Costume Calamity

by I had no idea

Chapter one: Arrival

Just an ordinary day at Sweet Apple Acres. The sun shining, the leaves rustling, a certain mailmare apologising for destroyed property. Big Mac sighed. It was literally of lesser hassle to accept letters by hoof, instead of replacing the mailbox every other day. He took the letter the mailmare delivered, and opened it. Realising the mare was still standing there, he coughed.

"Don't ya, um, have other deliveries ya have to attend to?"

"Oh, I have many!" the mare chirped happily.

"So much for being subtle." the stallion thought. Unfolding the letter, a small sack fell to the ground, resulting in a grin from Ditzy. He still decided to read the letter first.

"Dear Mac,

Since the last time I wrote, I managed to get to Appleloosa, to further spread the magnificence of the Great and Powerful Myself! Strangely enough, when I mentioned I was going to perform, the sheriff became very... well, distrusting, to say the least. After I assured him that I won't be singing, nor dancing, he was much more open-minded, though.

The show itself went on flawlessly; seems like the new tricks I utilize bedazzle even the grumpiest of ponies. Then again, was there ever any doubt that I could do just that?

I've met your cousin, Braeburn. He is a lively one, that's for sure! He agreed to my plan; he's going to come with me to be a part of the costumed group we're going to form. Isn't that just peachy?

Regarding the pack I included: please pass it to Ditzy. It contains something very interesting I found some time ago: instant muffins! Just add water."

Mac looked up, realising the mailmare has been reading over his shoulder. She grinned again, puffing her chest.

"I can identify a muffin from four hundred meters away, you know!"

Big Mac raised an eyebrow.

"That's... nice, Ah guess."

"Nice? Nice?! It is vital, Mac! Every time I deliver a letter to Zecora in the Everfree, I leave the service muffin near the forest's entrance, so I'll find my way back!"

"What if somepony or an animal eats that muffin?" he suggested. Ditzy's expression darkened.

"Then divine retribution will be exacted upon them."

"Oookay..." He returned to reading the letter.

"Sorry for being brief, but we'll meet soon again anyway. We'll be taking the 3 P.M. train

on October 3rd. See you then!

Yours truly:

Trixie Lulamoon"

"...Wait just a dang minute! Today is the 3rd! Ditzy!"

The pegasus hid her hooves behind her back, smiling with a hint of guilt.

"I ... uh ... kinda dropped it a week ago in the office, and only found it today. Sorry!"

"What happened to your 'muffin sense'?" he thought, but not voicing it.

"Don' sweat 'bout it, Ah'll manage. Still, it'll be a tough job, preparin' for their arrival on such a short notice."

"It surely will be!" agreed Ditzy eagerly. Mac looked at her with a stern expression. She looked back quite confused, but his message finally got across. "Oh, I'll be going then, doing the stuff with the letters... and mailboxes, and... Goodbye!"

Even Rainbow Dash would have been satisfied with the speed she left the vicinity of the farms. Mac pondered his situation for a moment. AJ sure likes to keep a grudge, and to be fair, Trixie never apologised personally to her. Let's just hope nothing bad will happen.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"Attention all ponies! The train from Appleloosa is delayed for a few minutes! We apologise for the inconvenience."

"Great." AJ groaned. "Even though Ah didn't really want to come out here, now we hafta wait fer her!"

"C'mon, Applejack!" Applebloom chimed. "Magic! Costumes! Candy!"

"It'll take more than candy to woo me, Ah tell ya. Besides, how d'ya reckon she will be bringin' candy?"

"Oh, we're triyin' tah get our cutie marks in clairvoj... clarevoy... future-seeing today! Sweetie Belle already predicted that Rarity would be mad if we used up all of tha Glitter Dust! An' she did!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Why don't ya ever try something... well useful for once? Like Cutie Mark Crusaders Water-the-flowers-ers!"

"There ain't a word like that!"

"What are ya, a dictionary?"

"Train."

