The Ordinary Ponies

Chapter 12: Journey to Canterlot-Part 3

Canterlot suddenly welcomed a wealthy gentle pony.

His first appearance was at the auction house, where he bade 5000 bits for an ordinary vase (although it was eventually sold for another pony with 5100 bits), and gained great fame.

Many celebrities suddenly noticed this unfamiliar pony – light-brown all over, with a black-mane and a small mustache, wearing a pair of glasses and a black tailcoat, named Adam. He also had three young girls accompanying him, all of whom he said were family relatives.

The news quickly went viral in high society. It was said that he was a distribution tycoon who traveled around Equestria, with sharp eyes for making money. He could speak fluently to whatever questions were asked. At first, most of the ponies didn't trust him very much, but his speech was even more aristocratic than that of a noble pony, his network seemed boundless, and his knowledge was even more profound, gradually conquering them.

Even such the capital like Canterlot couldn't catch his eye. He claimed to have been to many places, but in his opinion, cities such as Canterlot, Manehattan, and Las Pegasus were just "second tier cities"; When asked what constitutes the “first tier cities”, he immediately mentioned super cities that no pony had ever heard.

In his narration, the prosperity of these super cities was both real and unreal, exaggerated and realistic, imaginative and tightly fitting, and the listeners were all intoxicated.

Some upper-class directly hosted a dinner party for him, so that he could continue to share the secrets that could bring in millions of incomes. So inside the Canterlot Hotel, he stood on the stage talking confidently, while the upper-class below lost their dignity and listened attentively like elementary school students.

“Perhaps these things may sound novel, but believe me, there's nothing new about them. If you could travel around the world like me, your view would be as broad as mine. I have no intention of being rude – I’m always willing to show courtesy to any pony - but these repeated old things will only waste my time and yours,” said the mysterious wealthy pony named Adam calmly.

He had a noble temperament in every move and gesture, with a noble accent that convinced ponies even more.

“May I ask why you came to Canterlot? If your coming isn’t for Grand Galloping Gala, what is it for?” a pony raised his hooves and asked.

“Grand Galloping Gala? Please forgive my impulse to laugh,” Adam said astonishingly, but still remained expressionless, ignoring the shocked eyes of the audience, as if his words were ordinary. “If it hadn't reached the level of 'New Year's Carnival', 'Benelux Carnival', or 'Parade of Saints', it would have been difficult to call it ‘grand’- but can I blame Canterlot for that? I'm afraid not. I can only blame me for seeing too much and you for seeing too little. The reason why I'm willing to spend time here instead of dealing with my huge business, is just because of a one million bits deal.”

“How much?” “One...one million?” “One million? One million bits? Is it really one million?” ...The audience immediately discussed, some suspecting that he was bragging, while others were deeply shocked.

Adam ignored the audience and only said to himself, “Of course, one million is just a small amount, isn't it? I believe many gentle ponies sitting here don't care about this amount of money. But unfortunately, I’m in vacation. The task of guiding these young girls was entrusted to me, and I had to come.”

He was referring to the three accompanying little ponies, all wearing sunglasses and expressionless like him. “It doesn't matter whether it's a loss or a gain, what's important is exercise, though the first business was only one million - it really can't be considered an 'achievement' in my family.”

“Is it really...one million, Mr. Adam?” The audience boldly asked.

“Oh, dear sir. I wouldn't lie for just one million.” Adam held his head high. His words full of sarcasm, but his tone and accent were still more noble and gentlemanly than a noble pony. “I can be frank with you all: this order is about Ponyville. My distant aunt's nephew's grandson's thirteenth uncle is responsible for distributing Ponyville - most of the food and raw materials for all the celebrations in Canterlot come from there. That's why after three years of organizing the event, the debt has reached one million, and he didn't have time to come. So I came here, bringing the three future successors to familiarize myself with the business.”

He said, taking out a contract and a note. Although contracts were not commonly used, everyone had seen and heard of them; Only that note was really fresh - a small cotton paper with high-end ink printed on it with the floral characters "Canterlot" and "Horsefeller Family", with a large "1, 000, 000" in the middle.

“May I ask Mr. Adam what note is?”

“It seemed that in Equestria no one has yet been exposed to this advanced trading method.” Adam did not hide his knowledge and arrogance.

