Equestria is going through turbulent times. The Industrial Revolution smothers Equestria, and the only way to gain the resouces needed is to please the Gryphon Empire. But when they hold a fair for the Empire, strange things begin to occur...
The Industrial Revolution smothers Equestria, and the only way to gain the resources needed to power the giant machines being created is by pleasing the mountain owning Gryphon Empire. But when Celestia holds a grand fair for the Empire in Canterlot, murders become rampant, and the new secret service and the Twilight Sparkle must uncover the murderer before Equestria is crushed under the weight of their new machines.
Thousands of ponies entered and exited Canterlot every day. Many of these ponies were the rich, the influential ponies who held so much sway over the masses, hoping to add even more riches to their inflated wealth, despite the fierce competition of hundreds of nobles attempting to do the same. And there were many that were attempting to gain a new life from farming, aspiring to reach the status of nobility. Nobility went out seeking business and social gatherings everywhere in the white city of Canterlot. And with so many trying to strike it rich in the city, deaths and accidents quickly caught up.
You could step off the curb of the street and get hit by a Canterlot Taxi. At least two nobles a day would be killed in a crossing accident. At least one would find his or herself in front of the new railroad carts. Bits and pieces would be found for the next few days. Fires would take dozens of lives, and at least one would get shot. With all these deaths, one would assume something odd was going on and perhaps Canterlot was not safe. But the lure of power and money was too great for most ponies, and still the familiar sound of new hooves hit the pavement echoed through the city of Canterlot.
But something disturbing arose as more and more continued to come.
The Old Money, as they were favorably called by the regular citizens of Canterlot, were slowly being picked away. Those who had grown up within the old society of Equestria, and who had taken to the lessons of friendship to heart, were slowly being replaced by those who had grown up with the new capitalist system in their minds and souls. Even with the newly established secret service, sworn to protect all the citizens of Equestria, the murders and accidents continued. But no pony in Equestria could possibly conceive that these incidents had all been planned. Nopony had ever been born who was so sadistic and mad as to plot the deaths of the country's beloved nobility.
So one afternoon, when a young handsome surgeon, his horn glowing as he picked up his suitcase, stepped off the train and into a world full of steam, smoke, clamor, danger, and endless possibilities, he looked around the crowded platform, and watched with glee, the moving forms of mares and children. How their legs moved with simple grace, the muscle underneath pushing against the skin, and the blood coursing through their entire bodies. He licked his lips as sniffed the scent of smoke, sweat, and scent on the train platform. He began to walk away, the large coat masking his mismatched limbs from the general public, his face breaking into a twisted smile. He would enjoy his time here.
For it was easy to disappear, to fake emotion, and so very easy in the smoke, clamor, and din to mask that something sinister and deadly had taken root in the heart of the kingdom that worshiped kindness and friendship.
This was Canterlot, on the eve of the greatest event of Equestrian history.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Wake up Miss Twilight. We've arrived.”
Twilight grunted in acknowledgement as she slowly awoke, light assailing her eyes as she looked through the car window. The entrance to the Canterlot Palace laid plain in sight, opening as the car shuddered before stopping. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning silently as the driver opened the door, chuckling softly. “Do you require aid, Miss Twilight?” She blushed softly, and offered her hoof. He gently lowered her down to the pavement and smiled brightly at her. His wings twitched softly as she smiled back.
“Thank you, sir. It was very kind of you to drive me to Canterlot all the way through all that traffic.” The driver shook his head as he closed her door.
“It really wasn't a problem. It was an honor on my part to drive you to the palace…I know you’ll make us proud Miss Twilight. You've always done Equestria well!” Twilight blushed a bit more, bowing her head.
“I’ll try not to disappoint. I apologize, but I must meet with the princess.”
“I understand. Be safe and good luck!” He climbed back into the taxi, and Twilight watched it chug away back into the busy streets of Canterlot before entering the castle. Two guards nodded at her appearance, and she nodded back, following the route towards the throne room of the two princesses’. She bit her lip nervously; the thoughts which had been driven back by sleep had come back to plague her mind.
“What if I’m not ready,” she sighed, endless amount of worrying thoughts crossing her mind as she approached the doorway, now in sight. She shook her head, and lifted her head. She had saved Equestria several times, and was one of the most powerful Unicorn in modern history, and had spent countless nights researching every topic she could possibly need for the job. She was ready! That mindset ran through her mind and empowered her confidence, so when the guards opened the door way for her, she stood proud and tall, an aura of extreme confidence exuding from her body.
