Equestria Dark: Tales of a New Appleloosan Stallion Water Salespony

Written by VelvetHeart

It started as a birthday gift, strangely enough. Rarely did a stallion truly need to get a job, with his family herd providing for him at first, until finally his own herd took over the financial responsibility.

Such things didn't include expensive birthday gifts for mares, though, and Goldenfield had seen how his mother had whimpered over Rarity's latest designs. The up-and-coming fashionista was the hottest thing in Clotheshorse Magazine, and her prices had gone up to match.

So Goldenfield had to get himself a job, quick money for a bit of vacation work so he could afford a dress for his mother. In the end, however, he found himself working the theater... floors. With a mop.

He was down to two weeks when he realized that no matter how much he mopped, he wouldn't be able to afford more than a Rarity-designed hoofkerchief by the time his mother's birthday rolled around.

No raise nor advance could fill the gap, and the theater had seen better days. Income was lacking, and the shows ill-patronized. "It's just not what the audience wants to see anymore," the theater manager had sighed, sadly cradling a bottle of something amber and alcoholic.

"What do they want to see, then?" Goldenfield had asked, feeling vaguely embarrassed asking for a raise when the theater was obviously in such trouble.

"I wish I knew."

It was with head lowered that Goldenfield made his way through the streets of town. Occasionally, he stopped a mare and asked her why. Why wouldn't ponies come to the theater anymore.

What would make you like to see on stage?

Politely, he inquired of the well-dressed mares their tastes in theater.

...but it was only when he came across a small group of blue-collar mares that he got a reply he could actually use: "You," came the somewhat-sexist reply. "Oh yes, you'd definitely make me come," another mare in the group added with her voice thick with innuendo, fully expecting the stallion to blush and run off.

That was not the reply she got: "Then you'll get to see just that! At the Spring Tree theater!"

The stallion left three bemused mares in his wake.

...but the idea worked, better then expected. He worked out the details with the theater manager, and that evening, he was on stage. It wasn't much yet; Goldenfield prancing, laying, rolling and flagging his tail like an excited stallion in spring in front of an audience of five mares, three of which were the blue-collar construction workers, and two were their friends.

But it worked. True, such shows had existed before, but not in this town, since stallions who were willing to get on stage were few and far between.

The audience, of a less-'refined' variant than the theater's usual crowd, was in no way shy in showing their appreciation and enjoyment. In a way, this seemed to only spur on Goldenfield. By the end of his first show, he was doing a little excited showing himself, peeking, just a tiny bit, from his sheath.

The word spread quite quickly among the working mares. The audience grew, as did both Goldenfield's salary and excitement. The special effects improved too, thanks to a unicorn that got hired somewhere along the line.

Even after his mother's birthday, Goldenfield continued, but both he and the theater manager knew it would end one day. One day, Goldenfield would find a mare and start his own herd, and his days displaying his prance on stage would come to an end.

The mares in the audience probably knew too - it seemed they made every effort to enjoy it while it lasted.