//------------------------------// // The Block Party (Pt. 1) // Story: Stuck // by NickyD //------------------------------// 1:30 PM “Testing, testing,” Vinyl says into the mic. The block party starts about two hours from now and I want to help out as much as I can. Vinyl is testing the mics and I’m at the soundboard. Seeing the sound gauge go up to yellow when Vinyl talked, I think the gain for the mic is okay. “Yo Nick!” she says, averting her head from the mic to look at me. “Turn up the mic a bit more.” “I think the microphone should be okay Vinyl,” I say sort of matter of factly. “What’s wrong with it being a little louder? Turn it up! Speakers too!” Rolling my eyes, I bring my focus to the soundboard, seeing all the knobs, buttons and switches, just waiting to be pressed and messed with. Brushing off a child like urge, I find the knob of the mic Vinyl is using and turn it up a couple of notches. I do a quick jog to the speakers and turn up the volume dials on them as well. “Alright, go for it.” I quickly go back to the soundboard. I don’t want my ear next to that speaker. “Testing testing!” she says into the mic, the sound coming off louder. It isn’t ear piercing and there was no feedback, yet it still has a good amount of volume. “Alright, that should be good.” “‘ight!” I just wave my arms by my side, looking around aimlessly, not needing to say anything. That is until something crosses my mind. “So Vinyl, when will I know to come up here?” “You’ll know when you see it,” she says with a smirk. She changes her expression to a thinking one fairly quickly. “Mmm, hear it would be the better terminology.” I was just about to say that. “Okay, cool. Need help with anything else?” “Nah, I think I got everything else covered. Why don’t you see if anypony else needs some help. Or you can chill out until the party starts.” “I’ll go around and see if somepony needs anything.” “Okay. Just keep your ears open for your cue.” “You got it dude!” 3:30 PM “Alright everypony!” Pinkie Pie yells ecstatically. In the center of town, everypony has gathered around for the block party to kick off. Pinkie Pie is the one to get it started with her, so called, “Party Cannon”. Let’s see what that bad boy can do. “Let’s get this party started!” The second she finishes her sentence, a loud squeal or blast (not sure which) comes from the blue cannon. The cannon also shoots confetti and streamers into the air. Gravity does its thing and the paper items fall to the ground like snowflakes. Party music is blaring through the speakers and the party is underway. I know I should start this party with some socializing, but my stomach is making other plans. I want food. I casually make my way to the display and my mouth waters instantly. Many delectable and colorful looking treats are spread. Fancy looking fruit bouquets are set up, cupcakes with icing from every color of the rainbow, a freaking chocolate fountain (oh sweet mother Jesus I’ll have fun with that), and so many other things. I grab a plate from the edge of the table and snatch a couple pieces of fruit from the bouquet (strawberries, grapes and apple slices), a chocolate cupcake and a couple of gumdrops. I pop a grape in my mouth and the sweet flavor fills my mouth with delight. “Fresh from the garden,” I hear a female voice say. I take my gaze off my plate and see Berry Punch approach me. “Good eh?” I swallow the grape before I respond. Shouldn’t talk with a full mouth. “Very tasty, Berry. Nice flavor and texture to it. Straight from your garden you say?” “Indeed. Those are some of the best grapes I use for my juices and wines.” There’s wine in Equestria? Oh that is dope! My grandfather and my dad make homemade wine and it’s some good stuff. “Well, best fruit makes the best product.” I pop another grape in my mouth. Man, these are good, so sweet and tasty. Juicy to and not mushy. Hate mushy grapes. “You wouldn't've happened to have some of those juices here, would you?” “It’s at the drink table. Follow me and I’ll show you.” The violet colored mare escorts me to where the drinks are, and saying hi to a couple of ponies on the way. Just like the snack table, there is a wide display of drinks. Ranging from just simple water bottles, glass bottles of soda, punch in punch bowls, juice in wine bottles, the whole nine yards. “This is my favorite one,” Berry