When do you become a father?
The question had plagued Trouble Shoes for quite a while now.
Was it after three years of being in somepony’s life? Five? Maybe even ten?!
He prayed to the gods it wasn’t ten. If that was the case, then their little squirt would be a moody teenager by then.
The little squirt in question was Dinky Doo, the daughter of his partner Ditzy.
Currently, Dinky was hunched over the living room table, scribbling away at her notebook. She was at the age where her magic was finally strong enough to consistently grip a pencil, though it obviously took a lot of concentration as her brow furrowed and the tip of her tongue stuck out of her mouth.
Trouble Shoes trotted over to her, peering down upon her work.
Oh nelly, it was math homework.
“What are ya working on?” Trouble Shoes asked.
Dinky yelped loudly as her magical connection was severed, causing her to drop her pencil onto the floor.
“Oh sorry Mr. Clyde, you snuck up on me.”
Trouble Shoes held in a sigh.
He was still Mr. Clyde. Maybe he’d even remain as Mr. Clyde until she was old enough and bold enough to start calling him something a little less polite.
“I didn’t think I’d ever be able to sneak up on anypony,” he said with a laugh.
Dinky look up at him. “I must’ve just been in the zone, is all.”
He nodded. “Looks like you’re working on some math.”
She turned her attention back to her homework. “Yeah, Ms. Cheerilee gave me some multiplication sheets to work on.”
“Do you need any help?”
Ditzy hummed softly. “Uh well, I am having a little bit of trouble with some of the stuff at the end.”
She flipped through her papers until she landed upon the final worksheet. These questions involved multiplying three-digit numbers against four-digit numbers.
Trouble Shoes could feel a bead of sweat form on his brow.
He had never been much for school and that was especially true for math.
“Think you can help me out, Mr. Clyde?” Dinky asked with a bright hopeful smile.
Oh no she was using that smile, one of his many weaknesses.
“Yeah, of course I can,” he lied.
He quickly ducked under the table and grabbed the pencil between his teeth. However, on his way back up, he smacked his impossibly thick skull against the equally hard wood of the coffee table. The whole table shuddered from the impact as his jaw reflexively clenched, shattering the pencil into a hundred little pieces which filled his mouth with the foul taste of lead.
When he finally surfaced, he sputtered out the remains of the pencil and started to hack, wiping away at his mouth in a desperate effort to do away with the taste.
Dinky’s expression was filled with both horror and an attempt to hold back a vicious case of the giggles.
Trouble Shoes sheepishly grinned as he pawed at the lump on his head.
“Sorry about that, Dinky.”
Dinky’s defenses final broke as she snickered. “It’s ok Mr. Clyde, I have extras.”
She guided her magic into her backpack and pulled out another pencil, hovering it front of Trouble Shoe’s face.
He looked between the pencil and Dinky. She was beaming at him with a huge toothy grin and her eyes brimming with eager anticipation.
This wasn’t going to be good.
He gently bit down upon the pencil before looking back to the paper.
All he saw were numbers and symbols as his brain tried its best to churn out any helpful information.
Come on, it’s just multiplication. You remember this, 4x5=20, 3x7=21, 2+2=5…WAIT SHOOT!
He took a deep breath and leaned over the homework sheet.
When it doubt, just do it.
As he was just about to wing it, the door to Ditzy’s little cottage opened.
“I’m home,” an angel of mercy called out.
Trouble Shoes let out an audible sigh as Dinky shot past him.
“Mommy!” she excitedly cried out.
Trouble Shoes turned around just in time to see Dinky leap at Ditzy, throwing her hooves around her.
The mother and daughter spun around in the entryway as Ditzy gave her precious little muffin a kiss on the cheek.
As their spinning finally slowed, Ditzy stopped and smiled at Trouble Shoes. Much like her daughter, Ditzy’s smile was enough to make his stoic exterior just melt away.
“Hey there, pumpkin,” she said.
“H-hey,” he dumbfoundedly mumbled back.
She placed Dinky down before trotting over to him. As she closed the gap between them, Trouble Shoes leaned forward and gave her a little peck on the lips, which she eagerly returned.
In the background, Dinky sounded like she was hacking up her lunch, clearly not pleased with this public display of affection.
Ditzy smirked at Trouble Shoes before faking a concerned expression.
“Oh no, is my precious little muffin getting sick?” she asked.
Dinky looked like a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. “Uh no, I’m…”
“Because if she is, I guess we’ll have to stay in tonight.”
Dinky frantically waved her hooves. “No, no, no, I’m fine, I swear.”
“Well that’s a relief. I’d hate for our Nightmare Night costumes to go to waste.”
She then looked at the coffee table.
“So, what were you two working on?” she asked.
“Oh, Mr. Clyde was helping me with my math homework.”
Ditzy frowned. “Dinky you don’t need to call Trouble Shoes, Mr. Clyde. He’s part of our family after all.”
“I-I know.”
Ditzy placed a hoof over Trouble Shoes’ and gently nuzzled her golden mane against the base of his neck.
“Well, how about you finish up and then we can have some dinner,” she said.
Dinky grinned. “Sure, thing mom.”
Ditzy nodded and looked up at Trouble Shoes. “Would you mind helping me in the kitchen?”
“Sure thing, sweetie.”
With that Ditzy slipped away, swatting him with her tail in order to get him to follow.
As they entered the kitchen, she gestured to the cupboards. “Mind setting the table?”
Trouble Shoes nodded.
Normally this would be a terrifying idea, however he opened up the cupboard and inside was a plethora of plastic. Plastic plates, plastic utensils, plastic cups, and plastic bowls. It turned out that Ditzy had been battling clumsiness long before meeting a certain Appleloosian stallion.
