Chapter 8: Bidding Wars Pt. 2

While Prince Blueblood was dragged from the stage, the crowd broke into conversation as to how much the next stallion would go for and who ponies were still waiting on. Yet others were enjoying the company of the bachelors they had won. Bulk Biceps and Cheerilee had already disappeared, the muscle-bound stallion whispering into the mare’s ear about Langston Hooves.

Then there was the case of Spike, still trapped in the grip of Sweetie Belle as she rubbed her face against his. A look of pure agitation was painted across the poor dragon’s face; the constant giggling or outright laughing of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo didn’t help the situation at all. Even Twilight could not hide her own giggles at the torture he was going through.

While many ponies around them also found this display of foalhood romance adorable, others were backing away from another blooming relationship, for a nearby pair of ponies were completely in the control of Spitfire. The Captain of the Wonderbolts was sitting in the middle of Braeburn and Fluttershy with a grin that would make the Devil himself bend to her will. Her tail moved from pony to pony, lightly tracing them, their faces staying a constant shade of red as she did so. As far as Spitfire was concerned, she was coming out the biggest winner of the auction so far, since she was going home with a toned country stallion and a cute little pegasus mare.

As lust grew in the eyes of one pegasus, another pegasus was completely lost in a set of green eyes that reflected his own. The pair seemed in a state of blissful ignorance to the world around them, as their eyes stayed locked within one another. A slight blush covered the orange mare’s face as the blue stallion smirked ever so devilishly at her, one wing wrapped around her, keeping her close to him. Nothing, not even the end of the world, seemed able to break the stare between them.

This did not stop the world from trying, however, as the booming voice of Carrot Cake echoed across the crowd once more.

“So many twists and turns this evening! I’m not sure if I can take much more, myself!” Carrot laughed, wiping away a bit of sweat that had gathered on his brow. “But we are just reaching the halfway point in our stallions, tonight! Please put your hooves, and bits, together for Ponyville’s very own Thunderlane!” At the calling of his name, the dark grey pegasus glided onto the stage for the final time that night, as cheers welcomed him back. His hoof was still wrapped in bandages, but the rest of him looked as perfect as could be, and his gold eyes seemed to shimmer in the spotlight.

“Since you are a very highly scored stallion as well, why not start your bidding at… three thousand bits?” Thunderlane’s head whipped around at the staggering amount. Unlike Blueblood before him, he thought the price might have been too high. The stallion’s fears were soon put to rest as the first bid was called out.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie will give three thousand for that stallion!” Somehow, Trixie’s voice boomed over the crowd with much more intensity and volume than Carrot’s ever had, even with the microphone.

“Three thousand five hundred!” came another voice, further back in the crowd, making the blue mare growl.

“Three thousand seven hundred!” And once again the bidding was off, as mares fought one another for the stallion on stage. Thunderlane’s eyes darted from one mare to the other as they kept raising the bid on him. With his mouth slightly ajar, he took an involuntary step backwards, as though the increasing amount was more harmful to him than good. No matter the case, the bids were coming in faster and faster with each passing second, as the ponies in control of the spotlight struggled to keep up with them.

“Five thousand six hundred!”

“Five thousand seven hundred!”

“Eight hundred!”

“Nine hundred!”

“Six thousand!”

“Looks like punching a prince really drove up the price,” Rainbow Dash laughed, watching the spectacle of mares throwing their life savings on the line for a date with the stallion.

“Trixie will pay seven thousand eight hundred for the stallion!” Fireworks shot into the sky as Trixie shouted, effectively silencing the audience with the display and loud series of booms. The spectacle left many speechless, while for others the price did.

“Seven thousand eight hundred!” Carrot repeated, as the spotlights fell upon the Great and Powerful Trixie, who was striking a pose long before the lights fell upon her. “Do I hear seven hundred nine hundred?”

“Eight thousand bits for the stallion,” the lights turned from Trixie to land on the marble like fur of Rarity, the light appearing to reflect off her. Anypony close enough to Trixie could see a blood vessel in her head beginning to bulge as the fashionista came from behind, once again, to steal a bachelor.

