South of the Frozen North, between the Crystal Mountains and the Sea, sits the pony village of Fairbrittle. It is the only settlement for a hundred miles in any direction. Eleven years ago, it was the easternmost part of Equestria, under the lordship of the Noble and ancient House of Prix. To the East lies the Griffon Kingdoms, including North Griffonia. The griffons of North Griffonia had always claimed the land, but never mustered a force against Equestria to take it, for Fairbrittle is tiny, cold, and not worth a bit to anyone.

Eleven years ago, that centuries long peace was nearly broken. King Gryphus III of House Ironclaw was as ambitious as he was insane. The King drank mercury every day, and spoke of visions from the Sky. The Sky’s Prophet had been misheard, his people had chosen wrong, griffins were sinful and weak for not conquering all the lands of the world. As the Holy Sky sits above all, the griffons would lord over every pony, zebra even the half breed hippogriffs in the world.

Equestria was to be the first step in the conquest. Gryphus didn't see a peaceful land ruled over by the alicorn who dictated the movements of the heavens. In his eyes it was a land filled with the magical artifacts, the Alicorn Amulet, the Statue of Discord, the Mirror Between the Worlds, he even fell under the delusion that Idol of Boreas was within Equestria's borders. All Gryphus believed he would have to do was swipe away the weak Celestia, take these objects, and make the world kneel.

On the very first day of Spring 992 years after Luna's banishment, Gryphus rallied the banners. North Griffonia was hyped for the bloodshed, to reclaim their rightful land. Everything thing was set, King Gryphus drew a knife across his palm for the declaration, when he started to cough. As the blood dripped out of his claw, it flowed out of his mouth. Gryphus drowned on his own blood.

The old King's widow moved to have the late King's oldest child, Darius, a boy who had only seen 8 years, take the throne. Gryphus' brother Rhosus moved forward and seized the throne instead.

The dead king's supports declared Rhosus an usurper, the new king's supporters demanded he kill all of Gryphus' sons and daughters, Darius, Cassandra and Alexander. The new King silenced and shocked both sides, immediately adopting all three children, even if it was away from their birth mother.

King Rhosus went further, halting the mobilization and a war born from his late brother's insanity. Yet, the griffins were rallied, they wanted to press their claim. They would either get Fairbrittle, or burn the body of the king who dare deny them. Yet, the new King sent word to Celestia and to quell the desires of his people with diplomacy instead.

Fairbrittle and the entire landbridge switched hands. While the populace was horrified, the land ultimately belonged to the duchess Avidity Prix. She was glad to sell out worthless land and a hundred of her subjects for the highest of ranks in the Nobility. Equestria received concessions, including a large amount of annual tribute, the preservation of the local government, and the promise the land would never hold any soldiers or arms of war.

North Griffonia accepted the terms, averting both a foreign and domestic war. The ponies of Fairbrittle feared oppression, feared being made slaves, or even cooked into dinner, but those fears never came to pass. Almost nothing changed, besides the flags on the mayor’s building and the stamps that customs inspectors used. The village still was little more than a train stop on the little Equestria-Griffon rail-line, and nothing changed that fact.

When Nightmare Moon returned, Fairbrittle wondered how they set all their clocks wrong. When Discord returned, the village didn’t even get a drop of chocolate rain. Even two weeks ago, when the Crystal Empire suddenly reappeared after a thousand years, the populace saw a light show on the horizon, and nothing more. The town was an unimportant resting place, an alternate to just sailing across the sea. Fate itself had decreed Fairbrittle would never be the center of attention, never meant to be the cause of world changing events, never meant to determine who lives and who dies.

The problem is, not everyone is bond by the whims of Fate, or the plans she has set...

4:30 PM, Fairbrittle, North Griffonia, 1003 Y.A.B. (Years After Banishment), 21st day of Fall.

The sun was on it's western decent over the permaforst covering the land in lengthened shadows. Farmers returned from the potato fields, the market was winding down. This day was supposed to be a day like any other, with the exception of a griffon and an earth pony pony a mile from the town digging a new well.

The griffon wiped took off his United Equestrian-Griffonian cap to wipe sweat from his dark brown feathers, "Quarry, how much deeper is it?"