Both female Apples looked up, as their brother calmly searched the horizon. Indeed, a train could be seen in the distance.

"See, sis, ya don' hafta wait any longer! They're here!"

"We'll see what happens." she groaned.

The train quickly ate away the remaining distance. With a loud whistle, it came to a halt, the conductor getting off, and opening all it's doors.

"Last station, fillies and gentlecolts! Please, vacate the train, if you will!"

A seemingly endless horde of ponies descended from the cabins, chatting happily, going their separate ways, but most importantly, blocking the way. The Apples snorted in frustration, the passengers simply obstructing their view on the train. All of a sudden, both Applejack and Mac felt a sudden shake, originating from two pair of hooves on their respective backs. Turning around, they saw a pair of troublemakers having difficulty hiding their good mood. Finally, one of them stepped to Applejack, and the other to Mac.

"Good to meet ya, cussin!" Braeburn exclaimed happily, hugging her sister almost too tightly. "Ya wouldn't believe it, but Appleberg's not alone anymore! His family has grown by two: Carrotberg, and Potatoberg!"

"...Braeburn, there is no such thing as a carrot tree. Or a potato tree, for that matter."

The mustard earth pony expressed true shock.

"Then we have been fooled! Curse those no-good Flimflam brothers!"

Applejack groaned. "Seriously? Them again?"

Meanwhile, the hug Trixie gave Big Mac was definitely more awkward, with both parties looking embarassed, until the showmare noticed Applebloom. She immediately shifted her priorities into giving the filly a rub on the head, ruffling her mane in the process.

"Hey kid! Still at it, eh? Getting your cutie mark, I mean."

"Ya got it! But..." she hesitantly began, "It looks like Ah won't get a cutie mark in future-tellin' after all."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Divination? Leave that to flukes, belive me, nopony likes to know what the future holds. Wait a second!" she pointed at her neck in an over-the-top fashion. "You are hiding such treats in your mane?" Reaching up, Applebloom felt something caught in one side of her ribbon. Pulling it out, it turned to be a sack of Canterlot Cream Candy. Needless to say, the filly became increasingly agitated upon seeing it.

"Big Mac! Big Mac!" She began spinning around herself, trying to get a good look at her flank. Realising nothing changed, she pouted with intensity.

"All aboard! The train is leaving for Manehattan in five minutes!" the conductor announced. The Apples and Trixie made way for the ponies boarding the other train. Soon, the train whistle sounded, and the locomotive took off, leaving only an oversized crate near them. Trixie turned to Applejack.

"So, uh... Appleback..."

"Applejack." the farmpony corrected, seemingly irritated.

"Well, uh, I'm seriously bad at apologising, so just accept this!"

The showmare pulled out a piece of paper from one of her saddlebags, and levitated it to the orange mare. She began reading it suspiciously.

"Lessee... 'We regret to inform you that our company does not accept gravel dust as a form of payment'—"

Trixie yanked the paper from Applejack with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, wrong paper." She levitated another one to the now pissed off farmer. Mac realised that if he didn't know her, he would probably facehoof at this point. But between Trixie, Ditzy, and Pinkie? Nothing would faze him anymore. Applejack's expression changed to surprised, forgetting her anger.

"Dear Miss Apple, we would like to arrange a meeting between our company and your farm's representative, to negotiate about exporting some of your produce into Saddle Arabia..." She finally looked up, uncertainity in her eyes. "How's this even...?"

Trixie shifted around nervously.

"Well, you know, I figured that since I made a fool out of you in front of several eager eyewitnesses, I should at least try to find something to... compensate for your troubles. So I talked with Dad, and he put in a good word for you at Equestrian Exports... Mind you, this is a chance; you have to convince them that your apples are worth exporting, but if you do... well, I imagine you can literally swim in the profits. What I'm trying to say is... Sorry."

Applejack scratched her head.

"Ya know, Ah'd have been satisfied with a simple 'pology, but at least this shows that you're sincere. Ah'm afraid Ah'll hafta decline, though; we always sell most of our apples tah Filthy Rich, that's like a tradition tah us Apples."