“What are we having tonight?” he asked.
“Borscht and veggieloaf.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like something my mom would make.”
“Where do you think I got the recipe?”
“Wait momma gave you her recipes?”
He peaked at Ditzy from around the cupboard door.
She nodded. “Yeah, and if you’re really good, I’ll even make her perogies.”
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”
She grinned. “Maybe once or twice.”
“Well, I love you immensely, dear.”
“All the way to Appleloosa?”
“And back again.”
She brightened, giggling softly. “Alright, stop being such a flirt and set the table.”
He grinned, returning to the cupboard. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he gripped the tower of bowls between his teeth, he ran into the next of his misfortunates.
Clearly, the tower hadn’t been stacked in the most stable manner, as the top two bowls wobbled and fell off. One of them smacked right against his forehead. This in turn made him loudly yelp and fall backwards, taking the entire stack with him.
Thankfully the bowls were all nearly indestructible, so they merely clattered to the floor and bounced away harmlessly.
Meanwhile, his large rump landed hard upon the ground, with a mighty clap. He clenched his jaw and hissed in pain.
Ditzy peered over unconcerned, as if this were par for the course.
Which admittedly, it was.
“You alright?” she asked.
Trouble Shoes rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
She chuckled. “Been there, done that.”
“I figured as much.”
Trouble Shoes got to his hooves and began to pick the bowls back up. He then carried them over to the dining room table, which was tucked away in the corner of their petite kitchen.
“I didn’t know you were good at math,” Ditzy commented.
“Pardon?”
“You were helping Dinky with her math homework.”
“Oh!” He nervously chuckled. “I’m not actually that good at it.”
“And you were still willing to put yourself out there to help her?”
“I…” He peered into the living room before lowering his voice. “I’d do anything for that filly.”
Ditzy smiled. “She loves you, you know.”
“She…does?”
She nodded. “It’s just hard for her to express it, is all. She has…a tough time getting comfortable with the stallions I date.”
“Because of her father?”
“Of her former father,” she corrected.
Trouble Shoes nodded. “I’m so sorry, dear.”
Ditzy waved a dismissive hoof. “It’s all in the past now.” She returned her attention to the stovetop. “Now quit feeling sorry for me and get your butt back to work.
Once dinner was finished, Trouble Shoes and Dinky took up position at the sink, helping each other with the dishes.
While they were busy, Ditzy was off in her workshop, gathering together tonight’s Nightmare Night costumes.
Thankfully, even without her help, things were still going smoothly, with Dinky handling the plates, cups, and cutlery, while Trouble Shoes used his immense strength to try and scrub the filth out of a stubborn roasting pan.
“So,” he grunted. “Do you know what your costume is?”
Dinky shook her head as she levitated her plate into a drying rack. “All I know is she bought a lot of yellow fabric for one of them.”
“Yellow?”
“Well more like an orangish-yellow.” She grinned. “I’m excited though. Mom always makes the best costumes.”
“Does she?”
Dinky nodded. “Two years ago, she made me this really cool firemare’s costume. Miss Cheerilee gave me an award for it and everything.”
“Did she now?”
“Yeah, I have it in my room.” Her smile quickly faded. “Though, now that I think about it, everypony at school got that award.”
“Well, I’m sure she just had to do that, so the other foals wouldn’t get jealous. She probably thought yours was the best.”
Dinky giggled. “Thanks, Trouble Shoes.”
His eyes widened.
Did she just say Trouble Shoes!?
“Y-you’re welcome,” he mumbled back
Ditzy poked her head into the kitchen. “Are you two almost ready?”
Trouble Shoes looked at the sink, noticing that the only thing left were suds and water. “Looks like we’re just about finished.”
“Then let’s hurry. I’m sure Dinky wants to get out nice and early.”
“Heck yeah, I do!”
Dinky bolted away from the sink and rushed over to her mother, practically jumping on the spot.
Trouble Shoes quickly pulled the sink’s drain before slowly lumbering over to them. “So, what did ya make us?”
“Well…I went with a theme this year.”
“What is it?!” Dinky asked, practically vibrating.
“You’ll see in a second, muffin.”
“Can you at least give me a hint?”
Ditzy shook her head.
Dinky sighed. “Fineeeeee.”
Ditzy giggled and started to trot backwards out of the room, gesturing for them to follow. Unfortunately, as she turned around, she didn’t quite catch that she was heading right for the doorframe.
Crack.
She slammed into it snout first, sending her tumbling backwards, right onto her bottom. A hoof instinctively came up to cradle her wounded nose.
Trouble Shoes hissed. “You alright, pumpkin?”
She frowned. “I think so.”
Her hoof came away, revealing that there weren’t any splotches of red.
This was enough to make her smile return. “Yep, I’m good!”
She then bounced back up and led them across the hall, into her workshop.
It was a tiny room which also doubled as the spare bedroom and was currently scattered with an array of projects in various stages of completion.
However, three costumes stood proudly on display, hanging from hooks imbedded into the ceiling.
Ditzy fluttered over to them and grabbed the smallest of the bunch, pulling it out of its plastic protector.
“For Dinky,” she said, offering it to her daughter.
Dinky examined it with wide-eyed glee. “What is it?”
“Well try it on, silly.”
Dinky looked to her mother and then back at the costume, before spreading it out. In its current form it looked like a mat of orangish-yellow fur with an extremely fluffy front end.
There was an opening in the back with a zipper that would run along Dinky’s spine. She carefully climbed through this, shoving her hooves into each of the four perfectly sized holes. When her hooves were in place she then used her magic to pull the costume over herself, and with Ditzy’s help, zipped up the rear.
