For Rainbow Dash most of the morning had been spent hard at work repositioning her cloud house. She hadn't moved it back to its spot yet, and over the course of a few days it had almost drifted out of Ponyville entirely. And with all the remodeling she did, that just wouldn't do at all. So with her strength returning, Tank by her side, and a whole day to do whatever she pleased, Rainbow Dash was more than excited for the day ahead.
Dash braced herself against the soft, plushy back wall of her home. Her arms almost sunk into the cloud but, being a pegasi, she was able to keep herself from falling through. "C'mon Tank," Dash grunted as she pushed against the floating building, "Let's put the house back where it belongs!"
Tank hovered close by, quietly watching his owner. His own wings, larger in wingspan than Dash's, flapped slowly, still managing to keep the large pegasus aloft. Tank moved closer and positioned himself beside Dash against the wall. After finding the right spot he looked to her and gave an affirming nod.
"Alright!" Dash grinned. "Ready? Three, two, one... now!"
The two pushed against the massive cloud structure and it began to move. To be honest, all clouds were easy to move. Though, the bigger ones did require teams of Pegasi to move them. Dash could already move her house on her own though, Tank was just there to get it done faster. After several minutes of pushing, positioning, and a few directional errors, Dash's home was finally back in its proper spot.
"Finally." Dash panted. Letting go of the cloud, she darted up and over to the other side of the house, landing on the "lawn" that jetted out from the front. She watched the sky before her. It was like a giant ocean of blue, dotted with small islands of cloud. Ponyville was within sight again, and Dash could tell that everypony had already started preparing for the big day.
Tank flew up a moment later. He circled around to where Rainbow Dash was and slowly let himself down, the Pegasus's hooves sinking into the cloud layer when he touched down. Tank slowly made his way over, stepping as cautiously as possible.
Dash watched the spectacle and snickered. "You're not going to fall through Tank, how many times do we have to go over this?"
They had gone over that a few times actually. Ever since he had become a pony, Tank had been cautious about walking on the clouds, fearing that he would still fall though. Dash had explained it, and he knew that he couldn't now that he was a pegasus, but the not-tortoise still treaded lightly.
"Well then, now that's out of the way. What can we do now...?" Dash wondered aloud and looked around. She was already bored with the situation and searching for something else they could do. "What do you think, Tank?"
Tank replied with a shrug of his wings. Frankly he didn't care what they did, only if they were doing something. His owner would probably come up with something by the time he made a suggestion anyways. His assumption was proved correct when Dash suddenly spoke, grinning at whatever she had planned.
"W-wait, wait, wait. I got it!" She kicked her hooves in excitement, knocking up small puffs of cloud in the process. Dash grabbed Tank and pointed out at the sky beyond. "It's an awesome idea. You see those small bits of cloud out there Tank?"
A slow nod answered her question. Out in the sky beyond the house, drifting aimlessly over Ponyville, were little puffs of cloud. None of them were big enough to make any rain, but if they managed to bunch together a reasonably large cloud would be created.
"Yeah, so we're gonna take out all those clouds together!" Dash stated, punching the air with her hooves. "It'll be like a race! That's cool with you, right?"
Avoiding his owner's gaze for the moment, Tank rolled his olive-colored eyes. Dash was always making things into races or competitions, especially now that he was a Pegasus. He understood why though; she was just so happy that he could fly with her. This meant that he obviously couldn't refuse; not that he would in the first place.
Tank nodded.
"Awesome!" Overjoyed, Rainbow Dash moved to the end of the cloud and began preparing herself. Tank was right behind her and a moment later they were both peering over the edge at the ground bellow and the sky before them.
Dash looked over at Tank, his expression turned to stone as he concentrated. Her grin turned smug at a new idea. "Bet you a glass of apple cider that I win."
That got his attention. Apple cider? That stuff that his owner converted so dearly, and basically hoarded each year? How could he possibly refuse an offer like that, especially now that he was a pony?
Tank grinned; his expression taking on a competitive appearance that mirrored his owner's own. "You're on." He stated in his deep tone.
At the count of three the two Pegasus launched themselves off the cloud and zoomed off into the air with Dash quickly taking the lead. Tank tried his best to keep up, going faster than he ever had in his entire life.
***
"It's so nice that you guys came to see us before the party, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said as she bounced around Sugarcube Corner. The whole store was incredibly busy at the time Twilight and the others got there. On top of the mess already produced by the frantic preparation it seemed that Pinkie and Gummy had also attempted a little bit of decorating. Streamers and other colorful decorations were attached to various parts of the bakery, including some of the food. It would only be later that Twilight discovered it was because of an accidental fire of the party-canon while they had been prepping it.
