Your Loyal Subject

"Pickup!" Dark Roast said.

"Got it!" a barista mare said, just before serving Roseluck and Golden Harvest. "Here you go! Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thanks, you too!" Roseluck said as the two walked away with their coffee.

The line in the Ponyville cafe was fairly long, as per usual, and the baristas were swamped to keep up with orders.

"I need two medium cappuccinos, a small white-chocolate cocoa, and a double-espresso!" the mare barista said to her coworkers.

"We're on it!" they said.

Star Buck, meanwhile, was in her office, going over the ledgers, and admiring the profit coming in for her business.

"Ah... great income!" she said. "And I hope my husband's made the reservation at the seaside resort, and booked our train tickets. I'll be able to pay no problem once I get off today! And it's quite good that Mr. Aversion is on suspension without pay. Otherwise, we couldn't afford such a nice trip! Oh, it's going to be a lovely vacation..."

At that moment, the pager beeped. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Star Buck pressed the button.

"Yes?" she said.

"O-oh, yes, Star... um..." Dark Roast said.

"What's the matter?" Star Buck asked.

"Th-there's... somepony here who... wants to speak to you..." Dark Roast said.

"Well, could you just tell them I'm busy?" Star Buck said.

There was silence for a moment.

"...They insist on it... and... they are of... h-high noble rank..." Dark Roast said.

Star Buck sighed, standing from her desk, and making her way out of the office.

"Who the buck thinks they're so important that they can just waltz in here, demanding to see me and waste my time?!" she mumbled under her breath.

What she caught sight of next, however, made her stop dead in her tracks, her jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"Y-Your Highness...!" Star Buck said.

Princess Luna was in her coffee shop. She narrowed her eyes and smiled curiously at the general manager.

"Hello," she said. "Mrs. Star Buck, I presume?"

"O-oh, yes, of course...!" Star Buck said, hastily making her way to the counter. "Order anything you wish, and as much as desired, Your Highness! It shall be free of charge!"

"Hmmm..." Luna hummed, "...now, let us be clear in understanding that..." she narrowed her eyes, "...I am not one who condones favoritism..."

Star Buck went rigid as beads of sweat began to appear on her head. "Wh-whatever do you mean, Your Highness?"

"See," Luna began, "I happen to be aware, from a whistleblower, per se, that you seem to be treating a few around here with favoritism."

"Well, I assure you that is not true," Star Buck said. "All employees are treated fairly and ethically and given proper motivation to create a positive atmosphere and give our patrons the best service. Whoever provided you with that information was lying!"

"Really?" Luna asked. "Because, I have come to understand that this particular individual is very... misunderstood. Neglected. Ostracized. The list goes on and on. He is a very trustworthy stallion, as I have come to know firsthoof, after spending a great deal of time with him."

"But..." Star Buck trailed off.

She had no idea what to say. It did not seem like a good idea to get into a heated debate with a Princess.

"And this particular stallion has shown me that you are doing absolutely nothing on the frontlines, assisting your employees! All you do, based on his testimony, is sit in your office, only coming out for a few minutes to praise your favorites and scold your undesirables!" Luna continued.

"Who is this stallion you're talking about?" Star Buck said. "Ponies are coming in and out of here like a spring tide!"

Luna subtly smirked, glancing back to the entrance. "Avey! Why don't you come in and let Mrs. Star Buck know how you're feeling right now?"

As Aversion entered the coffee shop, Star Buck's eyes went wide again.

"Mr. Aversion... what are you doing in my shop?!" she said. "Get out! You're not welcome here!"

"...Hello to you too, Mrs. Buck." Aversion said nonchalantly.

"You see," Luna said, "my dear, sweet coltfriend, Avey," she gently rubbed his head as she referenced him, "has undergone a great deal of emotional and financial turmoil. I don't believe you understand exactly how you have been ruining his life further."

"What...?! COLTFRIEND?!" Star Buck said.

