as well!”

“Oh, thank you sir,” said Star with a rather fake looking smile on his face.

“Star this is Baron Mounty Max, he’s spending the holiday with the family.” Thunderous slapped Max on the back almost knocking him over.

“G-Good to meet you baron,” said Rising bowing.

“Please call me Max,” said Max holding out his hoof, after a bit of hesitation Rising shook it.

“Yes, no titles here, we’re just three stallions having a night out, right?” said Thunderous. “I think I can see some seats.” He nodded to a nearby servant and pointed to a booth. The servant trotted over and talked to its current occupants who after a moment got up, and glancing over at Thunderous for a moment, left.

“Was that right?” asked Max as he sat down, “Getting them to move?”

“Well running the company that employs half of the city, and being the brother of the mare who runs the whole province has its benefits,” said Thunderous with a grin.

“It seems like taking advantage,” mumbled Max.

“Relax, what would you like to drink?” he asked.

“Do they do mead?” asked Max timidly, he wasn’t all that hopeful since his favourite tipple didn’t seem that common around most of Equestria.

“Probably, but live a little! You’re in Cloudsdale you should try the specialty,” he turned to the server. “Three Rainbow Brandys, please, make them doubles.” The servant nodded and glided away.

“So, Rising,” asked Max, trying to think of something to talk about, “how are things in the weather business?”

“Oh, things are going well baron,” said the stallion, “profits are up 5% this year and the change in cloud export legislation has opened up whole new markets, while recent discoveries in the manufacturing side means that-”

“We don’t want to spend the night talking shop, Rising.” said Thunderous. He leaned forwards over the table towards Max. “She might not have mentioned it but Rising here might be a rival for my sister's affections you know.”

“Really?” asked Max. He was rather surprised by how relaxed Thunderous seemed about his and Fragrant's relationship. A tiny jealous part perked up a bit as well, Fragrant hadn’t mentioned Rising at all as far he could remember.

“Well, um, the duchess is quite a mare,” said Rising looking down at the table, his cheeks glowing.

“Shame Max here snapped her up first,” noted Thunderous as the drinks were delivered. He slapped Rising on the back almost sending the smaller stallion sprawling. “Well, never fear, maybe Max here will mess up and you’ll get a chance.” He took a sip of his drink and sighed. “You know I love my family, but it’s good to have a place to get away from things, don’t you think Baron?”

“I agree,” said Max, “Although I generally prefer something a bit more physical, go climbing or something. I think clearer when my body's working. Still a night out once in a while doesn’t hurt.” He examined his own drink, somehow it managed to remain in a rainbow of colours without mixing, some magic or other he expected. He gave it a cautious sniff, his eyes watered a little, it seemed like a potent brew. Carefully he took a sip, it was surprisingly smooth, as wondrous a mix of flavours as it was of colours. Max swallowed and was just about to compliment his host's choice of drinks when the burning started, he gasped as his throat seemed to turn to fire.

“Careful,” said Thunderous with a grin, “It’s got a bit of a kick! Lightning infused!”

“I-I noticed,” managed Max after a few moments, his tongue hanging out.

Still smiling Thunderous emptied his entire glass in one gulp before slamming it down on the table and letting out a long sigh.

Feeling as if he was in some sort of competition Max took up his own drink and after a moment's hesitation poured it into his mouth, he swallowed painfully trying to blink away his tears. Thunderous nodded and raised a hoof to a passing servant to order more drinks. “They do good food here Max, what would you like?”

Max looked around, there didn’t seem to be any menus. “What have they got?”

“Practically anything! One of the advantages of membership, I think I’ll have a hayburger. Edelweiss says they’re bad for me, but she’s not here!”

“I’m not all that hungry really,” said Max, still trying to recover his voice from the brandy, “maybe some grass?”

“They have over a dozen types! How about you Rising?”

“The hayburger sounds good,” said the third stallion.

Thunderous raised a hoof to summon another servant.

Max had to admit the food really was excellent, as his host had said they offered over a dozen types of grass and he’d had a platter of them all. Each was succulent and full of flavour despite it being the middle of winter, they must have been grown under glass which would mean it was probably one of the most expensive meals he’d ever had.

Once they had finished eating a servant had offered them cigars to go with the next round of drinks. Max had been curious, he’d never smoked before, but eventually decided against it. Although he did accept another brandy. Thunderous, on the other hoof, took one of the cigars, lit it and relaxed back into his seat blowing a lazy ring of smoke over their table. Rising also accepted one although his subsequent coughing fit suggested he was less used to them than his friend.

The three of them passed the time with some pleasant if often awkward conversation. Max had to admit that he didn’t have all that much in common with the larger stallion but they could tell stories of their exploits. Max enjoyed another drink or two, or was it three? Numbers had never really been his strong point, and after the fourth (or maybe fifth?) drink they were getting increasingly complicated.

“It’s good to be away from the house for a while,” mumbled Thunderous playing with the glass in front of him. Rising had his head resting on the table next to him, Max wasn’t sure but he might have been asleep. “I love my family Max, but sometimes, well sometimes they can be a hoof full. Forming, well she’s the good one, never any problems with her, very dutiful and polite. But Dangerous... Sometimes I just don’t know what to do with that colt.”

“He seems very, active,” said Max, he was glad he could figure out how to use his tongue. He stuck it out and stared at it for a moment.

“Always looking for a challenge he is, climbing, skiing, tornado riding, you name it. I’m proud of him, so very proud, never say I’m not!” He slammed the glass on the table spilling half of it. A servant glided by and quickly replaced it. “If only he could focus on something, actually finish something for a change. He’s too good sometimes, he just gets bored easily.” He took a mouthful of his replacement drink. “I’d like him to follow in my hoofsteps, he’d have a good career in Posey Weather, he’d take over from me one day. If he doesn’t want to then I won’t force him to...” he gazed into his drink for a few seconds, “I learned that lesson far too late with Fluttering. I’d support him in whatever he does, if he could just decide to do something with his life! I try to talk to him but he’s always too busy, and when we do talk we end up arguing. He can’t just keep playing around with his life forever! There’s fun, and there’s business. He can have one, in moderation, but he needs the other as well! I don’t want him to grow up into one of those chaps who never does anything but spend money! Does that make sense Max?” He gave the smaller stallion a pleading look.

“I, I think so,” said Max. His head was feeling a little swimmy right now, maybe he’d had a few too many of these drinks. He looked around, the room seemed a lot less crowded than it had a while ago, how late was it anyway? “Um, right, uh, Dangerous,” he said trying to return his mind to the matter at hoof. “Well he is still young, right? Lots of time to figure out what he wants to do. Maybe it’s right that he gets some time to find himself?”

“I suppose so, that’s what Fragrant says...”

“Look,” said Max pointing a hoof at where he thought Thunderous probably was. “Colts and their sires it’s complicated you know. I never wanted to be mayor when my dad was, was about, I was all ‘No I want to be something else, like a totally non-mayor thing, I don’t know a beekeeper or something’ but on the inside I really wanted to be my dad, he was like my hero thing... but now, now I can’t tell him that anymore.” Max sniffed a bit, he hadn’t thought that deeply about his father for a long time now.

“I know I had some problems with my father,” he leaned forwards across the table, “he didn’t approve of Edelweiss you know, thought I was marrying down. But, ‘dad’, I said, ‘dad I love that mare and I don’t care what you say about it! You can cut me off for all I care!’. We ended up fighting, really fighting, flying hooves and wrestling at all that, and I beat him! He told me he’d never been so proud of me as he was then! Standing up for what I believed in!” He paused for a moment a look of puzzlement spreading over his face. “Am I supposed to fight Dangerous?” he asked. “That doesn’t seem right now I think about it.”

“Probably not?” said Max unsurely, the colt was less than half the size of his father, it would hardly be fair. “But I dun know, maybe he’s trying to tell you he wants to be his own stallion?”

“So, he’s just acting out?”

“Could be, maybe the more you tell him to work for the weather factory the less he wants to? Maybe you could try some reverse, brain thingy, tell him not to work there, that might work.”

“Worth a try,” noted Thunderous, “What do you think Rising?” He turned to the gently snoring stallion.

“Ah, Thunderous, and that earth-bound baron your sister found,” came a voice from nearby. Max’s head shot up, overcompensating a bit before he could get his eyes to focus on whoever it was who was speaking. It took him a moment to recognise the stallion.

“King Fisher,” mumbled Thunderous glaring at the new arrival.

“Have you considered the proposal I made to you?” asked the balding stallion. He was flanked by a small group of other stallions all of whom seemed to be a least a little inebriated. Looking around Max realised that they were the only customers still in the place.

“What’s to consider? Weather’s my business, I can’t refuse to supply it.”

“Not refuse, just cut it off for a while. Those down on the ground,” he made the word sound dirty, “they’ve gotten used to getting weather whenever they want it. They take all we do for them for granted. They just need to remember just how important we are to them, you could put prices up afterwards, you’d make back more than you’d lose and those earth-bound tribes would respect us again.”

“Go home King, you’re drunk,” mumbled Thunderous. Max thought they were probably all at least a little bit tipsy.

“I thought better of you Thunderous, I thought you were a real pegasus not a ground lover like your sister!”

With a growl Thunderous rose to his hooves towering over the other stallions present. It took a few seconds for Max to realise that he was standing up as well, and that he was angry. “Don’t you talk about my Fragrant colleague like that!” he cried, then thought about it for a moment. “I mean my colleague Fragrant!” Although the first was true as well, Fragrant always had a sort of floral scent around her, whether it was a shampoo or her natural scent Max wasn’t-

King waved a dismissive hoof at Max. “Be quiet, the real ponies are talking here.” Max seethed at his tone. “You know what happens if the bloodlines mix too much, you know what happened to her... or were the rumours true and were you trying to keep things a little too pure? That daughter of yours-”

Before King could say another word Thunderous lunged forwards knocking the table aside and advanced on the startled representative. Behind him Rising was knocked from his perch and collapsed to the ground with a surprised squeak. King furiously backpedalled to avoid Thunderous and the stallions around him scattered. “Don’t you dare say another word!” roared Thunderous, “Not about my sister, and not about my daughter!”

One of King’s followers standing off to one side of Thunderous slowly turned around and prepared to buck him while the larger stallion’s attention was directed towards King. “No you don’t” cried Max, noticing the cowardly attack. He tried to dive forwards but couldn’t quite figure out how to get his hooves to work again, instead he staggered forwards into the crowd of stallions, legs flying wildly. More by luck that judgement he managed to land a blow on the attacking stallion putting him off balance and sending his kick into one of his fellows instead of Thunderous.

Noticing the commotion Thunderous turned and swung a hoof at the nearest opponent sending him flying back across the room. King pushed forwards and joined into the melee, within a moment the whole group had descended into a confusing forest of limbs bumping against each other seemingly at random. Max made out the form of King Fisher nearby and swung out a hoof feeling a very satisfying crunch as it impacted against his muzzle. “For Fragrant!” he managed to cry out before another stallion jumped him.

Buried under a pile of squirming pony flesh Max could only make out glimpses of the rest of the fight. He saw Rising grabbing onto the back of another stallion as his victim desperately tried to dislodge him. Thunderous striding through the mass of ponies as they tried to pull him to the ground and King Fisher struggling to get away from the brawl, blood dripping from his snout. Finally, he made out a large number of rather annoyed looking servants as they moved in to break up the brawl.

The next hour or so was a bit of a blur for Max. He wasn’t sure if it was the drink, or a side effect of the fight, he had taken a few hits but he’d had worse in the past. The brawlers were thrown out of the club, via different entrances to stop the fight continuing and it had taken a while for them to find a taxi to take them all home.

“Shuss!” hissed Thunderous rather theatrically at the door to the mansion. “We don’t want anypony to know what happened.” He said as he staggered inside.

Max gave a giggle and nodded glancing around for anyone watching apart from the slightly annoyed looking servant who had let them in. “I’m sorry about the fight,” said Max as they made their way down the hall. It took a surprising amount of concentration, he’d seemed to have forgotten how to move his legs, was it front then back, or opposite corners together, or left then right?

“Sorry about what?” asked Thunderous his brow furrowed. “That was fun! You’re fun Max! I like you! King Fisher could do with being taken down a peg or two, he’s a tribalist he is, thinks pegasus are above the other tribes. Course we are, what with living in the clouds and all.” He hovered in the air for a moment before bumping into a wall. He dislodged a portrait and Max only just managed to catch it before it broke. “Just not in the way he thinks,” he giggled a bit at his joke.

“Thanks,” said Max laying the portrait carefully down on the floor.

“You’re alright Max, we should go drinking again sometime.”

“Won’t you get in trouble with the club?” asked Max, he wasn’t sure they’d get invited back anytime soon.

“They’re very discreet about this sort of thing, I’ll pay for any damages and everything will be fine. Just as long as Edelweiss doesn’t find out.”

The door at the end of the corridor opened to reveal two feminine shapes. “Edelweiss doesn’t find out what?” asked the mare in question sounding rather annoyed.

“Edelweiss, honey!” cried Thunderous with a smile plastered over his face. “How are you?”

“What time do you call thiz?” she asked, “You said you were only going to be out for a few hours! Six hours ago! I waz worried!”

“A few things came up! Business!” bluffed Thunderous moving in on his wife to give her a kiss.

“You’re drunk!” she exclaimed turning her head away from him. “And you've been fighting!”

“We bumped into King Fisher at the club,” argued Thunderous. “The things he was saying about Fragrant! About Fluttering! I couldn’t let that stand.”

“We were right, they were wrong,” argued Max, “and they made a very satisfying thud as they hit the ground!” Thunderous and Max nodded to each other, that seemed to explain it all.

“I’m sorry you got caught up in my husbandz idiocy baron,” said Edelweiss politely.

“Hey, he was the one who- Ow! Ow!” cried Thunderous as his wife bit into his ear and started to drag him out of the room.

“We’ll talk about this later,” she mumbled.

For a moment Max felt sorry for Thunderous, Edelweiss seemed really angry about what had happened. Then he turned to Fragrant, she looked absolutely furious, then he felt much sorrier for himself instead.

“Max!” she cried, “What were you thinking! Were you even thinking at all! I can understand my brother acting the way he did, he’s, well he’s Thunderous, he thinks the world is there for his benefit, but you! I thought you were learning to control yourself, to not be so bull headed!”

“But King Fisher, he said things about you!”

“I’m sure he did, he’s a hateful petty bureaucrat, but that doesn’t matter. He can say all he wants to, it doesn’t hurt me! But you getting into a fight in public, you could ruin yourself Max!”

“Thunderous said it wouldn’t be a problem,” protested Max, his head was starting to clear a little and a feeling a dread was starting to wash over him, or maybe it was nausea.

Fragrant sighed. “Annoyingly he might be right, that club of his is very good at keeping it's secrets. Even if any journalists do get their hooves on the story it’ll be too late for most of the papers to publish anything if it did get out, what with Hearthswarming’s eve tomorrow. You have probably been very, very lucky Max.” She scowled at him. “You better go to bed, I’m sure I’ll think of more things to yell at you about tomorrow, or later today as it is now. And don’t think you’ll be sharing a bed with me! I don’t want anything to do with a drunkard!” She strode off to her bedroom Max in tow his ears drooping. “You can sleep on the chaise lounge,” she said pointing at the seat.

Max dragged himself over to it and slumped down. He couldn’t believe how badly he’d managed to mess everything up and it was all his fault, he shouldn’t have drunk as much or gotten out of control.

“Here, drink this,” insisted Fragrant seeming to materialise next to him holding out a large jug of water, “it’ll reduce your hangover!” Max thankfully took a gulp from the jug and started to put it aside. “All of it!” she insisted. Still scowling, Fragrant stomped off to her own bed and, still fully dressed dropped into it.

“Fragrant,” said Max after a minute’s silence. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

“I know you are,” replied Fragrant after another silence.

“Good night,” he mumbled, his body starting to relax over the chair. “Love you.”

