The Little Mares Club

Adorablast Tintwinkle: Toymaker. Happy and cheerful. Enjoys talking to her friends. Earth Pony Likes: Hats, toys, cuteness.

Bindlebrine: Seamstress. Unicorn. Like: Clothes, fabric, flowers. Butterbeam

Butterbeam: Gardener. Quiet, but smiley. Pegasus. Likes: Dirt. Bindlebrine

Waxworks: Candlemaker. Tries very hard to be cute, but doesn’t quite manage. Earth Pony Likes: Darkness. Propriety. Figurines.

Always Right: Scientist. Nerdy. Wears glasses and labcoats all the time. Unicorn Likes: Experiments.

Propriety: Maid. Earth Pony. Talks very seldom. Likes: Serving others.

Tall Tale: Storyteller. Pegasus Likes: Camping. Always Right

>I realized, the moment I fell into the fissure, that my dream would not be destroyed as I had planned.
>It continued growing into that delightful desire, of which I had more than a fleeting glimpse.
>I have tried to speculate where I might have landed.
>I must admit, however, such conjecture is futile.
>Still, the question of whose hands might one day continue the dream are unsettling to me.
>I know my apprehensions might never be allayed, and so I close, realizing, that perhaps being the little mare, is the journey, and not the end.

>You are Adorablast Tintwinkle, and you were the little mare.
>It wasn’t always this way, though.
>You used to be a NEET named Anonymous.
>But one day, you dreamed a strange dream of falling through space, and whump!
>You landed on your ass in a field of dandelions and wildflowers as a pony.
>Unfortunately, there were dozens upon dozens of others who’d decided to seek it out as well, and most of them were the little mare.
>Some of them were griffons, or diamond dogs, or dragons or what-have-you, but a lot were ponies.
>It was a like a cute party!
>You check yourself out, and you looked exactly like you’d always wanted to look if you were a pony!
>Another pony sees you nearby and trots happily up to you.
>”Hi! Do you know where we are? I mean, it’s nice, but I’m confused. Could be worse, though, I’ve always wanted to be the little mare!”
“What a coincidence! I’ve always wanted to be the little mare too!
>Another one breaks from the crowd toward the two of you.
>”Did I hear someone say they wanted to be the little mare? I’m one too now!”
>Another one comes toward you, gushing about how being the little mare was so great.
>You can see in the distance, other ponies, male and female alike, pairing or grouping up and engaging in sexual debauchery, but you were surrounded by individuals who just wanted to show off how cute they were.
>”Look at my mane! Isn’t it smooth and shiny?”
>”It’s great being the little mare! Look at my adorable hooves!”
>”You have the cutest eyes!”
>”Look at my cute ass! Isn’t it delightfully round?”
>”My ass is cuter!”
>”Nuh uh!”
>”Ass off time!”
>Your crowd grew to dozens of individuals who just loved being the cute little mare doing cute little things.
>So in the interests of cute and adorableness, you’d worked with several others to build a cute little town for all of you.

>It was hard, but you helped each other out through the power of friendship, and the town was built in a magical fortnight.
>You all got your special talent from what you’d wanted, and there were some clones of actual ponies in your town, but they just wanted to be cute in their own way, so no one bothered you.
>All the sex fiends either got arrested for indecent exposure, or hadn’t left the field in a sex-fueled frenzy.
>They were probably still going at it.
>But you digress.
>You were Adorablast Tintwinkle, and you were a toymaker.
>You made the cutest little toys, to sell to all the girls and boys.
>Some pinged, some dinged, some rolled, some scrolled, but all of them were adorable.
>Hence your name.
>Today was the weekly cute meeting at the town small.
>You all thought about calling it the town hall, but it wasn’t very big.
>Just large enough to have tea at.
>You were going to bring some examples of a wooden line of toy bolders.
>They were like soldiers, but instead of using weapons, they were stallions just bold enough to make a mare blush cutely.

