Pacing back and forth in front of Copperquick, a deep brow furrowing, corner of the eye crinkling scowl appeared upon Twilight Velvet's face as she looked at the pony holding his daughter. A faint wickering could be heard down deep in her throat, a maternal equine sound, and for those that knew Twilight Velvet best, an indicator that something was troubling her. With a light, quick hop, she lept up onto the couch beside Copperquick and sat down.

“Here is what is going to happen,” she said in a reassuring, maternal whisper to the young adult pony sitting beside her. “I am going to take you and Miss Oddbody to lunch. I am going to feed both of you. And then, you are going to go home and try to get a little nap before you go to school. I am going to be coming home with you, and I will use every trick in my arsenal to keep little Esmeralda quiet so that you can get some much needed rest. If necessary, I will silence your room so that you might sleep.”

“Okay.” Copperquick made no resistance when Twilight Velvet began to wipe his nose again. When she leaned up against him, he found himself leaning back against her, and he let out one final shuddering sniffle.

“I have Esmeralda Verde’s papers on the way, so that is one less thing for you to worry about. Her name has been added to her documents. She has been added to the earth pony tribal registry with a note that her mother was a pegasus pony and that her father is an earth pony. Now, when she grows up, she can go and explore the rich history of both of her tribes and know where she came from.” Twilight Velvet smiled and gave Copperquick a nudge, hoping for a smile or some sign that he felt a little better. She also wiped away a few biscotti crumbs from the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you, Mrs. Velvet.”

“Now, I’ve been meaning to ask, and I know this can be a sensitive subject, but can you contact your parents for some help? Now, I’m not saying to move back in with your parents or anything, but asking them for help surely can’t hurt anything.” Twilight Velvet, hearing a slurp, looked over at Miss Oddbody, who was drinking her sixth cup of tea.

After thinking about Mrs. Velvet’s words for a moment, Copperquick had this to say. “My parents are very far away and I doubt they could help. I’m Grittish, you see, from Liverypool. I came to Equestria by my own means with my own coin and I am putting myself through college.”

“I see.” Twilight Velvet leaned back and looked up at Copperquick.

“My mum and my dad are both factory workers. Average types. Working class. They have a perfectly serviceable row house that looks like every other row house in the row. Liverypool isn’t a bad place, but it’s not a great place. You can work in a factory, you can work in a steel mill, or you can work in the dockyards. It is a dirty, sooty place, with grey skies, and it rains almost every single day. I decided from an early age that I wasn’t spending the rest of my life there.”

“Hmm.” Twilight Velvet’s ears stood up and she placed one hoof upon her chin.

“We’re all quite poor. In the winter, nopony turns on the heat, because everypony believes that the family in the next row house over will turn on the heat if it gets cold enough, and with the row houses all connected, everypony thinks that when the heat comes on, some of it will seep into where you live… but nopony ever turns the heat on and we all stay very cold. Jumpers are very common.” A maudlin, nostalgic smile appeared upon Copperquick’s face.

“Well then… I shall see about paying for an intercontinental telegram to your parents so that we can at least share some happy news about them being grandparents.” Twilight Velvet smiled and gave Copperquick an affectionate pat. “Trust me, a mother wants to know.”

“My mother’s name is Banoffee Pie and my father is called Copper Clanger.”

“Oh my goodness, we have another Pie.” Looking delighted, Twilight Velvet leaned forwards and smiled up at Copperquick. “Pies make for the very best sorts of ponies.” Looking down at Esmeralda, Twilight Velvet nudged the little filly and then booped her on the snoot. “You’re a little Pie… no wonder you are so adorable.”

“I’m starving.” Copperquick, feeling better, blinked a few times. “Can we please go get lunch?”

The bistro had a thick green awning to keep the rain off of the tables. The rain poured down in a steady flow, beating a staccato rhythm upon the heavy canvas awning. Even with the rain, life in Canterlot did not slow, and the streets were full of traffic. The breeze was cool, moist, and pleasant. Glasses had to be set down upon napkins to keep them from blowing away.

