Spread the Wealth [Ended]

[BlindJester]

"How dare you Mistah Max saying our fine little town would day without your fancy shop around our parts!" Honeythread stamped a hoof in anger how dare this fancy Manehattenian say such outrageous things about her home town. Glaring at the Rockerfilly stallion as he recited a well know saying a the west it made her even more angry "This IS the place of opportunity only if it isn't hair-brained ideas to take business from otha hard workin' ponies!" Honey turned her gaze towards the Sheriff, her nostrils flaring from the sudden rage she felt for the smooth talking Stallion.

"Sheriff I don't think Mistah Max here deserves ANY part of our wonderful land if he dares insult it again just because he's not getting what he wants spoiled little big city stallion....."

[Hippo]

Arrow Finished her milk shake.

As the ponies argued, she rested her head on her hoof, looking rather indifferent.

She was getting bored.

Still sitting next to Louise LeMare, she noticed the soft touch her pelt made with the favoring pegasus' feathered wing. Arrow was emotionally invested in the art and science that was Miss LeMare's wing. As Louise and the others were talking, Arrow softly stroked the wing in amazement as she imagined what it would be like to have her own pair of wings. To avoid detection however, Arrow maintained a sitting posture and shuffled her hooves in order to keep her attention span from getting her into trouble.

But as a short time would pass, Arrow couldn't stand the boring and slipped quietly underneath the table. Once there, she saw a random shoestring that was left there from before. Arrow new exactly what she was going to do. She was going to save these pointless negotiations and bring the rich pony's money grabbing ideas to fruition, all while entertaining herself in the process. She grabbed the shoelace and tied one end to Mr. Rockefilly's hoof and the other to Sheriff Silverstar's. Once tied, Arrow slipped back up to her original stool, where she smirked playfully, holding in the giggles the best she could.

[Mojo]

"Well look, Mister Rockefilly, it ain't that we're all agin' ya, but ya have to understand somethin'," Sheriff Silverstar began to explain. "Before us settler ponies came out here over a year ago, thar was NUTIN here! Weren't even a settlement till we all built it! We even managed to git railroad service here, so the railroad company must have faith in our efforts. No sir, Mr. Rockafilly, this here town ain't gonna jist die like that. We're a democracy here. All of us have a stake in Appleoosa. Folks like me, Braeburn and Honey Thread, newcomers like Madam Bistro and Louise LaMare, even youngins like Arrow Plain here and .... say, where'd that little filly go?"

As the Sheriff turned his head to look around, Louise could feel a slight brushing motion on one of her wings. Looking down, she could see Arrow Plain under the table looking up at her. As the brown Pegasus smiled, Sheriff Silverstar began to move in an effort to find the ellusive filly.

"WHHOOAAAA!!!" the mustached stallion shouted as he fell to the floor, tripped over by the shoelaces tied around his leg.

"SHERIFF!" Louise neighed, getting up to rush over to him.

"What in tarnation's goin' on here?"

"How did you get your shoelace tied like that... wait a minute.... since when do ponies have shoelaces?"

"Sumtin' funny's goin on here!"

[Bannhammer]

Max groaned and swiped the map off of the table and onto the floor. These ponies simply didn’t understand simple logic. He stood silently, trying to contain his anger. He was so wrapped up in his discontent that he didn’t notice the small pony under the table. With a groan of anger he reached for his coffee, and he watched the sheriff try to get the small filly.

“Ouah!”

Max felt his hooves get yanked and he fell forward, smacking into the table and spilling his hot coffee all over himself. It hurt for a moment, and he’s quickly back on his hooves. The Rockefilly rubbed his head and started jumping about. “Hot hot hot!” He manages to get most of the coffee off, and he goes back to standing there. His tux was now ruined and his head hurt.

“What in Celestia’s name was that?”

[Boss_Hoss1]

Madam Bistro gasped in horror, actually going white for a moment! Her mind raced * This is the last thing we need to happen when we're trying to make him see reason! *

She swifty went into action with a damp towel, blotting up the remaining coffee. "Oh my goodness! Are you all right, Mr. Rockefilly? Please sit down and let me remove that shoelace. THORN! Willow tea with lemon drops, STAT!"

Bistro gave a pleading glance over her shoulder at the others to help smooth things over.

She mouthed "I'll explain later.." silently toward Louise and the others.

