In the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle was in the library with her student Starlight Glimmer, both of whom were casually reading through Sunset Shimmer's dimensional journal.
"I still can't believe there's a whole different world out there with such a drastic evolutionary difference!" Starlight exclaimed as the book glowed once more and the newest text became visible.
"Yeah. Sunset's reports on Earth are always so interesting." Twilight said as she looked through the book. "The best ones are about the holidays there.
"What's so different about them from our own? I think you mentioned once that they're similar." Starlight said.
“Some of them are, like how Nightmare Night for us is Halloween for them, or how Hearts and Hooves Day is St. Valentine's Day in their world, and our Hearth's Warming Eve is their Christmas… or Hanukkah... or Kwanzaa...” Twilight explained as she turned the page. “Though a few of them are entirely different or don't exist at all. For example: Sunset checked and couldn't find any holiday close to our Summer Sun Celebration and Winter Wrap-Up, and our world doesn't have any St. Patrick's Day or April Fools day…”
"Wait.... April Fools Day?" Starlight asked. "That sounds like.... a very weird holiday."
“Oh trust me, it is.” Twilight giggled. “Apparently it's celebrated every year on the first of April by playing practical jokes on someone and shouting ‘April Fool’ when they fall victim to it.” She explained as she wrote down a quick message before closing the book.
“Kind of surprised we don't have a holiday like that…” Starlight said as they made their way out of the library.
“Considering we live in a world where Pinkie Pie and Discord exist I think that's more than enough…” Twilight retorted, causing Starlight to laugh.
However above them that very being (Discord not Pinkie Pie though that wouldn't exactly be surprising) was listening in on them... and was rather upset at the news he was hearing, a holiday all about pranking and it DIDN'T exist in the world?! What was the multiverse coming too!?
But then an idea hit him. Why JUST have a holiday.... when you can have a big tourney instead? Wouldn't that be more fun?
A devious chuckle echoed through the empty library as the chaos spirit teleported away, intent on putting his plans into motion…
The next day Twilight groaned as she woke up to the sound of someone banging on her bedroom door. "Hm?" She asked as she got up and didn't even bother trying to make herself look impressive, still tired as she and Starlight did some late night studying. 'This better be good.'
"Uh Twi?" Spike called out from the other side. "Pinkie and Rainbow are up to something weird..."
“Ugh… why couldn't they just wait till noon?” Twilight groaned as opened the door. “Head over to… wherever they're doing whatever with Starlight and make sure nothing too bizarre happens, I'll be there shortly…” She told Spike before teleporting to the bathroom, she needed a shower.
Soon after freshening up Twilight took off from the balcony of her castle, trying to search for whatever weird shenanigans Pinkie and RD were up to. All in all it seemed like another normal yet beautiful day, the birds were singing, Celestia's Sun shined brightly, the smell of the Cakes freshly baked sweets wafted through the air, Rainbow Dash was snoozing atop a cloud while Pinkie Pie was hopping around a giant present right outside town hall…
...wait, what?
The Princess did a double-take, checking to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Unfortunately she wasn't, right in front of town hall was indeed a giant present, about the size of her old library. Sighing, she soared towards the spectacle as other ponies began to gather around, some excited, thinking Pinkie was planning some sort of special party, some nervous, thinking it was some sort of prank…
It was that very thought that prompted Twilight to question Rainbow first as she landed on the cloud she was napping on.
“I'm already awake.” Rainbow stated just as Twilight opened her mouth. “Lemme guess, you wanna know what the giant present is for, right?”
The Princess blinked, but simply nodded. Rainbow opened her eye and started stretching as she got up. “Welp, since you're here I guess we can start… yo Pinkie!” The Pegasus called out, getting the party pony’s attention. “Twi’s here! Tell Discord to get ready!”
“Wait, DISCORD?!” Twilight repeated, a sense of dread now spreading through her mind as Pinkie pushed the side of the present open like a door and hopped in as it closed behind her.
“Any idea what's going on?” Spike asked as Twilight landed next to him and Starlight.
However before she could answer the present started to shake as it started to expand outwards, everyone took several steps back as it continued to swell and rumble. The townsponies braced themselves for the worst…
...only for it to simply deflate like a balloon, revealing what appeared to be stage with a small booth although it was a bit longer and more... floaty than a normal booth.
“Well that was anticlimactic.” Lyra mumbled, with a few ponies nodding in agreement.
Onstage, Discord popped out of the floor wearing a mariachi hat, a purple leather jacket covered in green polka dots with duck shoes, carrying a bow and arrow with a pie attached to the end. Behind him Pinkie hopped out wearing a jester costume.
“Welcome everypony!” The Draconequus shouted. “I have gathered you all here for this most glorious occasion!”
“...to tell us your fashion sense finally died?” Rarity called out, getting a few laughs from the audience, including Twilight herself.
“Jokes on you, I never had any to begin with!” Discord countered, getting more laughs from the ponies. “But in all seriousness-oh let's face it none of you are going to take this seriously-I’ve decided to bestow upon Ponyville a unique, one-of-a-kind honor, drumroll please!” He stated, gesturing to Pinkie, who inhaled deeply causing her belly to expand. Rainbow Dash landed in front of her and started “drumming” her belly.