"That's right," Aversion said. "Lulu chose me as hers. And might I say, it's the best thing that has ever happened in my life!"

"B-but Your Highness...!" Star Buck said. "...you say you do not condone favoritism... and yet you have singled out Mr. Aversion, my laziest employee... as your coltfriend?!"

Luna pursed her lips. "It is not for him to receive any direct gain; I simply love him for the pony he is. Have you ever known that he was bullied by his peers and abused by his stepfamily growing up? That added to the fact that he is in the lower end of the working-class, living in a residence that is in dire need of upgrade and repair that he simply cannot afford with the stingy wages you were shelling out!

"Not only that, but thanks to Avey, I managed to get statements from previous employees who held a similar disposition to their jobs as him. And this confirms my thoughts regarding your lack of business proprietor skills that are essential in long-term goals!"

"What?!" Star Buck said. "Who provided you with that information?"

"That's confidential. They requested to remain anonymous," Luna said.

Aversion could not help but chuckle at how helpless his former boss looked. Being a control-freak that she was, it was oh so satisfying to see her get some blowback and well-deserved karma.

"Under my authority as a co-ruler of Equestria, I hereby declare that this cafe is now under my jurisdiction. In accordance with the Kingdom of Equestria Fair Labor Ethics Act, I am shutting this place down on grounds of unlawful suspension without pay, unethical treatment of select employees, causing emotional distress, poor management including forcing floor responsibilities on head barista, and other infractions that shall be elaborated on in the investigation paperwork!" Luna said.

"N-no...! Your Highness, please!" Star Buck begged. "You can't do this! This business is all I have!"

"Well..." Luna began, "...should you wish to continue business operations as normal, you will have to compensate for your wrongdoing to your former employees. We have estimated an average amount of Bits for each individual, and an estimated quantity of ponies based on job reviews on the PonyNet."

With that, the Princess of the Night pulled a rolled piece of parchment from under her mane, handing it to Star Buck, who feverishly took it. She unfurled it and looked it over, her eyes shooting open and jaw falling almost off her face.

"...I-I... I can't afford this...!" Star Buck said.

"Well, the matter here is that you have violated fair labor statutes, and the law says you must compensate any wrongdoing. If you cannot do that, your business will be forced to close down or be dissolved through acquisition by a willing buyer, the latter in compliance with the Equestrian Antitrust Laws," Luna said.

"Yes," Aversion added, "which means, Mrs. Buck... you are going to have to compensate me as well! With real money, rather than your skimpy minimum wage!"

Star Buck's eyes fell to the floor for a moment. "...Could we discuss this one-on-one for a brief moment?"

Annoyed and letting out an exasperated sigh, Aversion followed her to the hallway that led to her office.

"Mr. Aversion, listen..." she said, "...I am not going to sugar-coat this for you. I need you to convince Princess Luna to change her mind about all this!"

Aversion scowled at his former boss. "And just why should I?"

"Because if I lose my place of business, and am forced to surrender the assets as compensation, me and my husband will be ruined! My business will sink! We'll lose everything!" Star Buck said.

Aversion raised his eyebrows slightly, but his eyes remained narrow.

"...You should've thought of that sooner," he said. "Cough up the dough, and start a different business! And y'know, it might work out even better... if you actually treat all of your employees properly!"

Star Buck hung her head, her eyes narrow in rage. "...But how am I supposed to start from the ground up if Princess Luna is going to take everything from me?!"

"That's not my bucking problem!" Aversion stated. "Face it, you spoiled, rotten mule... you brought this on yourself! You didn't care about my situation, so I don't care about yours!"

And then he walked off, leaving the distressed business owner standing in utter shock at how he just spoke to her. She would have chewed him out for such behavior... but knowing that he was now the coltfriend of Princess Luna herself... she dared not mess with him in this state.

Soon enough, Luna and Aversion were both on their way, ready to spend yet another great day with each other.