"I am afraid that was a prank by a certain little filly, sir. Please, allow me to put you at ease in this, the best place in town. We will completely understand if you wish to reconvene this discussion later, perhaps a dinner. We wish to be very receptive of new ideas, but we must be able to discuss it freely before we bite ,er "accept"..."

Just then, the russet donkey charged up and slid a glass across the table, sliding to a perfect stop before Max.

"That is one of the specialties I picked up in my travels. it will help ease any aches, and the candy melted in keeps it from being bitter. Let me know if you wish to retire to a comfy room for a while."

She forced her tail to keep from quivering as she thought *Oh Celestia, have we got a manticore by the tail or what?!... *

[BlindJester]

Honeythread snorted in an attempt to calm down 'I'm sure I'm just over thinking things' she thought to herself trying to regain her composure. As soon as she was calm she heard a shout and saw the Sheriff and Max tumble to the ground with both of their back hooves tied together by a shoe string. Honey tried to contain her laughter, but after looking at the filly who caused the commotion face she ended up bursting into laughter. Once calmed again she was glad to see that no pony was hurt well besides Max's fancy outfit.

"I agree with Madam Bistro here maybe we could have dinner later on and discuss this properly once Mista Max has had his rest."

[Hippo]

Arrow scooting up in her chair, she gave an innocent look as she tried not to laugh. Seeing the two stallions at the table fumble themselves at the same time was hilarious, and to Arrow Plain, was worth it's weight in punishment. She had thought that previous dialog between the older ponies was nonsense anyways, and this prank that exposed a physical vulnerability was a continuation of the that nonsense. She knew that if the Sheriff and Max got riled up, there would be nothing keeping them from looking like fools, and the Sheriff would use his lawful personality and fancy star badge to try and keep her from running around too much. But Arrow hadn't planned on getting into trouble.

She bounced her eyes acting as if she didn't know what was going on. And when Louise eyed her, it was clear she knew what Arrow had done. As Louise revealed to the other ponies what had happened and why, Arrow waved her hooves in an attempt to keep Miss LeMare from exposing her mischief. But once the cat was out of the bag, she knew there would be repercussions.

Arrow swiftly glanced around for a place to hide. Being across the table from the Sheriff wasn't Arrow's favorite place to be, knowing he would have something to say about it. Arrow found a closed barrel near the table and ran behind it for cover. She attempted to hide herself from the tyrant as he would sure look for her and punish her. As she hid behind the barrel, she clinched her teeth together and the sweat from her forelocks raced towards her neck.

[Mojo]

Louise knew that Arrow Plain was responsible, but she wasn't about to volunteer that information. The Pegasus mare had a hunch that the Sheriff was going to figure this out on his own.

"I reckon dinner'd be a jim-dandy idear, Miss Bistro!" Sheriff Silverstar neighed as he got back up on his four hooves.

"What do you say, Mr. Rockefilly?" Louise LaMare asked. "Maybe we could even get all of the members of the Chamber of Commerce to attend to listen to your plans. Honey, would you be willing to attend?"

Louise was hoping she could difuse the stressful situation with diplomacy and kindness. She was also counting on the Sheriff not wanting to 'make a scene' with Arrow Plain so as to embarrass her or the town any further. But the Sheriff gave the unicorn filly an icy stare, a stare that basically said - "I know what you did, young lady, and yur in a peck of trouble THIS time."

[Bannhammer]

The rich stallion felt an instinctive rage well up inside him at being treated in such a way, but the helping hoof and warm tea from Madame Bistro helped to calm him down. His head was aching, and he sipped slowly at the steaming drink as he tried to collect his thoughts. Maximilian listened carefully to Bistro’s words, and while at least pony decided to laugh at him, the others seemed intent on at least containing their contempt. With a tug, he adjusted the front of his tux and spoke slowly, trying to show them that he was a pony not to be messed with. He glared at each pony in turn, emphasizing his words.

“If indeed there is a desire to have a civilized discussion, which I honestly doubt at this point, I would be happy to reconvene at a later time for further discussion. The future of this town is a matter most dear to me, and while I understand that I may not be respected here, I will try my best to get something done here. Let us meet at a place of your choosing later tonight.”

He sighed and tried to adjust his tux again.

“It gives me ample time to replace this ruined suit of mine that was so crudely destroyed; what a good waste of a tuxedo and an even more grave use of finely brewed coffee.” He nodded at Madame Bistro and headed for the door.

