Who's a Special Somepony?
One morning, Rainbow Dash wakes up to the smell of breakfast. She wakes up and finds Cirrus cooking hash browns with eggs and slowly approaches the dining table. "Eh heh... I know you like spending time a lot of with me and my closest friends in Ponyville, but don't you have your own friends back in Cloudsdale?"
"Not yet, everypony only cares about my inventions. I hope someday I save Equestria too, then I might make some friends of my own." Cirrus serves Rainbow some hash browns, which she immediately stuffs in her face.
" You know, not everypony is cut out to be a hero, and that's okay. Like you said everypony is different."
Cirrus sighs "Hopefully my 2nd last invention will get me some recognition."
"What is it?"
Cirrus takes out a smoke detector "I made this a month ago for the Manehattan Fire Department, its a device thay can detect fires when ponies aren't around to notice." She holds the detector over the frying pan with hash browns and an alarm goes off, Echo flies out of Cirrus's mane and squeaks at the alarm, stopping it. "If they accepted my invention it should be being mass produced by now."
"If it saves some ponies I guess you can call yourself hero... how'd you make it?"
"Well, Ive done research in the properties of various types of clouds, and I found Nimbus clouds react to."
Rainbow Dash falls back to sleep onto the plate upon hearing technical details from Cirrus. She gets her face covered in egg. "Perhaps that was too egghead for you, I'll stop. Last week I made something you'll find really cool. Programmable clouds!" Cirrus gets interrupted by knocking on the door. Rainbow licks her face then answers the door, and finds Rain Drops waiting with a saddlebag.
"Hi there!"
"Uh hello?"
Rain Drops fanboys Rainbow Dash who looks uninterested, until a voice yells behind.
"Hey! That's not what we're here for!" Rainbow looks around Rain Drops in the doorway and finds Brazier and Sturdy Steed, unable to reach her house due to their inability to walk on clouds.
"Oh right..." Rain Drops takes out a smoke detector from his saddlebag "The Manehattan Fire Department recommends everypony installs a smoke detector in their house, but... it looks like you already have one." Rainbow Dash turns around and finds Cirrus installing a smoke detector. "How did you already get one? They've only been released to public yesterday!"
"My cousin Cirrus here invented the smoke detector, cool right?" Cirrus smiles and waves at Rain Drops, who doesn't seem interested.
"Not as cool as you, but sure I guess."
Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, then flies out the door to Brazier and Sturdy Steed. "Hey aren't you the guys Rarity brought from Manehattan?"
"Yup, that's us." Brazier asks "Do you know where we can find her?"
"Hey Rare Rare."
"Good morning Brazier." Rarity turns from her magazine. "It's not often you come to Ponyville."
"Just a business trip. But we could really use your expertise."
Rain Drops puts his hoof around Streamer "Our friend Streamer would like a gentlecolt outfit. He promised he'd ask a particular mare to be his special somepony." Streamer nods.
Rarity giggles "Oh of course! You have fun with your special somepony... who ever they may be."
"Thanks Rarity!"
Sturdy tells him "Why don't you check out what Ponyville has to offer?" He nods and leaves.
As the fire fighters install a smoke detector, Rarity draws an concept design for a gentlecolt outfit.
Rainbow watches Brazier signs some papers while Rain Drops flies to the ceiling of the kitchen. Sturdy sorts the saddlebag. Rainbow asks "Why isn't Streamer with you guys? I thought you were all friends"
Brazier explains "Streamer isn't a Fire Fighter like us, he's more of a party pony. He decided to come with us on our business trip here."
Sturdy adds "It doesn't make him any less of a friend though."
Rarity looks out the window and watches Streamer enter a store "I really want to know what mare is on his mind."
Pinkie fills a basket in a store with party hats. She then goes to the store owner and pays for them. As she bounces out, she finds Streamer putting multiple party hats on his head.
"Oh hey Streamer! Watcha doin back in Ponyville?"
"Not much, I came with my friends who are on a business trip." Streamer looks around the store "I thought I'd check out the party supplies Ponyville has to offer. It takes a lot to throw parties every week."