The pony Quarry continued to pound the ground apart with her hooves, "Adrian, taking this assignment was you're idea. Just shut up and keep digging."

Adrian leaned against his shovel, "The ground is getting colder, are you sure your echo senses aren't just going wonky again?"

Quarry looked up from her work, "There is liquid water down there. I know it."

The feathers above Adrian's eyes lifted up.

"If I check again, will you remain quiet?"

Adrian nodded.

Quarry rolled her eyes, "And I thought this job would mean I wouldn't have to baby sit anymore."

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

Quarry closed her eyes. Magic flowed through her hooves. The light of outside world went dark, the breathing of Adrian went silent. She raised one of her hind hooves and slammed it into the side of the hole. The vibration moved through the ground, showing her the location of stones, of animals burrows, and the ice. Below her she felt it again, the water reservoir among the frozen soil. However, she felt something she had previously missed. It was a long thin nail of some substance cutting through the dirt. It didn't have the hard ring of hard rock, yet it didn't quite have the softer reverberation of a trees roots. Quarry knew she had felt it somewhere, but couldn't remember what it was.

"Well..?"

The sun's shine returned to her eyes, and Quarry's question rang through her ears, “It's... we're close. Just six more feet...”

"Is everything okay?"

"I felt something else in the soil," Quarry said looking at the wall, "I can't really tell what it is..."

Adrian stared at his partner, "Is it lead? That is last thing these ponies need in their drinking water..."

"No... it kind of feels like a solidified piece of wood. Probably just some ancient petrified tree or something."

Adrian lifted up it's shovel, "We should dig it out just to be sure."

"Maybe we-," Quarry felt a deep chill, something that seemed to originate in her very soul, that left in an instant. She shook her head, "No, it's not important. It’s getting late, and we aren't being paid by the hour. Let's just dig this well and GO."

“Which direction is it in?” Adrian asked.

Quarry pointed at the side of the hole. “About seven feet that way, but there is a lot of sedimentary rock between us and it.”

“And you're not curious at all?” Adrian started to dig out the side of the hole.

“Adrian..., ” Quarry stated.

“Listen, if you let me do this, I will buy you a round of drinks and rent some bows at the archery range in town.” Adrian said, looking over at Quarry.

Quarry held up a hoof.

“You know they have a stationary bow you can draw back with your teeth, right?”

“ I will take up archery as soon as my dentist says I need to dislocate my jaw.”

Adrian sighed, “Alright, three rounds of drinks.”

Quarry massaged her temple, “Fine. Whatever, I hope you’re happy when you dig up some ancient tree.”

Adrian spent the an hour digging and picking his way thorough the soil, ice and rock to quench his curiosity. Finally, the shovel hit something that was neither dirt or stone.

Quarry looked on in amusement, “So, what did you find? Some lost, ancient treasure? The secrets to eternal youth? Or was it just the remains of a thousand year old forest?”

Adrian looked at the black suit that was covering his claw. “It’s… coal.”

“Coal?” Quarry sniffed the black substance. For a second they stared at the find. Forgetting their tools, the two of them used hoof and claw to unveil more of substance. It wasn't a fluke, the entire line was coal, the black gold of industry.

“Can you tell how large this vein is?” Adrian asked.

“Give me a second...” Quarry closed her eyes, shutting out the world. Once again she concentrated on emptying her mind of her normal senses, and raised her hind leg. Adrian stepped to the side. Quarry slammed her hoof into the ground. The shockwave spread outward, showing every rock, every grain of dirt, every pocket of air, everything. Quarry ignored all of this, concentrating on the specific frequencies of the shock wave passing through the coal. At first, she only felt small patches. Then she felt longer chains of coal running through the rocks. Then the chains started to form together into a massive, massive pile of black gold.

Quarry returned to the world, blinking.

“Quarry?”

Quarry laughed, laughed till she cried.

“Quarry? How much?”

Quarry reached out and pulled Adrian into a hug. The Adrian blushed at the contact.