Maximilian took a deep breath, remembering that the single actions of an irresponsible filly couldn’t be used to judge an entire town, but everypony else seemed so foolish, so naïve… so idealistic. He simply could not understand how a group of ponies in such desolate conditions could possibly think they could survive without some sort of assistance. A small part of Max respected them, while the rest of him was just confused.

The rich Unicorn still wanted to turn Appleloosa into a trade hub, but the idea of taking it over just seemed… wrong. Yes, he still wanted to make a profit, and of course he would still try to get what he wanted, but now he decided that maybe working with the ponyfolk instead of against them was in his best interest.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Madam Bistro managed not to let out a 'whew' of relief as her tea semed to be having the desired effect of easing his aches and his attitude.

Her pride was taken down a notch as he seemed intent on staying somewhere else though. Worse, she could not keep a surrupticious eye on him ...To make sure he would not do someting devious... or so she told herself.

Taking a chance, she cleared her throat with a nicker. "Oh, Mr. Rockefilly. We will discuss wether to have the dinner here or at the Town Hall. Where shall we call upon you to let you know the time and place? The train? Or, if you have noplace yet to stay, I have some very fine rooms kept at Manehattan standards...

[BlindJester]

(Skip please)

[Hippo]

Arrow escaped from immediate trouble long enough to see Max leave the table. As she squeaked away to avoid detection, she was feeling glad that the rich pony had walked away and given up for now. Arrow was not fond of strangers and new ponies in Appleloosa, so it was easy for her to sniff the money-grabbing swagger Mr. Rockefilly generated. However, Arrow realized something important to her. If there was any chance that an earth pony flight school were to open in Appleloosa, it would happen through Max's thick pocketbook. She would not be able to live it down if she kept the only chance for such an opportunity slip away from her. So, Arrow tried to think up a way to convince him to make such a presentation.

"Oooh! A rich fancy pony like him will never listen to somepony like me." Arrow lamented as she realized her struggle to maintain her confidence while understanding she was only a filly. In order to pull off such a stunt, Max would have to be convinced by someone he trusted most. "But, maybe he'll listen to himself." Arrow got an idea. If she could place things in Mr. Rockefilly's way that would cause his subconscious to speak to him, he may just be convinced of Arrow's ideas and try to execute them. As he left the building, Arrow kept an eye on where he was going. He looked so self-consumed, prancing with his head held high and his horn reaching zenith. His horn wasn't that special, to her. In fact, it was Arrow's opinion that the unicorn specs that she shared with Mr. Rockefilly was not a strength at all, but a weakness. Arrow knew her own weaknesses. But it was time she learned exactly what the weaknesses of this bigshot pony was so that she could exploit them. Arrow held a mischievous grin while she stalked the millionaire pony walk to his next destination.

[Mojo]

As Maximillian slipped away from the scene (and Arrow Plain snuck out to follow him), Sheriff Silverstar dusted himself off and got his barrings.

"Now, as fer YOU little filly I... HAY! Where in tarnation did she go?" the mustached stallion asked as he began to search over the dining room. Louise watched Arrow Plain slip out, flashing her a quick wink to signal the fact that she would be 'running interference' for her to keep her out of trouble (if she could).

"Never mind her, Sheriff, you need to organize this dinner meeting! Make sure all of the Chamber of Commerce of Appleoosa attends, right?"

"I reckon ya got a point there, ma'am," the Sheriff said as he turned towards Honey Thread and Madam Bistro. "Ladies, would y'all be willing to come to dinner with Mr. Rockefilly? I'm not sayin' ya have to agree with him or anythin' like that, but the least we can do is hear the feller out. It's ain't the Appleoosa way to jist reject somepony without hearin'm out first, Whatdoya say?"

[Bannhammer]

Max continued with his head held high until he believed that he could not be seen, then he let his head hang low, obviously showing his discontent.

“I was right, I’m ALWAYS right. Ponies don’t understand what I’m trying to do, and they don’t trust me! It’s because they think I’m some high and mighty snob from Manehattan who just wants to turn a profit at their expense!”

He paused for a moment and looked around before continuing onward. He needed to change outfits for the upcoming dinner, one did not want to show up to a crucial meeting in ruined clothes. With a snort, he resumed his solemn march.