"You throw lot's of parties too?!" Streamer nods.
They leave the store, Rarity hides in a crate and listens. Pinkie tells him "I'd love to stay longer and chat, but I told Twilight I'd watch her niece. See ya later!"
Streamer waves as Pinkie bounces towards Twilight's castle with the basket of party streamers. The fire fighters approach him "Is she the one you were talking about?"
"It is, Pinkie Pie is really sweet and friendly, understandably for the party pony of Ponyville."
"Well, make a move. Did you try flirting?"
Streamer looks nervous "I've never tried flirting with a pony."
Brazier magically drags him "You're not going to get her without trying. Where did she go?"
The fire fighters enter Twilight's Castle. They find Twilight pushing a stroller into the library.
"Hey Twilight."
"Would you like a smoke detector installed in your castle?"
Brazier shows Twilight a smoke detector "It's an invention by Cirrus that sets off an alarm whenever a fire is detected". The detector goes off as Spike sniffs it.
"Thanks for the offer boys, but it would probably go off non-stop with Spike around".
Rain Drops spots Pinkie Pie and whispers to Brazier, who then asks "May we speak with Pinkie Pie for a minute?"
Brazier leads his friends and Pinkie to an ice cream parlor. He takes out a fake coupon from his saddlebag "We have a coupon for five toffee sundaes at the price of four, so..."
Pinkie immediately runs up to the ice cream pony "THEY HAVE TOFFEE CREAM TODAY?! I'LL TAKE SIX."
Rain Drops looks at Streamer "Ya... she really is sweet."
Pinkie takes six sundaes, Brazier rips the fake coupon and gives several bits to the ice cream pony "We'll take four."
Brazier, Sturdy Steed, and Rain Drops sit around a table with three chairs. Brazier looks at Pinkie and Streamer "Looks like this table's full, why don't you two sit there."
Pinkie and Streamer sit at another table with their Sundaes. Rain Drops asks Brazier "Why not just move the chairs over" he magically closes his mouth.
"So um... throw any good parties lately?"
Rarity sits nearby covering herself with a newspaper. Rainbow drops next to her "What's up with those guys."
"He's trying to woo Pinkie Pie. A strange taste in mares if you ask me."
Rainbow hides behind the newspaper as well and tries to hold her laughter "I gotta see this."
"Ooooooh shiny" Pinkie Pie watches Streamer bend an neon-light tube into the word Pinkie. "Let me try." She takes the neon-light tube and tries to bend it, but it shocks her.
Streamer giggles then takes back the neon-light "You're supposed to turn it off first, here try again." Pinkie takes the neon light back "I put these all over my party arcade."
Rain Drops quickly whisper something in Streamer's ear, he looks nervous. Rainbow giggles "Here we go..."
Pinkie makes an arrow shape with the light then turns it on. "I did it!" She places the light on the table and the arrow flashes at Streamer. "It points to the very nice, SUPER friendly party pony I met three weeks ago when we saved Princess Shmarity."
Streamer takes several different colored neonlight tubes from his saddlebag and bends them together. "You know Pinkie, I think you're a really nice party pony too."
"AWWWW pretty much everypony says that."
"But you're more than that. Your uh... " Streamer pats Pinkie's mane "Hair feels really fluffy and smells like strawberry cotton candy."
Rain Drops hoofpalms while everypony looks at Streamer concerned.
Pinkie puts her elbow on the table "Oh..." Her eyebrows go up and down several times "I see where this is going... ya little charmer."
Streamer looks into Pinkie's eyes admirably. "Your eyes glow like sequins taped to googly eyes, and to sit in your presence makes me think of chocolate covered... um... raisins." Pinkie tears up while Rainbow and Rarity try to hold their laughter, then Streamer holds the combined neonlights in front of her. Each color lights up in a sequence of words, which Pinkie reads.
"Will... you... be... my special somepony?" Pinkie tears up "Ohhhh of course!" She hugs Streamer who hugs her back and smiles.
Rainbow Dash slams Rarity's newspaper down "WHAT?!"
Rarity hides under the table while Rainbow quickly flies away. Pinkie takes Streamer to her house.
