“Blitz, yeah! We’re rolling!”
Hitched to the wagon, Blitz powered his thick hooves forwards. However, one of the wheels rolled right into a deep dip and remained there.
“Whoa! Hang on, everypony! I’m gunning it!”
He grunted heavily, as he took steps that crunched the cobblestone into pebbles. Soon enough, he was pulling hundreds of pounds with ease off the roundabout and onto a straight road moderately sloping downhill.
Standing at the front of the wagon, Twilight surveyed the landscape like a captain at sea. A quarter mile down the street, it crossed another road and then continued with a gentler decline through buildings of increasing height until reaching its endpoint right at the sand. “Hey, Blitz? Do you know where this Super Hay Motel is?”
“Four blocks down and one to the right,” he answered confidently.
Swift hovered next to Blitz, “You’re thinking about the Sunny Bay Motel. Super Hay’s six down and two left.”
“Are you sure about that, bro? You should fly ahead and check.”
“Great idea,” said Rainbow, moving besides Swift. “So, how about we race there?”
He raised an objecting foreleg, “Rainbow, but you just got—” He had a chuckle. “You’re not letting me off the hook, are you?”
She didn’t say a word, only the slightest amount of smugness on her face.
Swift glanced at his turtle – he was blabbing away with Fluttershy. “Well, if you really want to, threetwoone go!”
In a flash, two pegasi left the area with such velocity that everypony’s hair whipped backwards.
“Dude’s hauling it,” Blitz bragged. “I knew Swift had speed, but damn!”
“But he ain’t faster than Rainbow Dash, replied Applejack, adjusting her hat back in place. “ Look! She’s gonna pass him right now!”
A gray and cyan dot turned left, disappearing behind a pastel painted two-story building.
“Oh. Guess we won’t see the finish of that one.”
Blitz grinned, “That don’t matter. I saw all I needed to see. I know I’m totally right!”
“Right about what?” said Twilight.
He turned his head back and winked. “My friend totally digs yours!”
Rarity shoved in between Twilight and Applejack. “Do you really think so? What do you know? Oh! Did he share his deepest true feelings with you?”
Blitz opened his mouth wide. “Nah. Just a vibe I’m getting. Dude doesn’t even race with me but does with her? That’s telling me something.”
The unicorn cursed under her breath. “Did he at least tell you exactly what happened during his trip to Ponyville a few months ago?”
“That’s a negatory, but I can tell when a stallion and a mare fall into that special groove. When you spend enough time at the beach, you pick up on it, you know?”
“I think you’re reading way too much into this, you two,” said Applejack. “It’s a little friendly competition, nothing more. I know Swift has told us before he wasn’t into racing but with friendship, you try new things and sometimes, you’ll change your mind.”
Rarity sat back down, forelegs crossed. “I suppose you have a point, Applejack.” She then moved to the back of the cart where Pinkie and Widget was drawing on a blue sheet sprawled on the floor. “But what about you, Miss Widget? Surely Swift must have told you something about Rainbow?”
The brown unicorn grinned. “Of course he did. She’s the fastest flier in all of Equestria.”
Her eyelids shut halfway, “Forget I asked, darling. What are you two doing, anyways?”
“We’re drawing up plans for the upgraded Party Canon,” replied Pinkie. She tapped on the current model strapped in place by rope. “This one’s been great to me but it doesn’t have the same Surprise! as it used to. It barely even startled Fluttershy during her last surprise birthday party.”
“It was startling enough,” added the aforementioned pony.
Disregarding Fluttershy’s remark, “I also want a wee bit more versatility with what I can use as ammo. Animal balloons, longer streamers, pies—”
“Ice cream?” said Spike, licking his chops. “Or hot fudge? I’ve love a blast of fudge!”
Widget twirled a screwdriver in mid-air, “Liquid inside a propulsion device? Blimey! That’s a toughie. Before I can even figure out how to do that, I gotta take the old one apart and see what I did wrong the first time.”
“That’s easy,” Blitz bellowed. “It’s something you built, it was your first test and it involved a boom. Bad combo.”
A levitating screwdriver bopped him between the eyes.
“Hey! Blossom wouldn’t hit me for that!”
Widget winked, “That one was from me, you bugger.”
Most on the cart had a laugh at the stallion’s expense.
“Well, I approve of that,” Applejack remarked, tipping her hat. “Somepony’s gotta knock some manners onto yellow belly.”
Blitz raspberried. “Lame! That’s the best taunt you can do? Of course my belly’s yellow!”