“I Discord, have decided to create a extra special holiday to mark the beginning of April, which I have named…” The drumroll stopped as Pinkie exhaled, flopping onto the floor. “April Foals Day!” He proudly proclaimed is he quickly shot his pie-arrow into the sky where it exploded into a beautiful fireworks display.
A hoof raised up from the crowd. “Excuse me?”
“Yes, the cute shy pony with a pink mane has a question?” Discord asked while checking his nails.
Everyone turned to Fluttershy, who squeaked upon becoming the center of attention. “W-well I was just w-wondering what kind of holiday this is? Do we give each other gifts?”
“Well if by ‘give’ you mean ‘pull’ and by ‘gifts’ you mean ‘pranks’, then yes!” Pinkie answered, hopping onto Discord’s head. “You see this holiday is-”
“One giant prank fest!” Rainbow shouted as she soared over the ponies. “Basically speaking, the entire objective of this holiday is to pull off the most hilarious-”
“-perfectly timed-” Pinkie added.
“-well planned out-” Rainbow continued.
“-and all-around amazing prank of all time!” Discord finished as he teleported onto one of the clouds.
“I have a question!” Starlight called out, having. “How exactly would anypony be able to tell how good the prank is?”
“Oh that's simple.” Discord replied before snapping his fingers, there was a bright flash of light on the left hoof of every pony, revealing a watch in the shape of a balloon with a “?!” next to the screen. “This watch is meant to keep track of the pranks you pull off and will give you points based on how good the prank is.”
"That seems kinda... cheap." Spike deadpanned.
"And tacky." Rarity added.
“Hey I was pressed for time, cut me some slack.” The chaos spirit retorted before teleporting back to the stage. “Now then, onto the rules…Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, would you kindly…?”
“Already on it!” The Party Pony said as she pulled a scroll out from her mane. “Rule number one: You can't use the same prank twice, nor can you target the exact same pony. Rule number two: you get extra points for pranking somepony with more points than you...”
"Rule number three: there are no rules after rule number two!" Rainbow shouted with excitement... then Pinkie whispered something to her ear, she then gave the crowed an embarrassed smile. "Sorry. I meant you also can't kill of severely injure anyone, and every prank must be in good taste, but after those three there are NO rules!"
"Now hold on!" Another voice called out, Twilight turned to see Applejack making her way to the front of the crowd. "In what way is this contest fair? Especially since the three of yah will be in it?" She asked, getting a few mumbles of agreement from the crowd.
"Oh dear Applejack, since we'd OBVIOUSLY win instantly... we're not participating! Instead, we’re gonna be the judges!" Discord said as he snapped his fingers. Almost instantly, the three of them were sitting in the booths wearing what looked like business suits.
“That's right!” Rainbow spoke into the microphone. “We'll be the ones ranking the prank's on their execution, setup, and just how funny they are! And the winner will be crowned the Prankster Queen!”
“Or King if the winner’s a stallion.” Pinkie added.
"Face it Pinkie, it's gonna be queen. 3/4s of Equestria are mares." Discord said as he made the crown.
"What if we don't participate?" Twilight asked. "I mean surely there must be certain ponies who don't want to be a part of this?"
"Well they don't have to participate.... they'll just get pranked without any satisfaction of getting back at who did it because they didn't participate."
"That hardly seems fair..." Twilight mumbled as she noticed a few ponies in the audience glancing at each other suspiciously.
"If life were fair I'd be Queen of Equestria right now..." Pinkie retorted as she pulled an oversized megaphone out of her mane. "ALRIGHT THEN EVERYPONY! LET'S GET STARTED!" Pinkie screamed. "ON YOUR MARKS... GET SET...."
Everypony in the audience became tense, each one of them looking around nervously to make sure they flee before they became a prank victim...
"....meh, get out of here." Pinkie deadpanned in a normal voice.
This was such a surprise that they just... casually went about their day. Discord looked upset that they weren't zipping away like a demon from Tartarus. But hey, they'll be pranked.... they'll ALL be pranked soon enough.
About an hour after the announcement, Derpy Hooves made her way towards Sugarcube Corner. The smell of sweets and delicious baked goods wafting through the air, she was so distracted that she didn't notice a certain orange Pegasus sneaking into the window...
"Hey there Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" She smiled as she placed four bits on the counter. "I'm here for the usual!"
"Oh hey Derpy!" Mrs. Cake said. "Of course! Two bran muffins coming right up!"
Derpy licked her lips as she eagerly awaited her muffins... and was surprised when Mrs. Cake brought back four instead of the usual two. "W-what's going on here?"
“Oh it's very simple Derpy.” Mr. cake said in an innocent tone. “In the spirit of the new holiday we decided to add a little challenge for anyone who buys from us.”
“You see…” Mrs. Cake continued, gesturing to the four muffins. “We've baked some chili powder into three of the muffins. She explained before placing a bag holding three more muffins on the counter. “If you can guess which one you get four muffins for the price of two!”
"What but.... b-but that's so mean." Derpy said with tears in her eyes. "I-I never did anything wrong to you... why are you being so h-h-hateful?"
"D-Derpy... calm down it's only a game..." Mrs. Cake said, trying to calm down the weeping Pegasus.
