My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Season 4

Episode 5: Storytime I: Pied Piper

(It opens at the guys' place as the Cutie Mark Crusaders come up.)

Applebloom: Don't worry, Cutie Mark Crusaders. I'm sure Doug'll do it!
Sweetie Belle: Hooray.

(They knock on the door as Rob comes up.)

Rob: What?
Applebloom: Is Doug here? We wanna talk to him.

(Doug comes up.)

Doug: Hey girls. What's up?
Applebloom: We heard from Chris that you like tellin' stories, and we were wonderin' if you'd like to tell one to our class.
Doug: I'd love to. I'll be there... Um...
Sweetie Belle: Tomorrow.
Doug: Okay, that sounds fair. I've heard a load of stories in my time, so I'm sure I can think of one to tell.

(Cut to that day at school.)

Cherilee: Class, today, we're going to hear a story about honesty from a newcomer to Ponyville. Doug.

(Doug comes in.)

Doug: Hey everypony.
Foals: Hey Doug!
Doug: Okay. This is a story I've heard and re-heard all the time when I was your age, so I figured why not tell it now. You see, back where I come from, there was a place called Hamelin. You see, a very long time ago, the Town of Hamelin had a serious rat problem. But the real rats in town weren't vermin. They were the town officials themselves.
Sweetie Belle: Wow, really?
Doug: Yup. You see...

(Fade to a German village with the Ponies inhabiting it.)

Doug (narrating): They made lots of promises and broke them all.

(Cut to a very uneven road.)

Doug: They promised to repair the broken cobblestones on the streets.

(Cut to a barren town square.)

Doug: Plant flowers in the town square.

(Cut to a rundown school room.)

Doug: Buy books for the school houses.

(Cut to a gap between the town and the mainland.)

Doug: Build a bridge over the river.

(Cut to Princess Platinum with Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Pudding Head.)

Doug: Of course, to do these wonderful things, the council needed to have meetings. Lunch meetings. Dinner meetings. These fat cat ponies spent so much on themselves that there was nothing left for the town, so they raised the taxes, but they also raised their salaries too. Soon enough there was no more money left to keep their promises at all, but that didn't stop them from making more promises that sounded so good, that the townsfolk never caught on... Until the rats came.

(Several rats arrive.)

Doug: At first, there were only a few rats. The council promised to buy traps to catch them, but instead they bought another dinner, and the rats, seeing that there were no traps, went and got their friends who got their friends, and soon it wasn't just a rat here and there. There were rats everywhere, and when it looked like the rats would take over the town, the villagers had a meeting of their own.

(Cut to Town Hall as Smart Cookie is in front of the Council.)

Smart Cookie: While you lazy as all get out "leaders" have been stuffing your faces and getting hooficures, the rats have been frightening our foals, cleaning out our cupboards, and nesting in our beds! The citizens of Hamelin have had enough! If you don't get rid of all them rats by tomorrow, we're getting rid of y'all!
Platinum: My dear Smart Cookie, please be reasonable. There are so many rats, and so little time. We'll need at least a few weeks.
Smart Cookie: You had too much time already! You're only getting one more day!
Platinum: Oh dear.

(The filly Rarity arrives with a baby Sweetie Belle on her back.)

Rarity: Mummy, are you finished working? Can you go on that picnic with me and Sweetie Belle now?
Sweetie Belle: Mama.
Platinum: Oh sorry dears. Mummy has to deal with these rats. Maybe tomorrow.
Rarity: But you're always saying that! Please Mummy, you promised!

(Filly Rainbow Dash with baby Scootaloo goes to Hurricane.)

Rainbow Dash: Mom, Mom, can you go fishing with us now, like you said?
Hurricane: Sorry kiddo. I've still gotta deal with those rats. Tomorrow for sure.
Rainbow Dash: But you said that yesterday!

(Filly Pinkie Pie hops up.)