>Bindlebrine the seamstress said she was working on a new pattern for her quilt and wanted to know what everyone else thought.
>You couldn’t wait, and pranced in a tiny circle inside your little house in excitement, smiling happily.
>You put the toy bolders in your saddlebags.
>They matched your mane.
>You looked at yourself in the mirror.
>You had your saddlebags, your summer hat, and your mane was freshly brushed.
>The mane flipping contest was happening after the tea party, and you were planning on winning.
>You had thought about joining the tail swinging games, but decided against it.
>Your schedule was already booked so full.
>Maybe you’d actually take part in the butties show.
>Pert bottoms were becoming quite popular with the rest of the village lately, and if you do say so, yours was quite round.
>You blush.
>It was so lewd, though!
>You check yourself in the mirror one last time, and head out the door.
>It’s not adorable to be late, so you’d better hurry!
>You latch the door with care, and trot cheerfully off to tea, smiling cutely.

>You tried to always be the first one there, because you had organized it after all.
>You and Bindlebrine, who was the unicorn who first talked to you, had decided that after making the town, you should meet to try to figure out more ways to make the city cute.
>Cute buildings just big enough to use, but small enough to not be imposing would be perfect, but to add to it, you had to have the city be cute as a whole.
>You were unofficially the mayor, you supposed, but you’d never call yourself that.
>It isn’t cute to be in charge.
>As you walked past the houses and shops, you smile and wave at a few other ponies, going about their business.
>You spy somepony walking with less than a spring in their step.
>You stop a moment and ask her what’s wrong.
>She says that she’s not feeling as cute today as she could, because she was having trouble brushing her mane with hooves.
>You refer her to the weekly hoof-use lessons and make her promise to go.
>She thanks you with a smile and bids you goodbye with a renewed spring in her step.
>Learning to use hooves was tricky at first, but with the power of friendship, anything was possible!
>You hum gaily to yourself and trot onward to the Town Small.
>You find that you aren’t actually the first one there.
>Waxworks, the chandler, was already there.
>There were seven of you that came regularly.
>Sometimes there were more, but there had never been less than seven once everything had been set up.
>Waxworks was… admittedly the least cute out of all of you.
>She was an earth pony like you, and was as pale as her namesake, she always looked extremely solemn, and her mane was very limp at all times, with no luster or shine to it.
>It never stopped her from joining in every activity with gusto, but the serious look on her face never quite disappeared.

>She also loved your toys, and looked forward to seeing the new ones you came up with every week.
>She had a collection at home of things she’d bought from you, and kept them on careful display.
>It was very flattering.
>”Hello, Adorablast. It’s good to see you. I’m looking forward to seeing what new things you’ve made. I brought some new candles to show.”
“It’s lovely to see you too, Waxworks! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what I have today. It’s not refined yet, but I’m happy with how it looks.”
>”Can I see now? Please, I’m really excited.”
>She didn’t look it, but she never really did.
>You glance around, and sneak one of your toy bolders out of your bag and show it to her.
>She was the one who would really appreciate it the most.
>She looked at and squeed, a half smile forming on her face, then she noticed how bold it was and blushed, turning away.
>Perfect result! That cute reaction was what you had wanted.
“I call them toy bolders, and they look like they work perfectly!”
>”They certainly are bold.” She said, still blushing.
>You put it away and move over to your seat at the table, setting your bag down next to your chair.
>Waxworks already had her candles out at hers, and as usual, they weren’t very cute.
>They looked like perfectly normal candles, just the tiniest bit shorter than usual.
>You smile at the tiny effort she’d made.
>She was enthusiastic, at least.
>You talk quietly while you wait for everyone else.
>You could have started the tea and cakes already, but Propriety would be offended.
>She was the town maid, and although there really wasn’t much use for a maid in the town, she made do.
>She was very cute in her little outfit while she worked, and she would make tiny mistakes, just so she could apologize.
>It was never anything major, but apologizing was something she was really adorable when doing, so no one minded.