“Yes, I will profit if this deal goes through, but the town needs this!” He stopped yet again and placed a hoof to his chin. “Maybe I should let them in on my REAL purpose. They won’t trust me, but I have no other options. If I’m going to actually save this town, I have to try.”

He eventually reached his destination, a small building in which his luggage and associates were staying. He quickly entered, and after a short time he exited wearing a brand new Tux that actually looked exactly the same as the last one.

The Rockefilly started down the road, towards the only restaurant that suited his tastes. Maximilian resumed his discussion with himself, and he had no clue that anypony could hear him. “Of course, I just hope they don’t look back on my previous record… they might get the wrong idea. They already hate me because I’m a Rockefilly, I don’t need them digging around in the past.”

“As long as they don’t learn any of that, I have a chance. I’ve been trying to change…”

Finally, he reached the restaurant, and he quickly reserved a table for five. He sat on one side and waited for Madame Bistro, Sheriff Silverstar, Honey Thread and Louise to join him. Hopefully he would get the chance to prove his point.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Madam Bistro sighed in relief for a moment as disaster seemed to have been averted for the moment.

An angry pony with powerful resources was dangerous as he had proved in the newspapers she read and from the socialites she encountered while getting her own little mocha empire off the ground.

She looked to the ponies around her "I agree, we must attend with the entire town councel and we must all arrive in our party best to let him know we are taking him seriously. I see Maximillian as a potential needed boost for the town. This close to the Griffon borders, we actually need all the resources we can get, but we must let him know we arent simply going to roll over for him on his say-so. He has to convince us like we are shareholders. We are, in and of this town."

She looked at the ponies with a devious smile "His home was recently destroyed by misadventure, so if we let him build that summer home here, I suspect this will be his actual home for some time before his mansion is rebuilt. We have some hold on him if we make the point he will become an equal "shareholder" in this town by this act and can deal with him as a neighbor first and plutocrat last and to compromise when he has to."

Bistro looked each pony in the eye in turn "We have, quite possibly, some hard work ahead of us to convince him of this. If we simply reject him out of hand, he will simply do what he wanted anyway, but by more devious means, by proxy owners, and we would have no controls on him at all."

She looked at them "Any questions?"

Suddenly, a dapper pony arrives, bearing an elegantly written note for her. The pony then spotted the others there were on his list and passed notes to the Sherrif, Honeythread, and Miss LaMare. He tipped a derby at them and raced off to find the rest of the Town Councel.

Bistro read her note "Ah I see. He does move as fast as I heard. Thorn, you are in charge for the rest of today. I must retire to my room and get ready for tonight's dinner with Maximillian, along with the Town Councel."

She nods politely to the ponies "See you tonight, everypony."

[BlindJester]

Honeythread watched as the Rockefilly stallion got up and left his head still held high even with his ruined suit. She gave him credit not many could walk outside in a ruined tux strutting it like a new fashion statement, now that she thought about it not even most would want to go out in such a state due to fact that it may dampen their image. Honey thought that maybe he's not as bad as he seems and she most likely jumped the gun and didn't give him a fair chance she sighed at her stubbornness.

Turning her attention to the Sheriff as he spoke about their dinner party with Mister Max, she found herself nodding in agreement to what he was saying 'He's right I should show a little more Appleloosan hospitality to him he deserves that much from everypony here' as soon as the Sheriff stop speaking Madam Bistro started to speak about the plan for tonight. It seemed she knew her stuff when it came to these sorts of situations which gained more of HoneyThread's trust and respect. Honeythread was ready to sit down and listen to what the out of town smooth talking Stallion had to say as soon as she was about to get up they all received a letter skimming it quickly she noticed it was an invite to the dinner. "Alright I'll be happy to come join everypony for a nice little get together wit Mista Max. I'll see you all tonight." With that Honey got up and quickly left for her home to prepare.

[Hippo]

Arrow saw Max walk to the place where he was staying. There was no way she was going in there, as someone would surely recognize her and sniff out her mischief. So instead of following, Arrow decided that she should prepare for the moments ahead as she would need to be very careful.

Once she got home, she gave her parents the typical one word answers of what she was doing. "Hay, Arrow, I was wondering when you'd get home," Mrs. Trails asked. "What did you do today?"

"Nothin."

"Nothing? Well, surely there must be something you can tell me about."

Arrow scampered towards the upstairs to go to her room, but was stopped at the steps by her guardian. "Nope. Nothin' to talk about. I need to get to my room."