Pinkie: Mommy! Mommy! There are colors in the sky!
Pudding Head: That's a Rainbow.
Pinkie: Oh Amalthea, it has a name!
Pudding Head: Yeah, and there's a pot of gold at the end!
Pinkie: Ooh! Ooh! Can you take me there Mommy?! Please, please, PLEASE!
Pudding Head: Sorry honey. I gotta figure out how to get rid of all these yucky rats.
Pinkie: Oh... Okay.
Pudding Head: But the next time there's a rainbow, I promise we'll look at it together.
Pinkie: ... You always say that...
Platinum: Look children, we'll all keep our promises, but right now we've got work to do.

(The fillies walk sadly off as Smart Cookie, Filly Applejack, and baby Applebloom go to them.)

Smart Cookie: Well, I'll at least give y'all some fresh air away from these pesky rats.
Applejack: Yeah, that's what friends are for.
Applebloom: Fwends!
Scootaloo: Mm...

(They head off with Cloven, Twilight, Pansy, and Fluttershy.)

Fluttershy: Oh, I hope we don't step on any of the rats.
Twilight: I'm sure we won't.

(Pansy shrieks and jumps on top of Smart Cookie as a rat scurries past.)

Smart Cookie: This is gonna be a long... Day.

(They watch their children head off.)

Platinum: Come on all, we need to make a meeting to get rid of these rats, or we'll lose our jobs!

(Cut to the council chamber as they all talk.)

Hurricane: I say we set traps at once!
Platinum: Oh, it's too late for that Commander Hurricane. There aren't enough traps in this whole country to catch all these rats.
Pudding Head: Ooh! Maybe we could bring in some rat specialists!
Platinum: No time Chancellor Pudding Head. They'd have to do a study, write a report. It would take months, even if we could afford their fee. Which reminds me, how much money do we have?
Pudding Head: I'll have to check our money bags.

(Pudding Head comes back with two bags of coins and empties them, revealing fifty gold bits, twenty silver ones, and seventy bronze bits.)

Platinum: That's all?! That's barely a hundred gold bits. It's over! We're done for!

(Platinum begins crying as the door opens, and Luna arrives.)

Luna: Excuse me your honors, I heard you have a rat problem. Perhaps I could help.
Platinum: Then by all means come in, and who might you be? You don't look much like a rat catcher or a scientist.
Luna: I am known as the pied piper. My music weaves a strange spell on those who hear it. No creature can resist it. I have freed many a town from many a pest, and for the right price, I'll be happy to make short work of your rats as well.
Pudding Head: How short? Can you get rid of 'em in a day?
Luna: In an hour.
Hurricane: And what is the right price?
Luna: A hundred gold pieces, which judging by your silverware, you can easily afford.
Platinum: Will you excuse us, so we can discuss it?
Luna: Of course.

(Luna walks a little ways off as Platinum goes to the others.)

Hurricane: We can't pay him that! It'll clean out the town chest!
Pudding Head: We're wasting time! We should send him packing!
Platinum: And I say we agree to his bargain. That silly pipe of his won't rid this town of one rat, let alone a thousand, but it will give us someone else to blame for our failure. When the piper isn't able to draw the rats away, we can say that the piper broke his promise, giving us more time to come up with a solution.

(They agree, and Platinum goes to Luna.)

Platinum: It's a deal, but you must get rid of every last rat. If you do, you shall have your money.
Luna: Best start counting it then, because I'll soon hold up my end of this bargain.

(Luna begins playing an upbeat tune on her pipe as the rats begin following her out of the town. Cut to the stream as the fillies are fishing.)

Rarity: I wish Mummy was here.

(The music reaches the stream.)

Cloven: What in the name of Amalthea is that?

(They see Luna arrive and fly over the river as the rats swim over as the council comes and stares.)

Pinkie (giggling): Look Mommy, the rats are going swimming!

(The rats then sink from exhaustion as Luna gets back to the shore.)

Pudding Head: Ooh, it looks like the rats are sunk.
Hurricane: And so are we. Looks like we're gonna have to pay the piper after all.

