Sweetie Belle glanced out the window of the schoolhouse. Her gaze was met with the flash of a camera carried by a pegasus who was watching her from outside the building.
She turned her eyes back to Cheerilee. The teacher droned on about some event in history, but she was too distracted to really listen to the lecture.
Ever since that first article was published in the Ponyville Gazette, they had been hounded by an ever increasing number of press ponies. Ditching them was becoming a huge hassle.
Their presence was bad enough that her parents had decided that it would be better that she stayed at Carousel Boutique rather than at their home for a while. Rarity was closer to her than ever, but each day together just added to that feeling that she had to do something special for her sister.
It was very good that Apple Bloom's cloud house was functional and offered many ways of entry for them. She didn't want to contemplate what would have happened if Scootaloo didn't have access to it during this time.
If they had to move that house out of town, it would be much worse for them all. Just yesterday Apple Bloom had told her of Applejack's failure to convince the mayor to allow her to keep the cloud house. The building committee meeting was looming closer.
She spun her pencil in the air a couple of times and then tried to listen to Cheerilee.
-----
The school bell rang and the fillies and colts started to file out of Cheerilee's classroom.
The crusaders looked at each other then back to their teacher. They collectively sighed and and started to work their way toward the exit.
They emerged to the flashing of cameras and flew east toward Ponyville. With the pegasi in pursuit, they approached the town library. Just before they reached it, they took a sharp turn to the right.
One pegasus crashed into the tree while the others veered off giving the crusaders a greater lead. They crossed over to Sweet Apple Acres and approached their clubhouse then tacked upwards.
The crusaders made a soft landing onto one of the balconies of Apple Bloom's cloud house. Sweetie Belle's horn glowed a soft blue, and the following pegasi bounced off a blue bubble that became visible each time one flew into it.
They turned and stared at the paparazzi pegasi.
"What are your thoughts on fish in the diet of ponies?" said one.
"Don't you consider architecture as beneath the role of a princess?" asked another.
They started to walk into the cloud house when a third pegasus asked in a much quieter voice, "how does it feel to be representing Equestria in the talks with the griffons?"
They slowed visibly and Scootaloo turned her head to get a look at the one who asked that question. Her horn glowed an ominous red color, and the pegasus vanished with a resounding bang leaving only a small gout of smoke behind in his wake.
The other pegasi went suddenly quiet as the trio of alicorns walked deeper into the cloud house.
Sitting comfortably on a couch in the living area was a slightly singed but seemingly unphased grey pegasus.
"Sorry about that; I am not as good as my fellow crusaders at teleportation, but Sweetie Belle was busy and it makes a larger impression if I cast it than Apple Bloom," started Scootaloo. "Were you serious about that comment about the griffons?"
"I've been through worse to get a story. I am Keen Exclusive with the Cloudsdale Breeze, and I believe I can help you quite a bit in exchange for an interview."
Apple Bloom stared apprehensively, while Sweetie Belle walked into the kitchen, and Scootaloo considered the idea.
Sweetie Belle returned with some bottles of apple juice, passing one to each pony, then sat on a cushion. "You haven't exactly been making our lives easy you know. How can we trust anything you have to say?"
Keen Exclusive sighed. "I am not like most of the other ponies slamming against your barrier, which is a fine piece of work by the way. I do my research and look for the deeper story. I try to form a relationship with ponies in the hope that they will come to me when stories need to be chronicled, and am frankly getting way too old to crash into barriers."
Keen Exclusive paused for a moment as he scanned the three alicorns. He shook his head a couple of times before looking directly at Scootaloo. "Yes, I was very serious about your role in the upcoming griffon summit."
"And how do you know this?" asked Scootaloo.
He raised a wing to his nose for a second and replied, "I have well placed sources in the Griffon Empire. King Piercing Crest requested you specifically, and the diarchs have no grounds on which to refuse that request."
"That explains a few of the books that were on your reading list but not ours," said Sweetie Belle to Scootaloo.
"We are never told anything," replied Scootaloo. She turned to Keen Exclusive, "please do not betray our trust with this. We know firsthoof how stories can be twisted."
"Gabby Gums for example," replied Keen to collective gasps by the crusaders. "Yes, I do my homework."
"What do you want from us?" asked Apple Bloom.
Keen peered into Apple Bloom. "Stated simply, I want to know what kind of ponies you are."
For a long time, all three alicorns simply stared. Apple Bloom was mouthing the question over and over to herself, while Scootaloo was as still as a statue. Sweetie Belle looked pensively at her cushion.
Scootaloo blurted out a reply. "I really haven't thought about it in that way. Ouch, a math test would be easier."
"A simple farm filly with wings and a horn who is still looking for her cutie mark?" attempted Apple Bloom.
"I mainly just want to be cool like Rainbow Dash and never leave any pony hanging," added Scootaloo.
Keen looked over at Sweetie Belle, "and you?"
"I just want to be worthy of being Rarity's sister," replied Sweetie Belle.
"I believe you," replied Keen Exclusive. "Now, if we are going to fix your little public relations nightmare, I am going to need to know everything."
He opened his saddlebag and pulled out a wooden box. He placed it on the center table and opened the lid revealing an odd device which looked like it held two movie projector reels. He pushed the lever to the right and the wheels started to turn, then he sat back on the couch and said, "Okay, from the top. Leave nothing out."
