Title:           Lancaster
Author:          horsewords
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/eufFYFaw
First Edit:      Saturday 23rd of January 2016 12:10:06 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Thursday 22nd of September 2016 01:06:33 AM CDT

>Be Anon
>You wake up alone in your bed, as usual
>You step into the bathroom and take a quick shower
>The water is heated by a water heater you designed and is brought from the river and filtered by systems you designed
>It took you almost a decade and a universe jump to do something with your life, but here you are
>When you get out of the shower and dry off, you walk over to the closet and choose one of your suits
>The gray one feels like a good choice today
>You walk out of your room and downstairs
>North Point is already cooking breakfast
>Minuette is already sitting at the table
>You sit down and North Point levitates a plate of food over to you in her blue magic grip
>”So, Anon, you have anything good planned for today’s speech?”
>Today is the five year anniversary of the founding of Lancaster
>You’re supposed to give a speech in front of all the residents of the town
“Yeah, I know what I’m going to say.”
>”Well, what are you going to talk about?”
“I’ll keep it short, but there’s a lot to say. I’d like to keep it a surprise, though.”
>North Point shrugs and sits down
 
>Minuette looks over at you
>”You two have any bright ideas to solve the overpopulation problem?”
>Ever since you founded the town, all sorts of ponies poured in from around the world
>Hell, there are even some griffons and a few diamond dogs here
>But you couldn’t build enough houses to satisfy demand, and living conditions are cramped at best
>Luckily, you have a solution
“North, do you remember the first drawing I showed you?”
>”You mean the impossible one?”
“Well, it’s not impossible. I think our refineries have progressed far enough to make steel.”
>”You think so?”
“Yeah. That’s the one reason I couldn’t build it until now. I think it would solve the problem and give us some experience.”
>”I hardly think building something like that can just be experience.”
“But it has to be. Point is, I think we should start drafting plans for it, and I’m going to talk about it today.”
>”I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell the world about this before we even have plans drawn.”
“It’s really the only way to solve the overpopulation problem, though. It’d be relatively quick, and I already know about the engineering aspect of it.”
>”If you think so, then I trust you.”
>You stand up, put your now empty plate in the sink, and head out into town
>Minuette and North Point follow close by you as you walk down the street
>Your house is almost identical to the other few on this block
>It almost looks like something you’d see in a neighborhood from Earth
>Ponies wave to you as you pass by on the cobblestone streets
>You turn the corner and arrive on Main Street
>The houses here are the first in the city and are made from adobe bricks
>They may look primitive, but you know firsthand about the massive power grid and water lines that run the city
>A throng of ponies, griffins, and diamond dogs is growing right in front of you
>Someone sees you and lets out a cheer
>The crowd erupts into cheering and applause as you make your way to the small stage
>On your way up, North Point stops you
>”Blow them away.”
>You walk up to the stage waving to the audience
>The crowd cheers loudly and the ponies all clap by stomping their hooves on the ground
>You smile at the sight
>You sure have come a long way in the seven years you’ve been in Equestria
 
Over six years earlier:
>You flipped off Twilight one last time before turning back to the road ahead of you
>That stupid bitch didn’t believe you? Well you’ll have to show her.
>But, more importantly, right now you have no place to sleep
>There might be one pony who can help you, though
>Applejack’s farmhouse is dark at this time of night
>You knock on the door and the tired mare opens it
>”Anon? What’re you doin’ out here this late at night?”
“Twilight kicked me out because she thinks I’m lying about all the things that humans have done.”
>”Well, what kinds’a things?”
“Skyscrapers, electricity, planes, space travel, cars, running water, and lots more. Basically, anything that can be used without magic.”
>”Well, shucks. If she’s really kickin’ you out, you can stay. Ah don’t got a spare bed, but Ah can let you sleep on the couch.”
>Better than nothing
“Thanks, AJ. I’ll definitely make it worth your time.”
>”Darn tootin’! You think Ah’m gonna let you stay here fer free? Big Mac needs help fixin’, well, just ‘bout everything right now! Tell you what, Ah need my sleep, and you need yours. Breakfast is at dawn. We can talk more then.”
>She trots upstairs, and you lay your head on the couch, hell-bent on proving Twilight wrong
 
>You wake up to the sound of hooves trotting across the room
>You crack an eye open and expect to see Twilight pacing around your room
>Instead, you’re met with Applejack’s farmhouse
>You grind your teeth as you recall last night
>What a great way to start off the day!
>Your stomach growls and you walk into the dining room
>The table is full of different types of food, apple-related or not
>The Apple family is already seated and waiting for you
>You sit down and take a bite of an apple fritter
“So what’s the plan for today?”
>”Big Mac and Ah were plannin’ on liftin’ some hay up to the hayloft.”
“Perfect! I can help with that.”
>After breakfast, the three of you go out to the barn
>A big pile of hay bales is waiting by the doors
>Big Mac opens the door and Applejack climbs up to the hayloft
>”Grab one of them there bales of hay and throw it up to me, Anon!”
>Really? They’re going to just throw them up in the air?
“Hang on, I have an idea! Do you have a pulley?”
>”A what?”
“A small wheel or something. And some rope!”
>You spot some rope on the floor and carefully take a wheel from your wagon
>After a few minutes of work, you get the pulley on the ceiling and ready to go
>You tie a bale of hay with the rope
“Pull the end of the rope up there!”
>Applejack grabs the rope in her teeth and smoothly pulls the hay up to the hayloft
>”That’s mighty nifty, Anon! But it wasn’t as quick as just throwin’ ‘em up here.”
“Mac, you like this idea?”
>”Eeyup.”
>”Mac threw out his neck doin’ this last week. It may not be as easy, but we need him healthy.”
 
>You kept working until the sun set
>Applejack started to realize what other things pulleys could be used for
>”And when Ah want to raise a barn, Ah could do it with just mahself and Big Mac!”
>”What other stuff you got in that head of yours, Anon?”
 
>Six months later, and you’ve worked your ass off
>Big Mac taught you everything he knew about hard labor
>Applejack let you test some of your ideas on Sweet Apple Acres
>You put plumbing and electricity in the entire house
>You’ll never forget the look on Granny Smith’s face when she saw the house lit up
>You wanted them to come with you to help build a town, but you knew they’d stay in Ponyville
>Still, you know where you need to go now
>Dodge Junction
>From what Applejack says, there are lots of ponies there that would love to help
>You wanted to cut through the Everfree to get there, but AJ insisted you take the long way
>”Ah’m not lettin’ you go through that there forest alone. Go up through Canterlot and down the river to Dodge Junction. It may be longer, but it’s safer than the forest.”
>You decided to accept her advice and left for Canterlot the next day
>When you walked past Twilight’s castle pulling your cart, she stood in the doorway
>”Come back so soon, Anon?”
“Go to hell. I’m not going to let you call me a liar. My goal is still the same: build a city and prove you wrong.”
>She rolled her eyes
>”Well, good luck. I’ll see you in a week.”
>She slammed the door and you walked off again, seething with anger
 
Back to the present:
>You step up to the podium and collect your thoughts
>Here goes
“Welcome everyone to the celebration!
“Over the past five years, every single one of you has helped our town become a city. We built this city together when no one else believed we could, and we did it. And every single one of you helped. Today, we’re not just celebrating the anniversary of a city. We’re celebrating the creation of a world of equals!”
>The crowd cheers
“I want to thank each and every one of you, because together, we have created the most advanced technology in the world! You put ideas into motion! You made the impossible possible! And we’ll keep innovating and we’ll keep building, and we’ll keep going towards the future!”
>Short, but passionate
>You walk off the stage and the applause follows you
 
>You roll out a fresh sheet of paper
>North Point pulls up a chair and sits down next to you
>”So explain to me how we’re going to engineer this. How will the exterior walls hold the weight of the building?”
“They won’t. We place steel columns inside the building to form a skeleton and carry the weight of the structure. Then, we drive those into the ground and build footings so the weight is carried into the ground.”
>”How far down will we have to dig?”
“Into bedrock, or else there will be nothing solid to rest the building on.”
>”That makes sense, I guess. So why am I here? I don’t know anything about engineering on this scale.”
“But you know what kind of spaces ponies like.”
>”Why does that matter?”
“Where I come from, these buildings can top one hundred floors, and have walls made of glass. Would you want to live in a glass building?”
>She looked pale
“Exactly. There are small differences that I’m not used to, but you are. You’re here to keep me from designing human-sized rooms for ponies.”
>North Point took out a pencil and grinned
>”Where do we start?”
 
>You drive the fourth and final stake into the ground
>North Point measures the distance between them one last time
“Is this the right size?”
>”Yep! This is exactly what we need.”
>You drive a sign into the dirt
FUTURE SITE OF LANCASTER’S FIRST SKYSCRAPER
>Houses weren’t built very large, so the blocks in Lancaster were small
>Perfect size for buildings like this
>”This doesn’t seem like much land. I mean, it’s not even a full block.”
“We’re not building out, North Point, we’re building up.”
>A griffin walks by and reads the sign
>”A skyscraper? What’s that?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
>”Well, if it’s anything like your other inventions, it’ll be worth the wait.”
 
>Two months later, the plans are all but finished
>All that’s left to design are the details, and North Point takes over
>You have bigger fish to fry
>You’re in Canterlot, trying to get Equestria to recognize you as a nation
>But the princess doesn’t run that department
>She lets her advisors work out the details and then finalizes everything at the end
>They are the biggest pieces of shit you’ve ever met
>Today, they drop another stack of papers into your hands
>”We’ve reviewed your city-state’s trade proposals and think that, with these improvements, they could be beneficial to both parties involved.”
>You read it over and, just like the last few “revisions”, they’ve screwed you over again
>Hang on
“Did you say city-state?”
>The stuck-up fucker smiles
>”Yes. After reviewing your plan, we decided to reclassify your nation as a city-state, seeing as there is only one city.”
“Well, show me the differences.”
>He levitates another stack of papers into your arms
>”That should just about cover it, ape.”
 
>You spent the whole night poring over the walls of text Celestia’s advisors gave you
>Being recognized as a city-state would limit your power and prevent you from expanding
>You can be classified as a nation if you can prove to have other permanent, influential cities
>So all you need to do is build another city, which isn’t going to happen
>Then again, with immigration the way it is, you might need to
>You return to Lancaster and tell your problem to Minuette
>”Those assholes! I can’t believe that they’re making it so hard for you!”
“Minuette, you lived in Canterlot for a while. I’m sure you believe it.”
>”They’re a bunch of racist sacks of shit!”
“Pretty much, yep. So either we bypass them and go straight to the Princess, which I’ve tried, or build another city.”
>”Maybe your skyscraper will convince them.”
“Maybe.”
 
>Soon, it’s groundbreaking day
>It’s been a busy few weeks
>You had to refine iron in much larger quantities than the city was used to
>Luckily, things went well
>You stand up and prepare to speak to the crowd of citizens
“Today marks a step forward for Lancaster. I’m sure by now you have already heard about the way we were swindled out of recognition, and I’d like to offer my thanks to those who expressed their interest in starting another town close by. But that won’t be necessary, because hopefully, this will prove it to them.”
>You gesture to the plot of land, and lift the sheet off of a sign
>North Point’s final drawing of the building is shown to the public
“This is where we are building a skyscraper. Ten stories tall, with four apartments per floor. We are using structural steel to make large, open rooms, and I’m personally seeing to the creation of an elevator which will be able to, with the power of electricity, take a pony from the bottom of the building to the top quickly and easily.”
>Ponies stomp their hooves and cheer, and you finish the formalities
>As the crowd disperses, diamond dogs start to dig out the large foundation
 
>You’re still Anon
>You sit at the table with North Point and Minuette
>”So what was your idea again?”
“There’s a small outpost by the mine with about thirty ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs. If we call them a city, we can get past all the loopholes.”
>Minuette smiles
>”I think you just solved our problem.”
>”Oh, and another little thing. How tall is the skyscraper going to be again?”
“About 100 feet.”
>”Well, that’d make that building the tallest in the world by almost sixty feet. Congratulations, Anon, you’re breaking a world record.”
>You smile
>Damn, you’ve come a long way since you met them
 
>It’s six years ago
>You’ve made it to Canterlot!
>But no hotel in the city will let you stay in a room
>They all turn you away, chins raised
>Because of those racist fucks, you have to sleep on a park bench
>You pull the wagon up beside you and lie down
>It’s a good thing you’re a light sleeper
 
>A noise nearby startled you awake
>You sit up, and two ponies are going through your wagon
>They’re both unicorn mares
>One is blue, with a blue and white mane that reminds you of toothpaste
>The other has a turquoise coat and a long mane with many different shades of lavender
>The blue one looks over at you
>”North Point, he’s waking up!”
>”Come on, Minuette, I’m not stealing anything!”
“Then what the hell are you doing?”
>She freezes
>”I just wanted to look at some of these drawings.”
>You sigh
“Well, I’ve got nothing better to do with my time. I’m Anon.”
>”I’m North Point, and this is my friend Minuette.”
“You’re from Canterlot, right? So why aren’t you, you know-?”
>”Super racist?”
“Yeah, that.”
>”Minuette is friends with Princess Twilight. She knew about you already.”
“Does she know that Twilight kicked me out?”
>That gets Minuette’s attention
>”She did what?”
“She kicked me out. Apparently, if it doesn’t rely on magic she doesn’t think it’s possible.”
>”Well, a lot of things are like that.”
“Not where I come from. And I’m heading to Dodge Junction to find some ponies to help me build a city that doesn’t need magic to run.”
>”Good luck with that.”
>She turns and starts walking away
>”Minuette, wait! I still want to see his drawings!”
>”Well, I’ll be back at the house. You have fun.”
 
