//------------------------------// // Party Favors // Story: Attack of the Puchus // by ZemaBato //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Party Favors “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BUTLERS!!!” “Now now, girls, a butler always carries himself with dignity, and that includes not having outbursts like that,” Space Butler said, his hands folded behind him as the fillies followed behind. The crusaders nodded, doing their best to copy the butler. After a fun-filled afternoon of games, the trio decided to try their hands at being a butler. Sweetie Bell found it easy to copy the butler, since it was similar to Rarity’s lessons for being a proper mare. Scootaloo, however, had a difficult time. “This is so boring!” she exclaimed. “Can’t we go do something else, like go watch Rainbow Dash? This butler stuff isn’t fun at all!” Applebloom just looked at the filly Pegasus. “Scootaloo, we never seen a butler before, and how do we know if our special talent isn’t being a butler unless we try?” Scootaloo snorted. “I guess. It’s just so boring, though. All we’ve done is walk!” Sweetie Bell looked at the human. “Space Butler, why are we walking, anyways?” “Ah, didn’t Miss Rarity tell you girls before she left?” The three fillies shook their heads. “You see, girls, part of being a butler is doing whatever your master asks of you. Miss Rarity asked me to pick up some treats from a ‘Sugarcube Corner’, and that’s where we are heading.” The girls stopped and looked at each other. “Are you girls thinking what I’m thinking?” “Yeah, let’s do it!” Wasting no time, the trio ran past the butler, excitement heard in their voices. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CAKE TASTERS!!!” Space Butler smiled to himself. Children always brought a smile to his face. He followed the crusaders towards his destination. He had directions to Sugarcube Corner, but he followed the fillies instead. They knew the way, after all. After a short while, they came to a stop. Space Butler looked at the bakery that stood before him. The butler found that the best description for it was a real-life gingerbread house. The walls were pink like frosting, with candy cane pillars in front. The roof had ginger snap-looking tiles, and a frosting sealant. On top looked to be a sort of cupcake balcony, with candles on top. The weathervane featured a unicorn holding a giant candy cane. Space Butler stared for a moment longer, before he took the lead. As he walked up to the door, he grabbed the handle and opened it, and made a gesture to the fillies. “After you, little ones.” The three rushed in, a gust of wind swished past. The butler followed suit, and closed the door behind him. Then, he noticed that the lights were off. “Girls are you okay?” he asked, as he took a few steps in. Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and he readied himself… “SURPISE!!!” He opened his eyes, and took in the sight. It looked like the entire town was in this bakery. As he looked up, he noticed a banner. WELCOME TO PONYVILLE SPACE BUTLER He didn’t have time to take it all in, as a bouncy pink pony grabbed his hands with her hooves. “HimynameisPinkiePiewhat’syoursIhopeyoulikethispartyrarityaskedifIcouldthrowoneforyousinceyou’vebeensosuperdupernicetoherandIsaidOFCOURSE‘causeIalwayslovetothrowagoodpartyandtomakenewfriendsandyou’reprettystrangelookingbutthat’salrightbecausewe’veseenabunchofstrangethingsandyoutookcareofthegirlsandthatmustmeanyou’resweetandniceandIlovethrowingpartiesanywayssothisreallyworkedoutforthebestand-“ She was abruptly cut off as AppleJack placed a noise maker in her mouth. Pinkie had a confused look for a second, then smiled and played it with the fillies. “What Pinkie Pie is trying to say is welcome to Ponyville,” Applejack said, as everyone erupted into cheers. “Now then,” Rarity began, “let me introduce you to my friends. You’ve already met Applejack, and you just met Pinkie Pie. This here is Rainbow Dash.” “BEST flyer in all Equestria, at your service,” Rainbow Dash said, as she gave him a mock-salute. True to her name, the blue Pegasus zipped around the room, her rainbow-colored mane leaving a trail behind her. A word popped up in Space Butler’s head. Cool. Rarity chuckled. “That’s Rainbow Dash for you. She’s always looking to show off. Now, over here is flu-“ she stopped, a look of confusion on her face. “Now, where DID Fluttershy go? She was just here a second ago.” Space Butler looked around. There were a lot of ponies here, but none of them looked like they were hiding. He browsed the room, then saw a pair of eyes staring at him through the punch bowl. “Miss Rarity, would that be your friend right there?” he pointed, and heard an *eep!* from behind the table. “Yes, that’s her over there. Her name is Fluttershy,” she sighed. Rarity walked over to the table, and levitated the yellow Pegasus to the butler. “Now, say hello dear.” Fluttershy looked down, trying to make herself smaller, to no avail. “M-my name is Fluttershy,” she said in a small voice, looking up at the human. Space Butler didn’t hear, because he fell over. He couldn’t believe it. She was so… so… Cute! Everyone was shocked. Rarity gasped as Fluttershy ran up next to him. “Oh my, are you alright?” The butler looked at her, and smiled. In a flash, he stood up, acting as if he never fell. “I am quite alright, Miss Fluttershy. It is a pleasure to meet you, as well as all of Miss Rarity’s other friends.” He looked at the crowd, and bowed slightly. “Thank you for this great welcome.” *** The party went by without a hitch. Space Butler got to meet the majority of the town, and they got to see the strange human. One of them, a mint-green unicorn mare, took to the butler near instantly. She was fascinated by his hands; an appendage only minotaurs and griffons had at this point. He indulged her for a moment, before pardoning himself. The rest of the party, the butler mingled the only way he knew how. Of course, that meant he served everyone as only a butler of his caliber could. He provided everyone with punch, served the cakes and pies and other desserts, and even hosted the games. Usually, Pinkie would the one that did these things, but