No-Clop November 2017

The Contestants Gather, Part 3

A shrill whistle announced the arrival of the four o’clock train from Appleoosa, making Big Macintosh’s ears perk up and his lips curl into a smile.

Finally.

“There he is!” Applejack announced from beside him, pointing across the platform. Sure enough, their cousin Braeburn was trotting swiftly toward them through the small disembarking crowd, one hoof planted firmly over his stetson to keep it from flying off in the late October winds and exposing his unruly blond mane.

“Applejack! Big Mac!” he greeted his cousins, briefly throwing his hooves around them both. “Hooooo-wheee, it’s been too long!”

“Eeeyup,” Mac agreed, grabbing his cousin’s bag in his teeth and tossing it up onto his back with an almost effortless flick of his neck.

“Heh, thanks there, Big Mac. And thanks fer lettin’ me stay with ya fer a while, cousins!”

“Ain’t no trouble at all!” Applejack assured him. “Twi wanted everypony ta stay at the castle fer the month, but when it came ta family Ah just had ta put mah hoof down.”

“Haha, well thanks, Jackie, really appreciate it. Big ol’ castle like that’s probably a bit too drafty fer me anyhow.”

“Eeeyup.”

“So how ‘bout this contest, eh?” he said, an excited grin blossoming on his muzzle. “Sure am glad y’all invited me, sounds like one hay of a way to spend a month!”

“It’s sure somethin’ alright,” Applejack said with a chuckle.

“How’d y’all do last year?” Braeburn asked, looking toward Macintosh and jabbing his flank with an elbow. “Did ya stud a room full’a mares through the floor, eh? Eh?”

Mac flushed and sighed. “Eeeenope…”

Applejack couldn’t help but laugh. “Poor fella got teased out late into it by one o’ Apple Bloom’s friends. Cold-blooded hit, it was.”

“Aww, well that ain’t no fair!”

“Li’l underhoofed, yeah, but technically still within the rules. She got her comeuppance, though, so it all balanced out.” Applejack puffed out her chest proudly. “This Apple made the winner’s circle, a’course.”

“Yeah? Well that’s great, congrats, cousin!”

Applejack beamed smugly despite Macintosh rolling his eyes at her. “Eeeeeeyep, sure was a good night. Even got ta play the part of a stallion fer a while, thanks ta some princess magic.”

Braeburn gaped at her. “Izzat right? That’s a thing they can do?”

“Th’ Givagalawilly spell? Sure is.”

“The ‘Give a--…’” Braeburn trailed off and blushed. “…That can’t be the real name.”

“Don’t care, Ah like it, Ah’m usin’ it.”

“…Heh, just like the willy, huh?”

“Dang right!”

Big Mac snorted and rolled his eyes again.

“Aww, cheer up, big guy!” Braeburn said, clapping a hoof around his shoulder. “You’ll make it this time! I believe in ya! An’ I’ll be right there with ya, too!”

Macintosh held his frown for a second or two longer, but then finally relented, smiling and nodding. “…Thanks, cuz.”

“Alright, alright, enough o’ the sappy stuff, we gotta get goin’. Twi wanted ta see ya as soon as ya got in, Brae.”

Braeburn laughed. “Oh heck, we ain’t gotta sign a contract or somethin’ fer this, do we?”

Applejack snickered, and this time Macintosh joined her. “Heh, well, somethin’ like that… don’t worry though, Ah expect ya won’t mind it.”

“Well, if ya say so,” Braeburn said.

“Follow me,” Applejack announced, setting the pace as the three Apples left the train station and headed for the castle.

“…So, uh, those cute fillies from yer buckball team are playin’ too, right?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Hot damn.”

Elsewhere in town, Rarity and Fluttershy pushed open the doors of the Ponyville Day Spa and breathed in the fresh air as they walked outside.

Well, staggered outside was probably more accurate.

“Goodbye ladies!” one of the spa twins called after them, waving.

“And good luck!” the other added.

“Thank you, dears!” Rarity answered dreamily, her tail still reflexively hitching high. “We’ll be back in December!”

Fluttershy leaned heavily against Rarity as she walked, her face almost as pink as her mane and her smile enormous. “Rarity? I’m… really thirsty.”

“Mmm, how about a stop at Sugarcube Corner on the way to the castle, then?”

