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The Soul of a Town (Closed; PM for entry)


SteelEagle

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The Mayor smiled as Fluttershy started running and flying across the house with her animal assistance, slowly and silently sitting in the chair and sipping her well-made tea. Of all the ponies in the town she took the slings and arrows of the destitute the hardest, her big heart and unending kindness connecting empathetically with her friends and even strangers. The Mayor never doubted she would find a willing helper in the shy pegasus and was more than pleased at how gun-ho, for her, she was to help. But it was time to bring the help back around to where it could be helpful- blankets and such weren't needed. Not yet, anyway. The Mayor raised her hoof and a moment later got up to try and wave Fluttershy off.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. We don't need-" The Mayor began before she was swiftly interrupted by the stampeding, oh so helpful animals. They ran over her as if she was a single blade of grass and she found herself seemingly pressed into the floorboards. She popped back up after a few seconds, head spinning as she tried to regain her composure. It wasn't everyday she was ran over by stampeding wild ponies in a citizen's cottage, just every time she had been in Fluttershy's cottage instead.

"...As I was saying...I think..." She rubbed her head, "blankets aren't a problem. We can take care of that, and I'm sure you deal with enough sick animals that you need them. Especially outside of town where in the dead of winter you'll need them. But I am happy to hear that you can set that up for the shelter ponies! Do you have any particular time when you can show them, or do we need to talk- ACHOO- about it later?" The Mayor asked, her cough not helping her already deliriously ruffled mane as it shot out even more. Soon she'd need more than medical attention. At this rate, she'd need a full blown manecut and dye.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Fluttershy was rapidly working herself up into a frenzy. Just the thought of those poor ponies suffering in the cold, the hungry foals... it was almost too much for her to take. Her mind's eye was envisioning things out of a Charles Nickers novel: Poor orphaned foals on the street, begging for bits. Despite her instructions to Angel, Fluttershy was zipping around the cottage, trying to gather everything herself. Her front hooves were weighted down with blankets, scarves, and canned foods. She barely noticed as her animal friends, sensing the need, all flocked to her, running over the top of the mayor in the process.

In the midst of all of this stood Angel Bunny. The white rabbit knew all of the signs of a Fluttershy breakdown. He knew only too well that the pony's kindness could get in her own way sometimes. Angel rolled his eyes, then leaped up onto Fluttershy's bed to prevent the pony from stripping the blankets from there as well. He held up one paw in a 'stop' gesture, right in Fluttershy's face. Fluttershy paused in the frantic flight, and Angel pointed to the Mayor, who was saying,

"Blankets aren't a problem. We can take care of that, and I'm sure you deal with enough sick animals that you need them. Especially outside of town where in the dead of winter you'll need them."

Thankfully, this was enough to calm the fluttering pony enough to bring her back to earth. "You... you're sure? I mean, I can spare these things..." She paused, looking at the bundle in her hooves. "Well, um, I can spare some of them, I think. I never really liked this blanket after I finished it, and I don't really care for canned daffodils..." Now that she was thinking things through, she realized she may have been over-reacting, a bit...

Fluttershy placed most of the bundle on top of the bed as the mayor continued.

"But I am happy to hear that you can set that up for the shelter ponies! Do you have any particular time when you can show them, or do we need to talk- ACHOO- about it later?"

"Oh, well, I'm sure I could find enough animals that want to be adopted by the time Pinkie has her party," Fluttershy answered. "I mean, many of the birds have flown south, and some of my other friends are dormant for the winter, and I'd hate to disturb them, but... yes, we can be ready for the party." The mayor's coughs and sneezes hadn't gone unnoticed. "But you, Miss Mayor, need to get home," the pegasus lectured. She dug into the pile for a moment, producing a hat and scarf. "Here, put these on before you go, and I'll get you some more of that herbal tea." Then, worried she might be over-stepping her bounds, Fluttershy added "Um, if you'd like some, that is."
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The Mayor had rarely been trampled by wild beasts and usually it didn't come as much of a shock to the politician. In her younger days she had joined the Fillydelphian Firefighting Brigade and a fire had broken out in the forest nearby. She had been one of the first on the scene and her main job was to, of course, get run over by the fleeing wildlife while the pegasi above went about summoning up storm clouds. And similarly, Fluttershy's cottage had the animal to pony quotient that rivalled any forest- per hoof, anyway. She was trampled lightly by the animals, which sent her head spinning in relation as outside from the animals the situation was calming due in no small part to Angel. Fluttershy slowed down and considered what the Mayor was saying instead of panicking for once, a welcome change and one that made it so much easier.