she enjoyed the butler’s antics just as much as everyone else. Once the party started to die down, he walked over to his master. Rarity, not noticing the butler, looked concerned she sat at the table. Across from here were the cutie mark crusaders, all three passed out from the fun. He pulled up a seat and sat down next to her. “Miss Rarity, what’s the matter?” She looked up at him. “Oh, it’s nothing big, just… I was hoping my other friend, Twilight Sparkle, would have been home by now.” “Is she somewhere at the moment?” “She is, but…” Rarity sighed. “She should have been back by now. She was only supposed to be in Canterlot for a few days. She’s Celestia’s student, you see. She usually keeps in contact with the princess via reports, but the princess called her away for some sort of business.” She hung her head down. “I just know she would love to meet you. She’s always curious about new people, especially a different species nobody’s ever seen before.” Space Butler took this in without reacting. When she was done, he got out of his seat, and gave the fashionista a hug. “Miss Rarity, it’s quite alright. She is the student of a princess, after all, and they get so busy sometimes, that a little delay is almost expected. Besides,” he said, as a smirk formed, “one could say she’s just fashionably late.” The mare chuckled. “Why, yes, you CAN say that!” She smiled. “Thanks, Space Butler. You are truly-“ She was interrupted as the doors burst open. The party suddenly stopped. In the doorway stood a violet unicorn mare, with a purple mane that had a pink and light purple stripe. “Oh, hi Twilight! Rarity was just talking about how you were late and I was about to make everyone all happy again, but you showed up, so I don’t need to anymore!” Pinkie said. She bounced over to Twilight, but the unicorn didn’t pay any attention to her. Instead, she stared down the butler. “Space Butler, you’re coming with me,” she said, a scary look on her face. The butler stood up, and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Twilight, but I cannot.” He started to say something else, but was cut off as Twilight tackled him to the ground. Everyone else was shocked. Rarity was the first to speak. “Twilight, what ARE you doing?! This is certainly no way for anyone to act!” Twilight ignored her friend, only focused on the human. Her horn started glowing, and she picked him up by the neck. “One way or another, you’re coming with me.” Rarity and the others looked on in shock. Sweetie Bell, now awake from the commotion, walked up to the purple mare. “Twilight, please stop,” she cried. “He didn’t do anything wrong!” She looked at the filly, a glazed look seen in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sweetie Bell, but he’s dangerous. We have to take him away before he harms them.” “Who’s ‘them’?” Applejack asked with a tint of anger. Twilight simply scoffed, then turned her side. Everyone looked to see a yellow teddy bear in pink shorts. It stood on her back and proclaimed one thing. “Puchu~!” Space Butler looked at those abominations. Anger was seen in his eyes, dancing like flames. “NOT AGAIN!” He swung his legs, and kicked off a shoe. It flew across the room, and hit Twilight right on the horn, and she lost focus. The human fell to the floor with a thud, but wasted no time. In the blink of an eye, he was face to face with the purple mare. “I’m sorry, Miss Twilight,” he said, and chopped her neck. She crumpled to the ground, knocked out from the strike. The puchu looked on, and attempted to use his demonic cuteness. Space Butler wouldn’t allow that again. Using his other foot, he kicked the puchu into the air. The butler jumped up after the cute beast, and grabbed its leg. Gaining momentum, he spun in the air, then abruptly stopped and threw the puchu against a wall. The crowd gathered into the kitchen, afraid to leave the place and get caught up in the chaos. The butler walked up to the puchu carefully. Behind him, he heard a little boy’s voice. “Twilight, what happened?” Looking back at the fallen mare, he noticed a tiny purple dragon. He, as the butler assumed it was a boy, had green scales that resembled a Mohawk. A puchu rode him like a possessed backpack. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie stood next to him, worried about Twilight. He wasted no time. “One of you, get that monstrosity off his back!” “OKIE DOKIE!” Pinkie replied. She handed the baby dragon a box, and he took it. A clown burst out of the top, and he fainted. The Puchu looked displeased by the result. Pinkie, unaffected by the corruption the puchu tried to cause, picked him up and squeezed the life out of him. “Boy, this doll sure is strange! And what happened to his face? I thought it looked cute enough, but now it’s all weird and disgusting.” The human walked up to the group, with a mangy-looking puchu in his grasp. The group didn’t see him punch the creature to a pulp. “Miss Pinkie, you wouldn’t have anything that would get rid of these little devils, do you?” “Well, I have this party cannon,” She said, pulling out a pink and blue cannon out of thin air, “but I don’t know if this will work.” “I think it’ll do,” the butler said. He smiled as he stuffed the puchus inside, adding some C4 for good measure. “Say goodbye, you demonic scum!” He aimed the cannon towards the evening sky, and pulled the string. The puchus shot up like a firework, only there wasn’t any explosion. At least, not yet. Satisfied at the distance, the butler pulled out his trusty detonator, and pressed the button. Instantly, the sky lit up like a night parade. Explosions rocked the sky, and confetti and streamers fell over the town. Space Butler couldn’t see the puchus, since the sky was filled with pink smoke. The butler went silent for a moment. Then, he asked, “Why did all that confetti and pink come out?” Pinkie giggled. “Well, it IS my Patented Pinkie Pie Party Cannon! Since we got rid of those silly willy teddy bears, we can get back to the party!” “Ah wouldn’t be too sure about that, sugarcube,” Applejack said, pointing down the street. Staring down at the bakery were guards. They were Canterlot’s royal guards. Each one had a puchu on their back.