(Cut to Town Hall as everyone is there.)

Smart Cookie: Well slap my flank, ya did it.
Luna: Actually, I did it, and now I'd like my reward.
Platinum: Here you go my dear pony.

(Platinum hands Luna a small amount of gold.)

Luna: Only twenty gold bits?! Our bargain was for a hundred!
Platinum: Oh, you weren't serious, were you? I mean, no one pays a hundred gold bits just for piping a tune. After all, it's me and my friends' job to guard our good people's money. Now what kind of leader would I be if I paid you a fee like that?
Luna: An honest one! Which you are obviously not!
Pansy: Well, um... Y-you did promise her-
Hurricane: What are you saying, Private?! You want us to plunge the whole town into a depression?!
Pansy: Oh, well no.
Luna: But I ask you, is it honest for this council to make a promise and then break it!
Rarity: No ma'am, but you see, they always do that.

(Luna looks sadly at all the children.)

Luna: It is up to you good townspeople to make sure your leaders keep their promises, and it's obvious to me that you're either too brow beaten or lazy to do so!
Smart Cookie: Hey, I resent that!
Luna: Even those who are a bit more strong-willed have to face the music with their fellows, for this.
Hurricane: Ah, you're only bluffing! It's not like you can pipe the rats back out of the river! Now get out!
Luna: You-you...
Smart Cookie: Oh, now ya've done it.
Luna: YOU'RE DISHONEST AND UNGRATEFUL! AND IT REALLY IS A SHAME THAT THE CHILDREN OF THIS VILLAGE SHOULD GROW UP TO BE THE SAME! I'll save the children from such a fate. I'll pipe them away before it's too late.

(She begins playing a lovely soothing tune as she heads off as Rarity and Sweetie Belle follow.)

Cloven: Your highness, your daughters are following the piper.
Platinum: What of it? Rarity and Sweetie Belle always had a taste for music. I'm sure they'll turn back in a minute.

(The other fillies and colts follow the piper.)

Smart Cookie: What the-? All the other foals are following her too.
Platinum: After them!

(They all follow the children as Luna leads them to a mountain range.)

Platinum: Children, stop!
Pudding Head: She's not going to drown them like she did the rats, is she?
Hurricane: No, look! She's leading them to that mountain!
Smart Cookie: That place aint got no trail. It's sheer rock.
Platinum: You're right. They'll have to turn back. The game is up.

(Suddenly, the rock face opens up, and the children all pass through it into what looks like the Chocolate Room from Willie Wonka's Factory.)

Platinum: Children, come back! COME BACK!

(The only one not to get through is a little crippled colt who couldn't keep up, and he begins crying.)

Platinum: Where's the piper? Where are our children?! Why did they follow her?
Colt: Her music promised she would take us to a wonderful place where no one was ever sick or lame anymore, and the breeze is always gentle, but I couldn't keep up, and now I fear I'll never get there.

(Suddenly, the entrance opens a crack as the music resumes, and the child rushes in before it slams shut as Platinum claws at it with her hoofs.)

Platinum: Wait, no! Please, if you just give me my children back, I'll give you anything you want! All the money in the treasury! Everything I own! Just please give me my daughters back! PLEASE!
Smart Cookie: Your highness, I... I don't think she believes you this time.

(Platinum looks down as a voice echoes from the mountain.)

Luna (VO): This is my promise. I will return someday with the children. If you have the one hundred gold bits you promised me, you will have them back for good.

Platinum: Oh, yes! Yes, I promise we'll have them! And… And Smart Cookie will be our treasurer to make sure we don't spend it on anything but that!

(Cut back to the school.)

Doug: I bet that council wishes they were more honest with their children and the piper in the first place.
Applebloom: Aw... That's so sad. Those poor ponies. All because that council was a bunch of jerks.

Sweetie Belle: At least they'll get their kids back someday.
Doug: Yup.

(Doug smiles as he talks with the kids about the story when his Cutie Mark, an open storybook, appears.)

The End.