Fragrant sighed loudly. “Good night, Max,” she said a little more gently.

45) Month 5 - Hearthswarming Eve

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Fragrant found sleep eluding her, no matter how often she tossed and turned on her cloud bed she just couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Stupid Max! Stupid Thunderous! All they had to do was spend some time together, talk, bond a little. But instead they ended up getting into a brawl! And with King Fisher of all ponies! She sighed, to be honest she had imagined punching him in the muzzle a few times, but she actually had the self-control to stop herself!

No doubt Fisher had given Max and her brother plenty of reasons to hit him but ultimately, he was only one symptom of a greater malady, one which couldn’t be beaten with swinging hooves. To put it simply many of her ponies were caught in the past. The cloud cities had long maintained a distance from the rest of Equestria, both physically and socially. The other tribes didn’t have a choice but to mix with each other, but the pegasus could still choose to live apart if they so wished. In some way the pegasus were culturally two tribes, the sky pegasus of the cloud cities that she represented and those who chose to live closer to the ground interacting with the other tribes. Whereas the ground pegasus were developing alongside the other tribes her people were more and more rapidly being left behind. Technology and society on the ground was moving faster and faster and the cloud cities were being left behind. Telegraph could allow words to spread from one side of the country to another faster than a messenger could fly between cloud cities, trains could carry more supplies than the largest sky chariot. Many of her people were either leaving to join the new world or trying to withdraw more and more into the past, and it was that group that King Fisher represented.

She groaned again and tried to bury her head deeper into her pillow. She didn’t want to think about a problem which had no easy solution right now. This was supposed to be a holiday where she could enjoy herself! She didn’t want to think about Max’s actions and the trouble they would cause her. She just needed to sleep, it was Hearthswarming eve and she had a long day ahead of her. True, it was sort of sweet that Max had fought to defend her honour, but she was perfectly capable of defending herself and words couldn’t truly hurt her no matter how much they could sting. She turned over again and stretched out her wings seeing if that would be more comfortable. Why did her bed have to seem so big and empty? Why did Max have to be so infuriating, so honourable, so stupid, so protective, so, so Max like!

Cracking her eyes open she glared over towards the seat where Max lay. He was curled up around himself, his shaggy mane forming a pillow. She had to admit that he looked cute when he was asleep, all vulnerable and soft and shivering... shivering? It wasn’t that cold, was it? Was he sick? She sat up in bed her brow furrowed. Sure, it was winter in a cloud city so the temperature outside was probably below freezing but that wouldn’t cause any problem for a pegasus. Her eyes widened, Max wasn’t a pegasus! How could she have been so stupid? He wasn’t as resistant to the cold as her people were. The house would provide some protection but it was probably still cold for him, why hadn’t he said anything?

She sighed again, he had probably tried to be polite, he could just be so infuriating at times and she had to admit that it was one of the things she loved about him. He was just too nice! She picked herself up off her bed and padded over to Max. She reached out a wing and gently shook him. “Max, Max. Wake up,” she whispered.

“Huh, wha...” mumbled her coltfriend, still half asleep and half drunk.

“Max, are you cold?” she asked.

“A bit, don’t worry, Nulpar’s colder. I’ll be fine.” He curled up again.

Fragrant shook her head. Tomorrow she could get the servants to activate some lightning heaters, that should make the house more tolerable for earth ponies. There were probably some blankets around as well, they weren't often needed for cloud beds. In the meantime... “Max, I know you’re cold. Come with me, I’ll get you warm.”

She carefully helped the still dozy Max to her bed and gently levered him down before wrapping him in her plumage. That should keep him warm for tonight at least. “Don’t get any ideas,” she whispered, “I’m still angry with you!” His grip on her tightened slightly in response, she tried very hard not to enjoy the feeling of their bodies against each other, and failed entirely.

“Sorry Fragrant,” mumbled Max as he slipped back into sleep.

Fragrant couldn’t help but smile as she leant forwards and kissed him gently on the forehead. “Why are you so hard to hate?” she asked as she found herself quickly joining him in unconsciousness.

Max awoke feeling an urgent pressure in this bladder. He cracked his eyes open, blinking a little in the light now streaming into the chamber. It illuminated the still sleeping form of Fragrant clinging to him, her mane spread out in a sea around her head, her wings wrapped around him. For a moment he thought that he’d rather die than leave her side. Then he felt another twinge from his abdomen and decided that wetting himself would probably be even worse than death.

He carefully tried to unwrap himself from Fragrant’s grip, it was harder than he thought but with a little perseverance he managed it. He shivered a little in the morning cold before trotting to the bathroom. Once he had finished he thought for a moment about how the plumbing worked in Cloudsdale, then decided that he probably didn’t want to know and returned to the bedroom.

By the time he had returned Fragrant was awake and sitting up in bed. “Good morning,” she said.

“Morning,” he replied looking sheepish, “I’m really sorry about what happened last night, but he shouldn’t have said those things about you.”

“You are a very physical stallion Max,” said Fragrant, “but you have to learn to control yourself better. Learn a proportional response.”

“Yeah, well I was drunk,” he said rubbing the back of his head, “I wasn’t thinking right.”

“As if you ever do,” she replied lightly. “I’m surprised you are not hung over.”

“I don’t usually suffer all that much, some of it’s an earth pony thing, some of it’s just me being lucky I guess,” he shrugged. “Thanks for getting me to drink that water last night, that probably helped as well.” He rotated his neck a little. “I’ve got a bit of a headache, but it’ll pass. So, um,” he looked down at the floor, “Am I forgiven?”

Fragrant stared at him for a moment. “Not entirely, but this is a holiday for both of us, we should try to enjoy our time together rather than waste it being angry. Just try not to do anything else stupid, Max.”

“I’ll try, my best.”

“Good, that’s all I can hope for.”

After both of them had washed and dressed, Max felt the need to wear something given how chilly Cloudsdale was, they made their way to one of the dining rooms where they found the rest of the family. Forming and Edelweiss were tucking into their breakfasts while Thunderous was slumped onto the table groaning quietly.

“How are the two of you thiz morning?” asked Edelweiss loudly with a bright smile, causing further protests from Thunderous.

“I am well,” said Fragrant eyeing her brother as she sat down at the table.

“Not bad,” said Max with a little more sympathy.

“I hate you,” moaned Thunderous rolling his eyes towards Max.

“Sorry, earth pony metabolism,” he replied with a shrug.

“That bed felt like it was made of broken glass,” complained Thunderous.

“The guest rooms are not that bad,” said Edelweiss, “the beds aren’t really any worse from ours.”

“Yes, they are, they don’t have you in them,” Thunderous said struggling to pull himself off the table and kissing his wife.

“Flatterer,” she giggled with a blush.

Max was glad that the rift between the couple seemed to have mostly healed, like the one between himself and Fragrant. He would have hated to have been involved in anything which damaged their relationship.

“Ugh, not in public,” cried Dangerous as he entered the room. The stallion looked ungroomed and a little unsteady on his hooves.

“Morning dear, you're up late, how was your night?” asked Edelweiss.

“I just got in now actually,” he said grabbing a slice of toast from the table. “The Blizzards were amazing, totally off the cloud! I went backstage after their set and Icy let me try out her guitar! Then we went to an afterparty, then there was a lock in at Cumulus’s. I think I ended up crashing at somepony’s place for a few hours. Not sure who’s.” He yawned. “I’m going to grab a snack then go to bed. I’ll see you this evening,” he said heading for the door.

“Where’s Shimmer?” asked Edelweiss suspiciously.

“Shimmer? Not, sure we got separated some when, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Is she coming to dinner tomorrow?”

“Nah, I think she said she was staying with her own folks,” he yawned again, “see ya!”

Thunderous rested a hoof on his head. “I really need to talk to that colt,” he said.

“Leave him for the holidays,” said Edelweiss, “At least he’s spending those with us. Anyway, you have work today, there’s lots to organise for tonight.”

“Don’t remind me,” he mumbled. “What are you planning to do Fragrant?”

“I thought I’d spend the day showing Max around the town. Would you like to come Forming? We could probably take in a museum or two.”

“I’d love to auntie,” said Forming as she chewed through a block of haybacon.

“Can I join you?” asked Edelweiss

“If it’s alright with you Max?” said Fragrant turning back to him.

“Sounds fun,” said Max, “I’d love to see your city.” And a bit of exercise and fresh air was just what he needed to clear up the lingering effects of last night’s drinking, he thought as he downed a glass of orange juice.

“We’ll need to be back in time for the pageant this evening,” said Edelweiss.

“Where are we going?” asked Max.

“It's traditional for the family to visit a school production of the Hearthswarming pageant each year,” explained Fragrant, “This year it’s Outer Cloud Elementary.”

“Sounds like a good evening.” It would be interesting to see how they performed the classic play here in the clouds.

Fragrant nodded. “Then we have the traditional Hearthswarming ceremony, but you can skip that if you want Max.”

“No, I’m sure I want to take part in your celebrations,” said Max. Fragrant looked at him strangely for a moment, then shrugged.

“Well if you’re sure, I don’t think there will be much you can do but every hoof is welcome I guess.”

“Good, sounds like a fun day!”

Fragrant had decided that the tour should start with the manor’s grounds. They were as expansive as they looked from the air, spreading out for acres in all directions. Fragrant proudly took him around the fields and greenhouses where a wide range of cloud based plants grew. It was very easy to forget that her mark was actually for botany until you actually saw her around plants. She spent hours explaining the various cross breeds that she had created from the original cloud growing plant she had first received as a foal. She introduced Max to the various gardeners and other staff who looked after them for the months that she spent in Canterlot and told him about the large-scale cultivation that Posey Weather was now carrying out. The production wasn’t that important for the perspective of feeding the city at the moment but it was slowly increasing and many of the flowers she grew were used in other sky gardens to brighten up the environment.

After they had covered the majority of the grounds she led her party into a nearby glass house where the newest breeds were created. Max was eager to see it all but Fragrant warned him not to stand too close to several of the new breeds in case his earth pony aura affected the results of the experiments. It seemed odd to him not to want the plants to grow as quickly as they could, but it was apparently important not to bias the results. He didn’t understand one word in ten that Fragrant was saying about the plants but he was just glad to see her so happy in her natural environment. His marefriend had mentioned a few times that she was considering growing a garden in Canterlot and if it made her this happy then maybe he should help her, perhaps Duke Greengrass would have some ideas as well? Although maybe not, the Duke was not a friend to Fragrant at the moment although after the help he'd given Buttercup he was growing a bit on Max. At least the present Max had gotten Fragrant would be useful.

It was early afternoon by the time Fragrant realised how much time had passed and apologised for wasting so much of the day. Max had protested that he’d quite enjoyed himself although Forming and Edelweiss had been looking rather less excited. Max guessed that they’d similar tours in the past so it was less interesting to them.

Although Max would have preferred to just trot through the city Fragrant had insisted they take the sky chariot into the city and they parked it near the centre. Then they stopped off at a nearby cafe for a light lunch before venturing into the oldest section of Cloudsdale.

“This is the Cloudiseum,” exclaimed Forming holding out her hooves and slowly spinning in the air to indicate the structure around her. “It’s the oldest structure in Cloudsdale!”

From the inside the building didn’t really look all that impressive to Max, apart from the scale. It consisted of banks of seating supported by tall pillars of cloud stretching up dozens of lengths looking down onto a flat central area. The place was apparently a popular tourist destination judging by the hundreds of ponies trotting around in small groups following tour guides. Several of them were carrying cameras and taking pictures every few paces. For the first time since he’d entered the city Max wasn’t the only ground based pony around. Although pegasus were by far the most common tribe the tourists included a fair number of unicorns and earth ponies as well.

Upon their arrival Fragrant had had a talk with one of the ponies in charge and had obtained badges for the whole of the party which had allowed them to wander the building away from the normal areas open to the tourists. Apparently rank had its privileges.

“It was constructed by the first pegasus to cross the great ocean!” continued Forming. “Cloudsdale is actually the oldest existent settlement in all of Equestria! The first Equestrian cloud city.”

Max frowned a little at that, he hadn’t exactly paid all that much attention at school but even he knew the Hearthswarming tale. “Hang on a minute, wasn’t the first pegasus city called Pegasothalus? Or something like that? That’s what we called it in our pageant back at school.”

“The ancient pegasus did indeed name their city Pegasopolis,” said Fragrant pronouncing the name carefully, “however after a few generations the city was renamed to Cloudsdale as the tribes grew closer and it was deemed politically unacceptable to have the city named after a single tribe. Unicornia was eventually renamed for a similar reason although it did take much longer for that to happen.

“Actually, the city is even older than that,” added Forming, “In ancient times the pegasus were nomadic and would form settlements each night to sleep. Each pegasus would create a cloud and merge them together into a single nest. At daybreak the settlement would be dispersed again but each pegasus would keep a small seed to form the next day’s nest from. When permanent cities were formed they were built from those seeds as well. When one city went on to found another, a section of the old city would be used to create the foundations of the daughter city. The same tradition is still upheld even today. Many modern pegasus houses are formed from parts of old ones, it is a common wedding gift to give the new couple part of their parents’ house to form their own dwelling from. Unfortunately, the name of the city used to found Pegasopolis has been lost over the millennia but in a way you could say that there is an unbroken lineage stretching from the first pegasus building to Cloudsdale!”

“Yes,” breathed Fragrant rested a hoof against the nearest wall, “this city has been in place for thousands of years, through strife and good times, war and upheaval, the coming of the princesses and the banishment of Corona. Through all of that Cloudsdale has soared!”

Max couldn’t help but smile at the pride Fragrant was showing about her city. Although it was much more humble and newer Max felt something like that about Sadlzburg. After all his family had helped to found it. “Were there Posey’s all the way back at the founding of the city?” he asked.

“Well, um, maybe,” said Fragrant suddenly seeming a bit embarrassed. “There are some legends but no real evidence. We’ve not always been as important as we are now, we’ve been the ruling house of Greater Cloudsdale for about three hundred years now and there are solid records of the house going back almost a thousand years. We rose to prominence during the reforming of Equestria after Corona’s banishment. Cloudsdale declared itself a sovereign nation for almost fifty years during that period. The Posey’s are noted as having fought for reunification during the brief civil war that brought that period to an end.”

“As we’re here we could show Baron Max the old records!” exclaimed Forming.

“Oh, I’m sure Max doesn’t want to hear about that right now dear,” said Fragrant hurriedly.

“Well I got to hear all ze juicy secrets before I married into the family,” said Edelweiss with a grin, “he should have the same opportunity.”

Fragrant looked towards Max with a little blush, he grinned and nodded. “Very well, but many of the older records are no doubt exaggerations if not downright fabrications.”

Turning Fragrant showed her badge to a nearby guard who nodded and moved aside and opened an ‘employee's only’ door. “Many of the records aren't on show all the time but they store most of them here.”

“That’s a bit odd isn’t it?” asked Max.

“Not really given the Cloudiseum’s original purpose. You do know what it’s for, don't you?” she said pointedly.

“Um, it's a sort of theatre, isn’t it? Maybe sports?” asked Max. Maybe he should have done some research before his trip, but he’d sort of expected to find out here.

“In a way, there were contests and shows put on here, there still are occasionally, but it was also a government building, like a town hall.” Fragrant explained as the four of them made their way down a stairway. “Debates and trials would take place here. When it was first built almost the entire population of the city could visit to hear their leaders speak. The system was more of less democratic, many decisions would be decided by a show of wings. Records have always been stored here, of course more recently there is a proper facility in place, but many of the older documents are still kept here. They’ve gotten rather good at halting the destruction caused by age by controlling the atmosphere the documents are stored in.”

They headed through a maze of chambers lined with cases occasionally passing a few members of staff or guards most of whom looked at them strangely.

“Oh, gosh!” exclaimed Forming. “Is that the city seed!” Max turned to see her pointing through a glass door with several guards standing around it. “I’ve never seen it this close.”