"What for?" Mrs. Trails tried not to interrogate Arrow, but she knew what has happened in the past when they aren't paying enough attention to what she was doing.

"Uh..." Arrow paused and gave a pensive smile as she quickly thought of something to say. She wasn't even trying to lie, because even she didn't know what kinds of trouble she was getting into. "I need to go..."

"I know what you're going to your room for."

Arrow was surprised and stunned that maybe her parents had finally discovered a way to read her mind. "You do?"

"Yup. You're going to go up there and clean your room." Mrs. Trails gave a firm stance as she commanded her adopted daughter to take care of her chores. "And you are not to come out until you finished. It shouldn't take you take long, though, and when you do, you can join us for supper. We're having you favorite, fried watermelon rind." She gave a loving smile with the expectations that Arrow would obey. She loved Arrow very much, and truly wanted the best for her. Sometimes, though, she questioned if Arrow knew how much she cared.

With a nervous gulp, Arrow smiled and ran up the stairs. Once she was there, she hurdled over the piles of junk that lay in her room towards the bottom drawer of her dresser. As she pull the drawer out, her eyes sparkled. "This is the moment I've always been waiting for. The moment when I can finally use my ninja skills to good use. The moment when I can finally see a flight school rise in Appleloosa for wingless ponies. The moment where..."

..duty calls for the Silent Storm."

[Mojo]

(ooc): Oh WOW River! I am LOVING 'Ninja Arrow Plain' here!

The Sheriff and Louise stood stunned at the suddenness they received their invitations.

"Ya gotta admit one thing, this rich city dude sure has style!" the mustached stallion neighed. "Saved me the trouble of rounding the City Council up!"

"Interesting," Louise said as she placed a front hoof to her face. "I wonder what that horse is up to."

"Now Miss LaMare, don't go all suspicious on us here. We all need to have an open mind on Mr. Rockefilly's proposal."

"You're right of course, Sheriff, see you all tonight!"

"Absoltively!" Sheriff Silverstar added as he and Louise left.

(ooc): Bannhammer, it's your turn. If you want to 'advance' the timeline a few hours to the 'start' of the dinner, that's fine!

[Bannhammer]

A single pony sat behind the piano and managed to play a quaint little tune, a fine contrast to the stern pony that sat alone. Maximilian Rockefilly stood at the head of the table, with a long, slender lick of salt sticking out of the corner of his mouth. The business pony waited for the others, whom he had already invited, to show up. He focused on the matter at hoof, and he played out options in his head as he tried to decide on the best course of action. He could continue his petty charade of camaraderie, or he could finally admit to his true intentions and try to just broker a fair deal.

The ponies he was so anxiously waiting on finally arrived. Maximilian rounded the table and greeted then at the door, he shook their hooves individually and looked them each in the eyes.

"Sherriff." He gave Silverstar a firm hoofshake and moved on.

"Madame Bistro" Max bowed and courteously lifter her hoof.

"Mrs. Louise." he did the same for her.

"Miss Honeythread" he even performed the same act of respect for a younger mare.

The rich unicorn took his position at the head of the table and waited for everypony else to be in position.

"Now, I believe I should at least offer you the courtesy of ordering drinks before I sour everypony's mood further."

He was confident in his feelings. Max knew that these ponies probably despised him, or at least had no respect for him at all, but he was used to it. Years of business had hardened him, and he went into every deal expecting some kind of loathing or resentment.

Maximilian had already ordered a glass of water, and he sipped it tentatively as the others placed their orders. A quick glance at his potential partners obviously displayed his anxiety. Once he was satisfied that he had their undivided attention, he began.

"I'll be blunt. This town, as it is now, does not need me. It does not need anypony else to help keep it alive at the moment. It could easily go on decades without my involvement."

He sipped his water again and took a quick lick of his salt.

"Of course, there are many things that could shorten the life of Appleoosa. The buffalo are mostly peaceful, and I know that you've created a lasting friendship with them. But as you know, they are not the only ones interested in your town."

Maximilian calmly licked the salt again and pulled out a map of Equestria from under the table. Gone from his face were the fake smiles and false chuckles. He was serious, and while honesty wasn't his strongest quality, he was dedicated to getting the deal done.

