!Pinkie‘s Party Journal! - Rainbow Bash!
Hiii! Gosh, I‘ve been waiting for this one. Derpy‘s great to have around, but how can a girl have a party without my colorful bestie to really get things rolling!? My sporty rainbow gal‘s a-waiting, and I just got the perrrfect tip where she‘s at. Who‘d have thunk this would be so much fuuun? Spreading happyness is a blast, and I‘m just getting started. Even if Celestia told me to reel it in a liiittle bit. Oh, buttercups, I‘ll make it work either way, and sew a bit of friendship along the way! But this new girl‘s got the moves, but sure‘s missing a lil‘ bit of confidence and can-do (daring-do :P). Well, good thing I got that in spades! Let‘s get to it!

The bubblegum pink pony put down her marker, inhaling deeply. She still felt a little weird, like having a belly full of butterflies, but the whole last few days had been a fierce, joyous rush. Everything was just so much FUN! And with her new partner in parties, even more so. They were like secret agent ponies on an undercover mission to spread cheer and find potential new party ponies to make into members of their secret cabal of jolly and colorful good times. What wasn’t to love, Really?

Granted, the whole undercover part wasn’t so much her forte, as her partner-in-parties often had to point out. Usually in the form of “I can STILL see your hooves, Pinkie!”.

They had quickly figured out the best way to hide a Pinkie always was in plain sight – be it as a store mascot, con-goer, part of a guerrilla movie shoot. That, or simply being so weird people actively pretended to not see her. Something she was no doubt very skilled at. But you sure couldn’t call it subtle.

Of course it’d have been more simple if she didn’t insist on wearing that costume basically all day now. Not that Derpy was a slouch enjoying her own outfit, but Pinkie? She lived in that fluffy pony suit and took great pride in doing anything and everything with hooves. And fitting her outfits and costume itself with all kinds of little hidden pockets for “surprises” to boot.

“Derpy, we have work to do! Forwards, my brave mare, to complete celebration victory!” she called from the back of their van, bouncing up on two legs and peering over to where the currently likewise costumed Derpy was browsing a bicycle magazine. “What’s that? Ohhh. You should pick the cute violet one with the painted-on wings.”

“Sure, that sounds good, Pinkie” she mumbled noncommittally, quickly turning the page before the suggestions could become even more girly. For all acceptance of the cuteness of ponies, Derpy still was a bit shy about their different costume-genders. At least the mail-pony wasn’t as flamingly feminine as a certain bouncy creature. So she changed topic “Uh,we save the pony outfits for later, right? It’d be much easier if you’d be...a little less recognizable at least. Just for the information gathering? And to make sure people won’t have you on cctv?” Derpy wondered, naively trying to add “Or you could maybe swap with that other outfit you haven’t even used, that Pinka...”

“Don't ever mention that name again! Do you hear me? NEVER EVER!” the pink pony harshed, getting right into Derpy’s face, who recoiled and fell over a bunch of boxes, apologizing profusely. “All right, all right, I got it! Just...tossin’ out ideas here. Happy Pink Pony it is.”

“And don’t you forget it” Pinkie mumbled. But seeing Derpy lay there in that ridiculous flopped state, wings extended at odd angles, peering at her with disjointed eyes, all innocent...She just couldn’t stay mad at the clumsy pony. Sounding a more soft giggle she extended a hoof “Sorry. But I mean it, okay? Look. I know this isn’t exactly subtle, but this here is me, you know? I’m a pink party pony, and that weird human guise doesn’t fit what I’m inside at all.”
She got downright indignant with herself. “Do you know how horrid my journal reads when I’m that pretending to be that colorless, sad thing? Really ought to at least add some basic cheer sometime...mhhh, But so long as you are cute and fluffy around me, you can work incognito for this when needed. Nay can do on the Pink-ay though. Besides, I could never get to know another bestie as anything but myself now!”

“I get you But...you can’t exactly drive like that.” Derpy tried to at least justify.

“Watch me!”

“Pinkiiieee. Be...reasonable. Now who of us is more of a qualified driver?” the cross-eyed mare attempted, just to realize the fault of that argument, along with Pinkie’s snicker. She had to concede. “Fair point, but anyhow. Me. Keys. You. Plan the operation. Okay? You want to do the party stuff, right?”

“Fiiiiiiiiiine.” Pinkie said, stuffing her face with a delicious cupcake. Where DID these keep coming from? And why were they never muffins? Still, Derpy was satisfied for the moment.

“Okay. THANK you. And speaking of, what is our target, where are we heading?”

Pinkie handed her a print-out showing a young, freckled female, posing in front of a popular punk band. There was a long list of her personal information and character matching. It showed high marks in attitude, courage and athleticism, giving a 92,7% Match – along with a hoof-scribbled “That’s Her. Remember - Be Gentle. Friendship Lessons!” note by Pinkie herself. As she turned the page though, Derpy’s face fell a little.

“Uhhh...are you sure this is a good idea? “Burning Pony Festival – note : actually on fire!” does not sound safe to me. Neither does “World’s Most Awesome Travelling Circus Danger Artist Abduction”...you do recall what Celestia told us, Right? Pinkie? You made a note just on the other side, for crying out loud!

“Yes, but..but the FUN! She LOVES action and danger and daring-do! I just want to show her...I...I...” Pinkie muttered, huddling close to the other Pony to show off her big, almost quivering eyes.

Derpy just groaned and looked away “Bad Pinkie, no! Please, Listen. You know I’m a bit of an...accident-prone pony. I instinctively make lists of what can go wrong. And my list right now’s so long I don’t even want to start on that. Remember Celestia, right? Our Rightful Pony Ruler? That we ought to take it slow, ease her in, make this a Friendship Lesson?”

“But I didn’t….you know how it was for me. And it turned out just fine!”

