Gooptacular Birthday Celebration - MP Payment

“Never, in all my years, did I think that we’d be able to pull something like this off,” Chauve said with an edge of awe to his silken voice.

The wide paddock was sprawling with party goods; from balloons, to streamers, to hats with sparkly pom-poms. There were troughs of sweet hay and buckets with good, mealy oats in them. It was work well-done, and also well-worth the tremendous effort.

A black, sparkly mare with a lush lion mane of half-curls trotted up to Chauve. Nouba smiled gleefully at the sprawling affair that stood before them. With an army of planners at their humble behest, Chauve and Nouba had planned a fabulous birthday bash for their daughter, Sabre, aka Goop. The October weather was a little chilly, but they had invited several guests that were savvy with fire magic to the party to help. It was an otherwise perfect day; the clouds were small and spritely, and the autumn sun felt good on the boucles’ withers.

“Who will be arriving first?” Nouba asked as they began the last round of inspections together, checking the party favors and the decorations.

Chauve reached far back into his mind for the grand list of boucles that he and Nouba had drawn up between the plans, and attempting to gather their daughter’s friends and loved ones into one space had NOT proven an easy task to finish. And yet, here they stood amidst an exorbitantly sparkly birthday setting, waiting for said guests to grace them.

“Tinsel is coming,” Chauve rumbled.

“I’m already here!” his grandson snickered from a corner as he adjusted a ribbon.

“Hush, small child,” Nouba called with a twinkle in her merry eyes, “let your ol’ grandpa run through his list, else he’ll forget everything!”

Chauve gave his mate and grandson a sour look with furrowed brows before he continued on with his list.

“Araignée shall be coming, with her… spiders, I believe that someone is bringing along a heated fish tank for Imp and Ursula to float in. I think that one lights up as well? I could be wrong.”

“Oh good, those girls can keep each other in check fairly well. Don’t forget, I also invited Sandy along- she always seems to be excited to join them,” Nouba added.

Chauve shuddered before he valiantly soldiered on with the sparkly list of party guests. “Dieu Reveur is coming, with Taste the Rainbow as her plus-one. And of course Pommehusky and Limedog are coming together- Feucitron is possibly making an appearance, if she can just get over her fear of parties for the time being. Flameth will be coming, and so will Diabolique.”

“I do so love Diabolique. Such an interesting one!” Nouba said as she put the finished touches on the table cloths. She adjusted the clips to keep the covers firmly over the tables. No need for them to blow away in the wind (or for them to take the tables, food, and gifts with them).

Chauve nodded. “I think Diabolique will be bringing Pumpking Jack, who volunteered to help keep the party well-lit. He might be in cahoots with Sparkletron… But, Tant d'yeux and You Ooze You Lose are coming too. Hopefully Slimer will have the consciousness not to leave too many slime trails where people can get to them. The last thing we need is for Fraggle to gain enough momentum that he speeds out of existence… or for Jouetdoux to get the stuff caught in his fur, or in his voluminous stuffing. He’s like a big stuffed animal, that one.”

“And just as cuddly!” Nouba giggled in delight. “Isn’t Sleepy Hollow coming as well? Might be a good idea to make sure the cleanup crew is well-versed in water and ice to be able to clear everything up nicely, without hurting themselves.”

“An excellent idea, as per usual, my dear.” A shared moment of anticipatory horror was exchanged between the two horses when they considered the sheer amount of globulous, viscous goop that would inevitably cover the pasture from end to end, not just from their own daughter, but from her guests and children as well.

Chauve was the first to break it with a bright smile. “Ah well, best get back to the planning! The streamers have already been put up around the fence posts, thanks to yours truly. I thought purple a fitting accent color for our guests.”

“Quite so. I think the games station is already done as well- bobbing for apples, “pin-the-bridle-on-the-Haggis,” and several pinatas are all set for the festivities.”

Chauve did a double take at the technicolor mare beside him. “‘Pin-the-bridle-on-the-what-now’?”

Nouba flashed a bright, innocent smile that might have fooled him, if Chauve didn’t know better. As loving and kind as Nouba was, he expected a hint of mischief about her when a good joke could be had at little to no real expense to anyone. “Haggis said he wanted to help out with the party, but you know what a fuddy-duddy he can be sometimes with the kids. I figured this will keep him distracted from his tendency of being… Well, an unbearable little busybody at times.”

