As with previous installments to her channel, so with her latest endeavor. Rainbow spent the week planning her own co-hosting of Pinkie's debut. Which was easy, since it was Rainbow who was in it.
Come sunday...
~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for coming out here Fluttershy." Rainbow sat on a bench on the pier over the water. Pinkie sat beside her, and Fluttershy on the other side of Rainbow. "Now I know no animals will be harmed in the making of this video. ... Maybe I'll put up a disclaimer for that."
"Probably a good idea. I don't want to see any fish go belly up because of this." Fluttershy stood and knelt at the edge, looking into the water. "I'm not even sure they'll listen to me."
"They're gonna have to. And if they don't, then they'll be scared away by loud noises." Pinkie tossed up a skittle and caught it between her teeth. "I've gotten really good at making duds."
"That's just you not using your power," Fluttershy said, turning back. "It's when they do go boom that I get uneasy."
"Relax, Fluttershy. You'll be out of range from both the sound and sight. In other words, back on the beach. ... Or behind the camera watching if you want." Rainbow reached out and caught Pinkie's skittle lightning quick. "Mine." She ate the candy.
"That was mine!"
"You have, like, three whole bags of candy. What's one little skittle?" Rainbow asked.
"That's precious ammunition, I'll have you know."
"You aren't going to try to hit the fish, are you?" Fluttershy interrupted.
"No, of course not. I just want to see some big splashes." Pinkie held a piece in her open palm, and gave it a mighty flick into the deep blue. Moments later, there was a resulting explosion of powder that created a bubble beneath the surface. "See?"
"Little splash. Little candy." Rainbow reached into her bag and got a fist sized jawbreaker ball. "What can you do with this?"
"If that thing goes boom, it'll send sharp shards of shrapnel shooting all sorts of ways. In other words, a grenade." Pinkie looked at it. "Are you going to eat that? Or can I save it for later?"
"It's yours." Rainbow gave up her jawbreaker. "Anyway. Fluttershy? Status of the salmon?"
"They're well out of range from the blasts. Though, I will warn you: the shockwave underwater will still scare them."
"Noted." Rainbow got up and set up her tripod facing the end of the pier. "We can start whenever you're ready, Pinks."
~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie tossed a yellow skittle high into the air and caught it between her teeth. The light breeze made little changes to the candy's trajectory. With a sigh, Pinkie leaned back and looked at the sky. "It's so calming today."
Rainbow walked down the pier and sat beside Pinkie. "What's up?"
"Nothing much. It's a real boring day when the fish aren't biting." Pinkie tossed another one in the air and caught it. "Kinda why I wanted some company, because I sure don't have any in the water."
"Hard to catch a fish without bait. Without a pole, even." Rainbow looked around. "What are you even fishing with, if not a pole and bait?"
"I'm glad you asked. See, long time ago, before man tied line to wood, they stabbed with the wood the fish that got too close."
"Like a harpoon?"
"Yeah. Later, they used a bow and arrows to go fishing, pulling back their catch." Pinkie tossed another in the air and caught it.
"Alright, but I don't see any archery equipment."
"And you shouldn't. My point is, everyone fishes in a different way. My method is unique to me." She flicked a candy into the water.
" ... you're using candy as bait?" Pinkie nodded. "I don't think fish like the taste of sugar, Pinkie." Rainbow shook her head.
"I know that, silly. They aren't eating it, they just have to get close."
"You're confusing me. Why would you throw candy-"
"Flick."
"Flick candy into the water knowing you won't catch anything?"
"Because... because I'm using the candy as teeny tiny explosive charges." Rainbow looked confused. "Don't believe me?"
Rainbow turned to the camera. "Pay attention. This is important." She turned back to face Pinkie. "No, I don't. It's a candy."
"Not in my hand, it's not." She gave another one a flick, and just after it hit the water, it exploded in a bright red flash of powder. "See what I mean?"
"Wha- You're bomb-fishing?"
"That's right."
"With candy?" Pinkie nodded. "That's such an unconventional method, even for you." Rainbow glanced at her. "But hey. There's gotta be some trick here, right? Like... Oh, you set up mines under water and someone else is setting them off with timing."