>You go back to digging through the piles of blueprints
“Let’s see, we’ve got an elevator, a car, a combination lock, the Bessemer process, a heat exchanger, a pump, a hydroelectric generator, and a ton of other crap. What do you want to see?”
>”Do you have anything about buildings? I’m an architect.”
“Yeah, I have some.”
>You pull out a small book
>In it you drew cars, buildings, people, and anything you could think of
>You show her your drawings of some of Earth’s most beautiful buildings
>The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Painted Ladies, the Burj Khalifa, and your old apartment building, along with countless other drawings
>She’s amazed
>”Wow! These seem so cool and futuristic! And ponies from your world built all this stuff?”
“Yep!”
>”These look impossible! There’s no way!”
>You pull out a drawing of the Bessemer process
>She studies it intently
“This can make steel. It’s stronger than iron, and if you build steel columns inside a building, it takes the weight off the exterior, so you can build as high as you want.”
>”What else have humans made?”
>You show her everything you’ve drawn and even a few of the small inventions you brought with you
>Except for the weapons, of course
 
>After a while, she looks up at you
>”Why were you sleeping on a park bench?”
“None of the hotels would let me get a room.”
>”Wait, really? Come on, you can stay at my place. You’ll have to deal with Minuette, but I’m sure she’ll warm up to you.”
>You pull your wagon behind North Point as she leads you to her house
>You leave the wagon on the sidewalk and walk in
>Minuette trots down the stairs
>"North Point! I was wondering when you'd come back. All done with your-"
>She sees you standing at the bottom of the staircase and sighs
>"No."
>"But Minuette-"
>"Give me one good reason why I should."
>"Because Anon's homeless, he's a genius, and he's my friend."
>North Point thinks of you as a friend?
>You've only known her for a day
>Ponies sure do love making friends
>"Fine. But you're sleeping on the couch, Anon. And this is just for a night."
>She goes back upstairs and you hear a door shut
"Is she always like this?"
>"Not really, no. But magic's all she's ever known, and she doesn't think Equestria can function without it."
"Well, I'll just have to change her mind. I'll need a workshop, though."
>"You can use the basement for now. The door's in the kitchen, down that hallway."
>You bring in your drawings and stack them on an old desk in the basement
 
>Two weeks later, and you're back at inventing
>Minuette still doesn't think your ideas are possible, but she at least admit that she didn't know much about science
>You've finally convinced her to let you stay, mostly because of North Point's begging
>Now you have to prove to her that you're right
>You put the finishing touches on your generator
>A lightbulb is powered by the turning of a small, hand-powered crank
>You take it up to the living room and set it down
>Minuette and North Point are sitting on the couch
>Minuette looks up at you
>"So, what is this?"
"It's a generator. If I turn this crank, a coil turns inside a magnetic field, which creates electricity that can power this lightbulb."
>You turn the crank and the bulb flickers to life
>North Point is amazed, but Minuette isn't that impressed
>"And how is this better than magic? You still need to be turning that crank to get anything done."
"You need to think bigger than this. If I made this generator bigger, and used steam to power the turbine, then this could power an entire street."
>"How?"
"The hot, pressurized steam can power a big blade. Kinda like a weather vane, but bigger and faster. That can move the wire in here to create power."
>"Okay, I think I understand. But what could possibly be powered by this?"
"Anything that needs external power. Electricity can run a motor, heat things, cool things, open things, close things, you name it."
>"Can you show me?"
"Sure!"
 
>Over the next six months, you keep making new things to show Minuette
>She starts to believe you as she learns more
>While Minuette wants to learn about technology, North Point's more curious about architecture and engineering
>Every night before you go to bed, you make a quick drawing of something for her
>The night you drew a suspension bridge you stayed up all night showing her how it worked
>You never forget your plan to build a city, and you read every book in the library trying to find a good spot for it
>The Badlands to the south have never been fully mapped, but a small area looks promising
>You tell your two housemates the details of your plan and are a bit surprised when they want to come with you
"From what I've read, it's not the safest place to be. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
>"I'm stronger than you think, Anon. Besides, you've got to have something about defense up in that brain of yours, right?"
>You still haven't told them about firearms yet
>And no matter what you say, they're coming with you
>After a few weeks of preparations, the three of you left Canterlot for good
 
>Back in the present day, you wake up and head downstairs
>Minuette and North Point are already eating
>You sit down and join them
"North Point, how many are coming to this class?"
>"I've limited it to thirty for now, and I picked the thirty best griffons to be enrolled."
>It's going to take a lot more than the two of you to build a skyscraper, so you're teaching griffons how to weld steel
>You head over to the area where you'll be teaching them
>It's outside of town, so you won't set anything on fire
>Half the class is already there, and they cheer when they here you coming
>You set up the space as more griffons fly over
"Alright, it looks like everyone's here, so I'll start. You're here because you're the strongest, hardest-working griffons in Lancaster, and it's time to put your skills to use. You'll be learning how to weld steel together, and when this class is over, you'll be working on the tallest building in the world. Now, let's get started."
>The griffons put on welding helmets, gloves, and other protection before they start
 
>For the rest of the day, you showed the griffons the basics of welding
>They got the hang of it without setting themselves on fire, thankfully
>By the time the class ended they had it down
>Their welds were shaky, but they were learning quickly
>By the fifth day, they looked confident in their work
>These guys were naturals, and by the end of the second week they were ready
>Still, you continued the class for another two weeks
>The tallest building in the world was going to be their first job, and there was no second try
>If the project failed, you and your city would be a laughingstock
>And you didn't want to put your citizens in danger
>But by the end of the month, you were confident in their skills and ended their training
 
>You arrive in Lancaster after a week away to try to get past Celestia's advisors again
>They used other technicalities against you and you came back empty-handed
>The welding class had ended by now, and the griffons enjoyed the week off before starting on the building
>The next morning, though, you arrive at the construction site
>The foundation had been finished before you left and everything was ready to go
>The team of griffons trickled into the site
>Ponies living nearby moved tables outside and offered small cups of coffee and pastries to them as they walked over
>At precisely eight AM, they put on their helmets, grabbed their blowtorches, and walked down into the hole
>Concrete pillars dotted the pit, and piles of steel beams lined it
>North Point walked up to you and gave you a set of blueprints
>"Ready to make history?"
"As I'll ever be."
 
>A few ponies walking by cheered as the griffons started building
>Teams of three grabbed a beam, positioned it so it was laying vertically on top of the footing, and then welded it into place
>Slowly, the skeleton for the lowermost basement level started to come together
>A few holes in the concrete foundation wall were covered with tarps until pipes could be attached to them
>You monitored their work on and off, sometimes having to run off to take care of something else
>North Point stayed at the site, bursting with enthusiasm
>At five, their shifts ended, and they finished quickly and headed home
>You walked home with North Point, and had a quick meal before looking over papers detailing the mines' output
 
>A week later, the frame was built up to ground level
>Three holes in the floor were marked with bright yellow fabric, two for elevators and one for a staircase
>Ponies stopped on their way to their various jobs to watch the griffons work
>It really was mesmerizing how rhythmic their work was
>Grab a beam, lift it into place, weld it to the frame, and then repeat
>You'll need a crane once the building gets tall enough
>You make a mental note to come up with an elevator that can attach to the side of the building
 
>The griffons average a floor a week
>You recruit some other workers to start on the brick cladding
>Glassworkers work overtime to make the building's many windows
>Already a waiting list is forming
>Almost every pony in the city wants an apartment
>You'll need to narrow the list down a lot to make thirty-six out of five hundred, but that can wait
>The building's only a shell, but it's coming along nicely
>The steel frame is already the tallest building in the city, and it's only built up to the fourth floor
 
>You sit down at the desk with North Point
"Alright, we need to put in orders for fixtures."
>"Well, what do we need?"
"Everything we'd need to build a house, but forty times larger. Plus, materials to build an elevator."
>"An elevator?"
>You pull out your blueprint and she looks over it
>"So, a metal car pulled upwards by an electric motor and pulleys, with a counterweight and a braking system. It's out there, but nothing's impossible with you."
>"Anyways, I can handle fixtures. You have a city to run. Okay?"
"Alright, you can work on that."
>"Mind if I stay here?"
"I'm just going to be working."
>"True, but it is nice and warm in here."
>You look over at her and smile
"Pull up a chair, then. Some company would be nice."
>She moves up against you and leans into you
>"We've done a lot, Anon~"
 
>You absentmindedly scratch her ear
"You feeling alright, North Point?"
>"I'm just excited, Anon. We're building a city! We're breaking records, and building a skyscraper! And it's all because of you."
>She rubs up against you
>"You're really great, Anon, you know that?"
>You run your hand down her mane
"It's a bit hot in here, don't you think? Let's take a walk around the city."
>She hops up and the two of you walk out of the house
>The streets are empty and the sun has set
>Most houses are lit up as ponies, griffins, and diamond dogs alike are staying up
>You turn the corner and North Point trots to catch up with you
>"Anon, what do you think of me?"
"I think you're a great mare. You've been too kind to me, and you work too hard."
>She brushes against your side
>"I can think of a way to relax."
"Oh?"
>"How about the two of us go out to get something to eat tomorrow?"
"I don't think there are any restaurants in Lancaster yet."
>"Then we can make something at home. I just want to do something together."
"Is that a date?"
 
>"Anon, I've been waiting for five damned years for you to make the first move. It's a date."
"You've been-"
>Memories rush back to you
>How could you have been so stupid?
>Of course she's been after you since day one
>But you've been too preoccupied with creating and running a city to notice
>Time to change that
>You grab her by her shoulders and pull her into a kiss
>She's surprised, but doesn't pull away, and leans into the kiss
>You break the kiss and stand up
>"Anon, I love you."
"I love you too, North Point."
 
>You keep walking and the steel skeleton comes into view
>A lone pony dressed in heavy clothing and a large hat stands by the building writing something in a notebook
>You call out to him
"Bit late to be out, huh?"
>The pony jumps and looks over at you
>"Uh, yeah."
>He starts to back away and puts the notebook in his pocket
>Something about this stallion is fishy
"So what are you doing out this late?"
>"U-Uh, just talking a walk."
"You know, I don't think I've seen you around here. What's your name?"
>He starts to stutter
>"Uh-U-Um, I-I'm-"
>He turns and bolts off
>You run after him
>North Point takes off after you as you follow the stallion down the dark street
 
>You chase the stallion out of the town
>He runs over a hill, and even though you're panting, you follow him
>Just over the hill is a small group of tents
>A few ponies are gathered around a small campfire
>They hear you coming, look up, and scatter
>Some teleport out, others fly off
>The pony you're chasing suddenly disappears and reappears on the other side of the campsite
>You race into the campground and it's already desolate
>North Point catches up to you, as breathless as you are
>"What the hay is this?"
"No idea."
>You walk into one of the canvas tents
>In it is a pony-sized sleeping bag and a small box
>You open the box and there are a collection of drawings
>You recognize some of them as yours
 
>Others are crude sketches of some of your machines
>There's a basic refinery, a water pump, a coal-powered generator, and other things
>But most of them are yours
>How the hell did they get these?
>Most of them you don't even remember making, just some small doodles
>North Point walks into the tent carrying a similar box
>"Did you see this?"
>You didn't even have to look inside it to know it was filled with drawings
"There's one in here, too."
>"How did they-"
"I don't know. Somebody wants what we're making, though."
 
>As soon as you get back into Lancaster, you up security
>Ponies now patrol the city limits
>You tried not to jump to conclusions about anybody's intentions, but it was hard not to be suspicious
>But everything remains normal
>By the end of the month, the seventh floor had been finished
>Your inspections showed the quality of the griffons' work
>And you couldn't help but be a little proud
 
>You sat at your desk thinking
>The new building needs a name
>A paper sitting before you is littered with ideas
>None of them sound good enough for this record-breaker, except for one
>North Point walks into the room
>"What are you working on?"
"I think I have a name for the skyscraper."
>"A name?"
"Yeah. On Earth giving a building a name makes it stand out. Just using an address wouldn't sound right."
>"I guess. What do you have in mind?"
"How about calling it The Lancaster Building? Seems fitting, right?"
>"The Lancaster Building. I like it."
 
>One month later, the steel skeleton is topped out
>Now a different team of griffons is working on the brick cladding
>It's finished up to the third floor, and inside the building, you're working on framing the walls
>A horizontal track is anchored to the floor and the ceiling to mark out the rooms, and then beams are fastened to them at the top and the bottom
>Slowly, more of the building starts to take form
>A few trained plumbers and electricians run utilities up to each of the apartments
>You have to use plaster to cover the walls, but it's better than nothing
>Small boards run horizontally along the walls and the plaster is put on that
>Workshops run by Lancaster's craftsponies provide enough appliances and fixtures for all thirty-six apartments
>You're starting to install the two elevators as well
>It seems like the whole city is helping build this
 
>You're sitting in the living room of your house
>North Point's right next to you and Minuette's sitting on a nearby chair
>Someone knocks at the door
>You open it and a white pegasus hoofs you a letter
>"Letter for Anon from the Princess."
"Which one?"
>"Princess Celestia."
>This can either be very good or very bad
>You thank him and shut the door
>The letter looks like the real thing, written in Canterlot parchment with a royal seal
>You tear it open and read the letter
>North Point starts to read over your shoulder
Dear Anon:
I have heard many things about the town of Lancaster, but when my advisors told me of a "skyscraper", I became intrigued. Twilight spoke with me on her disbelief concerning your world's technology, but you seem to be thriving in the Badlands. I am writing to inquire as to your recognition as an independent nation. I have not heard of your submission, and write to inform you that, in a change of policy, I will be personally overseeing your particular effort. Simply arrive at my castle and I will find the accommodations and the time to listen.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
>You look over at North Point
"I'm going to Canterlot in the morning."
>"I'll look after the Lancaster Building."
"And we really need to set up a telegraph line. But that can wait. We're about to plead our case to the Princess herself."
 
>You're in Canterlot again
>In your arms is a small box filled with various drawings and your original hand-powered lightbulb
>The castle towers over the city, made of polished white stone
>Two guards stop you as you approach the gate
"I'm Anon. The Princess wanted to see me?"
>They look at each other, and then open the gates
>That was alarmingly easy
>Another pair of guards opens a large, wooden door and you step inside the castle
>Standing on the staircase was Princess Celestia herself
>You stoop to bow to her, but she laughs
>"No need for that, Anon. We're equals in this discussion."
"And the discussion is on your recognition of my nation?"
>"Yes. To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't see a request earlier."
>You look to her advisor, who stands right next to her with a look of disgust on his face
>You realize you haven't showered since you left Lancaster
 
"Does he have to be here?"
>Princess Celestia looked over to him
>"I suppose this could be carried out privately, is you wish. Silver Scroll, you are free to go."
>"Princess, I don't think it is a good idea to be alone with him."
>"Nonsense. Anon poses no threat."
>Silver Scroll huffs and walks off
>The Princess opens a large door with her magic
>Through the door is a spacious room decorated with elegant wooden furniture
>"This is the Ambassador Suite. The bedroom's through that door, and the bathroom is down the hallway. You'll be staying here until we've sorted everything out."
"This is too much for one of me, Princess."
>"Only the best for foreign leaders. Now, if you like, we can talk in here."
>You look around the lounge
"Fine be me."
 