“The ‘note’ is a voucher issued by the payer to the payee, which can be used to claim payment based on a specified date. It is usually suitable for transactions with huge amounts. For example, in this business, if we have to collect the money in every celebration, it is too inefficient; so we use the note, collect it once every three years. Sometimes, we will do the opposite, collect three years' payment in advance, and then deliver goods in installments and batches,” he said while gesturing on the note.

“I see!” The ponies nodded and said in unison.

“So, are you going back after collecting the payment?” Asked an upper-class.

Adam looked angry when he heard this. “When it comes to 'collecting payments', it makes me mad! Pony who is in charge is going to participate in Grand Galloping Gala tonight, so he doesn't have time to talk to me in detail, then I have to wait until tomorrow.

“He said that as compensation, he will cover the shipping costs and vehicles for the money, but I am still unhappy - it's not about money, it's about time! I also have to negotiate the vanilla contract with Yakyakistan, the mineral business with Dragon Domain, the gold with Griffonstone, the crude oil with Saddle Arabia, and the ocean development with Hippogriff Kingdom...In this way, I have to postpone my future work.”

“May I ask about the pony is in charge...what is his name? We may know him.”

“His name is Fancy Pants, and he always has a female companion named Fleur de Lis.”

“Oh my goddess, it turns out to be Fancy Pants. We all know him! He is one of the most prestigious upper-class in Canterlot.”

“Oh, please forgive me for being blunt...but it seems that the celebrities of Canterlot are just so so - can Fancy Pants be considered the most prestigious celebrities?” Adam still said expressionlessly. “The so-called 'prestigious' should at least be at the level of a ‘princess’, right?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was shocked, and everyone's chin fell in shock, speechless. But Adam just stretched his hooves, yawned, and said, “After talking so much, my mouth is dry. I really wish I could end this business quickly and go to another city.”

He spoke careless, but the audience listened careful. The ponies had presented were all fascinated by this “one million bits business” - mainly the note.

The contract had clearly stated that one million bits can be withdrawn with the note, whether it was him or other; Of course, this didn't mean they want to steal it, after all, there was only one note, and if it was stolen, no one dared to actually use it to withdraw money - they were thinking about whether they could buy this note at a lower price.

The current situation was that Adam was in a hurry to close the business, and time was the most precious to him. It seemed that the saved time could make him earn more “one million”. So what reason was there for him not to sell this note for 800, 000 or 700, 000 bits and quickly went back to handle other business?

More than one upper-class came up with this idea. When Adam stepped down from the stage, the other ponies swarmed around him, either flanking, patting the horse, or expressing their feelings directly, causing Adam great distressed.

Finally, he loudly stopped all the ponies, saying that he was a little tired and wanted to be alone for a while. If they had any business to consult, they could ask the three young attendants.

Then he introduced these three girls to the celebrities:

The first one was Apple Scarlett Horsefeller, a family that was said to have close relationships with the Apple family spread throughout Equestria, focusing on crop and land businesses.

The second one was Diamond Bellerillard Horsefeller, a family that was said to have close ties with Diamond Dogs and Saddle Arabia, specializing in jewelry, minerals, clothing, and other businesses.

The third was Marilyn Monloo Horsefeller, a family that was said to focus on the gambling and competition industries and had established branches in Las Pegasus and Grand Western City.

Although these three girls were still young, they had the same taste as Adam when it came to business. They were not shy at all and could answer questions from many ponies fluently. At the banquet, many ponies blushed and turned red in their ears for the opportunity to speak with them.

One pony was talking when another came over to mock and demolish the platform; Halfway through the conversation, several ponies suddenly crowded over to compare prices, shouting loudly for a gross profit of one or two bits; Even worse, there were a few who gathered together to raise money and vowed to take the note.

That night, these upper-class were full of ugliness, and the three did not hide their contempt and disdain; The more contemptuous they were, the more these ponies believe in their strong family background, otherwise how could they have such confidence?

In short, after a fierce struggle for discourse power, many ponies finally set their goals: firstly, the note; and secondly, the business that these three girls were responsible for. In order to achieve the goals, the ponies launched various “attacks” on the three, including flattery, bribery, praise, and banter...They gradually couldn't hold on and finally let go, revealing their true feelings.

Originally, their thoughts were the same as Mr. Adam's. They thought that the one million business was wasting time and suggested selling the note for 800, 000 bits and going home quickly; But Mr. Adam refused due to etiquette.