"Your fair town is near the griffons, and I see an interesting opportunity to trade with them. They need a legitimate entry point into Equestria for their goods and money, and we need a legal way to trade with them. Whether or not you realize it, you've founded a goldmine."

"I seem to be the first pony that thought of this, and I assure you that more ponies will come after me, some less willing to discuss things that I am. If they can't get you to play along, they'll settle somewhere else and leave you ponies in the dust."

The Rockefilly narrowed his eyes and scanned the group. "My original plan was to set up a modest souvenir shop, and then eventually use the profits to set up a bank, and then continue up buying land until I controlled this town. Then I could regulate and profit off of all of the trade that went on here. I could still do that, as you, Madame Bistro, may be full aware of."

Max gave them a moment to react and collect their thoughts. "But I choose not to, because now I see that working with you, not against you, is the fairest option. For me to deprive you of your freedom for a few bits would be wrong, plain and simple."

"I honestly... Honestly do love this town. Please believe me when I say that. So, I merely wish to help you keep it alive. Suffice it to say I'll use different methods than I originally intended."

"My plan now is first to build a summer home so I may be more involved, but I also still wish to build a trade center of some kind."

Max took a deep breath and looked around. "So, I believe I've started the conversation, your turn."

[Boss_Hoss1]

Madam Bistro arrived on time, and was pleasenty surprised to be greeded personally by Maximillian.

She smiled and fluttered a fan over her muzzle as he lifted her hoof in greetings. "Mr. Rockefilly."

As she was seated, she ordered Rose wine along with a Grand Canterlot Salad and watercress sandwiches. "I am honored to be here tonight."

Madam Bistro sat quietly and listened to Maxamillian's words and raised a brow. She looked to the others to see how they were reacting to how close to her plans he was hitting, then arose.

She could generally tell when a Manehattanite was being truthful or speaking a load of street apples, and he was truthfully laying all his cards on the table.

Bistro smiled and politely clopped her hooves on the table in applause. "I see you have taken our love of this town and our concerns to heart. I have brought up many of those concerns and you have just dragged in several more as well. I have been concerned about our proximity to the Griffons, for instance. Perhaps they would be less inclined to do any damage to this town should national relations sour, if they already have a paw at stake here. Yes, I like the sound of that."

She rubbed her hooves together and steepled them "Now we can properly speak to you and be sure we are treated as equal.. "shareholders' in this town since you will be living here for an extended time. Let me the first to say "Welcome, neiiigh-bor!"

[Hippo]

Mrs. Trails can make mistakes sometimes. One mistake she has yet to correct is the amount of bedsheets she allows Arrow to have in her room. Almost like she's done it before, Arrow tied several bed sheets together and roped her way down from her window. As she did it, she gave a sneaky smile. She tip-toed towards the main road where there was not much activity. She had to hide behind several objects, however, as the night had not yet come and the russet scenery made her black suit pop out like a griffon in a pony school. "Now where did that rich pony go to?" As Arrow peered, she could see the group of ponies that were at the cafe walk into a much more fancier restaurant. It was going to be much tougher going undetected.

A typical warm Appleloosa evening, Arrow was able to jump through the window to get in instead of using the door. She found herself right behind a piano where a half-talented musical pony was playing a calming song on the piano while Max and the rest began their evening at their table. "Nope, this wont do." Arrow wanted to set the mood right, so finding a scrap piece of paper, she took a spare pencil and began writing phony music and very aggressive lyrics to go along with it that read, "Flying high is the best thing; Everyone's better when they can spread their own wings." Tapping the shoulder of the pianist pony, she replaced the music with her's as the pony was diverted towards the angle she was distracting him. Having not seen anyone, he returned to his normal posture. He would indeed continue playing as soon as possible, since his paycheck relied on constantly playing for the ponies that were dining in the room. Arrow remained unseen behind the blind spot of the grand piano.

((OOC: Bannhammer, I guess you can control the pianist pony since you introduced them.))

[Mojo]

Sheriff Silverstar and Louise LaMare accepted Mr. Rockefilly's warm greetings as they walked in. Taking their seats, the two of them listened intensely to the rich stallion's speech and were very impressed.

"Well Miss LaMare," the Sheriff whispered to her, "He certainly sounds sincere, what do you think?"

"I'll reserve judgment until I see how our friends react," the brown Pegasus mare whispered back.

Then both heard Madam Bistro's response and both hoof clapped after hearing it.