"And, uh, the reason why I didn't approach you sooner was because of your advisors. They used every trick in the book to keep me from getting Lancaster recognized."
>You tell her about the loopholes, the racism, and the exploitation
>"That's... worrying, to say the least. But I'm glad I changed my policy when I did."
"I'm farther than I would have gotten otherwise, that's for sure."
>Celestia looks around the room
>"Would you like some tea? It always helps with these sorts of things."
"If you insist, Princess."
>She opens the door and says something to a maid outside, before sitting back down
>"It should be here soon. Now, first, I'd like to hear a bit about Lancaster."
"There's a lot to talk about."
>"Let's start with this skyscraper I've been hearing so much about."
"Well, we're calling it the Lancaster Building. It's ten stories tall, with thirty-six apartments in total."
>"Ten stories?"
"Yes."
>"Is that common where you come from?"
"Oh, very. There are some buildings that are over a hundred, but I don't think we're advanced enough for those yet."
 
>"I see. And what of electricity?"
"Electricity powers the entire city. I brought a small model to show you, actually. It's in this box."
>You take it out and start to spin the crank
>"And this powers the entire city?"
"Yep. Imagine a much bigger crank that's turned very, very quickly. You could power a lot more lightbulbs."
>"It makes sense. You have indoor plumbing as well?"
"Yep."
>"Those two combined sound luxurious."
"It's advanced, yes. But it's something I took for granted on Earth. All these things, of course, could be traded with Equestria, and there are so many other things that I haven't started on yet. Like this drawing, for a telegraph system. You can send electrical pulses over long distances quickly, and it-"
>"You never needed to make yourself sound appealing, Anon."
"Huh?"
>"I don't need convincing. Trade agreements can come once you're on your feet. But now, the only thing you need to worry about is how your signature looks."
"That's a relief, honestly. The longer I'm away from Lancaster, the more problems there are when I return."
>"Then we'll begin immediately."
"Actually, I do have one request."
>"Yes?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to sign the documents in front of the city."
>"Then we will leave for Lancaster tomorrow."
"You're much too kind to me, Princess."
 
>While you're waiting for tomorrow to come, you decide to see if Minuette's house is still standing
>You navigate the city fairly easily, and wind up on a familiar street
>Her house sits empty and looks derelict
>A small pink paper is mailed to the front door
EVICTION NOTICE FOR THE RESIDENCE OF MINUETTE AND NORTH POINT
>You pull the old key out of your pocket and unlock the door
>Inside, the house is dark and dusty, but the furniture is still in place
>You walk through the old house, remembering your time in Canterlot
>And, after a while, you leave the house and lock the door behind you
 
>The castle is lit up by the evening sun
>Above you, Celestia steps out onto her balcony with Luna behind her
>Their horns glow and day becomes night
>You enter the castle and make your way to your room
>You open the door and the room is a mess
>Chairs are on their sides, tables are overturned, and books litter the floor
>And the box is missing
>You rush out of the room and find a guard
"Sir? Somebody just stole a box of drawings. Have you seen anybody leave the room with a medium-sized brown box?"
>"I think I saw somepony like that when I was coming over to my position here. White coat, silver mane, blue eyes, unicorn."
"Thank you."
>You know exactly who it was
 
>You knock on a large oak door
>Carved into the wood is Celestia's cutie mark
"Princess? Are you awake? We have a problem."
>"Enter."
>You find her reading and sipping from a teacup
>"What seems to be the problem?"
"I think Silver Scroll stole something of mine. That box of drawings."
>She looked up at you
>"And you're sure it was him?"
"A guard saw him carrying it down the hallway."
>"I'll see if he's in his chamber."
>She exits the room and you follow close behind her
>She navigates the maze of hallways with ease, and comes upon a door with a silver tapestry hanging beside it
>After two quick raps at the door, a tired Silver Scroll emerges
>"Princess? What seems to be the problem?"
>"A guard says he saw you with something of Anon's."
>His eyes widen for a moment, but he composes himself quickly
>"One guard? Is there any other proof of this accusation?"
>"If you wouldn't mind my entrance-"
>"Come right in, Princess."
>He lets her in, but blocks you as you try to enter
>"And what do you think you doing?"
"I know what my property looks like better than anyone, thank you."
>"You'll sully the furniture."
"You shit in a wooden bucket down the hall."
>"You're in the company of a princess!"
>"And a thief, apparently."
>Hidden under his bed was a familiar brown box
 
>"I-I can-"
"No, you really can't. This is espionage."
>"You're not a country yet."
"Well, as soon as I sign the papers, I'll gladly try you for espionage. Princess, please send for a guard."
>He starts to turn red
>"You- You ape! How dare you accuse me of petty theft!"
>Celestia sighed
>"How did I not notice this when I first hired you?"
>Two guards enter the room and slap shackles on his hooves
>"It's not just me, you know. There are ponies who will stop at nothing to profit from your incompetence."
"I'm sorry?"
>Before he can say anything else, he's led off
"If you'll excuse me, Princess, I'm going to sleep. With this under lock and key, too."
>"Certainly. We leave for Lancaster in the morning."
 
>You're sitting in a chariot with Princess Celestia beside you
>The Badlands rush by beneath you, but not quickly enough
"It's going to take a while to hammer out the details of our new nation. We need a constitution, a flag, an anthem, a set of laws, and more. You could have waited in Canterlot."
>"I could have, yes. But we have work to be doing as well."
>You're not getting any sleep for the next month
>You see a tiny speck in the distance ahead of you
>As the pegasi fly closer to home, your mind wanders, and the Princess seems to have her mind elsewhere as well
 
>You step out of the golden chariot
>A crowd of ponies has gathered, and they talk amongst themselves
>The Princess hops out beside you and looks around
>"This is a lovely city, Anon."
"Thank you, Princess."
>You turn to the crowd
"Princess Celestia of Equestria is visiting Lancaster to entertain the notion of a formal alliance of sorts. We must keep Lancaster pristine for our visitor and prove our worth."
>The ponies clear a path down one of the streets, and Celestia follows you
>You walk past the small houses and come to yours
>You climb the small steps to the porch and open the door
"Welcome to my home, Princess. I'm afraid we don't have much of a hotel yet, but I'll find you a place to stay for the time being."
>"It's fine, Anon. You worry too much. I'm sure a normal spare room will be fine."
"Are you sure? It doesn't quite compare to Canterlot."
>"I'm not as pretentious as it may seem. There have been times when a home like this was a luxury in Equestria."
"If you insist, Princess."
 
>The next day, you walk out to the construction site
>The Lancaster Building is all but finished, and ponies rush in and out to install fixtures
>North Point and Minuette are beside you, along with Princess Celestia
>She cranes her head upwards
>"How did you build this again?"
"Steel skeleton takes the weight off of the exterior walls."
>"And this is a normal building where you come from?"
"Ten stories is about the normal height for a small building. Some can break a hundred, but those are rarer. Come inside; there's much more to see."
>You open one of the double doors and she walks through
>Fresh plaster had been poured on the walls and ceiling, and tiles had been laid on the floor
>Across the lobby were two iron gates leading into the elevators
>Celestia walks around slowly, admiring the lobby's detail
>It's decorated in an array of browns and whites, and light streams in through the large windows
>You open the pull gate and the four of you enter the elevator
>It's large enough that you can fit comfortably inside
>There's a small bench on the far end, and Celestia sits down
>You pull the small lever and the elevator ascends
 
>You move past the second floor, then the third, and the fourth, and the fifth
>Eventually, you make it to the very top
>This floor is still largely unfinished, and the hall is dotted with ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs at work
>You walk down the hallway and reach apartment 1003
>The door is open, and you step into the living room
>Celestia steps in beside you and trots over to the window
>She looks out and the whole city unfolds in front of her
>"It's like I'm flying."
"The view is even better at night."
>"I can imagine. I feel a kind of envy towards the lucky ponies that will live here."
"Well, I'll save a room in the next building for royalty, then."
>North Point turns over to you
>"Another one? Let's at least wait a little while before doing anything else on this level."
"I'm fine with that. We can break our own record some other time."
 
>You dip your hands into the stream of cold water coming from the tap and splash your face
>You've gotten only an hour or two to sleep each night
>You've been helping Minuette write a constitution, and a few artistic ponies in Lancaster have been working on a flag, an anthem, and a seal, among other things
>Celestia has been very interested in Lancaster's technology as well, and you've been showing her some inventions during the day
>Despite your objections, she's decided to stay until everything is prepared, even though Canterlot is only a day's fly away
>You really need to build a railroad or something
>That and a telegraph line would connect Lancaster and Equestria, for better or for worse
>If anything, it would make sure the waves of immigrants would be regulated
>Not that you care about screening them, every pony, griffon, or diamond dog means another citizen
>You're not Donald Trump
>Nothing too world-changing, mostly just parlor tricks or basic things that the Equestrians still hadn't figured out
>Combined with all that and overseeing various projects, it's been a long few weeks
>But you're almost finished with everything, and the ceremonies begin in a few days
>You dry yourself off and walk downstairs
>Minuette's writing at the kitchen table, and North Point's drawing something
>You look at her sketch and it's of a small building
>Well, small by Earth standards, but a tower to the Equestrians
>She looks up and her eyes, however happy they look when they see you, have huge bags under them
"Have you been up all night?"
 
>She nods
>"We need a capitol building. I took the liberty of designing one, and it's been complicated. It probably needs some crazy engineering to pull off, and it'll be a lot to build."
"And why do you say that?"
>"Because, first, there are lots of rooms larger than columns would be spaced apart. And we'd need offices for all the different departments, with room to grow, too. And offices for representatives and senators, as Minuette's constitution calls for. So it's be tall. Twelve stories, with a decorative bit on the roof. Much taller than the Lancaster Building."
"How much taller?"
>"Forty-five feet."
"What happened to waiting a little while before we built anything else like it?"
>"We need a capitol building. A skyscraper is the most efficient way to build one, and it would make a statement to anyone who visits, even for a day. You've seen the fanfare for the Lancaster Building, too. Lancaster is going to be a city of skyscrapers."
>You look over the plan, and it's remarkably like an old office building
>The offices are lined up along one central hallway, with doors connecting them to each other
>The lobby, from her messy sketches, looks ornate and stately
>And she added a light well along the back of the building
"This is impressive. I'll make sure it'll stand up and section off a couple lots for it. But you need to sleep."
>"But there's so much to-"
"Go. You need sleep. We all do. Even if it's for just a few hours, sleep."
>She trudges upstairs and you hear a door click closed
 
>Minuette looks similar to North Point
>Her mane's out of place, her eyes are drooping, and she's resting her head on a hoof as she writes
>She looks up at you and sees your concern
>"Oh hell no. This needs to be finished."
"Then I'll take over. Don't argue, just sleep."
>She walks over to the couch and falls down on it, asleep in a second
>You grab a small breakfast and sit down
>Minuette's constitution looks good, just a few small tweaks and it'll be perfect
>You spend the next few hours writing, until Princess Celestia walks through the front door
>"Anon, I'm back from another walk. Your city is beautiful."
"Thank you, Princess. You won't need to stay for long, though. The date is set: one week from tomorrow."
>"And that'll be enough time?"
"You underestimate the drive of my citizens."
>On cue, an amber pony trots through the door with two mares, one mint green and the other lavender, behind her
>"Anon, the anthem's done. And the flag, and the seal."
"Already? Great. I'll preview them later today. For now, spread the word about the celebration."
>"A week from tomorrow?"
"Yep."
>"Okay!"
>The three mares trot off down the street, and you run through the plan for today in your head
>You're probably not going to get any sleep again, but it'll be worth it
 
>You didn't get any sleep
>The days start to blend together as you rush to perfect the constitution
>Much of it is similar to the American documents, though some has been modified to fit your situation
>You look down at the paper before you, and Princess Celestia levitates a pen towards you
>"Sign this to begin the process of recognition. Essentially, this guarantees an ambassador and opens the door for future trade agreements."
>You read it over quickly and nothing seems out of place
>You pick up the pen and sign it
>"Excellent. You are now an official nation in the eyes of Equestria."
"Thank you, Princess. For everything."
>"You're very welcome, Anonymous. With all your progress, you deserve this."
"I'll write to you if I have anything to discuss. We need to get a rail line out here eventually, and I have an idea for a faster system of long-distance communication that I'd like to test out."
>"I'll await your letters, then."
"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have much to do and not much time to do it."
>"You overwork yourself, Anonymous."
"Perfection is impossible, but that won't stop me from trying."
 
>It took until they day before the actual ceremony to finish everything
>But it's worth it, and you can't be happier with the result
>Now, you're walking up to the podium you've spent so much time at already
>It's been moved from the main street to the road in front of the Lancaster Building
>Ribbons and streamers hang from the houses and the streetlights in the colors of the flag: red, green, and blue
>Red for the apples that grew in the large orchard south of the city
>A bright green for the fertile fields to the west
>And blue for the river that keeps the city alive
>You walk up the stairs to the stage and stand front and center
>Ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs alike all cheer and clap
>When they've quieted down, you begin
"Today we get what's been in the making for over five years. We've built this wonderful skyscraper, we've innovated, we've created, and we've done all this from scratch. There was nothing here except desolation when we arrived, but now, we're thriving. So I'm proud to welcome you all to the nation of Arcadia: capitol, Lancaster."
>You step back and the anthem begins to play
>The crowd erupts in cheers
>You look over to the side and North Point has a tear in her eye
 
>The orchestra finishes playing and you look over the audience
>There isn't a dry eye in the crowd
"Thank you to the Lancaster Philharmonic for that performance. And I'm happy to say that earlier this morning the first agreements were made between myself and Princess Celestia of Equestria. We are now recognized as an independent nation."
>The crowd erupts into cheers again
"Now, it's time we come to the Lancaster Building. Standing behind us is Equestria's first skyscraper. Thirty-six apartments are finished and ready for you, and we've narrowed down the waiting list. If your name isn't on here, don't worry. We'll be building plenty more in the future, be it towers like this or other buildings. Now, without further adieu, the applicants who will be moving into the Lancaster Building.
"On the second floor, Burning Ember in apartment 201, Roma in 202, Willow Wisp in 203, and Sunset Vista in 204.
"On the third floor, Misty Morning in apartment 301, Autumn Leaves in 302, Domonic in 303, and Swift Skies in 304.
"On the fourth floor, Lonely Day in apartment 401, Alisa in 402, Elena and Ivan in 403, and Iris in 404.
"On the fifth floor, Olga and Valentin in 501, Rosemary in 502, Peach Blossom in 503, and Bluebell and Emerald Swirl in 504.
"On the sixth floor, Nova Catalyst in 601, Diamond Point in 602, Gerald and Gloria in 603, and Borislav in 604.
"On the seventh floor, Gregor in 701, Anastasia and Anton in 702, Nikolai in 703, and Gretchen and Gunter in 704.
"On the eighth floor, Gebhard in 801, Eva and Maksim in 802, Eternal Flame and Skyheart in 803, and Windsong and Nighthawk in 804.
"On the ninth floor, Dimitri in 901, Gustav in 902, Gabi in 903, and Cloudy Skies in 904.
"And, finally, on the tenth floor, Mikhail in 1001, Silverleaf in 1002, Sonora in 1003, and Galaxy and Copper Canyon in 1004.
"New residents, you can vacate your current residences and move in any time starting tomorrow. I know the rest of you would like to see the building, so today, apartment 1001 will be a model unit to show the quality and efficiency of skyscraper living. Today is a holiday; your only job is celebration. Tomorrow, though, normal operations will resume in the Lancaster Building, and residents will be moving in.
"Before I leave you, there is one last thing I'd like to discuss. Design of a capitol building has begun, and construction will commence soon. More will be revealed soon, though I do know it will be a tower like the Lancaster Building. We have much in store for the future here in Lancaster. Thank you for your time, and welcome to Arcadia."
 