“I know, Pinkie.” Derpy muttered, if a bit unsure about that fact. But she still liked the pink pony a lot. ”I think you were..special. But everyone is different. You did different things for me too, right?

“Yeah, but that was just because you were...oh, forget it. What would YOU do then?” she asked, half accusing, half curious

Derpy mused for a moment, scratching her snout. “Look how it says here how her family is doing..not so well?”

“That’s totally a reason for her to come with us! She’ll be much happier!”

“But you want to make everyone involved happy, right? Like how you made special conditions with me too. And...breaking apart a Family isn’t friendship!” Derpy held firm.

“Gnnn. Fiiine. You’re right. So? What do we do?”

Derpy took a sheet of paper and made a few quick, surprisingly nice sketches on it. “You don’t want to get out of your costume. That’s fine. But what if we eased her in like...this? And you can do one big, showy event afterwards? And then we see where that takes us. We can always come back to the danger circus, uh, later? Consider like this - She’s the youngest of us by a good lot. I would not take my precious little angel of a niece into the ocean to get her first swimming lesson. Courage only carries you so far.” the gray pony stated empathically.

“But..she’s Dashie! Of course she can handle it! I could handle it!” Pinkie insisted still.

“Wouldn’t you have liked a more gentle introduction?” Derpy still argued compassionately.

“What? Heck, no! I love it. I wish I could experience that again. It was such a rush, I just had a crappy attitude. Now? I’d giggle the whole way. But...somehow I think Luna wouldn’t be so amused chasing me prancing around...such a shame. Maybe another pony will enjoy that?” the pink pony mused merrily.

“Okay, Pinkie...PINKIE! Hear me out. You’re special. But lasting friendship needs time and care. Nurturing. Celestia would know. Just give it a try? You have a lot of compassion and friendship inside. Just use that.”

“Oh, cupcakes and hoofsies, fine. We’ll try it like that. But I insist on the showy party bash, kays?”

“Sure. Now, why don’t you call The IT team to prepare everything and plan your party, while I get out of this and drive the van without getting us pulled over this time?”

She blew Derpy a raspberry, and giving a playful, just slightly teasing “Just who made you the responsible one? That’s Twilight. You’re the cute derp that is clumsy and crashes into things and creates happy accidents all the time. You should be on my side, and not worry bout silly little things.”

If she could have, the gray pony would have rolled her eyes. “Uh. I deliver the mail, even if it needs an extra try or two sometimes, thank you very much? Besides, this isn’t about sides. Celestia personally asked… it is our duty as ponies...”

“Right. La-La-La. Can’t hear you, need to pick my party playlist. Have some treats, and take it easy, kays? We got this.”

“I sure hope...” Derpy mumbled, making it to the front, then wiggling out of the gray plush with just a tinge of regret. He really liked how nice it felt. But there were duties to attend.

He un-did the sun-blinds and carefully set their van into gear, heading out on the safest route the nav could provide. Still, Derpy sure was curious about how the new pony would turn out, and a little excited about the whole operation.


The next morning, in the outskirts of the city...

„Mhhhmhmm….mhhhmm! Oh yeah! That‘s my Jam!“ the frizzy-haired figure belted out, quite busy busting a move in front of the mirror to a catchy pop tune, finally setting down the color-gel to catch a breath and inspect her handiwork. It sure was a sight – a weave of chaotic yellow lightning bolts and white, bleached-in jet-streams crisscrossing through her otherwise reddish brown mess of hair, as if it was some kind of modern work of street art. She blew a strand out of her eye with a huff, and struck a pose. „NOW she‘s gonna let me cut it all right, no more buts and excuses. Heh...SIIIS? get down here!“ the youthful woman demanded, straightening her blue top and peering up the stairs challengingly.

„Ugh. What‘s up, lil‘ Sis.“ a large, lanky blonde clad in a maroon band shirt and short bottoms voiced, trotting down the steps with a sigh. She looked like she’d just been forced up from her midday rest, and sounded about as cranky.

Of course that did nothing to persuade the plucky freckled figure waiting for her downstairs to witness this latest scheme. She also loudly protested „Oh please. It‘s one damn year difference. Besides, I‘m eighteen, adult, mature, ready to start my own jig“. She puffed out her chest, emphasizing a good amount of muscle in her compact build. She wasn’t above punching anyone who dared to call her fat right in the nose either to correct their perception. But of course, you couldn’t do that with family, or on the campus, or...well, way too many exceptions these days.

But her elder sister Ellis grumbled her right back into reality from that recollection „Sure, sure, they‘d not even let you into most bars, and...I...FUCK. Rain! What did you do to your hair. Can you imagine how mad mom will be? Your „adult arse“ is toast for this.“

„Oh, suck it up“ Rain dismissed with a rude gesture. „It‘s my hair, I‘ll do with it what I please.“, the satisfaction at that look on her sister’s face obvious, consequences be damned.

Ellis just groaned, shaking her head. „Yeah, whatever. Not me that‘ll be grounded for the rest of college. Good luck.“

But Rain wasn‘t done ranting, quickly justifying „Guh. Don‘t remind me of college. Do you know the whole sports scholarship thing is a lie?“

Her sister just shrugged. „You wanted to go to that prestigious school, just to play sports and nothing else? Look. No one watches female soccer anyhow. Why don‘t you use the chance to get a real education? Should‘ve worked towards that doctorate. Mom would‘ve been proud. You know how she loves to dote on her ‘learned and dedicated’ offspring.“

„I have you know there’s several world-class teams.” Rain replied heatedly. “And...what? Like...burying myself in a book-blanket like you? Forget it. That‘s not for me. I want to take life outside, go with the flow, meet new people and places. Adventure! Freedom!“

„Hmhmm. Grounded...For...Life. Got it? Anyhow, I‘m off. You can stew in the consequences of your actions“ Ellis grumbled dismissively, just dropping the whole thing and heading up again to get dressed for the day.