One of the guards nodded. “That’s it miss,” he said, “they bring it out for founding day each year and that’s it.”

“What is it?” asked Max glancing through the window at what looked like a rather normal if a little wispy cloud floating in the middle of the chamber in a glass box.

“You know what I said about cloud cities being formed from other cities? Well this is what remains of the original building block of Cloudsdale, the city seed it was created from.”

“The whole city came from that thing?” asked Max tapping on the glass door causing the guards to glare at him.

“In a way,” said Fragrant gently pulling him away from the door, “it’s had to be fed fresh water so many times over the millennia that whether it’s still the original is something of a philosophical question but we certainly believe it is.” She held a hoof up to the door. “It’s a link between the current population of the city, the current pegasus tribe and their distant ancestors, something no other tribe has,” she whispered.

Looking at her Max felt like there was a huge gap between the two of them. She had all this history behind her and he didn’t even know his family tree back more than a few generations. He didn’t know if he felt jealous or glad about that. He imagined the weight of the past must be crushing sometimes, and he preferred to look to the future, still to have all that behind you must be nice.

“Anyway, this isn’t what we’re here for,” she continued shaking her head before turning and striding down the corridor a short ways. “Here we are, the family genealogy, they did a display on it a few years ago. They have the skills to maintain it all so I let them keep the materials once it was finished.”

Eagerly, Max started to look through the notes, it was actually fairly dry stuff not the salacious rumour Fragrant’s reaction has suggested. Sure, there was the odd mention of affairs and infighting in the family but that had been hundreds of years ago. “Wait a minute, what’s this about being related to Private Pansy?” he called out, “The Private Pansy from the Hearthswarming tale? You didn’t say anything about that.”

“That’s just an unsubstantiated rumour,” mumbled Fragrant. “The surviving records of Commander Hurricane’s household refers to a Pansy Posey as one of his daughters. I think it was a mistake by the scribe, Pansy misspelled as Posey, Inner Fire made several similar duplications in her records.”

“His daughter? I didn’t think the two of them were related.” It certainly put their relationship in the Hearthswarming story in a different light.

“It is not impossible, he had a large family and they mostly made up his army. His household records listed over six thousand children and over a thousand wives and husbands.”

“Six thousand! And a thousand spouses!” He’d heard the drinking song, ‘Hurricane’s hundreds strong harem’ but he didn’t know it was literally true, he didn't even think some of the things described in it were physically possible. “That’s not possible, is it?”

“Why baron, it’s only about one child conceived a day for two decades, I think a suitably virile stallion could easily keep up that pace, don’t you?” said Edelweiss with a grin. “I can think of one or two who’d like to try to break the record, given a chance.”

Fragrant sighed in annoyance. “They probably weren't literally his children. Back then before the migration to Equestria there was a lot of fighting between different pegasus clans, back and forth tit for tat raids. Hurricane was the first ruler to unite almost the entire tribe. He was a tactical genius, almost unbeaten in battle, but unlike the common perception of him he was also a political animal as well.”

“Or a horny old goat,” added Edelweiss.

Fragrant glared at her sister in law before returning to her lecture. “Although fighting between clans was common, fighting within families was taboo in pegasus culture. So Hurricane’s solution was simple, he married his defeated enemies and took their children into his own house. Polygamy was common in his society so it didn’t matter if his foes were already married or not. He beat them on the battlefield and then married the survivors bringing their surviving forces into his own. In less than a decade he united almost the entire tribe.”

“Well that would certainly make the Hearthswarming story more interesting,” said Max with a smile.

“Historically it’s fairly sure a commander Hurricane existed, probably several the name became something of a title, but it’s not clear if the character in the tales is the same as the real life one. Still it is a fascinating period.”

“The architecture is almost entirely lost,” added Forming, “but the records which do survive show it was a time of great innovation, many of the modern techniques have their roots in that period.”

“See, history can be fascinating without looking for the ‘juicy bits’,” said Fragrant staring pointedly at Edelweiss.

“You like what you like, I like what I like. Now look here at the number of duels fought for the hoof of Lady Jezebel Posey, and then she ran off with one of the staff,” said Edelweiss wiggling her eyebrows, causing Fragrant to quietly groan.

After spending a little more time looking into the Posey family history the party moved on to a nearby art gallery. Max had to admit that he didn’t necessarily get art all that much, to him a picture was just a picture. He got the purpose behind portraits, it meant you knew what a pony looks like, and landscapes could be nice, but rarely as good as the real view. But pictures which meant other things, they tended to go over his head. Still he had a fairly good time just spending time with Fragrant and her family. In addition to paintings the gallery had a small selection of photographs, which Edelweiss apparently didn’t rate all that highly and a few cloud sculptures which Forming seemed to like.

By the time they left the gallery it was already dark outside and they quickly made their way back to the chariot which flew them back to the mansion. By the time they arrived the inside was a hive of activity, Thunderous seemed to have taken his work home with him and a large number of weather ponies were present in the main dining room pouring over what Max assumed were maps. They looked more like tiny sculptures to him, but he guessed weather maps had to be in three dimensions rather than the normal two.

Not wanting to get underhoof Max quickly made his way back to the room he was sharing with Fragrant and had a shower to freshen up for the school pageant. He was just drying himself when Fragrant entered to wash herself. It was a shame she hadn’t turned up half an hour earlier, they could have saved some water. Still her freshly cleaned coat looked extra shiny and he enjoyed the look of herself easing herself into a new dress. He thought she might have noticed him looking as she seemed to writhe around a little more than was strictly necessary to get clothed.

Once they were both ready they met up again in the sitting room. The entire family was there, including Dangerous who had apparently just woken up. His mother fussed over his appearance for a while until deciding he looked as good as he was going to and they all set out on a chariot to the night's entertainment.

Feeling rather awkward Fragrant sat down into her the chair in the front of the audience. Outer Cloud Elementary was hardly one of the most prestigious schools in the city and couldn’t afford as comfortable seating as she was used to. In addition, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that everypony was staring at her. The hall was packed with not only parents but some of the local nobility, she was fairly sure most weren't here to see the play but rather to be seen in the same room as her. Still that was part of the point of the night, her presence would boost ticket sales and raise more money for the school. For that cause she could live with being uncomfortable for a few hours.

“So, do you come here every year?” asked Max from beside her. She had worried that sitting her ‘guest’ next to her might give away their secret but it wasn’t too unusual for other ‘favoured’ nobles to take such a position, and she was getting increasingly tired of the charade as well. Max had been very understanding of her near breakdown at Baron Dramatic's party but she wished she could have dealt with the matter better.

“No,” she said, “the school we visit is chosen at random from those in the city. My mother started the tradition to provide additional funding.”

“That was nice of her.”

“Yes, she did a lot to help the foals of her skies. She had considered enlarging the program to all the schools in the entire province but the logistics were too complicated.” She’d seen at the gala how well Max dealt with children, and how much of a problem they could still cause her.

“I wonder how they’ll deal with the three tribes, I guess the school’s entirely pegasus?” That was an issue she had been worried about since their disastrous night at the opera of a few months ago. He cheeks still burnt at the memory, Max had seemed to take things in his stride at the time but he must have been somewhat discomforted by the portrayal of his tribe and the fact that she just hadn’t recognised the issue until it was too late. Not for the first time she cursed Saltpeter’s incompetence. Before Fragrant could think of an answer to Max’s question the lights started to dim.

“It’s starting!” muttered Max, she couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. Fragrant couldn’t say that the play was her favourite. She did enjoy the message it was trying to put across but she also saw how much it simplified what was actually a very complicated time in pony history. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the school had decided to indicate the various tribes by the colours of the tabards worn by the young actors, blue for pegasus, white for unicorn and brown for earth ponies rather than using any makeup. Oddly the only grounded member of the cast, a rather heavy set unicorn filly had been cast as a background earth pony. She was a little surprised by the number of griffin in the production as well, in fact commander Hurricane was played by a pink feathered hippogriff. The only other surprise was that she recognised one of the small actresses, Loop De Loop from the weather factory party yesterday. The filly had been cast as one of the background pegasus.

The play was over fairly quickly without any great disasters taking place. As was traditional the pageant ended with the audience singing the Heart Carol. Next to her Max belted out the song, she had to admit he wasn’t that good a singer but he did make up for it with his enthusiasm. The entire cast came onto stage and took a bow much to the glee of the parents making up much of the audience, the nobles were a little more reserved, in fact a few of them were already leaving. Of course Max stomped the ground as if his life depended on it. Him and Dangerous seemed to have a contest as to who could make the most noise and Thunderous was getting in on the act as well. Rolling her eyes at her stallion's antics Fragrant redoubled her own efforts not to be left behind. Once the applause died down the teacher acting as the director came onto stage thanking the various backstage crew and even, rather embarrassingly, Fragrant herself for having graced the performance. Fragrant politely nodded back but as soon as the lights were on again she stood to leave, she had a lot still to do tonight.

“Well I enjoyed that,” said Max. “It’s one of my favourite stories, how the tribes all met up and started to work together to defeat the Windigo!”

“Well yes, but it’s not all that historically accurate is it?” pointed out Fragrant. “For a start the old homelands sunk, they didn’t freeze, and the archaeological record shows that the actual migration took generations, maybe hundreds of years to play out.”

“You don’t have to be such a Snowfall Frost you know,” said Max pulling a face.

Fragrant rolled her eyes. She was a little surprised Max had read that book, it had only come out a few years ago, but had quickly become very popular. “Me not believing in Windigo will not result in the end of Equestria!”

“Well maybe not,” admitted Max. “Still there has to be some truth to the sorry hasn’t there, the tribes did work together so at some point the founders had to have met up and become friends.”

“The tribes did eventually meet up and merge to form Equestria, but I doubt it occurred after one cold night. It was most likely a slow process that occurred for political reasons linked to surviving in the new land. The historical character of commander Hurricane lived almost a hundred years before the first pony crossed into Equestria, it’s likely much the same for Platinum, Puddinghead and the others. They were historical characters dropped into the story over the years.”

“I’m sure all that is true,” said Max with a smile, “But a story doesn’t have to be true to be true. Maybe the ponies who became friends weren't called Pansy and Cookie and Clover, and maybe they weren't trapped in a cave by Windigo, maybe it was just a normal cold night or something else entirely,” he shrugged, “still at some point ponies of different tribes did meet up and they took the decision that instead of fighting they’d be friends. That’s the story, that it’s better to be friends than enemies, and that’s what Equestria is about even today all those years later!” She blinked at the certainty in his eyes and had to fight very hard against the instinct to kiss him right then, despite them being in public.

“That is,” she fought against her voice cracking, “that’s a very, um, passionate review of the themes underlying the story.”

“Well I might not know all the background like you do, but I do know the story. I know what I like.”

She rested her head against his as they stepped into the chariot. “Trust you to find wisdom in a children’s play Max.”

“Hey, children can be very wise, they seem much wiser than most of the nobles back in Canterlot sometimes,” he said with a grin.

She giggled. “You know, I want to disagree, but I can’t.” Trust Max to simplify things to their lowest level, still it didn’t make the fact any less true. Equestria was founded on friendship, and maybe she should remember that a little more often.

The mansion was, if anything even more busy than it had been when they’d left, the staff had laid out a buffet meal which the various weather ponies were gratefully tucking into while they continued to plan whatever they were doing. Max wondered if there was some sort of weather emergency going on? Nopony had mentioned anything to him, but could some sort of hurricane be approaching which required the whole force of Cloudsdale to counter?

“Fragrant,” he asked cautiously, “Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? No not really, just the usual organised chaos, we have most of the year to organise the operation and there are still things that don’t get done until the last minute!” A mare rushed up to her bearing one of the strange three dimensional maps, Fragrant examined it for a moment before nodding. “We’ll have squads A, B and C start from this side while D and E redirect the warmer air from this side, that should clear all the snow in a few hours, given the drainage we won’t need to worry about flooding. Once they’ve finished they can reinforce the group over the park.” The mare nodded and flew off to join a group of her fellows.

“Um, organise what operation?” Max asked, even more confused than before.

“The Hearthswarming ceremony. The snow clearance. The symbolic defeat of the Windigo?” She sighed at Max’s still blank face. “You really don’t know do you? Did you read anything about Cloudsdale traditions before you came?”

“Well I was sort of busy,” mumbled Max, “and I meant to, but you see...”

Fragrant sighed. “Most major towns and cities in Equestria try to clear up the majority of the snow overnight on Hearthswarming Eve to represent the Windigo being defeated. So that when the foals get up on Hearthswarming day they can see that once again love and friendship have returned light and life to the world.” Max nodded, he’d heard of the tradition but it wasn’t really kept in Nulpar, too much effort from the scant population. “Well a few hundred years ago Trottingham was struck with a feather flu epidemic around the holidays and most of its weather ponies were taken out of action. Cloudsdale was nearby and offered aid in cleaning up the town. From then on it became traditional that each year Cloudsdale would pick a major city and clear the snow on Hearthswarming night, it gives the city's own weather ponies the chance to spend the night with their families and builds good will between the cities.”

“That’s an excellent tradition!” exclaimed Max, “It’s a great way to show the tribes working together!”

“Yes, well the organization is rather time consuming and of course my family are expected to take the helm. I suppose there are some benefits, it is one of the few times I actually get to do some hooves on weather work although really it’s mostly management and organisation.” She smiled. “Still I try to spend at least a little time pushing clouds and clearing snow with the rest of the volunteers. It takes all night at best. I probably won’t be back until the morning, you’ll have to find some way to amuse yourself tonight. I won’t be happy if that involves getting falling down drunk and brawling again,” she growled.

“Actually, is there anything I can do to help?” asked Max. It all sounded like a very nice tradition but Fragrant seemed rather stressed about it. He supposed having to give up her own Hearthswarming Eve night each year wasn’t all that much fun, but it was for a good cause.

“Not unless you sprout wings in the next few hours. If you want you can come to the ceremony on the ground where we kick things off. You could talk with some of the Manehatten government, maybe you could see if you can work out any trade with Nulpar? I’m sure I can spare a pony or two to get you back to the manor when you’re tired.” Max nodded slowly, there had to be some way he could help Fragrant.

“And what if I don’t want to?” came a cry from the middle of the room. Max turned to see Dangerous and Thunderous hovering over the main table, snouts practically touching as they snarled at each other.

“It’s tradition!” yelled the older stallion. Around them a space was forming as the room's other occupants suddenly had an urgent need to be somewhere else. “You’re not a foal anymore! All members of the family help organise the clear up. All of them!”

“You know I don’t want anything to do with weather work! It’s not like the ground pounders appreciate what we do for them!”

“You have responsibilities Dangerous! You can’t just do what you want to all the time! Your sister isn’t a weather expert,” he shot a hoof out towards Forming who winced, “But she’s still organising the clearance of a part of the city.”

“Forming would cut off her wings if you told her to!”

“Don’t you talk to about your sister like that. She knows how to work as part of the family!” His voice quietened. “Please Dangerous just try this, just once, actually do something for the family!”

For a moment a look of remorse flashed over the younger pegasus’s face then he spun around putting his back to his father. “What’s this family ever done for me!” he mumbled.

“What has this-!” yelled Thunderous his face turning almost as red as his mane. Quickly, Max hopped up onto the table sending various maps flying, hopefully none of them were all that important.

“Look I know this might seem like an imposition, lad,” said Max, “But I’m sure your father wouldn’t have given you the responsibility if he didn’t think you could handle it.”

“Yeah,” added Forming approaching her brother, “think of it as a challenge, I’m sure you’ll get it done. Eventually,” she added with a little smile.

“A challenge, eh,” mumbled Dangerous, his brow furrowed.

“Well, if you can’t do it,” said Max picking up on Forming’s thinking, “I’m sure somepony else could take over, I might even try my hoof at it.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t do it,” he protested, “Just that I didn’t want to!”

“Well if you do help out I can give you a hoof when I’ve finished my area,” added Forming.