>You step off the stage and the crowd cheers
>A line starts to form in front of the building, but you turn away
>Celestia joins you as you walk off
"You're free to leave the city, you know. We've signed the agreements, and everything's done. There's not much to do here, either."
>"I'll leave tomorrow. I would like to see more of the city."
"If you insist, Princess. What exactly would you like to see?"
>"I'd be content with a quiet room and a book at the top of the Lancaster Building to relax. I can't get enough of the view. Seeing the city unfold beneath you as if you're flying when your hooves are on solid ground is one of my favorite things. Why do you think I built Canterlot on the side of a mountain?"
"Well, lucky for you, the building's not occupied until tomorrow, and today is just for tours. I can set up something for a Princess."
>"You're too kind to me. Let me just fly back to my room for a book and a hot cup of tea, and I'll be on my way."
"I'd gladly get that for you."
>"All you need to do right now is find me a room."
"I'm on it, Princess."
>You turn back to the building and walk through the lobby
>As you guessed, two long lines stretch out from the elevators
>One is at the lobby, and a small group of ponies exits it
>You duck into it and back up against the wall
>The elevator operator smiles at you
>"Where to, Anon?"
"Top floor, please."
>"Certainly."
>He shuts the gate and pulls a lever, and the elevator ascends
 
>The ponies in the elevator gasp and look around as the floors pass them
>"Anon, this is amazing!"
"First elevator ride?"
>"Yep, but I'm planning on more! I have a unit on the eighth floor. I'm Windsong."
"Ah, 803 if I remember correctly. Great unit. Beautiful views, too. You're going there now?"
>"Just to have a look. Nighthawk is absolutely giddy."
>"I'm excited to move."
>"See? Giddy. And a few of our friends are moving in, too. I don't know how you do it, Anon, but you've created something beautiful."
"It's nothing, really. All you need is a good mind and some motivation and you can create things like this, too."
>"Thank you, Anon. That means a lot."
>The elevator stops and the two ponies step out
>The gate shuts and it resumes its ascent
>You get off at the tenth floor with the other pony in the elevator, and walk down the hallway until you reach apartment 1003
>You open the door and it's empty
>Looks like the ponies who live here haven't stopped by yet
>You walk down the hallway and into the corner bedroom
>This is the best room in the whole building
>It's on the corner of the entire building, and the entire city is visible from the windows
>You step out of the empty bedroom and go down the elevator again, coming back with a plush chair
>Princess Celestia meets you at the entrance
"I have the chair, you have the tea and the book. Anything else?"
>"No, this is fine. Thank you again, Anon."
"It's nothing, really."
 
>The two of you open the doors and an elevator operator motions for you to step in
>Celestia levitates the chair into the elevator and you follow suit
>"Top floor again, Anon?"
"Yep."
>"You got it."
>He pulls the lever and the elevator ascends
>Once you reach the top floor, you lead her down the hallway and into the apartment
>A mare is in the living room looking out the window
>She turns around and gasps
>"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I in the way? I'm Sonora; this is my apartment. Well, it will be tomorrow, I just wanted to check it out."
"You're fine. Princess Celestia decided to use the corner bedroom to read for a while."
>"Oh, sure! It is quite nice, and I wouldn't want to keep the view all to myself. I'll just be going."
"Thank you for letting us use your apartment, miss- and, she's gone. Shame, she seemed nice. The bedroom's down this hallway."
>You open the farthest door and Celestia trots to the window
>"Yes, this will do nicely. Thank you, Anon."
>She sets the chair down by the window and sits down
"I'll leave you alone, Princess. Bring everything back to your room when you've finished."
>"Certainly."
>You exit the apartment and the line for the model unit is still very long
>You slip into an elevator and it begins its descent
>Once out, you walk through the lobby and back to your house
 
>The walk home is slow, which gives you time to think
>Sometimes a pony would come up to thank you for renting an apartment to them, or a griffon would ask about the next welding course
>The excitement fills every street of the town
>You're just as happy, but you don't jump around and prance like the ponies do
>You walk up the steps to your house and open the door
>North Point is trotting down the stairs
>"Oh, hey Anon! I was just looking for you."
"What do you need?"
>"I just wanted company, that's all. Today's been kinda crazy, and it's not even over yet."
"You're not wrong. Exciting, though."
>"Amazing. We got everything we've been working for! And with Equestria on out side, we can do all sorts of things."
"The future looks bright, North."
>"Indeed it does, Anon."
>You boop her on the muzzle
>She crosses her eyes and it scrunches up, leaving you laughing
>"Very funny, Anon, but we've got work to do. We may have solved the overcrowding problem for those ponies, but we have plenty more to do."
"So more skyscrapers."
>"As much as I hate to say it, yeah."
"You hate to say it?"
>"Well, the capitol building will take time and resources, and it's suicide to build two at once with so few workers. But as soon as the capitol is done, back to work on a bigger, better apartment tower."
"Maybe we'll have some free time. Don't think I haven't forgotten about our date, and I intend to make it the night of your life."
>"I can't wait."
>She jumps up, and trots over to the dining table
>You hear the crinkling of paper and hoofsteps growing louder
>She comes into view holding a map of the city
>It's your architectural master plan, with parcels sketched out and near-illegible notes scribbled in margins
>"I was thinking we put the building here."
>She points with a hoof to an area the same size as the Lancaster Building
"I'll go to mark out the lots right now, if you want."
>"Could you? I'll come with you."
"Let's go."
 
>You stand before the crowd of ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs
>Behind you is another small section of land
>Past that, only desert and the apple orchards, a mile or so south
>You clear your throat, hands resting on the podium, and begin to speak
"It's been a hard journey to being a nation, but now we have finally gotten what we deserve. On this spot, we will build the capitol building, the perfect complement to our new constitution. It's another record-breaker, at twelve stories and around one-hundred fifty feet tall. I can't wait to see this new addition to our growing skyline, and I'm sure you can't, either."
>The crowd cheers as you step off the stage
>Quickly, you walk back to your house and shut the door
>The past few weeks have been hectic
>Instead of solving Lancaster's overcrowding problem, it's actually made things worse
>The news drove people to move all the way to Lancaster to live in the greatest, most advanced city on the planet
>Their words, not yours
>So, you're even more overworked
>The solution? Design more buildings!
 
>You walk up two flights of stairs to the rooftop
>Down the narrow, well-lit hall sits your office
>You couldn't keep working in your bedroom, so you carved a room out of the attic to serve as a makeshift office
>You sit down at your desk, cluttered with papers even after just a week
>North Point sits across the room, mug of coffee in her magical grip
"How are things coming along?"
>"How'd the speech go?"
"As usual."
>"Well, things are coming along as usual here too. The new apartment building is almost finished, and we can get that started soon. I've reached out and there are about sixty griffons interested in becoming welders, including the ones we already have."
"And the other houses?"
>"Sweet Celestia, there are so many. I've only been able to throw together some quick designs for a few of them, but I can do that while you work on the bigger stuff. We also have a few requests for shops with housing above them, and I've sectioned off a small part of Main Street for them."
"That many business owners?"
>"You fail to realize that we have nothing. And your whole capitalism thing means that everyone's trying to start a business."
"Hm. Well, if you build it, they will come. Anything else?"
>"Road construction is looking understaffed. I have a list of about ten ponies that want training on that."
"Get that to me. I'll start a class."
>North Point swivels the chair over to you and gives you a small peck on the cheek
>"We make a great team, huh?"
"We sure do. Now go to sleep. You're exhausted."
>"I can handle another hour or two! Plus, I can't sleep now. Buildings."
"If you insist."
 
>You sit down and pick up a pencil
>This month's immigration rates have been insane
>Seventy-five ponies, griffons, diamond dogs, and even a damn minotaur have all applied for citizenship
>You house is the unofficial capitol building, and North Point, Minuette, and yourself are Arcadia's three leaders
>And, yes, it is as tiring as you would think
>But it's for a greater good
>This nation needs someone to lead, and damnit, you'll lead
>You even held an election
>No actual campaigns or anything, but you were voted President unanimously
>North Point is your Vice President and Minuette is your Secretary
>And, when the capitol building is finished, you'll have the room to elect representatives
>That can come later, though
>You have lots more issues that that right now
>You run through all of your current tasks in your head
>Most of them involve expansion
>As well they should, because you don't want Lancaster to be a shantytown
>Minuette trots up the stairs and levitates something onto your desk
>"Three new construction orders."
>You groan
>You limited it to only those who were pregnant, but a lot of citizens had foals on the way
>Guess that's one way to celebrate Lancaster's nationhood
 
>You look over the order
>Three pretty much identical families, two pony couples and a griffon couple
>You could probably get away with designing one house and building it three times
"Wait, that's it!"
>"What?"
"We can make a book of five or ten designs, and then ponies can just order from them! A lot of companies did that on Earth, but it died out about forty years ago. Then all we'd need to do is give a list to the construction crews."
>"Oh, that's so much easier. Look, I already have four different plans done."
"And I have two others. Here, toss yours over to me."
>North Point trots over to the desk with the plans in tow
>You unroll them and lay all six out side by side
>They're all good designs, and you roll them up together
"These are the ones we're using. I'm going to make a printing press so we can mass-produce these. Your job is to clean them up, add a description, and make them look fancy for the plan book."
>"What'll we call it?"
"The Homes of Lancaster."
>"You're always great with names."
"Thank you, North Point. Now, I have a machine to build."
 
>It took a week, but you built it
>In that week, North Point wrote the book's many descriptions and designed a special plan for a shop
>They read like works of art, and the six plans are functional, but also beautiful
>In that week, five more families have come to you with construction orders, putting the backlog to twelve
>Today, after running through it one more time, you grab the first twelve copies off the printing press and step out of the house
>In the front cover of each one is a letter
Dear family:
As Lancaster grows, so does your family, and you may feel the desire to expand and have a home of your own. In this book are six beautiful homes -and one shop- that were designed to serve a wide range of families while remaining inexpensive. One of these homes is the one for you, and will grow and change with your family. Return the small letter at the back of the book and provide the information it requests, and soon there will be a new home on a freshly-built Lancaster street, just for you.
-Anonymous, President of Arcadia
>It's pretty flowery, but you like it
>You make your rounds about the city, delivering all twelve books in under an hour
>When you return home, North Point is asleep in her chair
>You pick her up in your arms and carry her down to her bed
>Once she's lying down again, you go back up to the office and work until sunset
 
>You wake up tired
>Some coffee will fix that, thankfully, because you have a hell of a day ahead of you
>You need to teach thirty more griffons how to weld, and then teach ten ponies how to build roads
>Both of those classes are back-to-back, each three hours long a day for two months
>There's also twenty ponies, griffons, and diamond dogs that want to learn construction, and you're not stopping them
>That's another class you're teaching
>Then there's the apartment buildings
>No sense in training everyone without having things to build
>The new design is small and utilitarian, but not ugly
>It's a nine-story tower that takes up roughly the same space as the Lancaster Building and the Capitol Building
>You've also built it based on a few complaints residents of the Lancaster Building have
>Since they lacked windows, the kitchens and bathrooms had ventilation problems
>You've created two large light wells that should solve the problem by giving every room light and air
>There are also a few spaces for shops on the first floor
>As soon as these griffons are trained, that's what they're building
>You walk to the space just outside of town where you'll be holding the lessons
>On your way, you stop to take a look at the Capitol Building
>It's still a pit in the ground, but the footings are being drilled, so it won't stay that way for long
>You wave at a construction worker as you walk past
 
>Three classes later, you're exhausted
>The first day of lessons went well, and the citizens seem eager to be a part of Lancaster's expansion
>Two more months of this and you'll have a construction crew ready to do anything
>As soon as you walk through the door, you're greeted by Minuette
>"Anon, we need to start working on executive departments."
"Departments?"
>"Yeah. The Constitution we wrote lists the process for creating departments, and we need to get started."
"We don't even have a place to put the offices."
>"We can at least get some ideas."
"I'll think. Anything else?"
>"Word's getting around about the plan books."
"Stand by our policy. Growing families are first in line."
>"Okay. I'll let you know if there's anything else that comes up."
"Thank you."
>You walk up the two flights of stairs to your office
>North Point is working on something, and from the looks of it, it looks like a tower
"What's that?"
>"More apartment buildings. I'm experimenting with different lot sizes here. This one can fit on one standard lot, but can still fit three units per floor."
>You take a look at it and the design looks good
>The apartments look small, but not cramped
"We could build this. Keep trying new designs. I'm going to be working on a few ideas myself."
>"Buildings?"
"No, machines. A telegraph system, mainly, but a few other things."
>"Well I won't stop you. That's what keeps the city alive."
>She turns back to her design, picks up a pencil, and starts working again
 
