UK PonyCon, Sunday part 2: Are you scared about tomorrow?

Andrea Libman meets the Headless Horse

After meeting Andrea Libman, I sat in a kind of mezzanine lobby area with Dodj and Fluffles, not really saying much beyond "Eeeeeeee" for a while. I mean, how do you top that? Well, you don't. But there was plenty of the convention still to go! I skipped out on Rainbow Dash Attack (yes, the Flash game; apparently they now use a determinedly offline-only laptop) and looked in on the Cosplay Contest once again. A group of half a dozen or so dressed as early-EqG era Pinkies, billed as the "Too Many Pinkie Pies", were probably my favourite cosplay entry of the entire weekend. Will I ever cosplay myself? Probably not. I know it's a lot of fun for some, but it's not really my scene.

I'm slightly regretful that I didn't go to "Kindness Games", which consisted of a series of light-hearted tasks which depended on co-operation. Culdee came back from that with his face painted with cutie marks. :P Still, I did have time for the near-compulsory muffin at the actual con café this year. Sadly "tulip muffin" just referred to the shape of the wrapper; it wasn't a horse-food-themed flowery flavour. The café is cashless, which I think is just how it is in its normal life as a student café. This wasn't a problem as such, but it felt a bit weird given that actual folding and clinking money was very useful for many of the stalls, even now in 2022.

The Charity Auction cometh, behold, behold! This was actually the first time all weekend I'd been into the big cinema room! No film showing this year, and I'd missed the Great Britannia Bake Off yesterday because of PrinceWhateverer. We got told off during the first exciting bid battle for drumming our hands on the desks; apparently the venue doesn't like that. Fortunately I'd refrained from joining in! The auction went as it usually does, though there were no four-figure bids for roller banners this year; I suppose in 2021 some people had their unused UKPC 2020 funds to call on. Still, of the more than 100 lots quite a few went for several hundred pounds. I bid a few times but failed on each occasion. :P

This GBA cart (one of a kind) apparently did work!

Last year, I'd finally achieved one of my silly little aims and played Chase the Ace at an actual convention. I wasn't really expecting this to happen again, but I did have a slightly battered pack of Pony-themed cards in my bag just in case. Fortunately, since it was brought up as something people would like to do. Yay! The Crafts Area upstairs was very quiet and had plenty of free tables, so we commandeered one of those. I think we had about eight people playing in the end. I can exclusively report that Dodj won this high-profile (ish) exhibition match, with Bridle and Juniper taking the other podium spots. I got nul points. :D

The end was neigh, indeed creeping up on us at quite a rate of knots. A final quick zoom around the stalls followed, but I wasn't particularly interested in Pony Theories and so I headed off to the karaoke room. This also had a whole bunch of charging points, useful for ancient phones like mine whose batteries find it tough nowadays. I didn't sing this time, except when everyone did from the audience, but it was agreeable just to soak up the Sunday afternoon atmosphere with the usual plushies on the tables and general air of conviviality. But, all too soon, it was time for the closing ceremony.

For a change, I watched this from one of the Mane Stage room's side balconies, along with several friends. There were more of us on the other side. As things were running slightly late (at a convention? No!) the actual closing ceremony was a pretty brisk affair, just running through the usual thank yous and prize announcements. For me, the highlight was a special certificate awarded to Zen for his outstanding work in helping people navigate the various rail strikes and make it to UKPC on time (or at all). He worked incredibly hard at this on the con Discord and elsewhere, and it was a hugely well-deserved accolade.

My Little Pony, My Little Pony, Now comes the time to say goodbye

And that, sadly, was that. We filed out for the last time, some of us picking up a few freebies of the sticker'n'badge type on the way, and hung around on the steps of the venue. By the time our little group was all assembled, we were up near the tram stop and not really that little any more. A few people peeled off to drop off things at nearby hotels and would catch up later. The rest of us headed to The Gooseberry Bush, the traditional venue for our post-UKPC meal. We'd feared it might be very crowded, but for whatever reason there weren't many people there so we got a long table to ourselves. Even if it was next to an open door for a while!

Although there's a little bit of sadness on these occasions, expressed by comments along the lines of "I don't like this 'real world' thing. Let's go back", these pub meals themselves are always hugely enjoyable. I had my first macaroni cheese in years, though I hadn't realised it came with chips so left them on the side until they were nearly lukewarm and someone finally took pity on me and asked if they were mine. :P In 2021 I'd had to dash fairly early to get a train home, but with a Monday departure this year I stayed for maybe three hours. A ten-minute walk to the bus station and a much quieter Red Arrow than last night later, I was back at the hotel and finally taking off my con badge.

It's there because I'd thought it was mayonnaise. Absolutely true story

Next time: Throng, numbers make you strong