“Um, guys?” Twilight craned her neck forward. “Where did Swift and Rainbow go? I thought they’d back by now.”
“Chill, Twi . I bet they’ve found the place and are just waiting for us there. Just enjoy the ride on the Pineapple Express.”
Moments later, they crossed an intersection and entered into a commercial area. Whereas Ponyville constructed their structures predominantly with wood and jay, these were a mix of plaster and bricks. All of them had varying shades of bold bright colors covering both inside and outside walls: lime green, plum red, burning red, sunshine yellow, berry blue and scorching orange. Most of the shopkeepers stood outside their doors, welcoming or otherwise striking casual conversations with ponies walking by.
Rarity cooed when she spotted a two-story purple building with three racks of frilly clothes by the entrance. Fluttershy pranced at a pet shop with a toucan waving behind the windowpane. Twilight all but hopped off the cart as they went by a circular glass building within a field full of newly planted palm trees.
“A library,” she squealed. “And it looks so new too!”
“That’s because much of what you see is brand spanking new,” said the cart-puller. “I’m telling ya. Brayside’s going places!”
On their right, a park spanning several city blocks came into view, replete with enough swings and slides for the frolicking fillies and colts while their parents took a breather on benches facing a small lake. Beyond the field were wooden houses with front porches, much of it hidden by wild shrubbery. Hazy hills dotted the background, reminding the newcomers that much of Brayside Beach was rural, save for this area where cart and hoof traffic required a guard at the upcoming intersection.
With a turn to the left, the cart and its passengers noticed Swift and Rainbow holding up a banner across the road advertising the Aloha Summer Festival. From a second story window, ponies on opposite ends pulled dangling rope into their respective buildings.
“Doing some extra chores, bro,” Blitz asked, stopping the cart.
Swift placed hooves on hips. “Nah. You see, Rainbow—”
“—that’s right,” Rainbow said, muffling Swift’s muzzle. “Just doing something nice for the community.”
Twilight scrutinized her friend’s wide smile. “You volunteering? Okay. What really happened here?”
Swift wriggled free of Rainbow. “She flew right into the banner and crashed, natch.”
Rainbow swung for his ribs but missed. “Pffft. Whatever.”
“So this is the right way, dude,” Blitz asked.
“Up ahead on the right. Can’t miss it!”
Sure enough, past the next road was a tall sign of an arrow pointing at a u-shaped one-story building painted flamingo pink. Blitz turned onto a side dirt road and stopped in front of a double glass door with a Front Office sign on the side.
“The Pineapple Express has arrived! Next stop, Town Hall!”
Twilight thanked Blitz before disembarking. “Okay, everypony! Check in and just leave your stuff in your rooms! Be back here in ten minutes!”
One by one, the visitors went inside the building, leaving the three local by themselves. Swift headed their way but Blitz gestured Swift to sit by his side.
“Dude,” he whispered into his ear. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Eh? Tell you what?”
Blitz pointed at the cyan mare, “She is totally smoking, and I’m not talking run-of-the mill smoking. I’m talking Blossom hot!” He elbowed him lightly, “Bro. How’d you score a pony like her?”
“How many times have I told you?” said Swift in between clenched teeth. “Rainbow Dash is my f-r-i-e-n-d, friend!”
“Ahhh.” He stroked his goatee. “If she’s your f-r-i-e-n-d, then you don’t mind if I put on the old Blitz charm on her?”
Swift tugged him by the harness, “Not wicked, Blitz. Knock it off.”
“Chill out, dude.” He winked, “I got ya. You’re finally gonna make your move on her?”
“N-no. It’s not—” The pegasus let go of the leather strand and snorted. “I don’t do mushy stuff, all right? And neither does Rainbow. That’s how we roll, like me and Blossom or Widget here.”
The repairpony, looking within the party cannon, pulled out her head for a moment. “Whatcha rambling about, Swi?”
Swift sighed. “Never mind, Widge. Get my drift, Blitz?”
No time for an answer – all his passengers had exited the office. Blitz unhooked himself from the cart and offered to be their personal bellpony. While Widget stood guard on the cart, Swift tried lifting an oversized duffel bag but only managed three inches of ground clearance. On schedule, Rainbow cracked up before she lent him help.
“You have weights in here or something, Rainbow?” Swift huffed.
“It’s only a few,” she chided him.