Which was then crushed by the glares of a dozen Pegasi and Unicorns in the room.
“Twilight Sparkle,” one of them sniffed, his head held higher than what Twilight thought necessary.
“Enough,” Luna growled, cowing the old Unicorn. “She is here and you will all accept it.” The group grumbled, but didn't speak a word. Twilight looked away from the old Pegasi and Unicorns and smiled softly at Celestia, who had risen. A warm glow enveloped Twilight as she felt her teacher look upon her.
“I’m glad you could make it here so quickly, Twilight. We have much to plan.” Twilight walked up to her, nodding. “I agree, we only have a month until the Grand Opening!”
“So we are questioning why you have introduced a new member so late,” the same Unicorn who had spoken up muttered darkly.
“Shut up Sullivan. No one cares if you were punted to adviser. She doesn't look as incompetent as you've made her out to be. She looks like she’ll add a flair that the fair needs.”
“My building was grand and new! Better than anything that amateur can design!”
“It was ugly and an atrocity,” he retorted, silencing Sullivan for a moment.
“Thank you, Burnham,” Celestia emphasis on her words guaranteed they were all quiet. “Now, you all know your places. The land has finished construction, and your buildings have already been designed. You will start construction today.”
“You will have all the resources you need. Report anything you require to a guardsman, and you will have it as quickly as we can procure it. Now everypony besides Olmstead. Get out,” Luna ordered. They trotted out, each one discussing their plans excitedly except Sullivan, who looked back with snort before the gates slammed in his face.
“What’s his problem,” Twilight wondered aloud, causing all three of them to sigh.
“Scraper Sullivan. He’s the architect who designed all the Cloudscrapers in Manehattan, Baltimare, and New Pegasus. We invited him here, but…he doesn't have the look we are looking for. We demoted him for you Twilight, and he hasn't been happy about it.” Celestia sat back down. Tapping her hoof against her throne, her tired face showing how much stress she had been going through recently. She even looked more tired than Luna, who was staying up far later than usual.
“Princess,” Olmstead asked, shifting his eyes between the two of them.
“Olmstead, if you would be so kind to show Twilight what you've done? We've already cleared a space for the building she sent in but we want her to see what you've done. And who knows, maybe she could improve on it.” Olmstead snorted in good humor and nodded.
“I’ll do it. Though I’d have to doubt that she could improve upon my designs for they are near flawless, as I have assured you time and time again.”
“Pride will lead you to dark places, Olmstead. Remember that,” Luna cautioned before turning to Twilight. “Please follow Mr. Olmstead. He’ll be your guide for the grounds. Work hard,” Luna ordered, waving the two away.
“And have fun,” Celestia said warmly, smiling brightly at the two of them.
“We will. Thank you Princesses,” Twilight replied as the two walked away, escorted by several guardsmen. Twilight looked over, getting a better look at Olmstead now that she wasn't distracted by the two ruling bodies of Equestria. He was clearly an old Unicorn, with a dusty brown mane with streaks of gray streaming through his cropped mane, and thick bags under his eyes. A nice pressed gray suit covered his body, as was common in Canterlot nowadays. But even with age haunting him, he still exuded an experienced aura about him. He clearly knew what he was doing.
“So, Mr. Olmstead, what do you do?”
“Me? Why Twilight, as a scholar I’m surprised you've not heard of me.”
“A little pretentious, don’t you think,” Twilight quipped, before covering her mouth with a bright blush. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m just used to being around the snobs of Canterlot…Not that I’m implying you are one! Because that would be-“Olmstead laughed, placing a hoof on her shoulder, stopping the walk for moment until Twilight had calmed down enough to breathe properly.
“It’s alright, I understand. I don’t like to consider myself as part of the nobility, but I've designed many things that you've probably seen before. The Canterlot Gardens, new parts of Cloudsdale, Left Park in Manehattan, and the list goes on.” Twilight blinked rapidly, her eyes wide.
“You designed all of those things? But…I thought you were an architect?”
“A landscape architect, Twilight Sparkle. I design the land to make it as lovely to the pony eye as can be. And I dare say I've been quite successful in that endeavor. But this…this is my masterpiece. I hope that this project will be the one I’m remembered for once Celestia takes me.” They had already walked from the palace, with Olmstead having guided them to the very edge of Canterlot. Twilight looked around, and even looked down, but saw nothing.