“Adrian you… you have no idea…” Quarry said between gasps. “All thanks to your stubbornness… Oh… where do I even begin… With this… were going to be so… bucking rich…”

A smile creeped onto the Griffin’s face.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot Castle…

Hundreds of miles away, Celestia and Luna sat down at their table having dinner and breakfest respectively. It been another long day. The sudden reappearance of the Crystal Empire had caused all kinds of political and legal headaches as the nobility tried to gain control of the long lost nation.

Celestia suddenly stopped mid bite, and blinked. She looked up from her dinner and out the window.

Luna felt a chill spread throughout the room, and the Princess of the Night looked up from her newspaper, “Are you unperturbed sister?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, just… thinking about the horrors that tomorrow’s court will bring.” Celestia said simply.

Luna sensed some kind of deception at play, but decided to ignore it. “'Tis this nonsense about the new border town, Appleloosa?”

Celestia nodded, “The Seats always are exploiting the laws in attempt to gain power.”

“The Nobility I remembered couldn’t just take homes away from other ponies as it pleased them.” Luna noted, “They had to actually fight on the fields of battle for every inch, rather than taking everything with the stroke of a pen.”

Celestia looked her sister directly in the eyes, “Luna, do you trust me?”

Luna was taken aback by the sudden question. She remembered the night she hadn’t trusted Celestia, the night Luna questioned her sister of the sun. The night she had relived for a thousand years.

“We do Tia.” Luna said, forcing herself to make a small smile. “Always.”

"Then you need to understand, what I have changed, what I have allowed to be changed, is what needed to be done." Celestia went back to eating her dinner.

Luna looked down at her breakfast, alone with her thoughts, planning her next nightmare.

1:30 PM, Canterlot, 1003 Y.A.B., 22nd day of Fall.

In Canterlot, a few blocks away from the Royal Castle, is the great Forum of the Unicorn Nobles, the Seats of Nobility. It was one of the oldest buildings in Canterlot, older than royal castle, older than the Royal sisters themselves. It is said the legendary Princess Platinum, first Princess of Equestria, built the Seats herself to allow the ancient unicorn houses to continue their leadership over the united tribes.

It was a long, oval room with hundreds of seats. All the seats were raised above the inner floor, where anypony not of noble blood must stand, if they wish to argue anything before the Seats. The first layer of seats belong to landless noble families, who do not hold lands but still hold a rank of nobility. Next are the barons, who hold small amounts of land and titles, but don’t have enough to qualify for a higher rank. Above the Barons are the Counts, who hold much higher amount of lands. Some counts are independent, but most are vassals of the highest level of seats, the Duchesses and Dukes, commanding large lands, other nobles, and the only perpetual voting rights in the Seats.

The two highest Seats in the building did not belong to the Princesses. The Royal Seat was at an equal height to the seats of the Duchies. Instead, the highest seat belongs to the High Horn. There are two raised “horns” that extend high into the room, with a podium at each. One is where a noble sits when they wish to speak before the Seats on an issue. Currently, Princess Celestia was standing on that horn. Opposing her sat the High Horn, the Duchess Avidity Prix.

Celestia sat before the Seats, as she opened her mouth to deliver her speech, “Nobles of the Seats, Electors of the Crown, Ladies and Gentlecolts of Canterlot, I ask you, on behalf of the ponies of Appleloosa, to drop this matter. They did not, intentionally or otherwise, make a treaty and bypass your rights and authority on this matter. They made a friendly agreement with the tribes to the South, nothing more."

“The Buffaloes do not have the same laws or views on ownership as we do. They view land as a shared resource, to be used and taken care of. They never claimed sole control of Appleloosa. Other tribes travel through the Thunder Tribe’s territory. They only come into conflict with those they feel will misuse or exploit the nature they hold in holy regard. The ponies of Appleloosa simply showed they could respect the land and that their orchards would not interfere with the Buffalos sacred paths.”

In a smooth motion, Celestia stood up, “No documents were signed, no land was transferred. Neither the earth ponies of Appleloosa, nor the Senate of Commons, subverted your authority to veto, or attempted to make a deal behind your back. They did not make a treaty with the Thunder Tribe.”