“As if!” exclaimed Dangerous, “I bet I can get my section cleared quicker than you!”

“So, you’re going to help?” asked Thunderous.

“I didn’t... Well yeah, I suppose so,” said Dangerous eventually, “But I don’t want an easy section, let me look over the plans, I’ll chose where I work.”

Thunderous looked like he was going to argue for a moment. Then he sighed and nodded turning to the maps Max hadn’t knocked away.

“Thanks,” said Fragrant quietly resting her leg on his back as father and son started to pour over the documents.

There was just enough time for Max to graze from the buffet before it was time for the family to meet up with the various other nobles of Cloudsdale and make their way down to the city below. He was a little disappointed that Fragrant didn’t want him to stay with her for the presentation, instead he was sent down in a separate chariot. She thought it was too public a location for them to be seen together. She was probably right, but it still hurt a little.

The trip down had highlighted just how big Manehatten was, its snowy vista stretched almost as far as the eye could see from the docks to the suburbs surrounding the city itself. It seemed almost impossible that the entire thing could be cleared of snow in a single night. Then Max turned back and saw just how many pegasus were involved in the endeavour. It looked like the entire city had turned out, flock after flock of winged ponies either hovering over the city or resting on cloud perches looking down. There were thousands, tens of thousands, maybe more, and these were just volunteers from the weather factory! It really showed how big Cloudsdale was and it wasn’t the entirety of Fragrant’s lands, she ruled a third of Equestria’s skies! He could hardly imagine the responsibility she must live with on a daily basis, he had enough problems with less than ten thousand ponies in the whole of Nulpar.

With a gentle bump the chariot landed near the edge of the large park in centre of the city that was being used for the ceremony, Max wasn’t sure what it was called. He was rushed to a small stand set up for the great and good of the city and shown to his seat near the back. Just in time as well, as the ceremony was about to begin.

The mayor of the city, a rather tubby stallion with a thick head of curls stood on a stand flanked by various officials. He tapped a little nervously at an electric microphone placed in front of him causing a booming sound from the various speakers set up around the park. “Greetings! Greetings everypony!” he eventually began. “I hope that everypony is looking forwards to a happy Hearthswarming.” There was a round of light stomping from the audience. “Good, Good. Now as I’m sure you all know this city, like many in Equestria, has a tradition of clearing the winter snow on Hearthswarming night to show ourselves that once again the flame of friendship can banish the cold of the Windigo, at least for one night.” He gestured into the distance and narrowing his eyes Max could just about make out the form of the Statue of Harmony on its island, it’s torch burning bright in the sky. “Normally we have our own noble weather ponies to thank for this feat but this year, for once, they can spend the day off with their families. Instead of racking up the overtime payments,” he added in a sotto voice causing some laughter from the crowd. “This year the good ponies of Cloudsdale have offered to take up their duties as a show of friendship between our two cities. So without further ado I give you Duchess Posey and Lord Mayor Squall of Cloudsdale.”

With a loud thunk and a hum two huge electric lights were swivelled to point up towards the sky. There dropping down from the clouds was Fragrant, she looked magnificent in a long white dress with shimmering gems covering it making her look like a mass of stars. Next to her flew an elderly stallion in a dark blue suit, presumably the mayor. Flying behind them in a rough V was the rest of the Posey family, Thunderous and Edelweiss, Forming and Dangerous. Despite his earlier outburst the younger stallion was behaving himself flying in formation with his sister. Behind them were various other nobles and members of the city council. Max’s hackles rose as he made out King Fisher among them.

Fragrant and the mayor landed on the platform to a riot of stomping from the crowd. She nodded politely to the Manehatten mare. “Thank you lord mayor Prescolt,” she said into the microphone. “Thank you ponies of Manehatten for your welcome to your city. As you all know since before the founding of our nation there has been an ancient covenant between the pegasus and the other tribes that we control the weather to keep you safe and in exchange you see to our needs. Today Cloudsdale comes to you to fulfill that ancient duty.” There was another round of stomping which Max enthusiastically joined in with. “Thank you, thank you. As in that ancient time when the tribes worked together in friendship to drive away the cold of disharmony I swear to you this night that come the dawn there will not be a spot of snow remaining within the city limits! Tomorrow the whole city will see the true power of harmony!” Holding out a leg she gestured towards the sky where on cue several dozen weather ponies dropped to the ground and started to pile up snow onto clouds before transporting it away from the park. At the same time a whole line of pegasus started to make their ways across the area wings moving in a pushing motion. After a moment Max felt a warm breeze starting to blow across his coat, around him frost started to fade under the increase in temperature.

“Thank you, duchess Posey,” cried Mayor Prescolt as Fragrant and the rest of Cloudsdale delegation took to the air again and began to spread out around the city, flocks of weather workers following them.

Fragrant sighed as she looked over the reports starting to filter into her desk. She had set up her command post on a large batch of cloud between Cloudsdale and Manehatten. Although Thunderous was the member of the family with the most experience in weather work she was technically in charge of the whole operation so everything came to her and, so far only a few hours in, things didn’t look that good. Manehatten was a big city, the biggest city in Equestria by population, and she didn’t really have the ponypower they needed to clear it all. The Numbers of volunteers were down on last year and had actually been reducing for the last decade. In a way she couldn’t argue with her ponies, there didn’t seem to be much point to spending time on an old tradition when you could spend it with friends and family instead. It wasn’t like the cities they helped seemed all that appreciative of their efforts either. Once the actual ceremony was over their population seemed to spend their time complaining about small errors rather than recognising how hard the task actually was.

Despite her words earlier she doubted the whole of the city would be cleared by the morning, there were always some alleys and hard to reach areas which were forgotten, still they were usually able to clear out the larger open areas. Despite the demonstration in the park it wasn’t possible to just raise the temperature over most of the city. Such work was far too exhausting and specialised for most pegasus, not to mention that melting that much ice would cause a flood. Instead most of the snow was transported physically away from the city and either stored in the surrounding areas or returned to Cloudsdale where it could be recycled.

She glanced up at the main board showing the slow progress split between the various parts of the city allocated to her and other noble families. In reality the nobles were only figureheads, most of the work was organised by actual weather teams, still some conflict always occurred between the various groups and as duchess she was required to deal with such disputes. Only an hour or so in and already there were some allegations of snow being dumped from one area to another. She rubbed her head, it was going to be a long, long night at this rate. She idly wondered what Max was doing to entertain himself.

“So what’s next?” asked Max to one of the ponies near him as the swarm of pegasus disappeared into the sky.

“That’s about it really,” she said. “You missed the warm up, the meeting with the Cloudsdale delegation is the end of the night. Now everypony heads home to enjoy the rest of the night. Say,” she looked in up and down for a moment, “you wouldn’t like to go out for a drink, would you? I know this little place not that far away...”

Thinking back to what happened last night Max didn’t think a drink would be the best idea right now. “Sorry,” he said, “I probably shouldn’t.” There had to be something he could do. Around him the crowds were starting to thin already as ponies streamed out of the park on their way home. The mayor was still on the plinth talking to various advisors. It didn’t seem fair that the pegasus had to clear the whole city by themselves, it had to be a big job. There had to be something else he could do to help, even if only offer encouragement.

Without really thinking he started to rush down towards the stage leaving behind his rather disappointed looking former companion. He trotted up to the stage only to be stopped by the aura of a rather large unicorn bodyguard. “Mayor! mayor!” he called.

“Do I know ya?” asked Prescolt looking Max over with an eyebrow raised.

“Um, no probably not, I’m Mounty Max, baron Mounty Max of Nulpar.”

“Never heard of ya, but you seem in a hurry so I’ll give ya thirty seconds, go!”

“Oh, well um, I thought you could organise some support for the pegasus while they’re clearing the snow. Maybe a band or something? Singing? Even a drink or something would probably be welcome.”

“Really?” he said disbelievingly, “And who’d pay for all that?”

“I’m sure some ponies would like to just donate their time, it’s not much.”

“Look, they’re going to be very busy up there and probably don’t need us getting in their way. We got enough problems down here.”

“Please,” begged Max, “It is Hearthswarming!”

The mayor looked at him for a moment, then sighed. “Sure, tell you what,” he nodded to the microphone, “knock yourself out, see if you can get some support. You get enough Ponies together and I’ll see what I can do. Happy?”

“Yeah,” said Max with a smile. The mayor nodded and the bodyguard released him from his grip. Straightening his clothes Max clambered up to the mic. There didn’t seem to be any button or anything so he just talked. “Hello? Hello?” he heard his words bounce around the park, various curious faces turned to him. “Hi, um, I’m baron Mounty Max. I was wondering if anypony would like to help Cloudsdale in their work tonight?” he was greeted by surprised silence.

“You might not have noticed, but we ain’t got wings, genius,” came a cry from a wit in the crowd.

“I didn’t mean that way, Hearthswarming is about the three tribes working together all in their own ways. Maybe we can’t melt the snow or change the weather but we can help them out in other ways. It must be cold up there, we can get them drinks or snacks, we can thank them, play music, anything to make them see that we appreciate what they’re doing.” Max looked out at the sea of faces and for a moment he was worried nopony else would be interested, that he’d make a fool of himself. Then there was a yell.

“I make the best coffee in the Big Orange,” cried an earth pony trader pulling a large wagon labelled Expresso’s Coffee. “For tonight any Cloudsdale Pegasus can drink for free,” he proclaimed. “That should keep them working all night!”

“I got some donuts left over,” called a zebra nearby, “Any pegasus can have one.”

The band that had been playing earlier huddled together for a moment. “We’re not doing anything for a few hours,” said the leader, “We’ll do what we can.”

A mumbling started up amongst the crowd as more and more ponies started to shout offers.

“I can bake up a batch of cake in a few hours!”
“I’ve got a shovel!”
“I can dance!”

“Looks like you’re onto something, Max,” whispered Prescolt, putting a hoof over the microphone. “Ok, folks,” he said out loud pushing Max aside. “Let’s see what we can do to show those Cloudsdalers how generous us Manehattenites can be!”

It was past midnight now and Fragrant had to admit that they were doing well. After a rocky first few hours her ponies had really picked up the pace, they were actually ahead of schedule. She was proud of how well they were working. She’d have to talk to Thunderous about whether some sort of reward could be organised. Given how things were going she’d decided now was a good time to make her way to the front lines and see the weather clearance in person. She might even get a chance to do some work herself, to feel the actual snow beneath her hooves or direct a breeze. She really didn’t get to spend enough time on things like that.

As she approached, she noticed a number of weather patrol pegasus hovering not far above the ground steaming cups of liquid clutched in their hooves. She frowned, they weren't going to get finished in time if her ponies were on break. She flew over to a pegasus stallion with a supervisor's hat on.

“Much’ss,” he mumbled before swallowing a mouthful of something. “Sorry, duchess, glad to see you. Everything’s going to schedule,” he reported. Around him his subordinates started to hide drinks and snacks behind their backs.

“Where did you get the drinks?” she asked. The various workers looked around like foals who had been caught raiding the cookie jar. Fragrant hated that part of her role, that everypony seemed to think she was going to punish them for something. “I do not have a problem with you taking a break, I just wondered who serves food at 2am on a Hearthswarming morning.”

The lead pony pointed towards the ground. “There’s a stand down there, and a band actually.” Frowning in puzzlement Fragrant swooped down into the street being cleared below. She was surprised by how festive it was, several squads of weather ponies were clearing away the snow but there were a few groups of earth ponies and unicorns with spades in their mouths helping to pile up the snow. Meanwhile other natives of both Cloudsdale and Manehatten were huddled around a cart apparently serving soup and drinks. Nearby a small group of musicians were singing carols. She was somewhat taken aback, it wasn’t normally like this, usually by this time of night the streets were almost empty apart from the pegasus toiling away to remove winter for the morning. This actually looked like the locals were helping them.

She looked around in astonishment, why were things so different? Nopony had told her this had been organised. She blinked as she recognised one of the ponies moving the snow, was that the mayor with his shirt sleeves rolled up holding a shovel?

“That’s not how you use a shovel,” he exclaimed to the stallion next to him apparently unaware she was present. “Colts these days, what do they teach you? In my day we used to- Oh, hello duchess, how are things up top?”

“Mayor Prescolt, I, well I am surprised, I was not aware that your city would be giving us such support. I welcome it, but it is unexpected.”

“Don’t tell the press but I can’t take all the credit for it,” he grinned. “It was that guy over there’s idea. And, well, the people of the big Orange can be a real friendly bunch once you get to know us.”

Fragrant turned to follow Prescolt’s hoof. To be honest she knew who would be there before she saw him. Who else but Max would get a bunch of complete strangers to do anything so generous? He turned and gave her a smile she really wanted to kiss. “Oh, hi Fragrant, how are things? Would you like a coffee? I know you prefer tea but I don’t think they have any.”

“Max, however did you do all this?” she asked gesturing around the area at the ponies at rest and play.

He shrugged. “I just had to ask really. I just reminded everypony what Hearthswarming actually meant, the various tribes working together as one, not one tribe doing all the work while the others sleep.”

She literally could not help herself from throwing a hoof around him and pulling him into a hug. “Thank you.” she whispered. “To get all these ponies to help you. To get them to help Cloudsdale. It’s like a miracle.”

“Well, it’s not just these. We started in the park and then a bunch of ponies went off to get their friends and family and so on and so on. There are little places like this all over the city.”

“The entire city!” she gasped.

He shrugged. “It’s not like it’s everypony, most are still sleeping but it’s a good chunk of the population. We have some ponies helping to move the snow so your pegasus can take it away, some serving food and drink, some entertaining, everypony's got something they can do to help.”

She looked around again feeling her heart swell at the happy ponies talking and mingling around her. Clearing the city was no longer an imposition, not just a tradition to be fulfilled, now it was a celebration of the unity of Equestria.

Fragrant collapsed onto the bed with a groan, feebly flapping her exhausted wings, she could not believe how tired she felt right now. Happy, but tired. The latter wasn’t unusual for a Hearthswarming morning in her household, every year as far as she could remember it had been dawn before she returned to her chambers after the winter clean up. Still the former was rarer, she enjoyed the time spent with her family but there always seemed to be something missing. A certain spark lacking from her life.

This year’s clean-up had been one of the quickest on record, they’d been done hours before the sun rose. However, this time rather than just returning to her home once things were completed she and almost the entire volunteer weather patrol had been invited to a spontaneous party to celebrate their achievement by the ponies of the city they were working on.

The main party had taken place in Central Park, but other smaller gatherings had organised themselves around the city. There had been food and drink and music and dancing until after the sun had risen. Then the first of the foals had started to awaken and looking out into the streets saw that once again the windigo had been driven out by the three tribe’s unity and they could come out and play in safety. And she had the pony getting onto the bed next to her to thank for it all.

“How are you feeling?” asked Max as he wrapped his hooves around her limp form.

“Tired,” she mumbled luxuriating in the feeling of his body pressed against her own. They had managed to get some time to discretely dance during the night. One reason why her hooves were so sore right now. She hadn’t been the only one, she had seen Thunderous and Edelweiss proceeding through the party, Dangerous surrounded by a large group of admirers. Even Forming had spent much of the night dancing with a nice unicorn stallion although Thunderous had been keeping a very close eye on the two of them.

It had been such a good night, such a good start to Hearthswarming and now all she wanted to do was to lie here with Max and feel herself just drift away.

“Not too tired I hope,” added Max with a grin as he gently nibbled on Fragrant’s neck sending shocks up and down her body. She really wanted to reciprocate, the spirit was willing but the flesh was exhausted.

“Too tired,” she managed to slur again her eyes drifting closed as she snuggled against him. He took the hint and rested his muzzle on her shoulder.

“Happy Hearthswarming,” she heard him whisper as she drifted off into blissful sleep.