“Mr. Olmstead?”
“Wrong way, Twilight,” He chuckled, pointing up. Twilight shifted her eyesight up, her mouth wide open. What she thought was a huge cloud cover was actually the grounds of the most magnificent fair ever to be designed by the pony race. Streams of Rainbows arched off the edge of the cloud landscape that hung right above her. It could have almost been mistaken for Cloudsdale, but there was something thick about the clouds. Something that perfectly represented the new and improved feelings of the new age in Equestria, like the clouds themselves believed that they were better than any other cloud. And it wasn't just the clouds themselves. Instead of the familiar look of cloud buildings on top, they sagged as workers finished construction of wooden and steel buildings, and even more ponies streaming over a bridge that connected the mysterious land to Canterlot.
“Mr. Olmstead…What is this?”
“The impossible, Twilight Sparkle. There was nowhere in Equestria that could have held what we needed to impress the Gryphon King. So I've created a place. I've named it…The Magic City. And that is the place we will hold the first Equestrian Trade Exposition.”
“I hope you rot, ‘detective’!” the mare screamed behind her as she stormed out of a small building.
The building was cheap, made of bland concrete, and without a single window. Nothing, but a small, wood door decorated the exterior. The fact that somepony once called the door a decoration spoke to how drab the place was.
But the ponies inside didn’t share that dullness. Only a ‘colourful’ stallion pegasus would chase a screaming mare out of the door and throw a giant file at her. He chucked it square at the back of her head and dropped her to the ground.
“There’s all your stuff. Lord, am I glad to get rid of you! So blind you couldn’t find a bloody knife in the Royal Throne Room! Get out of here you useless rut!” he shouted after her.
The mare cursed, picking up the hefty file and galloping away. She didn’t stop screaming vulgarities until she was clear out of earshot. The pegasus smirked.
A unicorn cantered up behind him and sighed.
“That’s the third one this week. You really need to stop abusing your assistants.”
“I can’t offer critique on my own assistant now? What has the world come to?”
“You called her a boring, blind, terrible, disgrace of a detective who couldn’t find a needle in a needle factory,” he scratched his chin. “Oh, I forgot. Then you looked at her findings, spat on them, ripped them to pieces and threw them at her.” He raised his eyebrow and poked him. “That isn’t critique.
“They didn’t offer anything! We knew it all already! Ponies are vanishing left and right and we are left in the dust every single time. I don’t understand it,” he growled.
“Now isn’t the time to think about that. You got a meeting with the Princess’ today, remember?”
“Of course I do!” he said combing his blonde mane over in a sheen. “Drat, I need another assistant or Celestia will give me another speech on how important friendship is…I’ll see you later! Clean up the office will you? The CI:7 can’t work in a dump!” The pegasus shook his mane and scanned the skies before taking off.
“Damn you Façade! You make everything a mess in there!” the unicorn said, shaking his hoof at him.
Façade just laughed. As he flew towards the palace he scanned the ground for anything remotely interesting. He quickly found it in the form of a teenage dragon wandering the streets of Canterlot. His purple scales shimmered in the bright daylight, his scales slumped slightly as he kicked at rocks and cans in his way, bumping into ponies repeatedly. “Well, well…I better check this out,” he muttered. Suddenly this dragon was far more important that some silly meeting with the princess. He floated down in front of the dragon and stuck out his hoofs.
“Why hello there!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike was having a bad day. After Twilight left him to unpack in the apartment, alone she apologized for leaving him, but insisted, ‘The invitation strictly called for me Spike and I can’t bring a guest along! Think of the chaos!’. After unpacking the loads of books and materials that his friend had brought along, he sat around and waited for her to return.
Soon he grew tired of that and left the apartment only to find that Canterlot wasn’t a ‘dragon’s’ city. He had no bits and everypony kept giving him nasty looks. And now this Pegasus landed in front of him, bothering him with friendly greetings. This day could not possibly get any worse.
“What do you want?” Spike grumbled. “I’ve got things to do.”
“It seems so. That’s why you’ve been walking around Canterlot aimlessly for a while,” Façade commented casually.
“What? How do you know that? Have you been watching me?”
He snorted and rolled his eyes.