"Wow, Streamer is smooth. What do you think they'll do tomorrow?"
Brazier replies "Probably bake a cake and party in fancy Rare Rare clothing." He turns to Sturdy "Any plans with your special somepony?"
Rarity stops trying to escape from under the table and turns her attention back to him.
"I've been seeing her for the last few weeks, ever since that apartment building went on fire. A bit shy, but I should have no problem getting her."
"Why didn't you ask Rarity to make you an outfit too?"
"Because she already made me one." He pulls out a shiny fire fighter suit which Brazier finds impressive. "It's even made it from fire-proof ponyester fibers."
Rarity clears her ears with her hooves.
"You gave her the dress Rarity mistakenly gifted me. Did she like it?"
Sturdy looks at Brazier confused "Not really, she was nervous when I gave it to her and asked where I got it. When I told her about Rarity's mistake it cheered her up though."
Rarity says to herself "What a strange taste in fashion she has..."
The stallions laugh with Sturdy. "Is she going to wear it when she's with you tomorrow?"
Sturdy shakes his head "She said she was going to sell it."
Rarity's eye starts twitching, then she quickly escapes the table and leaves. Around the corner she begins to rage "RE-SELL... A GIFT? WHAT AN UNGRATEFUL."
Rainbow flies down to her and interrupts "Did he seriously win Pinkie Pie, just by commenting on her hair?"
"Yep. Pinkie just has really low standards. Don't think about it too much."
"Sounds right" Rainbow flies away, then Pinkie hops up to Rarity.
"Hey Rarity, which dress made Rainbow Dash go all WHAAAAT."
"Why do you want to know that."
"Because I totally want to wear it tomorrow!"
Rarity rolls her eyes "It was... uh... the dress you usually wear to the gala. I was just surprised to find it in the paper."
"Okay, I'll go get it, Rarity returns to her state of anger and listens to Brazier, Sturdy, and Rain Drops.
"She asked me to pick up a few things from Ponyville for her." Sturdy hands Brazier a shopping list.
"Potatoes, carrots, corn oil, baking soda..."
Rarity rubs her hooves together.
Rainbow sits with Cirrus on a roof, who is soldering a board. "It's nothing unusual cous, a pony once asked me if you would be his date because he was too nervous to ask you himself."
"It was Zephyr right?"
"Actually it was a Wonderbolt." Cirrus scoots over on the roof as Derpy face dives. She takes the letter from Derpy's mouth and looks at it. "But I can see why you thought it was Zephyr though."
Rarity goes to the everfree forest and picks a poison joke leaf with a face covering. Zecora finds her and asks "For what reason did you pick the leaf, that is bound to cause mischief?"
"Just a... harmless joke."
"If that is all, then I suppose so." Rarity puts the leaf into a sample bag. "But they amplify to oil, and it's effects may grow
She returns home and finds Pinkie waiting, then hides the leaf.
"Now that I think about, I've never been on a date. Any pointers?"
Rarity tries to stop Pinkie from entering her house. "Uh... I'm sure Twilight would have a book on that. Come and I'll check."
"Actually she doesn't. But don't worry, just follow along Streamer and you should be fine."
"Okay, thanks!"
Rarity returns to her desk and hides the poison leaf, then continues to work on the gentlecolt suit.
As evening falls, Rarity walks slowly to the train station, where Pinkie, Streamer, and his friends are waiting. "Why did you run from us?"
"Oh... some incident with Flurry Heart. She's okay now. I'm coming to Manehattan too."
Pinkie exclaims "Oh, like Fluttershy?" She shows Fluttershy hiding under their bench.
"They're opening a zoo today. Why are you coming Rarity."
"Boutiques tend to get crowded on Hearts and Hooves Day, so my assistant needs help. Everypony wants something for their special somepony." She hands Streamer the gentlecolt suit. "I hope you have as much fun with Pinkie Pie as I do."
The train leaves for Manehattan. Rarity asks on the train "Are you all set for tomorrow?"
Pinkie reads a list "Bake blueberry mergangue cake, throw a party at Streamer's party room, go to the disco next door... hmmph, this all seems what I usually do."