"We have plenty of blankets, Fluttershy, I assure you. I think they'll be fine- besides," She forced a smile as she looked over at some of the blankets she was trying to hoof over. She wouldn't say anything, but the shelter wasn't her personal dump, "your linens are needed here, for your animal friends. If not you, then who?" She punctuated that with a swift chin rubbing of a ferret, who was a second later slither-crawling up her leg and into her belly before it fell down like the idiot it was. It then off. The Mayor chuckled again before looking back up at the pegasus.

"Don't worry about me, Fluttershy. This isn't the first cold I've had. My time in Stalliongrad gave me better resistance to them, perhaps. I'll be sure to get to bed soon-" Another lie in a long string of them. She still had some shelter business to solve as well as get to work for the rest of the da in the office. But then again, she was a solutions mare and solving the problems now would benefot everypony in the long run, "-and get good rest and relaxation. I'll ask Pinkie Pie for exact timing of her party so we can communicate what time would be best for them to come and meet the pets. Don't want to give them too much too fast, right?" She finished, looking towards the door. She felt terrible, but she needed to get it done for her ponies.

"I best be on my way. Thank you so much for the help, Fluttershy. The needy will NOT forget your help in their time of need," She patted the pegasus in her head, perhaps too roughly in her somewhat disassembled position. She then put the scarf back on, scarfed down some tea, and trotted out to meet the burgeoning day.

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  • 1 month later...
Now that Fluttershy was calmer, she realized how silly her knee-jerk reactions had been. The Mayor was right, of course. She couldn't have given up all of her supplies, even for this good cause. What would her animal friends have down? But she was still determined that the Mayor would not leave empty hooved, even if that only meant something to help the mare's growing illness.

Before the Mayor could step back out into the cold, Fluttershy flitted into the kitchen and returned with a small canister of tea. "Here, miss Mayor!" she called out. "Take this, it should help you feel better later." Fluttershy shivered a bit as the cold wind outside blew in though the door. "And don't stay outside too long, you'll just make yourself feel worse!" she insisted.

The pegasus closed the door behind her, hoping that she had not been too forceful with the older mare. She then took a deep breath and stood up straight. "Angel Bunny," she said to the rabbit, "We need to start gathering volunteers. There are ponies that need new animal friends, and we are not going to let them down!"

((OOC: Fluttershy Exits))
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The Mayor trotted about town, her body beyond weary. The extra tea that Fluttershy had kindly gifted her would come in useful at a later date and time when she was locked indoors, cozy and warm with the steam of her brew gently wafting below her inviting nostrils. It would be a wonderful and beautiful experience as her teas were without equal or flaw when it came to all natural products. The mere thought of being able to relax with another cup and allow the world around her to fade as she was ushered asleep gently and sweetly was very enticing. But alas, the job of a Mayor was never truly done and she had lied to Fluttershy six ways from every day when she told the pegasus otherwise. No rest for the weary and she was very weary. At least Fluttershy had solved another problem of hers. Now the list was as small as the problem was important.

She needed somepony for two separate tasks. Somepony needed to work on the roof, get the heavy snow off to prevent a possible collapse. She'd need somepony strong and who wouldn't demand much. Getting to work as soon as possible was a challenge of equal importance as well. beyond that, there was a lot of general maintenance and work that needed to be done and the time to get it done was limited. As was her budget, so that precluded any sort of contract work. Luckily, she knew a whole roster of workhorses who would be willing to lend a helping hoof and there was a certain amount of energy in her trot as she made her way across town once more. It had been an act of idiocy to not see him immediately after Applejack, but her mind had been in a dozen different places. That meant instead of a short jaunt she had to shuffle her form across town, across farms, past ponies with a thousand questions and finally to a small farm outside of town. It took about half an hour and when she got to the door, she was absolutely blasted.

She knocked thrice on Carrot's door, each one slower and heavier than the last. He was a good stallion, a strong stallion, and she was sure he would come through.

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  • 1 year later...

Winter is one of those down times when one lived and worked on a farm, nothing really could grow in the winter with the exception of small indoor herb plants that Carrot and his sister, Purple Haze, placed in the sun-side window sills, and those required little daily care.   Someday they’ll be able to afford to build a greenhouse that could be used for growing several more plants during the cold months between planting and harvest, but for now there was little to do other than routine maintenance of the homestead and the feeding of the small number of chickens and sheep they had.

