Chapter 1: Willy's Steamboat
It was New Year's Eve in Equestria. All across the land, various Ponies were attending parties, hanging out with friends and family, and getting ready to ring in the New Year. 2023 had been a hard year for many, but most were hoping that the next year, 2024, would be a lot better. Down in Ponyville, a lot of Ponies were out celebrating, and many of them, including Twilight Sparkle and her friends, were gathered at the Ponyville Clock Tower, eagerly watching as the minutes ticked down. Soon, it was 11:59pm, on December 31st, 2023, and a countdown had begun to the New Year.
"10......
9........
8........
7.......
6.......
5.......
4......
3......
2.......
1......."
Then the clock struck Midnight, and began to chime.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" Everypony cried.
Ponies were cheering loudly, confetti and streamers were shooting into the air (courtesy of Pinkie Pie), and fireworks were all going off as well. However, in the midst of all the cheering, from the direction of the Applish River, another sound could be heard. It sounded like a series of 3 loud whistles, like those from a boat. At first, everypony just thought that it was because of the New Year's Celebration, but then they whistles sounded like they were getting closer, and were accompanied by a loud chugging sound, and the sounds of splashing.
The Ponies were confused. There weren't supposed to be any boats out on the river at this time of night, or at least, any scheduled ones, but now it sounded like one was coming down the river, and would soon be passing Ponyville, whistling quite a lot. Confused, Twilight and her friends went to the bank of the Applish River to investigate the source of the commotion.
"What do you think it is, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm not sure, Fluttershy."
"I think it's somepony who just got a bit too excited for New Year's." Pinkie added.
"Maybe it's a group of Ponies out for a New Years Eve cruise on a private boat?" Rarity wondered.
"What's with all the whistling though? It's already almost 10 minutes past Midnight."
"I dunno, Rainbow Dash. Maybe they had a little bit too much ta drink." Applejack finished.
However, before the Ponies could say anything else, from around a bend in the river, lit up by the light of the full moon, various lights near the river's shoreline, and on the incoming object itself, a steamboat came chugging into view.
It was smaller than the ones used to carry passengers, and was quickly identified as one used to carry cargo. It had 2 side-paddlewheels, a tall pilothouse, and 2 smokestacks were belching out black smoke. The boat was also painted all white, with a black hull, and black smokestacks. As it came into view, Twilight and Co recognized it as the SS Willie, a retired cargo steamboat now owned by Ponyville's resident Human, a young man named William "Willy" Brown. As the steamboat began to sail past where the Mane 6 were standing, a white flag with a black wolf's head could be seen flying from the steamboat's bow, and up in the pilothouse, the 6 mares also saw the man himself steering the steamboat, but he was wearing some kind of costume. From what they could see, he was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, black gloves, black pants, a pair of white shorts over those black pants with a long, thin tail coming out the back of them, white shoes, some kind of black and white mouse mask, and a steamboat captain's hat was on his head. He was also whistling "Steamboat Bill" as he steered his steamboat.
"What in tarnation?!" Applejack said in confusion.
After staring for a few moments, a wave of realization hit Twilight, and she put a hoof over her face. "Do you Girls know what this is?"
Before any of the other mares could respond, Willy spotted them standing on the shoreline, and blew the steamboat's 3 whistles again.
"Happy New Years, Girls! And Happy Steamboat Willie Day too!"
At this moment, Willy's black cat, named Mickey, who seemed to be dressed in a small pair of white overalls, and a cat-sized steamboat captain's hat jumped up into view, perched on the left windowsill of the steamboat's pilothouse, and began licking one of his paws.
"'Steamboat Willie Day'? What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Twilight sighed. "It's the whole reason he's dressed up like that, and out on the river tonight, Girls. At Midnight tonight, the copyright to the original 1928 Disney Cartoon, 'Steamboat Willie', and all characters in it, entered the Public Domain for the first time in 96 years."
"And that's what Willy's celebrating?"
"Yepperoni!" Willy called, blowing the whistles again. "Disney was unable to renew the copyright for a 3rd time, and it entered the Public Domain. Now Mickey Mouse (the original one as he appeared in 'Steamboat Willie') can be used by anyone, for anything!"
"Even horror movies and scary games?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Oh yes. 2 horror movies and a scary game featuring Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse were just announced after it became Public Domain."
"Huh. I never would have thought it."
The Mane 6 all continued to talk about this among themselves for a while longer, but pretty soon though, the SS Willie sailed on into the night, still whistling, and making a racket. For a while, they thought that Willy was going to stop soon, but when the SS Willie reached Podunk Landing, Willy simply turned the steamboat around, and started steaming back upriver; a loop he'd been making for several hours before the New Year began, but silently, as the copyright hadn't yet expired. However, by about 4am, Willy showed no signs of stopping, though now the steamboat's whistling had been replaced by music; "Turkey in the Straw". Finally though, the Mane 6 had had enough of Willy's antics, and thanks to Twilight teleporting them all onto the steamboat, they all began to fan out to stop the steamboat, and put an end to the racket.
All around the steamboat's deckhouse, various posters for "Steamboat Willie" were put up, and collection of statues littered the deck. There was a cow, 2 chickens, a goose, a cat, a parrot, and a pig with piglets.
"He certainly went all out with this, didn't he Twilight?"
"Yes, he certainly did, Pinkie Pie."
At this moment though, Twilight then found the source of the music; it was a large calliope shaped like a goat, with a mannequin of a female mouse turning its crank-handle. She then blasted the calliope with a silencing spell, while at the same time, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were below decks putting out the fires in the SS Willie's boilers, and stopping the engines.
"Aww, come on guys, you ruined the fun!" Willy called down to them as he looked out of the pilothouse.
"It's 4 in the morning, Willy!" Twilight called back. "Show's over!"
"Are you sure about that?" He said, seemingly trying to lead into a joke.
Twilight then used her Magic to pick up the SS Willie from out of the water, lift the whole steamboat into the air, and then dump it onto the sandy shore of Podunk Landing, completely out of the water.
"VERY!" She said with clenched teeth. She then exited the steamboat via the gangplank, followed closely by Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and then Applejack and Rainbow Dash when they finished up below decks.
Willy then climbed down onto the main deck, where he realized that his steamboat was completely beached, and was a good 20 feet away from the water's edge.
"What the?! Hey! You can't just dump my boat onto the shore and then leave! Help me get it back into the water!"
"Ask me after I've had a good night's sleep!" Twilight shot back.
"Come on, Girls! Help me out here!"
"Okie dokie Loki! Tomorrow!" Pinkie called back.
The Mane 6 then walked away from Podunk Landing, leaving Willy behind stamping and cursing up a storm, though he soon tired himself out, and sat down on the deck with Mickey in his lap.
"Oh boy. Maybe I did go a little bit overboard. But it was all in good fun, right?"
As if in response to his question, a scroll magically appeared in his hands, with the words, "From the Walt Disney Company" on it. Willy opened the scroll, only to learn that he was being slapped with a hefty fine for alleged "Copyright Infringement", as well as being told to immediately "Cease and Desist".
"Oh, SON OF A.........!!!!!!"
THE END