The crusaders regaled him with their tale. They started with Discord, then Celestia's attempt to get them to allow her to turn them back into normal ponies, and ended with Apple Bloom's troubles with her cloud house. The only noticeable thing that was left out was Sweetie Belle's failed attempt to enchant Rarity's dress line.
"It looks like you have had quite the couple of weeks," started Keen. "The only real mistakes I have seen were the meat eating at Olov's and the tour trip to Cloudsdale itself. This actually merits some congratulations. The former we will have to go with. You said you had heard that famous flyers had eaten fish. This is certainly a fact, although most do not. The latter should blow over so long as no other ponies are endangered by your actions."
"You are also probably closer to Luna than any pony I know of and that is quite the feat. The right article could help her public image as well. The plan is going to be a long story piece for tomorrow followed by two shorter stories a few days later. Once the other reporters see I am handling you, most of them will back off at least with regard to asking you questions. This won't stop them from trying to get juicy photos though if you give them the chance."
"Now as for your specific problems, Scootaloo, I strongly advise you to find out as much information as you can about the current affairs between our two nations. Piercing Crest is a formidable adversary."
"Apple Bloom, yours is the easier issue even if you do not think so now. You aren't going to win based on facts. If you want to actually have your cloud house it is going to rest solely on the ponies on that comprise the board. Find out as much about them as you can and go in prepared."
He slid the lever on the recorder to neutral, and placed it back into its box then into his saddlebag.
"It was nice meeting you. When you need me again, feel free to contact me courtesy of the Breeze."
With that he gave a slight nod of his head and trotted down the hallway from which the crusaders had entered. Moments later Sweetie Belle felt a small magical pressure when he passed through the barrier.
"Well, he's gone," stated Sweetie Belle. "Do you really think we could trust him?"
"I don't see that we had much of a choice," replied Scootaloo. "Besides, he was quite helpful already, and if he can do even part of what he thinks he can... I would really feel better with fewer ponies watching me all the time."
"I trust him," stated Apple Bloom simply. "Was there anything that led you to believe we couldn't?"
"I just didn't like how he stared at me at times when we were telling our stories," replied Sweetie Belle. "Maybe it was just my imagination."
She continued after a pause, "if any pony would know who is on the committee, it would be my sister."
"Applejack could know," added Apple Bloom.
"Okay, we'll distract the cameras and head over to the farm," said Scootaloo. "Meet us there after you find out what you can from Rarity."
They said in unison but with a bit less verve than usual, "Cutie Mark Crusader information gatherers is a go."
-----
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walked up to the edge of the barrier then around the outside of the cloud house. They watched as most of the paparazzi followed them. As a pair they passed through the barrier and dropped down to the ground. They ignored the path and instead weaved their way through the trees. They kept their ears pointed backwards as they listened to the sounds of the following pegasi thrashing through the orchard.
When they reached the treeline, Scootaloo took deftly to the air, banking in a well coordinated semi-circle to the entrance of the Apple homestead. Apple Bloom followed a little behind her. Scootaloo opened the door and the pair entered, rapidly closing it behind them.
They removed their saddlebags and placed them carefully out of the way. The smell of cooking vegetables was thick in the air, so they made their way through the house to the kitchen.
They passed through the doorway and saw Granny Smith stirring a large pot full of thick stew.
"Howdy youngins," said Granny Smith. "We expecting extras for supper?"
"Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, if it's all right?" asked Apple Bloom.
"There's plenty of stew," replied Granny Smith.
Granny Smith extinguished the stove and eyed the pair.
"Would you like us to bring in the soup?" asked Scootaloo.
"That would be a help," replied Granny Smith.
They went to get mitts to carry the pot but Granny Smith stopped them. "Go ahead and do the floaty thing."
"But Applejack?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Do you see Applejack?" replied Granny Smith. "Besides, we aren't eating we're setting."
Apple Bloom paused for a moment then deftly levitated the heavy pot onto the very center of the table. She then moved six bowls into their proper positions.
Granny Smith walked out onto the front porch and rang the dinner bell.
The ponies took their places at the table and waited.
Big Mac walked into the room, then over to Apple Bloom. He pivoted so that he faced away from her. She split his yoke at the seam between the pins and passed it back to Mac. He hung the yoke on the wall and took his place at the table.
Applejack entered and took the spot at the head of the table to the opposite side from Granny Smith. She bowed her head and said, "we give thanks to the earth and the hard work and love that goes into helping it provide us with its bounty."
After a moment the ponies served themselves. When every pony's plate was full, they began to eat.
"I have good news for you," started Applejack. "Aunt and Uncle Orange have agreed to a visit for the weekend for you and your friends. You can get out of Ponyville for a while."
"And see Babs!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.
"And the Manehatten CMC," added Scootaloo.
"Yep, it will give you something to take your mind off the committee decision whichever way it goes," added Applejack.
"About that sis, would you happen to know any ponies on the committee?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Why do you want to know that?" asked Applejack.
"Well, maybe we can convince them to take our side with the cloud house," replied Apple Bloom.
"That's a right devious way to go about this, but I do know one pony on the committee you will be going before," said Applejack. "But I doubt it will be of any use to you. Golden Harvest is going to be a vote against your house I'm afraid."
"And if you did change her mind, she would recuse herself from the decision," added Big Mac.