>Over the next few months, you fall into a routine, even with life as chaotic as it is
>In the morning and afternoon, you teach the three classes
>Then you come home and deal with whatever problems arose while you were gone
>Yesterday it was a burst pipe, the day before that there was some maintenance at the power station
>Then, you have a quick meal and go up to your office to work on more inventions
>You've almost got the telegraph system perfect
>And, through letters with Princess Celestia, you've agreed to run telegraph lines all the way to Canterlot
>There's also going to be some Equestrian railroad workers coming into Lancaster to build a, well, railroad
>So North Point has been designing an elegant train station that will, hopefully, be a hub for future rail lines
>Today, you're on your way to Canterlot to meet with Princess Celestia about a few different things
>As the chariot rushes over Equestria, you collect your thoughts and plan the topics for the meeting
 
>Canterlot is pretty much just like you remember
>After all, you haven't been gone for long
>You walk up the steps to Princess Celestia's castle and she's waiting just outside the doors
>"Ah, Anonymous. Right on time. It's good to see you again."
"The same to you, Princess."
>"Any new buildings in Lancaster?"
"Oh, lots. We're working on the Capitol Building right now, and it's another record breaker. Twelve stories tall, plus a decorative cap. There's also a few other, smaller apartment buildings we're preparing to build."
>"That all sounds very hectic."
"It is. But Lancaster is growing, and it's growing rapidly. And that's what I wanted to see you about. There are a few things we need to discuss."
>"Well then, let's do it over tea. Follow me to the reception room."
>The Princess leads you through the castle until you reach a pair of large, brown wooden doors
>Through them is an airy room with white plush furniture, and a kettle resting on a small table
>Princess Celestia pours two cups and hands one to you
>You take a small sip and savor the taste
>You weren't a big fan of tea on Earth, but this tastes wonderful
 
>You clear your throat
"So, first, there are borders."
>"Oh, the Macintosh Hills can be the border, if you wish."
"Sounds good to me. But the area to the south of the Badlands is largely unexplored."
>"You don't need to worry, Anonymous. Expand as you wish, but don't test us."
"I don't plan on it."
>Celestia takes another sip of her tea
"Next is the telegraph lines. Because of my last visit, I haven't brought a diagram, but it would essentially be insulated wires suspended by poles. My plan is to create a company that I can direct construction to, who will be in charge of the lines, albeit with government regulation."
>"That sounds feasible. I grant my permission for that company to work on Equestrian soil."
"Also, do you have any plans of an embassy in Lancaster?"
>"An embassy? No. I assume we could talk directly over the telegraph."
"Alright. Would the same thing work for other utilities? I'm sure Equestria would like electricity and other Arcadian inventions."
>"It's possible, though any imports would go through me. I'll ask around and we can go from there."
>The conversation continues for another hour until the Princess stands up
>"I apologize, Anon, but I must go. There is a chariot waiting for you, and you should be in Lancaster by morning. I am glad we had this opportunity to talk."
"Thank you for your time, Princess."
>You give her a bow before leaving the room
 
>On the ride home, you catch some much-needed sleep
>In the morning, you reach Lancaster, but you don't need to worry about missing a class
>The last two weeks had been practice, and today was the first day the new construction crews were on the job
>They were lined up with North Point near where the chariot landed, awaiting your instruction
>You approach the welders first
>All sixty of Lancaster's finest were here
"Good morning everyone! Today is going to be a great day for Lancaster. You will be divided into three teams of twenty workers. The first twenty will continue working on the Capitol Building. The second group will start on the building on Second Street, and the third group will start on the building next to that one."
>The welders grab sets of plans and walk off to the construction sites
"Road builders! We've fallen behind. You'll be split into two groups of five. One will work on eastern and northern streets, and the other will work on western and southern streets. Each road is to be extended one block, and two east-west streets need to be paved: one to the north and one to the south. North Point has more detailed plans for you."
"Oh boy. We've got a lot to do. You'll be split into four groups of five, and each of those four groups will be working on four houses and two shops. Luckily, there are only seven designs you'll need to learn. You should have received the plans before I arrived."
>A quick nod confirms that they did
"Great. So, you all got the construction orders, too?"
>Another nod
"Well then I won't waste your time. We get new orders almost every day. Each of you will be working in different directions, but the shops all go on Main Street from Third to Fourth Avenue. The lots should be marked out and color-coded to make things easier. Thank North Point for that. I won't spend any more time talking; you already know what to do and where I'll be."
>You step back as the groups split up and walk away, until it's just you and North Point
 
"You can head back home. I'll be supervising the different construction crews for a few hours."
>"Alright. And don't think I've forgotten about our date."
"Neither have I. There still aren't any restaurants in Lancaster, though."
>"Check the business permits. Two going in on Main Street."
"Well then take your pick."
>She turns and starts the walk home, and you grab the last set of blueprints and start walking around
>As soon as the construction crews start working, they do so rhythmically, and inch by inch, the new buildings take shape
>The diamond dogs had already excavated the streets and foundations, and materials had already been delivered to the sites
>You've taught them well, it seems, because the first day goes by without any problems
>You return to your office at around noon and work for the rest of the day
>When the sun sets, you have a quick meal
>After it, North Point asks you something
>"Anon, mind taking me out to see the buildings?"
"There won't be much to see. Probably just foundations."
>"Still, I'd like the excuse to be with you."
"Alright then. Come on."
>You leave the house and make the circuit around town
>You pass the Lancaster Building, all ten stories aglow with electric lights
>A block down are the two newest apartment buildings, little more than a few steel beams, but coming along
 
>You turn, and the next few streets serve as a border between the finished houses and the vast expanse of land that is slowly being developed
>You pass the foundations of two houses, side by side, and North Point is giddy
>"You know, I really am so glad that we're doing so well. I mean, we're an official nation, we're building quicker than ever before, and the future looks great! And guess who's responsible for that?"
>You decide to feign ignorance
"Minuette?"
>"No, you! You don't give yourself enough credit."
"Because I'm not the only person in the city that's done great things."
>"Well, you've done a lot, and everypony here looks up to you."
>The rest of the walk is dotted with small talk
>North Point's more focused on you than anything
>You wish you had the time for an actual relationship, but you have a country to run
>The walk concludes with the Capitol Building, now six floors tall
>When you arrive home, you go straight to sleep, the past few weeks catching up to you
 
>Over the next six weeks, immigration remains high, and twenty more ponies move in
>You allow married couples to place orders for new houses, because for every pony that orders one, another moves in
>It's increased the workload for the construction crews, but they've been able to handle it
>You've got to hand it to them, they are incredibly efficient
>In fact, when they got word you were planning to hire more construction workers, they were the ones who discouraged you
>"With all due respect, we can handle a few extra houses, Anonymous. You don't have to worry about planning another class."
>Was your stress showing that much?
>The only reason why you haven't created any departments to ease the workload is because you won't have the room until the capitol building is finished
>Your days have gotten longer and longer, and it seems unlikely to change soon
>All twelve floors of the capitol building are still only framed, so it'll be a few months until you can move in
 
>Today, it's time for the second round of inspection
>You went to the construction sites for the first inspection a month ago, when the foundations were finished
>Now, some of the houses were framed, and that meant it was time again
>But as you look towards a pile of papers and the growing to-do list, it looks like another all-nighter
>No problem, you've done it before
>You turn around and, sure enough, North Point is at her desk
"Hey, I'm going to head out. There are a few houses I need to inspect."
>"You sure? I can do it if you want me to. "
"No, it's fine."
>Before she can protest further, you're halfway down the stairs
>The walk outside town is quick, and you find yourself lost in thought as you navigate though the town
>You make it to the unfinished houses without any problems, and the sites are unpopulated, the construction crews enjoying their day off
>A walk through the first house eases your mind about any problems that may have arisen
>The next few hours are spent meandering through Lancaster's array of buildings in various stages of completion
 
>While you're attentive and take generous notes, your mind can't help but wander
>With what little sleep you're getting, it's surprising that you can even do one thing
>Your thoughts go to the future
>Specifically, how big Lancaster is going to get
>Arcadia's northern border is defined, but the areas to the south are unclaimed
>Hell, nobody knows what's out there!
>But is things keep going like they are now, you're going to need to expand
>You're certain that you'll be able to handle it, though
>There were all kinds of monsters in the Badlands when you arrived, but you made short work of them
>As you wrap up your inspections, your mind wanders back to Earth
>How much progress is going to be made before you die?
>Lancaster seems to be at around the 1910s right now, and with some of your short-term plans, you can push the city into 1920s-levels of technology fairly easily
>You doubt you can bring technology up to the levels it was at when you left, but you can come close
>Then again, do you want to?
>You don't want to mirror Earth exactly
>Obviously, past mistakes should be avoided at all costs, but what's necessary to repeat?
>The question sticks with you as you walk home
>How similar do you want Arcadia to be to Earth?
 
>A few months later, and things are coming along nicely.
>16 E Lancaster St, the smaller of the two towers, has only a few weeks to go before it opens
>20 E Lancaster St, the larger building, is coming along as well
>More houses are springing up on the edges of town, and the construction crews have started training more workers themselves
>No matter what happens, it seems like there are always ponies abandoning their lives elsewhere and coming to Lancaster
>Clearly, not everyone is like Twilight
>Today, though, your mind needs to be elsewhere
>Yesterday was the grand opening of the new capitol building, and today, you're moving in
>A few craftsponies who you remember were a part of the original settlers have gifted you a handmade oak desk
>It's beautiful, and you thanked them profusely
>It barely fit in the elevators, too
>The two lifts are working nonstop today to move furniture throughout the building
>You're setting up offices for the departments you created yesterday
>Executive Order 2: Creation of a Department of State for the establishment and maintenance of diplomatic relations between Arcadia and other countries
>Executive Order 3: Creation of a Department of Treasury for the management of government revenue
>Executive Order 4: Creation of a Department of Justice for the creation and enforcement of the law
>Executive Order 5: Creation of a Department of Commerce for the promotion of Arcadian industries
>Based on your planning, those departments will help Arcadia keep making history
>And what was the first Executive Order?
>Well, you've thought long and hard about how you want Lancaster to look in the future, and you've decided that it would be best to keep the taller buildings in one area
>So, you're dividing Lancaster into two
>The half north of Lancaster St, where the capitol building is located, will be a low-density area
>The south half will be an urban zone
 
>You walk through the building and help when you're needed
>And you're needed a lot
>Most of the questions can't be answered immediately, because all the questions are the same
>Your new departments need a direction to head in
>When you created the departments, you provided mission statements, but you haven't had the time to delegate responsibilities and assign tasks and all that fun stuff
>Most of that can be delegated to your Chief of Staff, but he needs training, and you can't do it right now, because you're too busy making sure your new Cabinet has a place to write
>After a solid eight hours of doing nothing but heavy lifting and planning political courses of action in your head, you decide it's time to start working on your other pet project
>There was a small area on the first floor of the Lancaster Building that wasn't taken up by the lobby or units for the building's staff, and you've decided that's where you're setting up shop
>You need to hire architects and city planners, because your time is going to be taken up by getting an entire nation off the ground
>And in that small suite of offices, you're going to build a city
 
>You open the door and are greeted with the smell of fresh paint
>It was a race to finish this section of the building, but it got done
>The reception room has a small assortment of wicker furniture, and the large windows make the room feel open and airy
>Through a large opening in the wall lies an office where the secretary will work
>You can see North Point inside the room, organizing some of the furniture
>When the door opens, she looks up and smiles
>"You're early."
"You're complaining?"
>"You know what I mean. Everything's coming along nicely. The new hires are all waiting in the conference room for you, too."
"Well, that's where I'll go."
>You pass under an archway into the long hallway that runs the length of the building
>You don't need to travel far, though, because the conference room is only a few doors down
>You open the door and inside sits six ponies
>They all look up at you, expectantly
"Welcome to the Lancaster Department of City Planning, everyone. You've been hired because you're smart, you're innovators, and, best of all, you're creative. Lancaster's been expanding like crazy, and not only do we need to keep up with that, but we also need to make sure we keep the long-term plan in mind. There are a lot of urban planning theories to understand and follow in order to make sure we don't repeat history."
>A light gray pegasus mare speaks up
>You recognize her as Feather Quill
>"Can you elaborate? What exactly should we be avoiding?"
 
"Well, when you build new houses, those are seen as the most desirable, and as older homes become dated and run-down, there can be a concentration of lower-income families in those areas. So, when we're planning, we need to make sure that this area will still function and be desirable in the future."
>"But how will we know what'll be desirable?"
"That, my friend, is why we plan. And we'll need to plan a lot. Lesson one: New Urbanism. Wait, no, that hasn't been invented yet. Why hasn't that been invented yet? Never mind. Essentially, we need to make neighborhoods walkable. We need to unify areas and incorporate new ones into the city properly."
>"Is walkability really going to be a problem?"
"If Lancaster keeps growing, yes. But that's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist yet. Right now, we need to focus on making sure things don't get out of hand. My methods of solving Lancaster's overpopulation problem have only attracted more ponies to the city, and we also need to provide some well-needed services. I'm talking hospitals, schools, parks, libraries. Right now we only have residential, and that needs to change."
>You turn to a chalkboard installed on the wall
"Our first mission is to keep the plan books up-to-date and manage the construction crews. Silverleaf, that's your job, along with drafting new plans for multi-family and apartment buildings. My plan is to have those in their own sections of Lancaster, and you'll be working with Feather Quill when it comes to making sure all these areas function."
>You spend the next few minutes delegating tasks
>Most of the department's horsepower is being put towards developing the new plan books
>Silverleaf is in charge of that project, along with Sapphire Shine and Breezy Garden
>Feather Quill is the district planner, tasked with creating and managing the different residential districts
>Dawning Sun is responsible for all non-residential buildings
>And, lastly, Dusty Drawing is your secretary and bookkeeper
 
>You can only stay for a few hours, and by the time you leave you feel acquainted enough with the new department to leave them to their own devices
>Right now, they're mostly testing the waters, and it's up to Dusty Drawing to make sure that they spend the city's money on buildings that make sense
>You go straight to the capitol building once you leave
>By the time you make the quick walk over, not many ponies remain in the building
>You don't spend too much time checking everything that you may need to check
>All the while, though, your mind is already on tomorrow
>And the day after that, and the day after that
>You'll need to brief your Chief of Staff, and tell everyone what they're supposed to be doing
>Then, smooth sailing
>In theory
>Politics isn't your passion anyways, and you don't want to stay in power for any longer than you have to
>So you don't dwell in the building for too long
>The walk home is largely uneventful
>North Point isn't home by the time you get there, but Minuette is
>You don't pay her any mind
>Instead, you head out to the workshop behind the house
>It's newly built, just like most of the buildings that occupy your time
>Here, you can create things
>And you know the first thing on your list
>After all, why do you think you installed a garage door?
 