Together, they carried the luggage through one of the three open doors near the end. Inside, Rainbow frowned at the lack of amenities: two twin beds, a faded dresser drawer with a cracked oval mirror, one firefly-operated lamp and a small cereal bowl that was doing a mediocre impersonation of a sink. The towel rack had no cloth wider than a napkin while the complementary toiletries had less liquid than an eyedropper. Even the nicest part of the room — the rosy wallpaper — had ripples around its edges. Haste makes waste certainly applied to the lazy pony that thought this was satisfactory work.
“This is perfect,” Fluttershy chirped as she exited what Rainbow guessed was the bathroom. “It’s so cozy and pink? Don’t you think so, Rainbow?”
Nestled within Fluttershy’s flowing hair, Leo made a gagging motion.
“You said it, Leo,” said Rainbow, dropping the bag beside one of the beds. “More like cramped and putrid. Hey, Swift? Mind if I crash…. um—”
“Eh? What did you say?”
Crash at your place. Crash at your place? Her cheeks matched the wallpaper’s tint. “I, um, never mind! Sleeping here is just fine with me!” Rainbow let herself fall onto what her back registered as concrete. “Ow! Yeah, that’s just how I like it.” Ears folded, “Extra firm.”
A second later, Rarity’s whining about the décor came through the paper mache thick walls, followed by Applejack’s marching out of the room.
“And she’s the one that picked the place,” the cowpony murmured as she passed by the doorway.
“I heard that,” Rarity rebuked. “And for the record, it’s not my fault somepony heard me wrong before making the reservations.”
Twilight’s incoherent protests penetrated two walls, something about pronunciation and Spike. The dragon quickly added to the rapid-fire whining.
Rainbow shrugged. “Well, it could be worse. At least I don’t have to sleep with Pinkie Pie.”
On cue, Pinkie popped out of the duffel bag. “And what’s wrong with that?”
All three pegasi around Pinkie yelped.
“You just answered your own question,” said Rainbow, slinking away from the party mare.
Eventually, everyone returned to a more spacious and lighter cart, allowing Blitz to take off at a more brisk speed.
Once more, he and his passengers went under the street banner before turning left onto the same downhill road that they used to leave the train station. After a few blocks, the street finally leveled off and the buildings grew in size and in complexity; a five-foot spire building, a taller complex with an arched wall on one side and another with glass covering every inch of the structure’s many sweeping curves. Then came the tallest one of them all, an incomplete fifteen story skinny skeleton with Brayside One Hotel signs plastered all over the construction barriers separating them and the workers drilling holes, pouring concrete or threading the narrow girders.
“This certainly is different than Ponyville,” said Applejack as the wagon made a right turn.
“But it still has a touch of that small town charm,” added Rarity. “I could do without this stifling heat, though.”
After crossing three intersections, Blitz stopped in front of a plaza with a tiled walkway cutting through a grass fields, leading to a three-story building with a baby blue rotunda. The sun-palm tree combination sign at the entrance informed everypony that they had arrived at their destination.
Swift and Blitz led the pony parade down the passageway and past the double wooden doors into Town Hall. Within the airy chamber, sunlight came through the rotunda’s slits, basking the indoor Princess Celestia ornate fountain with a cool orange glow. Past the waterworks was a grand staircase going up half a floor before splitting into two and hugged the rounded chamber walls as it ascended to higher levels. On both ends of the lobby, wide arched doorways led into opposite ends of the building. Soon, five ponies emerged from the hallway on the left.
“Squeezy!” Swift stopped in front of a cream-colored mare with a bowl-cut purple mane. “Hold up. Is the meeting over already?”
She placed on a small hat that read Malts ‘R Us. “Pretty much. We were running out of ideas, so Blossom told us we could go.”
“What a relief,” added a red stallion with wispy blond hair. “It’s always a challenge dealing with her. She’s a firecracker ready to burst and you’re not getting me to put out that fire.”
Blitz slapped his sides, his guffaws echoing around the chamber. “Hey! Good one, Ember!” A floating screwdriver bopped in on the nose. “Ow!”
Swift allowed the small group by, “No worries! I can handle her, I think.”
He led everypony into the wide hallway lit by one of many tall windows. Past the glass was a botanical garden with small bridges over streams, four gazebos and an old groundskeeper trimming the rose bushes. In contrast, the other side of the wall had pictures of nature hung on a marble and further down the hallway, a set of wide doors.
Swift placed a foreleg on one of the handles but stopped himself from a tug. “Um, you know what? Maybe I should go in there by myself and see if—”
Blitz nudged him out of the way, so he could hold open the door. “Chill out, dude! Ladies? C’mon in.”