“Eight thousand bits,” Carrot repeated, giving the crowd a sweeping glance to see if there was to be another bid. “Going once, going twice, and… sold! Rarity, please come up and claim your second prize of the night!”

A thin smile could be seen upon Rarity’s lips as she moved through the crowd, fully aware of the burning hatred in the eyes of another unicorn. With the spotlight on her, she might have taken a little longer than necessary to reach the stage, strutting and swaying her hips, but who could blame her? She lived for the spotlight.

As she approached, Thunderlane’s golden eyes followed her, his mouth slightly open at the amount she had put up for him. Swallowing a lump as she stepped up onto the stage, he seemed unable to come to terms with how many mares had actually bid for him.

“You really think I’m worth eight thousand bits?” Thunderlane asked, his voice cracking as he looked into those bright blue eyes. Rarity smiled as she gave the bits to Carrot Cake and made her way back to him. She simply whipped her head around, letting a bit of her purple mane fall behind her shoulder before looking back at the stricken Thunderlane.

“Well, that is all going to depend on our date, isn’t it?” she said, her eyes half lidded as she spoke to the stallion, causing his wings to flutter ever so slightly. “Besides, you saved my life. I don’t think I will ever have enough bits to repay you for that,” she added, before giving him a light peck on the cheek. “Now, I suggest we sit down; I would not want to miss any of those delicious Royal Guards.” Rarity laughed behind her hoof, causing the stallion’s face to darken ever so slightly.

“Well, another happy couple formed,” Mister Cake said, once the cheers died down. “Hopefully we can keep the momentum going! So, please welcome back to the stage, Staff Sergeant Tweak!”

Tweak marched on stage, once more tacked in his full dress uniform. He gave a smile and a nod to the cheering audience, then assumed his place at the center of the stage.

"Okay, ladies," Mister Cake started, "why don't we begin the bidding at—"

A lavender blur shot into the sky. "One thousand bits, and any mare who tries to outbid me gets bucked in the face!" Cloudchaser sent a death glare into the sea of ponies. A deathly silence smothered the crowd.

Cake looked around the crowd, seeing if there was one pony who would incite the wrath of the pegasus; but not one pony dared to raise the bid or even look at Carrot Cake, acting more like a group of students afraid to make eye contact with the teacher in fear of being called upon.

"... Sold."

Tweak shuddered and looked to the mare. "Oh, what a filly..."

Cloudchaser rocketed on stage and scooped the sergeant into her arms whilst she dropped the bits to claim him. “Come on, lovercolt. My privates have been bad and need a good tongue lashing."

"Dirty little filly," he whispered and nipped at her ear. "I have a weapon that needs cleaning..."

The two ponies kept staring at one another, their faces slowly getting closer till the sound of Carrot clearing his throat broke the two apart.

“Thank you both, but if you could please leave the stage… I doubt that Ponyville needs another reason for therapy,” Carrot said, covering his own eyes at the very thought of what could have transpired in the next few minutes. Luckily, the pair didn’t seem to have any intention of continuing what they had started on stage earlier, but instead wrapped their tails around one another before leaving the stage.

As the crowd watched the pair move along, Carrot Cake just gave a sigh of relief as a pony came on stage to collect the bits and count them. While the crowd was distracted, Carrot looked down at his note card for the next stallion. He could feel the blood leave his face as he saw the next stallion up on the block was Flash Sentry.

It was obvious that Flash was going to be one of the top stallions of the night, but Carrot was not sure if the town would survive to see it. Glancing out at the crowd, his eyes fell upon Twilight Sparkle, before moving over to Shining Armor. He was certain if Shining were to ever gain a title of his own, it would be ‘Prince of Overprotective Brothers’.

A shudder of terror for Flash went down Carrot’s spine at the very thought. Being thrown in the pits of Tartarus and tortured for the rest of time would be more pleasant than being on the wrong side of Shining Armor. Especially with matters that concerned his younger sister. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Carrot Cake looked out over the crowd again, forcing a smile onto his face.

“This next contestant won’t be as easily won as our last stallion. Get your bits ready for the next Royal Guard in our auction, Flash Sentry!” The orange stallion trotted gleefully onto the stage to the wild cheers of the crowd. His eyes looking out into the throng, searching for that one mare he held high hopes in winning him.