“I’m surprised that you could say such a thing!” Chauve feigned surprise, lifting a hoof delicately into the air.

Just as Nouba was about to reply with something witty, a creamy gold figure sprang nimbly over the fence to the couple’s right, before landing gracefully at their side. As soon as he stood still, it was revealed to be the form of none other than their grandson, Clinquant. The magnificent stag… stallion… Staglion…? The magnificent boy held his head erect, crowned with silvery, glittering horns that rose like proud trees of crystal. The light caught his creamy spots and his voluminous lion’s mane, and he seemed to glisten.

“Clinquant, darling!” Nouba exclaimed in surprise and delight. “We weren’t expecting you until later, when the party started! Is everything alright?” Nouba’s face pulled into a horrified look a moment after, and she cried, “Your mother doesn’t know about her party yet, does she?”

Clinquant laughed in a high, clear voice. “Not at all, Nan! Last time I checked, Sleepy Hollow is keeping her busy and taking her to visit Cimetiere Sentielle and You Ooze You Lose.”

“Ha! She loves that. They are coming to the party, right?” Chauve interjected.

“Of course! They wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“That’s all well and good,” Nouba began, affectionately grooming her cream grandson out of habit, “but what are you doing here, dear heart? You were supposed to lead her to us when the time comes!”

Clinquant lowered his great antlers obligingly for the ease of his granddam as he said, “I really wanted to help out here if there was anything that still needed doing, since you and Grandad are putting this on practically by yourselves. Sleepy Hollow offered to take mother out visiting, so I thought I would come here to make sure everything was under control.”

Chauve clapped his grandson on the back approvingly. “We appreciate you wanting to help, dear one. But I think that we’re nearly done here. We just need to move Sparkletron into position and begin herding the guests over to the paddock. As soon as everyone’s here, you can bring your mother over so we can all surprise her.”

“Fantastic!” Clinquant exclaimed with an excited waggle of his fluffy cotton-tail. “Should I go back to mother and the others then?”

“Actually, why don’t you help us get everyone here together? We need to send them out to fetch some of the guests while we make sure all of the food is prepared. You’d be surprised how easy it is to mess up apples and oats when no one is keeping an eye on them.”

“My pleasure!” And with that, Clinquant rose to his glinting back hooves and gave a mighty, skirkling bugle out to the rest of the horses in the paddock. Everyone looked over at him in surprise, but when they saw Chauve and Nouba motioning them forward, they stepped back from their finishing touches and hurried over to the small group.

“Everyone!” the fawn-spotted stallion called, “Now that the paddock is ready, it’s time to help bring the party to fill it! I’ll help anyone who needs it to collect their designated guests and get them ready to greet the beloved birthday lady!”

Everyone gave a whoop of ascent, and Clinquant sprang off in their midst, leading a veritable stampede of excitement out from the paddock. Nouba and Chave looked at each other and smiled a moment before turning to finish up the last of the work before their guests arrived.

The sun was well passed its zenith as the guests came in droves. Midori D’aile alighted on the ground, leading a flock of winged boucles consisting of Farie Dragon, Azeroth Burns, and Red Roach, all of whom landed with grace and ease among the crowd. Limedog and Huskypomme followed close behind with a pack of canine-esque boucles (their pups, Blueberry Husky and Spicy Pupperoi were among them), while far in the back of the crowd, Doom and several of his spawn slunk about. Tlamacazqui could be seen with his proud crown of feathers, Bave Loup following close behind, while their brother- brothers- were they conjoined twins or was one head merely vestigial, if it could really be called such a thing- Tenebrus brought up the rear of their little gloom group.

Davey Jones, King, St. George, and Badger’s Borealis were the next to arrive, pulling a fish-tank laden cart that spanned the size of a small pool. Not one, not two, not even three, but four grown boucles floated behind the glass, eyes glinting from the light. Ursula and her sister Imp curled protectively around a large, whale-looking creature that could only be Orca. Sandy floated not far, with Ursula’s tentacles lifting her head to the air to breathe.

The ensemble only grew. Nouba, Clinquant, and Araignee helped organize the guests and direct them to the food and party favors, while Chauve and Flameth directed the other flamesmiths about to light the party sufficiently and keep everyone warm against the onset of the autumn chill. The wind was already beginning to bite, and their work was immediately met with appreciation from the guests.