>She could always get hired by someone for something anyway.
>She never did hard labor, though.
>It was only ever cooking or cleaning she did.
>After a minute or two, Bindlebrine arrives, with Butterbeam in tow.
>Butterbeam was a Pegasus, and was carrying several of Bindlebrines bags on her wings, while the rest were floating along in Bindlebrines magic.
>Probably new outfits.
>”Thank you Butterbeam, please put them next to my chair while I go make sure my mane is proper.” Bindlebrine said.
>Butterbeam and Bindlebrine were probably a couple.
>They’d never admitted it, but they spent a lot of time together, and it was cute the way they tried to hide it, so no one said anything.
>Butterbeam was a gardener.
>She always had several flowers in her hair, and Bindlebrine similarly had several of the same type in her mane a lot of the time.
>Yet another indicator they were together.
>Butterbeam never grew food, though, just flowers, but they were adorable flowers.
>She was exceptional at arrangements, too, so she never wanted for customers.
>You greet them both, and the four of you wait for the final three members of your group to arrive.
>Propriety showed up soon, and without a greeting beyond a small bow to each of you, went immediately to the kitchen to make the tea.
>The last two members were habitually late, so you might have to start without them.
>Always Right was a unicorn and the town scientist, and although she was called that, she usually only had work as a medical doctor.
>She was experimenting a lot of the time, but her knowledge made her indispensable for treating boo-boos and scrapes.
>Ponies always left with a smile on their faces, and a smiley band-aid on their hooves.
>She always had her mane up in a bun, a labcoat, and she actually wore glasses too, which was a lovely accessory to enhance her cuteness.
>Nerdy cuteness worked, and it worked well.
>It was science.

>The last member was Tall Tale.
>A Pegasus, she told stories, and went camping.
>Despite camping being a rather rustic and rough sort of habit, Tall Tale only went camping so she could tell stories to people.
>Fun stories, scary stories, exciting stories, and sad stories.
>If it could elicit a cute reaction from somepony, Tall Tale knew a story like it.
>The camping was really just an excuse to tell stories, and wear a ranger’s hat.
>She didn’t actually live in a house, either, she just lived in a tent near Butterbeam’s garden.
>Propriety brings out the tea, spills a tiny bit while pouring yours and apologized profusely to you.
>You blushed at her bowing and since you knew Tall Tale and Always Right would arrive after you start, you officially begin your weekly Sweet Meet.

>You take a sip of your tea, which Propriety had brewed to perfection yet again, then take your spoon and tap it on your cup for attention.
>The ponies who were there turned toward you and silenced themselves.
>Propriety stood demurely behind Bindlebrine with her head bowed, but you knew she was paying attention.
“Good afternoon, girls. I’d like to welcome you all to our weekly Sweet Meet. I suspect Always Right and Tall Tale will arrive momentarily, but I’d like to open the table to talk about what we all accomplished this past week. I will, of course, begin with my own week.”
>You reach down and pull out some of your toy bolders and place them on the table.
“I’m pleased to announce that my toy bolders should be available for sale soon. I’ve completed the prototype, and brought them here for you all to look at and review, so please let me know what you think.”
>Bindlebrine grabbed one with her magic to take a look. Butterbeam sat next to her and she leaned over to take a peek.
>Waxworks didn’t need to take a look since you’d already shown her, but she grabbed one anyway and waved Propriety over so they could discuss it.
>Everyone blushed while looking at them.
>You would definitely consider it a success!
>While they were chatting, you heard a faint whistling, and you knew Tall Tale was about to enter.
>She was very folksy, and knew songs in addition to her stories.
>You could generally hear her before you saw her.
>Tall Tale pushed open the door and walked inside.
>Propriety gasped and left Waxworks’ side to hurry over and take Tall Tale’s hat, apologizing for being so slow to do so.
>Tall Tale insisted there was no problem, which made Propriety bow and apologize even harder, blushing fiercely the whole time.
>Tall Tale sat down and the table and looked at the toy bolders, blushing as she noticed them.
>”More of your toys, Dora?” She said.

