The location was different, but the disgust was the same. Glares, distrustful sideways glances, and averted eyes filled the faces of the ‘nobles’ of Equestria, bickering over bits and bartering with bloodlines. They might have been called ‘a den of vipers’, but having actually been into a den of vipers, Zecora could say from experience that the upper crust of Equestrian society was worse.

Also, ‘vipers’ wasn’t an easy word to rhyme.

A glass of water, held in the magic of some obese unicorn stallion with a Trottingham accent, tilted suddenly her direction. While the zebra had no hatred of water, Rarity’s slimming black dress was quite another matter. Without the time to think, reflex took over. A diving roll transferred its force onto a forehoof, and Zecora let it hold her weight. Balancing on that single leg, her head perfectly aligned beneath her tail and her hind legs, she watched the offending glass of water spill.

The heavyset unicorn scowled her way. “Apologies,” he grumbled, unapologetically. Before the zebra could have had even the slightest chance to reply, the unicorn turned back to the mare in his company, diving back into some discussion about which of the stallion’s daughters would be wed to her eldest son.

Zecora considered interrupting him, but as she lowered herself back to her more natural stance, she thought better of it. He wasn’t worth her artwork. Instead, she offered him a neutral nod, devoid of any real meaning, and set her focus back to finding the mare that had summoned her to such a miserable place to begin with.

Princess Luna was an easy mare to spot from the moment she stepped into the room. Flanked by a pair of her leather-winged guards who left Zecora’s blood feeling as chilled as their own, the ruler of the night walked with purpose and determination. If she agreed with Zecora’s assessment of the nobility, her face gave no indication. The zebra briefly found herself wondering if the total expressionlessness of the princess was some hard-earned skill, or the result of a magical mask.

When Luna caught Zecora’s eye, the answer was made clear in the smallest of tugs at the corners of her lips. “Zecora! We are here!” The roaring boom caught the nobles by surprise, but it was the magic in the words that pinned the zebra’s ears to her scalp.

“Your voice rings true within my ear. You’ll need to come closer; I can’t shout from here.”

Luna chuckled to herself as she approached. “You have a fair point, Zecora. I apologize that you have to serve as the ambassador for your people, but I'm hoping that our words will be brief and friendly. It has been more than a millenium since I spoke to one of your kind. I had missed your rhyming.”

“Speaking in verse is no match for our tongue, but one must speak in words known by those they’re among. Zebra is meant to be offered as art. It shows care and affection, and speaks from the heart.”

“Oh?” Luna smiled. “So you do it as a sign of respect? In that case, I thank you for your kindess.”

“Respect for one’s words is a matter of pride. Thus, by your words I must ask you abide. We lost kin to the griffons, their taking our lands. We need the aid of Equestria to withstand.”

“Ah.” Luna’s smile wilted away. “Sister had mentioned you would want a high price from us. We can negotiate with the griffons; I would be glad to represent you and your people.”

“The griffons will not pay their dues to words that call out their abuse. Our leaders sought to end this fight, but it seems they only honor might. The Royal Guard is our demand, that by our treaty, you will stand.”

The princess’ expression withered further, growing into a tight frown. “You are asking me to barter with lives?”

“You spend ponies’ lives every day of the year.” Zecora replied. “Simply spend them on us. You have nothing to fear.”

Luna did not answer at first. Her eyes traced around the crowded room, until they fell on one of the many siderooms along the walls. “We should continue this conversation privately.” Turning to her guards, she spoke briefly. “Eldest Sister, Third Brother, see that we are not interrupted.”

The chilling creatures nodded in perfect sync, before the larger of the two carved a path through the crowd with the force of his glare and the size of his body. Seeing no more obstruction, Luna began her even but enormous stride toward privacy. Zecora followed in her wake, enduring even greater spite from the chattering nobles as they realized that some striped foreigner had their princess’ attention, and they did not.

The room was quiet, cozy, and non-descript. Three cushions lay around a coffee table, devoid of coffee or water or even a simple flower. One small window high on the wall failed to offer any meaningful late-afternoon light to the chamber, and in the relative darkness Luna’s friendly demeanor seemed to be sucked away by the shadows. Zecora’s lip bit down on her cheek as she sat, all the while keeping her attention locked solely on the princess.