“Hmm… well Flash, it’s going to be quite difficult to place a bid on you.” Carrot pulled a notecard from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “While your scores are all over the place, they are generally quite good. So, how about for a starting bid, we begin at two thousand bits?”

“Two thousand!” Heads turned as a booming voice over swept the audience. Soon, all eyes fell upon a small group of mares who were leaning away from the source of the shouting. Wings fully extended, eyes wide and locked on to the stallion on stage was none other than the newest princess of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Carrot Cake only gave a deep sigh as he looked at Twilight Sparkle, and felt a pang of guilt for the young guard. Living long enough in Ponyville, he could easily recognize the look that many of the residents of Ponyville had grown to fear: The look of a Twilight Sparkle who wanted something and would not take no for an answer. “Two thousand! Do I hear—”

“Two thousand one hundred!”

“Two hundred!”

“Three hundred!”

And like that, the bidding wars began anew, as many of the mares of Ponyville competed with one another for the orange stallion. Flash stood motionless on stage, except for his eyes, which darted from one bidder to the next as the amount of bits kept growing. His eyes kept coming back to Twilight, however, as she kept calling out an higher bid than those around her.

“My, Twilight, what has gotten into you?” Rarity asked, holding a hoof to her chest as every few moments Twilight called out a higher bid than those around them. A few strands of Twilight’s mane were sticking out of place, as that distinctive twitch in her eye began to act up.

“Well Rarity—Three thousand six hundred!—I have decided that if you, Applejack, and Flut—Three thousand eight hundred!—Fluttershy could bid on stallions without fear, then I should too. Besides, if I am being honest with myself, I do kind of… four thousand!”

Twilight kept on placing bids, even with her friends trying to talk to her. There was no way she was going to lose this battle. She had always been a bit pincher, even in her youth, saving up money for something she truly needed, not what she wanted. She was even given a large sum from Celestia when she first moved to Ponyville in case of emergencies, an amount that she was finally going to use.

As Twilight placed bid after bid, her eyes scanned around the crowd analyzing all factors that could hinder her in obtaining the stallion she sought. One of these factors were mares that had come far and wide for the auction. She would have never imagined that the likes of Spitfire would be in the crowd, and upon closer inspection she found others like her that could pose a challenge.

The likes of Miss Peachbottom, Applejack’s Aunt Orange, and a few mares from Canterlot were in attendance that night and all seemed to fancy the young pegasus on stage. Each one of them had come prepared to bid on a stallion that night, and Twilight could only shudder at what they had in mind for Flash.

Also, Twilight would admit to herself that she had miscalculated the amount of bits required to win certain stallions that night. She had not considered that some of these stallions would show off talents that nopony would have imagined and thus attract new bidders.

Taking all this new data into factor, and applying it to the formula on the auction, her chances of winning were still well within her earlier estimates. She just had to stay ahead of the game, and hope that Cadance would keep her brother busy for the foreseeable future.

“Nine thousand!” a larger mare from Canterlot called out, raising her handkerchief into the air. She applied much more makeup that one would have needed, and when she fluttered her eyes at Flash one could visibly see him shudder.

“I’ll simply raise it to ten thousand for that strapping lad!” Aunt Orange called out, the spotlight falling on her as she called her own bid. The look she gave Flash was that of a predator about to pounce on their prey.

“Eleven thousand!” another mare from Canterlot called out.

“Twelve!”

“Thirteen!”

“Fourteen!”

Bids were called out still in quick succession, as the bidding came down to only a few select mares that had enough bits to be able to keep bidding. Each bid a small fortune for their desired stallion, and every time a new bid was called out another mare lost her chance at winning a date with Flash Sentry.

“I have eighteen thousand bits!” Carrot Cake shouted out, looking over the crowd as the spotlight shone down on Aunt Orange. “Do I hear nineteen thousand?”

“Nineteen thousand!” Miss Peachbottom shouted out, earning a grunt of disatisfaction from Aunt Orange who had hit her limit.

“Do I hear twenty thousand?” Carrot asked, his eyes scanning over the crowed. “Twenty thousand bits for Flash Sentry?”

