Meanwhile, back in Canterlot, Rainbow Dash was finishing up clearing the skies.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, zooming to a stop. "Sky's cleared and ready for the festival!"
Down on the ground, Pinkie was blowing up a balloon. When she was done, she tied it up, making it look like Discord. However, having not been tied to keep the air in properly, the balloon began to deflate, and started flying all over the place. Pinkie began chasing the balloon, trying to catch it before it hurt some creature.
Fluttershy was working on the music with her birds and Angel Bunny, who was hilariously dressed like a bird. Suddenly, the balloon flew by, with Pinkie charging at her full speed.
"Sorry Fluttershy!" Pinkie called out.
Pinkie sprinted past Fluttershy and her birds, scaring off the birds, while Angel Bunny freaked out a bit.
"Rogue balloon on the loose!" Pinkie called back.
"I don't think it's the balloon that's rogue, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said, petting a bird that had returned to her for comfort.
The balloon dashed in front of Applejack just before she arrived where it has just been. Had she not stopped, she would've been ran over by Pinkie.
"Sorry,AJ!" Pinkie shouted at a very fast pace.
"Hey, everypony!" Applejack called out, pulling a cart filled with her family's apple cider. "Does anypony wanna try a sample of my family's cider?"
Up in the air nearby, Rainbow heard Applejack and smirked thirstily. She flew so fast towards the cup, Applejack didn't even see her as she snatched up the cup, nor did she see her friend when the cup reappeared on her hoof, completely empty.
"Thankyou,lovedit!" Rainbow called out.
AJ simply looked at the cup in confusion, having not seen nor heard Rainbow, knowing it was full just a second ago. Elsewhere, the Wielders of the Elements of Nature had split up, covering more ground in their patrol.
Currently, Bao was walking around the square near the stage when the deflated balloon landed in front of him on the ground. Without looking down, Bao picked up the balloon and ate it before walking off like nothing happened. Pinkie came to an abrupt stop, and gasped in absolute horror at what she had just witnessed.
Meanwhile, back at the stage, Rarity was decorating the wall of the stage with ribbons tied in a near bow and gems. Applejack walked over, genuinely impressed with her friend's work.
"Wow, Rarity," Applejack said in an impressed tone. "That's a fine job ye're doin' there. Course, it might not get done till after the concert."
"Applejack, darling, anypony can do 'fine'," Rarity replied, smiling with pride. "Sunset asked me, so clearly, she's going for fabulous, and fabulous takes time."
"Fabulous takes forever!" Rainbow Dash complained. "But "awesome"!"
Rainbow Dash grabbed Rarity's materials, and in a rapid pace, had the stage decorated in mere seconds.
"Whoa!" Fluttershy helped as Rainbow Dashed (haha! I made a pun!) past her.
"...can get it done in four seconds flat!" Rainbow finished. "Faster if I do my Sonic Rainboom!"
"Aah!" Rarity gasped in horror, already horrified by the horrible decorations. "Nono, oh no! Don't you dare, Rainbow Dash! It looks wretched enough already!"
"Oh come on, it's fine!" Rainbow argued.
"If you were raised in a barn!" Rarity shot back, before realizing what she had just said in front of her farm pony friend. "Ahem, no offense, Applejack."
"None taken," Applejack replied, holding out a cup of cider, allowing Rainbow to take it, return it, refill it, and repeated this process as she spoke. "Especially since I wasn't raised in a barn. My family just happens to have a barn. Where I was born. And... spent most of my formative years..."
"Raisedinabarn!" Rainbow shouted quickly as she grabbed another cup of cider.
Just then, Sunset and Spike arrived. Sunset appeared to be going over a check list about the festival, no doubt making sure everything was in order.
"Okay, just two hundred and eighteen things left to do and we're ready," she said to herself.
"Hey, Sunset!" Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie greeted.
"Hello, Spike," Rarity greeted flirtaciously.
"Uh, hi, Rarity," Spike greeted back bashfully. "Heh heh."
"How'd it go with the other Princesses?" Applejack asked. "Are they gonna heed your warnings?"
"I bet they will!" Pinkie Pie added.
"Not exactly," Sunset sighed. "They don't believe Twilight will return to seek vengeance on us all."
"And they are absolutely right, darling," Rarity replied, tryin to reassure her friend. "Twilight made it very clear when she disappeared all those years ago that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with us."
"But what if she does, Rarity?!" Sunset pointed out. "What if she attacks during Songbird Serenade's concert? What if she comes with an army of darkness? And if we don't have the forces necessary to fend them off, then those causalities would be on my hooves!"
"Sunset, look at me!" Pinkie said seriously, cupping Sunset's face with her hooves. "This will be the biggest celebration Equestria has ever seen! And whether Celestia, Luna, and Cadence want to admit it or not, Twilight is bound to return, whether for revenge, or to try to rekindle old friendships that were broken because of us! And as the Princess of Friendship, you've got to help heal her broken heart! And when she returns, the end result will define who you are! The pressure is intense! It's almost too much for any single pony to handle!"
