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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Big Trouble
Scootaloo had always wondered how many fireworks could fit in her wagon.
The answer was twelve, if anypony were to ask, as long as she stacked them right. Two more than Apple Bloom could manage—and twelve more than Sweetie Belle wanted. But what did she know? Adding a pair of drapes and a roll of duct tape to the equation could only lead to one thing: cutie marks.
It was foolproof, but Sweetie Belle had been full of nothing but questions since they started. Like, ‘are you sure this is safe?’ and ‘would our sisters think this is safe?’ and ‘this doesn’t seem very safe.’ But that wasn’t even a question! The real questions that needed asking were ‘does that look like enough duct tape to you?’ and ‘do you think this hill is big enough?’
The hill certainly was, by Scootaloo’s standards. They had painted a runway down its face, which tapered to a point in the distance.
“Are you really sure this is safe?” Sweetie Belle asked as she sat in the wagon, hooves around Apple Bloom’s barrel, warily eying the stack of fireworks over her shoulder.
“Rainbow Dash can go fast enough to make a sonic rainboom and she’s still okay,” Scootaloo said. She flashed a grin that would have sent a diamond dog running for the hills, but Sweetie Belle grimaced.
“That’s not really what I—”
“Yeah, yeah, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom cut in. “Just get to lightin’ ‘em.”
“Psh. You’re just mad I could get more fireworks into the wagon than you could.” Scootaloo blew a raspberry at her.
Applebloom flustered. “Am not!”
“Are too!”
Apple Bloom glowered at her. “Just light ‘em already.” She pulled her goggles down over her eyes.
“On it!” Scootaloo likewise snapped her goggles into position—“Ouch!”—and fished a match from its box. It flared to life at the flick of a hoof, and she reached behind them to light the fuses, which had been knotted into a single larger one—a trick they had learned the last time.
The flame became a hiss, and Scootaloo retook her seat in the wagon. “Scoot over, Apple Bloom. You’re hogging all the room.”
“I am scooted over. You’re the one hoggin’.”
“Girls…” Sweetie Belle said, clinging tighter to Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo took hold of the wagon handle like a steering wheel, teeth gritted in victory. “Cutie Mark Crusader Wagon Racers are go! In three! Two! One!”
“I’m so glad you girls could help me move all my stuff into the castle,” Twilight said, she and her five friends walking toward her new home.
“No problem,” Rainbow Dash said, flying circles above her head.
Applejack gave Twilight a nudge. “You didn’t think we’d let a friend of ours lug all that stuff across town all day on her own, did you?”
Twilight smiled. “I have to say, it definitely helped speed things up.”
“Yea!” Pinkie Pie bounced alongside her. “But I wish that big, mean meanie pants Tirek didn’t blow up the library in the first place.”
“It’s okay, Pinkie.” Twilight smiled reassuringly. “I might have lost a lot of things in the library, but they were only things. And hey, I have a castle now.” She smiled up at the massive crystal tree before them. “I mean, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime trade up. Can’t complain there.”
The others ‘mhmm’d.
“Really,” Twilight continued, “I’m willing to bet things will only get better from here on out.”
“You really think so?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight smiled at her. “I know so.”
“Well, if you know so, then what’s that sound?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“What sound?”
“The one that sounds like three screaming fillies strapped to a wagon full of fireworks.”
The six looked up, and above them soared a little red missile straight at the castle. Its entirety detonated in a shower of colors and squeals of scattering firecrackers. Jaws dropped, none more than Twilight’s.
When all fell still, three wobbly little heads poked out from the rubble, and five pairs of eyes glanced nervously between each other. “You don’t think that tree has another castle-makin’ box we could use, do you?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Wanna go check?” They stared at Twilight, who remained frozen in place, jaw to the ground.
“It might be a good idea,” Rarity said, grimacing. They backed away slowly and headed for the Everfree, before another kind of fireworks were sure to go off.
The answer was twelve, if anypony were to ask, as long as she stacked them right. Two more than Apple Bloom could manage—and twelve more than Sweetie Belle wanted. But what did she know? Adding a pair of drapes and a roll of duct tape to the equation could only lead to one thing: cutie marks.
It was foolproof, but Sweetie Belle had been full of nothing but questions since they started. Like, ‘are you sure this is safe?’ and ‘would our sisters think this is safe?’ and ‘this doesn’t seem very safe.’ But that wasn’t even a question! The real questions that needed asking were ‘does that look like enough duct tape to you?’ and ‘do you think this hill is big enough?’
The hill certainly was, by Scootaloo’s standards. They had painted a runway down its face, which tapered to a point in the distance.
“Are you really sure this is safe?” Sweetie Belle asked as she sat in the wagon, hooves around Apple Bloom’s barrel, warily eying the stack of fireworks over her shoulder.
“Rainbow Dash can go fast enough to make a sonic rainboom and she’s still okay,” Scootaloo said. She flashed a grin that would have sent a diamond dog running for the hills, but Sweetie Belle grimaced.
“That’s not really what I—”
“Yeah, yeah, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom cut in. “Just get to lightin’ ‘em.”
“Psh. You’re just mad I could get more fireworks into the wagon than you could.” Scootaloo blew a raspberry at her.
Applebloom flustered. “Am not!”
“Are too!”
Apple Bloom glowered at her. “Just light ‘em already.” She pulled her goggles down over her eyes.
“On it!” Scootaloo likewise snapped her goggles into position—“Ouch!”—and fished a match from its box. It flared to life at the flick of a hoof, and she reached behind them to light the fuses, which had been knotted into a single larger one—a trick they had learned the last time.
The flame became a hiss, and Scootaloo retook her seat in the wagon. “Scoot over, Apple Bloom. You’re hogging all the room.”
“I am scooted over. You’re the one hoggin’.”
“Girls…” Sweetie Belle said, clinging tighter to Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo took hold of the wagon handle like a steering wheel, teeth gritted in victory. “Cutie Mark Crusader Wagon Racers are go! In three! Two! One!”
“I’m so glad you girls could help me move all my stuff into the castle,” Twilight said, she and her five friends walking toward her new home.
“No problem,” Rainbow Dash said, flying circles above her head.
Applejack gave Twilight a nudge. “You didn’t think we’d let a friend of ours lug all that stuff across town all day on her own, did you?”
Twilight smiled. “I have to say, it definitely helped speed things up.”
“Yea!” Pinkie Pie bounced alongside her. “But I wish that big, mean meanie pants Tirek didn’t blow up the library in the first place.”
“It’s okay, Pinkie.” Twilight smiled reassuringly. “I might have lost a lot of things in the library, but they were only things. And hey, I have a castle now.” She smiled up at the massive crystal tree before them. “I mean, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime trade up. Can’t complain there.”
The others ‘mhmm’d.
“Really,” Twilight continued, “I’m willing to bet things will only get better from here on out.”
“You really think so?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight smiled at her. “I know so.”
“Well, if you know so, then what’s that sound?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“What sound?”
“The one that sounds like three screaming fillies strapped to a wagon full of fireworks.”
The six looked up, and above them soared a little red missile straight at the castle. Its entirety detonated in a shower of colors and squeals of scattering firecrackers. Jaws dropped, none more than Twilight’s.
When all fell still, three wobbly little heads poked out from the rubble, and five pairs of eyes glanced nervously between each other. “You don’t think that tree has another castle-makin’ box we could use, do you?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Wanna go check?” They stared at Twilight, who remained frozen in place, jaw to the ground.
“It might be a good idea,” Rarity said, grimacing. They backed away slowly and headed for the Everfree, before another kind of fireworks were sure to go off.