The Princess stood there, holding her regal stance as she stared Avidity down. The entire forum was filled with talk. Avidity Prix ignored all of this, pulled out two documents, and spoke, “On the 56th day of Spring in the year 913 Y.A.B., when Lord Highblood was the Horn of the Seats, a similar border dispute between ponies living north of Vanhoover and Yakyakistan emerged. Do you remember this?”

The Avidity looked at the Princess' eyes. They never wavered, Celestia’s expression was unreadable. The Princess answered simply, “Yes.”

The Avidity continued, “The Yaks were very close to declaring war upon Equestria over the border, but a sudden outbreak of disease among their potato crop halted their invasion plans. The Yaks begged the good ponies of Vanhoover for food and agreed to drop their claims and pull their army back. While Mayor Shepard’s efforts were admirable, in her haste to resolve the issue, the Mayor of Vanhoover never had the Yaks actually sign anything. Yet, according to these transcripts that you beseeched the Seats of Nobility to accept this unsigned agreement, made not of noble blood, but by a simple mayor, as an official, binding document. The Seats of Nobility accepted your argument and ratified the treaty. Celestia, do you dispute this?”

Again, Celestia’s face remained unreadable, “I do not.”

Avidity’s eyes widened as she put her hoof to her chin, “Then why have you made this sudden change of opinion about the validity of the spoken word? Do you want to go to the Yaks and demand the border be pushed further North than it already is? Equestria did save them from starvation after all, it is only fitting we receive just compensation.”

Celestia stood their, face still unreadable, agains answered simply, “I do not.”

Avidity put the first document down, and held the second document in her telekinetic grip, “The second item I have here is a bill of sale. The Expanding Equestrian Railways went to the Thunder tribe, wanting to create a new rail line heading South through their territory to the Red Macintosh Mountains, and got the rights to use a thin strip of land. Chief Thunderhoof personally printed his hoof onto this bill of exchange. While the payment was not in bits, but for apple pies, it still is a sale, even if it is a primitive one.”

Avidity smiled, going in for the final strike, “Do you not consider the Buffalo Tribes a sovereign nation? While you did send an ambassador to talk to Chief Thunderhoof, I will understand if you wish to view them as something other than an independent state. The tribes have no unified government, no codified laws, or even a written language. Theses beasts attacked the poor, barely armed citizens of Appleloosa. Maybe we should considered them Stateless Savages, so we don't need to worry about any more... incursions.”

The Princess stood at the podium, spending a few moments staring at the High Horn. After a silence that seemed to go on for an eternity, Celestia let out a small sigh, “The Crown concedes that the agreement was a treaty, and removes its objections regarding Appleloosa.”

Avidity Prix looked down at the representative of the Senate, a buffalo girl from the tribe, and the mayor of Appleloosa. The mayor looked crushed. The Senator put a comforting hoof on the mayor’s back. The Buffalo scowled at Avidity. Yet, the Princess was still holding her regal stance.

“You can’t even give me the satisfaction of accepting defeat…” Prix thought as she looked at the nobles, “Is there any further objections?”

The Mayor shook his head, stood up, and glared at Avidity, “I demand to speak!”

“Denied,” Avidity Prix said without even looking at the Mayor, “If there isn’t a noble with any further objection, I propose the first vote.” Avidity Prix looked around the room, keeping a close eye on Duke Fancy Pants and his allies, but they stayed silent. “Appleloosa is part of a new and growing community, but as the House of Nobility we must make sure these new and dangerous lands are lead by experienced leaders, who are equipped to deal with the challenges of… sharing this land. For the first portion of a new, formal treaty, the shared land will be under the dominion of the Seats of Nobility as Equestria’s newest duchy. In the name of the founders, in witness of Equestria, I call the vote. Those in favor?”

Ninety eight hooves were raised in favor, including Fancy Pants of all ponies, twenty five were raised in opposition, three abstained. The smile on Avidity’s face grew, for once things were working correctly, “Now, we must choose which house shall be given this great honor…”

Fancy Pants stood, “I invoke my right to speak.”

Avidity turned to Fancy Pants, the smile fading in an instant, “It is your right…”

Fancy Pants made his way over to the high podium. Pace Prix turned over an hourglass on the podium, giving Fancy five minutes to speak.

