The Mayor Of Canterlot

"Huh, and you’re sure you don't remember anything else from this mysterious mare?" Drusilla asked in concern as she and Mark enjoyed their break for lunch where, as promised, he told her everything that happened.

He sighed and shook his head and lamented, "Not that it matters, it was probably one nasty experience if she fled the moment she woke up and found out what happened."

He took out the earring and stared at it.

"Not even caring if she left something behind."

"Hey don't be so harsh or yourself dude, it probably wasn’t about you, specifically," Drusilla reasoned as she tried to lighten the mood a little, "Sure, it would be normal to panic if you don't have a recollection of what happened, and sure she could have been a bit more tactful when leaving, but chances are the same thing would have happened no matter who she slept with."

"Thanks, Drusy," Mark said as he smiled weakly, her speech helping him take some of the pain away, "that helps a little."

"Anytime, bro. If she wanted to pass up the chance to be with you, then it's her loss. If it were me, I’d throw that thing away and forget about the whole thing."

Drusilla sighed and leaned back on her chair before smirking, "But I know you better than that. This isn't over, am I right?" She guessed.

Mark could only chuckle awkwardly and rub the back of his head as he nodded and said, "Sorry Drusy, you know how much I hate leaving loose ends."

Drusilla sighed in frustration and looked down. "I know, once you make up your mind there’s no stopping you...you’re like a freaking bloodhound." She mumbled the last part mostly to herself as she looked away.

Mark was about to say something but she looked at him once more.

"So what's the plan then? Do you even have any idea who might be the lucky mare?"

"Actually, I do," The human replied almost immediately, "I might not know who exactly but I'm more than sure it was one of the three mares I flirted with last night."

"Not a bad start," she nodded once, "but what makes you so sure it was one of them?"

"Oh trust me Drusy, if anyone was interested in me it was them." Mark replied with confidence, "One was a free-spirit earth pony whose first words to me, if I understood correctly, were if I would like to sleep with her. Maybe she was inviting me to an orgy too?" he finished as his eyes widened in realization.

"Well if that’s the case then…yeah we got ourselves a whorse. I will schedule a doctor's appointment as soon as possible, better safe than sorry." Drusilla told him.

"Seriously?" Mark dead-panned at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You prefer to take your chances with Miss Open-legs then?" Drusilla challenged back.

"……just try to be discreet about it." Mark finally gave in and stared at the desk

"Consider it done,” Drusilla assured him, then pushed on, “Ok, that’s mare one, what about the other two?"

"The other was a flirty thestral who reminded me a lot of you, come to think about it." Mark continued.

"Should I be flattered or offended right now?" She asked him, with a playful scowl on her face.

"Oh, definitely flattered. This lady had a way with words and really loved to play the teasing game. She even managed to make me confess my love for a certain kind of wings."

"Liking her already," Drusilla nodded and closed her eyes, "now I’m torn between wanting her to be and not be at the same time. On one hand; a thestral just like me who only wanted to say 'thank you' in her own erotic way. On another; a cold bitch too scared to even leave a note for my best friend."

She shook her head in disappointment, "Anyway, that’s two down, what about the last one?"

"From what she told me, she’s the newest mayor of Ponyville,” Mark explained, “A sweet, kind little changeling that wanted my autograph the second she saw me, and didn't hide how much she admires me." Mark then looked away in shame, "And I took advantage of that by planting a kiss on her lips to 'feed her' some of my love," He grabbed his head and lamented, "God! That’s the one I'm scared of the most! The lady idolized me! And I simply betray her trust like that!"

"Hey, hey! We talked about this blaming game, Mark, none of that!" Drusilla said sharply, as she snapped her fingers in front of him, "And for the record, I really don't think she’s our mare."

"You think she wouldn't come to my house?" Mark asked her, confused

"Oh no, I totally believe that – classic lay-with-your-hero fantasy. I’m just saying if she was, chances are that she would have stuck around to savor every second of it, bouncing off the walls, making breakfast, or at the very least spooning you for dear life while on cloud nine. Trust me, I know about these things," Drusilla asserted.

"Or she panicked when she discovered that the celebrity she spent the night with was nothing but a…" Mark stopped himself when the thestral gave him a death glare, just daring him to finish that sentence, "I…I mean she panicked a little after realizing what she did and is now dying of embarrassment after showing me a side of her she didn't even know she had in the first place."

Drusilla kept staring at him before nodding, "Ok, I will give you that. It can be an option too. Anyone else?"

Mark closed his eyes, trying to recall anything else that might give him a clue, recalling the 3 tall pegasi.