After a reluctant sigh, Swift entered a lit auditorium with several rows of blue benches configured in an arching pattern around a raised platform at the front. A blank projector screen hung from the wall, its width the same as the long wooden table with seven leather chairs. The middle one had its back toward the rear but it squeaked back and forth ever so slightly.
Swift waited until the last guest entered the large room. Then, he threaded carefully down the sloping aisle, every hoofstep resonating. “’Sup, Blossom. I just—”
A copper red hoof appeared beside the seatback. “One second,” said a feminine yet firm voice.
Swift stopped halfway down the aisle as did all behind him.
“It sounds like you’re not alone. Is the group from Ponyville with you right now?”
“They sure are,” Blitz proclaimed. “Every one of them.”
The unseen pony leaned the squeaking chair back. “I see. I wasn’t expecting to see them this soon. I’ll just have to improvise, then.”
Suddenly, the room’s lights changed to bright greens and yellows while overhead speakers pumped out a peppy island tune. All mouths hung open in anticipation except for a baffled Swift. He cast an aside glance.
“Are we really doing a song for this?”
Pinkie stared into the same space, “I didn’t know you could see them too, Fly-Fly!”
“Eh?”
A spotlight fell onto the chair. Then, it swiveled right around and its occupant, a redhead pegasus with curled eyelashes, leaped onto the table. She released her wings and glided down the aisle as leis rained down from the ceiling. When she landed, she placed the flower arrangements onto everypony one-by-one, her double ponytails swaying to the beat.
I’ve been waiting for you
Sun will break right through
And melt all your stress away
Don’t wait for an invitation
Make this your best vacation yet
Brayside Beach will make your day
Big fun times are on the way
Surf the waves or ride a bike
You can even fly a kite
Whatever you choose to do
This message will send you through
Aloha!
As her Ponyville audience clapped, Blossom tackled hugged Swift.
“Oof!” He stumbled back a step. “B–Blossi. I guess you’re in good mood, huh?”
“I can’t believe you’ve brought them all here,” she squealed. “I was so disappointed I couldn’t greet them at the station. I was gonna have a band and balloons and—”
Wrestling away from her embrace, “I know, I know. You wanted a big Brayside greet—”
Blitz yanked Swift away like a rag doll. “Hey! I did most of the work, you know! Give me some cred, Blossom!”
She tapped him on the cheek, “Tell you what, you big lug. I promise to be nicer with you…for the rest of today.”
“That doesn’t really mean anything,” he bemoaned.
Brushing off his whining, she turned to her visitors with a glittering smile. “I know I’ve already said it but Aloha! I’m Surfing Blossom and I’m so excited to have the bearers of the elements of harmony in our wonderful town. I hope ponies as famous as all of you didn’t have any trouble getting here without being swarmed for autographs.”
Twilight bit her lip, squashing her sarcastic zinger. “We, um, managed but we heard you may have some issues with the upcoming celebration.”
“Problems?” She giggled. “What problems?”
“The seagulls,” Blitz scratched his head, “um, the fireworks, those peg—”
With a hind leg, Blossom socked him on the side. “Oh, yes. Those problems.”
“How is this nicer?” the large yellow stallion wheezed, grabbing his gut.
“We’d be happy to help anyway we can.” Twilight held her head high, “In fact, you could say I’m one of the best organizers in all of Equestria.”
Spike drew attention with an Ahem!
“With the help of my number one assistant, of course.”
Blossom waved her off, “Oh, I appreciate that but I don’t want to burden all of you with our problems.”
“Oh, we don’t mind. Just tell us what you need and we’ll do what we can.”
“It’s all right, really. Go out and enjoy what our town has to offer. Have fun, relax. Let Brayside ponies handle this.”
Twilight suddenly had an eye twitch. This was stubborn Applejack refusing for help all over again. She wouldn’t take no, especially when it meant ending her forced planning vacation early. “But I insist. I have the ideal experience to deal with situations like these.”
“I can handle this,” Blossom answered, brow lowering.
“Are you sure about that?” the unicorn said, pacing back and forth. “Do you really want to take that kind of risk when you have a wealth of knowledge standing right in front of you? Isn’t that what a capable leader would do?”
Her wings went up in full display. “I have it under control, thank you very much.”
“But still, we could be an invaluable resource to you. For example, our town mayor once—”
As the unicorn lectured about Winter Wrap Up, Blossom’s tail slithered toward a pink surfboard with three white flowers painted on the surface, a much larger replica of her cutie mark. Before she could grab it from atop the bench, Swift barged in between the two.