"A tradition that's gonna change." Big Mac interjected. "If we can strike a deal with these fancy business types, we could make a 20% profit on yearly apple sales."

"Don't bring up your fancy mathemathics to muddy the issue again!" Applejack snorted. The stallion looked bemused.

"AJ, the last time was over three years ago. An' Ah was right."

"Well, what was Ah supposed to think? One pony plus hundreds of apple trees add up to what?"

"Mount Rushmare?" interrupted Trixie. Botth stared at her, and she seemed to shrink in their combined attention. "Sorry, just tried to be part of the conversation. But seriously, Mac's right. If you are intent on making this Filthy character rich, then by any means, go ahead. On the other hoof, I would bet my house that he does not have an ounce of regret when he sells your apples to others twice the price he paid to you!"

"Ah... Ah guess ya are right... We'll juss head home then first, an' make sure yer rooms are ready. C'mon Mac!"

"Oh, sorry, but I'm going to have to borrow him for a minute." the unicorn interjected. Applejack shrugged.

"C'mon then, Braeburn... At least ya can tell me what those no-good Flimflam brothers did this time on the way home."

As soon as the two disappeared behind the train station's corner, the red stallion turned to the showmare.

"Ya don't even have a house, do ya?"

Trixie waved a hoof.

"Details, details... Now, I'm sure you both know that I challenged Twilight Sparkle to a costume contest."

"Yeah!" Applebloom chimed. "Me an' Scootaloo even bet on what ya gonna dress up as! Scoots said that yer gonna totally come as some powahful wizard, but I said that yer gonna be something cool, like a timbahwolf, or something!"

The unicorn let out a small giggle. "That would indeed be cool, I found something much cooler, however."

The filly began to bounce up and down.

"Oooh, what is it? Tell me, tell me!"

Trixie leaned closer, and whispered something in her ear. Applebloom froze, awe overtaking her features.

"Wow..." She suddenly realised something. "Wait a sec! That's not one costume!"

Trixie nodded. "Precisely. Which is why I intended this to be a group effort. So what do you say? Ready for a little themed costume creation this year?"

"Yes! Yes! YES!" Applebloom beamed, resulting in the two adults covering their ears. She happily bounced away, following where her sister and cousin went.

"Well, so much for my eardrums. On the bright side, she will earn her air siren cutie mark any day now. So, Mac... are you in?"

"...Depends. What do ya have in mind?"

Trixie told him.

"That's... Well, there's no way ya can pull that off."

"I brought paint." Trixie exclaimed. Mac recoiled.

"Nuh-uh! No way yer going ta get paint on this stallion, lady!"

The unicorn stared at him with her most intense puppy-dog eyes.

"..." The stallion seemed unimpressed. "Ya know that don't work on me."

"Oh well, worth a shot. But Mac, consider this. I brought materials for your whole family: Applebloom, Braeburn, you, your grandma... and Applejack, too."

Mac's eyes widened.

"Ya even thought of them?"

"Yes." she nodded. "All of my materials are here in this crate."

Big Mac examined tha crate slowly. It seemed to be as large as Trixie.

"... And Ah suppose ya want me to carry all this to Sweet Apple Acres, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Trixie said dismissively. She produced some extremely thick horseshoes. Putting them on, she became as tall as Mac—at least her back did so.

"This way, we can both carry it at the same time!"

Big Mac slowly shook his head, but smiled nonetheless. Maybe this year's Nightmare Night will be interesting, after all.

Comments

[Seether00]

Hmm.. now I want to know what the costume is .

[I had no idea]

2053980
If I would be really evil, everypony would just comment how awesome the costumes were, but nothing definitive would be given.
Rest assured, it will be revealed later.

[SuperChaosKG]

Now I always wondered something.

With her underped eyes, how is she clumsier then her sister. I mean sure she's .. slower, but that shouldn't impair mail delivery!

Many Derpy should take over. Leave it to the pros...