46) Month 5 - Hearthswarming

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Consciousness returned slowly to Fragrant. She screwed up her face against the early afternoon sun trying to penetrate her eyes. She would turn away from it but she felt the heat of Max’s body spooning against her back, she didn’t want to wake him if she could help it. She raised a hoof to her mouth to try to smother a yawn. Why couldn’t every Hearthswarming feel like this one? Actually, why couldn’t every day be like this one? No responsibilities, little reason to even get out of bed and a handsome stallion sleeping wrapped around her. Really, this was a little slice of paradise.

Giving a gurgle, her stomach protested that maybe a few things should be added to the day to make it perfect. Still, dinner was always served late in her house on Hearthswarming day. After the efforts of organising the clearing of a city most of its inhabitants tried to sleep in until the mid-afternoon. It hadn’t always been like that though, a few years ago the patter of hooves from Dangerous, Forming or Fluttering would have been heard long ago as the foals searched the house for presents. Barging into rooms to try and find out why the big ponies didn’t want to play. She smiled, she really missed that time, having foals around really made the holiday, it just wasn’t the same without them.

Without them...

Despite Max resting against it she felt a block of ice flowing down her neck. How... how could she have forgotten? She felt her stomach heave again, this time forcing bile up her throat. How could she have forgotten what her duty was today? Just who she had to extend holiday greetings to? What kind of pony could forget something like that? Tears started to gather. It had been twenty years, but that should not matter, twenty, two hundred, two thousand she should never, ever, forget what had happened, what she had lost, what she had caused! Maybe sensing the type of creature he was sharing a bed with she felt Max began to stir. She couldn’t let him see her like this! She would have to hide just for a little longer so as to not ruin his holiday as well.

“Mornin’ Fragrant,” he mumbled squeezing her tighter for a moment.

“It’s afternoon,” she managed after a few moments squeezing her eyes closed to try and force the tears back in. It was just as well he could not see her face.

“Huh? Wha,” he mumbled again before letting out a huge yawn and resting his head in her mane again. “Afternoon? I suppose it is, we were up late last night.”

“I had a good time last night, Max. You’re a good pony, you make me happy, maybe happier than I deserve,” said Fragrant blinking.

“Fragrant?” asked Max struggling to sit up, “Are you alright? You sound a little...”

“I’m fine Max,” she said sitting up as well, her best mask firmly in place. “I just don’t tell you often enough how happy you make me.”

“Well, me too you know,” he said awkwardly, “you know how I feel about you.”

“Yes, I do,” she smiled weakly, “you wear your heart on your sleeve.” Unlike me.

The two of them sat next to each other in silence for a moment, to Fragrant it felt like they were a million miles apart despite almost touching.

“Oh, happy Hearthswarming,” said Max eventually, “I got you something.” He hopped out of bed causing Fragrant to tense for a moment. She couldn’t quite loose the fear that he’d vanish through the floor. You never knew just how quickly somepony could be gone.

“Happy Hearthswarming,” she replied. “I did as well,” she reached for the drawer by her bed and opened it to reveal the silk wrapped box within. For a moment she found she couldn’t touch it, was it too much? Would he think it meant more than it did, or would he think it meant less? Just as she worked up the nerve to touch it she felt Max next to her again. In his hooves were three parcels. Two were shapeless masses wrapped neatly in plain brown paper and the third a rather less professionally covered, but more colourful, box shaped package. She grabbed her own present and laid it on the bed.

“These ones are from Mrs G,” said Max passing over one of the brown parcels. “they’ll be scarfs.”

“Well thank you for ruining the surprise,” she said dryly.

“Sorry, but they’re always scarfs. She has some very good points, but imaginative presents aren’t one of them. I suppose I'm not that better given what I got Mellow.” Fragrant quickly unwrapped the present to reveal a long brown knitted scarf with her cutie mark picked out at both ends. Max’s was matching with his own mark on it. “They're very warm,” he said wrapping it around his neck.

“True,” she agreed, “and you should have mentioned it to me that you were feeling cold. It’s easy to forget that you’re not as resistant as a pegasus, there’s no need to suffer.”

“But then we wouldn’t need to share body heat!” he protested pouting.

Fragrant stifled a giggle. Even at her lowest he made her feel so happy, she didn’t deserve him. “Now this is for you,” she said passing over her own package.

He took it in his hooves and gave it a gentle shake. “Not breakable?” he asked slightly too late.

“No.”

He carefully took the end of the ribbon in his mouth and pulled, unwrapping the bow and causing the silk to drop away from a velvet covered box a little larger than his hoof. Flipping the box open revealed an anklet similar to the one he had on at the moment, only much more intricate. There were several small gems set into the etched silver which glittered in the sunlight. Max turned to around slowly in his hooves. He paused near the clasp where she knew sat carefully concealed engravings of both his and her cutie marks. Intertwined in the same way some engagement tokens were patterned. His brow furrowed before he looked her in the eyes quizzically. She lowered her gaze blushing. “It has a cloud walking spell cast on it as well, it is... rather more complex than the one you have at the moment. It will draw its power from your own aura to sustain it,” she explained.

“It’ll last for ever?” he asked in awe.

“No, such magic is... well is almost unknown, but it should last a lifetime, give or take.”

“This... this is too much, this must have cost a fortune!”

In truth it was expensive, even in her terms as one of the richest ponies in Equestria, but the idea had struck her when she was planning his trip to Cloudsdale. She couldn’t shake the idea of his spell wearing off and him falling through the clouds, always just out of reach until he hit the ground. She closed her eyes for a moment. “It is a present, I want you to have it,” she looked him in the eye. “Please!”

He paused for a second then nodded. “Thank you,” he said clipping it onto his arm opposite the other.

“There is a key,” she reached into the box and withdrew it. “You should keep it safe. It won’t be easy to take off without it.”

He held the key on its chain for a moment before passing it back to her. “You keep it,” he said, “I’d only lose it after all.” He smiled gently.

“O-ok,” she said blushing again.

“Now, my present to you. It’s nothing like yours, just something I thought you might like,” he said holding out the last parcel.

She carefully peeled the paper off piece by piece while Max waited impatiently. Once she had finished a wooden box about the size of a brick was revealed. She carefully turned it around, the outside had Hearthswarming scenes carved on it. The three tribes working together around a flame covered the top, the smoke billowing up like the leaves of a tree. “Thank you Max, it’s beautiful,” she said.

“My cousin Greenleaves made it,” he said, “she’s always been good at carving. Now open it!”

She carefully manipulated the simple brass latch and it opened out to reveal a segmented tray, each compartment containing seeds of all shapes and sizes. Some she recognised, but most she didn’t.

“You remember that field in Nulpar? Where we met the Tors?” he asked. “Well you seemed to like it so much up there that I collected some of the seeds. I got others from a few plants I found during my tour. They’re probably nothing special but I thought you might be able to do things with them-”

“Max,” she interrupted hugging him. “They’re perfect. I’ve been meaning to start a garden in Canterlot. Once I get them going I can try to cross them with my sky vines. Nulpar and Cloudsdale mixed together, it’ll be perfect. To create new life, it’ll be...” Once again she remembered what she had to do today and her face fell.

“Fragrant are you-” asked Max worriedly.

“I’m, I’m fine thank you. Your present is wonderful, perfect.”

“Yeah well, it seemed a good idea.”

“It was,” she leaned forwards to hug him again, “it was very thoughtful. We, we better get up soon. We normally have dinner late on Hearthswarming, but there are limits and there are a few duties I have to take care of first.”

“Duties?” asked Max.

For a moment she had the urge to tell him, to warn him what sort of pony she was, how broken, but she couldn’t bring herself to force him away. “Nothing too time consuming, but they are necessary.”

“Happy Hearthswarming Thunderous, Edelweiss, Forming, Dangerous” said Max as he entered the sitting room nodding to each pony in turn. There was a chorus of replies from around the room. Thunderous and Edelweiss were laid out on the settee intertwined with each other, the large stallion had a large and garishly coloured knitted tie on whereas Edelweiss had several shiny clips in her mane. Forming was flipping through a book and Dangerous was running a hoof over a tight-fitting garment similar to that Max had seen a few athletes wear.

“I’ve got a present for you,” said Forming putting her book aside.

“You didn’t have to,” said Max a little awkwardly, he hadn’t gotten anything for the rest of Fragrant’s family. He’d considered it, but he didn’t really know them well enough to decide what to give them.

The mare carried over a large box about the size of Max’s head. He took it, it hardly weighed anything, and gently shook it. Nothing seemed to be moving inside. Carefully levering the lid off it was revealed to be full of a fluffy white substance.

“A cloud? You got me a cloud?” It was a surprising gift, he supposed with Fragrant’s present he could use it as a seat, that would certainly get some strange looks.

“It’s modelling cloud, daddy’s factory only just started to make it. I made statues for the rest of the family so I wondered if you wouldn’t mind if I made one for you too? It shouldn’t take too long.”

“I’d be honoured,” said Max smiling. Maybe he could put it in his house in Nulpar for when he wasn’t there?

“Would you care for a drink Max?” said Thunderous nodding to a large cupboard on which sat a very impressive collection of bottles. A servant stood unobtrusively next to it. Max hadn’t noticed her until how, it felt a little strange to have ponies working for him on Hearthswarming.

“I think I’ll wait, given what happened last time.”

“I quite enjoyed our little outing you know,” said Thunderous sipping from his own glass, “I should go drinking with you more often-ow!” he said as his wife batted at his ear.

“Where is Fragrant?” asked Edelweiss, “You haven't tired her out I hope?” she said with a grin.

“I think she might be feeling a bit off. She said she had some business to do, in the grounds round the back of the house,” he explained. “She said she wouldn’t be long.”

“Oh,” said Thunderous, his face dropping. “I thought she might give it a miss this year, given you're here.”

“It’s her way of coping,” said Edelweiss, “she’s better than she used to be.”

“Give what a miss? What’s back there?” asked Max.

“The graveyard,” muttered Thunderous, “the family crypts are back there.”

“Ah,” said Max looking down awkwardly. Fragrant must be paying her respects to her parents. “I thought you, um, carried out air funerals, put your bodies in clouds.”

“We do, the crypts are more to remember the dead than to inter them,” explained Edelweiss.

“Mostly,” mumbled Thunderous.

“It’s creepy!” exclaimed Dangerous.

“Dangerous!” warned Thunderous glaring at his son.

“Well it is! Her hanging around there like some sort of ghoul!”

“You will not refer to your aunt that way!”

The young stallion seemed to realise what he had just said and his ears lowered. “I’m sorry, but it’s just not normal.”

“We all grieve in our own ways,” muttered Forming glancing out of the window.

“I guess we do think of the ones we lost during the holidays,” said Max. For a moment he considered his own father.

“True,” said Thunderous nodding. Max wondered if the other stallion had visited his parents as well.

“Do you think she’d appreciate it if I joined her with your parents for a bit?” He wouldn’t mind supporting her, she’d been there when they’d passed the post his father had died. But it might be something that Fragrant wanted to do by herself, he didn’t want to intrude.

“Our parents?” asked Thunderous. “Hasn’t Fragrant told you about-”

“If she hasn’t decided to tell him, that’s her decision,” said Edelweiss sharply.

“I suppose so,” growled Thunderous, clearly not happy.

“Told me about what? Who's she visiting if not her parents?”

“It’s her own business if Fragrant hasn’t chosen to tell you,” said Edelweiss levelly. “I hope she will soon, I think she trusts you enough, but... don’t push her. It was a long time ago but it cuts deep, it would to any pear- to anypony.” Her eyes flickered over to Forming and Dangerous.

“Ok, I’ll try not to,” said Max. He was really intrigued by whatever they were talking about. There was clearly something he didn’t know about Fragrant’s past, somepony she’d been close to had died. He really wanted to know, but also he didn’t want to cause her any more pain. He hoped that eventually she’d feel comfortable enough to tell him.

He felt a breeze and turned to see Fragrant enter from the door behind him. She did not look good, the fur around her eyes was matted from tears and she seemed pale. He rested a hoof across her back. “Are you alright?” he asked gently.

“I’m-I’m,” she stuttered blinking before burying her head in his mane. He returned the hug tightly. “I had something to do,” she finally managed. “It’s done now. Sorry for spoiling your Hearthswarming.”

“You’ve done nothing of the sort,” said Max as the rest of the family started to gather around, even Dangerous looked concerned.

“You’ve made your peace?” asked Thunderous resting his hoof on his sisters.

“As much as I ever can,” she mumbled before turning to Max. “I’m sorry I, I... I can’t. I know you must have questions but I... it still hurts.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not ready,” he said gently.

“Thank you,” she said sighing and visibly trying to pull herself together. “I’m sorry for spoiling the mood. I guess lunch will be ready soon.”

As if on cue a servant appeared in the doorway, glancing around the family he hesitated for a moment. “Dinner will be ready shortly,” he announced, “the main dining room has been prepared.”

Thunderous nodded. “We’ll be through in a minute.”

Max had expected the dining room to be a huge cavern with a table long enough to seat dozens of guests. Instead the room they were led to, although opulent, was actually a bit of a squeeze for all of them. The table was only large enough to seat the six of them with a single extra place, which was for some reason laid. Max did wonder if there was some other guest he was unaware of but nopony else mentioned anything. He was a little surprised that Fragrant took the head of the table, it made sense but he’d sort of expected Thunderous to assert his dominance. Fragrant pointed for him to sit at her right side while Thunderous took the left with Edelweiss next to him. Forming sat on Max’s other side and Dangerous took the seat next to his mother leaving the foot of the table empty.

Once they had all taken their seats Fragrant turned to him. “Before we eat it’s a family tradition that each member give an account of what they are most thankful for over the last year. You don’t have to take part if you don’t want to.”

“I’d love to,” said Max overjoyed that he was being accepted into the family. Fragrant smiled and he began to wrack his brain to see if he could think of something to talk about.

“I,” began Fragrant, “Am thankful that the threat of Corona has not brought harm to Equestria and hope that she will be brought to justice before another year passes. I am thankful that my people have remained secure and prosperous. I am thankful that the princess has chosen to give me another chance to serve her, despite my earlier weakness.” Max reached out with a hoof to grip her leg. “I am thankful that my family has remained healthy and that, that Fluttering,” she glanced down at the empty place, “That Fluttering is recovering. And,” she looked down at Max, “and I am thankful for Max, his presence in my life has made me so very happy. You are my rock, Max. I can’t imagine life without you anymore,” she blushed a little before hurriedly sitting again.

There was silence over the table for a moment as Max and Fragrant continued to gaze at each other before Thunderous cleared his throat. “I am thankful for my wife who puts up with me even when I’m being a fool, and for my wonderful talented children, even if I don’t tell them that enough. I am thankful that Posey Weather has once again gone from strength to strength this year,” he grinned with pride, “Clouds Inc have been pushed even further into second place. And I am thankful that my sister is happy, even though she has terrible taste, Rising has been waiting to sweep you off your wings for years now.” Grinning, Fragrant reached out and gently punched her brother in the shoulder. Max was glad to see that Fragrant’s mood seemed to have lightened since earlier. “Just kidding, you seem a half decent stallion Max,” he continued with a nod.

Max nodded along and then realised that all eyes were on him, was it his turn already? “Oh, right. Well I guess I’m thankful for all the ponies of Nulpar for believing in me as their leader,” well most of them anyway, “and for the princess giving me the chance to do right by them and the rest of the court for showing me what to, and what not to, do. And for all of you welcoming me into your family at this time of year.” He turned to Fragrant. “I am very thankful for Fragrant, for her taking me into her life and, showing me just what a courtier should be, and for making me so happy as well.”

“Kiss!” cried Edelweiss, the cry was taken up by Forming after a moment. Blushing, Fragrant leant forwards and gave Max a peck on the cheek. Max wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in much more tightly stretching out their contact and causing a cheer from all but Thunderous who didn’t look all that happy.