„Stew my butt. I‘m done here“ the younger female muttered, snatching up her colorful backpack and simply jumping out of the open window, picking herself up and heading towards the city. „Hey, if I‘m grounded anyhow, can just make myself one great day before, right?“



Unbeknownst to young Rain, a figure was watching from the shadows, holding state of the art surveillance technology in a hoof and snickering. „Mhhh. This is gonna be golden. Time to bend some fates and make some FUN!“
She raised a walkie talkie. „Team Giggles? Make sure all‘s ready at the place. Derpy, drop off those flyers. Rest should be all arranged. Party‘s LIVE!“

Rain, meanwhile, was distinctively unhappy with her namesake starting to dribble from the overcast skies. Adventure was distinctively not calling, instead having to avoid splashes from passing cars and trying to keep her beloved sneakers from being flooded. But there was no way she‘d just come running back to her sister from that. There had to be something….

Well, apparently „Fate“ just had its way of smacking her right in the face as a blazing bicycle courier in a gray hoodie passed by, and a bundle of paper hit its mark a bit too well.

„Hey, HEY! Rude! Come back, you street vandal“ she raged, before grumpily peeling the paper off and taking a look. It was some kind of advertisement, and she was about to toss it away, but then was swayed by the wording to give it a closer look.

„ADVENTURE! EXCITEMENT! FUN! - New All-Ages Escape Room open now, Mo-Fr 2 to 10 pm. Free admission with this flyer! Try your hoof at an all new experience!“

Rain was a bit put off by the odd finish, but it did sound fun. At least a lot more than keeping being drizzled on for another few hours. The attached map showed it quite close by, so she shrugged. „Well, not like I got better stuff to do. Okay, let‘s give it a go!“

Luckily, there wasn‘t even a line with this weather, and there were just nods and smiles even with her handing in a soppy wet flyer at the counter.
„Happy to have you! Please just step into the waiting room. The experience will be about two hours long. Just remember you can only leave in case of a medical emergency, or once the time is up. Snacks and drink are provided. You‘ll have a small group, so please work well together. Have fun!“. Rain just listened to the explanation and nodded, heading into the indicated direction.

Soon inside the first room, the door closed and locked behind, she gazed around curiously just what this little adventure would entail. The lushly pastel-colored walls were a bit weird, but soothing. There already was a group of five assembled, and she blinked, recognizing a former school-friend, and then….“SIS??? What the balls are you doing here? Shouldn‘t you be at, you know, work?“

„RAIN? You‘re kidding me. Your class starts in an hour! What are YOU doing here. This is office business for me, but sure as heck nothing for you.“ Ellis barked right back.

Rain just folded her arms defiantly „Office business, mh? What, magical friendship trust program in adventureland? And well, you‘re not getting me out that door again just because you‘re worried about today‘s stupid class. But if you insist...you better do a good run and beat the high-score“ she said, pointing to the score wall, showing „BEST TIME – 1h:23m – Team Pantaloons“ in glowing letters.

Her sister seemed to not take it well. „Ridiculous. It‘s a modern training technique, and it only works as a TEAM. You could‘ve at least...I don‘t know..worn a hoodie or something. That...Thing on your head is just..ugh! Do you know how this looks in front of my co-workers? I swear. We‘ll finish one minute late, I‘ll drive you to class in person and make you show mom the tardiness slip“

„Sure, sure. And hey, looks like your co-workers like the lil‘ family tiff. Don‘t you think they‘re a lot more amused by the fuss you‘re making?“ Rain countered with a smirk. Indeed, there were some chuckles from the others, but most tried to keep their amusement behind a professional facade.

„Uhgh, you‘re impossible! Fine. Let‘s get this over with, and don‘t you dare forget our agreement“

„Suure. Now get on with it, make sure our Team Name isn‘t lame, and let‘s get this rolling.“ came the flippant reply.

Ellis fumingly typed some letters on the slippery touchscreen, taking her frustration out on the poor device, and then they all pushed ahead into the first room. It was not quite what they had expected.

They stood in a small room, but the projector-illuminated walls full of animated colorful equines frolicking around a cartoony village made it seem like another world all right. Right at the center, there was a screen that lit up just as they came in, showing a costumed pink pony with a mane even more ridiculous than what Rain currently sported. It made the younger sister smirk, if be a little puzzled just what the heck this was. She didn‘t have to wait long.

„Hiiiii!“ the pink pony started with a frantic wave, making balloon animals as she spoke. „I‘m Pinkie Pie, and I‘m hosting your PAR-TAY today. Hope everyone has the best time ever! There‘s all kinds of fun activities to try, and beating the best score wins a very special prize. You have two hours until Chrysalis swoops in and ruins all the fun, so try to have the best Pony-Party you can. Toodles! Seeya sooon!“

That speech, heck, the whole scene let everyone baffled for a moment.
„What..is this? Did we accidentally pick the kid‘s show? Who signed us up for this?“ Ellis voiced with quite some disgust in the voice. She was met with helpless shrugs all around, before a loud snicker from behind interrupted.

„Awww. What‘s this indeed? My sis way too big and grown-up to solve little pony riddles, or worse, have FUN? Granted, it is a tough concept for you. But seriously. I‘ll love seeing your teamwork on this.“ Rain commented with a wide smirk.

