The Mayor Of Canterlot

While Mark was in the middle of telling Twilight the story of his time in Canterlot, Dr. Gerald came to the room and had to cut the visit short as he needed to tend to his patient. Much to Twilight’s frustration.

Promising to continue the story once he was done, Mark left, leaving an awkward tension between the princess and Drusilla who didn't know what to say.

"So...you met because of a room for rent?" Twilight tries to make some small talk as the thestral nods "Most likely the cheapest room Canterlot had to offer at the time, considering how it was located on the poor section of town."

"I still find hard to believe that is even possible I never once heard of such a thing as Canterlot having a poor section"

"Not surprising, really" She crosses her arms and looks away "I bet not even the princesses knew about it. Mayor Silver worked really hard on keeping his dirty little secrets in the shadows."

Feeling extremely guilty from having ignored such a problem in Canterlot, Twilight wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but didn't know where to start.

Luckily the tension was gone when the rest of the mane six arrived, fully intending to visit Mark too. The next hour was spent with introductions, asking permission and then getting everyone in the room up to date with everything that has transpired.

Needless to say, Mark was surprised to see the mane gather in his room once again. Pinkie didn't waste time in giving him a strong hug minding the bulging stomach she was sporting underneath her pink apron and blue long dress with party images all over it. Yet his surprise pales in comparison to the Dr. who probably haven't noticed the visitors yet and was still staring at the charts on his clipboards in disbelief.

"Is everything in order, Dr. Gerald?" Mark asks him with some worry.

"Hmm? Oh Y-Yeah everything is fine...abnormally fast." He mumbles the last part to himself "Mr. Mayor, I have to double check some diagnosis, do you mind waiting a little bit longer before I discharge you?"

"Sure" He replied with a shrug, "It looks like I have some catching up to do with some friends anyway."

"Thanks." Gerald nods and leaves the room as Mark approaches his bed with a big smile.

"I'm so glad to see all of you girls, really." Mark sits at the base of the bed and admires how much all of his friends have changed over the years. Rarity still looked as radiant as ever, wearing a dark purple vest, giving her a more professional appearance. Dash was wearing a scarf and avian sweater on top of her blue jeans. Fluttershy was still wearing the same outfit he met her in so long ago with the only difference being how she combed her mane into a ponytail. Finally Applejack was still as ripped as he remember with her sternson hat, dotted shirt with a knot on the front that show not only her belly but also her ripped six pack her slightly worn out short jeans and the most recent addition to her clothing, Granny Smith’s old bandana which she wore with pride over her shoulder, just like her grandma before her.

"Just look at you, all grown up, imposing and ready to establish a brand new kingdom, impressive is being generous, you are about to create history very soon! There are a ton of things to talk about. Starting with..."

He brings his hands together and points at Pinkie belly "May I touch your belly? And in which month are you now?"

"Awww of course you can touch my belly and Cheese and I are on our 4th..." Pinkie start rubbing her belly when Dash interrupt

"Sorry Pinkie as much as I would like to let you tell the story, I believe there is another one still pending." She then looks at Mark neutrally. "Twilight told us why you never came back to us, something about never being able to face us if you did?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

With a defeated sigh he nods and looks down. "I never meant to hurt you girls, I fully intended to go back to Ponyville, even though I wasn't even sure if you’d still remember me, or even if I should even try to approach or not. I wasn't exactly part of your inner circle after all"

"Even if you weren't our closest friend we still would have received you with open arms, sugar cube." AJ was quick to mention, "Heck I might have offered your old job back while you figured out what to do next."

While she speaks Pinkie sits next to him and grabs his hand before bringing it under her shirt so he could rub his hand directly into her belly catching him off guard as he looks at his hand and then at her as she smiles calmly at him and nod "I would have love to throw you a party, oh! We have lots of parties to catch up on! And you are invited to my baby shower, no backsies, you are definitely coming to this one as sorry for missing all the others!" She points out with a giggle, making him relax and even get slightly startled when he feels a kick as he stares at the belly once more. “Little Cheese also wants you there” Pinkie smile while holding the hand that was on her belly

"Thanks Pinkie, all of you actually, I sure don't deserve having friends like you girls." He wiped a tear from his face with his free hand before continuing. "Anyway, as Rainbow said there was a story pending and..." He takes a glance at Drusilla who nods "...since Drusy is ok with it, I'll tell you exactly why I stayed and eventually became the new mayor of Canterlot."