"But... but it's my food! I-I love muffins!" Derpy cried with tears in her eyes. Mrs. Cake just sighed and pushed the one good muffin towards her... only for Derpy to snap back to happy and laugh evilly. "YOU FOOL! I GOT YOU! I SO GOT YOU!"
The couple blinked. "What? But you just-"
"APRIL FOALS!" She yelled with glee and evilly evilness as she snatched the bag and flew off. However as she ate them Mr. and Mrs. Cake smirked at each other...suddenly Derpy flew back into the bakery screaming and fanning her mouth. “HOT HOT HOT HOT!!”
“Something wrong?” Mr. Cake asked innocently.
“YOU SAID THERE WAS NO CHILL POWDER IN THESE!”
“There isn't, those have jalapeño peppers!” Mrs. Cake giggled as Derpy bolted towards the bathroom.
“WATER, WATER, WATER!!”
On the way back from the announcement area, Snips and Snails were arguing over exactly which prank they should pull.
"I'm telling you Snails, using a catapult would be a lot more practical than a giant slingshot!" Snips explained.
"A catapult makes too much noise though Snips." Snail retorted. "It'd take too long to reload anyways!"
"Yeah but you can load more into it!" Snips added. "No to mention-Snails?" The young unicorn looked around to see that his tall friend had wandered off, searching around he realized that he was standing under a tree looking at a sign that read: "Important Message, This Way." with an arrow pointing left.
"... well it's important." Snips said as he hurried over to his friend as fast as he could. "SNAILS WAIT UP!"
And the continued on with a past another sign that read “Important Message: Next Sign”, to which they quickly ran towards the very next tree which appeared to have a white X painted on the ground beneath it and a sign right in front of it that read: “Important Message: DON'T LOOK UP”
Reverse psychology proved to be their undoing as they looked up… only to scream in terror as a giant glob of tree sap rained down upon them.
“April Foals!" Sweetie Belle snickered as she bumped hooves with Scootaloo. " It's like shooting a fish in a barrel!”
“Ah~ it's that moment of dawning comprehension that I live for.” Scootaloo smirked.
"AW MAN!" Snails groaned as he looked at his syrup covered body. "This SUCKS!"
“I wouldn't say that just yet!” Scootaloo snack before holding a large pillow over her head. “Time for somepony else to be the “chicken” for once!!” She said it before ripping open the pillow, before the two could flee, dozens of fell feathers covered up the already sticky colts.
“OH COM'ON! I JUST SHOWERED!!” Snips screamed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Vinyl entered her two-toned house with a nefarious smirk on her face. "Oh Octy~! I've got a present for ya~" She giggled mischievously.
"Upstairs darling! I'm in the shower." Octavia called out.
"....well I can work with that." Vinyl whispered to herself as she sneaked upstairs. "Now then..... hope you're taking a cold shower."
“Actually no, it's quite warm.” Octavia answered as she continued to wash her mane, completely oblivious to Vinyl’s actions. “Ugh! You wouldn't believe this! The second I leave the grocery store some foal glues a rainbow afro onto my Mane!”
"Yowch. Sorry to hear that." Vinyl said with a smile as she got close to the toilet.
“I'm just glad I got home fast enough to wash it all out…” She replied as she continued to wash herself off. “Now then, what is it you wanted to give me?”
"Oh nothing, just...THIS!" Vinyl yelled as she flushed the toilet and ran off. "APRIL FOALS!"
“What th-YEEEEEEEKKK!!!!” Octavia screamed as she was drenched in freezing cold water. “VINYL MELODY SCRATCH I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”
"Alright this was a riveting first few pranks!" Discord commented as he was filing his claws with a porcupine. "Pinkie why don't you give out the first few points?"
"Sure thing Dissy!" Pinkie said with a big smile on her face as a large screen popped up behind the three judges.
Thunderlane: 5
Lyra & Bonbon: 10
Vinyl Scratch: 15
Mr.& Mrs Cake: 20
Derpy Hooves: 15
Sweetie Belle & Scootaloo: 25
"Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle have such high numbers this early? My my Rainbow you taught the kid one well!" Discord said as fireworks erupted around Rainbow.
The rainbow-maned Pegasus blushed a little. "Well what can I say? I taught her everything she knows!" She stated proudly. "But enough about how awesome a mentor I am. Let's see how the last Crusader is doing over at Sweet Apple Acres!"
"Indeed! I've heard very good things about her pranking plan." Discord smiled as he snapped his fingers and instantly teleported the three of them to the farm and prepared some sodas.
"This way Big sis'!" Apple Bloom shouted as she lead Applejack towards the orchard.
"Alright Bloom." Applejack said with a roll of her eyes as she followed her little sister. "Yer really excited ain't ya?"
"Here it is!" The former blank flank happily proclaimed as they stopped in front of one of the trees, this one in particular however had it's apples covered in rainbows as opposed to the usual red or green. "See? The Zap-Apples have come early!"
"Well butter mah biscuit!" Applejack exclaimed in excitement as she ran towards the tree… unaware that her sister had taken a few steps back. Applejack turned around and kicked the tree as hard a she could, shaking the apples loose and causing all of them to fall... along with several water balloons that had been tied to the branches.
"GAAAAAAAH!!!" The farmpony screamed as she was drenched in cold water.
"April Foals!" Apple Bloom laughed as she held her sides. "A-ah'm sorry sis but this was TOO priceless not to do!" Apple Bloom said between laughs and chuckles.