"I…remember talking with 3 tall pegasi, too. Probably grabbed the hand of one and flirted a little but I can't recall which one. They said something about leaving early and…yeah that was the last I saw of them. Everything became a blur soon after and the next thing I recall was arriving home with the mare."

Drusilla considered as she said, "Hmm, better keep them as a maybe then."

"Man, I hope that’s not the case – the first 3 mares I'm sure didn't have any malicious intent, but the pegasi on the other hand are complete strangers."

"We can at least be sure they’re also mayors, so I don't think they were looking for dirt," Drusilla supposed, “I’ll ask for the guest list just to be sure. Don't worry bro, we’ll find her."

"Thanks, Drusy, even if it doesn't lead anywhere and she gets angry, I’ll track her down." Mark put the earring in the middle of the table. "At the very least I will have peace of mind when I give this back."

"Yeah…that might be an awkward exchange" Drusilla confessed as she poked the piece of jewelry.

"Why?"

"Well for starters this isn't an earring," She told him and flips it, revealing a hook-shaped needle on the back, "earrings have a straight needle on them, this is a piercing"

"Oh boy, and if this came loose from our activities…yeah, ok now I see what you mean," Mark grimaced at the implication.

At that moment, Mark’s alarm went off, signaling the end of their break.

"Welp, back to work sir. Better put all this on pause for now." Drusilla went back into professional mode as she finished her food and stood up. Mark nodded and followed her example as he put the piercing back in his pocket.

"Understood, so what’s next on the agenda, Ms. Drusilla?" Mark asked as he re-tightened his tie.

"You have a meeting with Princess Celestia to discuss the street repair budget in ten minutes," his secretary replied.

"Are my papers ready?"

"Organized and in your briefcase," came the assurance.

"Perfect, then let's not keep the princess waiting."

After collecting his briefcase and a short walk the two arrive once more at the entrance to the palace, where two guards escorted them to the meeting room.

"Do you smell that?" Drusy suddenly commented when something in the air caught her nose.

"Yeah, it smells like…tomato?" Mark pondered as they sniffed the air.

"My apologies," Celestia’s voice reached them as she appeared from the adjacent corridor, wearing something different than her regular attire. Instead of her usual pure white formal dress, she was wearing a long pink skirt with a brown belt, a light yellow shirt with puffy sleeves, and, oddly enough, a black frilly choker around her throat. Her mane was also pulled up in a ponytail instead of waving freely as it would normally be.

"This morning I wanted to request the staff make a lasagne for me and Luna, and by accident one of the chefs spilled some tomato sauce on me," she informed them, then looked at her ensemble, "I hope you don't mind this look, Mr. Mark. I could try to find something more formal if you would grant me a couple of minutes."

Mark shook his head and raised a hand to assure her, "It’s ok Ce…" the guards and Drusilla glared at him in time for the human to correct himself and clear his throat, "My apologies, can't help it at times. What I meant to say is, don't worry, you don't need to change for me. I understand completely. Besides with how that injury looks," He pointed at the bandage poking out from under her left sleeve a little until Celestia hid it once more, "the last thing I want is to aggravate anything. Was that where the pot hit you?"

"Y-Yeah it was there," Celestia quickly affirmed as she looked down briefly. She then smiled at the human before continuing, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Mark. Don't worry, this is nothing. I will be better in a couple of days"

"Glad to know. The smell isn’t a bother either, though I might ask for some of that lasagne if the meeting drags on."

Celestia chuckled a little at the comment, "I will see what I can do. So shall we begin?" She pointed into the meeting room where a white earth pony stood, patiently waiting with a clipboard in hand. On her snout were big square glasses, and her long black mane was combed into a beehive. She was wearing a yellow formal suit similar to Drusilla’s, but with a red scarf around her neck.

"Sure, let's start," Mark agreed as the group entered and the thestral found her place next to the earth pony, who nodded at her.

"Drusilla."

"Inkwell. How’s everything in the castle?" Drusilla greeted Raven Inkwell in return.

Raven shrugged as she replied, "Same old, can't complain. How is everything in the town hall?"

"Similar, but there might be paperwork that needs a seal of approval." She replied with a smirk, that Inkwell copied, understanding the code.

"Really now? If that's the case, I would be more than happy to assist once I finish my shift."

"Thank you."

Taking a seat, Mark opened his briefcase and was about to begin when Celestia stopped him.

"Oh, and one last thing, after the meeting do you mind taking a moment to discuss a sensitive topic?" Celestia requested before turning to the secretary, "It involves the assembly last night, so it kind of needs to be private."