„Oh, you‘re not getting out of this, pipsqueak. You think you can just lean there, pretend you‘re all cool and let us do the work? No can do! Remember the deal!“

„What, and not get that brilliant expression on your face as you try the „pony sack-hop“ or the „friendship carousel?“ I‘ll get to it in time, but you‘re the company team, right? I‘m cool as is. I‘ll wing it when I have to.“

„Gah. Can someone please switch siblings with me? Okay, people. Check those stupid props, and see if you can find the dang clues. We have one hour!“

It was a very special sight. From the team embarrassedly answering lore questions about the pony way, as narrated by Pinkie and her „ponyville documentary“ clips, to lyrics karaoke trying to harmonize perfectly to „friendship is magic“, to putting on hoof-boots with sensors to do a weird combination of twister and pony dance, hitting switches as you went along. It was a chaotic, colorful mess of embarrassing amusement. Rain even found herself humming along to some of the catchy music, and busting a move when she thought no one was looking. But she mostly kept to herself, only now and then chiming in on an easy-sounding multiple choice question.

So they already spend 35 minutes in the first room, getting her sister seriously worked up. She stamped right in front of Rain. „Listen, lil‘ missy. This is it. I‘ve had it with your attitude. Either you show us there‘s some substance behind all that cool and disaffected crap, or I swear, I‘ll loose it enough to count as medical emergency. I know playing in a team is oh-so hard for you, but seriously, could you care less?“

„Uncool, sis. Don‘t make so much of a drama over something so silly. And I could if I wanted, sure. I‘d ace it. Didn‘t look that hard.“

„Oh really, Mrs. Confidence? Fine. Let‘s make a deal. The next damn obstacle we find, we do together, good as possible, with full commitment to get out here on time. IF you promise that, and we make it...I‘ll explain things to our mother, and get you off the hook, with any hairstyle you want. But if we don‘t..you‘ll do as I say the rest of the day, no buts, and do your darn homework for the rest of the semester.„
„Phew. You drive a hard bargain, sis. The whole semester? That‘s harsh. I have to train too, you know?“

„So where‘s all that confidence now, mh? Will you chicken out?“ she stared Rain down unflinchingly.

„Pfffh, never. You first, sis. You‘re ON.“ Rain stated with confidence, if a bit surprised by her sister’s confidence. And of course, she instantly regretted it: The way forward split ahead of them, one side being labeled „The long, easy way“, the other one reading „The FUN Shortcut!“. It was unsurprising when Ellis tugged her in without even reading the explanation text, so they soon found themselves in a rainbow nightmare, surrounded by adorable plush-ponies, scene-backgrounds and props. As expected, Pinkie popped up again on a screen.

„CONGRATS, PARTY-PONIES! You got the guts to have fun! All you gotta do is take your lovely, plushy pony friends and put on a prop theater show about the magic of friendship for our staff and any onlookers. If you win majority approval and get the green FUN-Buzzer, you succeed. If not, it‘s back the long way. So..give us your most happy fun self!“

„Yapp, we‘re screwed...Jinx“ they both managed with a sort of deadpan stare that got them to crack up a little. The elder sister sighed. „Well, we sure got ourselves into...something. But I‘ll hold you to your promise. And I sure won‘t sabotage this either. So...can I count on you, sis?“

„…Sure“ Rain grumpily agreed after a moment, sighing likewise as she went over the candy-colorful selection, picking a handful of really well made plush food, just to hear a more teasing „There‘s real snacks, you know? Even the plushies are all about sweets for you?“

„Hey, I‘m a growing po….person, dammit. Heck, this place just makes everything weird. But that gives me an idea! You remember my last birthday party, do you not?“

„You‘re...not serious“ her sister deadpanned.

„Oh, but I am. You want out of this as much as I do. Trust me, it‘s much more cute in plush-pony“

„...whatever. Not like it could get any worse. Let‘s do this!“ Ellis finally conceded, and they both got to work.


The little show-stage seemed to already have gathered a small crowd as the light had indicated someone taking the shortcut. It was made like those puppet shows, with a slot for a large panorama pictures behind a rectangular window, allowing enough space for the performer to hide below and move their props.

Right now, it just showed a blank azure background, but soon, a big, pink plush with an eerie Smile crept into the scene, and a silly, almost witch-like raspy voice proclaimed „HELLO PEOPLE.I‘M...PINK PONY. I‘M THE CRAZY ANNOUNCER FOR THIS DOG AND PONY SHOW. YOU BETTER CLAP A LOT AND NOT MAKE ME MAD. OR I‘MA EAT ALL O‘ YOU, CAPICHE?! NOW HAVE FUN, OR ELSE!“

There were indeed some snickers as it set the scene for the absurdity everyone on both sides of the little stage seemed to embrace. A scene-change was slotted in, showing the inside of a cutesy cupcake shop, with a huge cake popping up in the middle of the screen.
A winged, azure-hued pony with rainbow mane swooped in through a window, claiming „Yummy, Yummy, YUMMY! I flew all the way from...Canter-Lot, and boy, are my wings tired. I want a SNACK!“
There was an awkward pause, as someone whispered a little too loud behind the stage „That‘s NOT what happened. Stick to it.“
„Dramatic license, dammit. Now play your role, will you?“

There was a harrumph, and a bookish-looking pony plush with prop glasses trotted in from the other side. „I‘m Twilight Sparkle. And you will behave,...uh...Rainbow Dash. Even on your birthday, you must show some manners, and follow the rules. You blow out all the candles, say your thanks, give everyone a hug, and then we eat together.“

„Mhhh. We could do that. Or we could do...CANDY FIGHT!“.

What commenced was a hilarious food massacre. It started with the two ponies flinging stuffed pieces of pie at each other, proceeded into an all-limbed smackdown as two big „parent ponies“ arrived to quiet the situation down, just to get pie`d in the face (with a snicker cameo from Pinkie), and peaked when the plush horses started viciously showering the audience with wrapped candies and muffins from the riddle stash.

„PARTY FOR EVERYONE! IT‘S BRIBES, OKAY? EVERYONE LOVES SWEETS. WE WON, RIGHT? RIIGHT?“ the scary pink pony emerged to proclaim, its staring head extending ever more from the theater booth, till people threw up their hands in chuckles and slight concern, some already munching candy. There was a brief pause, but eventually, applause sounded, and the green buzzer light showed a pass.