"Oh, Lulu," Aversion said during the carriage ride, "I can't thank you enough for righting all the wrongs in my life."

"Well, hey," Luna said, "that's what a marefriend is for, right?"

"I don't doubt it!" Aversion said.

The young stallion was definitely glad that the tide has, at long last, turned in his life. Now those who had given him a bunch of unjust treatment were about to get their end of the karma.

First Brutus, and now Star Buck. Plus, Prince Blueblood is my personal servant... but of course, I'm having him do charity work to know what civilian life is like. He thought.

He could only wonder what fate had in store for him next...

Brutus sat in a cell of the Ponyville prison, awaiting his trial. He was completely bored, as well as brimming with rage... but he felt far too lazy to release any of it.

"He's gonna pay...!" he muttered under his breath. "...Ass-version is gonna pay!"

Meanwhile, Blueblood managed to slip away from Discord for a moment after the latter dozed off while laying back and watching him pick up trash off the streets. As long as he did not leave the town limits of Ponyville, or bother any civilians, and returned before Discord would awaken, he would be alright.

"Now then, to get access..." the former Prince said to himself.

He went inside, but found the front desk to be abandoned. However, he saw this as an advantage, especially when he heard some hoofsteps approaching from the cell wing door. He hid behind a large evidence chest before the door opened, and when the guards were too busy to notice, he slipped right past them and through the door before it closed.

From there, it was just a matter of checking the prisoner list and seeing which cell Brawn Brutus was in. Eventually, he found the cell in question, knocking on the bars a few times to catch the attention of the earth pony within. Brutus looked up, and then over at the white unicorn outside the bars.

"Prince Blueblood?!" Brutus said. "Ugh... of all things... now I gotta deal with you?!"

Blueblood scowled. "Firstly... you shall never speak to your Prince that way!"

"Hmph..." Brutus uttered.

Blueblood let his eyebrows recede and his lips stop pursing. "However... I am willing to make an exception for you for the time being. I have a proposition to make."

"Like what?" Brutus asked.

"See..." Blueblood spoke, "...I know a great deal about you, Brawn Brutus... particularly your rivalry with Aversion, a pathetic, lowly stallion whom I have come to utterly loathe."

"Wait... you hate him too?" Brutus asked.

"Indeed," Blueblood said. "He has completely brainwashed my Auntie Luna into getting her to do his bidding, and getting me into trouble for attempting to rectify this dilemma!"

Brutus' eyebrows came down as a wicked smile filled his face. "Yeah... yeah! That scrawny little colt's gotta get what's coming to him! He ain't gonna get away with all of this!"

"How right you are!" Blueblood said. "And here I always assumed commoners had no true sense of justice. Perhaps you and I could get along after all."

"Well, whatever you say," Brutus said. "But... how are we gonna do it? I'm in jail, and you're being monitored by Princess Celestia, from what I heard in the news!"

Blueblood pursed his lips as his eyes fell to the floor. He had not exactly thought this through.

"...Well, we shall think of something," the unicorn said. "Do you, by any chance, have any comrades or affiliates whom I can request assistance from in getting you out, as well as aiding in my cause?"

"Oh yeah!" Brutus said. "You'll find them on Mustang Lane at 5 PM on Friday, which should be tomorrow. They're all big and burly like me. You'll be able to easily spot them."

"Excellent!" Blueblood said. "Everything should transpire... and true justice shall prevail!"

"Awesome! Never thought you'd want to help anypony but yourself!" Brutus said.

Actually, Blueblood did, but he didn't ever mention this to anyone. All he cared about was his lifestyle and self-image.

In any case, Blueblood decided to sneak out as quickly as possible, taking the door he came through, and quietly making his way out of the building when the guards had their backs turned, discussing something regarding paperwork they were hovering over.

Now that he had some good, local connections, Blueblood felt like he was going to make some great progress in sabotaging Aversion...