"Recuse?" asked Scootaloo.
"It means that she couldn't vote on the issue," added Applejack. "You shouldn't have direct contact with the members before their decision."
Apple Bloom frowned and went back to eating her stew.
-----
Sweetie Belle quietly walked toward a side room and watched her friends as they strode out the front door. She counted to fifty then visualized the far side of the small stream that wrapped around much of Ponyville. Her horn glowed softly as she carefully teleported in complete silence.
She gathered herself for a moment, taking in the relaxing sounds of the stream as it flowed past her. A pair of sticks lazily floated by, caught in its soft currents. Feeling a bit parched, she took a drink of the cold clear water and let some trickle through her muzzle. She took a deep breath and started off towards the boutique.
The stream meandered around a bit, but made its way into Ponyville. With a single flap of her wings, she leaped across the stream and emerged out of the woodlands behind Carousel Boutique. She walked around the building and up to the door.
Rarity was showing off a selection of clothing to a nobly dressed unicorn stallion.
He turned towards Sweetie Belle at the sound of door opening then focused back on Rarity. "Yes, I can use eight of these as well."
Sweetie Belle closed the door and placed her saddlebags into a nearby cubby, then sat down in an adjacent room to be out of the way and to wait.
Rarity produced another selection of dresses. He looked over them a bit then shook his head. Rarity put those back and brought out another rack.
"All of this buying wearies one," stated the stallion. "You wouldn't happen to have a spot of tea?"
Rarity set the dresses aside. "It does doesn't it? I have the highest quality darjeeling available among other types if you prefer."
"That would be fine," stated the stallion.
Rarity left the showing room, smiled at Sweetie Belle, and then trotted up the stairs towards the kitchen.
Soon after Rarity vanished into the living area of the store, the stallion emerged. He bowed before Sweetie Belle and produced a blue velvet box. He opened the box revealing a perfect star sapphire set in platinum while saying, "Dearest Sweetie Belle, would you consent to give me your hoof in marriage?"
Sweetie Belle's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she said, "What?"
"You are being granted the opportunity to help lead the House of Burgundy, as my mare," said the stallion.
"I am twelve," mumbled Sweetie Belle.
"And you should be happy to know that we oppose the House of Blueblood on practically everything," added the stallion.
"Twelve," repeated Sweetie Belle with a little more volume.
"And having an alicorn as the right hand of the third most powerful house in Equestria, we would be able to oppose them on equal terms," continued the stallion.
"We have never met," replied Sweetie Belle.
"Sorry, I am Duke Russet," added the stallion. "I figured you would have known of me."
"Rarity!" called Sweetie Belle.
Rarity re-emerged into the room with a steaming hot kettle of tea and several fine ornamental tea cups.
"This gentlecolt just spent the last few minutes trying to explain why I should marry him," said Sweetie Belle.
The cups dropped halfway to the floor before Rarity caught them. Her smile slipped into a practiced neutral expression as she led Duke Russet outside her establishment.
She looked at the Duke straight into his eyes. "If I didn't care more about her future dealings with the nobility of Canterlot than my feelings at the moment, you would be bathing in hot tea right now. In the illusion of being civil I will say to you that she is clearly underage and there is no way her parents would ever give consent to such a marriage. I bid you leave."
She turned away from the Duke, facing her back to him before slowly walking back into her establishment and gently closing the door. She turned the sign to closed before pouring herself a cup of tea and sitting on her divan.
"You handled that admirably well," said Rarity.
"But why?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Some ponies just want to try to use marriage as a way of gaining titles or furthering their political goals," stated Rarity. "I learned the hard way that while a title is nice, some of the most boorish stallions are in the nobility. It shows just how much you are growing up that you were able to handle that without alienating him."
"So he was like Blueblood," pondered Sweetie Belle.
"Well I wouldn't say that," replied Rarity. "This one at least knew how to put up a front of knowing how to act. It probably makes him more troublesome though, if less grating than the prince of his own reflection. But if you mean he is accustomed to getting what he wants without care to others, then yes."
Rarity took a sip from her teacup and offered a cup to her sister. Sweetie Belle wrinkled up her nose at the offered beverage.
"You really ought to acquire a taste for tea," said Rarity. "It is about as social a drink as you will find and often loosens the tongues of your friends and adversaries."
"But it tastes like tree sap," replied Sweetie Belle.
"I wouldn't know that myself, but it is something you have to tolerate for a while before you like it," stated Rarity. "Then eventually it becomes a source of great enjoyment."
"Oh, you wouldn't happen to know any pony on the building committee?" asked Sweetie Belle. "We figured if we could know more about those ponies, we could tailor Apple Bloom's presentation to suit them."
Rarity's eyes twinkled at the statement. "That is an amazingly insightful approach, Sweetie Belle. Do I know anyone on the building committee?"
She thought for a long moment. "I do seem to remember some pony saying something like that during one of my business association meetings."
Rarity tilted her head askew and said softly, "Aloe was talking about her business expanding, and Bon-Bon chimed in... Yes, it was Bon-Bon. She is on the building committee."
"That is wonderful," chimed Sweetie Belle. "There's no way she would vote against Apple Bloom. I have to go tell the others. Thank you sis."
Sweetie Belle gave Rarity a quick hug and shot out the door.
"You're welcome," said Rarity to the empty room as she took another sip of tea.