Fancy took the high seat and adjusted his monocle, “There has been some very interesting talk relating to the Appleloosa question. Of these malicious rumors were accusations that you, Avidity, are pushing for the change for reasons besides the goodness of your heart."

Some of the color drained from Avidity's face, "He can't know..."

"One rumor is that you promised to elevate a noble in exchange for a portion of Appleloosa's harvest revenue."

Avidity's left eye slightly twitched.

"The most malicious and absurd rumor of all claimed you promised the duchy not only to one pony, but Count Thimbers, Count Prace, Count Midas, or Count Wellborn.” Fancy Pants pointed to the named nobility.

Six hundred and forty eight pairs of eyes looked down at the four nobles. Under the gaze, all of four of the counts started to fidget and sweat. Midas appeared to be attempting to merge with her chair. Wellborn was suddenly extremely interested by the back of his hoof, and started to polish it. Thimbers was ramrod stiff, trying and failing to pretend she didn’t notice the attention. Worst of all, Prace, who was near tears, looked up towards Avidity with a look of pure desperation.

"You. Brain. Dead. Shit. Why did you look at me?" Avidity thought, forcing her face to remain neutral.

The nobles looked back between Avidity and the Counts. Whispers filled the forum. Whispers filled with accusations of blackmail, conspiracy, and bribery. The counts’ liege lords gained a look of absolute rage.

"Of course, we all know none of that can be true, and your intentions were as honest as they always are." Fancy finished with a smirk.

Avidity stared at Fancy Pants and the stallion’s wiley smile.

“How the buck did he find out?” Avidity thought, “I made sure…”

Avidity passed Fancy Pants and towards his wife, Fleur Dis Lee. Fleur had a smile and simply waved.

Avidity’s eye twitched, “It was HER… That. Prench. WHORE.”

“While each of them is from a long, noble line,” Fancy continued, “None of them, or indeed any of us, have ever controlled a town like Appleloosa. It’s a town at the edge of Equestria, the very frontier of the civilization we know, and so, so far away from the comforts we come to expect. It is such a hot, dry location, making sure the fields are properly watered and don't whither in the heat is a round the clock job. The safety and stability we have all grown accustomed to simply doesn’t yet exist in the Wild South. Bands of thieves travel across the land, preying on any wealth they can find. On top of all that, the people of Appleloosa on a daily basis have to deal with all the Buffalo tribes that range through their lands, and have to keep the precarious peace between the chiefs in-place, or the whole region could descend into war. The new Duke would certainly have to move to Appleloosa itself, as ruling it from the family mansion is simply not an option.”

It slowly dawned on many of the nobles just what kind of nightmare getting this "honor" would be. Avidity looked down at the hourglass, seeing there was only a minute of this madness left.

“What... is your point, Pants?” Avidity spat with irritation.

“In the name of the founders, in witness of Equestria, I call a vote,” Fancy Pants declared, “To Name Mayor Apple Oats, Duke of Appleloosa.”

The forum was dead silent. Everyone stared in shock at Fancy Pants.

Avidity pointed at Apple Oats, “You want to name him, Apple Oats, a Duke. You want to give him, an earth pony, a stallion elected by a bunch of farmers, who is wearing a stetson in the Seats of Nobility, a landed noble title. Not just any rank of nobility, but of the rank of Duke. You want to hand such power to a Mayor?”

Fancy Pants smiled, "I am glad you understand."

Avidity shook her head, “I will not waste the Seat’s valuable time with such nonsense. An earth pony cannot become a noble-”

“There is no law that says only unicorns can be nobles, or be raised to that station.” Fancy Pancy stated, “The original founding words of the Seats of Nobility states, ‘any pony of a notable and accomplished house’ may become a noble. There is no stated horn requirement. Celestia herself ascended Cadence, born a pegasus, to the rank of Princess, and the Seats did not vote against it."

Avidity shook her head, “Raising the last known heir of the Crystal Empire to the ceremonial position of 'Princess of Love' is a world different than our topic before us today. I highly doubt that the ancient Seats would make such an oversight as to allow the farmers to gain a noble title. Bring out the Book of Laws."