“Oh please, I would never stoop to stalking someone! How droll. No, there is a light coating of ash on your scales which means you’ve been to the east side of Canterlot, but you haven’t coughed once since I’ve been talking to you so that means you didn’t stay long. You smell distinctly of perfume which means you’ve been recently walking through the crowded streets of west side Canterlot for a bit. You don’t have the decency to dress yourself nor do you seem to stick your head up everywhere you go, so you can’t have been here too long. That means you’ve been up to nothing besides walking around!”
Spike’s eyes twitched and as he contemplated his counter, but inevitably fell right into Façade’s trap.
“And what if I have a lot of business around all of Canterlot and you are impeding my ability to get to where I need to be?”
He smiled sweetly before launching into another explanation.
“Also impossible, for your hands are evenly coated with ash as the rest of your body. That means you can’t have handled anything in the east side of Canterlot. The fact that you didn’t do anything in the east side makes it obvious you aren’t doing anything over here, for nopony wastes time in Canterlot!...Well anypony that isn’t any fun. Now, how was that?” He smiled smugly at the taller dragon.
Spike narrowed his eyes skeptically at the pegasus. He wasn’t sure what to make of a pony whose observational skills surpassed that of his OCD caretaker.
“Alright…you have my attention. What do you want?”
“I need an assistant! And by that distinct, darkened area on the tip of your claws, I’d assume you write a lot! Your eyes should be sharp and I bet since your scales shine quite well, even underneath that coating of dust which means that you scrub them vigorously, so I've come to the conclusion either you or someone you live with is a little OCD!”
“Which means you’ll be able to spot oddities in this perfectly normal city.” He stuck out his hoof and wrapped it around Spike’s arm, taking took him on a stroll towards the castle. “You’ll love your new job! Better than the eight who came before you for sure!”
“Whoa! I can’t just go running off! I have things to do!”
“I thought we already established that you don’t,” He said exasperated.
“Well…”
“Fine, I have one more trick to show you.” The pegasus stopped and turned around, looking deep into Spike’s eyes. In a moment he began to speak and Spike’s world stopped.
The voice that flowed out of his mouth was one of a god that not even Celestia’s voice could compare to. It was beyond his level of comprehension, the musical and magical voice that was directed towards him. He couldn’t resist the single command that it spoke over and over. He needed to do this. It was his destiny. He had to go to the Canterlot Palace with this Pegasus. Façade looked over the dragon to make sure he was properly hypnotized and smiled.
“Well excellent! My new assistant! My name’s Façade! I’ll learn your’s once you snap out of it,” he chuckled in good spirit as they waltzed along towards the palace with his new, drooling assistant wandering after him.
This truly wasn’t a good day for Spike. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He walked into the Throne Room, smiling cheerfully at the two princesses’. Only Celestia returned his deposition. “Hello, Princesses. You called?” he chimed. Spike slowly dragged himself in behind Façade.
“About twenty minutes ago...” Luna murmured, glaring at Facade before spotting Spike. She blinked and turned to Celestia. “Sister?”
“I’ll get to it…So Façade…Why do you have Twilight Sparkle’s dragon hypnotized and following you around?”
Façade laughed and poked Spike.
"Is that his name? Well, he's following me because I need a new assistant, and I've found him to be worthy."
“Then I shall ask Twilight for her permission to borrow Spike for now. Now, is there anything new on the case? Have you figured anything out at all?” Celestia asked, guiltily eyeing Spike as she thrusted him into being the assistant of Facade.
Façade sighed and shook his head, his smile replaced with a grimace.
“No. I’ve not found a single thing. I can’t find any evidence pointing to anything… But it would help if you started trusting me and gave me a first look at the scene. I can’t find the small traces if the Royal Guard have stomped out every single piece!”
Luna growled and slammed her hoof on the throne.
“Trust you? You’ve done nothing but demand more and more from us! And for what? Nothing. Ponies keep vanishing and ponies are starting to panic,” Luna rose and approached Façade. He stood his ground though. “What are you doing that is keeping our ponies safe from harm?”
“Everything I can,” he responded simply. “I took this job because I care for everypony. And I will capture this fiend in any way I can. But this pony is smart. He covers his tracks well. You must believe in me Princess Luna. Without your help I can’t win this battle. I need your trust.”
“What have you done to earn it?” she demanded.
“I volunteered for this job. I swore the oath didn’t I? To serve the Throne whenever I am called upon. Here I am now.”