“My bad, girls. Um, Blossom? Can I have a word with you, alone?”
Despite her protest, the stallion nudged Blossom onto the raised platform and through a door that read Storage Room. Within the dark space, Swift stopped her from waltzing into a stack of boxes. He reached over to flick on the lights, revealing that somepony had already accidently toppled boxed holiday decorations all over the floor; a purple magician hat with stars hinted at the culprit.
“Blossom,” he whispered as he turned the deadbolt. “Cool your jets, all right? She’s just trying—”
“I don’t care if that Twilight Sparkle is the Element of Magic,” she snapped. “Not even a minute with that… know-it-all and she’s driving me crazy! I have enough problems having a committee telling me what to do! I don’t need—”
Swift raised a firm foreleg. “Blossom?”
She stopped but immediately displayed annoyed pouted lips. “Yes?”
“Look, I know this party is a wicked big deal for you but if there’s some heavy stuff on your plate, let Twi and her friends take care of a few things. Just think of the great rep the town’s gonna really earn if we make the festival the best one ever. That’s what you want, right? To put Brayside on the map? Just give them a chance. They’re good ponies. You’ve got my word on that.”
After some fidgeting, she audibly exhaled. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I could give them something to do.” After a brief pause, she quickly added, “but only because it means a lot to you that we all get along.”
“Tha—”
“Especially with Rainbow Dash,” she added with a cat smile.
Suddenly, he found the markings on the storage boxes interesting. “Whatever.”
“Awwwww.” She moved into his sights and batted her eyelashes. “Why so mad at me, Swift?”
“You promised you wouldn’t tease me about this, Blossom.”
A halo shone above her head, “But I wasn’t. I was simply making a comment.”
“Sure,” he answered, unlocking the door. “That’s what it was.”
Both re-entered the meeting hall where everyone gathered around Twilight the storyteller.
“…in Equestria can be handled by a checklist,” the unicorn finished, waving her leg around. “Oh, you’re back, Blossom. I was just telling your friends some of my methods to run a smooth and efficient operation.”
A vein popped on the surfer mare’s forehead. “Yes, well, that’s—” Blossom forced a smile “—that’s wonderful! You know, now that I think about it, I’m sure there’s a few things all of you can do. Before we get into that, how about we take a field trip first, hmmm?”
Blitz rubbed his back. “Ohhhhhhhhh. I have to pull that cart again? I don’t think—”
“And I’ll cook a nice warm home cooked dinner for everypony at my place.”
Blitz’s back muscles suddenly healed. “Dinner? Swwweeeeet! Let’s ride!”
A few minutes later, a full wagon left Town Hall straight ahead as the first splashes of orange shone on the town’s palm trees and buildings. Soon, the stallion merged onto another cobblestone road running parallel to the glistening ocean that stretched across the horizon. Half a mile behind them was a long pier that had a Ferris wheel and buildings hosting what Spike presumed to be a whole evening’s worth of entertainment.
“Can we go there before we leave, please,” Spike begged Twilight.
“Of course we will,” Twilight reassured him. “Say, Blossom? Are we really heading to the festival’s location? Shouldn’t it be closer to that pier?”
Blossom’s tail latched onto the surfboard – how dare this unicorn question her judgment without knowing all the facts! Swift whispered in her ear, telling her to calm down. After biting her tongue, she put on a cheery face. “That would be ideal but unfortunately, there’s just not enough real estate over there to host a celebration of this size.”
Twilight stood up for a closer inspection. Sure enough, the sand splitting town and water immediately surrounding the pier had not much room for anything other than a walking trail, a restroom facility and a few basketball courts. Closer to them, the shoreline gained width but more buildings took that space, none taller than five stories but continuing the town’s theme of using every shade in the color wheel. A wide dirt walkway cut between those structures and the beach proper. There, merchants set up makeshift shops with nothing more than a table to sell custom-made trinkets to tourists. Other ponies used the walkway to display their wide arsenal of talents, whether that involved juggling bales of hay, playing music with a horn or riding a unicycle; one did all three at once.
“Excuse me, Blossom?” Applejack wrung her hat. “I was hoping I could get a word with you about something relating to this party here.”
She nodded, “Applejack? I believe you’re the honest one that sells apples, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then I’m guessing this is about your stall location?”
“Yes, ma’am. I don’t wanna sound ungrateful but I was hoping you’d reconsider that.”
Blitz dug his hooves onto the road, all but flinging his riders off the cart. “Whoa, whoa! If she gets to cut a deal with you, I should too!”