reaches out for a juice bottle and hands it to me. The image on the bottle matches her cutie mark. “Flavor a combo of grape and strawberry?” “Mmm hmm! But I have a couple of other ones if that one doesn’t tickle your fancy. There’s strawberry and orange, white-cran with peach, and this one is a mix of pineapple, grapefruit and mango.” All sound interesting and refreshing. I am not partial to grape flavored drinks, so I don’t think I’ll have that first one. The cran and peach one does, however, sound good. I put the grape and strawberry juice bottle down along with my plate of food. I need my hands free to grab a cup and the juice bottle I want. I pour the juice and the color is sort of an off pink. I place the bottle down when the cup is half full. I take a quick second to inspect the juice before I drink, and it looks quite refreshing. I bring the cup to my lips and take a sip, letting the cool liquid run down my esophagus with a satisfying taste. It’s mostly sweet, but it has a bit of a tart kick to it as well. I take another swig and and try to better grasp the flavor. I can taste the cranberries no doubt. I think that’s where the tart is. The peach flavor is more prominent though and that is the sweetness of the juice. “Mmm, that’s good. Do you sell these?” “Yep! At the open market every day.” I might have to buy a couple of bottles of these. It’s pretty damn good. Some Time Later Not only are ponies socializing and dancing in the streets, some games have been set up for some entertainment. I over heard that Mayor Mare volunteered herself for the dunk tank and I just have to see how well this plays out. I find out where it is and see that most ponies were fruitless in their attempts to get the mayor in the water below her. She’s dry as sand. I see Applebloom taking a gander at this. She’s eyeing up the target, keeping her eyes on the prize. With a solid white ball in her hoof, a lick of her lips and the narrowing of her eyebrows, she throws the ball at an impressive speed, but misses the target by a few inches to the right. “Dang!” she exclaims while the crowd around collectively says ‘aww’. “Ah well, worth a shot.” She steps off to the side for the next pony to go, which is Lily. She throws the ball, but it falls short of the target by a foot or two. “Shoot!” she says. “You got lucky Mayor Mare!” The mayor lets out a chuckle with a smug look on her face. “Come now Ponyville,” the mayor says in a cocky tone. “Someone has to dunk me.” Getting impatient aren’t ya Mayor? “I’ll give it a shot,” I say raising my hand. Why not partake in some festivities?… jesus, I sound like an old man. Anyway, I should be having some fun, it's a party for goodness sakes. And besides, this will probably be the only chance in my life to get a girl wet… God I hate myself. Somepony (didn’t see who) places a ball in my hand. Time for me to take a shot at this. I step about fifteen feet in front of the target and see that white and red circle just waiting to get hit by the ball. It’s asking for it. No, begging to get hit by the ball. I grip the sphere with my right thumb, index and middle finger. I have my left hand over my right one, kind of looking like a pitcher (need to channel Roy Halladay here) and not keeping my eye off the target. I take a slow and deep breath, calming myself. I take another for good measure. I bring my left leg back, then arch it up. I plant my left foot on the ground, toes pointing to the target and I let go of the ball. It’s going a very quick speed, it looks like it’s going to hit it! It doesn’t. The ball is just inches shy of the target. “Bruh,” I let out. It looked like such a good throw! There was a reason I was in the outfield when I played little league. That right there was it. I was a terrible pitcher. “Better luck next time human boy,” Mayor Mare proclaims. No need to rub it in now. I walk off to the side for the next pony to take a shot at it. “Nice try there Nick,” Lily says, walking up to me. “You had a good form from what it looks like.” “Yeah. I wonder who's going to be the one to dunk-” THUNK! DING! SPLASH! Lily and I move our eyes away from each other and look at the dunk tank. Mayor Mare is in the water, soaked from head to hoof with her mane clinging to her head. I look to where the crowd is and see the pony who dunked the Mayor is- “Derpy!?” Lily