Two Background Ponies Quickie: "The Washouts" Aftermath · 11:03pm Sep 12th, 2018
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Once again, I decide to get a bit "meta"...
The door to the brand new shack, painted up and designed to look like one of those 'Olde Tyme' candy stores, opened up wide, and out walked a blue stallion with a shelled half of a walnut for a Cutie Mark and a bow tie. He held his hoof out and called.
"Welcome, ponies one and all, to the grand opening of the Ponyville Snack Shack! We are now open...for..."
He trailed off at the sight. Only a single pony was out there: a green stallion with a Find-the-Difference picture for a Cutie Mark.
"...business."
The green stallion immediately began to stamp his front hooves against the ground, but he soon noticed how awkward it sounded. He looked around, seeing nopony else, and slowed to a halt. "Um...yay!"
The blue stallion sighed. "...Carl? You're it?"
He grimaced and shrugged. "Sorry, Sam. Who'd have known the Washouts would be coming to Ponyville the weekend of your grand opening?"
"I can't believe it. You're the only pony who showed up?"
"Well, Dawn told me to tell you she got called in. Apparently a dozen ponies suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns from a large piece of flaming rocket debris landing on them. Rainbow Dash stopped by, but...uh..."
He began to look uneasy.
"Um..."
"...So in the end, I guess both me and Scootaloo kinda learned a lesson."
Carl nodded in response to hearing the blue pegasus' story. "I'll say. You both learned that once you're famous enough, consequences are meaningless."
Dash blinked. "Wait, huh?"
"Yeah, thanks to her reckless, thoughtless behavior, Lightning Dust formed Equestria's only flying stunt show and now she's a rich and famous celebrity. The merchandising alone is probably making her rich beyond her wildest dreams. Everyone in Ponyville loved her. Heck, even you loved her. And she's got way more of a monopoly on fame because she's not representing a centuries-old team but just herself. I bet even that rocket stunt made her more popular than ever. Ponies'll show up to those shows now just to see if the Washouts wipeout."
Dash's jaw had dropped almost to her chest.
"For crying out loud, Princess Twilight became a fan and the last time they met she almost killed her."
"...She, um, had to leave early."
Sam sighed, frowned, and finally turned back for the door. "Well, come on in, already. I got to get rid of those complimentary imported lemon wedge cookies I planned to hand out to the first 100 customers somehow..."
"Oh boy, 'snack snugs'!" Carl grinned as he settled into a small booth with a plate of lemon wedges inside the shack. "Just like in Trottingham! Come sit down, dude! This'll be great!"
Sam gave him a deadpan look from the cash register. "I'm on the clock now, Carl."
"Yeah, but nobody's here."
"Thanks for reminding me about that. The last thing I need to do is run up any more debt by turning my new business into my personal stallion cave." He groaned and let his head fall on top of the counter. "This was a horrible idea..."
"Relax, dude. You just need to wait for some word of mouth to get around."
"...Ponyville has a population of 100, Carl."
"Trust me. It's just because the Washouts are in town. Any second now a group of hungry fillies looking to try something new are going to walk through that door."
As if on cue, the door bell gave a jingle. Sam instantly bolted upright and looked to the door. Sure enough, a group of five colts and fillies stepped in uncertainly and looked around. They only did so a moment before laying eyes on Carl, and then let out a mixture of shocked gasps. "It's the crazy
pony! The one who always shouts over the fireworks shows!" They nearly turned to bolt for it.
Quickly, Sam vaulted over the counter and interjected. "No, no! Wait! He's harmless! Please, come in! Welcome to the Snack Shack! Please buy something...I mean, take a look around!"
"Right!" Carl threw in. "One thing I never go psycho about is treats. Except that one time...but I was on cocaine and I've been clean for a few years n-"
"Carl, shut up."
The ponies hesitated a moment, but then tentatively stepped inside. "Well, uh...you see, Ponyville Fairgrounds ran out of cotton candy and popcorn. We were wondering if you sell any?"
Sam paused a moment, growing a bit uncomfortable. "Well, uh...we don't really carry that. We specialize in more out-of-town and specialty treats. We've got these lovely Bavarian Creme Donuts, a wide assortment of truffles, flavored candy bars, gummis from Pacesia, and the soda machine in the back has..."