Rain smirked behind the show, her face red from the exhaustion of managing several ponies and a candy barrage at the same time. „See? I told you it‘d work“

Her sister panted all the same. „That was...incredibly stupid. But I have to hand it to you, sis. You actually managed. If certainly not the intended way. Please don‘t do that scary pony voice ever again though, okay?“

„Promised. My throat still hurts anyway. Now let‘s get out of here. If you insist, I‘ll wash my hair for class. We still have a few minutes with your car.“

Much to her surprise, Ellis just shrugged. „Nah, it‘s cool. Kind of looks a bit like your pony, mh?“

„Oh, you...well, she IS kind of awesome, you know?“ Rain stammered, a little confused by that kind of reply, and trying to deflect.

„You bet it. Just like my lil‘ sis“. Now THAT hit Rain hard, and made her face flush visibly. She yelped in surprise as to suddenly becoming subject of a brief, but affectionate embrace by her sister.

„Hey, hey! Hug quota done for today. But..heh. That WAS fun. Let‘s do some stuff together again sometime, okay? But now, we gotta jet.“ Rain was surprised to hear herself say, but felt a bit of a genuine bond like both of them didn’t for a long time. Maybe there was something to team building exercises after all?

While certainly in a good mood, the aftermath was just a little bit humiliating. After their surprise upset, with the judges only giving them a tongue-in cheek few extra minutes penalty for „bribing the jury“, they actually got first place. Which prompted a certain smirking big sister to re-type „56:09 - TEAM RAINBOW DASH“ for their achievement, much to everyone‘s amusement as she lead the others in a little cheer. Even more so as they all got to keep a pony of their choice, and of course that little azure pegasus pony went to Rain without being allowed protest. She rolled her eyes, though chuckled at the silly „Handwash me – I‘m too cool for the dryer!“ label, gave the pony a little blush-laden snug, and then headed out to the car.

They were about to drive when someone hurried up to them, panting out a „Wait! You didn‘t take your special prize. Here. Have fuuuun!“, and then tossing them a rather large package. Both just barely caught it, muttered a thanks, then noticed the supposed hoodie-wearing employee was already gone.

„Well, that was decidedly weird. So, what did we win?“ Rain‘s sister asked, prying at the packaging.

„No! I unwrap the gifts, okay? Here, you hold Dashie, I get in on the back and check it out there. Don‘t want it to get wet.“

„Dashie? You already nicknamed her?“

„It was in the Lore, you dummy. The full name is a mouthful. And you can snuggle fluffy-wings there all you like. A bit of silly is good, but we got some prime prize to unpack“

„Sure it was. But now what‘s our mystery object. I spy...something azure. And no, it‘s not your pony plush..or is it?“

„Whu...maybe?“ Rain muttered with a growing blush, now making sure the peeled away parts couldn‘t be easily seen from the front of the car. „This will take a while. Get us on the road, will you? We‘re in a hurry!“

„Nope. Academic quarter, remember? I‘ll want to see what we got too. Now get on with it“ her sister argued with a smirk, watching like a hawk.

„Oh, you...NOW we have those extra 15 minutes? Fiiine.“ Rain complained theatrically. But as the ropes fell, her blush only grew. Soon, some rather nicely made little wings popped out of the package, then followed by two pairs of fluffy hooves with zippers, and finally the rainbow-hued tail in all its glory. It didn‘t even take pulling out the toony headpiece, sewn to the rest of the adorable pony outfit, to make clear what it was.

Neither Rain nor her Sister did say a peep for now, until Rain tossed it to the back with a frustrated whine, getting the elder sister to laugh. „Awwwh. Come on. That‘s really well made. And it looks your size too. Must‘ve cost quite a bundle. And you DID help us win after all. Would only be proper...“

„No, nuh, never. Zilch. Shut it. I‘m WAY too cool for this whole pony dress-up thing.“

„Oh, now my little sis suddenly has an image to care about. Then I assume you also want me to dispose of that little plush“

„Uh...no. I need...a...pillow holder“ Rain argued lamely, snatching her pony back. „Seriously, we can...give it to some relative’s kid later. But that thing? Heck, just, just put an ad out to sell it, ok? I‘d not be caught dead in that!“

„As you wish. Someone had a lot of silly fun not too long ago, but sure. I promised you being allowed to choose your look after all.“

„That was different. I‘m not...ah, nevermind. Just drive me to class, okay?“

„Got it, Sis.“



Toweling off her hair and changing into her reserve shirt, Rain felt quite weird saying goodbyes to her sister and trotting into the gray college building with a few other stragglers. She couldn‘t quite make heads or tails of the whole experience, but there was an odd, lingering warmth and a hint of pride at what went down. But there was school to think about. A promise to be kept.

So imagine her surprise when the classroom was almost empty once arrival. „Ah, come ON! Did it get canceled after all this?“ she groaned, studying the large announcement in pink crayon.

„Class Canceled. Professor Stanley is sick! Come all to the wrestling club‘s showcase instead! Front row seats still available!“

Rain shook her head, wondering if that was some kind of weird prank, but there sure was no one to teach, even after the bell rang. As more and more students left, she sighed „What the heck, why not? Promised sis I‘d be here for class, but if they announce it, only fair. And wrestling‘s kind of cool“ Rain mumbled more to herself, remembering her own backyard tussles before her parents found out.

She was a bit late, though, so much so that the hoodie-wearing bouncer held her up, declaring in a bit of a meek, cutesy voice that the ranks were full already from here, but that she could go down the rear entrance.

Rain didn‘t argue, shrugging and heading to the heavy metal doors indicated. Strangely, no one else came after her, but maybe everyone was already in their seat. She stopped sharp though, rounding a corner and suddenly being face-to-face with an inhumanly huge smile.