Dinky was now a proud and mighty lion with a gorgeous golden collar of hair which matched her natural mane colour perfectly.
She looked into the mirror and gasped. “Mom, this is incredible!”
Ditzy grinned. “Oh, it’s nothing…”
Trouble Shoes kissed her on the cheek. “She's right, dear. I can’t wait to see what you put together for me.”
“Oh, I know you’ll love what I made you.”
She flew over to a much larger bag, hefting it off of its hook before fluttering back to Trouble Shoes.
As she unwrapped it, he noticed that this one was made from a greyish material which looked smooth like satin. Also, unlike Dinky’s, this one came in three separate pieces.
The first was the largest, composing the main body of the costume. With Ditzy’s help he managed to crawl into it fairly quickly. This article was a massive grey bodysuit with a thin greyish tail in the rear.
The next two articles helped clear up what he was supposed to be. The first were a pair of very large and floppy ears, which were nearly the size of his head, while the final piece was a big long trunk which covered his snout.
When Trouble Shoes looked in the mirror, a rather small elephant stared back.
He chuckled. “Not bad.”
“Told you, you’d like it,” Ditzy said.
Dinky climbed onto the bed and sprawled out upon it, huffing impatiently.
“I’m getting warm in this,” she complained.
Ditzy smirked. “Good, it’s supposed to snow tonight.”
“Snow on Nightmare Night?” Trouble Shoes asked.
“It used to happen all the time when I was a filly. It’s because we’re so far north and really close to the mountains.” She turned her attention to the last of the costumes. “If you ask the old timers they’ll complain about how the pegasus sacrifice us to make sure Canterlot stays snow free under mid-November.”
Trouble Shoes chuckled. “And to think I didn’t see snow until I was 14.”
“That must’ve been nice.”
“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to actually have a white Hearth’s Warming for once.”
Ditzy landed with the last of the costumes, quickly freeing it from its bag. As she gracefully put it on, it quickly became apparent that she was going to be a spotted cheetah. Though there was also a gap in the design to accommodate for some very un-cheetah-like wings.
Dinky quickly sat up. “Whoa, we’re all Savanna animals? This is so cool! Where did you come up with the idea, mom?”
“Well,” she said as she adjusted a pair of fake whiskers. “I was making a delivery to Princess Twilight and she’s subscribed to Equestrian Geographic. So, I asked her if I could borrow it and there was a whole part about the Savannas of Southern Equestria.”
“I didn’t know you read Equestrian Geographic.”
“I don’t… but the cover looked really pretty.” She flushed. “Anyways who’s ready to go get some candy?”
Trouble Shoes swore that he’d never seen a filly bolt to her hooves faster in his entire life."
“Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!” the three foals chanted.
The elderly mare at the door smiled, levitating a full-sized candy bar into each of their awaiting bags.
Back in his day, Trouble Shoes would’ve called a house like this, a jackpot.
“And what do we have here?” she asked. “A royal guard?”
Rumble nodded.
“My oh my, how brave of you. My wife was a royal guard.” She then looked to the foal beside him. “And are you Superstallion?”
Mango Dash shook her head. “Nuh uh, I’m Supermare.”
“There’s a Supermare now?” She grinned. “Well isn’t that wonderful.”
The mare then shifted her gaze to Dinky, her smile brightening. “And aren’t you just the cutest little lion ever.”
Dinky giggled before letting out her most intimidating roar.
It…wasn’t very convincing.
However, it was enough to make the elderly mare, Dinky, and her friends all snicker at the same time.
The mare then nodded to Ditzy. “Another wonderful costume this year, Miss Doo.” She glanced at Trouble Shoes. “Or is it Misses Doo, these days?”
Trouble Shoes brightened as Ditzy daintily giggled.
“Still Miss Doo, Misses Sorbet.” She coyly grinned. “For now.”
Trouble Shoes prayed that it was dark enough to obscure his crimson blush.
However, the conversation rapidly came to a close as the three foals eagerly descended Misses Sorbet’s steps, preparing to bolt to the next house.
“Dinky, Rumble, Mango, slow down!” Ditzy hissed before glancing helplessly at Misses Sorbet.
Thankfully Misses Sorbet returned a knowing smile and waved her hoof. “I’ll see you later Miss Doo.”
With that Trouble Shoes and Ditzy stepped away from the elderly mare’s home and followed after Dinky and her friend.
As predicted, it was already snowing, with fat flakes falling from the sky. However, this didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the festive spirit of the foals around Ponyville.
“For now?” Trouble Shoes repeated, as the foals scurried up the steps of the next house.
Ditzy smiled. “Misses Sorbet is a bit of a gossip, I thought I’d give her a little something to work with.”
The foals knocked upon the door and were rewarded a moment later as it opened and a young couple greeted them. The chant was then repeated and the foals were rewarded with a bag of chips and another volley of compliments aimed at their excellent costumes.
As the three foals lumbered back, Ditzy gestured for them to come over.
“Would you like to put some of your candy into Trouble Shoe’s bags?”
Trouble Shoes had been given a saddle before they left, and tied to it were three separate pillow cases. Each of these was slightly bloated with the previous hour’s collection of sweets and snacks.
The three foals nodded.
“Thanks, mom,” Dinky said.
“Thanks, Miss Doo,” Mango echoed.
“Thanks, Ditzy’s mom,” Rumble added.
Ditzy smiled at the foals as she helped them transfer their candy into their respective pillow cases. Trouble Shoes’ load may have just gotten a tiny bit heavier but it wasn’t like he was actually struggling with it. After all, he was a big stallion.