Taking his hand away he looked at the window in a reminiscent sigh "It all started 6 years ago when I was still a wide-eyed innocent human, eager to learn from the last stop on my tour around the world. The prestigious and refined city Rarity always loved to rave about"

They all took a knowing glance at Rarity "What? It is the most glamorous, cultured and refined city of them all"

"JA, maybe if you are a tourist." Drusilla couldn't help herself as she hugged herself and tensed up, surprising not only Rarity but also Twilight.

"Come again dear?" the fashionista asks, not sure she heard the thestral right.

"Please don't be so hard of them Drusy, they simply didn't know"

"Know what? I lived all my childhood in this city and while I wouldn't exactly describe it like that, it is not a bad place to live." Twilight defends herself.

"Correction Twilight, it is a great place to live ...if you are rich."

"And a unicorn." Drusilla finishes.

"It's ok girls, neither of you knew how things really ran around here but well...the thing is..." Mark tries to find the right words until Drusilla decides to answer for him.

"Unlike you Princess Twilight who spent your childhood inside the castle, or you Ms. Rarity who checked all the boxes in social standards, life here wasn't exactly easy for creatures like me and Mark. Even with your efforts to make the place more accepting of other species." She explains pointing at both of them.

"What?!" Both mares exclaim in disbelief as Mark nods.

"Just because it wasn't in plain sight doesn't mean corruption wasn't present, Twilight. It was only well hidden. I'm sorry you had to find out like this, but despite your efforts, Canterlot still holds on to a strong ideology of projecting an image of elegance and high class no matter what, with minor exceptions here and there to fool the rest of the world. Like that restaurant Rarity and Pinkie help[ed get started for example, sure it works now, but what you don't know is how locals view it more as an exotic eccentricity of the city rather than an honest and elegant establishment, something out of place to 'help everything else shine brighter.'"

He nods once with a small smile. "Thank god the owners of said restaurant let me work there when I arrived, too. Saffron and Coriander were the only decent ponies that didn't sneer at me for the idea of being a strange creature, broke and looking for a job."

"Why did you ever search for one in the first place, sugarcube?" AJ raised a hand, intrigued by the idea.

"It is mostly my routine when I visit a town, meet the locals, find any odd jobs available, explore the place, earn some money and once I have enough, move to the next location." He explains with a shrug "It worked everywhere else I went, but with Canterlot finding both a job and place to stay was a whole new type of ordeal, I tell you. And no Twilight I wasn't gonna ask either the princesses or your parents." He stops her before she can say anything. "The point was to make a living by my own hands not crashing on some friend's couch."

"Go on." Twilight nods, slightly frustrated but decides to let him do things his way.

Anyway, in addition of giving me a job, Saffron Masala, the co-owner of the place was kind enough in telling me where I could find a room to rent in the lower class district of Canterlot"

"Ah Canterlot doesn't have a lower class district" Twilight points out, making Drusilla laugh and shake her head "By Celestia’s mane, you really DID grow up in the castle." She comments, much to the princess' growing concern and the rest of the ponies' shock.

"Be nice Drusy, chances are not even Cel…"Mark stops when Drusilla gives him a side glare and he pretends to cough "I mean not even the Princesses were fully aware on how that part of the city was really being used, or even how that was the name everyone gave it. You see girls, outside the ones living there, most ponies knew that place as the Mercy Heart District."

"Mercy Heart? But darling that is the section of Canterlot reserved for aiding the general public. There is nothing there but hospitals, orphanages, and housing for the homeless." Rarity mentions and starts to dread when Mark and Drusilla only give her a sorrowful gaze.