“Indeed they are. I call them toy bolders, because they’re so bold, they’ll make you blush.”
>”Well they appear to work just fine, then.” Tall Tale said.
“Well thank you then. I’m glad to see it myself. I should have them up for sale by next week.”
>”Can I buy one right now, Adorablast?” Waxworks asked.
“Because you’re a dear friend you can keep the one you have, Waxy.”
>She holds it to her chest and halfway smiles.
>”Thank you so much, this is amazing.” Waxworks said.
>You look around at the rest of the table, catching Bindlebrine’s eye.
>She was smiling at you excitedly, her eyes wide.
“Do you have any cute outfits you wanted to show us, Bindlebrine?”
>”Why yes! I do indeed! I thought you’d never ask! Butterbeam, if you would be so kind?” Bindlebrine said.
>Butterbeam smiled and stood up out of her chair.
>”Yes of course.” She said, and moved a small distance from the table, standing straight.
>Bindlebrine’s horn lit up and a small curtain came out of one of the bags on the floor, it flew up around Butterbeam to cover her completely, then several articles of clothing flew up and into the top of the curtain.
>After a few seconds, the curtain lowered, and Butterbeam stood in a cute summer outfit.
>It had a little straw hat, a little collared blouse, with buttons down the front, and a long pleated skirt.
>”I’ve made cute outfits for summerrr!” Bindlebrine cheered happily.
>There were ooooh’s and aaaah’s from the rest of the group, followed by a quiet clopping of hooves in applause.
>”I’ve also made some for fall in advance. Just in case, you know.” Bindlebrine said.
>She proceeds to show off several different outfits, each one cuter than the last, in varying colors and styles.
>She almost always took the longest to show off, and Propriety had to go make another pot of tea by the time she was done.

>Bindlebrine had just begun packing up all her clothes, when Always Right burst through the door.
>”I’ve done i-!” She yelled, and tripped onto her face.
>Her glasses skidded across the floor, and papers flew everywhere as her magic winked out from the impact.
>Propriety and Waxworks rushed to her side almost immediately to help her up.
>Tall Tale picked up her glasses and carefully slid them onto her face, while the rest of you helped collect her papers.
>”Sorry I’m late, girls.” She said, as the papers were collected.
>”I had just hit a breakthrough, and I needed to double check before I came, to make sure everything was correct.
>She sat down at the last empty seat at the table, and Propriety poured her a fresh cup of tea.
“Well don’t keep us in suspense, Always. You can go next with sharing, what have you discovered?”
>”I’ve found, the cute gland!”
>Everyone gasped, including Propriety, who immediately began bowing and apologizing for interrupting.
>”What does it mean?” Waxworks asked.
>Always pushed her glasses up her nose with her hoof before answering.
>”The cute gland is precisely what it sounds like. It’s the gland that determines your cute level from one moment to the next. When you do something cute, it releases cuteness pheromones that make ponies react to your cuteness, making them feel warm and happy with what they see.” Always explains.
>”So how does this affect us?” Butterbeam asks.
>Always slides her glass up her nose with her hoof.
>”It doesn’t, I just know where cuteness comes from now.” Always says.
>Everyone was silent for a moment.
>Always looks around at everypony.
>No one said anything, so she sat back down.
>”Well I thought it was neat.” She pouts.
“It’s very interesting Always, and we appreciate your research. It will certainly help us down the line knowing we discovered the cute gland first. We can always say cuteness has a source, and that source was found here, in Adorbia.”

>Always brightens up a little bit at that.
>”You should be very proud, Always.” Waxworks said.
>”I’m very pleased that I found it, I will study it further to find out if it has any practical applications.” Always said.
“That would be wonderful, Always. Waxworks, Butterbeam, or Tall Tale, which one of you would like to go next?”
>”I can go, I suppose.” Butterbeam said quietly.
>You were pretty sure her favorite pony had been Fluttershy before this. She looked almost identical barring some minor colors, and her behavior was spot-on.
>But that was neither here nor there.
>She was very good at being the quiet-cute type, and her flowers were lovely.
>”I thought I’d just bring in my favorite flower today. I haven’t made any breakthroughs, or don’t anything amazing, but this flower is really pretty.” Butterbeam said.
>She pulled a flowerpot out of one of the bags she had brought in with Bindlebrine, and it was indeed a really pretty flower.
>It wasn’t cute by itself, it was pretty, but it would make a mare look really cute with it in her hair.
>”Butterbeam, dear, how many of these do you have growing at once?” Bindlebrine said.
>”Oh, a lot. I don’t really count them. But they’re my favourite, so I make sure I have some growing constantly.” Butterbeam said.
>Bindlebrine touch Butterbeam on the leg with her hoof.
>”Well dear, if you were to grow enough, I could make some outfits that match the colors, and we can recommend ponies get wreaths woven out of these to put in their hair. They would look adorable with them.” Bindlebrine said.
>”Oh it’s true, they definitely would.” Always interjected.
>Butterbeam was smiling widely now.
>”Oh, those are all great ideas, girls, thank you so much! I’ll start growing more tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful news, I’m sure they’ll be so cute. Waxworks, would you care to go next?”
>”Actually, if I could go last, that would be nice.” She said.