Plus, he was used to Nightmare Night in Appleloosa, where half the homes gave you a bushel of apples and you’d be hauling nearly 30 kilos of them by the end of the night.
The foals were about to run off but Ditzy held a hoof, stopping them.
“And what do you say to Trouble Shoes?” she asked.
Each of the foals nervously grinned.
“Thank you, Trouble Shoes,” Dinky mumbled.
“Thank you, Mister Trouble Shoes,” Mango muttered.
“Thanks, Ditzy’s dad,” Rumble said.
Trouble Shoes inhaled sharply.
However, before the foals had a chance to see how much that comment had caught him off kilter, they had already turned around and continued their mad prance down the street.
Trouble Shoes felt a very familiar cheetah paw upon his hoof, and a set of whiskers nuzzling his neck.
“He called me Ditzy’s dad,” he whispered.
“How did it make you feel?”
“I…I loved it.”
Ditzy giggled. “I thought it was pretty cute.”
She then swatted Trouble Shoes with her tail.
“Come on, let's hurry up before they get away from us.”
After they made their way through a few more streets, Ditzy led her group towards Ponyville’s marketplace.
As was the case every year, the plaza was packed with ponies taking part in games and activities.
It was pretty much the same in every small town. There was the spider toss, apple bobbing, a stage for contests and concerts, and sweet Celestia, a booth selling warm drink.
Now Trouble Shoes wouldn’t freely admit that he was cold but he hadn’t stopped shivering since they left Cloud Dasher Avenue.
Damn northern Equestrian climate.
He nodded to Ditzy. “I think I’m going to get a hot chocolate, you want anything?”
Ditzy looked towards the vendor and nodded. “Sure, grab me one too.”
Dinky beamed. “Can I have one, mom?”
“Hmmm… sure.” She gestured to Rumble and Mango Dash. “How about you two.”
“Yes, please!” they both chimed in unison.
Ditzy nodded, looking to Trouble Shoes. “Think you can handle all five on your own?”
“Shouldn’t be too hard.”
She reached into his saddle and produced a small bag of bits, offering it to him.
He took it between his teeth and then trotted off to get five hot chocolates.
Five scalding hot drinks, with no magic or wings to help him. Five blistering hot beverages for a stallion, who was accident prone, to carry between his teeth.
Easy…right?
He popped into the caravan’s line, which was currently full of other pare-… full of parents waiting to buy their families something to drink.
“Holy smokes, is that you Trouble Shoes?” asked the familiar feminine drawl of Applejack.
He turned around, spitting the bag of coins into his hoof. “Howdy, Applejack.”
She wasn’t wearing her traditional Stetson tonight, as she instead opted for a Wonderbolt’s costume with fake Styrofoam wings pinned to her side and a pair of flight goggles resting on her forehead. A few locks of her golden hair had gotten trapped under the goggles' straps, causing them to get into her eyes. Though she didn’t seem to mind.
“I barely recognized you,” she said. “Did Ditzy make your costume?”
He nodded. “Made one for me, herself, and Dinky.”
“She’s pretty good at it. I’m always blown away by what she can sew.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty incredible, ain’t she?”
Applejack chuckled. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were rather smitten with her.”
“Speaking of smitten,” he grinned, “where’s the misses?”
“Watching over my stuff while I get us something warm to drink. I haven’t seen a Nightmare Night this cold since I was a filly.” She gestured to him. “Bet you’ve never had weather like this down in Appleloosa.”
“We did not and I swear, it better not get any colder.”
“Well then, I have some mighty unfortunate news for you.”
“Oh no.”
“It’s going to get a heck of a lot colder.”
Applejack motioned with her hoof and Trouble Shoes peaked over his shoulder, noticing a gap in the line. So, he took a couple steps backwards, without really looking where he was going, and ended up colliding with some mare he’d never met before.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” the mare grumbled.
Trouble Shoes winced. “I’m so sorry.” He then sheepishly grinned at Applejack. “So, you brought a caravan tonight?”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah, I host an apple bobbing booth.”
“I should’ve guessed.”
“You and the family should stop by if you get a chance. The first round is on the house.”
My family? Is that what ponies think of us?
“I…I’ll keep it in mind.”
Applejack motioned again and this time Trouble Shoes noticed that it was now his turn in line. So, he turned around and approached the vendor.
The vendor was actually a batpony but even she seemed in the festive spirit, wearing a battered top hat with some unusual glimmering effects floating around it.
“Uh hey,” Trouble Shoes said.
“Hey,” the batpony squawked.
“Can I get five hot chocolates?”
“Yeah, sure thing, coming right up.”
Trouble Shoes watched the batpony flutter around her station, mixing together various ingredients into a machine which buzzed at a worryingly loud volume.
However, the machine proved reliable as it worked its magic and five steaming cups of hot chocolate were spurted into awaiting paper cups.
The batpony then placed them in a tray, bringing them over to Trouble Shoes.
“That’ll be ten bits,” she said.
Trouble Shoes nodded and placed his coins on the counter. Nine of them stayed perfectly still, while the last one rolled disobediently across the countertop, bounced off the batpony’s workstation, and went flying somewhere into the caravan.
The batpony blinked, looking at the nine bits left on the counter. She then turned her gaze to one of a thousand potential places that last elusive bit could’ve landed. However, she eventually just shrugged it off.
“Have a nice night,” she said.
“You too,” he mumbled back before scampering away.
He waved a hoof at Applejack as he passed by, grunting a ‘see you later’ through the thick cardboard of his tray.
Once he was about ten paces away he heard a very aggravated eeeeee from the hot chocolate vendor.