They sat in silence for more than a moment. With each passing wordless breath, Luna’s brow seemed to crease and deepen, further and further cementing the obviousness of her opinion on the zebra’s request.

“When zebras and ponies joined into one nation, we were promised your aid in the case of invasion.”

“We are aware,” Luna replied. through her strained expression. “We had, though, been hoping that we might come to some other agreement. If I sway the griffons, there will be no need for blood to be shed.”

“You are welcome to try. I welcome your aid. But words aren’t fast. Give us a brigade.”

Luna closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a deep breath. “A brigade is far too many. We will give you three companies of the Royal Guard. Six hundred guardsponies.”

“Too small an amount for the griffons we face." Zecora's head shook slowly. "They number in thousands to conquer our race.”

Luna’s words were harsh, but focused. “I understand your plight, Zecora, but I cannot send an army of my subjects to fight and die for this. To our ponies, Zebrica is a world away.”

The zebra stood up, stepping toward the door. “Then your words and your friendship are a lie, and my people are condemned to die.”

“I will not sit here and barter with the lives of Equestrian citizens as if they were bits to be counted and traded with!” The princess’ hoof ground into the table. “If that is how you view their lives, you will have none of them.”

Zecora frowned. “You speak as if my request is bizarre, but is this place not just such a bazaar? Your kind trade in marriages measured in bits, and families are purses one wins by their wits. It is your kind who barters with lives, not my own. Now we’re simply discussing the size of your loan.”

Luna’s mouth moved to release words, but her tongue and her throat failed to produce them. Instead, she sat slack-jawed for a momentary forever. Her hoof on the table slowly slid back, landing on the cushion at her side. Her mouth shut, slowly, and only then did her thoughts return. “Your point rings true, though it hurts me to admit it. We will send you a division of the Royal Guard. That should solve your problem.”

“Indeed, but further aid we require. Shining Armor is the leader we desire.”

Luna shook her head. “The Captain of the Royal Guard? You may as well have asked for my sister’s bodyguard. We cannot spare Armor.”
“It is not for his strength that we need his attention; his presence should show the griffons we have no tension. When you know that our two races are standing as one, only then can we know that our battles are done.”

Luna’s eyes closed for a moment, and her brow furrowed under the weight of thought. Zecora waited, watching as the pittance of light from the little window climbed the wall, the only sign of the slow set of the sun. Her mind wondered how many of her friends had been taken by the griffons as she sat in the little room bartering for them. Instead of a number, her heart answered with a list of names. Rarity’s gifted dress felt too confining in that moment, though Zecora was certain she hadn’t shifted.

“You may take Third Brother,” Luna spoke, shattering the silence. The offer forced Zecora’s eyes wide, and it was her turn for words not to come. Staring at Luna’s starry mane, the zebra imagined her family’s home, and wondered just how much the conflict she had bought would tear it apart.

The words came at last: the final thought that would be the only possible answer to the question.

“Your gift of your Night Guard is quite a steal. Add Eldest Sister, and we’ll have a deal.”

Author's Notes:

Hey, everyone. Here's my entry to Iron Author 2014. It's a strange little fic I wrote in 2 hours, with the restriction that it had to somehow include three of the following 4 topics:

'Stars and Stripes'
'Manticore'
'Marketplace'
'Pushing the Envelope'

To be completely honest, I'm surprised I got away with an Honorable Mention here; sure the story is 'mechanically' good for going up with absolutely no editing whatsoever, but the plot is... well, kinda weird. I don't feel like it sells the characters very well (especially Zecora). What you see above is completely unchanged from the format in which it was judged and submitted. This is a pretty good look at what my pre-readers and editors see as a 'first draft' of one of my chapters.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it at least a bit. And for those of you who care, this is *not* Price of Loyalty canon. I just borrowed the 'Eldest Sister' and 'Third Brother' naming convention because it was easier than coming up with something original in the span of about 3 seconds of thought.

Huge congrats to the 3 authors who won, by the way.

-Loyal