"Well we just thought we'd get out for a while you know?" Twilight explained, magically removing a few stray pieces of confetti from her mane. "Have some fun before the celebration?"
"Really? But usually you just spend a lot of time in the library looking at your checklists before the parties start."
"Oh, we finished those already." Owlowiscious half joked, though he was mostly telling the truth. "We've just decided to have a little fun now before the party starts."
Pinkie smiled at that. It wasn't very noticeable at first, but the two slowly begun to noticed the bags under the party pony's eyes as she worked. "Goody! That means you have all day to have fun." she paused, "Or whatever you want to do I guess."
"Uh, Pinkie?" Spike, who was in fact there, spoke up for the first time since they arrived. He had been showing Peewee some of the stores treats, while keeping sure he didn't accidently toast any of the of course. "Are you okay? You seem sort of..." he searched for the right word.
"Sleepy!" Peewee chimed in, basically unaware of what was going on, but enjoying all of the colors and ponies around him.
"Oh yeah! Me and Gummy were up all night, preparing the decoration and games, and food, and decorations, and games..."
Pinkie wobbled back and forth briefly before slowly tipping back, her eyes closing shut, and a slow yawn escaping her lips. Before anyone could do anything, out of nowhere, Gummy appeared beside her. Quick as a flash, he grabbed Pinkie before she hit something and set her back on her hooves. Grabbing a random cupcake from the counter he stuffed it into her mouth mid-yawn. Pinkie's eyes flew open the moment she tasted the pastry and quickly hopped to attention, swallowing the whole thing in one gulp.
"Phew, thanks Gummy." Pinkie patted the green earth pony on the head. "Me and Gummy have been working for so long that we have to eat some of the snacks. Gummy keeps saying that I shouldn't be eating all these sweets, but I'm fine!" she cracked a smile a bit wider than usual.
"Pinkie, you really should get some rest!" Twilight warned the mare. "You don't want to fall asleep when the princesses arrive, do you?"
"It's no problemo at all, Twilight!" Stating her opinion loudly, Pinkie Pie took a ridiculous pose, grabbing Gummy with one arm and pointing off with another. "Sleep is for the weak, and we have a lot of work to do!" she slammed her hoof on the counter. "It's not just the Summer Sun Celebration; it's the anniversary of when you came to Ponyville so it has to be the best!"
"I see." Owlowiscious said. "You have certainly been working on the decorations, haven't you?"
"Oh yeah!" she grinned happily but it slowly turned sheepish. "Well, I'm actually not doing as well as usual." Pinkie pointed a hoof to on of the corners of the store. Piled up in the corner were various banners and cloth decorations, as well as some sewing materials. "I tried to make some special decorations for the party but-" her explanation was momentarily halted by a yawning fit. "I guess I'm better at parties than sewing. I was going to ask Rarity about it..." The sentence went unfinished; Pinkie's smile briefly becoming a frown before turning happy again. "No worries, I can get it done by myself."
"Right...." There wasn't really anything Twilight could say to that that she hadn't already. Glancing at the others, she stated, "Well, we just came by to say hello. We're not going to just have sweets for lunch."
"We're not?" Owlowiscious asked in mock confusion. This earned him a glare from the unicorn. Spike and Peewee looked legitimately confused; both currently munching on some recently acquired cupcakes.
"We're not." Twilight confirmed. "Sorry Pinkie, but we have to get going. We'll see you at the celebration tonight!"
"Oki doki loki!" Pinkie waved goodbye to the group as they made their way out the door, grabbing Gummy's hoof and waving it as well until the door closed. Both of them returned to their current jobs; Pinkie manning the counter, counting the sprinkles on the cupcakes, Gummy standing beside her, blinking slowly.
"You know, Gummy-" Pinkie yawned, resting her head on the counter. Gummy had placed a pillow under her head right before she made contact. That Gummy; the best buddy a pony could have. "I'm sort of worried about Opal."
Blink, blink.
"I know Gummy, but I'm still gonna worry for her. She's probably all lost inside right now." Pinkie sighed, her hair letting out a high-pitched whine as it lost a little of its puffiness. "I bet she needs somepony to talk to."
A knock came to the bakery door, drawing both of the pony's attentions, and reflating Pinkie's mane in the process. "Ooh! Customers! Get the door, Gummy."