“Alright then. Tall Tale?”
>”Sure!” Tall Tale said, sitting up straight.
>”So, I’ve been working on a story I think will do well with certain crowds, and children, when they’re old enough to go camping. It’s pretty short, so I’d like to tell the story now if I could.”
“Does anypony have any meetings to get to?”
>There was a unanimous shaking of heads.
“Go ahead, Tall.”
>Tall Tale proceeds to relate a story about a young mare who, when pressed by a young stallion, travels with him into a forest.
>They proceed to get lost and, when the mare wants to go home, the stallion reveals himself to be a magically disguised dragon!
>The poor mare is captured and is forced to serve dragon his meals and clean his hoard.
>The mare decides that if she’s going to clean, she’s going to do it properly!
>She cleans everything so hard, and organizes the dragon’s entire hoard, so that he can’t sleep on it properly anymore. She’s put everything into cupboards or shelves, or stacked it too neatly.
>The dragon messed it up again, but the next day she did it again, and the day after that, and after that as well.
>He can’t be angry at her, because she did exactly as he asked of her, so he lets her go so that he can have his bed back.
>Tall Tale finishes, and everypony clops their hooves in applause, especially Propriety, who was smiling ear to ear about a maid pony story.
>You turn to Waxworks.
“Are you ready to go, Waxy?”
>”Uhhhh… yeah. Umm…” Waxworks stuttered.
>”Pro-Propriety, could you bring me some matches, please?” Waxworks asked.
>Propriety hurried to find some matches and brought them over, dropping the box onto the floor and apologizing profusely about it.
>She turned to leave, but Waxworks stopped her with a hoof on her front leg.
>”Propriety, could you please light this for me?” Waxworks said.
>She pulled out a cube of strange-coloured wax about the size of a hoof, with a single thick wick on the top.

>Propriety obediently pulled open the box of matches, struck one and dropped it on the floor, after which she apologized and bowed.
>Waxworks halfway smiled.
>Propriety eventually got it lit, and you were all treated to quite a light show as the wick sparked and burned brighter than you would have expected.
>Propriety tried to back up, but Waxworks grabbed her by the hoof and held her still.
>The candle burnt quickly, the wax disappearing in a small cloud of white smoke.
>As it burned away, you could see a shape begin to emerge from inside the wax.
>Once it got halfway down, everyone could tell what it was.
>It was a crystal in the shape of a heart.
>Propriety put her free hoof over her mouth and blushed.
>Everyone was silent but smiling as the rest of the wax burned away, leaving the ruby heart laying on the table.
>You could see there was a PW carved into the middle of it.
>Waxworks turned to Propriety and gripped her hoof in both of her own.
>”Propriety, will you be my special somepony?”
>Propriety was blushing incredibly hard now, but you could see a smile underneath her hoof, and tears in the corners of her eyes.
>She nodded.
>”Yes.” Propriety squeaked out.
>Waxworks actually smiled a full smile, and pulled Propriety in close for a hug.
>Everyone else cheered and applauded.
>Bindlebrine was openly holding Butterbeam’s hoof, who was actually crying.
>You caught Tall Tale winking across the table at Always right, who blushed and looked back down at her notes.
>You sigh happily.