“Oh yes, please…”

The trip took much longer than usual, what with the pair leaning on each other to support their slow, shaky legs, and having to make a conscious effort to keep their tails down lest they’d appear to be offering themselves to everypony in sight - not that the circles of ‘potentially interested ponies they passed’ versus ‘ponies suiting their own interests’ didn’t necessarily overlap, but they were on a schedule here - but eventually they made it to everypony’s favorite bakery, the bell overhead calmly jingling as they pushed open the door.

“Oooh, hi Rarity, hi Fluttershy!” came an immediate, loud and chipper greeting.

“Good afternoon, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity replied as she approached the front counter, almost walking without support by now. “Could you whip us up a couple of tall lemonades, please? Fluttershy and I are in rather dire need of hydration.”

“Ooooooh!” Pinkie giggled at her fellow mares. “Spa day?”

“Spa day.”

“I-I had a coupon…”

“Hehehe, say no more! Two lemonades coming up!”

“Thank you, Pinkie dear.”

Rarity placed a few bits on the counter while Pinkie got to work at the juicer, and a minute later she laid two ice cold glasses of lemonade on the counter, complete with crazy straws and paper parasols. “There you go! Enjoy!”

“Oh, thank you Pinkie,” Fluttershy said, taking hers immediately and skipping the straw entirely, instead just tilting her head back and guzzling half the glass all at once.

Rarity couldn’t help but giggle, taking a much daintier and more ladylike sip from the straw. “Goodness, Fluttershy, are you alright there?”

Fluttershy lowered the glass, panting softly and sighing in relief. “Y-yes, I’m fine… I was really… really thirsty.”

“Well I should think so. The twins always do lovely work, of course, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get quite that into it. You nearly splashed Aloe with that last one.”

“So did you…”

“Yes, but Aloe was on my side of the room,” Rarity pointed out, giggling again.

“…W-well, I mean… yes…”

“Haha! Happy endings,” Pinkie said, and joined in Rarity’s giggles.

“So, Pinkie, how has the day treating you?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, it’s been crazy busy!” Pinkie Pie said as though nothing could have pleased her more. “You just missed the last rush, everypony’s buying up loads of goodies for Nightmare Night! Especially brownies! I’ve been baking soooooooo many brownies…”

“I see! Well, good to hear you’re keeping busy. Although I do hope you manage to find some time to yourself before the end of the day. Getting through the next month is going to be hard enough without missing your last chance for, ah--”

“Flicking the bean? Watering the garden? Chilling and jilling? Dialing rotary? Forming the beast with two backs? Inserting tab A into slot B? Playing a duet with Mister Johnson and the Juice Crew?”

“…Sure. One of those, at least.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got that taken care of. After we close, Imma hump some Cakes.”

At this point such an absurd assertion didn’t even make Rarity blink anymore, although she did briefly imagine the myriad complications of getting that much sugar stuck down there and reflexively shuddered. “Oh, er… I see. Well, I hope you, ah, make sure not to accidentally sell them later, then… and thoroughly clean yourself after.”

“Hehehehe, oh, I don’t mean the kind of Cake you sell. Or do I? I wonder if either of them is into that… Ooooh, we could have an auction sometime! Buy a cake, eat a Cake!”

“…Well now you’ve lost me.”

Pinkie opened her mouth again, but it ended up being unnecessary. With uncanny timing, Carrot and Cup Cake both emerged from the kitchen, giggling and rubbing muzzles together as they moved into the shop proper.

“Last call, everypony, we’re closing up early for Nightmare Night,” Cup Cake announced, flicking the ‘OPEN’ sign in the window over to ‘CLOSED.’

“Pinkie, the kitchen’s all shut down,” Carrot said. “Can you handle closing up the register while we head up and make sure the twins get on their way for trick-or-treating?”

“Sure thing, Carrot,” Pinkie cooed, winking. “I won’t be long. See you upstaaaiiirrrrs~!”

Carrot winked back and followed his wife upstairs, bumping her rump with his muzzle and making her giggle as they climbed out of sight.

Fluttershy gulped heavily, sucking on her empty glass. “…O-oh. M-my.”

Rarity threw her head back and guzzled the rest of her lemonade all at once, slamming the glass back on the table.

Pinkie giggled. “One more for the road?”

“Yes,” they said in unison.