>Over the next few weeks, you fall into yet another routine
>In the morning, you work in the capitol building, giving your staff and your departments goals to work towards
>Along with, of course, making faces to North Point from across the light well
>In the afternoon, you monitor the progress of the city planners
>Things seem to be coming along well there
>A few distinct neighborhoods in Lancaster have been planned
>The first, and the largest, is the Modern Addition, where most of the single family construction is taking place
>To the west of that is the West Addition, where multi-unit housing is the norm
>South of that is the Market, and to the east of that is Downtown Lancaster
>Finally, in the southeast is the South Addition, where several apartment buildings are being constructed
>Hopefully, that will serve as a buffer between Downtown Lancaster and any future industrial buildings
>All this means that construction is a very good business to be in, and almost every new immigrant chooses a job in that field
 
>And after a month of solid planning, you're ready to start building the damn thing
>You begin by welding the chassis together, which doesn't take long
>Then you get to work on the powertrain
>Precision is key, so you're working slowly
>You have the many detailed drawings you've created to guide you, and things move along well everywhere
>By the time you've produced all the bolts, washers, and other small pieces you need, the State Department is working towards reaching out to other nations
>When you finish the small engine block, the Treasury Department has begun the implementation of the Arcadian Dollar
>While you work on the cooling system, the Justice Department finishes the first set of Arcadian law
>As you finish up the rest of the engine, the Commerce Department kicks into gear, managing the nation's industry, the first step of which is registering businesses
>While you begin assembling the transmission and the suspension, Lancaster's city planners release the all-new edition of The Homes of Lancaster, and ground breaks on several new buildings, including Lancaster's City Hall
>And the day you finish the powertrain, you turn thirty
>Your birthday passes with little fanfare, as you wished
>There are far more important things to do besides celebrate
 
>Around the time when you start on the actual body, Arcadia's industry picks up
>You have to thank the Commerce Department for that
>Their policies have made it easy to enter Arcadian business
>The industrial district picks up a bit faster than you anticipated because of that
>Luckily, you have a few factory designs hot off the presses
>Also, in what little spare time you have left, you've been toying with an electric engine
>It's designed for a cable car, which you plan on bringing to Lancaster along with cars
>But finishing your prototype car takes priority over almost everything else
 
>On a nice, warm Sunday with breezes that pass through every open window in the city, you open the garage door and let sunlight shine on what you've just built
>It's incredibly primitive, by Earth standards
>The passengers are sitting in the open, the engine is small and loud, and you have to crank it to start it
>But it drives
>At least, you hope it does
>You've brought your toolkit with you, just in case
>North Point sticks her head out a window and looks down on you
>"Anon, is that what you've been working on?"
>You feel a bit guilty for not telling North Point more about your invention while you were working on it, but you've been hyper-focused recently
"Yep. This is a car."
>"A car?"
"Car. Automobile. Horseless carriage. In essence, a self-propelled wagon. And I'm about to take it for a test drive."
>"Can I come with you?"
"Of course."
>She shuts the window and, after a few seconds, trots out the back door and hops in the front seat
>You start cranking the ignition and cross your fingers
>After a few turns, the engine roars to life
>Well, more meowing than roaring
>North Point jumps back when she hears the engine behind only a thin layer of metal
>"Sweet Celestia! Is this safe?"
"Yep! Don't worry, I don't expect it to explode. Starting it is easy. Driving it is hard."
 
>You put it in gear and cautiously press on the gas pedal
>The car lurches to a start, jolting across the backyard at around walking speed
>You drive out onto the open road, and are met with shock by passerby
>All you can manage is a small wave to a few of them
>You haven't driven a car in over five years, and certainly not this one
>Your foot pushes down on the gas a bit more, and the small car is propelled faster down the street
>If you had to guess, you'd say you were moving at around five miles per hour
>You turn a corner and come face to face with a horse-drawn cart
>Both of you swerve to avoid a collision, and while your car doesn't like that too much, you don't crash
>North Point quickly recovers from the scare and goes back to being elated
>As you continue on your short, circular path, you quickly get a feel with a few things that you'll need to work on
>The thing shakes like it's epileptic, for one
>It also smokes like your aunt Doris
>But that doesn't matter! It drives!
>As you round the final corner, you see ponies canter out of their houses and onto their porches to get a look of your car
>You drive back into the garage and the car screeches to a halt
>North Point jumps out, bursting with enthusiasm
>"Anon! That was amazing! How did you even get that to work? It looks like it could never run!"
"I'll have to show you my drawings of internal combustion engines some time. Actually, here. They're right there on my desk. I need to fix a few things, but if you want to keep me company, then please do."
>"I'll be looking at these drawings."
>You begin to raise the car up on jack stands, and you hear the sound of papers shuffling behind you
>"Wow. These are very detailed. But I don't see anything too extreme, at least compared to the other things you've created."
"It'll certainly get people talking, that's for sure."
>She continues to pore over your diagrams while you adjust things and make notes of parts you need to remake
 
>Over the next few weeks, you continue your work
>You took advantage of the Commerce Department's new patent office to patent your new engines as a legal safety measure
>You're also changing up Lancaster's infrastructure a bit
>Cable cars look like a better option every day, and plans to lay tracks in the center of major streets are underway
>You also have a few ideas about alleys, but those might have to wait
>Then again, it would be better to get it over with now
>You ran the idea by your city planners, and they urged you to go ahead with the idea
>In other news, Lancaster rang in the new year a few days ago
>It's now 1906
>When you still lived with Twilight, you asked her about Equestria's dating system
>Apparently, they started counting from Discord's banishment
>But despite the celebrations, you didn't attend any formal New Year's parties
>You were too busy working
>There have been a few things you've needed to improve on your prototype
>The suspension needs a lot of improvements, for one
>And there are lots of other small things you should add
>Mostly gauges, but they'd serve a purpose
 
>Over the next six months, you begin experimenting with new designs
>You've created prototype after prototype in trying to refine your car enough to sell
>Yeah, that's your plan
>You're gonna bring mass-produced cars to the world in all their glory
>The lines for cable cars have all been laid, and the first few cars are being built in a factory you've purchased from the company that's building them
>Which is the city planning department, who, right now, is responsible for all new construction in the city
>So, technically, you just bought a building from yourself
>Regardless, the first few cars should appear on Lancaster's streets soon enough
>And so will the first cars
>Now that you feel comfortable with the cars you've built yourself, you're ready to start selling them as soon as possible
>And, with your mental list ready, you step out of the garage, clean yourself up, and make the short walk to the capitol building
 
>You step in the bustling lobby and make your way to the elevators
>There's a small wait, but soon enough, one of the two elevators in the building reaches the lobby, and you step on
"Sixth floor, please," you tell the operator
>And with the push of a lever, the cab ascends
>You don't have to wait for any other stops, because floors 2 through 5 are mostly unused
>But on the sixth floor, the Commerce Department works around the clock to keep Arcadian industry satisfied
>And one of those things is registering businesses
>The registrar's office is right by the elevators, so the walk isn't that long
>You knock on the open door and the registrar looks up
>She smiles when she sees you
>"Oh, come in, Mr. President! What do you need!"
"Call me Anon. Anonymous, if you must. And I'm here to register a business."
>"Well, then let's get started!"
>She grabs a fresh sheet of paper with a talon and places it in front of her
>"I'm sure you're familiar with all of the legal aspects of registration, so we can skip over that. First, I'll need the name of the company."
"Arcadian Motor Company."
>She writes the name down, before asking another question
>"Main address?"
>You think for a moment
"To be determined."
>"Alrighty then. Category of operations?"
"Manufacturing."
>"Address of any means of production?"
"48 East Luna Street."
 
>After answering a few more questions and signing your name, you have an official business license
>And, just like that, you've created AMC
>Now, you just need an office
>Luckily for you, there's a stretch of small, brand new office buildings in the Market District on the west edge of town
>You've leased a small suite of offices, and you've hired employees
>There's your Sales Manager, the Advertising Manager, the Finances Manager, and two engineers
>And today, it's time to orient them
>You park your prototype car in front of the building, walk up to the third floor, and open the small door into the office
>The building is brand new and it shows
>The paint looks like it's still wet, and the hardwood floors look perfect
>Someone calls to you from the conference room
>"Anonymous, we're in here!"
>You walk down the hallway and into the modest room, where four ponies and one griffon sit at the large table
>They greet you with smiles and cordiality
"Welcome to the Arcadian Motor Company. During your interviews, I explained the general direction we'll be heading in, but now it's time to elaborate. Right now, we're about to introduce something revolutionary to the world. The automobile can travel long distances incredibly easily, and can usher in a new age of technology. But, well, I guess the best way to see what I mean is through experiencing it. The Arcadia A-6, my sixth prototype car, is just outside. I was planning on giving you all a tour of the factory, and we can drive there."
>You lead the group out of the building and they pile into the car, shutting the doors behind them
>Hooray for bench seats!
>You turn the key and the engine roars to life, much more refined than your previous iterations
 
>You put the car in first gear, and off you go
>Most citizens have seen a car in any of your six designs since you started experimenting, but heads still turn everywhere you go
>The five ones in the car are thoroughly amazed
"Excited? It is a hell of a machine, that's for sure. This is the A-6, like I said before. The only difference from the A-5 is that this one has a closed body. The A-5 had a canvas top that you could take off if you wanted to. But, anyways! This is the closest I have to what we'll be marketing. Of course, there will always be room for improvement. This damn thing still has carburetors. And when the first few come off the line, you'll get a chance to own one of the first."
>You stop in front of the factory and open the door
"And here we are! Right now, the factory is being used to build Lancaster's streetcars, but soon, I'll be implementing an assembly line style. Basically, that's when the product moves instead of the workers. It saves money."
>You push open the doors and are greeted with the factory floor in all its glory
>Over the next hour, you walk your employees through the factory, and then make the drive across town to the offices
"Luckily, that didn't take too long. I'll be here for all of today to make sure everything gets started."
>The griffon raises his hand
>"What exactly are we starting?"
"Right! Glad you asked. Greyson, you're our Finances Manager. Make sure we don't go bankrupt. Blue Midnight, you're in charge of sales. Right now, that pretty much just means the cable car deal, so start working on prices for the A-7. Velvet Rain, you're going to market the A-7. Silver Sketch and Reliant Rocket, you'll be responsible for the engineering side of things. Each year will essentially be a new model, and you should make any improvements that you deem necessary. With that in mind, let's start the day."
>For the rest of the day, you begin your usual management
>It's hardly micromanaging, considering how little there is to manage, but you make sure everything runs smoothly
>Everyone leaves at the end of the confident in their new line of work
 
>Soon, that office becomes just as familiar to you as the others
>And the staff get used to their roles fairly quickly
>The cable cars are sold to the city ahead of schedule, and by the end of the month they're operational
>For most, this is the first time they've ever been in something with a mechanical engine
>They don't move very fast, but lots of ponies are still amazed
>This mood of excitement is something you love about Arcadia
>It drives everyone to work collectively towards innovation
>It's the reason you've gotten as far as you have
>And it's the reason you're not worried as you walk across the street from the AMC offices to the first AMC store
>You're not using a dealership model, opting instead to sell the cars by the company itself, by salesponies that aren't dirty Jews paid on commission
>And today, two months after AMC's first day, it's your turn to be a showman again
>Because the AMC A-7 is about to be released to the public, to great fanfare
>It'll be even greater now than anything else, because the car's release will be on the front page of the first issue of Arcadia's first newspaper
>Though money doesn't matter to you, you've made a bit of it selling the ideas for inventions that you have neither the time nor the interest to create
>The printing press was one of them
>You step into the entrance and notice a crowd has already formed
>You pass through the archway at the other end of the room and enter the spacious showroom
>A podium has already been prepared for you
 
>The crowd parts as you walk to the stage
>You step up to the podium and the crowd cheers
>And, once they die down, you begin
“Ladies and gentlemen, what’s under these tarps is the result of progress only Arcadia can claim. These machines will do nothing less than revolutionize every one of our lives. As we speak, roads are being built for quick routes out of the city, and a railroad is coming to connect us with Equestria. The world is growing smaller as we speak, and this invention will shrink things even further. I present to you the AMC A-7, this world’s first automobile!”
>You yank the tarp off the first car and the crowd falls silent for a brief moment, before erupting into cheers
“This is the four-door sedan model. It seats six passengers, and has controls adapted for all races. The engine has a top speed of 45 miles per hour, quick enough to drive across the city in under a minute. But this car can, and should, be used for longer trips. That’s why we’re building so many roads.”
>You walk over to the other tarps and the crowd braces themselves for another unveiling
“The A-7 comes in several different body styles. Right here is the two-door coupe-“
>You throw off the cover on that car, and the crowd cheers again
“Along with the two-door convertible option, as seen here.”
>You unveil that model and receive another round of applause
“These three models are all we are offering at this point, although I’d like that to change in the future. Prices start at around 800 dollars, and, again, that could change with production methods. Now, before I leave you today, I’d like to touch on how to purchase or test a car. This is currently the only AMC store in the city, and here is where all sales and test-drives will occur. There will be some models for immediate purchase, but most cars will be ordered. Ask a salesperson if you have any questions regarding the process, or myself while I’m here. I hope you’re as excited as I am. Thank you.”
 