Upon hearing this, the upper-class lit up their eyes - as long as they spent 800, 000 bits to buy the note, they could get one million bits from Fancy Pants and make a net profit of 200, 000 bits. But 800, 000 was also an astronomical amount, and these ponies couldn’t afford it.

So they formed two groups, intending to raise money to buy the note, and then exchange them and share them according to their investment ratio.

Not all ponies had the ability to make up their minds, so they came up with other business ideas. According to Apple Scarlett, the Apple family planned to enter Canterlot, although they couldn’t directly plant here, they could open a food market and build a food factory. Think about how many ponies in Canterlot, this factory could definitely make a lot of money.

The Apple family had always valued quality, and proving their ability and qualifications to start a factory was not an easy task; However, Apple Scarlett hinted that as long as she was satisfied, she could "lower the standards" and secure the management rights for the other party.

According to Diamond Bellerillard, it had recently discovered not only oil mines, but also a large gemstone mine in Saddle Arabia waiting to be developed. The owner of the mine happened to be a member of her family, but unfortunately stopped work due to lack of money just before digging out the mine.

As long as there was a pony willing to sponsor the mining site to continue construction, there would definitely be a considerable dividend when the gemstones were produced.

The shares sold by the mine were limited, and Diamond Bellerillard held a portion of them herself. However, she wanted to use this money to invest in other industries, so she implied that as long as she was satisfied, she was willing to sell her shares at a lower price.

According to Marilyn Monloo, her family planned to open a separate gambling industry in Canterlot, and the ponies racing project at Cloud Stadium was also part of it; But in the views of the family, Canterlot was just a small town, and members of the family were unwilling to come in person, so they planned to sell the agency rights.

Gambling was a lucrative business, and just drawing profits was enough to ensure a comfortable life. Therefore, the agency rights were not easily obtained. However, Marilyn Monloo hinted that as long as she was satisfied, she was willing to give some kind words and raise the priority to secure the bid.

The ponies also learned from those "advanced experiences", writing notes and contracts to each other. The money they held first formed a river, and then crisscrossed into a big net. The wealth of each pony was a node in it, and one pull could affect the whole body.

Some ponies compromised with other ponies just for the sake of "priority bargaining", some ponies were willing to spend a lot of money now for "future interests", and some ponies were even willing to go bankrupt for the note.

Watching these ponies lose control even more, the three who had been originally thought to be fun now swallowed a mouthful of saliva. This “little joke” may had gone too far.

As the night deepened, the gala continued, and so did the “carnival” here. In the end, Adam agreed to sell the note worth one million at a price of 690, 000 due to the request. The winning group cheered and immediately stated that they would be responsible for all expenses related to Adam's stay at the hotel.

Ignoring the noise in the hotel lobby, tired Adam and worried three went upstairs and stayed in the most luxurious room. However, no matter how luxurious the room was, no matter how exquisite the furnishings were, no matter how delicious the snacks were, they couldn't be happy.

They were already wearing jewelry, ornaments, and necklaces given by those celebrities, and their backpacks were filled with gems, bits, contracts, and vouchers pre-paid by them.

The room was already filled with valuable collectibles such as clothing, various gemstones, statues, porcelain, paintings, and more, all sent by the upper-class.

Adam and the girls took off their disguises, and it was Mr. Miracle, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Only Mr. Miracle had a smile on his face, while the remaining three looked at everything in front of them with concern.

“Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, I think we have to admit - it's all too much!” said Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, they're crazy!” said Scootaloo in a slightly flustered tone. “Without any evidence, they paid all for just a piece of paper!”

“I told you!” Sweetie Belle said. “We should stop immediately, preferably return to Ponyville tonight?”

“Return? Why do we have to return?” Mr. Miracle seemed still excited and took out the worthless “note”, saying, “The payment they promised hasn't been collected yet. Can you imagine? As long as we complete this deal, we will be millionaires.”

“‘Completed?’” The three were startled and lost their composure.

Apple Bloom blurted out, “This should have been just a small joke! But the current situation is really frightening. We should give up immediately and leave now!”

“Yes, let's go. I never want to come back to Canterlot again,” agreed Scootaloo.

“And Mr. Miracle, you can't continue to do it - This paper is fake. As long as they find Fancy Pants, everything will be exposed!” Sweetie Belle warned.