Luna sighed and backed away from him as Celestia rose, walking to her sister’s side. “We do trust you Façade. We are understandably distraught about the disappearances, but I have full faith you will be able to do something about them.” Both Façade and Luna nodded their heads. Meanwhile Spike’s drool had nearly covered his entire chin.
“Now, we’ve received news that another pony has been kidnapped,” Celestia began to explain. “Same thing as before. Mare, no children, married and young. A butler reported her missing after she didn’t return to the home after three days.”
Luna picked up her sister’s train of thought seamlessly. “The husband is on a business trip in Baltimare. The Royal Guard has not been mobilized so you have a good thirty minutes before they arrive. We can’t hold them too long before the public thinks we are getting slow. Go now, and please don’t forget we are counting on you Façade.”
“Of course Princess…So, I can keep Spike?” A small smile returned as he waved his hoof in front of Spike, jerking him awake.
“Where am I…Celestia? Luna!? What-”
“Relax Spike. We’ve just been assigned a job! Isn’t that great?” Façade elbowed his new partner as he stared dumbstruck at the two sheepish princesses.
“Façade is a good pony. And you two are going to help Equestria. I wish you two the best of luck,” Celestia said quickly before pushing them out of the throne room with magic. Spike’s eyes twitched as Façade chuckled.
“Well, partner, shall we get to the crime site?” Façade walked down towards the entrance with Spike following after him.
“Why in Celestia’s name am I following you?”
“That my friend, I can’t answer for you. Perhaps we will figure that out later. But for now we need to get to the crime scene quickly. You can fly right?” he asked turning around as they exited the Palace.
“Sure. Learned a few months ago,” Spike answered, unfolding his wings. They were tinted a shade of purple, and unfolded into a nice length. Façade nodded and unfolded his own wings. The two took off together and flew off. After a few moments Spike turned to Façade. “Where are we going?”
“Excellent question. I have no idea,” He chuckled and scanned the region. “If I were to guess it would be where a good amount of ponies are gathered…Ah! That gigantic mansion!”
“Which one?”
“The horribly ugly pink one.”
“…Ew.”
“Indeed. Now let’s go through the back. Don’t want everypony thinking the mansion is open,” Façade explained as he leaned forward, landing neatly in the backyard of the mansion. Spike landed next to him and together they walked up to the door. It hung slightly open. Façade and Spike looked at each other before the dragon pushed it open.
“Odd…You’d think somepony would lock their back doors,” Spike mentioned as he walked in. Façade followed, looking at the doorway for a moment before nodding. He and Spike wandered around the large mansion, taking note of anything that looked odd or out of place. However it all looked pristine and perfectly in order without evidence of a struggle or conflict, as if the mare had simply walked out with the kidnapper. “Are all the crime scenes like this? It looked like she never existed…”
“Yes…But perhaps we will find more upstairs.” He walked up stairs and scouted around until he found the missing mare’s room. He found that it was also unlocked, and opened the door, entering the room. It looked quite normal, for an enormous mono-pink mansion. Everything was in order as it should be, ugly pink walls and slightly messy pink sheets, yet something was off.
A blue vase with a single rose sat on a nearby counter. He raised his eyebrow before Spike followed him inside. Spike caught on the moment he saw the room.
“That vase doesn’t fit the color scheme of the room.”
“Right Spike, this mare seemed obsessed with pink yet a blue vase sits before us. A gift then,” he deduced. “From somepony who has never seen the room...She is married and young…Clever, little twit she was. She has a suitor.”
“How can you tell from just a single vase?”
“It’s not just the vase. The door in the back. She may have opened it when he came in the back and didn’t close it completely. And look around the house. It looks like it has never even been lived in. Like she cleaned up the house so much to look like nothing has gone wrong.”
“Could have been the butler,” Spike commented. “The butler lived here for three days before he reported anything.”
“Perfectly true Spike, but then why are the sheets here still messy? Unlikely the butler slept in here. Most likely the butler took three days off before getting worried.” Façade hoofed the ground in thought and continued on. “It makes sense. All the other victims were young and married and most likely the kidnapper tricked them into thinking he was their suitor. Easy way to get into a girl’s trust and the mare would make sure he would never be spotted. He probably took her out of the house on a date and that’s when he took her!”
“Wow…you’re like those ponies you read in the detective novels…” Spike whispered in a small amount of awe.
