Thirty Minute Pony Stories

Where we challenge ourselves to write pony stories in thirty minutes. Prompts are posted daily. All safe for work.
Prompt #152: “Sweeter Carvings, Sweeter Treats,” by sefdot

Two ponies trotted on the night of Ponyville, still dressed on their Nightmare Night costumes. The lavender unicorn was wearing a long impressive-looking white robe, complete with pointy hat and white beard, and a white fake staff attached to her sides. Her companion, bright pink, was hopping instead of walking, making sprinkles fall everywhere from her giant cupcake costume.

“Thanks again for the help with the candy, Twilight!” Pinkie chirped happily, looking at the floating (and huge) bags of candy.

“No problem at all Pinkie” Twilight Sparkle said, waving one hoof and smiling. “Just don’t go eating it all at once…On the same bite again, I got really worried when you did that last time and started vibrating!”

“Oh, that was fun” Pinkie Giggled “I promise I won’t, no need to worries, Twilight!” Pinkie said with a nod, putting one hoof on her chest.

Twilight Smiled, and in a turn, both got near to Sugarcube corner, and the trip was over. Pinkie bounced ahead with Twilight following just behind, before she stopped when she noticed Pinkie going into the bakery and coming out with a tower of five pumpkins equilibrating on her head. The unicorn’s eyes widened when Pinkie thrust her head upwards and all the fruits flew over.

“AAAH!” She squeaked, flinching, but every single pumpkin fell in place, around both ponies without hitting either, Pinkie beaming happy.

“Oh…Woah.” Twilight said once she regained her breath. She looked around. “That’s a lot of pumpkins, Pinkie. They’re all just for decorating?” She asked, lowering the candy bags on a nearby table.

“Nope! I would have put a candle in them already if they were!” Pinkie said, and to Twilight’s surprise, picked up a Pumpkin and took off the top part, and started shoving lots and lots of candy inside of the fruit, which had according to what Twilight was now seeing, a carving of a…Rock. It was an impressively stylized rock, though.

“Pinkie, why…” Twilight started, looking as her pink friend finished the job with the first pumpkin and moved on to the second, which had a carving of a pirate with a pickaxe leg “…Are you putting candy on those pumpkins?”

“They’re for my sisters!” Pinkie said, finishing up with the second pumpkin and moving on to the next one, which had what seemed like a carving of a rock rain….Wait, no, those were candy rocks, judging by the pony with mouth wide open below them. “And this and the next one are for dad and mom!”

“Your family…On the rock farm?” Twilight asked, blinking, receiving a nod from Pinkie.

“They don’t have much time to do a Nightmare Night party like we do! So every year I send them some of my candy so they can get some too. And then when I have a break I show up and throw them an even bigger one!” Pinkie explained as she tried to fit a specially big chocolate bar through the fourth pumpkin, which had a carving of what seemed to be a full mine of rock candy…SOMEHOW fitting into a single pumpkin.

“Aw, Pinkie, that’s so sweet!” Twilight said, levitating the chocolate bar that she was unsuccessfully trying to fit in and placing it on a vacant spot she located. “Your parents must be really glad that you do that.”

“You bet they are, Twilight!” Pinkie said proudly, grinning and putting a hoof in the air. “They write me all the time! They never have time to visit, but it’s okay, we can keep in touch.” Pinkie said, putting the top of the last pumpkin back on it. “And now to mail these candy tasty-goodies! Catch ya later Twilight, thanks again!”

“No problem, Pinkie…Oh, wait! You forgot that on…” Twilight started when she saw Pinkie putting the last, empty and non-carved pumpkin along in the pile, but she was already off running.

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Pinkie trotted, humming a happy song through the night of Ponyville. She had already followed the yearly routine of delivering the candy pumpkins on the mail, and she was sure they would arrive soon enough, just a couple days after Nightmare Night. All four of them. The only one that was still there was the empty, un-carved one that she was carrying on her back. She had a bag of candy for it with her as well, too.

When she reached a nice comfy hill, she sat down, stretching, and placed both things on the ground. Slowly she took out a carving knife of the candy bag with her mouth, and went to work on the last pumpkin. It was a slow job, but she wasn’t in a hurry. After all, she had all night! She might even have time to go grab some more candy and run with the foals as long as the sun didn’t come out first. But right now, the focus was carving that one pumpkin.

Slowly, the carving began to take shape. First a small ghost, then two, then three. Instead of making scary faces, though, they had their ghostly hands wrapped around their ghostly bellies, and their heads thrust back with gaping wide grins on their faces, as if laughing at the funniest joke anypony ever told them.

There was a crowd of ghosts soon, and with extra care, Pinkie carved the last details: in the middle of the ghostly crowd, two ponies, also looking like they were laughing and having the times of their lives.

Satisfied, Pinkie laid down the carving knife and dropped the rest of the candy bag on the pumpkin, then sat still for a moment, wagging her tail happily, looking at the sky.

“And for you, Granny pie, wherever you are, a super duper happy Nightmare Night, too!” She said, eyes closed and hoof raised in the air, a smile on her face. “Thanks for teaching me all about laughing at the ghosts, and everything else! It made Nightmare Night more fun than ever, every year!”

She lowered her hoof, and her eyes snapped open, and looked at the candy-filled pumpkin in front of her.

“And since you’re somewhere else, I’ll dig in for you!” And immediately shoved her face in the candy pile, chewing happily at the sugary goodness “Happy Nightmare ‘ith!”

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RWL’s Commentary

This was great. I loved Pinkie’s tradition of sending pumpkins full of candy to her family. It’s a really sweet thing to do and also feels very appropriate for her character. The final uncarved pumpkin was an intriguing mystery, and when we finally saw what she carved on it and for whom, that was wonderful and touching. And then that Pinkie just eats the candy herself is great. I loved this!

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