A door opened in the oval of the forum. An old unicorn slowly pushed a cart with a book on it. The Book of Laws towered over the mare struggling to move it into the forum. The old unicorn struggled as she started to lift a large amount of pages with magic.

Fancy Pants looked down at the old mare, “Tome Attendant, it’s Article Five, Line 78 of the Founding Document.”

Tome Attendant gave a sigh of relief as she simply lifted the front cover of the book, “Article Five… Line 78... here it is! ‘By a majority vote, the Nobles of the Seats may raise any pony of a notable and accomplished house to a title of grace and nobility.’”

“As you can see, there is no horn requirement,” Fancy Pants declared

“Apple Oats is not a member of a notable and accomplished house.” Avidity shouted, “He is from the Apples, who are fruit farmers-”

“Who helped to found several villages and towns across Equestria, including Ponyville.” Fancy Pants turned around. “Celestia, your personal protege, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony live in that town, correct?”

Princess Celestia smiled, “Yes they do.”

Avidity turned to the Princess, “A protege from an unlanded family. She might as well of picked a Mule...” She looked at the hourglass. It had long since passed the allotted time. However, Fancy Pants had officially called for a vote.

“Fancy, if you wish to embarrasses yourself before your betters, be my guest,” Avidity thought as she stood up, “All in favor of the proposal?”

A flurry of hooves were raised. Avidity looked around the forum. Half were throwing their support, “Has everypony gone insane? No, they couldn't possibly... Wait, this isn’t half...”

“Sixty votes in favor of the proposal,” said the court counter, Noted Ledger.

"He's two votes short,The smile returned to Avidity face with the thought, “I win."

“I will have to congratulate you on your effort Fancy Pants,” Avidity stated with a wicked smile, “All opposed?”

What appeared to be the rest of the forum raised their hooves. Avidity closed her eyes, and breathed out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding. Noted Ledger had done the official count, it was all over, this madness had come to an end.

“Fifty nine votes in opposition,” Noted Ledger stated.

Avidity’s eyes shot open, “Fifty nine?”

“Count Thimbers, Count Prace, Count Midas, and Count Wellborn abstained,” Noted Ledger said.

Avidity looked at the four counts she had bribed and manipulated, the four she had, separately promised that Duchy to. Now…

Apple Oats cried openly, “I… I don’t know much about being a noble, but I don’t know what to say… I… thank you all. I just need to ask… where do I sit?”

“You can take my seat, my newest Duke,” Princess Celestia said as she stepped out of her own chair.

“Princess.” Avidity started, “I… humble request you do not dirty the royal Seat in such manner-”

“Well, thank you for volunteering your family Seat instead,” Celestia said, a sly smile adorning her face.

Subdued snickers rang throughout the room. Avidity watched in horror Apple Oats walked up the steps and sat his earth pony flank in her family’s ancestral chair.

7:00 PM, The House of Prix, Canterlot 23rd day of Fall

Duchess Avidity of House Prix, Lord of the North-West, High Horn of the Seats of Nobility, stumbled into her own study. Another bottle was sitting on the desk. Avidity downed it before she even sat in her chair.

“That stallion, and his Prench whore…” Avidity mumbled, “He’s going to be the ruin of all that is noble… He should go sleep in the fields with the mudfuckers he loves so fucking much.”

The butler, Trimservice held out a glass. “More Cider?”

Avidity took the offered drink with her mouth, not even bothering to use magic. She downed it and placed the glass on her desk. “Thank you, Trim… you always know...”

Trimservice wrapped his foreleg around Avidity and gently stroked her back, “It is my duty and pleasure to serve you. It always is, it always will be.”

Avidity closed her eyes and smiled softly to the touch.

Trimservice removed his hoof and magically held up a folder, “This month’s... finances have just arrived. Shall I get another bottle?”

Avidity thought about it, but shook her head. “No, I need to deal with that while I can still see straight…”

Trimservice walked out the door, “I will leave it by your bed and be waiting for you there.”

“Thank you Trim,” Avidity said as she opened up the books.

Farm Expenses……………………………........-43,542 b.