 

The ruddy maned stallion just finished up his chores for the day and was closing up the barn when he heard a distant knocking from the front of his modest house.  Carrot almost never got visitors, and even less often if they weren’t expected.  Who could it be?  Better not be some older colt ‘suitor’ pining for Purple Haze, she doesn’t have time for dating, well it was winter so technically she had time, but just she wasn’t old enough, no matter how she protested otherwise!

 

As he came around the corner hoping for the best and preparing for the worst he was shocked to see it was Ponyville’s mayor!    He never actually met the mayor one on one before, but only seem her around town or as part of a crowd during ceremonies.  Even when he bought his plot of land and went through all the paperwork starting his farm it was just some clerk at the town hall.  Besides the mayors of towns rarely attempted to interfere with the surrounding farms, which had their own special rights and weren’t considered fully under the local town’s jurisdiction.  So why would she visit?  Oh Celestia above, Purple didn’t get that much mischief with her little friends did she?

 

Well at the very least he could be polite to his guest, “Hello thaur mayur, Ah certainly didn’t expect a visit fur ye, won’t ye come inside out ay th' cold? Ah don’t hae a lot, but Ah dae hae some hot tea oan th' cooker.”    He opened his front door and politely stood aside for her to enter.  Carrot’s mom always said two things solved problems, flowers, and tea, and he was pretty sure the former would give the wrong impression in this case, and besides who could go wrong with tea?

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The Mayor would have to be insane to turn down hot tea. While nopony would ever claim she was a tea connoisseur that could split the differences she was above and beyond a mare of tastes and a desire for something warm when the weather was so bone cold trumped everything else. It even trumped the fact that she had already more than a few cups of tea or coffee or whatever else had been offered to her by the fine mares and stallions of the town as she had trundled up and down the breadth and width of her beloved Ponyville trying to solve the current crisis. No doubt she'd feel the need to go to the bathroom at some point. Not now though, she still had a problem to deal with and she wasn't about to lead off with the need to use his bathroom. Not yet, anyway.

She had an important job for him. Everypony had to work together, but some stallions and mares were needed faster than others and for a longer time. Everypony else had jobs they could complete fast enough to call it a day by the end of a normal mare's daily schedule with the exception of Rarity, and even there the Mayor knew her well enough to expect a mini-miracle from her. The key element to her plan revolved around one simple fact: The shelter needed to be repaired. Everything else was simple window dressing if the shelter wasn't repaired. Rather pointless busywork unless they did their job here. You could have all the love in the world, all the warm clothes in the world, but if you were more or less sleeping in the elements you were doomed regardless. Plus she'd have to have the building condemned and demolished and that was always a hassle.

“Thank you, I'd love some tea,” She replied warmly for about the twelfth time this morning. “but I must be blunt about my visit. It is not a social call, even though I have meant to get out here on more often- you have a delightful home, Carrot- but I am here on urgent matters. The Shelter for the Needy has fallen into disrepair thanks to a sudden storm. We need to get it repaired so they can use it for the remainder of the winter, which should likely be rather difficult for them otherwise. After consulting with many citizens I was told you might be the best option. Hopefully I haven't been misled. In any case, you are more than free to deny this request- I understand that you are a busy stallion and this job is not insignificant,” the Mayor spoke frankly, not allowing the gravity of the situation to enter her voice inflection. Calm and collected, that was her trademark.

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Carrot Fields wasn’t surprised that the Mayor of Ponyville was here on business.  As far as he knew, she never made social visits to the nearby farms, in fact the only interaction with Ponyville’s town government he had was the regular property assessment, not something that endeared any farmer to the bureaucracy or the Mayor atop of it.  Still, he had no grudge against her personally and no reason to be less than a courteous host, at least not yet.  

 

Carrot brought out some peppermint flavored tea, alone with some small frosted carrot cakes his sister had made and placed them on the coffee table in front of the mayor.  As he finished setting up the afternoon snacks, he finally heard the reason for the mayor’s visit.  Carrot was honestly surprised, so it wasn’t a tax or permits issue, and thank Luna it wasn’t anything mischievous his sister did!  Still he was befuddled by the request, as it appeared to him unusual to ask a local farmer instead of a carpenter to help with such a project.  Still he didn’t want to turn her down; it was for a good cause, although he still had questions.  “I’m surprised honestly 'at thaur aren’t mair qualified ponies in toon, I’d figure thaur be a coople who’s special talent woods be carpentry, ur masonry, ur alang those lines. Please don’t tak' thes as me sayin' nae tae yer request; i’m jist tryin' tae, weel, figure it wa yoo’d ask me!”