“This ain’t got nothing to do with you, Pineapple,” the cowpony sneered.
The stallion raspberried. “Up yours, Apple! Somepony’s gotta represent Juicy Fruit Fields here and that pony is me!”
“If you’re the face of that sorry excuse for a farm, then they ain’t got a prayer.”
“Loserhat!”
“Yellow belly!”
Blossom banged her surfboard on the carriage’s railing. “Order! Order! I won’t have that kind of tone in this cart!” She faced Applejack, hooves crossed. “I’m sorry, Applejack, but I must be honest with you. Sweet Apple Acres apples just aren’t sweet enough for this town. Knowing the committee, I doubt they’ll change their minds based on that fact alone.”
Blitz began laughing, only to have Blossom clamp down his jaw. “And as for you, pineapples have been in a slide in popularity this year, thanks to you slacking off selling and marketing them around town. All the other fruit families simply kicked your little yellow behind this time around, so stop whining and get moving!”
With her orange eyes burning right into his soul, the trembling stallion turned around and began pulling the wagon. “Yes, Blossom.”
Instantly, her scowl flipped direction. “However, I do have some good news for both of you. The committee received word this afternoon from the Bananers that their crop isn’t ripening fast enough. We decided that they would no longer hold the vendor location by the main entrance.”
Both interested parties gasped in anticipation.
“Now, on Friday, the committee will allow vendors to make their case for that lot before voting. Again, being honest here, I doubt either of you will win by yourselves.”
“I know,” Twilight responded, standing firmly. “What about if Blitz and Applejack join forces and tell them they’ll share the same spot?”
In anticipation, Swift grabbed onto Blossom’s surfboard.
Blossom’s eyelid twitched. I was going to say that! “Y–you… yes. Yes. You’re right. There’s nothing that says sharing a spot isn’t allowed. Whether you can beat groups like the Mangoes and the Strawberries will be hard but I’m sure you two can do it!”
Applejack wretched as though she bit into a molded apple. “No offense, Blossom, but I can’t see myself pairing up with a Pineapple.”
“Ditto,” Blitz answered. “Apples just aren’t my type.”
“But why not?” Pinkie stole Applejack’s hat and placed it atop the stallion’s head. “You can’t have Pineapple without apples!”
Twilight facehoofed. “They’re two complete different fruits, Pinkie.”
“Work together or I’ll personally vote against both of you,” Blossom growled. “Do I make myself clear?”
Begrudgingly, two rivals grunted their mutual agreement.
Satisfied, Blossom slouched onto the wagon’s bench. “You see, everypony?” She sighed contently. “That’s how you handle negotiations.”
Based on most blank faces around her, Blossom’s methods were using a sledgehammer to fix a minor dent. Rainbow found herself nodding. She slid right beside her and took a similarly comfortable position.
“Heh. Gotta say you’ve got a lot of spunk, Blossom.” She smirked, “I like you already.”
The redhead turned her head. “And I would say the same thing. Swift has told me so much about you, Rainbow. Did he ever mention little old me?”
“You mean the so-called greatest surfer ever to grace the waves?” Rainbow answered. “That’s a pretty bold claim to make.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You want me to back that up? You be careful, girl, because it doesn’t matter if you’re my worst rival or best friend. You try going up against me in the water,” she leaned in and flashed a brash grin, “you’re gonna get crushed.”
Rainbow licked her chops at such a tasty morsel of confidence oozing from the redhead. “Oh, really? I’m not afraid one bit. First chance we get, we’re totally on.”
They reached out for a hoof bump, only for multiple shadows to distract them. Several brown and white seagulls had gathered above the wagon and followed it as it pulled off into a gentle downhill dirt road that meandered toward an open grassy field.
Fluttershy pranced atop the wagon, believing the birds were greeting them to the beach. However, her pleasant smile vanished once Leo told her otherwise. “What do you mean they’re not friendly?”
The seagulls dove right at the traveling ponies with a deafening maniacal caw. Hooves flailed wildly as the birds swopped by and popped them with their feet.
Rarity waved around her paper fan, but their beaks quickly tore it into shreds. “Tell them to stop, Fluttershy,” she begged as she followed Spike under the wagon’s bench.
She immediately cowered besides the pair. “I can’t! I don’t understand them!”
Blossom wrapped her tail around her surfboard and began whipping it around the air. “You pests! Shoo!”
Bang! The party cannon exploded confetti but all it did was attract half the colony to Pinkie and Widget. In defense, Applejack flung around her Stetson but three birds grabbed onto it and engaged in a tug of war. Twilight fired off magic bursts from her horn, hoping to aid the cowpony but every shot missed its target.