“I am thankful,” began Edelweiss once the couple had separated, “for my family and my friends. For thoze here and,” she paused for a moment looking down the table, “thoze not. For my husband who always makes time for uz despite running most of the city, for my daughter,” she turned to Forming, “for her talentz and brainz, for my son,” she nodded to Dangerous who blushed a little. “for his bravery and skill, and for Fluttering,” she addressed the empty place, “for her grace and her strength in r-recovering. For my sister,” she turned back to Fragrant, “for her wizdom and strength in overcoming her loss. I am thankful for my place in this family and the chance it has given me to help so many ponies out there.” She sniffed and Thunderous reached out a hoof to her.

“I am thankful,” said Forming after a moment, “for my family, for all the opportunities and support they have given me. For my friends. For my tutors. For the gift I have been given to have a chance to serve all the ponies of Equestria,” she grinned, “and for my auntie lending me her chariot for the summer, it was a sweet ride.” Laughter ran around the table.

“I’m thankful for getting a chance to ride tornados,” said Dangerous, “for finally finishing school. For all the cool stuff I got to do, and for all the really great friends I got to do it with.” He paused for a moment and looked like he was going to set down but stopped. “And I’m thankful for my family, you know you guys are great. Forming, you’re, well you’re the best, smartest big sister a stallion could want. Mum, you’ve always been there when I need you, and Auntie, you’ve always believed in me and finally Dad, we don’t always agree on stuff but I know you’re looking out for me and want the best, right.” His gaze dropped to the ground. “So, can we eat now?” he asked.

“Of course we can dear,” said Fragrant with a wide smile and the servants carefully made their way around the table depositing the first of several courses in front of the family.

The food was exquisite, a cold tomato soup for starters, followed by a large nut pie with a huge selection of vegetables. The sweet was a rich cake with tiny models of the founders carved from sugar placed on it. The cake was cut so that each slice had a different pony on it and the diners had to decide which they wanted. Max hadn’t heard of the tradition before but apparently each founder was supposed to provide some different boon to the pony who selected them but Fragrant refused to tell him which gave which benefit. After a little thought he finally decided to select Pudding Head, it might have been a little stereotypical but he did like the eccentric earth pony. Fragrant took Clover, Thunderous took Commander Hurricane, Edelweiss picked Princess Platinum, Forming Smart Cookie. Dangerous didn’t seem all that happy to be left with Pansy but accepted it with good cheer. Once the cake was finished, cheese and biscuits were offered and finally thick black coffee. Max wasn’t entirely sure he could make his way back to the sitting room under his own power after all that.

“Thank you, the food was excellent,” he said to the servant who took the final plate away. He turned to the rest of the table. “You know it doesn’t seem all that fair that we do all the eating and they have to do all the cleaning up.”

“The servants get paid for their efforts,” said Fragrant looking a little embarrassed to be discussing the issue while the staff continued to clean the table. “Our late start meant that they had time to spend with their families in the morning. They are not harshly treated, and they have tomorrow to look forward to.”

“I suppose so, but-”

“Come on Max, you’re not one of those equalists are you?” asked Thunderous leaning back on his chair.

“No politics at the table, dear,” said Edelweiss rolling her eyes.

“No let’s settle this, Cloudia,” he called. A blue coated mare with a yellow mane who Max had noticed hovering in the background during the meal came forwards. “Do you have any problems with the conditions here?”

“No sir,” she said quickly although to Max she didn’t look entirely convinced. “I had plenty of time to spend with my daughter this morning, and this afternoon's schedule is likely to be light as well.”

“Dash is visiting?” said Dangerous his ears perking up.

“Yes, master Dangerous,” said Cloudia a little warily.

“I’ve got to show her my new racing suit, I bet I could actually beat her this time!”

“We were going to spend the evening together dear,” protested Edelweiss.

“I won’t be long,” said Dangerous, “Just a few races!”

Max noticed Fragrant stiffen next to him, he knew she had some issues about different classes mixing too much but she held her tongue.

“If Dash is here, who's looking after Fluttering?” asked Thunderous darkly. “She’s not spending Hearthswarming alone is she?”

“She said she was spending it with some of her new friends,” said Fragrant glaring at her brother. “I think it is the bearer of the element of kindness and her daughter.”

“Dash can choose to spend the holiday wherever she wants,” said Cloudia causing most of the eyes around the table to move to her. “Sir,” she quickly added.

Thunderous looked back and forth between his sister and his seneschal and slowly nodded. “Of course.”

“So can I go talk to Dash?” asked Dangerous eagerly. Max couldn’t help but wonder if the boy had a crush on whoever this Dash was.

“If she agrees,” said Edelweiss, “but do try not to be that long.”

“Thanks,” said the boy before rushing from the room followed at a slower pace by Cloudia.

“See,” said Thunderous, “She didn’t have any problems with the conditions.”

“I suppose so,” muttered Max. It still didn’t seem entirely right and Cloudia certainly didn’t seem all that pleased with her employer thinking he could plan her daughter's life. Still it did seem like Dangerous got on well with that daughter.

“Good,” said Thunderous slapping his belly, “I think I could do with a nap, all this eating takes it out of you.” He grinned.

“Would you mind if I started that statue of you now baron Max?” asked Forming.

A nap sounded very nice to Max as well, but he was interested in seeing Forming practise her craft. “I’d love to. Will it take long?”

“I can probably get the general shape in an hour or so,” she said, “I can work on the details tomorrow. It should be done by the time you leave.”

“Sounds great!” said Max glancing over at Fragrant.

“I’m sure me and Edelweiss can find something to do while our stallions are busy,” said Fragrant with a smile.

“So how should I stand?” asked Max after Forming had led him into her studio. There were a few other partially completed works here and here as well as a number of adjustable magical lights and a chair.

“Well what sort of sculpture would you like, whole body? Just your head?” asked the younger pony starting to check the lights.

“I don’t know,” just a bust seemed a little conceited to Max, but then he’d never considered himself the sort of pony who’d have a statue made of him. “Maybe something more action oriented? Me climbing a mountain? Or me at work, defeating an evil bill!” He reared up as if ready to punch something.

Forming giggled. “Maybe something like that. Can you hold that pose?”

“Not for long,” he admitted falling back onto all fours.

“Ok, lean against the chair then. Just try to stay still while I get your basic form down.” She placed the block of cloud in front of her on a rotating platform and peered at it carefully turning it as she went. “Right, here we go!” She said striking out with a hoof at the fluffy mass, slicing part of it off. Slowly at first but speeding up she began to create the general shape of the statue cutting away some sections while smoothing others down. After half an hour or so it had formed the general shape of a stallion rearing up on his hind legs.

“Ok, you can relax for a bit,” said Forming teasing off a bit of cloud from the statues mane.

“That’s very good,” said Max looking over at the work, it wasn’t personalised yet, the face was oddly blank but it already had a certain energy to it, as if it was going to start moving. He wasn’t sure if she’d gotten the mane quite right though, it wasn’t that spikey, was it?

“Thanks, the material helps, it’s something new Dad started making just for sculpting. Its thicker than weather grade cloud but not quite as much as building cloud. That makes it easier to work with. Plus you can run a lightning bolt through it and it becomes almost impossible to reshape. I’m not sure if that’ll catch on though, the fact you can always make alterations is an important part of cloud sculptures. Of course, the real traditionalists say you should never use a cloud for sculpture that you didn’t hunt down yourself. I sort of get it, some clouds just call out to be made into something. Still it’s a lot of effort for casual work.”

“I didn’t even know there were different types of cloud,” said Max.

Forming gave him a strange look. “There are loads, all for different purposes. Hopefully this one will sell, Dad talked about making it in bulk but I think he might just be humouring me. The main problem is it doesn’t last all that long, it precipitates out quite fast.”

“So, the statue will evaporate?” That seemed odd, he’d always thought of a statue as being something that would be around longer than its subject.

“It’s another feature of the medium, unlike ground sculpture cloud sculpture doesn’t last long term. Without extensive upkeep even the best are gone in maybe five or six years. This one probably won’t last a year, then I can make you another next year! Cloud sculpture isn’t meant to be permanent, it changes and alters over time, it’s one of the reasons I love it so much.” She grinned at Max. It was nice to see her in her element like this. Forming had always seemed rather subdued to him, nervous even, as if she was scared something would suddenly go wrong. “Anyway, could you get back into position, I’ll start on some of the detail.” Max leant against the chair. “Could you raise your muzzle a little, I want to get the shape right.”

Forming’s face became a mask of concentration as she returned to her work, both hooves and wings flashing over the body of her creation as she started to work on the smaller details. Max watched in amazement as his form started to grow out of the blank in front of her. “That should do for the moment,” said Forming eventually, “I can do the final touches later, what do you think?”

Max shook himself, he’d gotten a little stiff staying in place for so long, and trotted over to the sculpture. The image was of a stallion rearing up apparently ready to fight, his mane flowing back in the imaginary wind and a look of determination on his face. It certainly looked impressive, if maybe a little exaggerated in places, he didn’t think he looked quite so masculine in person. Still the likeness was quite striking. “It’s amazing!” he enthused, “you could do this professionally!”

“Thanks!” she said with a grin then her face turned tense. “I’ve been thinking about it you know.”

“Thinking about what?” asked Max.

“Going professional, just being a sculptor. But I have a duty to my family to take my place at court. I won’t be able to do both,” her ears drooped.

“Well a lot of the court have hobbies you know. I’ve got my climbing, Greengrass has his garden, your aunt has her plants as well.”

“I know but they’re just hobbies not full time things.” Max nodded, not sure what to say; yes, running the country took up a lot of time, he got to go climbing a few times a year but not as much as he might want to.

“Don’t you want to be a courtier?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I do find it interesting but... oh, I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to do it forever. I used to think that I could do what I wanted with my life, sculpt, maybe work at dad’s factory, but then Fluttershy got sick and... well I didn’t think it would be this way!” She stamped a hoof.

“Maybe you should talk to Fragrant about this, or your parents?” He felt sorry for the mare but he didn’t want to stick him muzzle into her family's affairs if he wasn’t wanted.

“Maybe,” she admitted, “But what would they think of me? The Posey’s have run Cloudsdale for centuries, how can I break that line?”

“I’m sure you’re not the first to get cold hooves. It’s a big responsibility, I was sure the princess had made a mistake when I became a baron. I still do sometimes but I’ve gotten better at it. I don’t think Fragrant is going anywhere soon, you’ve got time to sort things out and I’m sure whatever you decide to do your family will support you.” I hope, he thought, that seems to be the problem that Thunderous has with Dangerous.

Forming suddenly darted forwards and gave Max a crushing hug. “Thank you uncl... I mean Max. It’s nice to have somepony to talk to.”

“Any-anytime,” gasped Max patting her mane for a moment. “Now maybe we should get back to the rest of the family? I’m sure they’ve missed us.”

They returned to the sitting room to see the rest of the family lazing around. Thunderous was dozing in one of the chairs while Edelweiss and Fragrant were reading. Dangerous had apparently returned only a short time ago as his flanks were still flecked with foam.

“Ah, Max,” said Edelweiss looking up as they entered. “I’ve got a few things to show you.” He sat down next to her as she lifted the top book from a large pile in front of her.

“Oh, come off it Mom,” cried Dangerous watching them, “the family albums!”

“If Max might be,” she glanced over at Fragrant, “joining the family it vill be good for him to know all about us.”

“But they’re so embarrassing,” he complained.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be more interested in your aunt's history. Although there is that adorable picture of you in the bath as a foal! The one where you’re chewing on your wing!”

“Mom! No!” cried the young stallion reaching out to grab the book before his mother slapped his hooves away.

“I’m sure Max doesn’t want to see all that,” said Fragrant putting her own book aside and standing up.

“Nonsense, I’d love to see your pictures,” said Max. Edelweiss had mentioned Fragrant modelling when he was younger, and he had to admit he was curious.

“Well I’ve known Fragrant for, oh, it must be twenty-five years now. Where does the time go?” she gazed into the distance for a moment before shaking herself and opening the album. The pages were covered with black and white images each with careful annotations around them.

“My family come from Pferdereich, they own a clothing company. I got my mark,” she indicated the flashbulb symbol on her flank, “modelling their clothes. They decided to branch out into Equestria itself and I was sent to help advertise the wares.” She flicked through various photographs and newspaper clippings showing her younger self in glamorous settings. “There I was young, innocent and in a strange land when I came across a wild young mare who showed me the seedy underside of Canterlot!” She pointed to a picture of her younger self next to another mare who it took a moment for Max to recognise as Fragrant. She had her mane up in a huge fluffy perm and was dressed in a short black dress with large shoulder pads. The two of them were leaning heavily against each other, apparently the worst for wear, outside some sort of club.

“It was not like that,” said Fragrant rolling her eyes as she trotted over to her sister in law. “True back then I might have been a little less reserved,” she blushed, “but if anyone was doing any corrupting it was you! My parents had recently had their accident, and I had to step up to become duchess. It was you who suggested I had to ‘let off some steam’”

“You should have seen her back then, Max,” continued Edelweiss elbowing Max, “out dancing at the wildest new clubs every night! Drunken debauchery! She was even in a gang!”

“I might have stayed out late a few times, but I never missed any time at court! And the Mustangs were hardly a gang. We were mostly a gathering of the children of courtiers and some younger courtiers, like myself, plus a few hangers on.” She gently prodded the other mare. “We even did charity work! Sometimes.” Max grinned as he looked through the pictures of young Fragrant in various outfits. Even back then she’d apparently liked to dress up. He frowned for a moment, glancing over at Fragrant herself, she hadn’t gotten dressed this morning. For the first time since he’d met her she was actually naked. He smiled, given what she'd told him about her preference to remain dressed to deal with her nerves it was nice to see how relaxed she was around her family.

“Wow, auntie, you were cool back then,” said Dangerous with a grin.

“I can’t believe you used to have your hair like that,” added Forming.

“Everypony did their manes like that back then,” said Fragrant defensively. “I wonder if your mother had a picture of when she dyed her coat black for month?”

“So, moving on,” said Edelweiss quickly as she turned the page. The next picture was of a group of ponies gathered around a table. The banner and decorations suggested that it was probably somepony’s birthday. To Max’s surprise he recognised a few of them. “Is that duke Sands?” he asked pointing to a stallion partially out of frame. “And that can’t be Prince Blueblood, can it?”

“No, it’s his father, Duke. He was always hanging around despite being far older than any of us. It was a bit creepy really,” said Edelweiss.

“And that’s Holly Bush, Vicereine Wall Flower's wife,” said Fragrant, “and that’s Silver Glow.” Her hoof skipped over herself and a tall unicorn stallion standing next to her with his leg across her withers. “That’s Merry Berry, I haven't seen her in years,” exclaimed Fragrant.

“Last I heard she’d married a fruit magnate, was thinking of doing some writing. I don’t know if anything came of it. And that back there,” said Edelweiss pointing at a figure in the background, “is Thunderous”.

Max looked back and forth between the lanky teen in the picture and the huge stallion napping in the nearby chair. It was hard to imagine they were the same pony. It looked like Dangerous and Forming were having the same issue. “He always begged me to allow him to come along with me so he could hang out with the cool ponies,” said Fragrant, “what he meant was hanging out with you!”

“He eventually got the nerve to ask me out, he looked so terrified, this gangly adolescent with a greasy coat. Of course, I turned him down.”

“What!” exclaimed Forming.

“Well he was hardly a catch back then, and I might have been just a touch conceited. Still he kept trying again and again, slowly wore me down. It didn’t hurt that he filled out quite a bit later that year.”

“He spent all summer working out,” said Fragrant.

“Eventually I agreed, and the rest as they say, is history.” The next few pictures showed Edelweiss and Thunderous together at various events obviously a couple. Ending with a large portrait of the two of them in wedding attire. Edelweiss’s loose dress doing a rather poor job of concealing her bulging abdomen. “Fluttering came as a bit of a surprise to us,” she admitted.