As soon as he was sure the fire-keepers were settled, Chauve bounded off to find Enfys, Sparkletron, Ghost, and Dieu Reveur to get the lights going. Enfys and Ghost pranced leisurely around Sparkletron and cast the light from his extended asterix into the crowd as a cluster of shining light while Dieu Reveur cast her blessing of day dreamer magic into the air above, projecting a beautiful array of happy shapes and pictures for the crowd to view. Chauve scowled momentarily when he heard Doom’s group chuckle darkly, but his expression lightened when Clinquant bounded towards him, his diamond hooves glinting in the light beams.

“Clinquant? Is everything ready,” Chauve asked excitedly.

“Everything is perfect, grandad! The guests are all here, there’s still room in the paddock - although it seems impossible with everyone here. The party favors and and the food are a huge success, though I haven’t yet gotten a chance to check up on the games and activi-”

“THE WEE HEATHENS BE AFTERRR MEH, SOMEBUHDDY CAHLL FER HELP!” Before the fawn-spotted stallion could finish his sentence, a wailing Haggis rushed passed with his bushy feathers all in a tizzy as several young foals raced after him with fake donkey tails while they cried out in wild glee. Chauve could make out Blueberry Husky with Spicy Pupperoni not far behind, Tinseltown and Treschou hot on their heels. The multicolored gaggle blurred into the darkness, though Haggis’s distinct scottish wailing continued long into the night.

Clinquant blinked his wide owl-eyes before turning to Chauve, who burst into a fit of giggles. His laughter worsened when he heard Nouba’s own peals of laughter drifting over the mulling crowd.

“Well,” the stag-like stallion began, “I suppose the games are a success.”

“Haggis doesn’t seem to think so. But then, such is the price of innovation.”

Chauve looked at his grandson’s mortified face and bit back a chuckle. “Come on, let’s announce to the guests that we need to get ready for your mother. Sleepy Hollow is bringing Goop along, so either Faerie Dragon or Flameth needs to send up a fireball to signal for her to bring her up. No doubt they’ve noticed all the lights.”

Clinquant’s pensive face melted as he lifted to his shining hooves and trumpeted out over the crowd. “Everyone! My Granddad tells me it’s time for us to ready ourselves for Goop’s arrival! Everyone put on your party faces!” The cream stallion nodded to Faerie Dragon, who sent up a huge, sparkling ball of light into the sky.

The signal was given, and the guests readied themselves. Chauve and Clinquant cut through the crowd, Nouba coming to meet them so they could all stand by the fence and wait for their daughter to appear.

It was a few minutes, but eventually, the figures of three oddly shaped boucles could be seen in the gloaming. Sleepy Hollow lead the trio, her tree and her glowing spooks drifted eerily as her wet, sucking steps betrayed her nearness. To the right of her, the large form of Diabolique loomed. Her spiky calcified protrusions rose like a victorian lace collar, lending her an air of sophistication. Glowing wisps circled her slowly like sharks.

But it was behind the two mares that made Chauve and his family smile. Goop trailed behind, her feet making a similar sucking sound to Sleep Hollow as she moved with a happy, excited gait. Her extended skeleton belied the soft heart beneath, although her sweetness would have been apparent had they witnessed the way her eyes lit up upon seeing her parents and her son.

“Mama! Papa! Clinquant, my love,” she began as she nuzzled each boucle lovingly, “where did the three of you come from? And what’s all that behind you?”

Chauve and Nouba flicked their tails in unison. One great, momentous roar erupted from the crowd, from Chauve and his family, and from the friends beside their loved one, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOOP!”

Goop stared in stunned surprise before she shrieked in glee, leaping into the air and clicking her sloppy hooves together, spraying a few flecks onto her family.

Clinquant was the first to embrace Goop, throwing his fuzzy neck over his mother’s as she snuggled into his shoulder. Nouba and Chauve were quick to follow, and Sleepy Hollow and Diabolique pressed in around the little family.

The crowd sent up a resounding cheer, and a fit of joyous laughter broke out from several corners of the partygoers. The scene was as picturesque as any scene of love and devotion, and the little family broke apart to lead Goop towards those that loved her best. There were offerings of oats and hay, of apples and the various gifts the other boucles offered to the sweet mare. Goop was indescribably happy as her parents and her son lead her further into the large group. Her laughter and joyous exclamations could be heard from every corner of the paddock.

And somewhere in the distance, beneath the light of the fat, round moon, a wailing Scottish voice could be heard in the hills, with a cluster of insatiable giggles not far behind.