But Mr. Miracle couldn't listen at all and refused to let go of the upcoming golden and silver mountains. He mysteriously smiled and said, “Don't worry, I have a plan. Tomorrow I will lie and claim that my note was stolen, and they will definitely mobilize the whole city to help me find it; take advantage of this chaotic moment and we will run away with the money.”

“But then it will be fraud!”

“What does it matter? Anyway, we don't like these upper-class. Have you forgotten how they mocked us?” Mr. Miracle seemed to have been mesmerized by this sudden huge sum of money, no longer the wise and calm he used to be.

“But what if they have doubts and decide not to buy the note?”

“Not to buy? Then another group would definitely be willing to ‘seize the opportunity’ and take over.” Mr. Miracle took a deep breath and paced back and forth in the room, seemingly brainstorming the next steps.

In short, his goal was to take away all the wealth that was “given for free” by the upper class. He even started persuading the three to implement the plan together.

“Think about it, with this huge sum of money, what can you do?” Mr. Miracle's voice calmed down, but beneath the calm, there were words that bewitched the soul.

“Apple Bloom, if you can renovate Sweet Apple Acres and even buy all the business of Filthy Rich, Tiara will no longer be able to mock you. Your reputation in the Apple family will be unparalleled, and you will become the heroine to Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith!

“Scootaloo, with this money, not only can you watch the performances of Wonderbolts every day, but you can even buy the entire team through sponsorship! Think about it, the entire team only performs for you, and you will be their only VIP from now on! I know you admire Rainbow Dash, if you have this kind of relationship with Wonderbolts, what would her attitude be towards you?

“Sweetie Belle, with these treasures, you can not only help your sister achieve her dreams, but also help her open other stores throughout Equestria. Think about it, when you do these things, how will Rarity thank you? You can also have your own fashion store, and even celebrities like Hoity Toity, Photo Finish, Sapphire Shores, all will become your friends.”

Upon hearing this, the three were momentarily moved. Indeed, these were what they, or rather the ponies they admire, dreamed of. But it was precisely because of the ponies they admired that they woke up from a dream, realizing that not only those upper-class, but even Mr. Miracle in front of them had fallen into madness of being rich.

They exchanged a glance, their eyes becoming decisive and resolute.

“No!” They shouted loudly, with tight-closing eyes.

“What?”

“We said ‘no’! This is all going too far, we have to stop now.”

“Don't you understand? The money...” Mr. Miracle tried to fight for it.

Apple Bloom took a step forward and said, “Although Applejack hopes to renovate Sweet Apple Acres, if we use this dirty money to achieve our goal, we would rather go bankrupt!”

Scootaloo took a step forward and said, “With these dirty money, not only will Rainbow Dash be disappointed with me, but even Wonderbolts won’t accept such rude requirements.”

Sweetie Belle took a step forward and said, “Things that are not obtained through one's own efforts are all fake and meaningless. Rarity will only feel sad and upset

Then the three shouted loudly together, “Mr. Miracle, you must wake up now! This is not you! We want the former proud members of CMC back!"

Their cries, though childish, were deafening, causing Mr. Miracle to finally begin to reflect on everything he had done and learned. He once dreamed of coming to Equestria and living a simple and happy life. But now, did he still want to live with his previous mentality and appearance?

No.

“You're right…what have I done!” Mr. Miracle gasped heavily. Then he suddenly punched himself with his hoof, with tremendous force.

“What are you doing?!” The three quickly ran forward.

“It's okay, I deserve it.” Mr. Miracle's face immediately showed a bruise, which felt very painful to the touch, but the pain was just right, which made him remember everything well. “Let's leave now, we'll leave all these things here and not take any with us.”

“Awesome!”

So the four ponies quickly put all the gold and silver jewelry, vouchers, and bits they had obtained into the middle of the room, and piled them together with the clothes, gems, and other collectibles that had been sent. Before leaving, they double checked their pack and mane to ensure that nothing was left on them.

Until late at night, as the upper-class gradually dispersed, CMC emerged from the room and quietly sneaked to the hotel entrance. Seeing the empty streets devoid of any ponies, they took the route and ran all the way to the train station.

They ran and laughed on the road, never so happy before, as if they had lost their heavy burden. Mr. Miracle was the most so. Usually, “losing” always makes one sad, sorrowful, and regretful, but this “losing” made him so relaxed and relieved; He usually taught the three, but this time it were they who taught him.

When they got on the train, it felt like they were from another world. Although the journey to Canterlot didn’t develop as expected, the outcome was always good.