-----
Sweetie Belle hummed a song while she pranced along the edge of Ponyville. She crossed the creek by air and then continued down the path toward the farm. The packed earth felt good on her hooves as the trees flew by.
She could see the farmstead in the distance. Several press pegasi launched themselves off the roof to intercept her. Her horn glowed a soft blue as she teleported herself just inside the door.
Sweetie Belle smelled cooked vegetables in the air and heard the sounds of ponies talking from deeper into the farmstead. She opened and closed the door to announce her presence and walked towards the noises.
She entered the dining room and took a glance at the table. She walked over to it and sat in the empty place, then she filled her bowl with stew and waited for a lull in the conversation.
"Bon-Bon is on the committee," said Sweetie Belle. "That assures us of a vote in our favor."
"That counters Golden Harvest," remarked Apple Bloom thoughtfully.
"Please take what we said about not bothering the members seriously," said Applejack. "Things will not go well for you if you don't."
"We'll talk about it later," said Scootaloo quietly to Sweetie Belle.
They went back to eating their stew. The conversation died for a bit then drifted into general farm stuff. They were too busy thinking of their next move to really listen.
Apple Bloom took the dirty dishes into the kitchen.
Granny Smith poured the last of the stew into a large jar and shoved it into the icebox. She returned with a plate of apple fritters.
After eating their desserts, the crusaders excused themselves and walked up the stairs to Apple Bloom's room.
"So much for talking to them about it," said Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle smirked. "We could talk to Lyra though."
"She probably knows all sorts of things about the committee," added Scootaloo. "And she plays her lyre in the park every evening."
"Of course we probably have the whole press corp outside," said Apple Bloom.
"The park isn't that far," replied Sweetie Belle.
"And it would throw them off the trail for the rest of the evening," replied Apple Bloom.
"We'll shoot for behind the bench she usually sits on in three two one," stated Sweetie Belle.
Their horns lit up in unison bathing the room in a virtual rainbow of color as they popped out of the farmhouse, appearing together in the park.
They walked around the bench and stood before Lyra.
Lyra set aside her instrument and addressed the crusaders. "What brings you to the park this fine evening?"
"The mayor ordered me to take down my cloud house," said Apple Bloom. "So we are appealing to the building committee."
"Red tape: that odious, sticky mess that restricts the insightful," said Lyra. "I always thought your house brought some variety to the town."
She picked up her lyre and strummed a chord with her magic. "Making things easier for ponies like you is much of why Bons joined the committee in the first place."
"Can you tell us anything about the other ponies on the committee?" asked Sweetie Belle.
She plucked one note on her lyre. "Golden Harvest grimly keeps to her traditions in a single-minded manner. I'm afraid you have no hope convincing her to your side."
She started into a complex set of notes. "Hard Hat is the third member of the committee. He is a master of detail. To convince him to allow your cloud house, you will have to very carefully relate why and how your house meets the building codes."
She set down her lyre. "I do not envy you your task."
"I am going to try," said Apple Bloom.
"Trying your best is all one can ever do," replied Lyra.
The crusaders thanked Lyra then walked a few paces into the park.
Apple Bloom sighed as she turned toward the Ponyville library. "It looks like I have some books to read."
Scootaloo intercepted her. "Do you want a bunch of books you don't understand along with a long winded speech on some scholarly aspect of the topic from Twilight, or do you want actually useful books from a cool librarian in the clouds?"
Apple Bloom regarded Scootaloo questioningly.
"I'll explain on the way to Cloudsdale," said Scootaloo.
The three alicorns took to the air. Scootaloo told the crusaders about her talk with Rainbow Dash that led to her seeing if the Cloudsdale librarian was indeed a unicorn. She went into their conversation about cutie marks, the librarian's special talent, and some of the other things they talked about during her visit. In what seemed like no time, they arrived at Cloudsdale.
They followed Scootaloo to the library itself. Apple Bloom paused for a second to admire the manticore sculptures then cantered to catch up to her companions. They walked past the shelves of books and up to the librarian.
Scootaloo introduced the other crusaders to Aqua Echo, then told her about Keen Exclusive and her looming role in the talks with the griffons. She ended by explaining the issues befalling Apple Bloom about the cloud house.
"You have been busy," said Aqua Echo. "Cloudsdale has quite a bit of information about the history of the Griffon Empire, but anything exploring the most recent issues between the two cultures would be in periodicals. We also have an extensive selection of books on cloud architecture but given your time constraints I'll bring a few books you might need."
She trotted off, and after some time returned with a stack of books and magazines. She gave a book on practical blueprinting and one on cloud architecture to Apple Bloom. All the rest went to Scootaloo.
The pair of alicorns took their books to nearby tables leaving Aqua alone with Sweetie Belle.
"Is there any book you would be looking for?" asked Aqua Echo.
"You wouldn't be able to find an answer to my problem in a book," replied Sweetie Belle.
"Try me," said Aqua Echo. "You might be surprised."
"Well, I have been looking for something truly special that I could do for my sister," started Sweetie Belle. "She's done so much for me, and anything I can think of doing just isn't enough."
Sweetie Belle started to become a bit uncomfortable under the lingering thoughtful gaze of the librarian. She was just about to say something when Aqua Echo spoke first.
"I think I have an idea on what to get," started the librarian. "It is only a hunch, but yes..."