“Twenty thousand!” Twilight Sparkle shouted out, giving a slight jump as she gave her bid. After observing both Aunt Orange and Peachbottom for their bidding, she could tell that they were not willing to go any further. She would have to thank her mother for that book about how to read faces when this was all over.

“Twenty thousand bits!” Carrot shouted, breaking the silence. “Do I hear twenty-one thousand?” Carrot looked over the crowd, trying to see if any other bids were to come out. “Then going on—”

“Twenty-five thousand!” a voice broke out above the crowd, but it was not the voice of a mare; it was far deeper than most mares. A look of pure horror washed over Twilight’s face as she turned to the Royal Box, only to see her worst fears were being realized.

Standing there, glowering at the stallion on stage—who instantly went from joy to plunging through the same horror as Twilight—was Shining Armor. While he looked a bit disheveled, with his mane ruffled, he was still an imposing figure to be reckoned with.

“And let me remind everypony here,” Shining said, interrupting his little sister before she could raise her bid. “I have a full treasury at my disposal. So I hope nopony thinks they can outbid me.” He turned his head down to his sister. “Ever.”

Nopony dared to make a sound as the two siblings glared at one another. The air surrounding the two almost seemed to spark with the magical power both of them possessed. As the pair kept their gaze locked at one another, Flash Sentry could only shake in utter fear of what was to become of him, for at that moment he was not sure if he would survive in a battle between the two.

“Well, then…” All eyes glanced up on stage at a profusely sweating Carrot Cake, who seemed to shrink under the gaze of all the ponies in the audience for the first time that evening. “Twenty-five thousand going once… going twice…” Swallowing hard, Carrot Cake looked over at the completely horrified Flash Sentry, who, like Carrot Cake, seemed to be creating a waterfall with his own sweat. “Sol—”

“Twenty-six thousand!” The voice blasted through the silence like an explosion, causing many members of the audience to jump. Finding the source of the voice was no problem, for it stood right next to Shining Armor and held him in a look of pure contempt.

Princess Cadance looked just as disheveled as her husband, her mane sticking out in random places and her crown a bit off center. But beyond all that, she still looked like the Princess of Love, and she was cross.

“And let me remind a certain stallion whose treasury it is,” Cadance said in a low hiss at her husband. “And unless he wants to sleep on the coach for the foreseeable future, he will keep his lovable trap shut.” Shining tried to glare back at Cadance, as if to defy her. But the poor stallion couldn't hold out for a fraction of a second against his wife, and soon he was hunched over, looking away from her like a dog that had just been hit with a newspaper. Smiling in satisfaction at her husband, Cadance turned back to Carrot Cake on stage. “I think there is a countdown you should be doing.”

“Uh… yes! Yes, there is!” Carrot Cake said, getting knocked out of his astonishment. “Twenty-six thousand bits! Going once… going twice… sold!” Carrot Cake shouted, earning a scattered cheer from an audience who seemed unsure of what to think of the whole ordeal. Out of every stallion that was to be bid on that night, this had to be far the oddest.

“Twilight,” Cadance said, looking down at the purple alicorn, who seemed just as shocked as the rest of the crowd. “Be a dear and collect him for me, and keep him company,” Cadance asked as she looked over the hunched and fuming Shining Armor. “I think that will be the best place for him, don’t you?”

“Of course!” Twilight said, her face positively beaming with excitement as Cadance started to write out the check. No sooner had she finished, than Twilight took it from her and zoomed up on stage to give it to Carrot Cake and claim Flash Sentry. Said stallion was breathing much easier now, fanning himself with his wings. Sweat still rolled down his brow from all the excitement and fear of what Shining Armor was going to do with him. Sure, there was a hell to be paid later, but this was the now.

Twilight Sparkle landed a few inches from Carrot and handed him the piece of paper to pay, before turning to face Flash. At once, her face started to heat up upon realizing how close they were and what had just transpired. She bit her bottom lip slightly as Flash just smiled at her, dragging his hoof in a small circle on the wooden stage. When their eyes met, both looked away at once, their faces turning a deeper shade of red.