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The Mayor nodded along as he spoke, understanding his concern well.The Mayor would prefer to get professionals involved and indeed that was what she usually did. On the other hoof, she also valued above many more practical considerations the efforts of the community to get involved. The greatest strength a town could have didn't lay with finances or connections but the wonderful efforts of its own townsponies. The Mayor heartily believed that the greatest power lay with community action. It turned a tribe of disparate ponies into a real town and that was her most important job as Mayor, fueling the fires of companionship from house to house and ensuring the proper flow of friendship and harmony. That was an incredibly decisive concern of hers and it is what fueled her in large part to continue seeking out individuals rather than companies.

Not that she didn't have more pertinent reasons. “It would be easier in most circumstances to hire out some contractors, true. But there are a few complications. First off, because of the time and how these things work out, they simply may not start working until it is too late. I don't need it done three weeks from now or even three days from now. I need it done now, or at least as much as can be done in a short time frame. If it isn't done in a timely manner then ponies suffer. Secondly and less of a concern is funding. I am already tapping into the town's emergency funding. I could go further but I worry about the town's health long term if I do that. Really, the major issue is the first- I need to get someone out there now and they can't do that,” the Mayor said, allowing that fact to gestate between the two as she drank slowly, nursing the warmth after a morning of stark, brutal cold.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Although it sounded like the previous night’s storm damaged the shelter, it also sounded like it was need of maintenance for a while now, and last night’s snow and wind simply exasperated an ignored problem that was now just coming home to roost.  Truth be told, Carrot Fields never paid enough attention to the building to ever notice, which was true of any building in town he didn’t need to visit, or in case of the old Golden Oaks library, wanted to visit.

 

As he sat opposite of the Mayor with a warm cup of tea in his forehooves, Carrot listened as she explained why she came to him instead of hiring professional carpenters.  In short, she needed it done fast, but more importantly; she needed it done for free.  Carrot wasn’t sure how to feel about that honestly-   On one hoof, she was just trying to get him to work for nothing, on the other though, it was the shelter for the needy, and if there was a good cause in town, it was that. It took a few moments but Carrot managed to convince himself that repairing the place would be charity, and thus truly a worthwhile cause, even though he still felt he was being ambushed on this.    

 

“Weel alrecht, if th' shelter needs th' repairs reit awa', don’t want any poor ponies havin' th' shiver in th' cold withit a proper roof ower their heed.  Hin' is I’ll need th' supplies, an' some tools, Ah mean Ah hae several tools in th' worskshop but Ah am nae sure if i’ll hae everythin' i’ll need.”  He was confident that he had the actual skills to do the job in addition to most of the tools for it, he and his family did build the homestead he and his sister currently live in a couple years back after all.

 

“Also, Ah was wonderin', is thaur any chance ye coods convince th' weather ponies tae allaw it tae be sunny ower th' town?  Ah know it is winter an' aw, an' it certainly doesn’t hae tae be warm out, jist hae th' cloods out of th' way fur a coople ay days, will make it sae much nicer tae be ootside workin' oan stuff!”  That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

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His agreement lifted a huge weight from the Mayor's shoulders, the understanding he showed more than cause for joy for her. She was willing to pay, willing to seek professionals, but ponies like Carrot understood in a deeper sense what community was all about and how the character of a town was decided more by the actions of the normal folk than the events that defined her nationally. So now they would have a major issue taken care of and the shelter would do well by his hooves. Of course it came with a request, one that would be very hard to get approved. Weather ran on a scheduke and she couldn't push it all back so far. But what she could do is perhaps seek a short extension of the nice weather for his piece of land. Again, it wouldn't be for long but she could hope to get Carrot something out of it. The Mayor stood up and brushed herself off, the weariness of her day starting to inch back up at her. She had been more than able to fight it off but now it was approaching the apogee of her endurance.

“Thank you, Mr. Fields. The well-to-do of Ponyville have certainly come through this day for the less fortunate! We can provide you materials and tools, whatever you need. I'll have a small force at your disposal, though none of them are quite good at doing the hard work of actual repair. Should help you with the minor elements of the job, however. It shouldn't be a problem getting you what you need in any case, as I'm sure between our storage and your own supplies we can handle just about anything that may crop up. And in case you were wondering, the town will be more than happy to reimburse you all supplies you use during the repair, over time if needs be. We'll take care of you, don't worry,” Mayor Mare ended with a smile before a deep breath overtook her, her whole body's energy diving down as if a balloon at high altitude was popped and slowly coming back down to the ground.