On the other hoof, Grand Galloping Gala had finally come to an end. Had Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy fulfilled their wishes? Are the efforts of Spike and Mr. Miracle effective?

It could only be said that it was effective at first, but in the end, it seemed that Mr. Miracle still couldn't change the outcome, and they didn't achieve their wishes.

At first, Twilight had a great chat with Princess Celestia, but soon they realized it was a “irrelevant answer” - the princess had been worried about Twilight's problems, her face couldn't help but be serious, and her tone was different from usual, which actually led Twilight to think that the princess was not satisfied with her and became more nervous.

When she was nervous, the princess thought she had more problems and spoke more urgently; The princess became more urgent, and Twilight became more nervous...This kind of repetitive dialogue was torture for both sides, and only in the end did they realize it was all a misunderstanding. But when the truth was discovered, the celebration had been almost over.

At first, Rarity thought it was a great honor to talk to those celebrities, let alone Prince Blueblood who was by her side; However, the performance of the prince could be described as extremely rude, with his speech appearing short-sighted, aloof, and arrogant.

He also unconsciously belittled Ponyvilld in some conversations, which made it unbearable for Rarity. She also couldn't bear the neglect of those upper-class towards her.

They basically only talked to the prince, and no matter how polite she was, she only talked briefly for a few words. After finally welcoming, the prince did not show any expected demeanor or etiquette, which completely angered her.

At first, Pinkie was happy, until Spike said he couldn't invite Wonderbolts, and Rainbow Dash also preferred to stay with the team; Rarity and the prince traveled together but didn’t come; Fluttershy was outside interacting with animals and didn't come; Applejack was busy selling snacks, but she didn't come. The only remaining Twilight was focused on "explaining" and "pleading" with Princess Celestia at that time, and had no interest in attending the party.

In the end, it turned into a party for Pinkie only, oh yes, and Spike, but that's all.

The sales path of Applejack was also at a loss. Indeed, many high-end ponies were willing to eat her bland and tasteless "food", but none were willing to pay - there was a buffet restaurant inside the celebration, and everything was free - who would buy her food?

By the time she finally baked a luxurious cake, the ponies were basically full. The only good news was no waste, she and her friends ate it eventually.

Rainbow Dash really wanted to attract Wonderbolts’ attentions, and she tried to follow Mr. Miracle's instructions, but it didn't work. The team had their own network in Canterlot, and she couldn't intervene no matter what.

In the end, she took a desperate gamble and deliberately showed off her skills to attract attention, but it was still useless. After the gala ended, she realized that she had been indulging in pleasing them all night, but had neglected to enjoy the gala itself - she hadn’t even eaten anything.

Fluttershy thought she could spend a wonderful night with those small animals, but found that most of them were silent and reserved. Even if Fluttershy didn't scare them, they were just doing their own thing on the trees and grass, without any intention of talking to Fluttershy.

She also wanted to initiate some topics, but those topics that were effective for ordinary animals were completely opposite to these - perhaps these animals were also infected by Canterlot culture. She awkwardly spent two hours on the grass.

They, Spike, and Princess Celestia finally went to the donut shop together and had a simple supper. But it was this last little bit of time that became the finishing touch of the whole night.

They found that only being with friends could truly bring happiness. Upon careful consideration, the Princess Celestia found that although the conversation with Twilight was quite torturous, it was somewhat comical and peculiar. At least it wasn't dull and boring, and she genuinely laughed.

Twilight silently recited in her heart, “Tonight I learned an important lesson - sometimes things don't go as expected and it can be frustrating, but such opportunities always exist. What's important is that we still have friends who can face these sudden changes together and try our best to develop them in a positive direction; what friends do together is not important, but 'friends together' itself is important.”

……

The next day, the fanatical upper-class rushed into the Canterlot Hotel, thinking of their dreams of being rich while pushing each other. However, when they pushed open the room, they found that there was nothing inside except for the property they gave over last night, which indicated that everything from last night was not a dream.

The good news was all the properties they sent were there, and those four 'scammers' didn’t take a bit; The bad news was that before they left, they wrote a letter to them, detailing how someone had done something absurd, such as spending all their money just for a piece of paper, turning nasty for the benefits, and even causing marital discord over how to spend the huge amount of money afterwards...In the end, they didn't forget to express their ridicule directly.

The upper-class felt ashamed and immediately agreed that no one should mention this again, treating it as if it didn't exist at all.