Applejack growled as she watched some of the “zap-apples” roll into the puddle of water around her, causing the paint to wash off, revealing them to be normal apples. “Why you sneaky little…!” The elder sister snapped and she started chasing her sister throughout the orchard. “Wait till I get my hooves on you!!”
"Aw come on AJ! It was just a simple prank!" Apple Bloom shouted at her sister as she ran.
Back in Ponyville, or more specifically the park, Bonbon snuck out from under a bush and quickly leaped into a nearby tree. She poked her head out and looked around before sliding down the trunk and diving into a nearby lake, she swam under the surface to the other side and smoothly pulled herself into another bush.
Looking around, she finally saw her target: Fluttershy.
There she was, sitting on the bench and feeding her animal friends without a care in the world. This was the perfect opportunity, this prank was perfect for a pony like her! She’d get the points she needed to win this!
She poked her head out of the bush and looked around, right on cue her best friend Lyra entered the park. The mint green Unicorn glanced at her and winked, Bonbon nodded with a malicious smile, there was the signal, the moment was now! She tiptoed out of the bushes, snuck behind the bench, pulled out the instrument of her prank and…
...placed a “wet paint” sign on the bench right next to her.
Holding back a sinker she snuck back into the bushes as Lyra approached the Pegasus.
“Why hello Fluttershy!” Lyra smiled.
"Oh. Hi Lyra. W-what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked nervously. "I-I mean um..... you know that there's a lot of pranksters out there now right?"
"Of course, though they seem to be avoiding the park for some reason..." Lyra explained as she glanced at Bonbon's bush. "Wait, Fluttershy why are you sitting on that bench?!"
"W-what do you mean?!" Fluttershy yelped as she leaped up.
"It's wet! Didn't you see the 'Wet Paint' sign?!" Lyra shouted. Fluttershy looked and saw, indeed, that there was a wet paint sign next to her bench.
“Oh no!” The shy mare yelped before flying up and checking her backside…. only to realize there wasn't a speck of paint on her. “What the-?”
“April Foals!” Lyra giggled as Bonbon leaped out of the bushes.
"....ooooh. Oh that was good!" Fluttershy chuckled sweetly. The two “best friends” laughed their asses off as they wiped tears from each other's eyes.
"H-hey you know it was just a joke right?" Lyra asked between laughs.
"Of course I do." She replied with a gentle smile as he animal friends crowded around her. "After all it's all in good fun..." As the two mare got up Fluttershy handed one of her animals to Bonbon. "But as long as we're here, why not play with some of my friends?"
"Sure!" Bonbon said with a chuckle as she took the animal into her care. "Which one is it?"
It was then they noticed that Fluttershy had taken several steps away from the two before replying. "He's a skunk, say hi Stinky!"
At that moment the skunk lifted it's tail and started spraying them with it's stink pheromones. "EEWW!" Bonbon groaned in clenched teeth.
“April Foals!” Fluttershy giggled as the two ran out of the park screaming.
“MY NOSTRILS ARE BURNING!!” Lyra shouted as she they ran off, numerous Ponies covering their noses as they passed by.
"Lesson one: don't f*** with Fluttershy." She said to herself with a smile on her face as she trotted off with a bit more swagger to her step, her animal friends loyally following her.
Back at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight was trotting through the halls, keeping her eyes open for any possible pranks, after the announcement Spike had opted to stay by Rarity’s side in case someone saw her as an “easy target”, despite her reassurance that she could take care of herself.
"Alright. How do I handle this?" Twilight whispered to herself... however she soon passed by a slightly open door.
"I-I know we haven't seen each other much..." A nervous yet familiar voice said, getting her attention. "B-but there's something that I need to get off my chest..."
Twilight peeked into the room and sure enough, inside was none other than Starlight's old foalhood friend; Sunburst.
"For the longest time.... I-I've been in love with you.... I just never had the courage to say anything." She heard him say. The Princess smiled, realizing that this meant he and Starlight finally managed to reconnect.
“S-so I wanted to ask… w-will you be my special somepony?” He asked nervously.
“Oh Sunburst… I've been waiting for you to say that for the longest time…”
Twilight blinked when she realized that it was a MALE voice replying to him. Confused, she opened the door a little further to see… FLASH SENTRY?!”
"WHAT?! W-WHAT IN THE..... BUT...... WHAT?!" Twilight shouted as she saw the her crush madly kissing Sunburst!
Upon hearing the baffled Princess the two stallions broke the kiss and turned towards her. "Oh hey Twilight, got any lubricated condoms?"
*THUMP*
Twilight promptly fainted on the spot.
"APRIL FOALS!" The two stallions shouted as they burst out laughing, a magical glow surrounded them Sunburst and Flash Sentry disappeared, revealing Trixie and Starlight in their respective places. “Oh man! That was hilarious!” Trixie hollered, holding onto Starlight for support.
"Y-yeah it was! Twi you..... you...... Twilight?" Starlight asked as she saw her teacher on the ground not moving an inch. "Uh....... are you okay?"
Twilight slowly regained consciousness and stared at the two mares, slowly putting two and two together, her right eye twitched. "Oh REAL funny you two! I'll bet you think you're SO clever!" She scoffed as she gave them a livid glare.