Wheat and Produce Sales………………........36,892 b.

Prix Enchantment Guild Expenses...........-40,005 b.

Prix Enchantment Guild Revenue……….....17,462 b.

Manor Expenses……………….…………........-166,900 b.

Misc. Family Expenses………………….........-55,971 b.

Grand Prix’s Bar Tab………………….…........-7,135 b.

Avidity’s eyes twitched, “I should’ve listened to my mother and chained that stallion to the stove as soon as he said our vows…”

On the final page, it said simply:

Totally Family Monthly Revenue……... -259,199 b.

Avidity sighed and started to write a note for the Noble Bank. Their savings had more than enough to cover this kind of loss, but this was far from the first month in the negative. if this level oF deficit kept up, the Prix family would be bitless in five years. This monetary crisis was hitting almost every noble family.

Appleloosa was supposed to be the break the family needed. Avidity had promised each of those counts that duchy if they could convince their lords to vote with the High Horn on this issue. She would’ve betrayed three of them in the end, there was only one title that could be handed out, but they would be to scared to reveal their own involvement in the conspiracy to do anything about it.

In exchange, Avidity would’ve gotten a large proportion of the farming profits, and the various families living in Appleloosa would be too tied up with their news homes to simply move away to find jobs on farms or in factories. That was the plan, anyway...

Avidity magically picked up her empty glass, wishing she had kept the bottle.

“That damn pony with his damn monocle…” Avidity thought as she pulled out the Canterlot Times, “But maybe this can work. It’s not like this bumpkin mayor was properly educated, maybe I could-”

All thought seized when Avidity looked down at the headline.

BLACK GOLD IN FAIRBRITTLE: BE PART OF THE RUSH!
The town of Fairbrittle and the United EG train line proudly announces the discovery of coal in the border town. The current geological survey has sensed and confirmed well over 2 million tonnes of coal near the surface, worth 127 million bits at current prices, but that is only from several hours of surveying. United EG is looking for miners, rock farmers, and ponies of similar talents to move to the Northern land-bridge…

Avidity read and reread the paper, “2 million tonnes… 127 million bits… Fairbrittle… the northern passage…”

Avidity put down the newspaper, “The passage to the Griffin Kingdoms no one used, the town of Earth Ponies that barely could grow enough to feed themselves, worth hundreds of millions of bits. Traded for… what? A higher Seat that is clearly not worth even being a latrine? Why didn’t I... How could I… no... the Princess.”

Avidity stood up from her desk, “Celestia, she knew. She knew this entire time... My family was sitting on riches, sitting on enough to see us through our hour of need, to cement our place in history, but she told us nothing. Celestia traded it all away to those brainless griffons, just to deny me my rights, to give me an illusion of power, a meaningless chair.”

Avidity turned to painting, of her mother and Princess Celestia, hanging on the wall, “That’s your game. You’re trying to destroy me, you’re trying to destroy my family. No… you are trying to destroy the ENTIRETY of the nobility! When you traded for our ability to wage war against each other, you took away our ability to oppose you! When you pushed us to the emancipation of our serfs, you allowed them to walk away and work for other mudfuckers in Manehatten, leaving us broke. You raise earth ponies and pegasus to the highest rank, so our ancient magic is meaningless. You fucking traitor! My ancestors elected you, my ancestors helped to lead the ponies before you were even born!"

A magical glow encased the painting and hurled it across the room.

“You bitch…” said Avidity, looking down at the broken artwork.

“No… it is my coal... it is my property… I will have what is mine by right.”

Avidity turned away from the painting and started to look through her files. She lifted an old paper, her personal copy of The Treaty of Transfer of the Northern Passage.

Duchess Avidity Prix read through the terms of the treaty, and found an answer. A smile crept onto her face as she picked up a quill, and started to write a letter...

Author's Note

Historical Notes: Throughout European history, a nation's nobility often had legislative powers, either defacto as the sitting King was to weak to oppose them, or legally such as in Britain's House of Lords. How much power the nobility had to dictate laws varied wildly between different times and different countries.

During the industrial revolution, much of Europe's surviving nobility found itself with extreme money problems, sometimes literally selling off noble titles for cash.