Harem Alliance

When Celestia returned to the encampment the next morning, she had an extra pony following her, an assistant pegasus with a large binder. Whereas yesterday, she had been rather dour, today, she wore a confident smile. Last time, she didn't know what she was going into; she only knew that she had to find a way to stop the bloodshed and violence. Today, she had an answer.

"General Zachar," she called out, entering the big tent. "I have an offer for you."

The general looked up from polishing his spearhead, placing it down on the table in front of him. "Princess Celestia, punctual as ever. Arriving early is a noble endeavor."

"Indeed so. Shall we begin?"

He smirked and bowed his head. The water's not ready for tea at our table. I'll go start it now, and we'll begin when able."

Celestia waited and watched as he reattached the head of his spear to his shaft, strapped it to his back, picked up his war mask to wear askew as a hat, and fetched some water from one of the barrels in the storeroom, pouring it into a kettle which was then placed over one of the many campfires. He waited patiently for it to boil, then poured the boiling water into a teapot, which he carried into the same tent they had spoken in last time.

"Before we begin, I thought about what you said last time, and would like to offer some tea of my own." Celestia nodded to her assistant, who pulled out a box with several compartments of tea leaves, as well as a box of petit-fours and macarons. "I hope I'm not committing some kind of faux-pas."

"Nonsense," smiled the general, selecting a black bergamot tea from the box. "While it's the job of the host, a guest stepping up makes them worthy of toast." He raised his cup, which was still just hot water. "To you, an opponent of circumstance. Soon, may our troubles be over, perchance?"

"Hear, hear," smiled Celestia, raising her cup of hot water. Neither of them drank, as the tea leaves were only just starting to steep.

"Now, if I may be so very bold," started the general, popping a macaron into his mouth, "I would like to see your presentation unfold."

Celestia nodded and took the binder, opening it and pushing it forward. "As you can see, we cannot match the price given to you by the gryphons you work for. As you've no doubt seen in your travels across our glorious land, a lot of funding goes back into the communities, helping the average pony to have a good life."

"Indeed, we spotted many a park," nodded the general, squeezing an eighth of a lime into his tea. "The ponies therein had a youthful spark. We did, however, close a good number down. It's safer for the prisoners if they just stay in town."

"Yes, and I would like to add their safe return to my numerous demands," nodded Celestia. "My point was, that's where our money went. It can't go to you because it's gone. However, we have come up with a few ways to supplement your income." She pulled out the coupons Luna had printed. They were now enchanted to be binding. She gave one directly to him, marking him as the owner. "Each of these vouchers is good for five hundred bits. We are willing to offer these up as a voucher in lieu of payment. Our citizens are loyal, hard-working, and very often skilled at what they do. These allow you to select the more skilled individual to provide a service for you, such as cleaning your house, painting your fence, fixing your carriage, stuff like that. You and your soldiers can take full advantage of our workforce up to five hundred bits. We can print plenty of these to be able to match your pay."

The general looked over the coupon, thinking hard. After a few moments, he looked up. "What if your ponies don't do as we ask? I can't imagine they're jumping to perform our tasks. What's to stop them from refusing our demands, after we've showed up and taken their lands?"

"Well, first, you're going to give their territories back," scoffed Celestia. "That's part of the deal; that everything you took is being returned. With the obvious exclusion of the lives that have been shattered, of course. Also, the coupons are enchanted to guarantee you reasonable service for a reasonable price, and will prevent my little ponies from even being capable of cheating you out of what I've offered. All prices will match what they were three months ago, and every year, they will be adjusted to match inflation. They can't even add an extra fee because you happen to be a zebra. Furthermore, you can shop around and find a cheaper offer, if you so choose."

"And what's this about Appleoosa's invalidation? Should this not apply to your entire nation?"

"Appleoosa has a reservation of buffalo that are not under my governance. The lands still belong to Equestria, but forcing the buffalo to do our bidding by doing your bidding would cause our already shaky relations to break down even further. It's best to just not involve them."

"I see you've given this a fair bit of thought. However, I'm unsure if the price you're wanting should be the price bought. Coupons and gift cards have restrictions in use, and as a result, cannot as much as cash induce. With money, we could pay for goods, as well. But with only services, we're locked in a shell. In addition, not all of my men will use the same amount. It's less than five hundred; only that can we count."

Celestia nodded. "I see your point. We can let these stand in at a value no lower than four hundred."

The general shook his head. "Call it two-fifty, and we'll sweeten our offer: you need not withdraw anything from your coffer. We will take these without any further draw, as your generosity has left us in awe. Keep your money; use it to improve your lives, and make sure that your economy thrives. These coupons are worthless if your work has no worth; we'd be far better suited wiping Equestria from the earth. If you wish to have your value invested in your lands, it is best placed into your civilians' brands. Give it to them to compensate for their gift. That way, their love for you shall not shift."

Celestia considered the offer. If this was his asking price, it wasn't very much. Sure, she'd lose more on the coupons, but she could always make more of those. Except, she couldn't, as the new deal meant she had to pay back her citizens. Still, that would be a lot easier to do than drumming up more money out of nowhere.

"Done." She offered her hoof, and he shook it.

"We are now under your employ. We hope this transaction brings you much joy."