Bouncing back, she stammered „Wha..what?“ with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, seeing the actual silly pink plush pony from the escape room just standing there, holding up that very rainbow dash costume she had just left in the car to be discarded.

Of course, the pink pony was just amused by her freezing up. „Hello? Helloooooo? Anyone home? Hi, I‘m Pinkie. Dashie, heeeey. You got gumdrops in your ears?“

„Wh..what? No, I...what IS this? Why are you...you‘re that pony from the show! That crazy pinka-...“

„Noooooh. Don‘t you even joke about Pinkamena. No. Laughing. Matter.“ came an unsettlingly firm response and what somehow felt like a death stare, even from cute pony eyes.

The sudden shift in tone caught Rain off-guard and even made her shiver a little, but at least it gave a second to recover. „Okay, okay. Listen. I don‘t know why you‘re here, what‘s going down, but obviously, that‘s the backstage entrance, and I‘ll just go back the other way, and let you do...whatever it is you‘re going to do.“

„Perfect! I‘ll do that then. You can go in a bit, but of course, put on your pony-suit first!“ came the gleeful reply.

„What? You‘re crazy! I..don‘t even know why we won that..I mean, I don‘t work here.“

„You sure dooo. Look at the stage announcement!“ Pinkie cheered, pushing a large sheet right in Rain’s face.

She blinked at the colorful poster, just now realizing she had passed several like that. Then her heart sank, and her face turned almost pale. „You can‘t be serious. How long has this been up? You put my NAME on it too? Oh gods...“

„Oh, I‘m dead serious. Read my lips“ the Pink pony responded with a silly gesture.

„I can‘t. You are a pink cartoon pony! I don‘t even know what that expression‘s meant to tell me!“ Rain shot back, tossing her arms up in frustration, if a hint of desperate amusement.

„Oh, silly. It‘s a figure of speech. But yes. You‘re gonna have so much fun!“

„FUN? I‘m the laughing stock of the whole campus now!“ Rain whined uncharacteristically.

„And you care, why exactly? I thought you were a tough, can-do, don‘t care bout your take punk who wasn’t bothered about college one bit anyhow?“

„Listen. I‘m a punk, not some pastel cartoon cosplayer! And I have a tough girl reputation to uphold either way. I‘m gonna see the sports team all year! They‘ll never let this go!“

„That’s not mutually exclusive. Besides, this sure’s sports. And tell me again what kind of activity is well known for all kinds of silly, cute and cool mascots? It‘s so much fun! And you‘re gonna tell me a tough girl like you can‘t take a little locker-room talk? Look at me! I wasn‘t always this...happy either!“

„You have a point, but you‘re seriously making this sound like some kind of freaky pony cult. What‘s UP with all that?“

„Gosh, you‘re such a worrywart at times. We have to work on that. Remember it‘s already done? Everyone knows about the big show-down between Dashie and the fierce Shadowbolt! Do you want it to be known you chickened out last second, or do you want to make it to the front-page of the college paper, because YOU are cool and confident enough to wrestle as a pastel pony AND win?“

„Nghh. You‘re not playing fair“

„All‘s fair in Fun and Parties, my dear Pony Pal. Now hop in, will ya? Come on, it‘s basically your colors already“

„Nghhh. Maybe. I can‘t believe I‘m actually considering this. “

„Let‘s make it a bet, okay? You go out there and show em‘ what Rainbow Dash can do, and I‘ll throw you the actual best late birthday party you‘ve ever seen, sweets and satisfaction guaranteed. Or, sugar mitts, we could tag team as well!„

„Yo, getting a lil‘ too weird there, girl. I‘ll take your party, but hold your horses – pun intended – till we got this in the bag. It won‘t be long.
Tzk...yeah, you‘re right. It WOULD be fun to see that on the title page. But I‘m holding you to your promise! There better be cake too!“

„Oh, the bestest, hoof-to-heart promise!“

And with that Rain dressed up as a giant Rainbow Dash, properly zipped up by the helping hooves of the pink pony. She was ready to rumble.



„Aaand this is it. People, today we’ll witness a very special, very unique match-up. Our very own new spunky and colorful contender, Rainbow Dash against...THE SHADOWBOLT, hailing from crescent college! It‘ll be one for the ages, folks. Don‘t underestimage those cutesy looks. Fighters, take your positions!“ the announcer boldly proclaimed, though even he couldn‘t keep a snicker out at the end as both of the contestants marched towards the ring.

Of course Pinkie had to be the Valet. She had somehow slipped out ahead of Dash, flaming indoor fireworks in both hooves, hollering as she went wild to “Awesome As I Wanna Be” playing in the background, then tossed edible confetti into the crowd and finally held open the ring, beckoning her wrestler with a hoof.

Rainbow Dash had to work had to keep up, her face on fire under the costume, but she managed to wave to the crowd, do some air-boxing and cartwheel the last part to the ring, her rainbow mane and tail making it an impressive display of flying colors.

The panting, sweating female inside felt like a huge laughing stock, yet the adrenaline was high, and her excitement building, even as the crowd was full of both giggles, outright laughter, and genuine engaged cheering.

Now all eyes were on the other end of the arena, where the dark black and violet, spandex-clad challenger emerged to a roaring rendition of “Back in Black”, his styling only describable as a luchadore-vampire of sorts. He was striking a threatening pose and swooping up to the stage like a creature of the night, from where he tossed his billowing cape into the audience. There was another mixture of laughs, claps and boos, him being against the home team and all – even though he seemingly had a small block of dedicated fans waving flags and holding up banners.

Shadowbolt’s physique definitely was imposing though, and the announcer pointed out “Now we all know this tricky Cruiserweight. He’s known to be a Brawler, and Rainbow Dash will have to stay quick on her feet to avoid his range and strength advantage. Now...everyone ready? FIGHT!”