>You receive one last round of applause as you step down from the stage
>Ponies surround you with questions, comments, and compliments
>You try to respond to everyone as best you could, always making your way outside
>As you walk through the glass front door, you meet Blue Midnight outside
“Blue! How’s factory production looking? I hope we have a few on their way, from the looks of things.”
>”We’ve been operational since 8 AM today. The first few cars should be on their way out right now, built right to specifications.”
“Great. Do the other employees know?”
>”Yep! They should be coming down now.”
>Right on cue, the door to the office building across the street opens, and the rest of AMC’s staff crosses the street
>Velvet Rain is the first to speak
>”How’d it go?”
“Let’s just say that I think we’ll need to make cars as fast as we can. Speaking of making cars, I think ours should be ready soon. Pile into the A-6, let’s go!”
>As a perk, your employees can buy cars at a heavy discount, and the first few cars that come off the line will be yours
>And when you get to the factory, you can see a row of brand new cars sitting outside the factory
>North Point is waiting to pick up the A-6, and she jumps in when you jump out
>You spot your new model fairly quickly
>It’s a red sedan sitting at the end of the row
>You open the door and can’t help but feel a bit proud as you sit in the driver’s seat
>In around a year, you made this possible
>As the rest of AMC’s office workers drive off in their new sedans, coupes, and convertibles, you look back to the factory
>Cars are already coming off of the assembly line again, and workers jump in them to drive them over to the store, where they’ll be added and quickly removed from the inventory
>When everyone else has left, you drive out of the small lot beside the factory
>You make the short trip home and park the car in the garage, right next to the A-6
>Once you get back to your third floor studio, you go through your collection of technical drawings
>The telegraph seems like a nice project to start on
 
>It doesn't take long for you to build a telegraph
>About a week, really
>But in that week, you sell 100 cars
>There are only 800 people in Lancaster
>Clearly, whatever you're doing is good
>And, now that the telegraph is done, you've invited Princess Celestia to discuss linking Equestria and Arcadia
>Your response, though, is a bit unexpected
>"Right now, I would love nothing more than to see Lancaster again. But, as I am currently tied up discussing economic agreements with Saddle Arabia, I will be sending Princess Twilight Sparkle to oversee the project. The convoy will arrive on the 28th of September, 1906."
>That's Friday
>It's Wednesday
>Fuck
>Honestly, you put Twilight as far behind you as you possibly could
>Now, though, Celestia had to go and dig it all up again
>Not much you can do about now, though, so you've got to make a plan
>You quickly let North Point and Minuette know Twilight is coming, and they're pretty surprised
>Although Minuette, as usual, had some words of wisdom for you
>"Don't be an ass. I know you'll want to, but don't be an ass."
>And, with that in mind, you try to compose yourself as the chariot lands just outside of Lancaster
 
>Princess Twilight steps out of the chariot onto the unpaved road
>The second her hooves touch the ground, she's already being a dick
>"You know, for a city that Celestia says so much about, you still haven't the mind to put down cobblestone."
"Because we've made something better. Plus, you're outside town. We can't land in the street because there are cars on the road."
>"Cars?"
"You'll see. I've brought around mine, which I designed myself, thank you, so we can ride to my office. After that, I'll show you to your hotel room."
>"We'll see how it goes."
>You walk up to your car, and she seems a bit confused at first
>"And this is?"
"Our ride."
>You open the passenger door and, reluctantly, she steps in
>"How can this brick go anywhere without somepony to pull it?"
>Wordlessly, you turn the key, and the engine roars to life
>You put it in gear and start down the road, going as fast as you can
>Looking over, Twilight is pinned to her seat
>"Anonymous! What are you doing?"
>With that, you slow down
"Sorry, sometimes I get a bit carried away. This is the AMC A-7, designed by the Arcadian Motor Company, of which I am the founder. Completely self-propelled, and it runs on gasoline."
>"Gasoline?"
"Refined oil."
>"Oil?"
"That black stuff sitting underground that you ponies completely missed."
 
>"I find it hard to believe that you can make this thing run on only that."
"Well, believe it, Princess. If you want, I can show you the engine when we get to the capitol building. Speaking of which, here we are."
>You park the car and Twilight hops out
>She apparently didn't notice the skyscrapers when she flew in, because now she's craning her head upwards
>"Woah..."
>Passerby chuckle at the sight of such a regal Princess staring like a child
"Don't stare, now, there's plenty more on the inside."
>You open the door and she walks into the ornate lobby
>The building superintendent is playing the piano in the corner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-PtpGBmr5E
>The music echoes off the marble walls and right into Twilight's ears
>"What kind of music is that?"
"They're calling it ragtime. Personally, I love it."
>You make your way to the elevators and wait for one to arrive
>Twilight seems surprised that you've stopped
>"Where are the stairs?"
"Stairs? Where we're going, we don't need stairs."
>On cue, the elevator arrives, and you step in
"Coming?"
>"In there?"
"Just get in and trust me."
>Reluctantly, she steps in, and the operator closes the gates
>The he pulls a lever, and up you go
>"Anonymous! It's- It's-"
"That's President Anonymous, thank you. And this is an elevator. It moves upwards."
>"By magic?"
>Even the operator laughs at that
"No, Princess, not magic. We don't need that here. This runs on electricity."
>"Electricity?"
 
"Yep. This entire city runs on electricity."
>"I'll have to see it to believe it."
"You're seeing it right now. There's no magic in this elevator, and there was no magic in the car."
>You reach the twelfth floor, and you make your way to your office
>Once you get there, you open all the windows and let the breeze flow through the room
>"How can we possibly this high up? Is this-"
"No. It is not magic. Nothing in this city runs on magic. Calling it magic disregards the years I spent building all of this. You may be able to raise your horn and do whatever you want, Princess, but most of us can't. Why do you think ponies have been leaving Equestria in droves? Because they don't want anything to do with you unicorns who think you're the master race!"
>You sigh
"But anyways. Don't call it magic. It's not magic. Now let's get to business."
>Twilight, again, seems shocked
"I'm sorry. That's been seven years in the making."
>"No, it's okay. Princess Celestia sent me here to try and make friends with you again."
"That's funny, because I was under the impression she sent you here to coordinate our infrastructure."
>"Just build it and sell our half to us. I don't care about that right now. Anonymous-"
"President Anonymous."
>"President Anonymous, I'll be frank. I want you to come back to Ponyville. I miss you. The girls miss you. I know it's a lot to ask, but you've made your point. You've proved that you can live without magic. Just, please, put this behind you."
"You're retarded."
>"I'm sorry?"
"I'm not leaving this country, and, frankly, you must be retarded if you think I'm going to leave now. Hell no, I won't! I'm the president of a country that gave a shit before I packed my bags and left them! You give a shit after I did! So, I'm sorry, but I'm staying."
>"Anon-"
"This better be good."
>"I'm sorry."
"Good. You should have said that in 1899, before I left Ponyville. Because, when I did, you lost all hopes of getting me back. Period."
 
>"Okay then."
"I don't know what you expected."
>"I'm sorry."
"I accept your apology, but you really should be. All that talk of friendship and you kick someone out over a disagreement?"
>"That's why Celestia brought me here! For the past seven years I've been ashamed of myself!"
"Well, now that we've definitely settled it, let's begin anew. We've both been cruel, but we ended our disagreement. That's over. So you don't have to beat yourself up over it anymore."
>"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, let's get you to your room. It's in a building just nearby."
>"Another skyscraper? I rather like them."
"Yep, another skyscraper."
>You exit the building, hop in the car, and drive down the street to the hotel
>The top floor consists of two elegant suites, one of which is occupied by Twilight
>You take the elevator to the top and show her into the foyer
>She runs to the window and throws her head out
>"Oh, Anon, it's amazing up here!"
"It is a lovely view, that's for sure."
>She pulls herself back into the building and walks into the parlor
>It's decorated in whites and golds, with an air of elegance throughout
"This is the Celestial Suite. You'll be staying here for the night. Hotel staff will be up with a meal in about an hour. In the meantime, though, I have to go. Lots to do."
>"I understand."
"I'm glad you do. And once the telegraph is built, we can talk that much quicker. In the meantime, though, I bid you farewell."
>You exit the suite and take the elevator to the lobby
>The drive home is short and exhausting
>At least you've fixed things with Twilight, so you can move forward with a clear mind
>Your goal isn't proving Twilight wrong anymore
>It's proving everyone in this city who believes in the future of Arcadia right
 
>The next invention you decide to create is the telephone
>This is one that you've been saving, instead of selling the concept drawings to someone else, like you've done for lots of other things
>Because of its complexity, it takes you a full two months to create
>In that time, you sell around 20 cars a week
>It's nowhere near the factory's full capacity, but it's pretty impressive for such a small city
>You can afford to keep it open for a day a week to meet demand, and you rent it out for the rest of the week
>That puts a nice sum in AMC's pockets, and you decide to sit on it for now
>Elsewhere, you're putting holes in your house running wiring between the two phones
>But, finally, you finish them, and you're about to make Arcadia's first phone call
>You pick up the mouth piece and the receiver and you can hear the one downstairs ringing
>After a few seconds, someone answers
>It's Minuette
>"Anon? Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Minuette. Loud and clear."
>She lets out a loud cheer before hanging up the phone, and you jog down two flights of stairs from your studio to meet her
>"Anon! It works!"
"Was there ever any doubt?"
>"You know what I mean. Still! This is revolutionary!"
"It's gonna need some tweaking to work on a large scale, but I can do it."
>"Was there ever any doubt?"
>You laugh a bit before heading back upstairs to modify your design
 
>You’re sitting in your office in the Capitol Building, working on the usual tasks of giving things direction
>Someone knocks on the door, and you sit up
“Come in.”
>Minuette opens the door and trots in, immediately sitting down
>”We need to talk.”
“About what?”
>”There are more ponies applying for citizenship. A group just came in this morning.”
“How many?”
>”Two hundred.”
>You quickly look up at Minuette
>She’s not kidding
>”Apparently word of cars and telephones spread quickly. They say they sold everything to come here once they heard about the A-7.”
“So they’re the first wave.”
>”Yeah.”
“Get the railroad finished. Double the crew working on it.”
>”On it.”
>She walks out of the room and you lean back in your chair
>Five hundred immigrants have moved to Arcadia so far this year
>They’re mostly resettled, but some are still waiting on housing
>And now there are two hundred more
 
>You get up and walk out of the office, take the elevator down to the lobby, get in your car, and drive over to the Lancaster Building
>You walk through the doors of the City Planning Department and are greeted by Dusty Drawing
>”Hey, Anon!”
“Hey Dusty. Everyone here?”
>”Yep!”
“Great.”
>You turn into the hallway, ducking into each pony’s rooms to tell them there will be a meeting in the conference room
>Eventually, everyone assembles, and you take a seat at the head of the table
“So today I learned that, because of a few recent inventions, that ponies are packing up and moving here faster than ever before. As in, two hundred ponies in one day fast. I created this department because Lancaster needs a way to adapt to growth, and now growth is happening faster than ever before.
“So what does that mean for us? We need to work, and we need to work hard. Those two hundred ponies started the process of immigration the minute they heard about the A-7, and that means that there will be more as word spreads and more ponies make up their minds.”
>You get up and move over to the map of Lancaster on the wall
“We need to step up our game, not just for these two hundred, but for the two hundred after that. Because I’m willing to bet on there being more ponies on their way over here as we speak.”
>You move over to the chalkboard and start writing
“Two hundred ponies at four ponies per building is fifty buildings. Fifty buildings with eight buildings per block is just over six blocks. Those are the houses we need to prepare right away. I’m sure you all remember Lancaster’s housing situation before we built the Lancaster Building.”
 
>You get a few nods at that
“I don’t want that to happen again.”
>You sit back down
“The point of all this is to let you know what’s coming up in the near future. Not only do we have to prepare for the move to City Hall, but we also need to work our asses off to keep up with demand.
“I won’t stay here and lecture you. You all know what to do now. But here’s what I’ll do.”
>You get up and write the number 200 in a corner of the chalkboard
“These are all the ponies we need to find housing for. For every plan that you send to the construction crews, adjust the number accordingly. I’ll be here for the rest of the day if you need anything.”
>The room slowly empties, and you head into your office
>Your desk is cluttered, but not disastrous like you know Silverleaf’s is
>You sit down and begin your work
>It’s mostly managing construction crews and overseeing the process, but it’s hardly easy
>After a few minutes, Silverleaf enters the room
>”I’ve got a few designs that I’ve been toying around with for the past month, and now I think they could be useful. Mind taking a look?”
“Sure.”
>You make the quick journey down to her office and your suspicions are confirmed
“How do you even work in here?”
>”A friend of a friend once called it organized chaos. Anyways. These are a few sketches of buildings made up of smaller units. I think they’d be very efficient.”
“You’re right on that.”
>The apartments are just small enough to house single ponies or married couples, but not too small or too large
“I think they’ll work. Make a few more detailed drawings and we’ll go from there.”
>”Great. Thanks, Anon.”
“No problem.”
>You walk back to your office and sit down
>You see Sapphire Shine trot past the open door into the conference room
>After a few moments, she trots back, and you smile
>This is going to be fine
 
>Over the next week, Silverleaf continues to work on her designs
>North Point has taken an interest in the new, smaller style, and has worked with her
>The number of construction permits brings 200 down to 150
>Every single planner is working to solve the problem
>Except for Dawning Sun, of course
>She’s been working on the various public works buildings that Lancaster so desperately needs
>Luckily, though, those are incredibly close to being finished
>And today, you’re meeting with her
>You knock on the office door and she quickly opens it
>”Anon! I’m guessing you’re here about the new buildings?”
“Yeah. I need to put some land aside for them.”
>”Alright then. There’s this school, this hospital, a fire department, a police station, and a park. For now, of course. If you think there are any others I should design just let me know.”
“A park?”
>”A park. North Point told me a few of your more complicated urban planning theories.”
“Ah, right. A park is fine. The city needs some green anyways.”
>”So these are good then?”
>You glance over the architectural drawings
“Yep, they’re good. I’ll get them built right away.”
>You head back to your office and jot down a small note to mark off lots
 
>Before you can get back to work, Minuette bursts into the room
>”Anon. You have to see this.”
>She leads you outside and hops in her car
>You open the passenger door and sit down, and before you know it, Minuette is leading you northeast, out of the city and to the way across the river
>Most of the time, you preoccupy yourself with your thoughts and the gauge cluster
>As she crosses the dam, you look up, and you’re shocked by what you see
>On the horizon is a wagon train
>And it is huge
>You look over to Minuette
>She’s stopped the car on the dam
“Keep going. Let’s meet them further out.”
>She starts driving again, now on a dirt road
>Soon, she gets close enough to stop the car, and you get out
>Immediately, there is a resounding cheer
>The stallion pulling the first cart looks up at you
>”You’re President Anonymous?”
“In the flesh.”
>”Well, uh, my name’s Crimson Gem. We all heard about your city and, once we believed what we were hearing, packed our things and headed out here. We’re here for citizenship, if you don’t mind us moving in.”
>You look back at the seemingly endless wagon train
“All of them are with you?”
>”I’m just first in line, really. Don’t know many ponies past the tenth cart or so. My wagon and a few behind me are from Baltimare.”
“Mostly mares? Stallions? Any kids?”
>”’Bout an even split between mares and stallions. Not many foals, I don’t think. At least, not with us.”
“Tell you what. I’m going to get something set up out here so everyone can be processed before they enter the city. If you could get your friends or whoever is in that wagon you were pulling to spread the word, that’d be great.”
>You turn back to Minuette
“I’m going to need a table, a few pens, two or three other ponies to help things run, and a couple hundred citizenship applications. Let’s say 200. Of both forms.”
>”On it. You want me to get any staff from the Capitol Building?”
 