"Oh of course your highness,” Mark said quickly, “I'm sure we can spare a couple of minutes, Ms. Drusilla could you move…"

"Already on it sir." Drusilla interrupted him and wrote things down on her clipboard, before taking out a small, square stone tablet from her pocket, using it like a phone to send various messages. "Done."

"Thanks Ms. Drusilla."

With that issue settled, the rest of the meeting came and went without a hitch. Once it was done and the secretaries left the room, Princess Celestia let out a sigh and turned to Mark.

"Now onto more sensitive topics. Mr. Mark, about the events that happened yesterday, more specifically the party after the meeting."

Mark felt his nerves pick up and he gulped as she sat in front of him. She folded her hands and asked, "How much do you recall?"

"Isn't that kind of a personal question, your highness?" Mark chuckled nervously, wondering how forthcoming he could, or even should, be.

"It sure is" Celestia agreed immediately with closed eyes before staring at him neutrally, "Unfortunately due to a series of events I was informed transpired last night I must ask these questions."

"What sort of 'events' exactly?" Mark questioned, hoping his misconduct wasn’t about to be laid out before him.

"Missing or blurry pieces of memories, lack of inhibition, extreme behavior, among others," She started to list off, "Didn't you notice how our harmless party started to escalate in some bizarre way?" She finished, keeping her voice neutral.

"Wait so it wasn't just me then?" Mark asked, trying to hide his shock.

She sighed in disappointment before nodding, "I’m afraid not. So then I guess you were also affected. For that, you have my deepest apologies as well as my word that this will not see the light of day. You will, of course, be compensated handsomely," She brought her hand to her chest and kept her gaze low in shame.

"Compensated!?" Mark exclaimed with more volume than he intended, "Your highness what exactly happened last night? Last I recall, I invited you to dance with me and other mayors, and then…" he paused and his cheeks heated up as Celestia waited for him to continue. "…everything became a blur, with a couple of lucid memories here and there. In all of them, I became flirtatious for no reason...and I feared I came on too strong with some of the mares."

Celestia nodded calmly and waited for him to finish venting before asking him to take a seat once more, "It is what one would have expected due to the nature of the drug that was mixed into our drinks."

"Drug?!" Mark repeated in alarm as she raised her open hand to calm him.

"Don't worry, medically speaking it is relatively harmless, yet quite emotionally manipulative,” Celestia told him as she looked away with a scowl, not hiding her disappointment and anger one bit. “I have reason to believe that a member of the upper class decided to use it in an attempt to harm your public image."

Sighing in annoyance, Mark looked down and nodded, finally understanding what was happening.

"I gather it was one of the nobles displeased by the idea that Canterlot has a mayor that isn't a unicorn, am I right?" He questioned.

"Unfortunately so," Celestia confirmed his suspicion with a single nod.

“Was this the work of Snake Eye?” he speculated.

"That was my first guess,” Celstie replied, “but he is still in his cell and I assure you other than a trusted guard to bring his meals he has zero contact with the outside world. The investigation is still ongoing, but from what my team has been able to gather, our drinks were spiked with a variation of a very old type of potion called Love Poison."

"Don't you mean Love Potion?" Mark corrected with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I meant what I said,” Celestia explained to him, “a terrible poison that led to the ruin of a kingdom in the past. Whoever drinks it becomes obsessed with the first creature of the opposite sex they lay their eyes on. Once, a king and queen were served that, and from then on they were completely unable to run their city as the only thing they could do all day was stare at each other's eyes. This potion worked similarly, but not as potent,"

"So that’s why I was acting so out of character then?" Mark asked.

"We all were, don't worry. If I were to name this potion it would be something like Numb Inhibitions or the Flirting Potion. Once consumed we all started to get very relaxed, lose touch with reality, speak our minds, and…well, you experience the rest first hand." Celestia said, her voice trailing off into a sigh.

Mark sighed as well, looking down.

"Yeah, everything makes sense now," he said quietly, mostly to himself.

"So you understand why I must insist on asking these questions, right?” Celestial pressed on, “Whoever was responsible may have wanted to set you up, and expose a less-than-ideal image of you in particular, not caring who else would get in the way. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they try have spin it around, claiming you were the one responsible in the first place. Everything will be confidential of course, but for me to map this clearly I must make sure of how much you recall."

"Before I tell you, how exactly do you know this was an attack on me only?" Mark wanted to know.

"Because ever since this morning the castle was in a panic, questioning the events of last night. It was a perfect setup to gather some pictures yet the only arrest my guard made was of a photographer that was following you when you left the castle. He was the one that confessed to the plan, but doesn't know who gave him the tip of a potential scandal." Celestia answered.