She trotted deeper into the library and through a set of doors. A while later she returned with a book that was horribly faded with age.
"This book is from the restricted archives of the library and can not be removed from the premises. It was written over 1500 years ago and is only one of three copies known. Please be careful with it."
The aura around the book switched from green to blue as Sweetie Belle took hold of the book with her magic. She walked it over to one of the nearby tables.
The cover was too worn to see what the title was, so she turned to the first page. It read, "Ancient Instruments of the Pegasi by Seeking Plume, a study in pegasus musical instruments of the pre-Discord era."
She carefully paged past large horns, vaguely similar to the one used when the pegasi make tornadoes to send water to Cloudsdale and various types of drums.
She stopped at page twenty four.
"The Pegasus Wind Harp was an important instrument used mainly in the temples of Pre-Celestian pegasus tribes. They fell out of favor when the alicorns came to power, and the last known wind harpist master died during the time of Discord. It is a major shame in the view of this author, not only because of the cultural significance of the instrument, but also because of the unique sounds it was able to generate. In the distant past, skilled pegasi would use the wind currents generated from their wings themselves to vibrate the strings of these elegant harps."
Beneath this was a sketch of a pegasus with wings flared, a large harp a trot away to each side.
She levitated the book back over to Aqua Echo and asked, "What do you know about wind harps?"
"Not much I am afraid," started Aqua Echo. "What it said is true, they were pretty much forgotten an age ago. I do not think there is even an example in the Cloudsdale Museum of History."
Sweetie Belle thanked Aqua Echo then joined her friends in their research. A few hours later they checked out some of the books and returned to Ponyville.
-----
When they weren't in class, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom spent most of the next day studying for their respective tasks. Except for one trip to the library to ask Twilight about wind harps, Sweetie Belle spent her time supporting her friends. She was disappointed that Twilight hadn't even heard of the obscure instrument.
Keen's article showed up in the evening newspaper as planned and was generally an abridged, but accurate and complementary summary of their lives to date.
When school ended on the day after that, they spent an hour finalizing Apple Bloom's materials for her presentation and then solemnly made their way to the town hall. A couple of press pegasi flashed pictures of them as they entered the building.
There were cushions spread out all over the floor, somewhat less than half of them already occupied by ponies. At the far end of the room was a long applewood table that looked like it had seen better days. There were three unoccupied benches behind the table and one elaborate cushion at the head of the table facing the opposite wall. In the far corner a burly stallion stood at attention.
The crusaders walked up to three adjacent cushions and sat down. As the clock tower chimed the hour, four ponies walked in from the curtained door to the rear of the room. Bon-Bon, Golden Harvest, and Hard Hat took the three seats facing the ponies, and Silver Scroll walked over to the cushion.
Silver Scroll placed a quill and stack of papers on the table and addressed the audience. "I call this session of the building committee to order. Any ponies with business before this committee will present themselves respectfully when called, and truthfully answer all questions presented to the best of their abilities. All actions of this committee are binding."
She then started to read the minutes of the last meeting.
"Motion to waive the reading," stated Bon-Bon.
Bon-Bon and Hard Hat tapped the table with their hoof.
The secretary glared at them for a split second before saying, "carried two to one." She gazed at the pair and sighed. "The floor is open to new business. The committee calls Roseluck."
A yellow earth pony with a rose cutie mark walked over to the table and placed a set of plans before the committee. "Distinguished committee members, during the long winter months ponies have had to go without fresh flowers for many years. What you see before you is the plans for a greenhouse. If approved I should be able to produce a small amount of flowers out of season."
Hard Hat grabbed the blueprints and looked over them with a practiced eye. "I see you got Peerless Draft to design this. It is fairly ambitious. What assurances do you have that this will not fall down when it snows."
"The glass is three quarters of a hoof thick. I have been assured by the Canterlot Glassworks that it would bear the weight of any snowstorm we would ever be likely to get."
"What do you plan to do with the building during the rest of the year?" asked Golden Harvest.
"I plan to place growing vines outside the building. They should creep up the sides and provide a lovely setting for ponies who want such a venue for weddings and such in the summer months."
The ponies talked amongst themselves for a short period of time then turned back to Roseluck.
Hard Hat called a vote and all three ponies tapped on the table.
"Carried three to zero — the plan is approved," stated the secretary. "The committee calls Pine Breeze."
A light grey stallion walked up to the table, setting a small folder upon it. "My wife is expecting in five months and we would like to add a story onto our townhouse."
The three ponies looked at the documentation.
"This would make it the tallest building on Bridle Street," said Golden Harvest.
"The size of the building just doesn't safely support a third floor," added Hard Hat. "Under most circumstances you could add to the foundation but like we said last month when you wanted an addition, you can't build that close to your property line."
Golden Harvest called for a vote and none of the ponies rapped on the table.
"Motion failed zero to three — plan denied," stated the secretary. "The committee calls Apple Bloom."
"Good luck," said Scootaloo as Apple Bloom stood up and approached the table.
Golden Harvest glared at Apple Bloom. "The proper order is to consult this committee before construction, not after. Even if this committee finds in your favor there will be significant fines levied. Do you understand?"
Apple Bloom nodded.
"You also understand that this is an earth pony town and pegasus architecture has never been approved by this committee in the ninety years of its existence."
"The Apple's founded this town," replied Apple Bloom. "I understand what kind of town it is."