There was a moment of stillness, then a blink from Pinkie pie, and the green earth pony was standing at the doorway. The door was all the way open, without a single sound. And standing in the doorway, coincidence of coincidences, was Opalescence the unicorn.
"Hi Opal!" Pinkie waved ecstatically at the unicorn, instantly seeing through her disguise. "How's it going?"
"Erk!" Stuttering in shock, Opal dove into the shop, the door magically slamming shut behind her. She glared at the pink mare, pulling down her sunglasses; bought from a random stand as a last minute addition to her disguise.
"Ooh! What's with the trench coat? Are you a spy going undercove-Mmph!"
"I do not try to understand you," Opal stated, now at a hoofs-length from the pony, said hoof currently stuffed inside the party mare's mouth. "Nor do I try to understand your pet. Frankly, both of you irritate me, especially now that we can hold conversations. Since our time as ponies is limited, I came here to-Puh!" Talking was cut short when a wayward pie sailed through the air and hit its mark on Opal's face. She spun around, anger on her face and horn glowing dangerously bright.
"Gummy!" Pinkie, now able to speak, called to her pet. She actually sounded a little mad. "We're supposed to be being nice to Opal!" She reached over, wiped a bit of pie from the unicorn's face and licked it. Blueberry, classic. "Besides, the pie fight comes after the party!"
Across the room, Gummy was standing motionless, usual, blank expression plastered on his face as always. A few pies had spontaneously appeared at his hooves. Opal glared at him while Pinkie found a towel to offer her, as well as an apologetic smile. "Sorry?"
Opal glowered at Pinkie. She opened her mouth to say something, once, twice... but stopped. Face showing uncertainty, and even a little shame. Only giving a curt nod, Opal telekinetically yanked the towel from the mare's hooves and started wiping the pastry away.
After a moment of cleaning, Opal spoke. "It's fine. I probably deserve it anyways." She chuckled dryly, putting on a grin that wasn't entirely real. "Getting a pie to the face. That's a new one."
"Well, okay then..." Now that things seemed to be more peaceful, or at least more awkward, Pinkie Pie could return to her current job; mostly doing nothing. "Soooooo.... whatcha doing here? Looking for Twilight? Cause she was just here, I could go get them-"
"No!" Opal said just a little too loudly. She flinched as her voice echoed around the room. "Keep quiet please; I'm not really supposed to be here. ...And the last thing I want is Twilight or Rarity to know I'm here." She gestured to her coat and glasses. "Ergo, my cunning disguise. And no, I'm not even going to question why you saw through it easily."
"Oh," Pinkie frowned slightly. "Well, what are you doing here then?"
"Despite what you may think..." Opal breathed in, concentrating on her words. "I actually came here to... to talk with you." The loud noises of a stomach growling brought attention to the unicorn. "Also you're the closest place that sells food and I'm starving." From out of her various pockets, Opal magically produced a small pile of bits, piling them upon the counter. "Quickly, give me as much as this will get!" she paused. "...Please?"
Pinkie swiped up the bits in one hoof, inspected them briefly, giving the coins a small lick, and nodded exuberantly. "Okie dokie loki! Business is business! Come on, Gummy!" She jumped up and dashed into the kitchen, Gummy followed with half as much speed.
Opal stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, suddenly alone as the party pony and her pet went to work. Ordinarily, if she had been here with Rarity, she'd probably be half asleep on her owner's back or something. Things like this weren't really things she'd ever had to pay attention to before. It made Opal sigh. Being a pony was a whole other story, wasn't it?
Habit took over and she begun scanning the room with her eyes, looking for something interesting to look at or inspect. Unfortunately, none of the various confectionaries peaked her curiosity. That is, until her eyes fell upon the decorations in the corner. Tentatively, she stepped over to them.
"Sweet Celestia..." These crafts certainly weren't up to any sort of level Rarity would ever find acceptable, or Opal herself for that matter. The whole multicolored pile looked like something out of a foals arts and crafts class. "...Someponies just aren't talented at all..." So busy being annoyed about the whole thing, she did not notice as Pinkie and Gummy returned to the room carrying a bag full of treats.
"Ooh! You found our decorations!"
Opal jumped and turned around. "Uh, yes... They're certainly... something." Resisting the urge for once to be condescending, Opal didn't say more.
"Really?" Pinkie said. "I think they're pretty good. Me and Gummy worked extra hard on them. Do you like them?"