"You tell'm, Madam!"

"Well said! Well said!"

[BlindJester]

HoneyThread got to the restaurant right after everypony else. 'Good everypony is here so I don't have to repeat myself' she thought to herself trotting up to the table where they were sitting. Politely bowing to everyone at the table she looked up with a rather sad look in her eyes "I regret to inform you that I cannot stay with you all this evening," she paused for a moment thinking carefully of what to say next "A important matter has come up and I must tend to it quickly."

Turning to Sheriff Silverstar and Madam Bistro she said " I trust both of you can handle this without me since I'm not too much of an important factor in this decision," then Honeythread's gaze rested on Max's "I apologize for my attitude towards you earlier it was not very ladylike. I hope when we meet again that it will be on a better hoof, and I wish you luck with your project," and with that said Honeythread gave a wave goodbye and left the restaurant.

((Pulling HT from this thread because I've been rather laggy and don't want to clog up the thread. Have fun everypony!))

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian watched the reactions of the gathered ponies, and he felt a slight blush as they applauded. It was the first genuine applause he'd received in a while. Max was about to continue, but HoneyThread stood up and made it clear that she was leaving.

"Likewise, Miss HoneyThread. And thank you for your kind words." He bowed as she left.

Once she had left, Max noticed the absolutely terrible music coming from the piano, and the unsophisticated warble that the player spouted. He was belting something about 'flying' and 'wings', but the intended message was lost in translation. Max excused himself from the group and cantered over to the piano pony.

"Excuse me, sir? I would love it if you were to continue with your music from before. I have no doubt that this piece is merely... unsuited to your talents, and a different one may in fact have better results..." Max plopped a few bits on the keys to emphasize his point. With an audible sigh, Maximilian returned to the table.

"Forgive me, I do not wish to conduct such affairs in a... spoiled atmosphere."

He cleared his throat and levitated the map of Equestria up into the air so that it was easily viewed by all.

"This is where things get technical. You all know that this country has a decent railroad system." He traced lines on the map with a hoof. "They stretch between the major cities, and even reach out to the extremities of the country, Like Appleoosa and Stalliongrad. Yet..." Maximilian looked at each guest individually and grinned. "There is no line between Stalliongrad and Appleoosa."

"A line between this city and that one would not only open up the frontier to many technologies that would make living here easier, it would also open up the eastern parts of Equestria to easier trade with us Appleoosans. A direct line can forgo all the transit stops in each city, and our apples and pies, among other things, can make it across the country quicker and cheaper."

He paused, and allowed everypony to react.

"That is not all..."

"I also plan to journey to Rockwington and negotiate terms of trade with the gryphon nation. Products from Stalliongrad will be shipped here, and then to the city of Rockwington, at a much faster pace than if they wait for things to be shipped through other gryphon cities. Of course, to achieve this speed, trade would have to get through the mountains, which brings me to my final objective..." Maximilian took a deep breath and looked straight ahead.

"A tunnel through the mountains linking Appleoosa directly to Rockwington!"

(OOC:GASP! Anyway, this is basically me selfishly trying to foreshadow The Trans-Equestrian Railroad idea i'd like to do. If you want to know more, click the link and read on. This does not have to happen, the Appleoosan response is critically important. Also, since this town will be a major factor, you are all welcomed to participate in the 'campaign' if it actually happens!)

[Boss_Hoss1]

Madam Bistro stifled an amused chuckle at the sudden change in music. When she heard "Flying" mentioned at several points in the garbled piece she started wondering * Is that silly filly from earlier around? * and tried not to be obvious about looking around for anything suspicious.

She finally settled back to listen when Maximillian began his pitch.

Her eyes went wide eyed in amazement as she heard the opening part of the plan and he paused for reactions. She had expected rail access to the griffons to improve at some point, but an express line to distant Staliongrad? This was audacious indeed. "Simply amazing! This has great possibilities for Appleoosa!"

When he continued She was astounded "A tunnel to Rockwington. I am impressed! It is also fortunate you have decided to be open with us about this matter. You will need the help of the Sherrif at the least to negotiate right of way in the short stretches through Buffalo land over here."

She pointed at the map. "Hmmm, I can guess you'll need to negotiate with Diamond Dogs for tunneling work as well. Will they be carving out little train stops and new underground villages on the way to Rockwington do you think? That might be very tempting for them to do trying to get in on the act."