Apple Bloom levitated a copy of her plans in front of each pony.
Golden Harvest pointed at the document. "See, this is the kind of thing I am talking about. What will happen to the liquid rainbow from your house if it ran off onto the ground?"
"It wouldn't, and even if something happened it is on Apple land, and regardless a little rainbow hasn't been shown to cause any problems," replied Apple Bloom.
"It is on Ponyville land," replied Golden Harvest. "That land is simply owned by the Apple family."
"Not to get in the way of this lovely discourse," stated Hard Hat, "but who is the architect who designed the building?"
"I designed it and built it myself with my own four hooves," replied Apple Bloom.
Hard Hat sighed, "so no architect."
"Now wait a minute; my cloud house is as well-designed as any house in Ponyville," stated Apple Bloom.
"And how do you judge that?" asked Hard Hat, setting aside the blueprints. "This is a waste of this committee's time."
"There is an architect. That architect is Apple Bloom. And if you examine my blueprints you will see for yourself how sound the design is."
"By what possible authority do you declare yourself an architect?" asked Hard Hat.
Apple Bloom's face turned a bright red as she fumed, "I am sick and tired of ponies ignoring what I say and talking down to me all the time. I can go here but I can't go there without signing some ledger. I should be overly careful about what some pony might think all the time."
"Well there is one thing that I have poured my heart and soul into for weeks and it doesn't harm any pony. It is uniquely mine, a place where I can go to avoid all of this, and now you ponies want it torn down. You do not think I am worthy of being called an architect of my own project just because I don't have..."
Collective gasps, murmurs, and clopping hooves interrupted Apple Bloom. She turned around to see Scootaloo pointing at her. She stared blankly for a moment before looking down at her thigh.
Two cloud pillars holding up a rainbow arch graced her formerly blank flank. She turned back to the committee and announced, "I declare myself an architect by virtue of my inherent talent for it as shown by my cutie mark."
Hard Hat spoke in private with the other members of the committee. Bon-Bon frowned as Golden Harvest beamed. They seemed to argue a bit more before returning to their seats.
Hard Hat stood and looked Apple Bloom straight in the eye. "By unanimous vote, this committee has decided to grant an exception to Apple Bloom, and she may have her cloud dwelling assuming she can pay the fine she has incurred within a two week period. Since architect Apple Bloom should have in her vast knowledge known better than to construct a building without first consulting this committee, we feel we have no choice other than to charge the maximum allowed fine of 15,000 bits in this matter."
The audience again gasped as Hard Hat continued, "this being the last order of business for this committee, I move to adjourn."
Sweetie Belle nonchalantly approached and levitated her saddle bags over the table. She popped the flaps and a huge mound of gems erupted onto its surface. The committee members stared at the growing pile, while the audience started to pound their hooves in applause. Several flash bulbs lit up the room.
"I think this should cover the penalty," stated Sweetie Belle as she and Apple Bloom walked back towards their seats. They collected Scootaloo and were the first ponies out the door as the meeting was closed.
"led", not "lead".
3121617
corrected.
Excellent chapter.
Despite it being the popular theory, it hadn't occurred to me that this could actually lead to an architecture/construction cutie mark for Apple Bloom, and with perfect dramatic timing; nicely done. And now I'm wondering if Scootaloo is going to end up with a cutie mark in diplomacy. With how things are going, Sweetie Belle will either end up with something musical related to the legendary instrument she's researching, or with a cutie mark in politics.
The ending turned out perfectly as well; in one paragraph you went from a major setback to a hilarious moment of triumph. Sweetie Belle has a flair for the dramatic, and given who her sister is, she comes by it honest.
3121707
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the correction. Sweetie Belle has had those gems since chapter 3.
I have some of the Discord portions already complete for chapter 8(love writing him) and know exactly what will be in chapter 9, so things keep a rolling along. The idea train is now in chapter 10. What scares me is I am likely to have to write an original song. That will be a task worthy of checking my own flanks for a cutie mark.
PWNED, BITCHES :D *air guitars for Apple Bloom* :D
Holy crap, Applebloom got her cutie mark. And since she is now an Alicorn, that makes her the princess of... Architecture? Not as noble as being princess of the night or day.
3122561
Alicorn is a state of being, and Princess is a title. The cutie mark does qualify her as an architect and was won in that context, but how general or specific is the cutie mark of two pillars holding up a rainbow arch? And on what level?
I may return to this comment after chapter ten.
3122561
it all depends on how you look at it really, by itself moving the sun/moon is a rather specialized talent, however the symbolism behind it is what makes it powerful. Apple Bloom could end up with the same sort of "nobility" given time as Architecture is a art in of itself. if she gets the 1000 years worth of PR that Clestia has she might end up being more known as the Alicorn of Progress.
3122561
Or is it?
A cutie mark in architecture, I mean.
I'm not saying she isn't good enough at it; heck, she could have gotten it while she was building the cloud house and it would have fit just as well!
But that's just it. She didn't. Her cutie mark didn't appear until she had to argue for her creation. She got it trying to convince two sticks-in-the-mud that there was no real reason not to let in a little something new. She has considerable talent in architecture, yes, but her Talent actually seems to be in leadership (as shown by her cutie mark being an arch, an obvious gateway metaphor).
Applebloom, Alicorn of Progress.
...