Meanwhile, Rainbow and Swift had already taken flight, the former swinging her hooves in every direction. Much to her agitation, she kicked empty air, opening her to an attack from the sides.
“Ow! Quit poking me!” She finally hit one. “Swift? What’s the deal?”
“Seagulls,” he growled, face muscles twisting. “I’ve had just about enough of seagulls!”
He took the offensive, repeatedly cutting off their paths and delivering a sideswipe of gray feathers. In less than fifteen seconds, all the birds chased after him, squawking angrily that he eluded them at every turn. Eventually, they flew in a tight v pattern.
He checked over his shoulder. “Eat this!”
Holding his right wing straight, Swift spun clockwise with such force, he shot out an arc of wind twice his width. The birds scarcely had a chance to react before the sudden gust delivered a body blow that sent the pack hurtling over fifty feet. With lost plumage and woozy heads, they staggered away from the shore.
Swift heaved and panted, unable to deliver a parting line.
“Beat it, birdbrains,” Rainbow shouted as she shook a foreleg. Then, she patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, that was really awesome, Swift! I didn’t know you’ve been working on that move!”
“Wanted… to surprise you.” He swiped sweat off his face, “But that’s all I can do. Not a big improvement, huh?”
“Good enough against those varmits,” replied Applejack, wiping the feathers off her hat. “What in Equestria was that about?”
Blossom sighed as she tossed her surfboard aside. “I’m sorry, everpony. I should’ve warned all of you about this ahead of time. Those seagulls are one problem we’re having.”
Blitz resumed pulling the wagon further down the dirt path. “They showed up earlier this year around the farm. I had to work overtime to keep them off our crops. Overtime!”
“And they keep pestering my weather team,” added Swift, as he took a seat and savored his wing. “Don’t get me started on how many cleanup calls we’ve gotten the past month.”
“I built a noise machine to drive off them buggers from here,” said Widget. She leaned out from the wagon, “That should’ve worked.”
Once Blitz stopped in front of a vast grassy field, the wrench mare hopped off and ran toward a wooden box with a horn attachment split in two. Smoke billowed out of the phonograph riddled by rounded dents across its surface. When she touched it, the apparatus exploded, showering the unicorn with smoke and springs.
“So much for that idea,” Blossom grumbled as she gathered everypony else around the unicorn. “Just look around, everypony. This is where we’re hosting our festival. According to our schedule, construction should’ve started at noon.”
Blossom then directed everypony’s attention to lumber piles stacked around the field’s perimeter. Toolboxes and hard hats littered the ground alongside some white and grey feathers.
“It’s obvious why there’s not even a single structure built yet,” Blossom continued. “We can try forcing them out every time they show up but I’d rather have a more permanent solution. We can’t afford that many delays and we certainly can’t have them attack our partygoers.”
“We’ve got the solution to that problem right here,” said Twilight, pulling Fluttershy by her side. “She can talk to those seagulls and figure out what’s going on.”
Fluttershy took a step back. “Not exactly. You see, there’s at least thirteen different dialects for seagulls and unfortunately, they speak one I don’t actually know. If I spend some time around them, I might pick up their language but I don’t think that would—”
“Great!” Twilight winked. “See, Blossom? She’ll take care of it! Anything else?”
Blossom unfurled a parchment along with a quill. Before she could make the first marking, Spike tugged on the paper.
“I can take care of that for you, “he remarked, demonstrating his fingers. “ I can write at least thirty words a—”
She pinched his cheeks, “Ooooooh! I didn’t even notice you until now! You’re so adorable!”
Spike giggled as his cheeks burned.
“Of course you can help me, cutie pie.” Tossing him the parchment, “Just keep going down the list.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Spike gleefully wrote Fluttershy’s name next to Seagulls. “All right. Next up is fireworks.”
Right away, Widget rose up right in front of Blossom, smiling broadly. “Oy! I bet that fellow that you hired dumped us for that Las Pegasus gig, did he?”
Blossom hesitated before nodding. “I should’ve known he would’ve chased the bits.”
Glitter sparkled around Widget. “I can do the—”
“No!” Blossom, Swift and Blitz shouted.
“Oy! And why not?”
The red mare groaned. “You’re my friend, Widget, but I just can’t trust you with explosives and neither will the committee. The only way they’d even let you try is if you had a fireworks expert with you at all times.”
Pinkie slid right beside Widget. “Hey! I can be that expert!”
