Who Needs Harmony?: An MLP Empire Quest

Garrick sighed internally as he listened to the noble speak, this one was discussing the results of a geological survey that indicated significant amounts of iron and copper on his lands and how a mine would be a source of great revenue for the kingdom. It was a nice idea, more money would allow for the supplementing of standing militias with mercenary forces, as the Diamond Dogs were able to increase their numbers now that Discord was gone and food sources that wouldn't burst into soap bubbles were readily available, but there were other factors to consider. First of course was that Garrick was personally familiar with the noble's land, it was good farmland, perfect for root vegetables and tubers, and with the state of the nation any available farmland would need to be maintained, and while a mine might bring in more tax revenue, it was still more cost effective to use the land for farming. Beyond that wastewater from the smelting process could pose a problem for other nearby agriculture as Archimedes' most recent ra- lecture had made clear.

Still it would to him no good to flatly deny a mining charter, showing the nobles that he'd be putting the good of the nation ahead of the wealth of the upper class would do nothing to help improve relations with them. He saw the solution to his issue approaching through the crowd however and gave the first genuine smile of the night, making sure to speak loudly he said. "It would do my heart good to see the fires of industry reignite, I shall have to consult my advisers of course but I'm certain that something can be done about getting you a charter." The noble who had been talking his ear off brightened considerably while further back in the crowd that noble's most prominent rival's face darkened, in the coming weeks favours would be called in, new surveys called for and general opposition to the mine raised and as a result nothing would ever come of this, all while he kept his beak clean and let others do his work for him.

His good mood left as quickly as it had come however as more and more nobles demanded his attention and wore away at him. Eventually however they drifted away and he was able to make his excuses and slip away, grabbing a mug from beside a noble who was rather engaged in trying to flirt with an uncomfortable looking servant, he'd had enough Garrick decided, the King made his way over to the corner where the crowd was thinnest before slumping onto a seat in a rather undignified manner. This was, he decided, the most exhausting thing he'd ever done, he'd rather cart another load of half rotted cabbage through the mountains then do this again. He downed his mug in short order when he realized that this would be a regular occurrence, perhaps the events in the future wouldn't be quite as large as this one but they would be a fixture of his life from this point onward. Letting out a sigh he rested his empty mug on the table before him and tried his best to remember why in the world he hadn't fled the moment he'd been made king.

"You know I don't think I've ever seen anyone as morose as you at a party, what's the matter, too much to drink?" Garrick nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard a voice coming from the spot next to him, turning to see who had spoken he saw that it was a rather striking female Griffon. Dark gray head feathers that made her small smirk take on a slightly roguish quality, a dark blue formal gown edged with lightning done in gold leaf and clouds stitched from fine black cloth. He didn't recognize any noble crest, but he was still getting used to the vast number for crests and symbols used by the nobility, but with the quality of her gown there could be no doubt that she was nobility herself. He blushed slightly when he realized that he had been staring for slightly longer than was appropriate, before proceeding to clear his throat slap on his trademark "political smile" and do his best not to make a complete ass of himself.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, if anything what's getting me down is a distinct lack of drink. Parties like these, they do wear on one a bit." The woman let out a soft noise of agreement. "Yes, I suppose they can. All the empty words, meaningless gestures, and dreadful lack of intelligent conversation can make them difficult to get through. Though there is something to be said for the challenge of the whole thing, navigating the tangled web of vacuous comments, backroom trysts, and self-interest, challenging though it might be when you maneuver things just right the feeling is quite rewarding." She smiled softly as if remembering something pleasant, before it shifted back to the small smirk that seemed to be her default expression. "That being said, real emotion, like what I see here is quite refreshing, like water in a desert."

"Well I can't say you're wrong about the rewards of succeeding in court, but I do believe you have a higher tolerance for intrigue than I." He thought for a moment, desperately racking his mind for something to say before latching onto what he knew best, trade. "So what do you think of the recent construction of a road from Raven's Roost to Griffon Stone? It should help with the transport of timber for sale abroad, and with the new export tax the revenue generated should be enough to fund the construction of several new dry docks. The intriguing woman examined her talons for a moment, taking her time to compose a reply before vocalizing it. "I do agree, it should increase the amount of exported timber threefold, though I do wonder what effect it might have on Beaksburge, most of the town's revenue comes from traders making the stop along the way to the coast, with the road allowing traders to bypass it they will either be forced to pivot on what they provide or disperse." Garrick scratched his chin thinking. "Well, there are a few things they could do I suppose, they could look into mining in the surrounding area, really need to get around to that national survey by the way, or maybe they could cut down the nearby forest. I know the trees they have there aren't large enough for good lumber, but they could work to produce charcoal."

They spent the rest of the night like that, discussing the various effects of recent infrastructural developments, Garrick provided many examples drawn from his own experiences of how trade would be effected along with ideas for the sorts of improvements that would further the economic development of the nation. His companion on the other hand brought a new viewpoint to the table, providing insight on the various political ramifications such moves could bring, what nobles might feel slighted if a permit was given to one and not another, or whether anti-crown sentiments might be inflamed in the local populace due to lost business. Garrick was so enraptured with the conversation that he didn't even notice the party winding down until his companion stood up rather abruptly, "dreadfully sorry but it is late and I should be going, we should do this again soon though." He watched her walk away, her steps making the hem of her gown look like a rolling thunderstorm, a force of nature that yielded to no one. By the time he thought to ask for her name she had disappeared into the crowd and his eye twitched when he realized that if he wanted to see her again he would need to throw another one of these ancestor damned parties.