But even as the rainbow pony was ready to bound ahead, Shadowbolt just stood there, eyeing his challenger. “That’s it? All this proud sports institution has to bring up to face me? A cutesy horse that fell into a rainbow blender? Oh, come on. You can still call it quits and live with just the humiliation. I’d finish you in a single move” he voiced in the most condescending tone. That cheap shot brought on quite some boos from the local audience, but raucious laughter from his camp.

Dash blushed harder, but thankful the costume covered for her, she just snorted. „Yeah, you bring it on, buster. Don‘t get your spandex in a twist. Do you always talk your enemies to death, or do you have some actual moves to match my hooves? Come at me, and we’ll see about who looks like he’s just gone through a blender!“

That was enough to set the match off. Shadowbolt catapulted himself forward, apparently going for a bear hug to get this over quick. He had vastly underestimated Rainbow Dashes’ mobility, costume or not. She bolted from the ropes with dazzling speed, dodging his grapple to the left, and with one swift grip, smacking him into the Mattress with a Suplex. He was completely baffled at first, but with an almost feral growl, quickly broke her attempted hold. Both fighters backed off a few steps, each panting.

“Lucky shot, newbie. You won’t last. Give it a few minutes, and I’ll wring that silly horse smile out of you. You haven’t seen the true darkness of Shadowbolt!” the more massive wrestler called out.

“What, the stuff you peel from your nose in the morning? Come on, can it with the trash-talk. I thought you wanted this to be over already. You couldn’t even catch my tail-wind. Want to try?” Rainbow Dash countered cockily, dancing lightly on her hooves and keeping just a tauntingly small distance between them.

He tried to grapple...the air. And again. And yet another time, he just ended up smacked in the face by a rainbow-hued tail-end, twirled around by a grinning pony dancing just a step away. “Almost had me there, Mr. Bolt...or do you go by Deadbolt? You just slide back and forth, back and forth. Where’s your moves, man?”

She dodged another angry rush attack, and just barely ducked under an extending arm. “Woooho. Look at that long limb. Maybe you should go by Dhalsim after all? At least he can breathe fire too! That’d help now.”

Of course she was panting hard already, knowing that even with her endurance, a long match was a clear disadvantage in the colorful costume. Though its soft, elusive features made it quite a bit easier to taunt the opponent, and so Shadowbolt once more just ended up with a small fistful of rainbow hair.

“Rah! I’ll RIP OUT your pathetic little tail and mane, and make a trophy from it!” he yelled, now throwing his limbs outwards in quick succession to try and corner her against the ropes.

“Awwwh. You’re just envious. But hey, I got some colored markers for you later...if you can still stand, that is..ack!” she had to pause, having gotten a little too cocky, as the Shadowbolt had faked a chop, doubled back, and clotheslined her straight to the ground. He laughed roaringly, keeping a leg on his downed opponent, and signaling a crony to bring one of those folding chairs over. “You were saying, sweetness? But don’t worry. I think everyone understood you were just the comedic pre-show. Care to call it quits, before I really bring in the hurt?”

“Hey, HEY. Isn’t that against the rules?” Dashie yelped out, looking around for the referee – which apparently was very busy arguing with a small group of Shadowbolt fans and dodging empty water bottles.

“Seems the jury is still out on that” came his mocking reply. Of course he had to take a moment to raise his new weapon, and pose for the fans like a proper heel...just enough time for her to rear up, spin out from under his leg and roll to safety, the chair crashing down where she just laid a moment ago. He shook his head in disappointment, but closed the gap immediately, attacking in quick succession now. Eventually, he had Rainbow Dash on the ropes again.

“Any last words, Pony?” he mocked with confidence, discarding the chair to go for another crushing bear hug.

“Yeah. Ever heard of a sonic rainboom?”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to...AUGH!” he yelped and stumbled back in confusion, as Rainbow Dash had delivered a stunning hoofed bell clap to his ears. She immediately capitalized on the opportunity, climbed the ropes and delivered a ruthless Crossbody against Shadowbolt. He went down hard, and found himself in a pin immediately. He kicked, he raged, but the pony’s well-placed grip was too much to overcome.

“Hey, Referee. Shadowbolt here wants to tell us all about how he couldn’t even use a chair properly. Glad a pony could help him lay down at least. So what’s that count?”.

Even through the breathless insults, it didn’t take long to get to the out-count, and Rainbow Dash finally released him with a smirk and helped him up “Yes, I snuggle hard too. But good fight. Like that whole bad boy vibe. Friends?”

“With a pastel pony girl? Never! You haven’t heard the last of me, you hear? I shall get my revenge, and you will rue the day you went up against...SHADOWBOLT!” he proclaimed loudly to the immediately presented microphone, but most of the stands just cuckled at that. Even he himself actually gave Dash a wink, handed over the microphone and mouthed “Good fight, Pony girl. You do, in fact rock. Rematch you sometime.”

Dash was about to stumble through a victory speech, when Pinkie, along with a few from the college sports team, came up behind her like a wave and pulled her up onto their arms, carrying her around to chants of “DASHIE! DASHIE! Woohoo! Give it up for the rainbow pony!”

It was quite a madhouse. But it had been SO MUCH FUN!



A while later, Rain sat on the bleachers, pony head half-down, still toweling off her sweat. She finally was done with the congratulations and praise, and felt oddly serene in the afterglow of all that adrenaline. Enough to not freak out as a certain pink pony sat down next to her again.

„See? I knew you could do it! Of course I‘ve made the right pick, neigh-sayers be damned“

Rain groaned playfully at the silly pun, then mouthing a slightly confused „Thanks, but...picked? Whatever are you referring to. Is there a crazy pony cult after all?“ she asked with a dry chuckle.