Pinkie let out a dramatic scream, causing everyone to gasp. Pinkie regained her composure, then joined up with the other girls.
"But you have us!" Pinkie finished, smiling. "So stop worrying!"
Applejack set down the cup, Rarity ignited her horn with her magic, a balloon popped next to Pinkie, and Rainbow let out a loud belch from all the cider she had been drinking.
"Ah!" Sunset yelped in surprise, trying to force a smile.
*Que Song: We Got This Together*
Applejack: "It's time to show 'em what you've got~"
Rarity: "It's time to go and get things done~"
Fluttershy: "But you don't have to do it on your own~"
Pinkie Pie: "Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun~"
Mane Five: "We got this, you got this~
We've got this together!~"
Sunset flies into the air as Rainbow Dash, so Rainbow could explain her Element as she cleared the skies.
Rainbow Dash: "Sometimes the pressure gets you down~
And the clouds are dark and gray~
Just kick them off and let the sun shine through~"
As Rainbow sang that, she kicked away a dark cloud, allowing the sun's light to shine.
Rainbow Dash: "And scary as it seems, more help is on the way~"
As if on cue, some of the Wonderbolts appeared.
Rainbow Dash: "Cause friends have friends that wanna help out too~"
The Wonderbolts, most likely responding to the previous line, took out several of the dark clouds and regular clouds.
Rainbow Dash & Wonderbolts: "We got this, you got this~
We got this together~"
Sunset flew down to the ground, passing by all the civilians setting up for the festival.
Crowd: "It's the Festival of Friendship~
And we can get it done~
A festival that they won't forget~
A party to be proud of~
A day of games and fun~
Just you wait and see~
A magic day in perfect harmony~"
Sunset landed next to Fluttershy, who allowed a bird to land on her hoof.
Fluttershy: "You got this~"
Bird: (whistling melodically)
Fluttershy and bird: "We got this together~"
Sunset flew off to check on the food's progress, overseen by Applejack, of course.
Applejack: "With friends and family, you are never alone~
If you need help, we've got ye're back~
You can be honest, let your problems be known~"
Applejack and the Apple Family: "Cause you got us to pick up the slack~
We got this~"
Big McIntosh: "Eeyup~"
Apple Family: "We got this together~"
Sunset then headed over to Rarity, who was finishing up decorating the stage.
Rarity: "Pay attention to the details, everyone even spaced~
Make the colors perfect~"
Spike: "Taking one or two to taste~"
Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes, amused by the little dragon's antics as he took a gem and ate it, making Rarity replace it with another.
Rarity: "Inside and out~
Beautiful throughout~"
As Spike attempted to take another gem, Rarity offered him one instead, which he happily accepted.
Rarity: "Generosity is what we're all about~"
Spike: (mouthful)"You got this~"
Rarity: "You got this~"
Rarity and Spike: "We got this together~"
Sunset flies into the air, overlooking the preparations from there (haha, I rhymed!).
Sunset Shimmer: "Today needs to be perfect, it all comes down to me~
I don't know if I'm ready~
For all the things they need me to be~"
As Sunset flew over the small river in Canterlot, she stared at her reflection.
Sunset: "I am the Princess of Friendship~
But that is more than just a crown~
It's a promise to bring ponies together~
And never let anypony down~"
As Sunset flew away from the water, the camera switched over to Pinkie Pie on a large cake baking machine, using a bicycle (yes, I am surprised that a world of ponies has bikes) to operate the large whisks to whisk the cake batter.
Pinkie Pie: "We've got an awful lot to bake~
Each pony needs a piece of cake~
Oh, wait! There's something better we can do~"
Pinkie got off her bike and rushed over to her friend, Cheese Sandwich, to tell him her plan. Immediately, they both gather many supplies and began building something.
Pinkie Pie: "We're gonna need some more supplies~
To make a really big surprise~
She'll be so shocked - she's sure to love it, too~"
Pinkie then picked up Gummy, her pet alligator, who was still somehow a baby.
Pinkie Pie: "You got this~"
Gummy didn't really seem to know or care about what his owner was talking about.
Pinkie Pie: "We got this together~"
The camera then cut to two large crowds joining together.
All: "It's the Festival of Friendship~
Together we are one~
A day we will never forget~
And now everything is ready~
So when the day is done~"
Rainbow Dash: "The weather~"
Applejack: "The banquet~"
Rarity: "The style~"
Fluttershy: "And music~"
All: "All will be in perfect harmony~"
As the song ended, Pinkie's creation rose up and fired the largest three layered cake ever into the air. Sunset began to run, but was covered by the cake. When she finally emerged, she gasped for air, and coughed a bit.
"Pinkie, seriously?" Sunset asked in absolute annoyance.
"Oopsie," Pinkie said, emerging from the cannon with a smile on her face. "Guess my easy bake confetti cannon needs a little bit more fine tuning."