“Thank you all for coming, but with it being Hearts and Hooves day, you may all leave. I will clean up.”
>Propriety looked over at you and shook her head fiercely.
>You give her a friendly glare.
“No buts, missy. I’m doing it today! I insist!”
>She pouts, but looks over at Waxworks, then down at their hooves still held together, and resigns herself to it.
>Always Right packs up her things, stacks her papers and heads out first.
>Seeing her leave, Tall Tale flaps her wings and takes off after her.
>Butterbeam and Bindlebrine pick up their bags and head out, giving you a last little wave before they go.
>Propriety looks at you, and then back at the table and opens her mouth, but you shake your head at her and point at the door.
“Nope. Out.”
>Waxworks picks up her candles and grabs Propriety by the hoof.
>You see them rub noses just as the door shuts, leaving you alone.
>You look around at the dishes and food and sigh, smiling to yourself.
>Today had been successfully adorable.
>It was a very sweet meeting.


>You are Waxworks.
>You watch Twibright leave for a moment, then shut the door behind her.
>To be fair to Twibright, her concern that things seemed a little too conveniently magical was a legitimate one.
>You’d had those thoughts yourself for a while, but Dora had assured you that the Magic of Friendship would make anything possible, and for all intents and purposes, it had.
>Everyone just had to contribute to being cute, and it would all work out.
>You really enjoyed it, too.
>You return to your candle-making, giving your mare-friend a kiss on the nose as you walked past.
>She blushed and looked away.
>She was so cute!
>You’d always had trouble managing the kind of cuteness everyone else in the club seemed to so effortlessly deliver.
>You took part in the activities, you tried to dance, tried to sing, tried to flip your mane in just the right manner, and trot at just the right cadence, lifting your hooves to just the right height, but you felt like you fell short.
>You were pretty sure it was your mane and tail.
>You’d always liked wax museums before you came to Equestria, so you wanted to become a wax-working pony.
>Unfortunately, you weren’t ever the most emotionally obvious person, and that stuck with you here, along with limp and wax-covered hair.
>It dribbled along your back, lying completely flat against your neck, and falling heavily down the side of you head, while your tail did the same at your rear end.
>It wasn’t… ‘cute’, per se.
>So you tried to make up with it in other ways.
>No matter how cute you might not look, you made sure to take part in everything else possible.
>Speaking of, there was supposed to be a parade a little later today, followed by a flower-picking contest.
>You look over at Propriety.
>She catches your eye and looks away, blushing.

“Propriety, did you want to come with me to the parade and flower-picking contest today? If you have other cute houses to clean, then I understand.”
>Propriety jumped a little at that and looked back at you.
>”Oh, what time is it? I forgot I had two other houses I’d promised to clean today!”
>She rushed about in a tizzy, gathering her things together.
>You check the clock next to your cauldron of beeswax.
“It’s about one o’clock Propriety. When were you expected?”
>”Ohhh no! I’m supposed to be there at two! I might only be a half hour early at this point!”
>You check your candles, dip them once more just for good measure, then walk slowly over to  Propriety.
>She was double-checking all of her cleaning supplies.
>Not many ponies had much in the way of cleaning tools themselves.
>At least, not the kind Propriety required for the heavy cleaning she did, so she maintained her own collection.
>You give her a peck on the cheek.
>She stops checking and blushes cutely.
“You have everything. You’ll be there on time. Good luck, Propriety.”
>You nuzzle her neck lightly.
>She smiles at you and puts her saddlebags on.
>She lets out a sigh, and the two of you walk over to the door.
>You open it and the two of you step outside into the afternoon sun.
>Propriety turns to you as you shut the door and looks into your eyes.
>She doesn’t say anything, but kisses you on the lips, blushes, then turns and gallops away.
>You smile slowly and watch her go.
>She’s so cute.
>And she is your mare-friend.
>With a small smile on your face, you trot down to the train station.
>You needed to speak with the shipping pony about the next shipment of beeswax from Ponyville.
>Tallow was animal fat, so it was obviously out of the question for ponies, unless you wanted to import it from the Griffon Kingdom.