Max examined the wedding photos. It looked like Fragrant had been a bridesmaid, she wore a baggy dress to match the bride. The stallion from the earlier picture was kissing her on the cheek. “I guess that’s Green Horn?” asked Max pointing at the stallion.

Edelweiss’s eyes flicked between Max and Fragrant. “You told him about Green Horn?” she asked quietly.

“I told him we dated and things ended badly,” said Fragrant pointedly.

Max chewed on his lip. Clearly there was something he was missing about how things had gone, but he didn’t want to intrude if Fragrant didn’t want to tell him.

Nodding, Edelweiss turned the page to reveal an empty space. “I really need to sort these out better,” she said tensely turning through a few more likewise blank pages. “And then we were three!” She announced at an image of herself and Thunderous looking tired but proud as they held the sleeping form of an enormously cute looking foal in their arms.

“Aww!” exclaimed Max at the image, “wasn’t Fluttering adorable!”

“Yes,” mumbled Fragrant blinking quickly as they turned to a picture of a rather drawn looking Fragrant holding the slightly older foal.

Edelweiss continued to flip through various pictures of Fluttershy as she grew being attended to by Fragrant or her parents. Despite her earlier promise she eventually moved on to another album showing Forming and her big sister as time passed. The two of them playing together and finally the addition of Dangerous to the family and procession of school photographs for all three Posey children.

“And that just about brings us up to the present,” said Edelweiss closing the final album. “I know, we should take some pictures now.”

“I wouldn’t want to trouble you.” said Fragrant.

“No problem,” exclaimed Edelweiss as she rushed from the room. “It’s good to keep my hoof in.” She returned a few minutes later with a large camera on a tripod. She prodded her husband until he woke up and ordered him to line up with the rest of the family and proceeded to take picture after picture of them in all combinations. She even got a servant to help so that she could be included in some of them.

Although Fragrant protested Max couldn’t help but think she quite liked the attention. He certainly enjoyed standing close to her so the two of them would fit into the frame. Without her usual dress if felt good to be able to feel her coat against his own.

After a light evening meal mostly consisting of the remains of lunch the family settled down to an evening’s entertainment.

To start with Dangerous got the rest of the family to agree to a game of blindmare’s bluff. Max felt he was a little unfairly disadvantaged not being able to hide up near the ceiling like most of the rest of the family. Still he certainly got a rise out of Fragrant when he claimed not to be able to tell the difference between Edelweiss and her when he caught the former.

Once they had tired themselves out the family gathered around to have a game of charades which Fragrant turned out to be very good at. Max then suggested a Nulpar game called Smiles where you had to try and get someone else to crack a smile, everypony seemed to want to pick on Fragrant in that game, but she took it in good cheer.

After that Edelweiss suggested something called Alphabet Minute where they had to carry on a conversation starting each sentence with a different letter. After a few rounds Thunderous announced that speaking in Pferdereichish was cheating, but was overruled as his wife and children were fluent. Max surprised most of them by being able to speak a few words. He explained that Nulpar wasn’t all that far from the exarchy.

Then they moved on to cards, which Max thought he might actually have a chance at. He’d played more than a few hands back in Nulpar against Piste and the rest of the town council. To his, and most of the rest of the family’s surprise, Forming wiped the floor with them. The young mare seemed particularly gleeful when she beat her brother. Once they were done Forming blushed as she explained that she hadn’t been spending her entire time at university learning about architecture and art. Apparently her and her friends had regular card nights as well. It was probably just as well they’d only played for jangles or Max’s finances could have taken a hit.

Finally the family gathered around the piano for a sing song. Max discovered that his marefriend was a surprisingly talented pianist. Fragrant explained that she’d had lessons as a foal. Max got to introduce the others to a few Nulpar songs and in return learnt a few Cloudsdale operas as well as the traditional Hearthswarming carols stretching back to the time the founders were frozen into their cave.

“That was a really fun time,” said Max as he and Fragrant entered her room. “I like your family.”

“Thank you,” said Fragrance, “I’m glad you’re getting on so well with them.” She was actually quite surprised how much her coltfriend and brother had bonded, Thunderous could often be... difficult when dealing with new ponies. Forming seemed to be really taken with Max as well. Even Dangerous was friendly with him, she should have guessed her thrill-seeking nephew would find Max a kindred spirit.

“They’ve all been so welcoming, I’ll have to take you to meet mum someday,” said Max, his ears drooping slightly. Fragrance noted the sign of Max’s uncertainty, she wondered what it was about his mother, or her, that made the idea so problematic.

“I’d like that, when you have the time,” she said cautiously.

“Yeah, it’s a shame you can’t come with me tomorrow.”

“Unfortunately, I have duties for the new year's holiday, there are events I must host.” The new year's ball was the height of the Cloudsdale social circuit. All the important ponies of the city, of the entire province would be there. It was bothersome, but she couldn’t miss it. “You will see me back at court in the new year.”

“But not like this,” said Max leaning over and cuddling her, planting a light kiss on her forehead.

“No. This, this is nice,” she returned the embrace.

“At least I don’t have to leave until the afternoon.”

“I suppose so, although I will be busy for at least some of the morning.” That reminded her, she had to make sure she got up early tomorrow to prepare.

Max frowned a little. “Well at least we had some time together.”

“Yes, I have very much enjoyed your company for the holiday,” she said running a hoof down his barrel.

“Me too,” agreed Max standing up and making his way towards the bathroom.

With him no longer present Fragrant turned to her bedside drawer and quietly opened it revealing the silk saddle and other items of lingerie present. Her hoof hovered over the items, was now the time to give Max a further present? Something else to unwrap? She felt her heartbeat and breathing increase but she couldn’t decide if it was due to lust or fear. It had been a long long time since she’d last been with a stallion, she didn’t want to disappoint him. She couldn’t help but nervously giggle, she imagined the basic process hadn’t changed much since her youth, but what if he wanted something that she couldn’t give? What if now wasn’t the right time? What if it was going to be too late? They’d been dating for half a year now, was Max becoming frustrated with the situation? It was a topic they’d skirted around rather than truly talking about.

“Bathroom’s free if you want it,” came Max’s voice from behind her. She slammed the drawer closed and spun around eyes wide.

“M-max!” she exclaimed.

“Sorry, I frightened you,” said Max stepping back.

“No, sorry, sorry, I was just thinking.”

“What about?”

“No-nothing important,” she stuttered. Liar! Her mind called out, Coward!

Levering himself onto the bed Max stretched out admiring the anklet she’d gifted him. “Thanks again for this, it really is nice.”

“You’re welcome,” she said feeling her body relaxing against his. His hoof stretched out running lazily up and down her flank.

“You know, I think this has been the perfect day, I wouldn’t add a single thing to it,” he noted.

She frowned, had he seen what was in the drawer? Had he read her mind? Or was she overthinking things? She tried to stop her flow of thoughts and just accept his words at face value. “Me too,” she agreed resting her head on his chest. “Thank you for a wonderful Hearthswarming.”

“You too Fragrant,” he mumbled.

47) Month 5 - Servants day

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There was an ache in Fragrant’s left wing. It pulled her from what she was sure had been a rather nice dream, if only she could remember what it had been. She tugged at her limb but it seemed to be trapped in an awkward position. With a grunt of annoyance she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, the sun hadn’t risen yet but there was just about enough pre-dawn light to make out the shapes around her. Max was cuddled up against her left hoof side in a way that would be blissful if only her wing hadn’t managed to get caught underneath him somehow. Not wanting to wake him she gently tried to wiggle it, maybe she could burrow it into the cloud of the bed beneath her coltfriend? It was no good, the spell on his new anklet was too strong for that.

Her wing was really starting to hurt now, the joint cramping up. However had she gotten it under him in the first place? She gently rested her hooves against his barrel and tried to push with as little force as possible, maybe she could roll him off of her. It was no good, it felt like she was trying to move a tree trunk. How much had Max eaten yesterday? Gritting her teeth, she increased her force. Then suddenly, to her surprise, Max seemed to get the message and giving a mumble he started to roll away under his own power, his hooves slowly flailing out apparently trying to reach her.

Unfortunately, she didn’t realise just how close to the edge of the bed they both were. She had just sighed in relief as she found herself able to flex her wing again when Max suddenly dropped out of sight and hit the cloud below with a soft *pfump* sound. “Huh! Wha!” he mumbled at his rude awakening.

“Are you alright?” she called.

“What?” Max’s head bobbed up flicking from side to side like some sort of giant meerkat. Fragrant couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“You fell,” she explained, preferring to keep her part in his accident secret.

“Oh, right, no damage done,” he said getting a little unsteadily to his hooves and climbing back into bed. “What time is it?”

“Almost dawn, we have a bit more time but I have to get up earlier today,” she said folding her wing back against her back.

“Why? Aren't you still on holiday?”

“Not today, this is Servant's day,” she winced a little, her wing was still rather stiff and sore.

“Are you alright?” asked Max.

“I slept on my wing, I’ll be fine,” she grimaced as she began to stretch the joint out a little.

With a grin Max leant forwards and gently took the limb in his hooves and kissed her wingtip. “Better?” he asked.

“Much,” she said with a blush.

“So, what is this Servant’s Day?” he asked as he carefully unfurrowed her wing and ran a light touch over it pressing at her joints with slightly more force, causing her to sigh.

“It’s the *mumm* day after Hearthswarming, when the *ah* the original tribal leaders were supposed to have unfrozen. *huh* When they realised that they had been wrong all along they, a little harder please, they agreed to serve the founders instead of *ahhh!* ruling over them.” She let out a deep groan as Max folded her now limp wing against her back and started on the other one. “Many nobles celebrate it by giving their servants, *muh* the day off or, or, again!, or serving them for the day. Here *gurrr* in the Posey household we make dinner, just there!, for the house staff!” Giving a deep sigh she slumped back into the bed as Max finished working on her wings. She knew she should get up soon but as her eyelids started to slip closed again she didn’t think she could move an inch.

“Fragrant,” came Max’s voice from somewhere behind her. “That Servant Day thing sounds like a good idea. It didn’t seem fair that all your staff had to work yesterday. Can I help?”

With a struggle Fragrant opened her eyes again and blinked away the sunlight, had she fallen asleep? “There is no need Max, you are my guest I can’t have you work!” Arching her back she stretched before hopping off the bed. “You can sleep in if you want.”

“Your staff have been working for me, it’s only fair that I do something for them,” argued Max following her onto the floor.

There really was no way to discourage him. “Very well,” she sighed, “We better get ready.”

“Good morning!” called Edelweiss as Max and Fragrant entered the kitchen. It was the first time that Max had been in this part of the mansion, and it was huge. Great long tables of cloud or wood stretched the length of the room. The walls were covered in cupboards and shelves containing lines of jars and boxes of ingredients. A crackling sound came from a block of cloud in one corner. Max leaned down and saw a crackle of lightning spark through it throwing out a burst of heat. That explained how they heated the food up here. He had wondered. It was clearly a room for a large number of ponies to work in, it seemed almost deserted with only himself and Fragrant’s family present.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” said Fragrant. She had done her mane up in a practical bob and covered it with a bonnet. The rest of her body was covered in a plain black dress with a white apron. It was a shame she’d felt the need to dress today but he supposed the outfit made sense given what she was going to do. “I overslept.”

“I don’t think sleep vas involved from the soundz I heard vhen I came to get you,” said Edelweiss with a grin. “Although you may have to vork on your dirty talking, old family traditions are not normally considered turn on’z.”

“Max was,” began Fragrant with a blush, “Max was giving me a wing massage, I had a cramp!” she protested.

“I really don’t need to know anything about that,” complained Thunderous emptying a bowl into a saucepan. “Can you give me a hoof over here?”

“Sure,” said Max joining his fellow stallion. There were several bowls full of peeled potatoes lined up on the side and Thunderous was busy transferring them onto the heat. “How many are we cooking for?” he asked.

“About thirty this year,” grunted the larger stallion.

“Thirty!” exclaimed Max, he had no idea the Posey’s had so many servants! Although thinking back he could probably remember at least a dozen faces here and there around the house. He was a little ashamed to say they sort of blended into the background.

“The estate has well over a hundred servants,” said Fragrant, “Many of them prefer to spend their time off with their families rather than come to our dinner.”

“So many!”

“There are some houses with many more,” said Fragrant a little defensively. “The gardens take a lot of work.”

“Never mind that!” said Thunderous, “The potatoes!”

“Sorry,” said Max, “You did a good job at peeling all of these.”

“Peeling?” asked Thunderous in surprise, “Don’t they come like that?”

Max blinked in surprise. “No, they normally have skins on them,” he said slowly.

“The servants actually prepare much of food for us,” explained Forming as she flew up to a high shelf and levered off a large block of salt.

“They leave instructions as well,” added Dangerous, pointing to a large pad on a table in the centre of the room. Max trotted over and began to leaf through it, it was very detailed, very detailed indeed. Max certainly hadn’t considered himself much of a cook but he could make a few simple dishes, at least enough to fend for himself if need be. Compared to most of the Posey family it seemed like he was a model of self-sufficiency. He flipped through the menu, it seemed a bit plain really, tomato soup, potatoes, carrots, hay, a flower salad, vegetable pie, a pre-made fruit cake. Not all that bad he supposed, but maybe they could spice it up a bit? “It’s a bit sad really isn’t it,” said the young stallion shaking Max from his thoughts. “We’re supposed to be the great and good of the land and we have to get the foals guide to cooking.”

“We have our own things to do,” argued Thunderous, “cooking and the like is why we have servants in the first place, we pay them to do these things for us so we have the time to run Equestria.”

“Yeah and what do we do to thank them? They have to do most of the work for the party we’re supposed to be putting on for them!”

“Well do you have any ideas what we could do differently?” asked Max before Thunderous could reply.

“Maybe,” Dangerous trotted over to a nearby door and pulled it open letting a cold breeze into the room. “There should be yesterday's leftovers in here, mix them up and fry them and you get something called Bubble and Squeak, it’s not much but it’s tasty. There's some hay bacon as well, we can wrap it around the carrots and roast them.”

“Vhere did you learn to cook?” asked Edelweiss.

“It’s not like I have a servant with me when I’m out in the wilderness climbing, or swimming or weather riding.”

“Ve did suggest you take a hoofmare with you...”

“Not the point mum! I have to take care of myself, and I picked up a few things here and there, necessity is the mother of invention and all that,” he looked a little embarrassed. “I’m not great but I can cook a few things.”

“Ok,” said Thunderous with a rather proud grin, “anything else you think we can do?”

“Maybe...”

“I think I might be able to put together a cake,” said Max sticking his head into a cupboard searching for ingredients. “I’ve made one or two.” Mostly with Mrs G’s help but he thought he had her recipe down.

“Maybe we shouldn’t take things too far,” said Fragrant, “We have enough trouble making dinner most years as it is.”

“Come on auntie,” said Dangerous pouting, “live a little!”

“Yeah, come on Fragrant, we can do this,” said Max adding his own puppy dog eyes to the mix.

“Very well,” said Fragrant with a sigh, “maybe we can make this year really memorable.”

This wasn’t as easy as it looked, thought Max as he struggled to stir the mixture in front of him. Mrs G made this look simple when she did it but it certainly wasn’t easy when you were making enough for thirty guests. The bowl rattled again as his stirring almost overturned it, and he desperately reached out a hoof to steady it. He glanced around the kitchen, it looked like most of the rest of the family were doing about as well as he was.

Fragrant had somehow managed to get herself covered in flour and Edelweiss was struggling to carry several large saucepans around the hob. Forming was still resting one of her legs on a block of ice from the cold room after she’d managed to burn herself taking the pie from the oven. At least Thunderous seemed to be enjoying himself with the frying pan although its contents probably weren’t enjoying the situation much given how long he’d been burning them. Only Dangerous actually seemed to be in his element, literally juggling a number of knives as he chopped up the last of the salad and placed it in a serving dish. With a grin he grabbed a mouthful of food out of the air as he tossed it around.