Or maybe I'm an utter Derp who reads way too much into things
Anything I really say would just end up as spoilers. I just wanted to chime in earlier that things are not always as simple as they seem and it will be a long time before this gets completely resolved. While parts of the next story arc will help(ch 8 to 10 -- not so much 8), things won't become more obvious until the arc after that. Zipping up the lip on cutie marks for now.
3123313
Yeah, I agree; that could just mean she demonstrated that she was passionate about it, or it could mean something else entirely. I look forward to finding out.
3123374
Mah lips're sealed.
You just read that in Bic Mac's voice.
Well besides Rainbow Dashes house.
3124787
Rainbow Dash's house is outside the limits of Ponyville. She essentially has a White Tail Woods address.
There will be more about this actually in Chapters 9 and 10.
3124790
Even then, you'd think that SOME pegasus would have stirred up a storm over "The government is trampling upon my cultural heritage" or something by this point. And then the press gets involved, and you've got a lot of ponies coming in from out of town to protest, and nopony wants that because its going to be bad for business and ponies might get hurt if it gets out of hoof. Even if the weather team doesn't go on strike en-masse in support, which would be a death sentence for a farming community like Ponyville, its not a place you want to be in if you're a politician.
3124850
Cloudsdale is very close to Ponyville. They never really had the numbers to mess with the laws, or the bile to fight city hall at that level. I mean from chapter 6:
"That is correct, Miss Bloom, however Rainbow Dash's residence is located outside the boundaries of Ponyville," replied the mayor. "She was denied twice when she came to council to submit plans for a cloud home within the city limits. In the cellar we still have the broken door with her hoofprints on it, which by the way she had to replace at a sizable cost in bits."
You don't see any cloud houses other than Dash's in canon and yes it is obviously outside town limits by its distance.
----
Again, you are walking into some of chapter nine.
Whoah, and a save by Sweetie Belle. Nice!
hell yes justice is sweet
The look on Golden Harvest's face in response to the last two paragraphs was probably priceless, I would have loved to have seen it.
Here's some ice for you, Golden Harvest, it should help with alleviating the pain of that burn.
3124248 Nnope. That however...
3123313 With the leadership idea, the two cloud pillars could be argued to represent Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo; the two ponies who support her and give her strength, or the pillars may be said to be representations of her family and friends who's support and encouragement helped lead her to become who she is today.
3132316
One point for Ali -- That is one level of the cutie mark(the first thought) -- above and beyond the obvious. It is also a harmless level for me to reveal.
I have one objection to this chapter. The value of gems in Equestria. Gems have been shown to be very plentiful, plentiful to an extinct that can only be possible if the are alive. I am not talking about any kind of sophisticated life, rather, I am talking about plant like silicium based lifeforms. Siicium based lifeforms would most likely take crystal like properties and therefore by all means apear like gems but be far larger and much more plentiful. As an entire dress made from gems can be harvested by a single unicorn in a few hours, it is safe to assume that the value of a gem the size of a peach is no more then a bundle of apples, and based what we know of the exchange value of "bits" in Equestria, it is safe to assume that the value of one apple is close to one bit.
In other words, in order to have for 15000 bits worth of gems, they would need no less then three trolleys twice the size of a pony filled with gems. Sweetie Belle couldn't possibly carry that much in a purse.
3133097
The saddle bags of ponies have been shown many times to hold quite a bit more than you would think from the outside without making a sizable bulge. Something like gems would fill that entire extra space very well. In essence the amount was the amount that they found as a group in chapter three making a sizable pile of gems.
If that still doesn't satisfy then figure that Sweetie Belle cast a spell to make the saddle bags hold even more temporarily because she knew before-hand that a fine was quite possible and she wanted to be prepared. Such is within her abilities.
As for a pony being able to find a lot of gems, the only pony who can are those using Rarity's gem finding talent. This allows Rarity to find a lot of gems a lot faster than any other pony would be able to, except for Twilight who can also cast the spell, and the CMC alicorns. A normal pony would have a really hard time finding anywhere near as many gems and would likely be trading with a pony from a rock farm, or diamond dogs to get their gems.
It is time for me to post my progress page for the next chapter:
Chapter 8 (The Manehattan Distraction) is currently at 50% completion and I know exactly what I want in there. This is what the CMC was doing during the 3/10 episode. Babs and Discord are in it.
10/3 -- Sorry for the delays. My parents(64 and 67) had two weeks of vacation(separated by 3 weeks), and they decided to include me in a few things(yes we get along pretty well, and you never know how much time you have left). I still had my normal work to do plus that time out and each time it distracted me from getting anything done. I am NOT good at recovering from "author at rest" and by the time I got back into the groove that second week of their vacation came up. Then I caught a cold and the video card on my computer bit the dust(or at least that is my diagnosis). [A new one will be arriving today -- I hope it puts things back in order -- yes I am typing this on my portable]. I am putting this back here in the semi-buried status report because I don't like when people put whinyish posts anyway and ultimately one's speed of writing is one's own fault. At any rate things are starting to move along again despite my cold and hopefully I can get the chapter done at some point in the next two weeks.
Currently at 62%.
Chapter 9 (Changing Dance Partners) is currently at 20% completion and is still the same as before. Notes on the Wind simply fits chapter ten better.
Chapter 10 (Notes on the Wind) is currently at 10% completion, and will have AB's cutecenera in it(I didn't forget about it in ch 9).