The intense anger behind it startled him, nearly making him lose his grip. It was only though a miracle that he managed to recover and save his drinks. Thankfully, his reinforced leverage proved far more reliable as he safely returned to Ditzy and the foals.
They were currently at the spider tossing station with Dinky, Mango, and Rumble going head to head in an intense spider-throwing competition.
Like this was a real hoof biter.
Ok…that might’ve been a slight exaggeration. It was really just three foals with questionable motor reflexes tossing stuffed animals at large Velcro targets.
But hey, it was still really cute and Dinky was doing pretty well.
Maybe…
It was kind of hard to tell.
He strolled up beside Ditzy, bumping his haunches lightly against her.
She looked over at him and smiled. “Oh hey, I was wondering how you’d manage to get those back.”
He grunted loudly in response and she looked rather confused for a moment.
Then realization dawned on her. “Ohhhh, you’re probably looking for somewhere to put those down, aren’t ya?”
He gently nodded his head, being careful not to spill his drinks.
She looked around, failing to locate a table or ledge, so she instead extended one of her wings.
He then carefully placed the tray upon it.
“So, who's winning?” he asked.
“I…don’t really think anypony? This game doesn’t really have winners.”
Trouble Shoes chuckled. “I wish we had more games like that when I was a colt.”
“Same. Would’ve made growing up a heck of a lot easier.”
Both of them grabbed a hot chocolate.
“To rough foalhoods?” he toasted.
Ditzy smirked. “To rough foalhoods.”
They tapped the rims of their cups and Trouble Shoes immediately followed this up by taking a generous sip of hot chocolate. This turned out to be a terrible idea as it burned the hell out of his mouth, causing him to make a panicked noise and wave a hoof frantically over his scalded lips.
Meanwhile, Ditzy was far more patient, meaning she had a bit of time to giggle at her stallionfriend.
Fortunately for Trouble Shoes, her attention soon returned to the foals as the spider toss ended.
A bored looking teenager gave the collective team score, congratulating them on a job well done before giving each of them a little box of Smarties.
The three foals grinned at the results as they started hoofbumping one another.
“I can’t believe we got 54, there’s no way anyponies going to beat us,” Rumble declared.
“Probably the best score ever,” Mango said.
Dinky nodded. “What should we do now?”
Ditzy cleared her throat and the three foals looked over.
“HOT CHOCOLATE!” they squealed in unison.
They bounced over and Ditzy lowered her wing, allowing the foals to grab their drinks.
Rumble instantly took a sip, quickly learning Trouble Shoes’ lesson as he panicked and clapped a wing over his mouth. The fillies were far smarter, popping open their lids and allowing the vapours to slowly drift into the snowy sky.
“So, what should we do now?” Dinky asked.
“Oh, oh, oh I wanna go do the haunted strength test,” Rumble said.
Mango tilted her head to the side. “What makes it so haunted?”
“Uh they hang a bunch of ghosts and skeletons from it,” he stated matter a factly.
Dinky nodded. “Makes sense to me.”
“Applejack said you were free to try apple bobbing, if ya want,” Trouble Shoes offered.
The three foals looked at him and then at each other, nodding as they silently came to an agreement.
“Sounds like fun,” Dinky said.
“But,” Ditzy added, “we can do that after you finish your drinks.”
Rumble grinned, looking to the fillies. “Race ya?”
Ditzy glared. “And no racing.”
“Awwwww,” the three foals groaned.
Trouble Shoes chuckled and sipped his drink again. This time it was far more enjoyable. Credit where credit was due, this had to be the best hot chocolate he’d ever had at a fair.
Not that that was a very long list.
As they enjoyed their drinks, Trouble Shoes noticed two things.
The first was that a very cute mare had suddenly saddled up beside him, draping a wing across his large frame. He glanced at her and smiled, planting a kiss on her forehead.
She giggled in response, nuzzling his neck.
The other thing was a bit more unique. At the east side of the plaza, a group of strange creatures had just entered the carnival grounds. There was a yak, a gryphon, a changeling, some type of gryphon-horse thing, a dragon, and then a rather average looking green Earthpony.
“Psst, Ditzy,” he whispered.
Her ears perked up.
“What is it, hun?” she whispered back.
“I see a group of pretty…uh… exotic critters, any idea…”
She chuckled. “Those are probably students from Princess Twilight’s school. Is one of them a green Earthpony?”
He nodded.
“Oh, I know those kids. They’re really nice.”
“Never thought I’d see a crowd like this in the middle of nowhere Equestria.”
Ditzy giggled. “This town is really coming together, pumpkin. I bet it’ll be a proper city when Dinky’s all grown up.”
“Mom,” Dinky protested. “I’m already ten.”
“I know muffin, but you’ve got at least a couple more years of being a foal left. So, please let me enjoy them.”
She sighed. “Fineeeee.”
Trouble Shoes stifled a laugh.
The hot chocolate did wonders in holding the cold at bay as Trouble Shoes finished the last couple drops. Afterwards, it wasn’t too much longer before the other ponies were also ready to move on.
The foals agreed with Trouble Shoes’ suggestion and together they made their way over to Applejack’s caravan.
It was a pretty simple set up with a couple of barrels set out front. They had been sawed in half and each filled with water and apples. There was also a covered wagon, which Trouble Shoes saw a filly with a wet mane enter as a colt with a dry one trotted out.
A warm place to dry off, that’s actually a really smart idea.
Trouble Shoes noticed Applejack hauling a bushel of apples over to a depleted barrel, while Rainbow Dash looked absolutely wrecked with boredom at having to man the front.
Rainbow Dash’s costume had her dressed in a country-styled leather vest with a wide brimmed cowmare hat resting upon her mane.