„Maaaaybe?“ was the only answer she got, along with that almost unsettlingly cute pony stare.

„You‘re weird. Crazy weird. But I give it to you, you know how to have fun. So, why the heck did you pick me. There must‘ve been dozens of other sporty girls for you to choose from.“

„Well, for starters, you had half the right name already“

„….Okay, So let me get this straight. You picked me because My Name‘s Rain and I run fast?“

„Well, yeah! The similarity is rather awesome, isn‘t it?“

„No. Rain. Like the depressing stuff pissing down from the sky. Not Mrs. Sparkle-Colors there.“

„Oh come on. It‘s what you choose to make it. And doesn‘t it sound at least 20% cooler with that other part?“

„...if you put it that way, Rainbow Dash is an improvement. Okay, okay. It‘s a little cool.“

„Yes, it is. And YOU are, Girl. YOU were amazing, Dashie. Now, enjoy your win, party it up some with your sports club pals, and take good care of your costume. Don't even think about giving it away. I hear there was serious consideration in making you the new team mascot, and you‘ll need it soon either way!“

„What? I‘ll...Pinkie? What the ...“ Dashie gaped, looking around just to find the pink pony had vanished almost like a ninja in her moment of distraction. She gazed at the cute, if cocky-confident smile of her own suit. „Heck. I wanted an adventure, mh? Seems like I got it, and then some. Well, I‘m up for it, Pinkie! Just you see!“


Epilogue – A week later

Derpy, for once in human guise, was just trotting down a road, humming a happy tune, when he found himself interrupted by a bizarre honking horn and a loud “ding!”. Before he could even turn, a large white truck had pulled up besides him, side opening up to reveal...“Iiiiiicce Cream! Care for a cone?”

The incognito-pony gasped, almost walking into a streetlight, then turning to face the ‘pink menace’. He stammered a little, a lot of questions running through his mind right now: “Pinkie! What...are you doing? Here? With that?”

“Oh, Operations needed their surveillance van back, so I traded up. Would you believe some people think there’s a season for ice-cream? Humans are so weird. Was real cheap, gets us around, in style, with tasty treats too.”

Derpy blinked, then just shrugged and gave a cute little laugh. It was stupid to argue with Pinkie on these things. So why not just enjoy the madness, specially if it be harmless and tasty? “Ah, of...course. I get it. Sure, give me...vanilla with mint chip then?”

“There you go” she voiced, serving an XXL-Sized cone expertly all by hoof. Derpy took it with a thanks, climbing into the back and “closed shop” again for a little privacy. He dumped his heavy back-pack nearby.

That made Pinkie giggle and point to it “Come on. We’re among ourselves. Put it on already. Though knowing you, you put it to good use? Spill how it went!”

Now Derpy really seemed to show cute glowy cheeks, and made haste to toss his jacket away, swallow the cone in one bite to serious brainfreeze, and then quickly hide behind the lush gray and yellow fabric. There clearly was a smile though as the mail-pony explained “Really well. They loved it.”

“Of COURSE they did! And you were worried Dennis would find it too silly? Hah, boys his age only play tough, believe me.”

“Oh, he’s a sweetheart, just as his sister. But I was just a little concerned how they’d take their uncle sneaking in through the balcony as a weird-eyed girly pony, you know? Isn’t that a sensible thing to be concerned about?”

“Nuuuupe. That’s surprise party perfection”

Derpy just chuckled “To you, of course it is. But they weren’t even weirded out. They were super curious, but I got more hugs than I could count. Of course they knew the series. Melody had already seen all, but we had tons of fun watching a few together, with them pointing out every Derpy cameo. Then they asked me what you had to study to grow up to become a pony too.”

“Haha! Sounds like they’re Brony and Pegasister already. Sure you aren’t wanting to get an early start recruiting?”

“Heavens, no. I want them to have a mostly normal, happy childhood. And once they are well-rounded adults, I’ll ask if they want to be on the list. Till then, I’ll keep being their “guardian angel pony”, or whichever nickname they settle on. But they seem to be convinced I’d carry Santa’s letters too. I had to point out that that’s Reindeer, but that I’d put in a good word.”

“Ohhh. We could all get some antlers for the season!”

The just re-suited grey pony held up a halting hoof, groaning “Bad pinkie. No. Though I guess you really deserve some thanks. Those pony plushies you made turned out the only hope I had extricating myself from being their cuddle-toy for the rest of the night. And my whole, hasty “duty calls” escape from the balcony was a lot less painful and embarrassing thanks to the extra padding you have sewn in. I could totally make it look like I was flying off, or at least gracefully stumbling. I wonder...if those wings were a bit bigger and reinforced...Still have to be a lil’ careful. Doubt my brother would want me...that weird too often. Nonetheless, I feel safe and nice as a proper pony. Makes me wish I could wear it at all times too, wouldn’t even be a problem to get into little accidents then. But we still got some undercover work to do, right?””

“Oh, shush. He’ll be fine with it too, and so will our undercover work. Everyone succumbs to pony cuteness in time. But you can always call them when you’re on the job for your other stuff”

“Thanks. I appreciate you...keeping this between us”

“Oh, don’t worry bout it. It’s totally adorbs.”

“Good. But what about you? IT had me running the distraction, didn’t even catch the main event. How did that go?”

“Oh, the event was tons of fun. Even if Luna’s nagging me about tieing the knot more definitively. Which I’ll do very soon, not to worry. I have a plan anyway, and I’m an expert with knots..and balloon animals! But yes, that’s part of what I’m here for.”
“That, and what else?”

“Word’s out about a potential twilight. We’ll move in soon. Not sure if Dash will join us already, but we’ll catch up on her antics before long. For now, we have a new Mission.”




Sky Candy did a great job on this one

all characters of MLP are property of Hasbro Inc. I don't own anything

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