"Well you fell for it." Starlight said as she covered her mouth to stifle a chuckle. "I mean WOW did you fall for that!" However as they continued to laugh, Twilight's mane and tail were suddenly enveloped in a raging inferno as she glared at the two Unicorns.
"....you two thought that was funny huh?" She said with a subdued rage that would burn down entire forests. "You thought that was just so CUTE didn't you?"
"N-N-Now calm down T-Twilight..." Trixie stuttered as she backed away in fear. "It was only a simple prank, r-right Starlight?"
However as the showmare turned to her friend for support, in her place was nothing but a sign with a arrow pointing at her that read: HER IDEA.
"STARLIGHT YOU TRAITOR!!"
Twilight scoffed before slowly approaching Trixie. "And now that only leaves you… I have a very special yet ironic punishment for your little part in this prank..."
".....okay, you know it was JUST her idea and she threatened to prank ME." Trixie said before immediately trying to run away.
However the Princess was not having any of that and immediately trapped her in a bubble. “Nice try.”
Outside the castle, the three judges were currently checking the scoreboard.
Octavia: 5
Lyra & Bonbon: 15
Twilight Sparkle: 17
Apple Bloom: 20
Vinyl Scratch: 25
Fluttershy: 29
Diamond Tiara & Silver Spoon: 30
Trixie & Starlight Glimmer: 35
"I bet Twilight wins." Rainbow said, prompting the other two looked at her with serious disappointment.
"Oh of course you'd root for a mane player." Discord scoffed as he took a sip from his mango.
Pinkie smirked. "Yeah, I personally thinking that-Hey, do you guys hear something?”
Everyone turned to see a screaming mini-tornado flying towards them, as it got closer it eventually slowed down and stopped in front of them, revealing none-other than a very dizzy Trixie. She had been hogtied with an apple stuffed into her mouth, and her mane had been turned into a green piled-up mess with twigs and a few berries caught in it along with and a couple of mouse tails sticking out of it, resembling a rats nest.
Rainbow Dash and Discord immediately lost it. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IRONY!! BEAUTIFUL IRONY!!!” They laughed as Trixie started hobble-hopping away.
"Okay... I think Twilight might have a chance to win." Pinkie said as Twilight's score changed to 37.
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom snickered as she exited the farm, a dripping wet Applejack right behind her. "Seriously sis? The "water bucket over the doorway" trick? Ah don't know whether to embarrassed that's all yah could come up with or insulted yah thought ah'd fall fer that!"
"Yeah well that was only step 1." Applejack said with a smile. "Ah'm gonna have ta take things up a notch fer Big Mac ya know."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as the made their way across the fields. "Right, 'cause Big Mac is totally the pranking type. Honestly sis, yah need yah make yer lies more convincin'...."
"Well Ah got that fixed.... Ah ain't talkin'." Applejack said with a smirk on her face. "And Ah need yer help with it."
"And what would that b-" Apple Bloom stopped when she noticed something. "Big sis, yer hoof is sinken' into the dirt..."
"It is?" AJ said as she looks down at the hoof.... and yes it was indeed sinking into the dirt. She tried to pull it out, only to get pulled downward as a result. "What in trana-"
Suddenly and dirt-covered face shot out of the ground and screamed into Applejack's face.
"BRAINS!!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Applejack and Bloom screamed as Jack started going backwards and stumble over herself. They soon managed to get away while Big Mac just laughed his head off.
"Oh real funny Big Mac!" Apple Bloom sneered... before she broke into a fit of giggles herself. "Seriously, how long were you buried there?"
"Long enough, eh?" Big Mac chuckled as he picked himself out of the mud. "Oh that was WORTH it."
"One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four!" Spike chanted as he paced back and forth at the front door of Carousel Boutique, holding baseball bat.
"I thank you again Spikey-Wikey." Rarity said as she opened her door slightly ajar. "I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am.."
"No worries Rarity!" Spike smiled, giving her a salute. "After all, I can't have anyone pulling any pranks that'll mess up your luxurious mane... or your boutique!" He quickly added with a blush before resuming his "guard duty".
"Of course dear." Rarity said with a light-hearted giggle. "I'll wait for you inside." Rarity said as she closed the door and smiled at her protector.
Spike sighed dreamily as he marched back and forth. Nothing would get by him, nothing!
“Hey Spike!” Starlight called out as she approached the dragon.
"BACK OFF!" Spike shouted as he swung his bat at her. "YOU ARE NOT FOOLING ME! I KNOW WHAT TODAY IS! GET BACK YOU CLEVER MINDED WITCH!"
“Woah-woah-WOAH!” Starlight shouted as she quickly yanked the bat out of his grasp. “I'll give you clever-minded, but witch? What's your deal?!”
"I'm not letting you prank my maiden!" Spike shouted as he pulled out another bat from outta nowhere.
“Where did you even-HEY!” The Unicorn yelped as she avoided another swing. “Look I'm just trying to-GAH-hide from-STOP THAT-Twilight!”
"A likely story! Spike scoffed. "And why should I believe y-"
"STARLIGHT GLIMMER, WHERE THE BUCK ARE YOU?!" Twilight's enraged voice echoed throughout the village.