"Nope."
"Hmm... You're using mind powers to make the candies detonate?"
"Sort of." Pinkie tossed another one in, and watched it make a green mist upon explosion.
"Then what is it, really?"
"Magic hands."
Rainbow shook her head, then chuckled at the notion. "No really. Tiny specks of c4, itty bitty grenades, at least those are within the realm of likelihood. Not... "Magic hands.""
"Believe me or not. Doesn't change the fact that I can do it." She tossed another one out and waited. No explosion. "Okay, that one was a dud."
The two shared a laugh.
~~~~~~~~~
"Did you dud on purpose?" Twilight asked.
"Of course I did. Humor goes a long way when executed properly. Gotta just make sure the guillotine is sharp enough for a clean cut."
"At any rate most of the comments are about Pinkie's strange power. They really don't know how you did all those skittle bombs. Hate to say it but there wasn't much I could do to edit that idea out of their heads."
"Hey," Rarity said, "scroll back up." Rainbow did so and watched Rarity point at a comment in particular. ""Since the person from the first video is assisting in this one, does that mean you've closed the loop?" Closed the loop?"
"Yeah. I hosted the first one, and every time after that, someone else has been the focus. That person, in the previous video, assisted. So, when I assisted this one, the "next" video would be about me, but we already did that one. So yeah. Closed loop." Rainbow scrolled down again and stopped at a comment. "Uhh... This one's new... "Speed. Psychic. Telekinetic. Conjury. Reverse Premonition and Empath. Strong. Explosive. Fine qualities in all of you, and wonderful displays of power besides." Uh oh..."
""Uh oh"? What's the uh oh?" Pinkie asked.
"This guy is... He's the same guy that we saw during Sunny's video. And we bumped into him just before Aj's video too."
"Is this the same guy that you said was stalkin' us?" Aj asked. Rainbow nodded. "Have y'all been real careful about showin' yer powers?" she whispered.
"I know I have," Fluttershy admitted. Various hums and nods came from the others. "Rainbow?"
"Speed's my game. I can move just fast enough to not be seen, and to not have a color trail. There's a sweet spot there somewhere. Maybe if I had a black outfit, I could make the trail go away completely."
"Are you asking me to make you something? Because I totally... won't." Rainbow looked at her. "You with a black suit doesn't suit you at all."
"That's the idea though. If I wear something that isn't me, I have a better chance of getting away with my grand idea."
Sunset hit the table hard. "You're going to tell me what that is, now!" She reached over and grabbed Rainbow's wrist.
Rainbow immediately began thinking of her video she made in secret. "Stay out of my head, Sunset!" That alone forced Sunny to let go.
"What's the matter with you?" Rainbow asked.
"Why can't I see what your plan is?!" Sunset asked with rising anger.
"Because you can't read minds from the memories you see. All of the details are in my head, and unless you catch me thinking about them when I don't know, you'll never see them." She stood up. "And, since you won't make me an outfit, then I'll just have to go buy a rainbow-colored track suit from the outlet malls." She walked off. The others watched her.
"Sorry girls. I shouldn't have lashed out like that. I just wanted to know what's been going through her head." Sunset put her head on the table. Aj gave her some back pats.
"It's alright, Sunset. She didn't even tell me what's goin' on with her. But she makes a good point. This guy that's tailin' us needs to stop. Who wants to confront him?"
"No need." Pinkie said. Soon as she said that, Shade himself sat where Rainbow stood up.
"Happy lunch to you six." He took a bite of apple. "So tell me: what went on with you and-"
"You don't get to sit with us and start asking questions like that. Who are you and why have you been following us?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm... If you want answers, you'll have to beat them out of me. I'll be in the track field after school every day this week until 6. You have until I leave on the final day to come at me with everything you've got." He stood and left his tray. "Don't disappoint me. Oh, and be sure to tell your Spectrum Speedster those little details." Shade walked off and seemed to dissolve from sight.
Silence reigned for a few minutes. "Magic from Equestria?" Sunset asked. Everyone nodded.