"Yeah, that clarifies things," Mark sighed and leaned back on his chair, "and complicates them at the same time."

"How so?"

"With regard to the party, I already told you most of what I know, except the names of 3 mares I recall flirting with clearly; Mayors Spectra, Ocellus, and Tree Hugger. I also flirted with 3 very tall pegasus, but the next memory I have gets more…personal" He explained with some heat on his cheeks, "Now I get why I could recall clearly what I did but don't have a recollection of with whom, but your highness…I took a mare home with me."

"Y-You did?" Celestia couldn't hide the shock in her voice. She cleared her throat in embarrassment as the heat started to rise on her own face, "Are you sure you don't remember who this mare was?"

Mark shook his head, "That’s what I want to find out too. I have a very strong feeling it was one of the mayors I spent the night with but that’s it." Then he had a thought, "But maybe you might know, Princess. Did your guards spot one of the mayors returning to the castle?"

"Many; all of them brimming with questions, but not all mayors spend the night here. Some took a room at a nearby hotel." she explain with disappointment, "I'm sorry, Mark."

Mark deflated a bit before perking up again as another idea occurred to him, "What about that photographer you said followed me? They must have seen who it was.” The excitement of solving this question was building up in him again.

Celesia frowned for the briefest of moments before she contemplated what he said.

“Perhaps,” She conceded, “though the only photograph found on him by the guards was thankfully too blurry to make anything out. He is being held in the guard barracks for further questioning until we decide what to do with him.”

“Even so, he would have seen her and can maybe give a recognizable description or even a name.” Mark continues.

“If you think so I'll arrange some time for you to talk with him, though I doubt he’s the kind to give up such information cheaply,” Celesta warned him.

“True, but now, at least, I understand better why she left without so much as saying goodbye."

"I'm sure she was as scared as you for what transpired and had her reasons to bail like that," Celestia reassured him, nodding a couple of times.

"Yeah, you’re right. Still, I hope it will be ok for me to approach her to apologize and explain the situation"

"There’s no reason for that, Mark, I have been going around to all Mayors explaining the situation. Everypony agrees that what happened was something out of their control." Celestia tried to assure him.

"Still, it would be the chivalrous thing to do. I don't want her to feel like I only used her or vice versa because of a lust-inducing drink, and besides, I need to return this." Mark insisted as he showed her the piercing.

Celestia immediately recognized what type it was and flinched.

"Oh my…well, that seems very noble on your part. I only hope you will be tactful about it. In fact, if you wish, I could aid you. Why don't you give me that piece of jewelry and if I come across said mare, I will give it to her myself." She offered as she extended her hand but Mark shook his head and put it away.

"Thanks, but this is something I should do in person."

At that moment there is a knock on the door, "Mr. Mayor are you done? Not wanting to pressure you or anything, but we are running late"

"Coming, Ms. Drusilla, we are wrapping up here anyway." Mark called back before looking at Celestia, "Well it looks like our time is up. Thank you so much for helping clear the air Ce…I mean Pri…"

Celestia stood up and raised her hand, "You can call me by my name when we are alone, all my friends do." She gave him a small wink to help him relax.

"Thank you, Celestia, if there is anything else I can do to help the investigation, please let me know."

"I'll keep it in mind. Until then, have a nice day."

"You too."

Mark waved goodbye and left the room. Celestia waved back until the doors were closed.

“I hope wherever that was about went well.” Drusilla promoted Mark as they started down the hallway.

“It was a mixed bag.” Mark replied, “Mostly about the incident last night. Turns out…...”

He paused as a maid turned the corner into the hallway in front of them. He maintained his silence as the maid continued past them. She offered a slight curtsy and received a smile in return from the pair. When She was far enough away Mark continued, this time in a lower voice. “Turns out the whole lot of us got drugged by something to make us act strange.”
After Drusilla’s gasp, he added, "The princess believes it was a plot to discredit me by showing a degenerate image to the public.”

“Wha..? Who?” Drusilla demanded indignantly, her voice rising again.

“Later,” Mark assured her quietly, “For now, we know this because a photographer was caught. Only one photographer. Who followed me when I left the party.”

“So it was definitely a set-up,” Drusilla growled before her face changed to surprise as she caught on to where Mark was leading, “wait they would have seen who you left with, they can solve this riddle for us right now.”

“Exactly, so we have two stops to make before we get to the office.” Mark asserted.

“Two?” Drusilla asked.

“Yeah. Gonna need some leverage when we ask this creep for the information.”