"....okay, so get inside for a few hours?" Spike said with her eyes widened. "I mean Twilight is NOT sane when she's ticked off."
Starlight and Spike darted into Carousel Boutique and slammed the door shut. Outside, Twilight's enraged stomps could be hear passing the establishment.
Soon the stomping ended and vanished. "....I think she's gone." Starlight whispered as gulped, fearing for her personal safety.
“Thank Celestia…” Starlight sighed as she glanced out the window. “I better get moving before she comes back…”
“Actually…” Rarity called out, getting both of their attention. “I was wondering if you could help me with a little project I've been working on?”
"Oh.... well I don't see why I can't." Starlight said as she walked over.... Spike smiling behind her back.
"Perfect!" The fashionista smiled as she pulled out two surprisingly familiar articles of clothing:
Trixie's wizard hat and cape.
Starlight arched a brow. "Why do you have...?"
"Simply put Trixie looked like she was running her outfit ragged. I simply want to help improve it for her." Rarity said with a small smile.
“I guess… I kinda owe her for leaving her alone with Twilight…” She mumbled as she trotted towards her. “So what do you need me to do?”
“Just put it on, I've been using this lush new fabric that's known to be smooth as a well-fluffed cloud.” Rarity explained as she fastened the cape around Starlight’s neck.
"....well it DOES feel nice I have to admit." Starlight said with a smile. "I think she'll really enjoy the cape Rarity."
"Oh but that's not all. Try on the hat." Rarity said as she placed the hat on Starlight's head.
"I'll admit, it's very comfy..." Starlight smiled, unconsciously scratching her back, not noticing Spike snickering behind her. "Think you could make one for m-" She stopped and scratched her back again... and then started scratching all over her body. "Why does my body itch so much?!"
"Oh well uh.... Rarity MIGHT have slipped in some itching powder..... and cast a spell that makes the clothing really hard to pull off.... ENJOY THE ITCH STARRY!" At those last words Spike burst out laughing, unable to stop.
Starlight’s eyes widened as she glared at Rarity, who was trying her best to stifle a laugh. “Nothing personal darling, April Foals and all that.. now you'd better get home and wash that off, least the itching last for a week.”
"I'll get back at you.... I'll do it and you'll NEVER see it coming.... mark my words." Starlight growled as she left the Boutique in a huff.
...only to find herself face-to-face with Trixie, who was still tied up with a apple in her mouth, giving her a "You owe me BIG TIME." glare.
Twilight growled in anger as she stormed through the town looking for the two unicorns. “Ohhhh when I get my hooves on those two I'm gonna-”
And then she had an idea…
...an awful idea…
... Twilight Sparkle had a wonderfully awful idea…
With a malicious smile, she rubbed her hooves together as a dark chuckle escaped her lips. “Oh Discord, when I'm done with my prank they'll have to rewrite the book on chaos!” She cackled evilly as she teleported away...
Back at Vinyl’s house, Octavia was waiting inside the kitchen as Vinyl was brewing some coffee. "I'm warning you right now, if you put anything in my drink I'm never speaking to you again." She growled.
"I promise. I'm not putting anything in your drink." Vinyl said as she finished up the coffee and brought out her breakfast to her. "See? Nothing.”
Octavia gave her an an amused look at she took a sip of her a coffee... and immediately glared out the window. "Derpy I can see you out there, you're not fooling anyone!" She shouted, prompting Vinyl to turn to the window as well. Right outside was odd-eyed Pegasus carrying a box that was labeled "Not Fire Ants" while wearing a ninja outfit.
"Darn it!" Derpy shouted as she zipped off.
"Should've been more careful Derpy." Vinyl said with a chuckle, as she continued to eat however, she started to feel slightly queasy and her stomach began to rumble. “That's weird, pretty sure I used the usual recipe for this stuff… why do I feel so-”
“Oh, that would be small batch of laxatives I slipped into your drink while you were distracted by Derpy.” Octavia explained, giving her a rather devious smirk.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Vinyl shouted as she ran to the bathroom.
"CONSIDER THIS PAYBACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME IN THE SHOWER!!" Octavia called out as she pulled out a box and trotted to the door, where Derpy was waiting outside. "Thanks for the distraction, here's your payment." She smiled, opening the box to reveal a batch of freshly baked muffins.
"YAAAY!" Derpy said as she grabbed them and flew off towards a private place to eat the rest of the muffins.
"OCTAVIA YOU MONSTER!!" She heard her roommate shout in rage. "IT WASN'T ENOUGH THAT YOU GAVE ME THE RUNS, BUT YOU HAD TO PUT SUPERGLUE ON THE SEAT TOO!?"
Octavia blinked in surprise before running upstairs, she hadn't even considered pulling a prank like that! 'But if I didn't do it, then who...?'
Not too far from their house, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon cackled evilly as they walked away, giving each other a hoof-bump as Vinyl's screams echoed throughout the area.
"Oh Di, you're so evil!" Silver said with a chuckle. "I mean super gluing her to the seat? GENIUS!"
As the two foals made their way back to Ponyvillie however, they noticed that a few parts of the town had ended up wrecked or covered in some sort of prank aftermath, Rumble was pulling his brother Thunderlane out of a mailbox covered in cake batter, Cranky was storming through the streets with a rainbow wig glued to his head well his wife accompanied him, trying her best not to laugh, and Button Mash seemed to be pulling himself free of a giant glob of bubblegum
"Y'know, I'm starting to think we might have to step up our game a little..." Silver said as she watched Doctor Hooves fleeing from Berry Punch... who was addressed as a pear for some reason.