Chapter 11 (Ponyville in Pandemonium) is partially plotted, and will be where episode 3/13 begins in canon(an episode which in my eyes covered a fair bit of time). This is also the beginning of the griffon arc.
3133421
yes, a rock farm, another prof that gems in Equestria is organic
1) they are too plentiful and too large to be normal "Earthlike" gems
2) Dragons eat them
3) they are grown on rock farms
Sure Rarity and other ponies of sufficient talent or magical abilities are able to find them, (and I think that a lot more ponies then just Twilight fall under the category sufficiently talented), but they can also be grown like any other crops and are therefore of a value equal to that.
Of course a bag of holding can solve the space problem, but it wasn't clear from the story that that was what Sweetie Belle had. I know for a fact that if it had been on earth then a small bag of gems could be worth an absolute fortune, but then on Earth gems are a finite resource, something that have to be mined and not something that can be grown or manufactured.
3132539 I got a point.
Hooray for deep thought and reading between the lines.
3141347
and that does not make any sense
3133097 Quick question for you, since when has anything in a world where magic is possible needed to make since? I mean isn't throwing out the normal rules of logic, and common sense like rule one when entering a magical realm?
For example while normally you would be right about what could be carried in a purse a simple space warping spell and you can basically make a bag of holding, and I'm fairly certain that even if rarity couldn't cast such a spell she could get Twilight to do it for her.
3162561
You are right about a bag of holding, but if they have that that still needs to be explained, and no, rules of logic is absolute, it is only physic that magic can "bend", and even here there are still limitations, for one thing it has to be consistent
3163402 then explain Pinkie Pie.
3163439 Cartoon physics. Seriously give me hard one
Very good story. I like how the plot is a bit more thought out than most, even if it is an overused theme. the main problem that I have with this story is that is is a little dry to read. No-one ever seems to get excited or emotional in any significant way. Even the other children seemed to take the ascension in stride and (in the case of DT & SS) start bullying the CMC for it. Every time the CMC do their little cheer thing, it seems like they are mumbling it rather than screaming it.
But anyway, good story. I look forward to more.
3168168 lol
3171533
and if you want an in universe explanation for why she can do these kinds of things and other characters cannot that too can be answered easily. Pinkie is secretly a draconequus and draconequus have been proven to have the ability to bend reality in exactly the same manner as she does. She may be weaker then Discord, but she is made of the same matter.
3179779 I always just thought that discord and one of pinkie pies ancestors just shacked up, thus making pinkie pie discord's great to the power of x granddaughter or something.
3179909
that is also an explanation, I have just thought of Pinkie to be far older then she lets on, and I mean think about it, does anypony truly know her?
Wasn't there anything "odd" about the backstory she told?
All they others have connections but Pinkie is alone. Who's to say that she wasn't at Celestia and Luna's side when they petrified Discord more then a thousand years ago.
Face it man,. Pinkie is older then Celestia.
3183853 Holy bucking hell! Pinkie Pie is equal to or greater the surprise! It all makes sense now.
3185649
So you like my story idea, I do plan to write it sometimes, I am just so busy right now with my bead mosaic. I want to be done before christmass
3124787 that's outside the town.
Will there be more Alicorns? How bout more Lyra?
3203650
Twilight becomes an alicorn in chapter 12.
Lyra, being a friend of the crusaders, will likely continue appearing at appropriate times.
3203711 I mean like Celestia and Luna's parents? Also, I think Scoot's talent will be Fire elemental magic. Just a thought.
3235214
Thanks for the correction. One day I do want to try to submit this to EQD and anything that I missed is good to be found. I did and do tend to improve over time and I am sure I could massage a few things out of the first couple of chapters to make it more likely to pass.
As for AB and cutie marks etc, do you really want spoilers? One thing I will say is that 1-3 form one arc and 5-7 form another with 4 being an interlude chapter that covers the same time period as chapter 8 will.
3237122 so, does that mean an update to this story is coming?
3358109
I have excuses -- good ones too -- but ultimately any lack of writing is the fault of the author. I knew what I wanted in the next three chapters before I finished chapter 7.
If you really want the next chapter to come soon (and I really only need three good writing days to finish) then hope that I finally get over this cold I have. I have been sick with it for Three Weeks, and my creativity and energy just isn't there when I am under the weather. From the symptomology, I am figuring I had one(and it was a doozy) and then caught a second before I finished the first. And yes I was hopeful of getting the chapter out relatively soon three weeks ago.
3358109
11/10 Slowly all too slowly.
More please...
it has been quite a long time since we got an update...
3481347
Chapter 8 is nearing completion (in fact if anyone in particular wants to preview the thing early this coming week let me know -- I have been self-editing the past several chapters[My best guess at my editing day is Tuesday]). I am actually mostly writing in chapter 9 right now because I do not want chapter 8 to hang out there for long due to its ending and because I haven't been in the mood to polish off a particular segment in chapter 8.
Ponyville in Pandemonium will be chapter 10 not 11, and Notes on the Wind will be after that.
11/22 I just finished up the scene that was vexing me (the museum scene) and no I had not done any other writing this week. It is now half-way closer to done than it was at my last update statement.
So how is the chapter coming I really love this story!
3686096
"A volunteer," as the Lion from Bedknobs and Broomsticks would say.