“Nobody knows how to process these but you and me.”
>”Shit.”
“Yeah.”
>She hops in the car and drives off as fast as the A-7 can go
>A few stallions and a mare hop out of the covered wagon that Crimson Gem ducked into
>They move further down the line, and you sit back and wait
>Luckily, you don’t have to wait for long
>Two cars, kicking up dust behind them, speed over to you
>Well, as fast as the light, open runabouts can go
>They stop once they reach you and Minuette and North Point, along with half of your City Planning Department, hop out and quickly begin setting up tables
>”Before we drove here I taught North Point about the forms.”
“A is the application, B is the relocation.”
>”Exactly. She’ll speed things up.”
>She gestures over to North Point, who is preparing three tables, placing two stacks of forms on each one, complete with paperweights
>You’ve got to say, she’s pretty good
>You call out to the group of ponies in the front of the wagon train
“Alright, here’s how this is gonna work! You’ll come up in groups of five wagons. You’ll form a line at each of our tables, and we’ll put you in the system. When you’re finished, get your wagon ready to go, and Dusty Drawing right here will point you down to the dam. At the dam, show your papers to one of the ponies waiting on the north end and you’ll be taken to temporary housing while we get new buildings ready for you. Everybody ready?”
>The ponies within earshot cheer
“Great! Let’s do this! And if anyone looks like they need help and you remember those instructions, then help a brother out. We need everyone working together so this can go smoothly.”
 
>You sit down and the first pony steps up to you
>You ready a copy of Form A and take out a pen
“Good afternoon. Can I get your name?”
>”Glittering Gemstone.”
“Date of birth?”
>”March 25th, 1885.”
“Any family or close friends obtaining citizenship with you today?”
>”My brother, Obsidian Moon.”
“Any family or close friends already a citizen?”
>”No.”
“Okay. Just a moment…”
>You fill out the paper and grab Form B
>You cross out the number “A-001” on a small sheet of paper next to you and write it on the form
>You copy the address of a boarding house and the room number, before handing both papers to her
“Okay. Go back to your wagon, and once everyone’s there, you’ll get directions. In the meantime, welcome to Arcadia.”
>She smiles and trots off
>The next pony steps forward, and you prepare yourself for an incredibly long day
 
>Six hundred and twenty-five
>That’s how many ponies were in that fucking wagon train
>And that’s just the ponies, too
>There were a few griffons, diamond dogs, zebras, and the like
>Their numbers pushed the grand total past seven hundred
>Seven fucking hundred
>In one day
>Your hand feels like it’s about to fall off
>When you finally finish with the last wagon in the train and pack everything up, it’s long after dark
>In the town, there is still some activity, as a few lost ponies try to find their way around
>You help as many as you can, but you’re sure that Lancaster’s night owls can direct the rest
>When you finally get home, you make a beeline for your room, and you quickly fall asleep
 
>In the morning, you head back to the City Planning Department
>You wordlessly replace the 150 in the conference room with a 860, and then step back into the hallway
>Silverleaf trots out of her office and looks at you
>”You look tired, Anon.”
“A wagon train arrived last night.”
>”How many ponies?”
“Seven hundred.”
>You can almost see the blue screen of death in her eyes
>”Seven hundred.”
“Yep.”
>”I’ll get back to those drawings then. Maybe even go smaller.”
>She disappears into her office, and you do the same
>The rest of the day is chaotic
>You’ve tried to take the workload off of the rest of the department by designing a few buildings yourself
>Add that to your usual duties of management and the day gets very long
>Midway through it, Minuette makes another surprise visit
>”Anon?”
“Yes?”
>”We have more.”
“Fuck.”
>She leads you to a small, covered tent just north of the dam
>A few ponies are working to register the long lines of ponies, griffons, diamond dogs, and zebras
 
>”They started arriving at around noon.”
“How many so far?”
>”Fifty.”
“Fuck!”
>”We need quick options. We’re running out of temporary housing.”
>You think for a moment
“Make it four to a room instead of two.”
>”Alright. I’ll give the order.”
>You don’t stick around, choosing instead to go back to the City Planning Department and work
>And, for the rest of the day, you do
>The next few weeks are mostly the same
>Lancaster averages a hundred new immigrants a day
>You ran out of room again within a week of your previous order
>Now there are immigrants living on the bottom floors of the Capitol Building
>In the meantime, every available hoof is being put towards construction
>You’re not gonna let anyone sit around with this much to do
>And after two weeks of training, today you’re deploying most of the construction workers to begin building
>They were very quick learners, and you’re sure that they’re ready
>After all, they had experience working before in Equestria
>And for most of them, they’re building their own houses
>Most of the griffons that recently arrived, however, are being trained on something much harder
>They’re going to be building more skyscrapers
>You figure it’ll only take another month to get them trained
>In the meantime, diamond dogs have already begun digging out the foundations for the towers they’ll build
 
>As soon as the griffons are finished with their training, they begin building
>New designs are ready each day
>Because of the volume of plans drafted, you’ve effectively put an end to designing for now
>Now the department’s main focus is to manage construction
>It’s nothing too difficult, just telling the crews what to build where and making sure the materials get there on time
>But the amount of construction means that it really does need the entire department to manage it
>In fact, that’s all you do for the next month
>And the day after Lancaster celebrates the new year, Minuette hands you a sheet of paper
>Thanks to a spike at the end of the year, total immigration for the year 1906 was 8,500, multiplying the city’s population by four
>And they keep coming, too
>Luckily for you, today, the railroad finished
>There’s no grand opening party, but you drive over to take a look at the finished train station
>The design was something you’ve been working on since you first secured a railroad line from Equestria
>It’s a large, imposing limestone building with a steep roof
>You park outside the building and step inside
>The terminal is vast, with marble walls and large windows near the roof that make the room glow
>A few ponies are in the ticket booths preparing their stations, and you give them a wave when they notice you
>Above the booths are massive signs with train times
>Through an unassuming door are the immigration offices
>This part of the train station is much busier, with 21 new application processors all preparing for the station’s opening the next day
>You don’t spend much time there, instead spending the next few minutes exploring the building
>Across the terminal is the waiting room, bathrooms, and the customs office
>The train platforms are behind the terminal, and past that is a maze of railroad tracks that, eventually, goes to Equestria
 
>The first train arrives the next day
>And then another one half an hour later
>Trains keep coming and coming
>The number of immigrants a day jumps from 125 to 200
>The City Planning Department is scrambling to keep up
>But, slowly, you start to take control of the situation
>Slowly, the situation goes from overwhelming to manageable
>Despite all that, you’re still understaffed
>Lucky for you, today is the day you move to the newly completed City Hall
>And that means you can set up a city government to complement the federal one
>Which means creating departments
>The City Planning Department wasn’t technically created, just moved
>But you’ve also made the Fire, Police, Law, Education, Public Works, Finance and Budget, and Government Relations Departments
>You also held an election for mayor of the city, which you won unanimously
>Today, your first official day as mayor, every floor of City Hall is bustling as ponies move into the building
>It goes much like your first day in the Capitol Building did
>You help move furniture and give the heads of each department a little bit to think about before the general meeting tomorrow
>Things go pretty well, and by the end of the day, the building is ready for the long weeks to come
 
>The next day, you make the short drive to City Hall and enter the lobby
>It’s decorated elegantly, in the league of the Capitol Building, and all sorts of ponies pass through the large room
>For you, the destination is your new office
>You take the elevator to the tenth floor, making small talk with the operator as you go up
>Your office is right by the small reception room, and you give a small wave to your new secretary as you go by
>Through the door is the large room, with a full view of the city
>You sit down at your desk and read the memo sitting front and center
>Even though you already know what’s happening today
>The first order of business is giving each department direction, just like you did on the federal level not too long ago
>You pass through a small door on one end of your office and enter the conference room
>Everyone has already arrived
>The directors of each department are sitting at the long table, and they turn to you as you walk in
“Good morning, everyone. I’ll make this brief.”
 
>It wasn’t brief
>You can’t blame them for being inquisitive, or yourself for micromanaging
>It took as long as it needed to
>During that incredibly long meeting, you outlined the problems that each department was created to address
>The City Planning department’s goal stayed the same: create housing to fit the needs of the rapidly growing city
>The Finance and Budget department is tasked with finding sources of income for the city and distributing that money accordingly
>The Public Works department manages the city’s utilities and maintains public buildings
>The Government Relations department implements and distributes government programs to various departments
>The Education department manages Lancaster’s schools and curriculum
>The Law department is in charge of the city’s judicial system, designed to tie in perfectly with the federal one
>The Police department enforces city and federal laws
>And, finally, the Fire department manages the city’s fire stations and provides fire protection
>Most of the tasks aren’t that hard, really
>But at least now everyone knows what to do
>You can almost feel the building coming to life as each department chair goes back to their floor
>Information is relayed, tasks are assigned, and the city government is running smoothly
>You don’t stay long, as there’s not much you can do yet
>The departments are testing the waters, and it’ll be a little while before any of them report back to you
>So you head down a floor to the City Planning Department
>They’re the ones who have the most work, after all
 
>You have a brief conversation with North Point on the department’s current stockpile of plans
>She reinforced what you already knew
>There are more than enough buildings designed already, and all the department’s effort is being directed towards construction
>And, through sheer manpower, the first houses have been completed in record time
>The first wave of buildings was completed in around a month
>And if the department’s inspections have anything to say, they’re just as solid as a house built in the normal three-month-long period
>Most of the department staff is out directing the original group of 200 ponies to their new permanent housing
>It seems like they’ve been in Lancaster for quite a while, but it’s only really been a couple months since they arrived
>Lancaster has been moving very quickly recently, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop anytime soon
 
>Luckily, you have some down time now
>Most city and federal departments are busy doing things on their own, your guidance having been enough
>AMC is coasting too, making the final preparations for model year 1908
>So, you decide to continue improving the telephone
>With each iteration, it moves a bit closer to something you could actually sell
>Something you’ve had to address was the size of buttons
>Hooves don’t work with either rotary dial or push button phones unless the controls are unbelievably large
>So you’re going to use operators to connect them
>You were planning on having some form of manual telephone switching anyways, but now the operators will be responsible for most of the process of connecting
>This simplifies things a lot, and you only need two buttons on a phone
>One to connect with an operator, and another to disconnect
>You’ve also been experimenting with mouthpieces and earpieces
>The mouthpiece is fixed above the telephone like the early ones from the 1900s
>Handheld earpieces don’t work because the majority of Lancaster doesn’t have hands
>So you’re fixing that at a ninety degree angle to the mouthpiece
>On your latest model, you can use both the earpiece and the mouthpiece at the same time with your head stationary
>All you need to do now is make it adjustable
 
>Luckily, you’re very happy with your next model
>It uses the adjustable earpiece idea that you were playing with before, along with many other improvements
>It’s refined enough to be mass-produced, so you quickly patent it and set it aside
>With the phone itself finished and patented, it’s time to work on infrastructure
>First are the switchboards themselves
>Your technical drawings outline an array of 128 plugs and 128 switches
>64 of these are for local connections, and 64 are made to connect with other operators
>That’s because of your methods of telephone numbering
>You’ve divided the city into four sections of 64 blocks (along with four other sections outside city limits that are slated to be developed within the next year), and each section has 8 subsections
>Any one operator will have connections to every building in a subsection, along with the means to connect with operators from other sections and subsections
>Each plug has the telephone number written below it and a small light above it that turns on when the line is active
>It’s four numbers for single-family homes
>Multi-unit buildings have an additional number on the end to specify the unit
>Units in a skyscraper have three tacked on to denote the unit number
 
>The switchboards you’ve designed aren’t modified for multi-unit buildings because they aren’t a large enough part of Lancaster’s housing to warrant the change from a one-plug-one-lot system
>So a special set of operators is in charge of multi-unit buildings, and another set for skyscrapers
>The multi-unit operators can connect to each unit separately, and the plugs on single family switchboards that match the first four letters of the building’s number connect you with a multi-family operator
>Similarly, the plugs that correspond with a skyscraper’s building number connect you to an operator managing connections for that skyscraper
>It’s not as complicated as it sounds, honestly
>The switchboards may be large, but that’s only to fit a large number of connections on each board
 
>Now, armed with your sketches, it’s time to create a few working models
>Your plan is to make two boards to test the connection and link your two phones
>You begin by moving the house’s phone lines out to your workshop, where you’ll put the finished switchboards
>Then you create the wooden frame that will hold all the wiring
>It takes a while longer than you expected, mostly because of overtime at AMC
>Most Arcadians who were residents when the A-7 was released already own one, and AMC’s average consumer has only lived in Arcadia for two months
>In fact, most bought a car before a house
>This seems like bad news for the business, but with 200 immigrants a day, AMC is doing rather well
>Your job so far has been to acquire more tooling and expand factory production
>But after that problem is solved, it’s back to the telephone
>You pick up right where you started off with the wooden frame for the switchboards sitting unloved in your garage for the past two weeks
>Filling in the circuitry is as easy as creating the plugs and running the maze of wiring between the two boards
>You gave the phone in your office phone number 1011, so that switchboard is board 10X
>The phone in Minuette’s study is number 2011, so that switchboard is board 20X
>Since you’re only connecting two boards and two numbers together, most plugs and switches don’t serve a purpose and are there pretty much only for decoration
>It doesn’t take that long to get everything done, and soon enough you’re ready to test them
 
>North Point canters upstair to your studio’s improved phone with a and Minuette waits downstairs in her study
>You walk through the house into the backyard and give her a thumbs-up from the backyard
>Her head ducks back inside the house, and you run into the garage
>As soon as you put on the headset, the line rings
>You flick the switch to take the call, and North Point is on the other end
>”Anon?”
”Yes?”
>”Let’s see if this works.”
“On it.”
>You connect switch 1011 with plug 2A and rush to the other switchboard, connect plug 1A with switch 2011 and watch the light turn on underneath it
>You flick the master switch off to disconnect yourself from the call and sit back in your chair
>You did it
>You made telephones, a completely new technology, a viable option for a city of of thousands in mere months
>Now to actually implement it