“Oh, they went as each other for Nightmare Night,” Ditzy whispered. “How romantic.”
Trouble Shoes smirked. “It’s pretty cute.”
“We should do that next year.”
“I think you might need to grow a bit if you want to fill my horseshoes, sweetheart.”
She snickered, eyeing him up. “And you’d need to shrink to fit mine.”
As the adults chatted, Dinky trotted up to Rainbow Dash.
“Hey Miss Dash, is it ok if we bob for apples?”
Rainbow forced a convincing smile. “Just hang on a second squirt, I’ll go get Applejack so she can explain what’s up.”
She then waved her hoof in the air and hollered. “HEY BABE, YOU HAVE CUSTOMERS!”
Applejack dropped her apples and shot Rainbow a look before trotting over.
“Well howdy, Dinky. I see your dad told you about my offer.”
“Yeah he did.”
Trouble Shoes’ eyes widened.
Did she just. Did she…
Ditzy draped a wing across his back, using it to squeeze him tight.
“Told you she’d come around,” she whispered.
Trouble Shoes’ lip quivered. “Uh huh.”
Applejack cleared her throat before addressing the foals. “Alright, the rules are simple. Each pony will have three goes at bobbing. Any apples you manage to scrounge up you keep.” She wagged her hoof. “Now this goes without saying, but I will not tolerate anypony interfering with another pony’s bobbing. I know you foals are angels, so I won’t have anything to worry about, right?”
The foals all eagerly nodded their heads.
Applejack then gestured to the wagon behind her. “That’s good to hear, now once you’ve had your chance at bobbing, I suggest you take a moment to warm up and dry off, considering that it’s a mite cold this Nightmare Night.” She smiled. “Any questions?”
Mango raised her hoof. “Are there only apples in there?”
“The best darn treat for any holiday.”
Rainbow Dash snorted.
Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “You got something to add Rainbow?”
“One day I hope you love me as much as apples?”
Trouble Shoes silently snickered.
“Aww, Rainbow, y’all should know that nothing that will ever come between me and apples.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes.
Applejack looked to the foals once more, before gesturing for them to come forward.
“Alright,” she instructed. “I want y’all to go on the count of three.”
The foals lined up at their barrels, each looking down upon the chilly water with determination.
“One.”
The foals tensed up, sitting right on the precipice of action. Rumble’s wings fluttered, Mango blew a strand of golden hair out of her eyes, and Dinky stuck out her tongue, deep in concentration.
“Two.”
All was silent in the world, as there was only Trouble Shoes and the competition before him.
“Three.”
The word was like a gunshot, springing the foals into action. Three heads dipped under the water, frantically bobbing around for whatever they could find.
Trouble Shoes winced. “That must be freezing.”
Applejack chuckled. “This ain’t nothing. One year it got so cold that we needed to defrost the barrels halfway through.”
“Is that safe?”
“Been doing it since Granny’s times and we’ve only ever lost three foals.”
Ditzy’s eyes widened. “WHAT!?”
Just then Dinky surfaced, triumphantly clenching a golden delicious between her teeth. This was followed immediately by Mango surfacing with a Granny Smith and Rumble coming up with nothing but a need to breath.
The winners spat their apples into awaiting trays, while the three foals quickly recuperated and dove back in.
Trouble Shoes made sure to squeeze Ditzy softly to help elevate her now shivering nerves.
Thankfully, the dunking proved to be harmless as the three foals surfaced a few second later, all within a couple moments of each other. This time each foal came away with an apple, with Rumble finally landing himself a large red delicious.
As the foals went back under, Trouble Shoes looked to Applejack. “Can I ask ya a question?”
“Sure thing, Trouble Shoes. What can I do for you?”
“What came first? The apple or your kin? Because I know there’s a braeburn apple.”
Applejack shrugged. “Honestly depends on the kind of fruit, some predate the family, others were bred after the fact, and a rare few were even discovered by one of my kin.”
“Huh?”
“For example…”
The foals rose for a final time as Dinky was left with nothing between her violently clattering teeth. A puff of misty October air wafted from her mouth as she exhaled sharply.
Meanwhile, both her friends surfaced with an additional prize, making Mango the winner of their little competition.
Trouble Shoes noticed that Rainbow Dash had relocated to the wagon, soon emerging with three dry towels, passing one to each of the foals. She then made room for Applejack, who led them into the covered wagon.
When she returned, she nodded to Ditzy. “That is one cute foal you have there.”
Ditzy grinned. “She’s my little muffin.”
“Ya know, me and Rainbow have been thinking about adding a little one to our family.”
Trouble Shoes cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Applejack nodded. “Though, the foal Rainbow has in mind isn’t quite so little anymore.”
“Is it who I think it is?” Ditzy asked.
“Scootaloo?”
Ditzy nodded.
“Then yeah, she’s the one we have in mind.”
“Oh my gosh, you two would be so great for her!”
“Thanks, sugarcube. And might I add just how happy I am to see you two going steady? You are a downright adorable couple.”
Ditzy flushed as Trouble Shoes chuckled.
“Thank you kindly, Applejack,” he mumbled.
“Ain’t nothing. I’ve always been known to speak my mind.”
“I can see that.”
“So where are you two off to now?”
“Well,” Ditzy said. “It’s getting pretty close to ten-thirty. So, we better get to the Everfree if we don’t want to be late for the sacrifice.”
Dinky hummed softly as she rifled through her pillow case. While not bursting at the seams, there was still a respectable amount of candy inside, just waiting to be eaten.
“What are you going to give her?” Mango asked.