“No!” protested the other element bearers.
“Since when have you’ve become an expert, Pinkie Pie?” said Twilight, casting a suspicious stare.
The party pony conjured a silver certificate with a red ribbon. “Last week, silly. I’m now certified in the field of explotology! Isn’t that great?”
Twilight scanned every inch of the document; it had authentic stamps and signatures. “Um, that’s, great.” She then leaned close to Blossom’s ear, “If you know what’s good for you, I’d go with a backup plan.”
“But there isn’t one,” she mumbled. “Firework techs don’t just grow on pine trees.”
Both Pinkie and Widget crowded the redhead’s sights like dogs awaiting a delicious treat. Despite just meeting Pinkie today, her instincts screamed this was mixing fire and gasoline. Then again, it was either potentially cataclysmic explosions or none at all. In what may have been the first time in recorded history, this one occasion called for the former.
Blossom motioned Spike to assign fireworks to the now jubilant duo. All the others shuddered.
“Entertainment.” Spike fast read the scribbles below the title. “Actually, this seems like an okay lineup. What’s the issue there?”
“Cross out our headliner,” Blossom answered. “That pegasi band broke up—”She rolled her eyes “—again. Unfortunately, they were both singers who also performed elaborate aerial dancing. Now I have two holes to fill instead of one.”
Rarity squeezed Rainbow and Swift together. “You need dancers, darling? Well, here they are! You couldn’t ask for a better pair! I saw how great they were with my own two eyes.”
“Huh?” Rainbow craned her head toward the unicorn. “What are you talking about?”
“Come now, dear. That little celebration Pinkie threw before that big race in Cloudsdale? Surely, you remember that.”
For the pegasi, that one night quickly came into focus. The lights, the song and the moves; it was a rare moment of perfect harmony of body and soul. What they recalled vividly, though, was when the party mood shifted to something slower and called for intimate contact.
They never went through with it, not then or since.
Whether this particular routine would be closer to a Wonderbolt performance or a tango, the idea struck them with stage fright. Before they could get in a word, however, Blossom instructed Spike to add their names.
“But, but, but—” Swift and Rainbow stammered.
Blossom snickered like a filly. “Oh, you two! You shouldn’t be nervous at all. All you two have to do is move with the music for a few minutes. Hmmm, we probably need a coordinator for that.”
Rarity squeezed the stallion and mare a second time. “I can volunteer for that! I bet I can even put together an ensemble for these two! Just tell me the theme and watch me create something fabulous!”
“An orchestra,” Twilight chirped. “I know of a group in Canterlot that’s looking for some work right now! If I can send a letter off right now, I’m sure they can be here by Friday!”
Blossom’s jaw shuddered. “An orchestra? An orchestra? This is a beach festival, not a high society white tie affair. Besides, I already have somepony in mind to be our singer. Just add a few locals to play the instruments and add our two dancers and presto! We have ourselves a rock band!”
“A rock band?” the unicorn huffed. “Every town in Equestria does that for their summer celebrations! It’s dull and uninspired thinking. We need to be more original! What could be better than combining a finely tuned orchestra and fireworks?”
“A rock band,” Blossom sharply rebuked.
Twilight leaned right into her snout. “An orchestra!”
Her wings sprouted as she pressed back. “A rock band!”
“Orchestra!”
“Rock band!”
“Orchestra!”
“Rock band!”
Both turned to Spike and shouted instructions at a rate faster than he could write.
“One at a time, please,” he pleaded to the cackling chickens. “You’re not even making sense! Who are we going with?”
“Caw! Caw, caw!”
Approaching the vicinity were the same seagulls as before, except they had brought reinforcements; three times more than the first encounter.
Applejack gulped. “Them varmits a coming in a hurry! Fluttershy? Can you try talking to… Fluttershy?”
She tripped right into the wagon and slid under the wagon’s bench. “I’m so sorry!”
“Swift!” Rainbow shook him. “We need that move of yours again!”
His eyes bulged. “Are you bonkers? I used up everything I had last time! Maybe we should retreat!”
“Retreat? Screw that! Those birds won’t push me around this time! Hyaaaaah!”
She sped right into the colony, forelegs swinging for a knockout strike. Instead, the seagulls ripped off some feathers and bits of flowing rainbow hair. Ten seconds was all it took before she made a beeline for the wagon.
“Runnnnnnn!”
Before long, Blitz and his panicked passengers headed up the bumpy uphill path while their pursuers laughed and pecked them with impunity.
Seagulls one. Ponies zero.