Streamer adds "But we'll be wearing fancy clothing together."
"How are your plans?" Brazier asks Rain Drops. Rarity seems to remember something and rubs her hooves together with a malicious grin.
As the train stops, Rarity quickly runs to the luggage area and takes out the bottle of oil from Sturdy's grocery bag. "I DONT KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT NO PONY RE-SELLS A GIFT!" She dips the poison joke in a bottle of corn oil. She steps away "Your life is a joke" She takes a deep breath "I had to get that off me." Everypony else enters.
"Well you're in a hurry."
"I have to make sure the boutique is ready before tomorrow morning. I'll meet you at the hotel Pinkie."
"Okay, see ya!"
Upstairs in the boutique, Rarity pushes carts with dresses with Coco Pommel. "Thanks for coming to help me Rarity. It's going to be a rough morning."
Rarity inspects the stack of orders "I'll do my best to get through these orders. If everything goes smoothly we should be done by noon." She looks at a blue dress on a clothing rack and sighs, then pushes it.
Coco asks "Is something bothering you?"
"Nothing."
"Well... um... if there is, don't be afraid to tell me." As Rarity leaves the room, Coco Pommel takes out a gift box containing a blue dress.
The next morning, Rarity walks to her boutique and finds a mob waiting to get in. "What's going on..." Rarity goes up to the crowd "Don't worry everypony, my assistant should be here shortly."
Rarity goes up to Coco Pommel's apartment and is surprised to find warning tape blocking access. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"A monster was found here an hour ago and has been taken by security. I'm afraid it has eaten Coco Pommel."
"WHAT! Bu.. but..."
"If you want to argue, you can go ask the monster at the Manehattan Zoo."
Rarity goes to the Zoo and finds ponies cowering away from a new exhibit, with the exception of Fluttershy, who is reaching into the cage. "Come on, don't be shy."
A pony points to a giant rock in the cage. "It's behind that rock!"
Fluttershy turns to Rarity "They added a new exhibit today. Whatever it is it hasn't shown itself yet."
"Um. What is it."
A security guard approaches "We believe it's called a cocothros, no pony knows much about them so it would be safer to step back."
Rarity shouts into the cage "Coco Pommel, are you in there?"
"Rarity?" Coco peaks her head out from behind the rock. "I'm sorry, it really was a rough morning. I'm not sure if I can come to work today."
Fluttershy and the crowd gasps. Rarity exclaims "What is with you ponies, that's not a monster."
Coco Pommel stands up on the rock, revealing she has a second neck with a second head. "Okay I can see why it's called a cocorthros." Everypony else runs away, while both of Coco Pommel's heads start crying. She returns to hide behind the rock.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING." The security guard finds Brazier and his friends extending a fire ladder onto the cage.
He holds up a fire fighter badge. "We're here to inspect for fire hazards. The monster could you know, breathe fire."
The security guard rolls his eyes then walks away. Sturdy Steed uses a crowbar to break into the top of the cage, then jumps in.
Rarity watches in shock as Rain Drops drops a picnic basket and a blanket into the cage with Sturdy Steed. "Have fun!"
As Brazier withdraws the ladder, Rarity asks at the bottom "What are you doing."
He shrugs "Sturdy's special somepony grew a second head and was thrown in the Zoo. It wouldn't stop him from seeing her."
Rarity sits down and thinks to herself and worries "That dress. Coco Pommel made it. Sturdy returned it."
Brazier watches Rarity descend into madness "Are you okay..."
"She never sold a gift. It was her dress all along." Rarity whispers to Brazier. "I can get her out of this."
A Zookeeper looks into the cage from behind through a door with a glass window. "Why is the cocorthros having a picnic with the fire fighter?"
The security guard simply replies "He's checking for fire hazards."
The Zookeeper looks back "I hope you're right."
"I thought you'd never want to see me again." Coco Pommel's left head sheds a tear. "I really don't know why I had a second head this morning."
"Maybe those other ponies, but ever since you thanked me for extinguishing your mane, it has always been a blessing to see you again, even if I got stuck in a zoo cage." Coco's left head smiles while the right one eats salad. He adds "With two heads I can see you twice as much now." Coco laughs.