"You're right." Diamond said with a sigh. "Seriously we have nothing to top half this stuff."
"Let's think... what would be a good prank to put us back in top...? Silver mused as she looked around... only to notice a familiar orange Pegasus rushing towards them on her scooter.
"Hey Diamond, Silver!" Scootaloo call out as she screeched to a halt just before getting them. "You too are not going to believe what me and the girls found!"
"What? What did you find?" Silver asked with a rather unsure look on her face.
"Just come on! It's REALLY neat!" Scootaloo said as she grabbed the two and pushed them into the wagon attached to her scooter and quickly sped off. After a few minutes of riding and avoiding a few messes here and there, they ended up finding Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle standing in front of what looked like a Heart-Shaped Box the size of a wagon.
".....what is this?” Diamond asked as she and Silver got off the wagon, eyeing the item curiously. "Seriously, it's WAY too obvious."
“Beats me, all we know is that is was addressed to you from some “secret admirer”, looks like you caught somepony’s eye!” Sweetie Belle giggled, giving Diamond a playful nudge while Apple Bloom opened the box, revealing several delicious-looking chocolates, each one with Diamond Tiara's cutie mark on them.
The two former-bullies shared a knowing glance before turning their attention to the three. "....you eat them." Diamond said with a glare.
“What? Why?” Scootaloo asked innocently. “They're obviously for you-”
"We want you to eat them and prove it's not a trick." Silver stated firmly.
"Oh com'on, if this was a trick it would be less obvious than this!" Apple Bloom scoffed as she took out one the chocolates and took a bite out of it without hesitation, her fellow Crusaders immediately followed suite. "Mmm! Caramel filling!"
"....well, they have a point." Silver said as she grabbed a chocolate. Diamond snorted but ate one as well.
“Hmm… interesting taste…” Diamond mused as she continued to chew. “But I can't place the flavor…”
“Oh that's simple.” Scootaloo giggled mischievously. “It's Poison Joke filling!”
“WHAT!?” Silver Spoon gasped as Diamond immediately started spitting out the pieces she hadn't swallowed. “B-but we saw you eat them-” She began, only to notice that each chocolate had a their cutie marks on them… except the ones they'd eaten. “YOU SNEAKY LITTLE-!"
"-APRIL FOALS!" The trio laughed as they quickly ran off… only to trip over each other and fall into a small box full of leftover Poison Joke.
As Celestia's Sun began to set over the horizon, several ponies began to gather around the town hall as a large timer appeared above the judges booth, slowly counting down the seconds until April Foal's Day came to an end.
"Ladies and Gentlecolts-" Rainbow Dash began.
"AHEM!"
"...and Dragon," She added. "April Fool's Day is slowly but surely coming to an end! I have to say, I haven't seen this much chaos in Ponyvillie since.... I dunno, last week maybe?"
"Aw you make me blush." Discord said with blinking puppy dog eyes.
"Yeah but at least we didn't cause several cotton candy clouds filled with 7 DAYS OLD CHOCOLATE MILK! I HAD TO CLEAN MY HOUSE TWICE YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD!" Rainbow started shouting before calming herself down.
“Now, now, Dashie. Let's not dwell on the past.” Pinkie added, getting in between the two. “After all, it is supposed to be a day of fun and comedy! Remember? And with the timer slowly but surely counting down to zero everypony is trying to pull a prank before time runs out!”
"Oh yeah that's right!" Rainbow said as she pointed to the timer with her wing. "So whoever thinks they can pull off an epic prank you better do so quickly!"
The God of Chaos simply chuckled as he gleefully watched more chaos unfold, Vinyl was chasing Octavia... with an unhinged toilet seat stuck to her rear, Snips and Snails were stuck together and still covered in feathers, and Starlight was trying to free Trixie while constantly scratching herself. “Indeed Pinkie Pie! But while we wait, let's check the scoreboard shall we?” Discord smiled as he snapped his fingers, summoning up the scoreboard.
Cheerilee: 5
Thunderlane: 10
Rumble: 13
Spike: 15
Doctor Hooves: 17
Big Mac: 20
Berry Punch: 24
Button Mash: 25
Rarity: 27
Applejack: 30
Lyra & Bonbon: 35
Trixie & Starlight Glimmer: 36
Mr.& Mrs Cake: 38
Vinyl Scratch: 45
Octavia: 48
Twilight Sparkle: 51
Diamond Tiara & Silver Spoon: 69
Fluttershy: 75
Derpy Hooves: 77
Cutie Mark Crusaders: 85
"And it looks like the Cutie Mark Crusaders are heavily in the lead with Derpy and Fluttershy not too far behind! Wow folks you REALLY gotta work hard to keep up with the rest of them!" Pinkie said with a few happy jumps.
"Well considering all the weird stuff they've gotten into over the years, the fact that they got the lead score is almost expected..." Rainbow smirked as she glanced at the Crusaders, who were fleeing from Silver Spoon, who was now a colt carrying a doll-sized Diamond Tiara. However Scootaloo’s body was now one giant hoof that she was hopping on, Applebloom was some kind of weird hairless monkey, and Sweetie Belle was just a white mini-version of the Smooze.