>It burned with a nasty smell, too, so it wasn’t cute.
>Not a good fit for Adorbia.
>Paraffin came from petroleum, so it was also difficult to come by.
>Beeswax, however, was easy.
>Fluttershy could talk to animals, and she could just ask the bees nicely to make wax for you, and that was that.
>Shipments of beeswax were regular from then on.
>While you walk, you encounter a young couple in love at one of the tea shops.
>The young stallion begins a song, and everyone nearby has to jump in and sing along with him.
>You put on your best smile and dance along with everyone else in the background.
>You know the words and steps, of course.
>Everyone does.
>It’s just a thing that happens.
>Eventually it reaches a point where everyone in the background gets paired up to show off the relationship aspect.
>You get paired up with a young bright blue mare with a palm tree cutie mark.
>The two of you hold hooves and dance back and forth, swinging each other around with cheerful abandon.
>It was fun, but you wished Propriety were here with you.
>After a few more minutes of dancing and singing, the song ends and the young stallion and mare walk off together, leaving the rest of you to go about your business.
>You and the young blue mare are still holding hooves, since the last pose had all the background dancers standing in their pairs pointing in at the young couple.
>You give her a small half-smile and a nod, then release her hooves.
>She smiles brightly back at you.
>”You’re a very good dancer. I hope I’ll see you again?”
>You hear the question in her voice, but you don’t quite know what to do about it.
>So you just walk off.
>The daily songs and dances were a great way to meet other ponies, that was for sure.

>There was no shortage of activities for anyone hoping to meet someone else.
>Unfortunately, it only got you so far if you couldn’t let go of your old awkwardness.
>You continue through town to the train station and speak with the quartermaster.
>She informed you that the next shipment of beeswax would be here tomorrow morning, and you could pick it up then.
>You nod, thank him for his time, and head to the parade.
>You get closer and see the band setting up, with cheer ponies practicing some moves nearby.
>Crowds were already gathering, and flyers were being handed out to visitors from Ponyville and Canterlot.
>The parade was essentially advertising to get other ponies to come visit Adorbia.
>It would pass through the center of town, and near all the major landmarks and shops, including Dora’s toy shop.
>You should stop by and say hello.
>See if she wanted to come to the flower picking contest.
>The parade would then conveniently end near the flower picking contest, where everyone would be invited to take part.
>The goal was to find the prettiest flower in a field that had carefully been cultivated by Butterbeam to grow wildflowers.
>Participants had ten minutes to hunt, and there would be several rounds.
>The winner would get a trophy made by Dora herself, but the real winners would be everyone watching.
>It should be adorable.
>You take your spot in the parade.
>You were going to be one of the backup dancers, situated somewhere in the middle so as to avoid your exposure to the crowd.
>You knew full well that you weren’t the cutest-acting mare around, but you tried.
>Enthusiasm should cover for your lack of cute behavior.
>Soon enough, there was a crash of cymbals, a bang of drums, and the parade had begun.
>You started out walking rather slowly until the rest of the parade had really started moving, and then you were dancing while you trot.

>Swaying and stepping here and there along with all the other ponies in line.
>You did your best to keep a smile on your face, but concentrating on dancing as cutely as possible made it difficult.
>You watched the other ponies and tried to emulate them as well as you could.
>A little extra rump-shake here and there made some of the others look super cute while they danced.
>Some other mares had this cute little head-tilt they did.
>You tried to copy them, but it felt awkward.
>You kept at it, though.
>As the parade marched on, it eventually passed by Dora’s house.
>You glanced at the door while you marched by, but it looked like the store wasn’t open at the moment.
>That usually meant she didn’t want to be disturbed, so you let her be.
>The parade marched on to Butterbeam’s flower field, and with a crashing crescendo, you hit the finale.
>You posed along with everyone else and waved your hooves with a smile on your face to a resounding stomping applause.
>You could see some visitors from Ponyville in the audience.
>That was always a good sign.
>The clonies had caused a bit of an uproar, and there was still some concern about them, so visitors were cautious.
>Thankfully Twibright and Twilight seemed to have things under control, so other ponies were beginning to calm down.
>Butterbeam flew up above the crowd and rang a little bell for attention after the applause had died down.
>”Hello everypony, I just wanted to welcome you all to the flower picking contest. To those of you who are new, the rules are that you look through the field for what you think is the prettiest flower, and bring it to the judges. You have ten minutes. That is all. Starting… now!”
>The boundaries of the contest are cordoned off, and they start it so quickly so that everyone who was still hyped up over the parade would feel like taking part in the ongoing energy of the crowd.