Coming Attractions

by Rouis

Chapter Five: Guess Hooves Coming to Dinner

Coming Attractions
A MLP:FIM-Fic By Rouis
Edited By Gaint Gamer

Chapter Five: Guess Hooves Coming to Dinner

After the sun-rising ceremony Long Haul and Silver Screen made their way back to the caravan in silence, neither pony spoke about what they had seen. The crowd’s ever growing celebration could be heard all throughout the town, and they had to change their course multiple times to simply make their way through all the ponies gathered there. Eventually though the two found the crowd to be thinning as they made their way further back into town.

Finally the two stepped through the threshold of the caravan and went to sit on their respective beds, Silver Screen laid down and was the first to speak up. “So unfair!” The green pony said before throwing his hooves up in frustration.

Long Haul turned over to look at Silver Screen. “What?” He simply asked.

“She’s that pony who I met in the market, the one who was super jerky to me.” Silver threw his hooves up in the air in frustration for a moment again before falling over. “She’s so mean, I mean really mean.” Silver Screen sighed then turned to face Long Haul. “How can somepony so unspeakably mean be married to the mayor, even be Lemon Drop’s mom.” Silver got up off of his bed and trotted in place for a moment, stopping yet again to speak. “How am I supposed to show someone so mean, so despicably mean one of my stories!”

Long Haul simply got up, trotted over to the perplexed Silver Screen and with quite possibly the most annoyed face that ever crossed a pony before: He booped Silver’s nose. “Calm the buck down, it’s only for one night that you’ll have to deal with her.”

Silver looked down at the floor and quietly replied in a flat tone. “Fine, all in the name of a few bits then.” The green pony then went back to his bed and laid down. “I’m exhausted, going to get some sleep.”

Long Haul looked at the obviously upset Silver Screen. I don't think i have ever seen him this down. The crimson giant decided to try his own hooves at going to bed for the night, sleep however was not an easy an easy task, he quickly gave up and decided to head back out.

Moving back outside revealed that the town was still pretty much shut down for the actual festival. “I might as well go back into town and score some free haycakes.” The crimson pony grumbled to himself, before heading back down the road that lead into the market square. It did not take long for him to once again hit the crowds, still as loud and rambunctious as ever, but for some reason Long Haul could not bring himself into the festival mindset. He finally made it back into town and gazed upon the glorious buffet consisting of most of Stack’s breakfast menu. Haul made his way towards the beginnings of the table and took a tray down to the haycakes piled up high on the far end. He then dropped his tray once he was started by the small stallion standing on the table wearing an expression made of granite.

“Hey kid, what’s wrong?” Short Stack shouted over the noise at the clearly upset pony. “You seem in a bit of a stupor. What happened to your usual attitiude, you know the one where you assume that your going to get everythin- Ow!.” The tiny pony screamed as his wife whapped him in the back of the head with a wing, once again coming from absolutely nowhere.

“Honey be nice, are you okay Long Haul? Where’s your pal?” She asked before landing gracefully on the ground next to the moping crimson stallion.

“Silver Screen was not feeling up to the festival mindset right now, he went to bed.” Long Haul then contemplated telling them the true reason behind Silver’s absence from the festivities. “That and well, have you two ever met the mayor’s wife? He had a encounter with her in the market, and well she was a total jerk.” He looked across the plaza at Lemon Tree, who was chatting with some townies.

Short Stack looked at Haul with a completely blank face before he replied. “Well duh, she has always been mean spirited and just a horrible pony to be around in general.” Stack glanced over at the chatting unicorn as well before he continued. “I’ll never know what she did to get her hooves wrapped around Limey like that.”

“I have to agree with my little Stackiekins there” Java Chip added.

The mention of her nickname for him made both Short Stack and Long Haul cringe in every way possible. Stack then swallowed his pride and continued the happy exchange. “Now now Chippy, do we have to use our nicknames in public-wublic?” The gruff little unicorn looked like he could not take this type of talk in public much longer and hopped down from the table. “If you need to appeal to the beast that beds with Limey, just go with something she likes. Last time we had them over for dinner she would not stop talking about some book called Dusk.”

Java Chip’s face then soured intensely at the mention of the book title. “Stackiekins, I thought we were never going to mention that accursed pile of pages ever again?” After muttering something about the book being complete vam-pony garbage Chip glanced across the crowd at Lemon Tree and hissed.

Long Haul did not know whether to laugh his plot off at the Celestia-awful nicknames, or wet himself in fear of the angry Java Chip. After gaining some courage to speak again the pony looked to Short Stack and whispered in his ear. “Hey Stack, any idea where a pony could purchase a copy of that accursed pile of pages?”

“I do, just promise me you will not bring it near my wife. It took me almost four weeks to get her to stop stomping on that book.” Short Stack then looked up to the sky and shouted to a group of fluttering pegasi having a chat. “Hey Page! Can you come down for a moment?”

A white coated pegasus then dove down from the group, her cyan mane and tail flapping behind her as she descended. She slowed herself as she neared the ground then gently touched down next to the Java Chip and used a hoof to push a pair of round black framed glasses back up to her eyes. “Hey there Stack, hey Chip, and what would your name be stranger?”

Java Chip’s expression then softened as she interrupted the newcomer. “Oh hey there Page, Long Haul this is our good friend Page Bound.” Java Chip then turned to look at the buffet and began to leave. “Looks like I need to restock the coffee, You three have fun now!”

