//------------------------------// // First Celebrations // Story: Snapshots // by Shingo //------------------------------// “Lunch, lunch, lunch,” a red stallion with a blonde poofy mane and tail sang. “How I love lunch.” He was walking down a hallway towards a mess hall. The stallion was humming and had a large smile on his face. After a few moments, he reached a pair of birch doors. He pushed his way past them and stood in front of a large number of tables. Sitting at each one were earth ponies of every size and colour. In front of each of them was a bowl full of stew and a plate with a cookie on it. To the right of the room stood a line of ponies. At the head of this line was another table set up. Atop it were empty bowls and plates as well as a basket of freshly baked cookies. Standing behind the table were two ponies, one of them was pouring stew from a cauldron into the bowls while the other placed a cookie on each of the plates. The stallion walked to the back of the line still humming. A carmine mare in front of him turned her head to him. “Hello Chancellor,” she said. “Working hard?” “HA!” he laughed. “It’s Oktoberfest! There’s no reason to work.” “Oktoberfest?” the mare asked. “Oh right, I haven’t made that announcement yet,” the stallion cleared his throat. “Attention everypony!” All of the ponies turned their attention to him. “Hi! I’m Chancellor Puddinghead. But you already knew that didn’t you? Anyways, for the past sixteen days, we’ve had a surplus of food, even after we divided it up with the other two tribes. So to celebrate this wonderful harvest, for the next sixteen days, we’re going to celebrate it with something I call Oktoberfest.” The room was silent. “And did I mention that since we’ve had a surplus of food, we’ve also had a surplus of barley and hops? And did I mention that while talking to a unicorn, I convinced them to help me warp time so that we can combine the barley and hops into beer? No? Well, guess what? We have beer! We have enough beer to fill a cask that stands as tall as one of Princess Platinum’s summer homes! Free beer for everypony!” The room erupted into cheers. “It’s so good to hear you all happy,” Puddinghead said. “After lunch, I’ll need help setting up at the center of town for the Oktoberfest celebrations. The first ten ponies to volunteer to help with that will get the first ten steins of beer.” The ponies returned to their meals. Happy conversations could be heard around the room. The mare in front of him chuckled. “An interesting premise for a celebration, Chancellor,” she said. “Do you think it’ll be remembered down the line?” Puddinghead shrugged in response. “Who knows.” The two of them reached the head of the line. Both of them acquired a bowl of stew and a cookie. “Would you like to join me for lunch?” “I would,” she replied. The two of them moved to the end of a table. The carmine pony sat down and began eating her stew. She looked up to Puddinghead to see his pupils dilated. A cookie with a bite mark on it sat on his plate. “Chancellor?” the mare waved her hoof past his eyes. “Are you okay? Do I have to get the leeches to make you better?” “This cookie,” he said. “It’s the best cookie I’ve ever eaten. Who baked it?” “That would be me,” the mare said. “It was my turn to work in the kitchens today.” “What’s your name?” “Strangely enough, Smart Cookie.” Puddinghead stuck out a hoof. “Congratulations, Smart Cookie. You’re my new assistant.” “What?! Why?” “Because that was the best damn cookie I’ve ever tasted,” he answered with a serious tone. Smart Cookie stared at the pony in front of her. His face held a dead serious expression. After a few moments, she began laughing. “That’s a good one, Chancellor,” she said wiping a tear away. When she looked up, his face held the same expression. “Oh… you’re serious aren’t you?” “Everypony who works for my government is a good cook,” he said. “One of my cabinet ministers can make a very good pie. The judge of the Supreme Court is a pastry chef who can create amazing éclairs. And the minister of finance makes this wonderful sorbet on a regular basis.” “But I don’t know anything about government!” “Hell, neither do I. I used to make pudding for a living before getting elected. I’m still figuring out how I managed that.” Smart Cookie tapped her chin. “What do I have to do?” she asked. Puddinghead shrugged. He took another bite of the cookie. “Just work with me,” the last of the cookie was placed in his mouth. “Come up with new ideas, help implement them in the community, basically the same thing I do.” “So… am I an employee or a partner?” “Think of it as a bit of both, so what do you say?” again, Puddinghead offered his hoof to her. A smile appeared on Smart Cookie’s face as she shook it. “Welcome aboard, Smart Cookie. I have some ideas for Oktoberfest.” “Actually,” she said. “I do too.” The pony in front of her gestured her to continue. The two of them dived into meals, drinks, and events that would happen during the next two weeks. Both were animated in their conversation and both were passionate about their ideas. Little did they know that their ideas would be carried on in the future, even after their bodies turned into dust.