As they observed the gathering crowd there was a sudden flash of lavender light as Twilight teleported in front of the three judges with a proud expression. "I did it! I did it! I pulled the best prank!!"
"Oh did you now?" Discord asked mischievously as Rainbow and Pinkie leaned over the desk curiously. "And what pray tell WAS this ultimate prank?"
Twilight simply smirked as she summoned a square-shaped screen, revealing the interior of Canterlot Castle, more specifically the throne room.
“WHY!? WHY HAS MY BELOVED TASTY TREAT FORSAKEN ME!? WHY!?” Celestia cried as she fended off a giant cake that seemed to be trying to hurt itself at her like a missile.
Behind her, Luna was blasting away several pie that were very intent on making acquaintances with her face, and judging by the various mashed fruits stuck to her face, a few had succeeded.
Discord just busted out laughing at the sight before him. "THIS IS OBVIOUSLY THE GREATEST PRANK EVER CREATED!" He laughed as he snapped his talons, turning her score from 51 to 100.
Pinkie took the time to pick her jaw up off the floor as she and Rainbow stared at the spectacle before them.
"Yep! And the best part of all.... is that DISCORD DID IT!" Twilight said quickly before teleporting away.
Everyone else but the stunned Discord left in a fast hurry as both Celestia and Luna turned towards him with angry glares. It then the God of Chaos realized that it wasn't a viewing screen, but a PORTAL. “....Um….hi girls.” He gulped nervously. “Now, I know this looks like my doing but-YEEEK!!” He screamed in terror as he was dragged into the portal by the angry Alicorns.
"PICK A BODY PART LUNA!"
"DIBS ON THE SOLAR PLEXUS!"
"NO WAIT! I'M ALLERGIC TO PAIN!!"
Twilight just laughed as she saw several magic explosions that likely rocked Discord's world, figuratively and literally, but soon she slowly calmed down.
“Oh man! That was AWESOME!” Rainbow gasped as she held Fluttershy for support. “Y-You pranked, THE GOD OF CHAOS!!” She snorted.
“Yeah, and with only a minute to spare!” Pinkie giggled as she pointed to the timer, while Twilight's score went up to 500. Most of the civilians genuinely applauding her actions.
Twilight chuckled as she looked around. "Where's Spike? Is he STILL defending Rarity?"
"Right here Twi..." Spike sighed as he pushed his way out of the crowd. "Nice to know you managed to pull a fast one on Discord..." He said in a depressed tone.
"Is... is something wrong Spike?" Twilight asked as she hurried over to him. "Spike did I say something?"
"It's just.... well, I only really got a few measly points... while most of our friends got tons of points..." He groaned as he sat down next to Twilight.
"Oh Spike." Twilight said as she hugged him. "I know how frustrating this must be for you... but you're a winner in my book."
Spike looked up at his big-sister figure with a smile. “Thanks Twi, I… I needed that…” He wiped away a small tear from his eyes. “Hey, for what it's worth, I think you really earned this victory.” The young Dragon said, offering his claw to Twilight for a hoof-shake.
"Aw thank you Spike." Twilight said with a smile as she shook his claw....
….and was zapped by a hidden joy buzzer!
“YEEEEEEEEEK!!!” The lavender Alicorn screeched as she was zapped before yanking her hoof away. “I-b-but-you-”
“APRIL FOALS!” Spike laughed as the timer reached zero, everyone just stared in absolute shock as the little Dragon started cheering. "I DID IT! I ACTUALLY DID IT! I'M THE GREATEST PRANKSTER OF ALL TIME!" Spike yelled to the heavens above.
“B-b-but, you didn't-I mean you can't just…” Twilight stuttered as she turned to the scoreboard, only to see the Spike’s was now 550. Infuriated, she turned the two remaining judges. “HOW!?”
"You were the highest score and there was a few seconds left. It's legit." Rainbow said trying to stifle a big laugh. "M-maybe you should've been more careful Twi! That was the EASIEST prank in the book but he got ya!"
Pinkie happily pulled out what looked like an odd combination of a crown and a jester hat. "For winning the first annual April Foals competition, I hereby crown you: The Prankster King!"
Twilight could only watch as the remaining ponies tossed Spike up into the air, happily chanting "Prankster King" over and over.
"Ugh. I love protecting the empire and my home's nice.... FAUST ABOVE I love warm winter." Flash said as the train stopped at Ponyville.
"Tell me about it..." Sunburst sighed as the two exited the train. "I mean-woah." The Unicorn blinked when he noticed how the wrecked state Ponyvillie was in. Several civilians either cleaning up or cleaning themselves off. "What happened here?"
".....you think a prank war happened here?" Flash asked as he stepped over some gunk from a flying pie.
“If so, then Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie have really outdone themselves this time-wait, did you hear that?” Sunburst asked as he started looking around, the distant sound of someone screaming catching his ears
“HE'S MINE!!” Twilight screamed as she suddenly and landed between the two and hugged Flash tightly while glaring at Sunburst. “HUSBANDO THIEF!!” The lavender mare screamed before teleporting away with the confused Pegasus.
".....what just happened?"