"Ah remember mah first time." Applejack started out proudly. "It was a real scorcher outside, hottest spring ah've ever seen." All of the ponies surrounding her,most of them close friends, leaned in a little closer. "He was a nice colt, the son ah think. He gave it to me, nice and slow...tempting me." There was a pause, a hesitation you cold feel in the air. "But when he gave it to me....it was the best thing in the world..." Everypony in the room was practically salivating at each word that fell from the farm pony's mouth, obviously they were recalling their first times.
"Don't leave us hangin' Applejack!" Even though AJ had told this story to her little sister every year, Applebloom still demanded that she finish every time. The little one's impatience made everyone smile.
"Alright AB, calm down." AJ chuckled and patted her younger sibling on the head. "Ah thanked him when he finally gave it to me, paid him with the bits Granny gave me and walked away..." Everyone waited, they knew what was coming next. "That first lick, it's always the best." Everyone let out a pleased sigh, mainly because they all knew the feeling Applejack was talking about. "Cold, creamy, delicious."
"I can't wait!" A little white unicorn with a two-tone pastel lavender mane squealed from the corner of the room. "I love ice cream!" A hoof held Sweetie down, making sure she didn't bounce all the way through the roof of her sister's shop.
"We all do Sweetie, It's why we're here." Twilight said as the filly fought against her restraining hoof. "I mean, I'm not surprised we never thought to camp out here at Rarity's. She is always the first one at the stall."
Rarity, for her part. Simply smiled. "Yes, well there's a reason I built my shop here. After all, what's better than being the first customer of the year?" The unicorns bounced her mane a little an fluttered her eyes. "And who wouldn't want moi to be their first customer for the year?" Everypony else in the room collectively rolled their eyes.
"You know, when I first came here I thought you all were insane for waiting around like this for some ice cream shop." Everypony in the room gave her a dirty look, you were not to speak ill of the Dari-B. It was considered a cardinal sin."Let me finish!" Twilight admonished her friends,who all just waited for her to finish. "But once I had it for the first time...I understood. It's the best thing in all of Equestria."
She got a murmur of approval from her friends and the young ones joining them.
The hubub all surrounded a tiny stall just next to Rarity's boutique. The stall was no bigger than 15 square feet, it was painted white and had a dull green roof with a neon sign on it that read "Dari-B." The establishment had been in the same family for over fifty years now, the Dari's. They set up their business in the middle of the town during it's peak when tourists from all over Equestria came to see the natural beauty and experience the goods harvested from the fertile lands.
Now tourists were rare and Ponyville was just another small town, but the residents of the town kept up the tradition of going to the establishment the day it opened, which was the first day of spring. And the day it closed, the first day of fall. Even if those were the ice cream shop's most trafficked days, it's business was pretty steady. During the summers foals would get bits from their parents for the tasty morsels they coveted so. During the fall when school was starting, parents would take their young ones out for ice cream after a stressful day at the schoolhouse. And sprinkled throughout the time it was open, colts and fillies alike would bring their newfound crushes to the stand for a cool treat.
It was a small town tradition, and it was glorious. it hearkened back to Equestria's golden days when chaos was all but forgotten and the elements of harmony were not needed. It reminded ponies of the simpler times of yesteryear where ponies could walk down the street and just be friendly without thinking about Changelings or Discord.
The ponies all made up their pallets on the main floor of the boutique, even Rarity and Sweetiebelle. The grown mares were all near each other, gossiping and talking about their lives. While the young ones were all next to each other to discuss tomorrow. Let's listen in on the latter, I'm not one for the rumor mill after all.
"Ah can't wait..." The little yellow filly whispered to her friends. "Ah;m gonna get orange swirl." Inwardly, the filly felt a little pang of guilt. After all, Applejack always said 'Oranges are Discord's fruit of choice. Better go with an apple, it's a better choice' Applejack was never very good at rhyming.
"Ooh! Ooh! I'm going to get chocolate chip blast!" A loud 'shush!' came from the group of mares, causing the little unicorn to flatten her ears and give off a light blush. "Sorry..." Sweetie whispered. When their final member didn't say what she was going to get, both Sweetie and Applebloom looked towards Scootaloo. "What about you, Scoots?"
"M-Me...?" The little pegasus looked at her hooves, which were idly tracing some imaginary object on the floor."Jeez, Iunno...there's just so much to choose from. Who can really pick...?" The other members of the CMC looked at her, stupefied. Everypony had their standard Dari-B ice cream! EVERYPONY! Even foals!
"Oh haha." Applebloom responded sarcastically, like she just got a bad joke from someone. "Funny Scoots. now seriously, what'cha gettin'?"
The orange pegasus started shaking under the combined gazes of her friends. She couldn't take it! She just hated being stared at! HATED IT! So she broke down.
"I've never been to Dari-B before!" The room, one filled with the giggling of mares discussing the goings on of their fellow ponies, fell silent. Deathly so. Every pair of eyes fell upon the flightless filly, who was breathing heavily and had her head in her hooves. "My mom's a nutritionist! She doesn't like me having sweets...I've never been able to get money from her to get Dari-B until today, okay?" Everyone's eyes softened, suddenly feeling bad for the little filly. "C-Can we just go to sleep?"
"We do have to get up rather early, It would be smart to get as much sleep as possible." Everypony nodded in the affirmative, Twilight used her magic to cut the lights, and silence reigned over the boutique.