Max examined his work again, it was probably as smooth as it was going to get and he’d have to get it into the oven now if he had any hope of it being ready in time. As it was he’d probably have to add the chocolate icing while the main course was being served.

“They’re probably already gathering up there,” noted Dangerous. “How’s the leg sis?”

“I think it’ll be fine now,” she said taking the limb off the ice block and poking at the wounded area.

“Ok, why don’t you go and lay the table in the main dining room. Max you can serve drinks, that should buy us half an hour or so. I’ll keep an eye on the cake.”

Max nodded.

“Try not to give away my entire drinks cabinet,” grumbled Thunderous.

“If he does empty it, then you get to go shopping to fill it up again,” noted Edelweiss.

“I suppose that’s true,” said Thunderous positively.

Smiling to himself Max headed upstairs. The servants were all gathered in the mansion's ballroom. Despite their numbers they still only filled a small portion of the available space. Seeing the scale of it Max could understand how the house could require a small army of staff, it was easily twice as big as the one in Fragrant's estate. The servants were standing around chatting and laughing with each other. Some Max recognised, one of Fragrant’s chauffeurs was leaning against a table waving his hooves expansively as he chatted with a younger mare. Others he didn’t, several botanical cutie marks indicated their owners probably worked in the gardens. There was even an earth pony amongst them, an anklet similar to the one Max wore on her leg. He was surprised how young many of them were, many were little more than foals.

Max cleared his throat and the murmuring died down. There was a slight feeling of tension as every eye turned towards him. “Um, I’m sorry but dinner will be a little delayed. In the meantime, would anypony like a drink?”

There was a moment's silence as those present thought over his words and extracted the important factor. “Well if you’re offering my lord,” said a rather rotund mare with a saucepan as a cutie mark. “I wouldn’t mind a glass of port, it is Hearthswarming after all.”

“Me too!” piped up a younger mare.

“I happen to know his lordship has a rather good rainbow brandy in the cabinet,” said an older stallion, “the third row back, not the one at the front. To drink his lordship’s health of course.” He grinned.

Suddenly everypony seemed to be shouting their order and Max wished he brought a pad to write them down on.

“I think that should keep them happy for the moment,” noted Max as he and Forming made their way back to the kitchen. After he had finished serving the drinks he had found her in the dining room. It was a rather larger version of the one he’d eaten in yesterday, with a table that could easily accommodate the whole staff. Despite her injured leg Forming had made a good go of laying out plates and cutlery.

“Good! I think we’re almost done,” said Dangerous. “Dad, if you could start draining those saucepans, I’ll get the bacon carrots out. Mum can you put the pie on the tray?” Edelweiss nodded and carefully put pads on her hooves to lift the hot pan.

“Dangerous is rather impressive isn’t he,” said Max sidling up to Fragrant. “He’s certainly stepped up.”

“He and his father might not always get along, but I think it’s because they’re too similar,” she replied with a smile. “I’m sure he’ll make a fine manager of Posey Weather in a few years, if he wants to. Unless he blows the place up of course. Maybe he’ll find somepony like Edelweiss to take the wind out of his sails occasionally.”

“Hey, you two,” called Dangerous, “hurry up!”

“Sorry!” said Max gathering up several bowls and loading them into the dumbwaiter. It really was amazing that all these things could be constructed out of cloud, he thought as he started to pull the rope to transport them up to the dining room.

“As the head of the family,” announced Fragrant glancing at the servants gathered around the table, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the hard work you have done for us over the last year. As is traditional me and my family... plus our guest,” Max nodded to the table, “have cooked a meal for you. However, unlike previous years we have decided to take our own initiative on some of the dishes. I hope you enjoy it.” The duchess gave a quick curtsy before the family started around the table delivering the steaming bowls of soup that Edelweiss had just served up from a tureen.

The staff were seated and served in strict order of seniority from the butler, housekeeper and cook at the head of the table down to the maids at the other. Fragrant had to admit she didn’t actually know many of them. Although the estate was in her name, due to her duties at court, she spent at best three months a year in the house and she had her own staff at her town house. She often felt more like a guest than the owner of the estate. Really the place belonged more to Edelweiss and Thunderous than herself, although she did feel a certain proprietariness for the grounds themselves, she had at least a hoof in many of the gardens.

Despite their different duties and ages the staff were all looking at the soup with something like gentle horror. Fragrant’s eyes narrowed slightly at that, she and Forming had put quite a bit of work into getting it to stay at the right temperature and not boil as the instructions had said. The least the staff could do would be to appreciate it. “Eat up,” she encouraged, what could be wrong?

There was a general bumping of elbows moving down the table from the head to the foot as each servant seemed to suggest that the next should try the soup first. Finally the youngest maid, all eyes upon her, bowed down and lapped at the soup. She swallowed, then licked her lips. “It’s good!” she announced. Suddenly there was an explosion of clattering as all of the staff started on the meal as one.

“Is that garlic?” asked one of the gardeners.

“Actually, that was my idea,” said Forming with a grin.

“I always did think that Cook made it a bit plain,” said Hot Rolls the chauffeur, which earned him a glare from the mare in question.

“Subtle flavouring is the key, not to drown everything out,” she said, “not to say this is bad my lady,” she quickly added glancing over to Forming.

The first course was over quickly and Max and Edelweiss cleared the table while Thunderous and Dangerous started to lay out the various dishes which made up the main course. This time the staff were much keener to dig into the offerings although the charred remains of the Bubble and Squeak which Thunderous had spent most of the morning incinerating was largely ignored.

“You know if we’d known his lord and ladyship could cook so well I’m sure more of the others would have come,” said the head gardener as he tucked into the salad.

“What do you mean?” asked Fragrant a little sharply. “I thought the other staff decided to stay with their families?”

“Oh,” he swallowed painfully, “Well you see, many do, um, most probably but others well you see,” he started to sweat.

“I am afraid my lady,” said the butler offering her companion some respite, “that some may avoid these meals because, well, you’re not all that good at cooking. It’s not your fault, it’s not like you were trained for it.”

“These roast potatoes, for example,” said the cook poking one of them, “overdone, should have been out half an hour earlier.”

“Why didn’t anypony tell me?” asked Fragrant.

“Well you see, your ladyship you’re well, you’re you,” said the Butler, “you’re our employer, and a generous and kind one you are, but there are certain unwritten rules between those above and those below.”

“I see,” muttered Fragrant, it was a little shocking to think that the staff didn’t trust her enough to talk to her about this sort of thing. “Well I thank you for your honesty at this time. I will of course not hold this, breach of those unwritten rules against any of you. I did ask you to speak.”

“Thank you, your ladyship.”

Fragrant nodded, maybe she should pay a little more attention to the staff. Shrugging, she picked up a bottle from the cooler and began to serve the wine. She had chosen it herself from the cellars and she was glad to see that it went down well with the staff although they did not savour the taste quite as much as they were supposed to.

The main course was over quickly and Max and Dangerous cleared the table, transporting the plates and leftovers back to the kitchen. The staff seemed a little less tense than earlier and were chatting and laughing with each other. Fragrant thought that the wine might be partially responsible for that.

The family made a small progression as they brought in the desert. First Forming placed bowls in front of each of the servants, then Thunderous gently lowered the rich fruit pudding onto the table while Edelweiss placed a jug of cream next to it. Then came Max with his freshly iced chocolate cake balanced on his back, still warm from the oven. He seemed so proud of his creation, Fragrant really didn’t have the heart to point out that it was rather asymmetric and that she thought it had been cooked a little too long, still it was the thought that counted. Finally Forming entered and discarding the measuring spoon he’d brought splashed a generous measure of his father's brandy over the pudding. He used his wings to generate a slight updraft over the desert before producing a tiny cloud from somewhere and tapping it, it gave a zap of static and the air above the cake burst into flames causing several of the servants to edge back.

“Eat up everypony!” encouraged the youngest Posey with a wide, slightly manic, grin.

And eat up they did. Max’s cake proved to be surprisingly popular with its audience, as if chocolate was a rare treat. Which maybe it was, now Fragrant thought of it, she was aware that it was actually quite expensive for most ponies. Maybe she should keep track of that sort of thing more, she ruled over tens of thousands of ponies, maybe she should make more of an effort to understand what life was like to them. The idea of one of her decisions affecting, say the cost of carrots didn’t mean much to her, she could still eat whatever she wanted when she wanted, but it would affect the lower orders much more. Did she consider them as much as she should? It was something she would have to ruminate on later.

Despite several of the staff, particularly the younger ones having seconds the meal was eventually completed. Fragrant quickly headed down to the kitchen to get the coffee which had been boiling during the last course and carefully loaded it into the dumbwaiter along with a box of mints. She had discovered them near the back of a cupboard earlier while she had been searching for another ingredient. They would be her own personal addition to the meal.

Returning to the dining room she saw that Forming had already poured the drinks and many of the ponies present were sipping the dark brew from their cups either pure or lightened with milk or cream. A gentle hum of conversation spread around the table. For a moment Fragrant considered joining in but she had to admit to herself that there was a certain line between the classes that it did not seem right to cross. Although she might show her appreciation for the mares and stallions who served her she wasn’t one of them, and it would be presumptuous of her to think she could just impose herself on their social lives.

“Why don’t you try the mint?” she asked the head gardener, that seemed a safe enough topic.

“Oh,” said the stallion unwrapping the treat and examining it. He frowned slightly before glancing over at Fragrant and back again. He put the mint in his mouth and bit down. There was a rather painful sounding crunch and he slowly chewed. “Not bad,” he said quickly reaching for his drink, “maybe a little hard,” he admitted.

The cook glanced over at the box containing the mind. “Oh, dear me. Where did you find these?” she asked.

“There were near the back of the cupboard with the mugs in it,” said Fragrant feeling awkward.

“These have been there for years! Didn’t I tell you to clear that cupboard out Dishcloth?”

“I thought I did ma'am!” squeaked one of the younger maids.

“Well it doesn’t look like you did! You could have caused somepony a mischief!”

“Please, no fighting,” said Fragrant her cheeks glowing, “It was my mistake,” she admitted. “I should have checked."

“Don’t worry,” said Max with a grin as he sidled up to her. “We all make mistakes.” Fragrant couldn’t help but scowl a bit at that. It wasn’t like her mix up was on the same scale as some of his.

“Well, I think that went well,” said Max taking the final bite from the leftovers he and the Posey family had been feasting on since the servant’s meal had finished.

“I forget how hard that is,” said Forming slumping into her chair.

“It is only once a year,” chided her brother. “The servants have to do that every day.”

“Well they don't usually need to cook for as many as that,” she protested.

“True, except when we have parties or balls.”

“No need to fight, I think ve did rather well,” said Edelweiss.

“Yep, I think we should be proud,” said Max earning a smile from Fragrant. “Now all we need to do is the washing up.”

“The what?” asked Thunderous.

“Cleaning the dishes? Packing everything away again? Tidying up the kitchen?”

“We don’t normally...” began Thunderous then he sighed recognising this probably wasn’t going to be a fight he was going to win.

“So what do ve have to do?” asked Edelweiss.

“Tell you what, you can wash and I’ll dry,” explained Max.

“My hooves are all pruny!” complained Edelweiss. “I vas beautiful once! I vas a model, thousands of ponies came to see me! And now... pruny hooves!” she exclaimed dramatically flailing around the aforementioned organs.

“I think we’re about done now,” said Max rolling his eyes at his fellow washer upper’s antics.

“I still think you’re beautiful,” said Thunderous swooping down on his wife and pulling her into a deep kiss. “Pruny hooves and all.”

Fragrant smiled at her brother and sister in law as she put away the last of the dishes. It was amazing how much there was to do after a simple meal. She’d thought they’d never be finished. Still there was a certain feeling of contentment now it was all done. Maybe they could try it all again, next year, she might even look to learning some cooking skills.

There was a knock at the kitchen door before it slowly opened. “Are you finished your ladyship?” asked the cook. “We’re ready to get started on the... oh.”

“We took care of the tidying,” said Fragrant, “It was Max’s idea.”

“This is, well this is unexpected,” she admitted as she and the kitchen maids entered the room. “Thank you.”

“It was no trouble at all,” said Fragrant glancing at Edelweiss who seemed to have recovered from her pruny hooves. “Consider it thanks for the hard work you put in all year round.” Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the maids open a cupboard and start to switch the plates from one shelf to another. Apparently they hadn’t been put back in the correct space.

“Baron Max,” came a voice from the door, it was one of her chauffeurs. “I’m afraid we will need to be leaving soon if we are to be in Canterlot by night.”

Already? thought Fragrant, her ears wilting. She had hoped she’d get to spend more time with Max. She knew he had a tight schedule if he wanted to visit his family for new year’s but surely they had a few more hours together? The whole holiday seemed to have just flown past.

“Ah, alright,” said Max seemingly just as upset, “why don’t you get the chariot ready, I’ve got a few things to pack.” The chauffeurs nodded and backed out of the room.

“I’ll give you a hoof,” offered Fragrant as the two of them headed to the room they’d shared for the last few days. She could get used to that living together, not waking up alone each morning, although separate bathrooms might be an idea.

In truth Max didn’t have all that much to pack and the two of them soon had his saddlebags full and ready to go. “Well, this was nice,” he said as he was strapping his bags onto himself.

“Yes, yes it was. I enjoyed the time we spent together, no matter how short.”

“It’ll only be a fortnight or so until we see each other again,” he said with a weak smile. It sounded like an eternity.

“I know,” she sighed.

“It was nice to meet your family, Edelweiss is fun and your brother, well, he’s a personality.”

“That he is, I’m glad you got along so well.”

“And Forming is a sweet mare, she’s very talented with the sculpturing and stuff.”

“Yes, well she finishes university next year so we should see more of her at court.”

“Yeah,” Max looked a bit uncomfortable, “Well I’m sure you can talk to her about that, work something out.” Fragrance's brow furrowed, what did he mean? “And Dangerous, well he’s unique, he might be a bit of a brat sometimes but I think his heart's in the right place.” Fragrant nodded, she had to admit that he wasn’t always the politest of colts, still he was family.

“Maybe next year Fluttering will be able to make it? And you can spend some time with her as well,” she suggested.

“I’m invited next year?” he asked.

“Of course you are Max, Hearthswarming is a time for families,” she said automatically before she realised the implications of that. Grinning, Max leant forwards and kissed her on the lips.

“I like the sound of that,” he mumbled.

“Or maybe I could visit your family,” she replied kissing him again.

“Maybe.”

She sighed, it really was time for him to leave now. Sadly she opened the door and the two of them headed through the house towards where her sky chariot was parked. She was a little surprised to see that the rest of her family were gathered around it.

“We decided we’d see you off,” said Thunderous. “I thought you could have this.” He passed Max a half full bottle of rainbow brandy. “Seeing as it’s open and all.”

“Thanks,” said Max with a grin.

“You should visit more often,” said Edelweiss reaching over to hug Max.

“I’ll try to,” replied Max hugging her back.

“Here’s your statue,” said Forming. “I finished it off this morning.” She held the present out to him. “I’ve set it so it should be good for a year or so, I can do some upkeep later if you want.” Max held out the model and turned it in his hooves.

“It’s really good,” he said, “I know just the place to keep it, and I can tell all my friends I’ve got a Posey original. They’ll be so jealous.” Forming blushed a little.

“We ought to go climbing some when,” said Dangerous shaking Max’s hoof. “Or maybe white water rafting, you’ve got rivers in your province, right?”

“A few,” said Max, “a really big waterfall as well.”

“That opens up a few possibilities,” mumbled Dangerous tapping a hoof on his chin, much to his mother's concern.

“Goodbye Max,” said Fragrant at last. “I hope you have a good trip and try not to fall off the chariot.” She couldn’t help but be a little concerned.

“Don’t worry,” said Max hugging her tightly. “I’ll be careful.”

He stepped back onto the chariot as she blinked away a few tears.

“Happy Hearthswarming everypony,” called Max as the chariot started to lift off into the air.