“Thank you Spike, I always enjoy compliments. However, this doesn’t offer too much. She would have made sure nopony spotted her with him and that neither of them would leave behind any evidence about where they were headed…” Façade frowned as he paced the carpet, before he spotted something odd. “Spike, is that a hoofprint?”
Spike looked over and nodded.
“A large one. He was probably waiting for her to freshen up and stood here for a while. Rarity makes me do that all the time.”
“But then…why is there a smaller hoofprint behind it? And a medium sized one next to it? And…a gryphon’s foot there…” Façade murmured as he looked down.
“I think you are looking at it wrong Façade. That isn’t possible; they would only be standing on one leg because those are the only set of prints around,” Spike said scratching his head in confusion.
“No…I’ve been looking at hoofprints for a long time Spike. I’m not mistaken.”
“But…that would mean…”
“Yes. This pony has different hooves…On each leg.” Spike grew a little green and shivered as Discord flashed into his mind. But he was in stone…
“What are we dealing with here?” Spike whispered.
“Something I’ve never seen before,” Façade replied quietly.
“Can we go in?” Twilight asked excitedly, her eyes shining as she stared at the floating city above her. Large wooden and steel constructs rose into the air, looking impressive even with the distance.
“Of course Twilight, it is why I brought you here.” He nodded his head at a large building, near the edge of Canterlot. Twilight wasn’t surprised she had missed it; it quite small compared to the large construct that hovered in the air, though it was still a good size.
“What’s in it?” She walked to the door with Olmstead. He took out a key, unlocked the door, pushed it in, and allowed Twilight to enter first.
“The first challenge we met when we discussed the Magic City was, of course, getting Unicorns and Earth Ponies up there. We figured teleportation would be the easiest to use and stop any major traffic jams from forming as it is instant. We had some Earth Ponies and Unicorns collaborate and after a few months…the Teleporter.” He gestured to several dozen long tubes that lined the steel gray walls, crackling softly with magical energy.
“What?” Twilight breathed, running up to one and stroking the tube. “But how? So few know how to teleport…how did you get this to even function?”
“Simple, really. Teleportation by a Unicorn only requires a large surge of energy, and a place to go. We can pool together energy now instead of just relying on one Unicorn to do the trick. All they have to do is think of the fair entrance, and the magic reacts!”
“Wow! That’s amazing! And we can use it now?”
“Of course, Twilight. But be warned; don’t use it when the exit tube is turned off. They are magically attuned so they will only come out of one area. If that tube is shut off you’ll be trapped as magical energy forever…but besides that, perfectly safe.” Olmstead laughed at his little humor, though Twilight found it a little more morbid than funny.
She breathed in as she slowly stepped inside the tube. She shivered as she felt the swirling primal magic surround her. For her entire life, all the magic around was always controlled to some extent by some Unicorn or Alicorn. But now, she could feel uncontrolled magic fill her…it was almost frightening. But Olmstead seemed ignorant of her discomfort, taking it for confusion.
“Just think about the fair and you should just teleport there!” he called out loudly.
Twilight nodded at him and closed her eyes, the image she had seen of the fair floating in her head. She suddenly gasped as the magic gripped her, and she felt like she was being flung forward, then backward, then side to side. It was worse than when she did herself, she concluded as she held back her vomit. But finally, it stopped and she stumbled out, feeling a quite ill. A little noise sounded the arrival of Olmstead, who stepped out fine.
“Ugh…that was a bit…much,” Twilight groaned, stumbling over to a small bench to lie down on. She moaned happily as she found the sickness vanished after a few moments.
Olmstead walked over, smiling apologetically. “My apologies, Twilight. We know the twisting and twirling certainly is headache inducing, but it vanishes after a few moments.”
Twilight nodded, rubbing her head as she got up. "Glad to hear, would be a shame if the headache lasted long enough to ruin the fair experience,” she mentioned as Olmstead walked towards the close door, unlocking it.
“I’d have to agree…although I believe the headache would go away regardless once you catch a look at the view.” He opened up the door, and Twilight's eyes widened again as she took in the view. A massive golden bridge connected them to the Magic City. It sparkled gloriously in the sunlight, an arch right over the end of the bridge, with two statues of the Princess’s holding the arch up, famous symbols of every major city in Equestria lining the top.
“By Celestia, this is glorious! Is this actual gold Mr. Olmstead?” Twilight asked, gently hoofing the bridge.