and I chorus. “YAY!! The crossed eye mare cheers, while throwing her forelegs up in the air for celebration. “How-but-she-I…” I am at a loss of words. How can someone with eyes more crossed than a crucifix accurately hit a target? “This world is full of surprises, ain’t it?” I ask to no one in particular. “Yep,” Lily says. It was a rhetorical question, but whatever. Next scene after a time lapse “Okay guys, just be patient with me, I haven’t done this since I was like, seven,” I tell the crowd of ponies around me. Another game that’s set up is bobbing for apples, Of course, Applejack helped out with this one and she’s monetizing the crowd. A few other recognizable ponies (Rainbow Dash, Cloud Kicker, Noteworthy and Carrot Top) were watching too. I figured I should give this a whirl since I haven’t done this for so long. “Alright Nick,” AJ says, “you got fifteen seconds to get an apple in your chompers. You ready?” “Is Celestia a princess?” I answer. She got a good giggle at that. She puts her hoof on a button that’s used to start a large stopwatch, and that’s all next this huge water filled bucket of apples. “Alrighty, ready?” I grip the edges and have a determined look on my face. “Get set.” I lower my face to the water, nose just inches away from the liquid and apples. “GO!” I plumet my head and the water and sweet Mary and Joseph it is cold! My face feels a bit numb! No matter, my objective is to get an apple and by God I’m going to do it. I maneuver my head around the water trying to find an apple. I can’t see super well in here, so I have to use my face to try and touch other ones. After about three or four seconds of moving my head, I feel a rounded object touch my nose. BINGO! I arch my head up a little and try to get this apple in between my teeth. It’s to wet to get it. I take a few more chomps and still nothing. I’m not sure how much time I have left, but I have a gut feeling it isn’t much. With as much determination as posible, I go full out Jaws mode! My mouth goes wide as possible and I rush the apple, sort of like a defensive tackle sacking quarterback. It seemed to have worked ‘cause I feel something round lodge into my mouth. I got it! I firmly grasp the apple in my teeth so it can stay in my mouth. In one second, I get my head out of the water and fling it back sort of like Ariel. I rub my eyes for a second and wipe the water off my face with my hands. I bring my right hand to my mouth and clasp the apple. My mouth lets go of it and I hold it up in victory. “YES!” I shout! The ponies around me are cheering, saying things like ‘nice job’ ‘good catch’ all that jazz. “And you have a couple seconds to spare,” Applejack says. I bring the apple back to my mouth and take a bite of it. It tastes very tart for some reason. Getting a good look of it, I see that it’s a green apple. Mmm, I love green apples. “Victory tastes good!” Do I really have to say it? “...but the university keeps shooting down my work,” Doc tells me, sounding a bit miffed. “I have conducted so much research, that it could, in fact, change the way we look at life and the world. They say it’s too extreme or convoluted, but my numbers say otherwise!… I’m sorry dear boy, what were we talking about?” “I said lovely weather we’re having,” I deadpan. I say something simple and next thing I know, he’s blabbering on how the University of Canterlot keeps denying his work. “Oh, well yes, it has been very nice out.” He aimlessly looks around and something seems to catch his eye. “Oh, chocolate fountain. Allons-y!” He gallops towards the fountain and I’m just left here all confused. “What the f##k just happened?” I mumble to myself, perplexed. “Alright party ponies! You having a good time or what?!” Vinyls voice blares over the speakers. Oh, maybe it’s my cue to come in. As I jog towards the stage, everyone is cheering and saying ‘whoo hoo’. “Good that you guys are having fun! I figure I should mix things up for you guys for a little while. That okay?” Once again, the party goers cheer for their answer. “Nick!” She points to me and Ponyville lays their eyes on me. Alright, it’s show time! “Get up here and let's have some fun!” “Oh, you know it!” I shout out. The crowd is cheering for me, telling me to get up there and perform. This is what I thrive for: being in the limelight, but having fun in it. It’s go time!