"Oh please tell me that wasn't just a front"

"Oh no, it's not that serious. That district is still filled with those facilities and it is very well kept. The princesses themselves can attest to that" Mark was quick to calm them down when he saw Fluttershy on the verge of crying.

"The problem is that it was also used to house every creature else that didn't fit the profile Canterlot wanted to show." Drusilla clarifies while crossing her arms.

"What?!" The mares all yell and Mark shushes them in anger "Hospital! Remember!" He harshly whispers at them with a scowl. making them compose themselves and blush at the outburst.

Once relaxed Mark continued. "Don't get me wrong, Mayor Silver did decent work keeping the status quo, but even if subtle, the corruption was there, and the more time I spent in that district, the more clear it became."

"Mark, I'm starting to get afraid to ask but…what exactly was going on in the Mercy Heart District?" Twilight asks after gulping from fear.

"Lots of things, but the most prominent one I saw was extortion. Very few ponies know this but in that district there are a handful of residential buildings spread around. The rent was more accessible if one was ok with sharing a room." Mark shrugs and then smiles as he looks at Drusilla who rolls her eyes and sighs in frustration.

"Here we go."

"And that is how I managed to meet Druid and my best friend here, Drusilla. Who, believe it or not, wasn't the smiling face of the party that you see today." For his efforts the thestral lightly punches his shoulder.

"Oh hardy har har." She rolls her eyes as he chuckles.

Their laughter lasts a little while before turning to sorrow. "It was truly a rocky start, but after I finally got settled I really believed things could turn around. Boy was I wrong."

"I can take it from here, Mark, don't worry." Drusilla taps his shoulder before addressing the mares in the room. "Like he said, one night, this weird alien monkey creature came into our life and helped with the rent. Me and my brother always struggled to get by, so having the extra bits was welcome, even when I didn't exactly like to interact much with him."

Mark shrugged at the comment. "No complaints here, we all need our space sometimes."

With a sigh, Drusilla continued "In time I managed to…tolerate the new roommate in our home and for a couple of months everything was fine. Then one random noble decided that our building was a perfect spot to build his latest country club or golf course or some fancy junk, I don't know!" Drusy was getting increasingly angry as she recalled the story. "Something common among those creeps is just throwing bits at us and expecting us to just move around like there is no problem."

"I mean, you were fairly compensated, right? That is the law." Twilight tries to explain, "Evicting others from a perfectly functional structure to construct something with the purpose of solely self enjoyment, especially in that district, is highly illegal!"

"Which I pointed out, as well as the bait and problems the money they offer will entail. Yes, they promised a lot of money, but the problem is, crunching the numbers, that would only last 3 months of rent in the cheapest upper section of Canterlot With how hard finding jobs was the destruction of that building would only result in all that lived there ending in a homeless refugee no matter what happened." Mark elaborated.

"Then they couldn't go through with it, right?" AJ asked, but the human only shook his head.

"Like I said, subtle, but corrupted, the mayor was the snake that he was. Always found ways around the law to help his peers get what they want. No matter how we plead the case, he had the bits. He would always have the means to drown us in legal procedures that would drain us of all we had in weeks. One way or another, they will always get their way."

"Despite that, Druid never lost hope. He fought tooth and nail." Drusilla sniffed as starting to tear up, "He studied, he got his hands on every single book of law that he could, trying to fight that bastard! He fought for our home, stirring the right pots and talking with everycreature that might help and give us the time."

"He really had a way with words and made quick friends. You would be proud, Twilight. He was a real example of the magic of friendship." Unable to hold her tears back, Mark brings Drusilla close and hugs her frame, letting her vent and calm down as he continues. "I just couldn't leave after seeing how they were struggling with how many thestrals, donkeys, griffins…lots of creatures were struggling, Twilight. Canterlot was fake, plain and simple. It needed to be fixed and I…I promised Druid I would help the city he loved so much."

Everyone stays quiet as he wipes a tear and hugs Drusilla tighter. There was no need to say more, the idea was more than clear.

"What happened?" Twilight finally broke the silence with a sorrowful tone.