--
"WAAAAAKE UP PONY FAMILY!" The call shook the entire boutique, making all of its inhabitants shoot upright from their sleeping position. Rather quickly, they all got up and outside to see who their wake-up call came from.
To everypony's surprise both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were standing right outside, smiling at the sleepy equines. More surprising however, was that Discord was hovering above them, his mouth turned into a megaphone. The Draconnequs pulled the megaphone from his spot on his face and held it not even an inch from their faces.
"GOOD MORNING!" The sheer force from the voice blew all of the ponies back and into the exterior of the boutique, and left them all with a pretty sizable headache.
"Okay..." Twilight started out. "First: Ow." Discord grinned a mischievous grin and put his mouth back on. "Second: The sun isn't even up yet....Third: good morning princesses." The ponypile all got up, shaking themselves off and holding their heads.
"Good morning, Twilight." Celestia smiled at her favorite pupil. "And we know the sun has not yet risen, that's the point." Celestia winked at her protoge. "A little mischief in the pursuit of ice cream never hurt, did it?"
Twilight caught onto what the monarch was doing, most ponies relied on the sun to tell them when to get up to get in line for Dari-B. Celestia was simply giving this little group an advantage. It may cause some minor problems around the kingdom, but not too much.
"We are eager to try this delicacy, Tia. You have made it sound heavenly." The Princess of the night spoke regally, still not dropping the royal we, or the overall formality of her speech.
"Ooh, Lulu you are in for a treat!" The voice, and laugh that followed it, came not from her sister but from- "Can you just let me speak, BT?" Oh...right. Sorry Discord. "Don't step on my toes, author. Anywho! I love it! I tried it when I was here, what's more chaotic than ice cream in chaotically induced winter?! Nothing I tell you!" ....... "Okay, you may continue." Thanks. The others didn't quite know who Discord was talking to when he was staring into blank spaces...well,no one but Pinkie at least. But they could only figure that it was a mighty, benevolent, good-looking god. "Vain much..?" Hush you, or else no more lines for you.
"Very well. We must away if we are to be the first in line for the delicacy." Luna pointed her hoof towards the stall. "Onward fair troupe!" With that, the gaggle of ponies all headed towards the stall. The Princesses in front, then Discord, then the mane six with their respective siblings/guardians for the day. The order was disturbed when Discord snapped his fingers, lifting Luna out of line then swiftly taking her spot. "Vile villain, give us our spot back!"
"Ah ah ah, Shouty. You moved. Back o' the line." Discord accompanied his jab with his tongue sticking out at the alicorn.
"Tia! Tell Discord to give us our spot back!" Luna stamped her hoof and pouted at her older sister.
"Discord has a point Luna, you moved. Sorry. Back of the line." Celesita grinned at her sister, who just stood there agape. Then her head swiveled back to the line, which was about twenty ponies longer at this point. Silently and angrily, the mare stalked to the back of the line, leaving Discord and Celestia to share a laugh.
Let us venture a few ponies back, where Applebloom and Sweetiebelle looked up the line to Scootaloo, who was in Rainbow Dash's shadow.
"So Scoots, know what yer gonna get yet?" Applebloom spoke first, seeing as how she was the most awake out of the three fillies. "Ah think ya should get Rainbow Sherbert cuz ya like Rainbow Dash so much."
"No Scoots, you have to get double chocolate explosion! It's Rarity's favorite!" Sweetiebelle beamed, getting a nod of approval from her older sister.
"Don't listen to them, Squirt." Rainbow Dash let her wing drape over her charge for the day. "This is one of those things that you can't just choose or have chosen for you. Choosing a flavor of ice cream is a matter of the heart! You have to just let your heart pick for you, alright?" Almost everyone in earshot of the polychromitc mare voiced their approval of her statement, leaving Scootaloo a tad confused.
--
About an hour later, when the stall finally opened, the line started moving. Celestia got her favorite; confetti cake confection, double scooped.
Discord received Discord's Delicacy, named for him because it had a little bit of everything in it.
Twilight was next, she got sunspot, a delectable mix of orange sherbet and vanilla.
Pinkie and Fluttershy got the same thing; Afternoon Delight, which was vanilla ice cream with strawberries hidden throughout.
Rainbow Dash got her favorite, the Wonderbolt. A wonderful mix of blue raspberry and homemade vanilla made to look like a uniform of Equestria's favorite famous flying team.
Now it was Scootaloo's turn...she stepped up to the stall. In order to see over the counter she had to stand on her hind legs and put her forehooves on the counter. The menu in front of her was immense...intimidating even. It held almost every flavor she could every imagine. It was almost for such a young filly to handle.
Her magenta eyes gaze drifted across the board behind the server pony. Her eyes fell upon an entry. Just the name of it screamed to her. 'The Cloudburst' It called out to her. So that's what she relayed to the young colt behind the register, who took her bits and got her the ice cream.
The little bowl slid across the counter to her. Slowly, she put it on her head and got down onto all fours. The filly trotted over to the table where her friends sat and joined them. They all watched eagerly as Scootaloo took her first bite...it was just right. It tasted like someone pureed a cloud and added just the right amount of sugar and milk...and not shirking on the love either.
This was her ice cream. It was her Dari-B treat of choice.