“Oh yes, all of it is real. Took ages to find it all. Luckily, plenty of it was donated by the Equestrian nobility,” he said as he walked across the bridge, Twilight following. “Not enough though. We had many mining teams scouring Equestria, but taxes had to be raised to fund them all. It was a burden, but we got it through.”
At the mention of taxes she turned towards the older pony, with a discontent frown. “This was what those taxes were for? Did you have to raise it so much for mining teams? I saw a few friends go through hard times to pay those,” Twilight asked.
Olmstead just shrugged. “They will recover, I’m sure. The taxes are already on their way to being abolished now that we are done. Do not fret, Twilight Sparkle. We know what we are doing,” Olmstead assured her as they crossed through the shining white arc.
Twilight stumbled, almost bumping into several construction ponies. She didn’t know how she missed them, and she apologized profusely as she got a good look at an actual building. It was massive, easily dwarfing any building in Canterlot besides the palace itself. What it was showcasing was obvious enough to her, with the sleek modern design of the building, and the large magical conductors crackling softly next to the entrance of the building.
“The Hall of Technology,” she murmured to herself, impressed with just the facade of the building. However, as she stood there she began to cause a small traffic jam. Olmstead gently nudged her with his tail, motioning her to follow him as he masterfully weaved in and out of the crowd of workers, nodding his head and smiling at few, and calling out greetings by name wherever he went, all the while never stepping on any ponies hooves as he guided her out of the crowd towards the administration’s office.
“Once again, my apologies Twilight for all that mess. We are a little bit behind schedule, so we’ve had to hire a little more help to make sure everything is done.”
“We’re behind schedule? Why is that? By how much,” she pressed; concerned that anything could be behind schedule.
“Not too much I promise,” he reassured. “It was just the addition of your building that caught us off guard. Magnificent and grand, it will certainly take a lot of work to finish it within a month. Hopefully we will be able to finish it quickly with all the other buildings almost finished.” He fished out the keys from his pocket again, and unlocked the door to the building, letting Twilight enter first before shutting, and locking the door. The inside was decorated like a manor, paintings and statues scattered in the main hall, with red velvet carpets and rugs strewn around the room. “This is…quite extravagant,” Twilight murmured.
“Well we couldn’t expect ourselves to work without a little comfort.” he retorted a little harshly, sensing the veiled insult, before sighing. “But it really isn’t. Most of these things were donations from higher families we had no space in the real fair for. So we stuffed them in here to make sure they didn’t get offended and draw back their support.” Twilight blushed softly.
“My apologies Mr. Olmstead,” she conceded, lowering her head.
Olmstead gently raised her head up with his hoof and chuckled. “It’s not a problem. I can assure you, I’ve done as much as I can to keep cost low.” Twilight brightened a little at hearing that, and they moved upstairs and into an office. It was small and cozy, with a large diorama of the fair, with a detailed map to go along with it. Detailed plans were scattered all over the table, with hers at the forefront; notes scribbled all over the large scroll. “Now, Twilight, I’m afraid I have to leave you for I need to clear up some things with a few ponies, so I need to leave you here for an hour or so. Study the map and the location of your building, and if you wish you may go visit your building site to see how it is going, but please be back before two hours pass.”
Twilight bowed her head and smiled at him. “Of course. Thank you so much for showing me around Mr. Olmstead. I can’t wait to see the rest of the fair with you.”
He smiled and cantered over to give her a quick hug. “You’re very welcome Twilight. I’ll be back soon.”
He walked out and gently closed the door, leaving Twilight alone. She sighed loudly, visibly relaxing and stretching her legs from keeping them straight and regal looking. But once her eyes caught the map she eagerly rushed in, taking in all the detail. The fair was even more massive than she could have possibly imagined, with huge buildings showing off the best Equestria had to offer around the edges of the fair and tiny buildings showcasing countless other things in the center. As she scanned for her own, she gave an excited giggle as she saw her own building was in the center, showcasing her greatest talent, magic. She pondered for a moment why her building was put in the center… she supposed it could be to make it clear to the gryphons the ponies had something over them…she snorted and rolled her eyes. That was to cold, even for somepony like Sullivan. However, as she rolled her eyes, a little marking caught her eye. Next to her building was a particularly large building circled in red. She squinted and slowly read out the writing next to it.
“Changeling Massage Parlor…” she lifted her head up; blinking for a few moments before looking down and reading it again, her eye twitching.