"I couldn't stand being in here, and I couldn't go back into public like this. But I feel better now that you're here."
Fluttershy asks Rarity worried "Why does Coco Pommel have two heads..."
Rarity frowns "It's my fault" Fluttershy backs away surprised, Brazier looks concerned.
"Did you curse her?"
Rain Drops adds "Like you did to the board game?"
"When I heard Sturdy's special somepony sold the gift she received, I put poison joke in his corn oil out of anger, knowing it would go to whomever did it. I thought it was somepony of malicious intent, until I realized the gift really returned to the original owner. Coco Pommel made that dress I gave you." Rarity hangs her head in shame.
Rain Drops rolls his eyes "Ruining things again, typical Rare Rare."
Brazier asks urgently "Does poison joke have an antidote?"
Rarity nods.
Rain Drops flies into the top of the cage and whispers to Sturdy. He tells Coco "We can get you out of here."
Coco shakes both of her heads "I can't go out there like this."
"Rarity knows the cure."
Rarity buys a bottle of bubble bath formula from a merchant in the Zoo, then dumps the contents in a fountain. Brazier knocks on the Zookeeper's observatory. "Fire hazard inspection and smoke detector installation here."
The Zookeeper leaves, Brazier puts warning tape between the observatory door and the fountain.
"I tried opening that door, it doesn't work" Coco tells Sturdy inspecting the observatory door.
"Nothing a fire fighter can't handle." Rain Drops breaks the door hinges, then Sturdy kicks the door down. An alarm goes off and announces.
"EXHIBIT COCORTHROS HAS ESCAPED. EVERYPONY EVACUATE."
Rain Drops flies out the door, while Sturdy Steed gets Coco Pommel's second head unstuck from the door. Numerous security guards approach the warning tape.
"Area's off limits, under suspect of flammable hazards" Brazier tells them. A security guard looks at Rarity who is mixing the bubble formula in the fountain.
"Missy, you may want to leave." Rarity smiles and leaves.
Coco Pommel, Rain Drops, and Sturdy Steed run for the fountain. "QUICK! THE COCORTHROS HAS ESCAPED!" The guards start jumping onto the running ponies. Rain Drops gets pinned, one security guard tries to jump on Coco but Sturdy grabs her and throws her into the fountain, then a guard pins him too."
The security guards get up and surround the fountain. One reaches into the fountain "You're not escaping this place..." He pulls out Coco Pommel who has one head again.
"Where did that Cocorthros go?"
Coco Pommel pleads to the guard "I don't know, please put me down." The guard places her on the ground, then she trots away.
"GUARDS! SEARCH THE FOUNTAIN" All of them start dog piling the fountain, Coco Pommel returns to Rarity, followed by the fire fighters.
She walks up to a saddened Rarity "What happened?"
Back at Coco's apartment, she dumps out the poisoned corn oil. "After Sturdy Steed dropped off groceries for me yesterday evening, I fried hay with this oil."
Rarity pleads "I'm really sorry for what I've done to you. Is there anyway I can make it up to you?"
Coco Pommel and Sturdy Steed smile at each other.
Rarity returns to the boutique and struggles to keep up with the orders. Coco Pommel and Sturdy sit at a theater. He puts on the fire coat Coco gave him. "It's nice Rarity gave you the whole day off."
"She's quite generous. But she isn't flawless." Coco giggles "I'll never forget that moment you gave me back the dress."
Pinkie and Streamer sit next to them. "HEEEY you guys. We have had the craziest day. We baked cake, went down on the disco, and threw a party for the two of us. And it's only noon!" Streamer nods, then asks.
"How has your day been?"
Pinkie adds "I bet it wasn't as crazy as ours!"
Coco Pommel makes a nervous smile at Sturdy Steed, who quickly explains. "Coco grew a second head, was captured by the zoo under the belief she was a monster, then me and my friends broke her out."
Streamer and Pinkie look at them confused.
"Also Rarity cured my second head with a bubble bath" Coco adds.
Pinkie backs away "WHAAAAAAT."
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