"A miracle, for all his schemes, treachery, and tricks. Silver never expected a thestral could possibly outwit him. He lowered his guard and Druid exploited it. Before, we couldn't exactly complain to the princesses. The nobles on the surface were following the law to the letter, so there wasn't a case per se. But Druid built a strong case, one that reached their ears and finally brought to light the real face of Mayor Silver. The building was safe and sound at long last, and not only that a new law was passed, that made it impossible for another noble to try to take it once more."

Having calmed down enough, he let go of Drusilla who thanked him and dried her eyes. "I was ready to go back to Ponyville when I heard the news. All those sleepless nights the 3 of us spent trying to build a case, all the effort we put in. The community at large and finally the city itself working together. We were more than ready to party when it was announced the Mayor was removed from office."

"Of course that bastard couldn't even take losing with dignity. He hunted my brother down, ponynapped him and…" She bit her hand at the memory, unable to finish the sentence. "My brother, the bravest thestral I ever knew, an innocent pony with a heart of gold! He was the only one that had the guts to stand against that snake and he…!"

Before she could react, Pinkie, AJ and Fluttershy were hugging her as the four were openly weeping, Mark keeping his gaze down.

"It was the last straw, after…that happened Drusy and I knew this victory wouldn't last. What was stopping another Silver taking control and doing something even worse? We just couldn't blindly put our trust in anyone else, so once elections were announced, in an impulse moment I decided to throw my hat on the ring. A human against five nobles for the job.”

He chuckles a little and looks back at them, "Trust me when I tell you that I never expected to win. When I entered the race, I was fully prepared to lose, my plan was just to inspire everyone to stand their ground and fight for their rights, that no matter if you have or not the bits you have the will to always stand your ground."

"Until dear Drusy here convinced you otherwise and you aimed to win, correct?" Rarity questions with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile.

"Oh no, I was with him." Wiping a tear, Drusilla breaks the hug and chuckles at the memory, "There was absolutely no chance of him winning. I was so sure we were gonna get creamed on the polls that one night I approached Mark and told him. 'Dude, if you, by some miracle, actually win the elections, I will not only turn into your personal secretary, on the very first day in office I will wear nothing but pink!"

"She hates wearing that color." Mark clarified with a small chuckle.

"Imagine my humiliation when we actually won." Drusy passed around a picture from her wallet of them alongside a big group of creatures cheering in front of town hall with Drusilla wearing a bright pink formal suit and an intense blush on her face.

"And that is how I got the greatest secretary in the world who soon after excelled in law school and now holds the best honors degrees and the current record of fastest learner."

"Wait a minute!" Twilight crunches the numbers and shakes her head. "You got a law school degree in only 3 years!?"

"2 actually, and… well… me, and Druid were already studying it, through mail, self taught and no profit internships. So I was allowed to skip most of the lessons, and go straight to thick exams the size of my head encapsulating the semester to prove I was qualified to skip them." Drusilla clarifies with a shrug.

"And ever since then she has been helping me clean up the mess Silver created for so many years. She really has been the brain behind all of my projects, actually."

"Oh it's nothing, he is the man with the plan. I simply take care of the legal paperwork and map the procedures to make it a reality." She dismisses the compliment with a small blush "What can I say, turns out I was a natural as a secretary and I really like the job, being one rocks and turns out that he and I made a pretty kick ass team running this city."

"Heck yeah we do!" He and Drusy fist bump in confidence. "So you see now Twilight, that is why I never returned, there was a lot to clean up and before I realized, there was a lot of work to do. Friends to help, a city to protect. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I just ask you to please try to understand."

The girls look at one another before nodding and bring the human into a group hug. "Of course we understand, silly." Pinkie is the first to speak.

"What you are doing is extremely kind, this is exactly the type of lessons we always wanted to spread to the world!" Fluttershy continues.

"What you did was awesome dude, if I could you totally would have got my vote." Dash lightly punched his shoulder.

"I for one appreciate what you did dear Mark, Canterlot has always had a special place in my heart, but now you have ensured its glamor shines even brighter."

"If anypony gets what it’s like to lose a family member, it’s me." AJ looks at Drusilla "I get why you stayed. I bet if Druid could see his sister he would be beaming with happiness."