Miss Oddbody was drinking espresso, tiny cup after tiny cup, the waitress had brought them out on a tray. Twilight Velvet was comfortable in her chair and kept blowing raspberries against Esmeralda’s belly. Copperquick ate. And kept eating. He demolished an entire quiche all by his lonesome and was now grazing on a Mustangian salad that was heavy on the dandelion greens.

“I’m Grittish-Equestrian,” Miss Oddbody said in a casual, conversational tone.

“Most of us are, dear,” Twilight Velvet replied. “Our Founders came over here from there during the Winter of the Windigos.”

“My mother’s mother’s mother came to Equestria because she couldn’t afford a patch of farmland back home.” Miss Oddbody slurped down another tiny cup of espresso and smiled. “I come from a long line of cheesemakers.”

“You know what they say…” Twilight Velvet smiled.

“No, what?” Copperquick looked over at the mare holding his daughter.

“Blessed are the cheesemakers.” Twilight Velvet blew another raspberry against Esmeralda’s belly while both Miss Oddbody and Copperquick groaned. When the little filly yawned, Twilight Velvet cradled her and held her close.

“Many ponies from the Grittish Isles flock to Canterlot. I am told that it reminds them of home. Space is limited, there are lots of row houses here, and it is an old city, rich in history.” Miss Oddbody lifted up another tiny cup of espresso and smiled. “Does Canterlot remind you of home, Copperquick?”

“A little,” Copperquick replied around a mouthful of greens. “What threw me off is that they call a bowler hat a derby hat here in Canterlot. We have a lot of the same things, but different names. It was confusing at first, but I settled in. What confused me was the bathrooms. Where I come from, we have baths in the bathroom and the toilet is in the water closet. You ponies are a little backwards here in Equestria.”

Holding Esmeralda, Twilight Velvet chuckled.

“And you pull wagons on the wrong side of the roads,” Copperquick added. Having said what needed to be said, he pushed his muzzle down into his salad and kept eating.

“Miss Oddbody,” Twilight Velvet said in a soft voice as she rocked Esmeralda, “don’t worry about doing anything tomorrow. Take a day to rest and recuperate as best you can. The day after tomorrow, armed with the right papers, I want you and Copperquick to apply for assistance again. If they reject you, and they will reject you, demand a same day appeal due to imminent hardship and plea your case to a manager. Make certain your hairpin is activated, because I want every word said recorded.”

“Yes, of course, Mrs. Velvet.”

“Recorded?” His lips dripping oil and vinegar, Copperquick lifted his head a little and glanced over at Twilight Velvet. “What am I getting into? What goes on in this city? What is up with the bureaucracy and what’s up with the subterfuge?”

“To understand the bureaucracy, you have to understand the reasoning behind it,” Twilight Velvet replied in a low voice as Esmeralda yawned and made an adorable sound, the sort of sound that made parents love their foals, and therefore, that much more difficult to reject them. “It comes down to herd-think. Group-think. A single pony is weak, vulnerable, and alone. The bureaucracy represents a herd. It is difficult to approach and hard to coerce. The herd is concerned about survival, not the individual. Think of it as a sociological version of survival of the fittest.”

“And dueling ministry heads?” Miss Oddbody asked.

“The alpha rules the herd and the alpha is expected to be the smartest and the strongest. For a new alpha to appear in the herd, the old alpha must be defeated.” Twilight Velvet settled back in her chair and got comfortable. “Unicorns are seen as the ideal heads of ministry. It’s tribalist, but it is something many believe to be true. Our magic allows us to perform certain functions that pegasi and earth ponies just can’t do. Our magic also allows us to engage in duels to challenge one another for leadership positions. In theory, it works, but in practice, it fails and falls flat. The strongest, the smartest, the most capable, the most magical, these should be ideal heads of the ministries. But as is often the case, they are not.”