"Eh, no thanks." The ponies began to turn to leave. "Come on, let's head back before we miss the Washouts' opening stunt."
Sam began to slump and moan at his no sale, when he suddenly looked up again. "Wait a sec, you guys are heading out to see the Washouts too?"
"Uh, yeah!" one of them eagerly responded as if Sam has asked an obvious question. "Who wouldn't? They're awesome!"
"They're amazing!" another added.
"And the best part? All of them got famous without having to finish school!" another cheered. The rest of his friends grinned and pranced in place for joy at the thought of that.
"Hey-hey, now wait a minute, kids," Sam immediately interjected. "What those stunt performers do is really dangerous. And even if it wasn't, dropping out of school isn't a good idea."
Immediately, all five gave a moan and slumped, rolling their eyes. "Man, do all adults have to say that?"
"I get that enough from my mom and dad!"
"Probably because their parents forced them to go to school..."
"No!" Sam shot back, before he paused a moment. "Well, yes, but that's besides the point. Don't discount an education. There's nothing more valuable to a young pony like you guys."
The colt in the lead raised his eyebrow. "I thought we just got Cutie Marks for our special talents one day. Do we really even need school?"
"Well, uh...of course!"
"Did you have to go to school to get your Cutie Mark?"
Sam paused. "Well, um...uh...no, but I don't have a job that's my special talent. I'm running this Snack Shack. Which has a lot of nice cookies to choose from-"
"Did you have to go to school to learn how to do that?"
The blue stallion was left speechless. "Uh..."
Carl snickered. "I like this kid."
Sam groaned and rolled his eyes. "Look, don't knock school. It's the key to a better life than your folks had. Think of all of the best ponies in town. Like Rainbow Dash. She...uh..." He paused, thinking a moment. "Dropped out of flight school... Um, or Rarity! She...uh..." He hesitated. "Um...kind of made herself into an entrepreneur by experience... But then there's Pinkie Pie! She...grew up on a farm...and kind of taught herself how to bake... Fluttershy, who...uh...left home to live by herself... Uh, Applejack? No, she never went to school... Oh, Princess Twilight Sparkle! She was a great student!"
The green stallion quirked his brow. "Didn't she only become a princess after leaving school and making friends?"
Sam's teeth grit. "Not helping, Carl..." He took a deep breath. "Ok, even if you want to drop out of school, you don't want to do it to be a stunt pony. It's way too dangerous. You could get seriously hurt."
He shrugged. "We'll just get better the next day, though."
"Huh?"
"He's got a point," Carl added. "Nobody's ever in the hospital for more than two days. Even if it's a full body cast."
"Well, uh...er...what about scars?"
"I've only ever heard of a single scarred pony before in my life, Sam, and if you bring her around here these kids will really start looking after bad role models."
The blue stallion rolled his eyes. He stewed for a moment, trying to think of the best way to respond to this. He looked around, before his eyes rested on Carl. He was quiet for a moment more.
"...Say Carl, did you ever finish school?"
"Nope. Dropped out third year and went to live in a wagon down by the river."
Sam turned back to the kids. "So-"
He cut himself off. All that was there was five pony-shaped clouds of dust that slowly billowed away into nothing as the door to the shop slowly began to close. Sam quickly moved forward and looked outside, only to see, in the distance, the School of Friendship's doors slowly closing again.
He sighed. "Well, I guess a moral victory is worth more than a monetary one..." He nearly went back in, before he spotted something in the street. "Hmm?"
Carl looked up from the table. "What's the matter?"
Sam didn't answer immediately. Instead, he watched as a solemn procession of ponies dressed in black mourning attire made its way down the street. Six of them were carrying along a coffin that was wide open. However, there wasn't a pony in there. Just a stack of paper with a title page that said: "Pardon My Dust".
He sighed and leaned back inside. "Always sad to see another headcanon die so young."
Carl winced. "Yeah...I hear they're digging a spot for kirins up on the hill too. But hey, there's always other headcanons. On that note, how about you pour us a glass of Berrytwist Sodapop?"
Ha.
Missed this one somehow, but I'm glad I double-checked for it. And remember, that is not dead which can eternal lie in an AU.