“Oh, just buck already!” The pair drew apart from another, unaware of how the space between them had slowly disappeared. Their heads snapped around to see Rainbow Dash hovering in the air, her face scrunched up in anger. “Some of us are still waiting to bid! So either get off on stage, or get off the stage!”

Both Twilight’s and Flash’s faces deepened through crimson and into burgundy, as they started to move off stage. Wolf whistles and catcalls were made at the pair as they descended the steps, allowing Carrot Cake to once again take control.

“Well, let's move on to our final member of the Royal Guard tonight, or at least a former one. Give it up for Shock n’ Awe!” Carrot Cake announced, trying to power through the awkwardness dripping off the stage. Without skipping a beat, the dark blue stallion came running into view. Fresh bandages were wrapped around his head, and he did a small jump to land right in the middle of the stage.

“Sorry to say, Shock, but your scores were not the best in show,” Carrot started, earning a grunt from the stallion and a few laughs from the audience. “But, you are still a former member of the Guard, so let’s start the bidding off at seven hundred bits! Do I hear—”

“Seven hundred!” The bid broke through the audience far louder than anything the microphone Carrot Cake was holding could ever hope to accomplish. All heads turned to the sudden voice, and immediately shock and horror swept through the crowd.

Floating there, high above and with her personal guard around her, was Princess Luna herself. “And I shall remind all present, that I have a treasury at my disposal, as well.” Luna’s voice seemed to echo off every surface in the immediate area. Ponies started to bow to her at once, or were in such a state of confusion that all they could do was stare up at her, as she and her guard got ever closer to the stage.

“S-Seven hun-hundred from Prin-Princess Luna,” Carrot Cake stuttered out, as he started to bow to the princess of the night before him. “I doubt there will be any more bids so… sol—”

“Seven hundred and one!” Shock n’ Awe shouted. At that instant, ponies started coming out of their bows to the Princess, or shock, to see how the stallion on stage was reacting. His eyes were completely dilated, sweat cascading off his body, as he started to back away from the imposing figure, teeth clattering as he did so.

“You can’t bid on yourself Shock, so the winner is…”

“Bull! I can do that! I have every right to do so! Come on! Please! Anypony! Anypony at all, bid on me! I will do anything you want! Anything at all! I will be your slave for the rest of my life! Just don’t let her take me!” Shock n’ Awe pleaded, his voice high pitched, and cracking at odd intervals as he talked. The brave, strong stallion that he had painted himself as through the entire auction seemed to melt away at once as he looked up at the Princess of the Night.

But nopony spoke up; each and everyone of them knew better than to get in the way of Luna and something, or somepony, she wanted. With no other bids to be called, and an ever-closing Luna, Cake cleared his throat, much to Shock’s fear.

“Seven hundred going once… twice… sold!” At these words the Night Guard descended upon the stage and began to enclose upon Shock n’ Awe.

“Former Private Shock n’ Awe, you are coming with us,” one of the ponies said as they drew closer. “There is no need for—”

Before the guard could finish, Shock had already leapt forward and slammed his head into the muzzle of the guard. Immediately, a gasp could be heard as two of the other guard members lunged foward to take the stallion.

“No way in Tartarus! I am Shock n’ bucking Awe! I will never be conquered!” he shouted, as he bucked his back legs back, hitting the next guard in the chest with a powerful strike. Shock was then able to sidestep the other, and get in a decent blow with his right hoof. “No pony will ever take down Shock n’ Aw—” Before he could finish, a silver streak blasted him in the chest, sending him flying back through the curtain of the stage, the sound of wood cracking and splintering from where he crashed.

“Consider yourself conquered,” Luna said, the tip of her horn barely glowing as she levitated a barely conscious and suddenly bound Shock n’ Awe from the wreckage. “Pay the good stallion his bits. Then add to cover whatever damages might have occurred,” Luna ordered, as she began to fly off with her stallion, who fought furiously within a magical bubble.

Author's Notes:

That... that was much longer than a week. As you all know life gets in the way of things, and I will admit I got a bit depressed that so many people did not like the last chapter as much, but thanks to talking to people I got over that and know that not everyone will love the story. So sorry for how long it took from Jake and I.

Thank you so much to Arbarano for all the edits!