“Hey Page, I don’t suppose you could take my friend down to your shop and reopen for a minute so he could make a purchase?” He then mouthed the words big spender at Page Bound.

Page Bound sat unsure for a moment, then the full weight of Short Stack’s unspoken comment hit her. “Sure! I can swing by, follow me Mr. Haul.” The now cheerful pegasus said before trotting off towards a store on the far side of the market.

Long Haul did his best to not trample anypony in the crowd, keeping up with the speedy pegasus leading the way. He saw her stop to unlock the door of a quite interesting building, The actual width of the building could not have been wider than the inside of the caravan. The height of the building however was intriguing, he noticed that the building itself was actually part of the clock tower that he and Silver had been using to navigate around town at first. “You work out of the clocktower?” Long Haul stated, the surprise in his voice was very evident. Moving inside he noticed a small counter, and that each of the four walls were covered in bookshelves that ran as far up as Long Haul could see. The other permeating feature was the constant loud ticking of the town’s giant clock.

Page turned around and looked at the astonished stallion. “The mayor actually lets me rent the inside of the clock tower due to the ticking of the clock itself, Nopony wanted to be in here due to the noise but I just find it relaxing. I’m more than just a bookseller in fact, I want to be an author someday.” The Pegasus then flew up a few feet before posing a question to Long Haul. “So what can I grab for you?”

Long Haul then looked up at her and simply stated. “I’m looking for a book called Dusk.”

Page then gave a cringe almost as strong as the one Java Chip had given at the mention of the book. Why would a grown stallion want to read that piece of vam-pony filly garbage! She thought before returning to her professional demeanor. “Sure thing I’ll just have to go to the top of the shelving units I like to keep it up there to prevent any arguments interrupting in the store between non-fans and fans.” Not to mention that book is the worst thing I have ever read since that one about the ponies being turned into spiders. She thought.

Page then flew up to the highest point the store, and used a key tied around her neck to unlock a case containing the out of sight books. Gripping a copy in her mouth the pony fluttered in a circle back down to the shop floor. The pony then sat the book on the counter behind her treating it with the utmost care. “I like to keep every book in the most pristine condition, it is books after all that earned me this baby when I was just a filly.” She then motioned towards her cutie mark, three book stacked up. “So will you be buying anything else today? I don’t just sell books, I also carry diaries and writing supplies ” The white pegasus asked.

Long Haul tried to think if anything else would be of use to him then spoke up. “Actually yes, I’ll take a diary along with some quills and ink.” Long Haul figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Page Bound then flew back up, retrieved the rest of the order and added them next to the book on the counter. “Just give me a second to do the math.” The pegasus then trotted over to an abacus on the counter and moved the beads for a second before turning around. “Okay all together that will come to thirty two bits. Are you an author? I just love reading stories, I think I’ve read just about every book that has come in here. There’s nothing better than a good tale to keep boredom at bay!” The pegasus happily added.

Long Haul was surprised at the previously tame mare’s sudden chatty streak. “If I didn’t know better I would ask if you were related to friend of mine.” He quipped before reaching into his saddlebags and pulling out enough bits to cover the bill. Long Haul carefully placed his order inside of the saddlebags and turned to leave before speaking to her one more time. “If it’s a good story you like, then be sure to come to the lot across from Stack’s Diner sometime next week, my friend and I run a storytelling troupe of sorts be sure to tell all your friends too!” He then trotted out the door of the shop and back through the crowds to try and take one last shot at some free haycakes. Long Haul noticed a few of the golden brown discs left on a platter and slowly moved in on his prey, his fortune however was quick to change when yellow magic levitated the cakes onto the waiting plate of a certain green maned mare.

The mare then looked up from her plate over towards the crimson stallion with the crushed expression. “I was here first trash. Even a pony as grand as I enjoy this greasy commoner’s fare every once in awhile.” The snobby unicorn said to the obviously hurting Long Haul, before trotting off to rejoin her circle of so called friends over near the stage.

“So mean.” Was all Long Haul said before he decided to leave the festival for the last time that day. Haul made his way through the crowds once again on his journey back to the caravan, now truly tired and ready to get some much deserved rest.

Once the crimson earth pony had made his way back to the caravan, he carefully opened the door trying not to wake his roommate and friend. Long Haul however was met with the sight of a sitting sad Silver Screen right in the door frame

Silver Screen sniffed for a moment before wrapping his hooves around Long Haul and letting the waterworks fly. “I was so mean!” Silver shouted while sobbing on the shoulder of his friend. “I’m sorry I was so cold earlier, I let that meanie get to me.”

Long Haul sighed then rubbed the crying pony’s back with a hoof. “It’s okay bud, if that was you at your worst I think we can take anything this world is going to throw at us.” He then let go of the still sniffling unicorn and made his way to the middle of the caravan’s floor, taking out the newly acquired copy of Dusk and setting it on the floor. “You may have been a little cold earlier, but I have seen the enemy and she is a cruel pony indeed. This however!” He then placed a hoof on top of the book. “Is our battle plan, if you can finish reading this and turn it into our next big hit, we will have her right in our hooves!” He then attempted his infamous victory pose, this time however the crimson pony was successful. Long Haul laughed maniacally all the while, thinking of how they would turn this situation against her.

Silver Screen then trotted forward and gazed at the cover of the book, which was the image of two hooves extending towards a lemon. The unicorn than said something to himself. “Hmm, how bad could one little book be?”

And it was awful.

Comments

[musicluvr1974]

Nice little dig... I hope you don't get sued for it or anything.