"Like them?.... Honestly, I do not." Now Pinkie brought it on herself. Opal telekinetically yanked a banner from the pile and held it up. "What we have here is an affront to any form of style. I certainly wouldn't wear this even if I was a real pony." She held the fabric in front of the mare and pointed. "Look at this, seriously, look at it. The colors clash so much that it will probably cause headaches to everypony around. And these stitches are completely shoddy, you used two kinds of thread, neither of which match. And the fabric itself is not right for this kind of use! It's for coats and boots, not banners!" She bopped the mare on the muzzle, producing a tiny squeak. "A dog could have done better than this, and dogs are colorblind!"
With her irritation fully unloaded on the target, Opal's drive slowed to a halt. She took a nervous step back, panting from her rant. Her magic dissipated from lack of concentration, the banner floated to the floor and landing at Pinkie's hooves.
Wide-eyed, Opal quickly looked to make her exit. "I...w-what I-I mean is..."
".....Wow!" Pinkie hopped up and down with excitement, non-affected by Opal's ranting. The bag also unaffected by the mare's hopping. "You know a whole lot about sewing and stuff!"
"Well... Of course I do!" Opal said indignantly. "What, you spend your entire life with somepony that spends her days talking about sewing technics as she sews. And you think you wouldn't pick things up along the way? Honestly, she talked to herself enough that it got beat into my head even when I tried to ignore her. It was... infuriating."
"Nu uh, it's super-duper! You're like a genius, only you know all about sewing and stuff instead of magic. I'm sure you and Rarity could get so much done toge-" Pinkie stopped, frozen in mid-bounce, inexplicably suspending herself, and the baggie, in midair. Her perpetual smile broke, turning into a straight line, and then into a frown. "I mean..." her hooves finally landed and she took a few steps back, "You guys could.... I mean..."
"Just..." Opal frowned, her eyes falling to the floor, "Just don't. I know, okay?" Reaching out with magic, she snatched the bag from the mare. "I know..."
She turned to leave but was halted by Pinkie, who was standing in her way despite having been behind her a moment before. "W-wait. Doncha wanna... talk about it or something?"
"Well...." Opal sighed, looking over her shoulder at Gummy, and back to Pinkie. She could just leave... but she did come here for another reason. But she could just leave..... nah. "No, I can't, but, could you tell me about Gummy? I mean, how you two met and stuff? I'm curious."
"...Really? Okay!" Pinkie zoomed around Opal and back to Gummy, a spotlight from nowhere centering it on the green earth pony. She took a breath but paused. "If I tell you, then you have to tell us what's going on. Okay?"
Opal groaned, staring at the ceiling for a second before nodding. "Fine, sure. Now start."
"Super! So, it was a loooooong time ago. I had just gotten into Ponyville, and was learning where I should throw parties and store party stuff in case of party emergencies."
"Party emer-" Opal shook her head. "Never mind, just continue."
"Well, I had just finished going through the swamp for good spots, and I was just about to leave-"
"And you found Gummy."
"Nope! Gummy found me!" Pinkie poked Gummy's side, a nonsensical squeak produced by the action. "I had to go through this watery part of the swamp, and when I came out I had this little guy attached to my tail!"
"So... you just took him with you?"
"Nuh uh, I tried to return him but it didn't work out. He didn't have any parents, and the little guy just kept following me; wouldn't leave me alone!" Pinkie reached around Gummy with both arms and wrapped the green pony in a great big hug. "Poor little guy was so friendly, and Fluttershy said that he "printed" me or something; which is weird, because printers haven't been invented yet. Silly, Fluttershy."
"I'm not even going to ask." Opal stated. "Keep talking."
"So baby Gummy came to live with big sis Pinkie pie here! After some agreements and promises with the Cakes of course. And I taught him how to swim, and eat bugs, and blow up balloons, and everything! One day, he's going to be the best party Alligator slash pony ever!"
She squeezed the pony affectionately. Gummy lifted his arms and wrapped them around his owner in return. Opal wasn't sure, but she thought she might have seen a smile for a moment. "That's... surprisingly touching, Pinkie. Thank you for telling me."
"No prob, Bob!" Pinkie replied happily, waving a hoof up and down. She smirked at Opal. "But now, you have to tell me about what you're doi-Heeeeeey!" But it was too late, Opal was already out the door at this point, her bag in magical hand, and a cry of "keep the change!" as the only reply.
"Aw.... she left."
"..."
"I know she was going to leave Gummy. It was still sort of rude is all." Pinkie shrugged it off, a yawn popping in from nowhere. "Oh well, she'll get it eventually right? Let's get back to work; lots of partying to be planned!"