//------------------------------// // One of Those Days [Comedy, Slice of Life] // Story: Half-Hour Horses // by HoofAndQuill //------------------------------// (The prompt: Pirates vs. ninjas!) (Warning: silly and pointless) There was always a certain kind of moment during an otherwise normal day, when Rainbow Dash would realize that it was going to be 'one of those days'. Not really in a bad way, sometimes 'those days' could be really awesome actually. But when she was flying around trying to take care of a few loose bits of weather work that the other pegasus ponies had been slacking on, she didn't really expect to see Pinkie Pie standing by the river in a full black bodysuit, whipping around something that looked like a wooden sword wrapped in tin foil. So, yeah, it was going to be one of those days. Weather could wait, so Rainbow Dash dropped out of the air like a stone, catching herself a moment before landing, ten feet behind Pinkie. She opened her mouth to greet her, but then found her nose poked just at the tip with a tinfoil-wrapped wooden sword. Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Hey! It's just me!" Pinkie Pie's eyes narrowed, looking a little more dangerous with her big poofy mane hidden underneath her black suit. But her voice was still bouncy and high-pitched, sounding like she was a half-second from laughing. "Hi, Dashie! Did you come to play ninja too?" "What? Is that what you're doing out here by yourself?" Rainbow Dash took a few steps back, as Pinkie Pie struck what looked like some kind of fencing pose from Prance. Pinkie giggled until she snorted. "Yeah! I've never been to Neighpon, but I thought, hey! Ninjas are pretty neat! They can sneak around and surprise anypony!" "But you aren't even doing it right! Besides, Ninjas are totally boring. They're always hiding in the shadows and creeping around and stuff." Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively at her friend's antics, only to get the flat of a wooden sword knocked playfully against her hoof. Pinkie dropped her sword and turned around to dig around in a nearby bush, and then tossed out one of her emergency eyepatches, some kind of red-striped cotton shirt, and a flimsy plastic cutlass. "So you like being loud, do you? You can't be part of my dojo then, you'll have to be the dreaded Captain Rainbeard Slash!" She wanted to argue about it, this was moronic and uncool and also she was really more of an adventurer and pro flyer than a pirate. But... they were out here pretty far from town, and being an idiot with Pinkie was easier than trying to talk Pinkie out of being an idiot. Besides, pirates were pretty awesome, sometimes. -- There was always a certain kind of moment during an otherwise normal day, when Twilight Sparkle would realize that it was going to be 'one of those days'. It turned out, conveniently, that nearly every day in Ponyville turned out to be 'one of those days', and she didn't really mind it, truth be told. So when she walked into her bedroom to find Pinkie Pie holding onto a rope and hanging from her ceiling, Twilight managed to keep herself to just a slightly annoyed sigh. Unless she entirely missed her guess, that sword was supposed to be Neighponese, which meant that Pinkie was supposed to be- "Hi Twilight! I'm a ninja!" Pinkie took this opportunity to wave, losing her grip on the rope in the process and promptly falling to the floor and bursting into giggles. A moment later, she jumped up and clopped her hoof to Twilight's lips. "Shh! I'm hiding here from Captain-" "Captain Rainbeard Slash, and her first mate, Cuttersly!" Two pegasus ponies suddenly came crashing into the (thankfully open) windows, Captain Slash bowling Pinkie over in a rolling tackle, while Twilight found herself poked very gently in the chest with a low-quality plastic rapier by Fluttershy, wearing an eyepatch and her mane pulled back into a tight ponytail. "Um, I'm sorry Twilight, but we're going to take you hostage. If you don't mind playing along, I mean." Yes, one of those days. Twilight couldn't help but smile though, because really, how often did somepony get taken captive by a sixth-century Mareibbean pirate like Cuttersly? -- There was always a certain kind of moment during an otherwise normal day... well, let's face it. There weren't many normal days in Ponyville. Rarity wasn't quite sure how the note, by all appearances written in ink with an antique Qilin brush, actually arrived unnoticed in her work room. Given that under the scent of ink and paper, there was a marked odor of icing and sugar, she had a fair idea of exactly which pony had put it there. A quick scan of the contents only made her roll her eyes, but given how many of her friends were already involved, she might as well go ahead and take part. She would likely be forcibly drawn in regardless. Besides, it was a chance to wear a kimono. She wasn't entirely certain what exactly a ninja mare would wear when she wasn't.. stabbing ponies or whatever they did, but a kimono seemed like a good start. Add to that a few carefully held fans and some faux shuriken and she'd have a fairly decent ensemble for this silly little game. In short order she found herself trotting down the appointed path, toward the 'Mareibbean fortress', dressed her in very well-crafted but cheaply produced kimono. After all, she knew it was unlikely to survive the day. As expected, she only barely made it in sight of the evil fortress before being forcibly yanked into a bush by Pinkie Pie. "What kind of ninja outfit is that? It's so pretty!" Pinkie spoke in a whisper that managed to sound louder than her normal voice. Rarity looked over Pinkie Pie's dreadful black costume, and then over the black-mud-encrusted Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom next to her. Absolutely dreadful. Though, Rarity did seem rather out of place, now that she was here. "Oh, well, I don't know much about ninjas, darling, but at least I brought... these?" The offering of throwing stars certainly made the fillies happy, as well as the filly-at-heart mare. The four ninjas turned their attention to making a plan of assault against Captain Slash, Cuttersly, and their crewfilly, Crewtaloo. -- Applejack prided herself on being a levelheaded, hardworking pony that didn't have much time for all the silly nonsense of a filly half her age. Which is why, when she trotted over to the Crusader's clubhouse to find out if the little fillies wanted to come by the farmhouse for supper, it took her a moment to really figure out what the in the hay she was looking at. Princess Twilight was standing on top of the shaky structure, loosely lashed to the tree branch that stuck out of the roof. Hanging out each of the three windows was a pegasus pony, dressed in just about the laziest looking Nightmare Night pirate costumes Applejack could recall seeing before. Down below the treehouse crept three black-suited--- no, make that one black-suited pony, two muddy fillies, and one somewhat embarrassed-looking Rarity. They were throwing little paper throwing stars up at the pegasi, and then running around trying to pick the fallen stars up again while dodging foam dart retaliation from above. On one hoof, they hadn't seen her yet, and she had work to do. But on the other hoof, she'd been working all day, and the apples would still be on the trees tomorrow, no worse for the wear. She heard names being shouted, 'Captain Slash' and other silly nonsense, and just like that she figured she might as well stop being an adult for an afternoon and join in. Captain Rainbeard Slash valiantly fended off the approaching Neighponese invasion of Curacow, with her trusty first mate and loyal crew. But the battle had been lost before it had begun, and the ninja ponies were already climbing in through the windows. They were outnumbered, plain and simple, and soon the captured princess would be rescued. Suddenly, the fortress shook with the impact of a cannon shell, and smelled suspiciously like apple juice. Ninja and pirates alike rushed to the window to see what new force had joined the battle. There, in the treacherous waters surrounding the fortress, was a ship with a single captain mare on deck, kick-firing apple cannonballs at the side of the fortress to announce her presence. "Hold it right there, ya evil ninjas! Captain Jack Apple's here t' save th' day!"