“I was thinking bubble gum,” Dinky said. “I hate the stuff they give out, it always tastes awful.”
“I was going to give her Rockets and Mars bars,” Rumble said.
“Mars bars are really good for trading,” Dinky added.
Mango waved her hoof. “In what world are Mars bars worth anything?”
Rumble shook his head. “No, no, she’s right. Maybe I’ll give her my Aeros instead?”
Mango sighed loudly. “I can’t pick, I’m just going to dump out half my bag and hope I get to keep the good stuff.”
Trouble Shoes leaned over Ditzy, whispering into her ear. “What are they talking about?”
“The sacrifice.”
“The sacrifice?”
“I’d tell you, but it’d ruin the surprise.”
“Not even a hint?”
“Welllllll….” She tapped a hoof against her lip. “It’s a local tradition that’s pretty new.”
“Thanks,” he grumbled. “That helps a lot.”
“Trust me, the surprise is well worth the wait.”
Trouble Shoes looked around the clearing they currently occupied. They were only a few measly metres away from the Everfree Forest and the sight of the dangerous wilderness sent a chill up his spine. However, he seemed to be the only one as the creeping foliage had little impact upon the other ponies present.
When their group had first arrived, twenty minutes ago, it had only been them and another family. Now half the families in Ponyville were here. He noticed the Cakes, the Evertides, and even families he couldn’t pinpoint, including one with a pegasus and gryphon as parents of a hybrid fledgling.
A crackle of thunder boomed in the distance and Trouble Shoes’ spine tingled with raw fear. He tried his best to mask it. However, a reassuring squeeze from Ditzy proved that he wasn’t doing a very good job.
Soon another bolt of lightning flashed, with such blinding intensity that Trouble Shoes was forced to tightly shut his eyes. When he finally managed to open them again, his vision was now spotted and speckled, taking a few rapid blinks to finally clear.
He heard excited murmurs and giggling foals all around him, their attention turned towards the sky. When he looked up to join them, his stomach dropped.
The moon was now a jagged crescent shape, as if it had been torn open violently by some ungodly supernatural force. Country-sized chunks of debris drifted away from the main body, looking like an archipelago on the sea of the night sky.
Soon the ravaged moon was blocked by blackened clouds, darkening the whole forest.
Trouble Shoes frantically bumbled about. Yet Ditzy kept him anchored to his surroundings, her soft voice telling him to remain calm. Her words were the only thing keeping him stable when all he wanted to do was run away.
Soon, the darkness was beaten back by a series of greenish flames which formed a perimeter around the townsponies. They were now caged in by the flames, refused even a single avenue of retreat. Yet, nopony seemed even remotely worried about the situation.
That is except for Trouble Shoes whose knees quivered, with such intensity, that he feared they would soon collapse. However, he swallowed hard, trying his best to beat away these emotions in order to be there for Dinky and Ditzy.
These hopes were rapidly dashed as a demonic laugh pierced the forest, washing through it like a wave. Soon the wind whistled by and a purplish fog oozed in from every direction. This fog eased past the townsponies’ hooves, chilling them as it moved towards the centre of the flaming circle.
Over the course of a minute the fog collected together and began to swirl, ebb, and flow, taking shapes before quickly losing them. Mountains of mist were formed and then dashed away into valleys and plains. It was oddly beautiful, watching this mystic fog dance in the cool night air.
However, just as another mountain was erected and began to take shape, a breeze blew by and the fog was whipped away, revealing…
Nightmare Moon!
She stood before them, adorned in a hellish armour smithed from some impossibly dark material which seemed to absorb every last ray of light, like some metallic blackhole. Her eyes glowed with an icy hatred and her fangs glimmered in the greenish light.
Her hellish laughter repeated itself, though it was now many times worse, sounding like cords played upon some demonic instrument.
Trouble Shoes yelped loudly, and was shocked to hear the townsponies ribbing him for it.
What was going on?
Was he hallucinating? Had one of Dinky’s candies been laced with something?
“I have returned for my tribute,” Nightmare Moon bellowed, filling the forest with her voice. “Last years collection was enough to sate my needs but now my stores have become barren and must be replenished. Who will be the first foal to make this great sacrifice and fill my pantries?”
Trouble Shoes watched in horror as Dinky trotted forward. The pit in his stomach only deepening as Ditzy smiled, letting her foal march off to her demise.
This wasn’t going to happen. He pushed away from Ditzy and rushed forward, moving with all the speed his large frame could muster. Nightmare Moon might’ve been a goddess but he was still several hundred pounds of stallion with a pair of hindlegs that could buck a tree in half.
“Don’t go near her Dinky!” he cried. “I’ll save you!”
However, his words proved hollow as his hoof came down hard upon his trunk. The impact was enough to yank it towards the ground, bring his face along for the ride. He careened off balance, cartwheeling forwards as he lost all control.
At the very least he’d smash into her with all the force of a cannonball.
That is, until he felt Nightmare Moon’s magical embrace steady him. She then lifted him into the air, holding him afloat with about as much effort as a foal lifting a doll.
This was the end. She’d snap him in two like a twig.
However, she didn’t outright kill him. No, instead she made him watch.
Dinky approached Nightmare Moon, flicking her gaze between the demon and Trouble Shoes, looking embarrassed more than anything. When she finally stood before Nightmare Moon, she greeted the demon, bowed her head, and…
…reached into pillow case, sliding out a dividend of candy.
Nightmare Moon laughed joyfully at this. “Uh yes, very good. Big League Chew and Snickers, this is a mighty bounty indeed.” She smiled at Dinky. “What is thou name, little one?”
“Dinky Doo.”
