Applejack tipped her hat forward. "Pinkie, are ya sure this is what ya want ta do? This here's a big and serious job. It's serious work an--"
Pinkie slapped her hooves on the edge of the table as she leaned forward towards Applejack. "Are you saying I can't be serious? Cause I can totally be serious, Applejack."
Rarity shook her head. "Perish the thought, dear. We know you can be serious, Pinkie Pie, but this is no... Pinkie, if I may be frank, I think we're all frightened for you, not of you or your abilities."
Twilight let out a soft sigh. "I've created quite a mess..."
Pinkie tapped the table lightly. "We need you here, Twilight. This world needs some laughter, and I'm ready to deliver it. I want to see it! I'm not scared."
Fluttershy looked to me suddenly. "Are there angry animals where you come from?"
I shook my head. "For better or worse, my people took care of most animal predators a long time ago. It'll take quite a long time before they breed into numbers that'd be considered a wide spread threat. You'd have to go to very specific places for wolves or wild cats or bears to get you, and half of those are usually easy to avoid."
Sandra huffed. "I'm way more worried about angry humans than angry animals, right now. Angry animals we can handle."
Rainbow took off her chair and floated over the table. "You realize they probably don't have any muffins or cupcakes right now, right?" She looked confident her logic would work.
"What?!" Pinkie hopped to her hind legs off the chair, standing a s a human might. "They need us even more than I thought." She spun around to us and pointed at Cindy. "Your poor ponies need help, and I'm just the pony to deliver it."
Applejack shot Rainbow a dirty look before clearing her throat. "Now now, let's not be hasty. Besides, this is their world, not ours. It's up to them if Pinkie comes along or not."
Pinkie fell to all fours and bounced up to us without delay. "Give me a chance. I can be super helpful. Are you all really as friendly as I heard?" She leaned in suddenly and nuzzled at Neon, who burst into sudden laughter and grabbed her in several tongues. Pinkie squealed, which quickly broke into giggles as she wriggled around in Neon's grip.
Karen ruffled his wings softly. "We should give her a chance, at least."
Cindy tilted her head. "Here, sure, but giving 'a chance' by taking her to our world would be extremely hasty."
I agreed with Cindy. "She can hang out with us for a day and see how we get along. Pinkie, this is very important, but three of us, Karen, Cindy, and me, are still slightly dangerous."
Pinkie tilted her head as she dangled upside down in Neon's sure grip. "Dangerous how? You all look pretty nice to me."
I smiled at the pink pony. "We try to be, but contact with our blood would be very bad."
Pinkie made a face. "Yuck, why would I touch that? I hope you're not planning on bleeding. That would be awful!"
Twilight shook her head. "There's also seminal fluid."
That surprised me, and a few others as well. Karen pointed at her. "Why wasn't that stopped as our saliva was?"
Twilight shrugged gently. "I tried, honest, but it didn't work out. It shouldn't be that large a risk." She raised a brow. "Unless humans are more different than ponies in more ways than even I guessed."
The accusation didn't go over my head and I flushed brightly. "We shouldn't have that kind of contact with Pinkie."
Rarity suddenly lit up as the meaning became clear to her and she hid behind her own wide-brimmed hat.
Applejack shook her head with a soft frown. "That's nice ta say, but ya'd be surprised how many foals start the same way. Ponies or otherwise..." She raised a brow as she looked evenly at the still dangling Pinkie. "Just know what yer signing on fer."
Sandra held up a hoof and Neon gently set Pinkie down in grasping distance for her. Sandra gently hugged our newest companion, which seemed to be enjoyed both ways. Pinkie smiled at Twilight. "See, these guys are totally great, and their ponies need help. I'm going, and that's that."
Twilight put a hoof to her head and slowly sighed before looking up at the hovering Rainbow Dash. "Dash, I'd feel better if Pinkie had some backup."
Dash paled through her fur. "What? Me? Why me? Why not Rarity or AJ?"
Rarity looked up with a devilish gleam. "Oh, you're suddenly scared, Rainbow darling? You'd send in a lady such as myself before you'd see a whole new world? And here I thought you were the bravest pony around."
Applejack pointed off somewhere. "Ah got a farm t'tend. No sir, afraid this one falls on you buckaroo."
Twilight leaned back in her seat. "If you don't want to go, I can't force you. I'll just have to find somepony else brave enough to take the task."
Rainbow snorted loudly. "You too?!" She streaked towards Pinkie Pie with a contrail of rainbow colors before she set down beside her. "Fine. Pinkie, we'll take care of this and be back in a flash."
Crystal reached out a hoof quickly and her crystal body reflected the rainbows in that trail wildly for the moment it existed.