Chewing his salad, Copperquick listened with perked ears.

“In order to tear down the system, I have to play by its rules.” Twilight Velvet bowed her head and kissed Esmeralda on the nose as the filly drifted off into slumber. Looking up, she said, “Eventually, with time, it is my plan to have heads of ministries voted into office by the ponies that they serve. It will not be a perfect system, but I believe it will be marginally better than what we have now.”

“And I am going to get to say I was here from the beginning.” Miss Oddbody had a pleased smile upon her muzzle as she leaned over the table. “I will be able to boast that I was there when Mrs. Velvet set her plan in motion.”

“A mare must have hobbies.” Twilight Velvet let out a soft laugh and then added, “Finish up, Copperquick, we need to get you home for a nap.”

The nap, though short, was just what Copperquick needed. He was almost certain that he could make it through a night of school now. He stood in his cramped shower stall soaking his head under steaming hot water and feeling a little better about his situation. He realised that he missed his parents and he put writing a letter on his list of things to do.

Over the sounds of the water, he could hear Miss Oddbody and Esmeralda laughing. The sound lifted his spirits, made him feel better, and made him think that things were going to be okay somehow. Things were tough right now, the future was uncertain, but he wasn’t going to fall through the cracks. He had a friend in Mrs. Velvet.

And perhaps in Miss Oddbody as well. A different sort of smile spread over his muzzle when he thought about her. He was growing fond of her and he hoped that she was his friend. She was pretty, she was witty, and she was nice to have conversations with. There was no doubt that she was smart—smarter than he was. But she wasn’t snobby. The kind and generous filly was just a fantastic pony.

Grinning, he hurried to finish his shower.

“Do well in school,” Twilight Velvet said in a warm, supportive voice to Copperquick. She held up Esmeralda and touched the filly’s snoot to her father’s. “Remember what you are fighting for. It’s tough right now, but not impossible. Just be a good earth pony and keep pulling if you want to get through this.”

Gurgling, Esmeralda blew a spit bubble and left her father’s nose slick with drool. Holding out her forelegs, she grabbed Copperquick’s muzzle and snuggled against it, burbling and spitting with glee.

“Also, to help put your mind at ease, I spoke with your apartment manager.” Twilight Velvet’s smile vanished and she now looked serious. “The eviction still stands, he has to do his job and I know that you are mature enough to understand that. I was however, able to convince him to drop the five hundred bit fine, but only on the condition that the apartment is absolutely, utterly spotless upon moving out. Getting these places cleaned up for the next tenant is expensive it seems, so everypony walks away happy.”

“Fleeblubbleshizzit! Floop!” Esmeralda looked into her father’s eyes and made another spit bubble. “Bleeblorp shpeenoopula?”

“That’s a mouthful, little one.” Puckering up, Copperquick kissed his daughter right between the ears, which made her squeal in happiness.”

“Don’t worry, the neighbors didn’t hear that,” Twilight Velvet said, trying to reassure Copperquick so he could go to school with an untroubled mind. “I took a few magical liberties. I’m sure you won’t mind. It is one less thing to worry about. Now, off with you, it’s time for school and I need to be going as well. Miss Oddbody is properly caffeinated, so little Miss Verde will be in good hooves.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Velvet, for everything.” Copperquick felt himself blushing as his daughter kicked him in the face with her stubby little legs.

“Do well in school,” Miss Oddbody said in a gentle, but commanding voice. “I’ll be here waiting when you get home. I might even fix you dinner, but you have to do something for me in return.”

“Fair exchange?” Copperquick’s eyebrow arched.

“Fair exchange.” Miss Oddbody nodded. “We’ll figure something out, don’t you worry…”

Author's Notes:

On the updated MLP map, the Grittish Isles are an actual location. For realsies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkF_XpA5P48