• Published 9th Dec 2013
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Half-Hour Horses - HoofAndQuill



A collection of short prompt-based stories, from Thirty Minute Ponies.

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A Manehattan Afternoon [Comedy,Shipping]

(The Prompt: What were the others doing in Manehattan while Rarity was busy with Fashion Week?)

(I know next to nothing about NYC, so if these locations are impossible to visit quickly in an afternoon... sorry. Also shipping for no reason.)

The group of five ponies and one dragon trotted lightly out of the double doors of the Mane Fair Hotel. Twilight Sparkle looked up at the towering buildings around them and smiled. "Okay, so the dresses are on their way. Where should we all go while Rarity's busy?"

"We gotta go to Poney Island!" Rainbow Dash leaped up into the air, and pulled a tight loop. "It's got all kinds of rides and haunted houses and stuff, and that Luna Park place they just finished!"

Fluttershy wilted at the mention of such a place. "Oh, I was um... wanting to visit the Broncs Zoo, but... either would be fine."

Twilight thought for a moment. "I was planning on taking an airship tour. It's probably the most efficient way to see everything, since we can't all fly."

Pinkie Pie grinned widely, and hugged Twilight with one foreleg. "Okie dokie! We'll all split up into couples! Me and Twilight will go fly in a balloon, Rainbow Dash and Applejack can go ride rides, and Fluttershy can take Spike to the zoo! Then we can meet back here in a few hours!"

Spike started to protest that he and Fluttershy weren't anything approaching a couple, but everypony had already taken off in different directions. Sighing, he just quickly broke into a run to catch up with Fluttershy.

--

Fluttershy smiled as she trotted alongside Spike. The weather today was perfect for visiting the zoo, and all the animals were awake and active. It was a little too crowded for Fluttershy's taste, but her excitement over seeing all the animals, as well as her duty of keeping Spike safe, kept her alert and attentive. Truthfully, it was mostly the animals. "Oh look, Spike! A Kangaroo!"

Spike hopped up onto the fence, looking down into the enclosure. It occurred to him rather quickly that kangaroos didn't exactly do all that much. "Yeah, that's cool I guess. I wonder if this place has any dragons..."

"Oh, no, it doesn't, but there's an aquarium nearby. Look, lions too! These don't live anywhere near here."

Spike walked over to where Fluttershy had galloped excitedly. Three lions sat lounging lazily in the sun, while one yawned widely, showing off some pretty impressive teeth. Spike glanced down at the information placard on the lookout area, then back to the lions. A moment later he looked back to the placard with a little more urgency. "Uh, Fluttershy, this says this exhibit is supposed to contain FOUR lions."

Fluttershy stood up straight, her eyes widening. A moment later, the ponies visiting the park broke into a stampede at the sound of a loud roar.

--

"Wow Twilight! I didn't know you being a Princess meant we could get a private cabin for the airship tour!" Pinkie Pie pressed her hooves to the huge, floor to ceiling windows and looked excitedly out over the city.

Twilight blushed at the mention of her title and smiled at Pinkie as she looked out of the window as well, admiring the view of all the towering buildings and landmarks of the famous city. Her wings fluttered a bit, instinctively, at the sight of the ground so far below. "This is amazing! We can see the whole city from up here!"

Pinkie Pie pressed her side to Twilight's, her smile taking on a familiar and slightly sly aspect. "Yeah, it's kind of romaaantic isn't it?"

Twilight blushed heavily. "Pinkie! Not in public, we agreed-"

"But it's a private cabin! C'mon, Twilight don'tcha want to join the mile-high club?"

Twilight Sparkled stamped the floor with her hoof. "We're nowhere near a mile high, Pinkie, anmgngnh!"

Pinkie cut Twilight off by tackling her to the floor in a loving hug with accompanying smooch.

--

"Ah just don't see why th' Wonderbolt Coaster's gotta be closed. Granny Smith used t' go on about it all th' time."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "It's like a hundred years old is why. That's why we're going on this ride instead, the Ghost Colt! First pony to scream loses!"

Applejack looked up at the gaudy and overplayed horror decorations. "I don't know, Rainbow, this all looks kinda corny."

The attendant strapped both ponies into their car, and then started the ride. As the darkness grew around them, Applejack could still see Rainbow Dash's grin. She knew that grin. "Hey now, no funny business, Rainbow."

"Yeah, only the most DARING pony would DARE make out on a haunted house ride."

--

Fluttershy stared daggers at the roaring lion. It finished its dominant roaring, but then pulled back a little, staring back into Fluttershy's commanding gaze. Spike held tightly onto the lion's leg, hoping that he was at least helping keep it from running a little bit.

"Now you're going to calm down, mister meany-lion! You know you're not supposed to be out of your home, and you're scaring all these ponies. Just look at the mess you made of Spike and I! Now, you're going to go right back to your nice big enclosure and stay there from now on, aren't you?"

The lion nodded, shrinking away from the scary yellow pegasus, and quickly scampered off toward the wall of its enclosure, before hopping down inside. Spike collapsed flat on the ground, exhausted from the chase and being scared out of his mind. Fluttershy just smiled down at him, and then tossed him lightly up onto her back, before trotting back toward the hotel.

She couldn't wait to take a bath after the frenzied fleeing and chasing.

--

"I still can't believe y' messed up my mane enough t' get cobwebs in it. I thought all th' spiders on that darn ride were fake." Applejack fussed with her ponytail as she walked alongside the flying Rainbow Dash. She didn't have a brush with her, and working her mane with bare hooves was nigh impossible.

Rainbow Dash shrugged, all smiles and victorious grins. "Doesn't matter if it was a real spider in your mane making you scream like that. I still won! You owe me dinner at the Far Afield Tavern later!"

"I already got ya that stupid hat. B'sides, Rarity said she was buyin' dinner."

Looking up, Applejack spotted Pinkie Pie waving to them from the hotel doors. Her voice carried as far as it needed to, like always. "Hey Applejack! Hey Rainbow Dash! You made it back!"

Rainbow Dash grinned again as she spotted Twilight's frizzy and mussed up hair. "Ha! I bet I know what you two were doing!"

Twilight shot a look at an oblivious Pinkie Pie, but then turned her nose up indignantly. "No. It was just windy on the airship! Besides, Applejack's mane is just as ba-"

"We went on th' Skyros Flyer! It weren't anythin' weird!" Applejack spoke a little too quickly and in a tone that made it obvious to everypony.

Rainbow landed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, smooth, AJ. Just like you practiced."

"Oh my, all of you are already back? I hope everything went okay."

Four sets of eyes turned toward Fluttershy and Spike. The baby dragon was still laying on her back, looking completely spent, with mud and grass stuck all over his scales. Fluttershy's mane was in a tangle, with sticks all twisted up in it and leaves stuck to her mane and coat with splotches of mud and sweat all over.

Twilight stammered a few unbelieving syllables.

Fluttershy just blinked in confusion. "Um... what's wrong?"

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