Rainbow coiled on herself to find the source of that flash. "I didn't mean that literally."
Twilight clopped a hoof on the table lightly. "Then it's settled. William, when do you plan to return home?" She went rigid and held up both of her hooves. "Not that there's any rush. You're welcome here as long as you like."
Fluttershy nodded at us. "Oh, of course. You're all very kind ponies..." She smiled demurely before looking onwards to Applejack.
Applejack shrugged. "Ah don't see what the awkwardness is fer. They know what's goin' on. Take care ah Pinkie Pie, ya hear?"
They left shortly after, leaving us with two new traveling companions. Rainbow Dash extended a hoof up to me hesitantly. "So, uh, hey there."
I took her hoof in my hand and gave it a light shaking and she looked slightly put off. "I will never get used to hand shaking."
Pinkie tilted her head, then offered her own hoof. I reached for it only for her to take a suddenly deep breath and somehow blow internally. Her hoof ballooned outwards with fingers and met mine in a shake as she grinned. "Hiya!"
Cindy suddenly snatched at the arm and pulled Pinkie closer to examine those fingers, but they popped back into her.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Don't even try to understand her. Pinkie has her own kind of magic."
Feeling curious, I threw my vision into its pony and magic sensing mode. Pinkie was a pony, that much was confirmed, but the... the aura of it. It was very odd. There were some similarities to an infected ponies, but she wasn't touched by the void. Had she come into contact with some other thing?
Rainbow's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Seriously though, when do you guys plan to go? I'll come by then."
Cindy tapped her chin. "Twilight has all she needs to study without us here directly. We could go back any time, really."
Crystal pointed out into the city. "You all have a clean bill of health. I want to see this 'Ponyville'. I want to see this world. Let's explore a little before we go rushing home."
Pinkie flashed a bright smile. "Oh! I can show you where I work. We have the tastiest treats this side of Canterlot. C'mon!" She bounced to her hooves and began trotting towards the door. Her eagerness was infectious, and soon we were all following along behind her in a loose mob, exposed to the warm sun of Equestria and the eyes of Ponyville's citizens.
Many hid away from us, and I couldn't blame them. I wouldn't have rushed out, back then, when I was a normal human. Two centaurs, an earth pony with wild colors, a crystal pony, likely the normalest looking of our bunch, and two ponies with coiling tongues right out of some horror movie. No, I really coudln't fault them for staying on the side of caution, even with one of their local heroes guiding us along.
Rainbow flew overhead. "I'll swing by tomorrow!" She vanished up into the clouds, where some great structure seemed to have been erected from a mixture of rainbows, clouds, and waterfalls. It boggled the mind to figure out the physics involved, so I abandoned the effort.
Karen glanced sideways at Pinkie. "How does Rainbow Dash live in a home made of clouds?"
Pinkie paused and looked confused. "You don't know? Silly Billy, Pegasi can sit on clouds, or push them, or break them up. It's their magic!"
Karen shook his head slowly. "I knew pegasi could move clouds, but I never considered just using one to live on. Makes sense... How do you not float away with the cloud?"
Pinkie shrugged softly. "Rainbow has to push it back into place every day, but she likes it, so it's worth the effort, or so she says. I'm alright with my house on the ground. I want everypony to know where to find me! And there it is." She pointed to a building that looked like someone had created a gingerbread house and expanded it to a two-story structure fit for living in. Pastel pinks and browns and even a whipped cream trim made it all good enough to eat, though I doubted the residents wanted their building actually chewed on.
Pinkie led us inside to a riot of delightfully sweet scents. "That's odd, there are usually way more ponies in here at this time of day."
Her voice seemed to summon someone from the back, a matronly looking earth-pony mare. "Oh, Pinkie. I'm glad yo--" Her words cut off as she spotted us, her company. "P-Pinkie..."
Pinkie rose up to two legs and pointed at us. "Hey there Misses Cake, say hello to William, Karen, Crystal, Sandra, Neon, and Cindy. They're new in town. They're new in all of Equestria! And they'd like to try some of our amazing treats."
Misses Cake nodded stiffly even as we all offered waves. "Charmed." She forced a smile, then moved up to the counter. "Apologies, you just caught me by surprise. I don't mean to be rude. What can I get for you?"
Pinkie flipped over the counter, balancing on a hoof on her way over before she landed beside Misses Cake. "I can handle this part. They have to try a little of everything!" Misses Cake gave her a dubious look and Pinkie waved it off. "Twilight'll cover the expenses. They're royal guests."
Royal guests. That changed things quickly. Misses Cake escorted us to our seats and was all smiles for the rest of our visit. I'll say this, pony treats are amazing things. I looked forward to things being fixed up enough at home for people to start making their own sweet creations.