“As for the weather ponies, I'll see what I can do. The schedule for the town can't be pushed back too far, but I have already spoken with Rainbow dash and I know we can get a little bit more time inside of the town. However, not too much- we don't do our part and the entire roll out for winter across the land is slowed down, so we can't. However, I am sure that a down home fellow such as yourself has all the barn raising methods that may come in hoofy here. What I can do is see if, as part of a reward for you, I can get winter to come a week or so late for your land. More time to work the fields well, I do believe. A nice reward, yes?” The Mayor smiled before a weary nod was given, “I am absolutely exhausted and I still have a full office day. Is there anything else you need to know, Mr. Fields?”

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  • 2 weeks later...

Upon hearing how much help in workers and materials the Mayor was offering in assisting him in fixing the shelter, Carrot Fields was honestly surprised; it didn’t appear that she truly needed his help at all if she had so many resources. Was it because he would be free?  Surely other ponies would volunteer their time for charity.  Besides the Mayor was going out of her way to make concessions for his assistance, even offering to use her clout to extend his late autumn harvest season. Then it dawned on him, she must have specifically sought him out for this job instead of visiting him as one of several farmers!

 

Why though?  Sure he manages his farm, but that is vastly different than managing a crew of construction workers, after all, it was just he and Purple Haze on the homestead, and she was more a partner than an employee, in either case, she was family.  So it couldn’t be for his managerial experience.  Nor could it be for his carpenter skills, oh sure he help build his own home, workshop, and barn, but a lot of the farming families band together to do that, it wasn’t anything special outside of family bonding.

 

Could it be that somepony recommended him?  He certainly doubted he had enough of a reputation on his own to be even known by the Mayor, perhaps somepony of influenced pointed her his way.  Who though, and why?  There was only one question to ask of the silver maned mare, he had to know!  “Och aye, Ah am curioos abit one thing, why me? Did somepony gie mah nam tae ye?”

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The Mayor smiled at his question, a short chuckle escaping as she considered his question. Yes, why him indeed. There was thee logical and direct answer that lacked any of the proclivities towards higher ideals that made him a good target. The reasons she couldn't hire a company had been made obvious. Time, money, and the fact that should it take long they'd simply go home and go at it during work hours instead of pushing through as fast as they could. Other choices were already involved or, through her experience, weren't really well known for a good work ethic or for seeing the job through. Plus some of them still demanded bits. Not that it was an entirely unreasonable request, but her budgeting and emergency fund needed a break somewhere.

Besides, there were more important reasons. He was a stallion to keep an eye on. Former Royal Equestrian Army, noble and honorable. He was apparently involved with some of the city's leading citizens, all of whom were devoted to the ideals of the town and were aiding in her effort. She wanted to see him in action but also wanted to him to see that his fillyfriend was helping too, so he would know that being a part of Ponyville was more than just something they said, it was something they lived through deed. She wanted to bring him into the fold of the town's leading citizens and this was the best way to do it, no doubt. She smiled at his question and started trotting towards the door as she replied. “You were recommended by somepony as one of the best stallions in town. I'm happy to see she was right. I will see you in town, Mr. Fields,” she replied casually and pleasantly as she trotted out of his home, excited at last for the day to begin...  

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  • 3 weeks later...

Carrot Fields let out a small laugh and shook his head, he should have know the Mayor would give a political reply to his direct question, full of vague platitudes while avoiding giving a real answer.  My response left him more curious of course, but he was astute enough not to bother prying for any further details as it wouldn't get him anywhere.  The one and only clue would have to be enough for now:  That whoever it was, they were a mare.

Carrot couldn't help but ponder who it was.   Maybe Dash?  Didn't sound like something she would ask through the Mayor though, she was far too direct, and would recruit him personally.  Was it his neighbor Applejack?  Could have been, but more likely it would be something she rather do on her own and be too stubborn to even ask for help.  Maybe it was his sister Purple Haze.  Certainly possible as she would happily 'volunteer' him for a myriad of reasons, all good ones as least as far as she was concerned.  Well however she was, he was still flattered she thought so highly of him, even a little embarrassed.

He waved to the Mayor as she exited to do whatever it was politicians usually do, "I'll be thaur tomorrow tae start wark oan th' shelter! Cheers fur th' helpful weather tay!"  She did promise Carrot clear skies for the repair work after all, and reminding her was his subtle way put pressure for her to deliver; politicians hated bad press after all!  It did make him wonder, how well would Dash take being told the weather team had to change the forecast on such short term notice?  Hopefully the Mayor was smart enough not to bug the rainbow maned pegasus early in the morning with her request.

 

((Exit Carrot Fields))

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