“Thank you kindly for the gift, Dinky. It is not often that I am blessed with such a good haul.” She then examined Trouble Shoes. “Is this your father?”
Dinky looked up at him and nodded.
“You should be honoured to have one such as himself, Dinky. Not many stallions would charge a goddess so eagerly.” She chuckled. “Though may I suggest that your mother warn him about our future festivities. I would hate for this incident to repeat itself.”
The townponies giggled and Trouble Shoes warmed at the sudden attention.
He looked at Ditzy in pained confusion and she responded with a sheepish grin.
Dinky finally withdrew from Nightmare Moon, who then placed Trouble Shoes back upon the ground.
“What just happened?” Trouble Shoes asked as he returned to Ditzy.
She maintained her sheepish grinned. “Like I said, it’s a Ponyville tradition. Every year, Princess Luna comes and puts on a little show for the foals.”
“That was a show!”
“Yeah…she didn’t go quite this extreme last year.” She chuckled nervously. “Sorry about that.”
“So, she just comes and scares the foals?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what was up with the candy?”
“Oh, she takes a small toll in exchange for it.”
“How small?”
“About half of it.”
“She extorts them for half their candy!”
“Keep your voice down!” Ditzy hissed. “It’s for a good cause.”
“And what’s that?”
“She donates it to Ponyville hospital and they put together a Nightmare Night thing for the foal’s ward.”
“Huh,” he said. “That’s actually pretty gosh darn noble.”
Ditzy nodded.
Trouble Shoes watched the precession of foals slowly file forward, each of them emptying out their tribute and receiving praise for their gifts and costumes. Though the occasional foal did attempt to get sneaky, which resulted in Luna flashing some lighting, and asking them if they were sure that was the entirety of their tribute. Usually they were smart enough to rectify their mistake.
Soon enough, every foal had paid their toll, which was now collected together into a large mound of sweets at the base of Nightmare Moon’s hooves.
She examined the gift closely, studying it under her demonic gaze. Once content with her prize, she barked one final note of laughter.
“I am pleased with your tribute this year,” she bellowed. “The foals of Ponyville have proven the worth of their town before their goddess and I will allow it to exist for another year. May your Nightmare Night continue well into the sunrise and be as bountiful as my own.”
Another flash of lightning blinded Trouble Shoes. When he eventually regained his vision, he noted that Nightmare Moon and the candy were gone, the torches no longer lit, the sky clear, and the moon perfectly intact.
“Sorry for not warning you, pumpkin,” Ditzy said. “I didn’t think she’d be nearly that scary this year.”
Trouble Shoes shook his and laughed. “I forgive you, just as long as you never ever ever ever do that again.”
They stumbled back into their cottage in the dead of night.
Ditzy frantically pawed at the walls, in search of the lights, while Trouble Shoes simply lumbered into the pitch-black room. This was a terrible idea as he caught his hoof on something, which crunched under his weight and sent him stumbling forwards, off balance.
He heard Ditzy hiss in concern as she finally found the switch, flicking it on. The room was instantly bathed in light.
“You alright, honeybun?” she asked.
“Just peachy.”
He looked over and noticed that the object was actually a plastic jack-o-lantern, which was now absolutely shattered into a million little pieces.
How the hay did that even end up here?
Dinky trotted inside a moment later, practically vibrating.
“That was the best night ever!” she squealed.
Ditzy smile softly. “I’m glad you had fun, sweetie.”
“Like I didn’t think it was possible to get that much candy in one night.”
Trouble Shoes carefully unsaddled his bags, dumping them onto the floor. “You did get quite the haul. Even if you had to give half of it away.”
Dinky nodded. “Plus, I got to hang out with Rumble and Mango and and and…” she took a deep breath.
Trouble Shoes opened the the pillowcase, pouring its contents onto the floor, like he would’ve done as a foal.
Mother of the gods there was a lot of chocolate in here.
He carefully grabbed a piece, casually stuffing it away inside of his costume.
She wouldn’t miss one little piece, now would she?
“And?” Ditzy asked.
“Did you see the way dad tried to fight Princess Luna? That was awesome!”
Trouble Shoes froze, his eyes widening as he forgot to breath.
“D-did ya just…”
He was too stunted to finish his question.
Dinky looked at him. “Something the matter?”
“Ya called me dad.”
“Well I mean you are my dad.” She frowned. “Sorry it took me so long to figure it out.”
Trouble Shoes shook his head. “It’s perfectly fine, dear.”
He carefully cantered over, standing over Dinky. “Do you er… mind giving your dad a hug?”
Dinky studied him for a moment, her expression hard to read.
Then she beamed with the brightest smile he’d ever seen. “Sure thing, dad.”
She leapt at him, throwing her hooves around him.
He happily caught her and squeezed her tight.
A moment later, Ditzy was with them, adding her hooves and wings to the cuddle pile.
They held each other for a good while, as Trouble Shoes tried desperately to hold back tears.
She called me dad.
The time had finally come, and it was totally worth the wait.
Eventually, they were forced to break apart as Dinky scampered away to her candy. She’d most likely be busy with that for the next little while.
Meanwhile, Ditzy trotted up alongside him, planting a tender little kiss on his cheek.
This caught his attention, and as he turned to face her, she gave him a kiss upon the lips. They held it for a few lingering moments, and as they drifted apart, they stared longingly into each other's eye.
Dinky loudly cleared her throat, snapping them out of the moment with burning cheeks.
“How about you two?” she asked.
“P-pardon,” Ditzy said.
“How was your Nightmare Night?”
Trouble Shoes chuckled, taking only a moment to think about it.
He smiled at his daughter. “I can’t honestly remember ever having a better one.”