"Thanks Ms. Applejack." Drusilla nods before Pinkie brings her to join the group hug.

"There is only one thing I'm curious about." Twilight ends the hug and looks at Mark confused.

"What happened to Mayor Silver at the end?"

Drusilla and Mark exchange a worried look and they briefly recall a memory. One of the both standing in the rain with Mark hugging a crying Drusilla who keeps glaring at the former mayor as the unicorn lays on the floor on a puddle of water and blood and one missing eye, the same blood was on Mark's clenched fist. A flash of lightening revealing the murderous glare he was giving the mayor.

"Some...stories are better left untold Twilight." Mark finally reply

"Yeah, trust me, just know that he eventually was caught, arrested and is rotting on a dungeon someplace in the castle"

They all agree, accepting the explanation minus Twilight, who was still intrigued to hear the rest of that story but before she could press the issue the doctor returned to the room.

"Sorry for interrupting, but I need to talk with the mayor alone. So could everypony please…" He motioned to the door behind him.

"Oh of course, we can talk later, lets go everypony." AJ says and soon Mark is left alone with the doctor who takes a seat in front of him.

"So what is it doctor? Is everything ok?"

"Actually it is, and that is exactly the thing." Gerald began scanning through his notes one final time. "Mr. Mayor, despite not suffering broken bones, your injuries were considerable. The extension of your bruises alone would have put in so much pain even with the drugs and spells. We had to make a minor surgery to patch your stomach after it ripped from the punches and your nervous system was in a very delicate state. That last one was why we insisted you take one day of observation."

"Wow, that sounds painful and serious."

"And that is the thing, that was yesterday's chart, but seemingly out of nowhere all your injuries simply vanished!" He shows the new chart with everything seemingly in the clear "Your bruises are fully healed, your internal injuries are scarred and patched almost like they were never there, and somehow your nervous system seems to have rejuvenated a little. In all my years as a doctor I have never seen a patient recover so fast."

He put the chart on the table and crossed his fingers, "So I have to ask, is there something you would like to tell me sir?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, "Some detail you might have omitted about the human race?"

Knowing he was corner Mark could only sigh and look down, "For the record, I did try to tell you I was fine yesterday, but well I suppose there is no point in keeping it hidden...Dr. Gerald how much do you know about a carnivorous diet?"

"I know that it is rich in protein, but last I checked it doesn't influence the healing process."

"It does if you are a human," Mark replied, again catching his attention, "I'm sorry for not telling you, the notion that I can consume meat has always been a delicate subject to discuss."

"I understand, please proceed."

Heher highness, you really missed this last part of your plan. Eh, no big deal I'm sure I can come up with something. Mentally shrugging Mark continues with his 'explanation'.

"You see doctor, we humans have this obscure organ right around here." He points to his left side of his abdomen, "It’s called the pancreas, it doesn't do virtually anything. At first glance one would think it just an extra organ but if the body is injured it fills this function somehow. You see the pancreas functions as a protein reserve where a portion of the meat I consume is stored. If my body has been injured and in the recent days prior or after I consume that. The pancreas takes all that protein and converts it into hyper charge white cells. One that has a very short life span but while in my system they accelerate the healing of almost anything. Kind of impressive don't you think?"

"I say." He nods a couple of times "So that is why then. You should have told me all that sooner Mr. Mayor, I would have arranged a change on your meals and I had to run the test twice believing all the equipment we had suddenly broke simultaneously." He mentioned with a stern look.

"Sorry, like I said, I know how uncomfortable I can make others when talking about this subject so most of the time I avoid it."

Hehehe, and the Oscar goes...

"It's ok, at least everything makes sense once more. Now I'm kind of envious having such a useful organ ready to aid you is a huge asset."

"Evolution as a hunter doctor, simple as that." Mark explains with a shrug "So does that mean I can be discharged?"

"I don't see why not. I would only need to sign some release papers and you will be good to go."

“Awesome!” They both stood up and headed to the door. "Because I have tons of catching up to do with some old friends."